I think many people have.
Cheers, Eric
I think many people have.
Good idea with the piece of plastic in the lift tube, I'll keep thinking about a more permanent solution.Lycosid wrote: ↑26 Apr 2020, 23:55 Apparently I've missed some updates here. Quick comments:
I've also had fish swim through uplift tubes into the space behind Mattenfilters. For glass catfish I've jammed a slice of plastic into the tube, splitting it into two halves which are each small enough that the catfish doesn't want to go through anymore. Convict cichlid fry also love to swim through uplift tubes. Eventually I just let their water level drop so the water dropped a short distance out of the uplifts. (I have come to despise convict cichlids.) A proper solution to this would be excellent.
I've also stripped bark on logs. A draw knife works wonderfully. Not the easiest thing to find, but I have one for other reasons and it works great.
MarcW wrote: ↑14 Apr 2020, 08:40 Over the weekend I decided to try making some tubes for my , as I only have clay caves, I thought they'd appreciate some shelter which they can just swim through easily, rather than a dead end cave.
We have a large oak tree (Quercus robur) in our garden, a while ago in strong winds a large branch fell off, so we had a tree surgeon come over who removed a few branches to give the tree a better shape. It had been badly managed in the past and had been left with a lot more growth on one side than the other.
It was cheaper if I kept the wood, so I did, and it's been stacked and drying for about 5 months now. I picked out a few smaller bits ~5-10cm (2-4 inches) in diameter and used my mitre saw to tidy up the chainsaw cuts (as I was paranoid about oil residue), and cut to appropriate lengths. In my case an appropriate length was no more than 20cm, ~8 inches, as my largest spade drill bit is 10cm long once in the chuck of my drill, allowing me to drill from each end and meet in the middle.
Firstly I stripped the bark, this was a pain and time consuming! I used an old chisel and a hammer where needed, this would probably have been easier if I had allowed the wood to dry out longer.
prepared oak.jpg
no bark left.jpg
I then used a 32mm ~1 1/4 inch, drill bit to drill through from both ends to make a tube.
drilling hole.jpg
I had a few smaller bits of wood so I made a few small caves which I'll try in my tank.
through tunnel.jpg
finished tubes&caves.jpg
I messed one up, and split out the side, I should have used a narrower drill bit for this smaller diameter piece of wood!
They are currently soaking in a bucket in the garden so they sink before I put them in a tank.
All the wood in this tank is Red Oak.... works great and is safe! Just know fresh Oak will turn your water a nice tea color..... but my fish seem to love the tea!
By "fresh" do you mean green or just new to the tank? I don't think I would add green wood of any kind it should be completely dried out before introducing. I have ready access to alder but I would like to add some oak, maple, and possibly hazelnut(filbert).
Thanks a heap MarcWMarcW wrote: ↑16 Jun 2020, 14:02 Personally, I have had the best luck leaving the fry in the parents tank, until they are 1.5 inches +. I wouldn't worry about the flow it seems a lot for a tiny fish but they will find a quiet spot if needed. I wouldn't think corys or the rummynose would cause them any issues. Good luck.