Jaymie's Perfectly Sized System & the Fantastic Fish

Jaymie

the wind is pretty hairy here already (the sound of the wind freaks me :shock:

and I probably won't sleep tonight because of the noise)

aquamad

quite opposite for me - love the wind (but not when it blows the roof away, or when I am camping in a tent) - and the sound of thunder and drumming rain too!

Jaymie

I love being in the wind, but not when I'm trying to sleep. My parents were too conscious of falling trees and branches and drummed it into my head. So the noise makes me think of the trees flailing about and .... so no sleep

Jaymie

we finally have the pumps running all the time, using the float switches (thanks Murray, they're great!).

There is still a fair bit of tweaking of taps to happen to get the flow to all the blue drums just right. The fill cycle seems to be about 20 minutes, and the full drain cycle more than an hour. I haven't had a chance to time it yet.

The remaining plants from the floating rafts (which suffered pretty badly before the perch arrived) have been planted out.

We still need to get another ute or two's worth of gravel to fill the last growbed (medium one, corrugated).

Got a couple of citrus trees today, but they need a bit of white oil to clean them up. So, they'll get planted in a few days.

The weather is stinking hot, humidity is in the 80's, temp feels like it is 36oC. The tank is at 29oC.

aquamad

I know all about those temps and humidity - I have to walk around at breaks (on duty) and watch the kids - no running off to the air con when on duty as we have to be out there and visible...
That tank sure is heating up! :shock:

What is the temp range for your perch?

Jaymie

Silvers 2o-35oC , Jades 22o-28oC but up to 30o (with increased water exchanges and aeration)

Jaymie

minus one Silver Perch (jumped onto one of the floating rafts for a sunbake - nobody told it about skincare

) Perch was fat and healthy, but it's skin could use a little moisture :wink:

was about 35mm long

Also managed to catch one of the Jades while it was in the middle of a feeding frenzy - also fat and healthy, skin better cared for, about 100mm long.

A friend came over today. He had seen them when they were still in the quarantine tank. He was very surprised at how much they had grown in 3 weeks.

monya

Can't believe I have not lost any like that, they are so damn active. Unlike the barra which seem to lol around, the silvers never stop, and they have quickly learned that when the shed door opens, it's time to line up at the corner for some food!

veggie boy

Jaymie - those temps are feeding temps hey. Gotta say though that my Jades have fed activelly at 18 degrees.

Jaymie

this morning I discovered how the little silver ended up sunbaking.

Yesterday I cut the bottom out of a bucket, cut a hole in a foam lid and put the bucket through (like Gary's duckweed bucket). I pushed the bucket a fair way down through the foam, there is about 10cm above the water level.

I put some duckweed in the bucket and sprinkled a couple of pellets in there so the fish would investigate the duckweed.

Later on I found the sun-worshipper.

This morning after the usual feeding frenzy, I put a couple more pellets in the bucket as the fish didn't seem to be interested in the duckweed yet.
Instead of eating the duckweed, the fish had a frenzy in the bucket :shock:

I had to rescue three fish right then :shock:

I have since put one of the spare bits of foam over the top of the bucket to stop the leapers. I'll make up a shadecloth or mozzie screen cover for the bucket later

These fish are leaping their own body length or more out of the water :shock:

monya

J I have found my little silvers have trouble getting into the duckweed. Lettuce is much easier for them to attack I think the duckweed is a bit tough for their little mouths

Jaymie

no spare lettuce atm. Seeds happening on the weekend, rapidly followed by the birdnetting :wink:

monya

had a bird in my greenhouse this morning. Eventually evacuate him, it could have had a field day in there while I was at work

Jaymie

The bird netting is up, so this afternoon after the long-delayed children's birthday party, we planted the seeds. Most of the types got a half blue drum each or a segment of the big and medium grow beds.

Here is the list:

Cabbage - walking stick, Mammoth Red Rock, Michihli
Lettuce - Cos Verdi
Pea - sugarsnap (climbing), Angela's Blue, Purple Podded
Bean - Climbing Purple King, Bush Bean Slenderette, Blue Lake (climbing), Green Snake Bean (brown seeded)
Silverbeet - Rainbow Chard, Fordhook Giant
Leek - Autumn Giant
Beetroot - Chioggia
Carrot - Dragon
Pop Corn - Ruby
Sweet Corn - Jolly Roger
Cucumber - Muncher Burpless
Eggplant - Rosa Bianca
Chilli - Rainbow Thai
Tomato - Grosse Lisse, Brandywine, Australian Red, Hardy Tom, Roma
Nasturtium - Whirlybird Mix, Jewel Mix
French Sorrel
Watercress
Rosemary
Sage
Basil - Dark Opal
Celery - Tendercrisp
Pennyroyal

I just realised we didn't get any parsley seeds :oops:

I'll have to get some next week

Jaymie

The fish are doing well, the jades are very visible every time you go near the tank (little beggars

). The silvers seem to hang out in the middle of the tank and are less visible, partly because of their colour and partly because they are smaller.

The water is still a bit silty from the washed gravel :wink:

(yes Les we did wash it

), but that is clearing slowly.

The fish get pellets (whole and crushed for the smaller ones) morning and night, plus they have silverbeet leaves in the tank all the time, as well as some duckweed.

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