Outdoor Cichlids

[reagan]

This pond is around 400gls. It has over 40 cichlids form 3-12". It 4-5 pairs spawning at all times. The fry always get ate.

[fishme]

Very nice. Is this yours, Reagan?

[reagan]

Yes

[angel]

Was looking as some of your other vids. The cobra pikes are absolutely GORGEOUS!

[angel]

I have a question: when you say the filter has peat moss, is that like peat moss that you find in the craft store? Dried? Or is it a plant you buy? Or something else? Do you just put it in the filter where you would put other medium? Anything else in the filter with it?

[jgentry]

Very nice Reagen.

One question on your new larger pond? How will you get the fish out for the winter in a 5000g pond? Will you have to drain it or will you just have to do a lot of swimming in the fall of 2010?

I set your Escondido's aside in there own tank with your name on it so I wouldn't forget and sell them.

Have you had any success with spawning the Yellow Labridens yet?

[reagan]

No yellow labridens yet.

The Cobra pike male is now 15" he pair looks much better now.

I plan to catch the large ones at night with a flash light. The pond will have a small pond in the bottom of around 500gls. I will empty the pond down to the leadge and pull them 0ut.

[jgentry]

Aug 19, 2009 9:27:36 GMT -6 reagan said:

No yellow labridens yet.

The Cobra pike male is now 15" he pair looks much better now.

I plan to catch the large ones at night with a flash light. The pond will have a small pond in the bottom of around 500gls. I will empty the pond down to the leadge and pull them 0ut.

That's an excellent idea. I firgured you would have something of the sort or one little deep spot that you could drain down to. I couldn't imagine trying to catch them any other way.

You should have tons of spawns and a lot of fry that make it in a pond that size. When you get it going next year I'm going to have to come check this out. Very cool!!!!

[reagan]

Sound good

[angel]

But what about the peat? Because I just read recently that some keepers of chocolates put peat in the filter. But it didn't say how exactly they did it or where they got the peat.

[jgentry]

Peat is used to acidify the water slightly. I'll let Reagen answer exactly what he is buying but most people buy it at hardware stores.

You do not need it for your tank bred chocolate angel. I keep wild fish from that area in our water without much issues.

[angel]

Cool. He just mopes sometimes. I wondered if he wasn't happy with the water or he was just being crabby because he wasn't getting bloodworms that day.

[nebelhund]

I'm assuming they couldn't handle the cold weather in Tennessee even with a heater? You just scoop them up and keep them inside during the cold months?

[reagan]

I dont use peat. For the Cobras I use black water extract. works well.

[angel]

Oh. When you said you had a peat box to keep the ph down I thought you meant it actualy has peat in it.