Hello from South-Africa

[Lennard]

Hi.

I am from Rustenburg(Meaning: Resting against the mountains), South Africa. We have a moderate climate here with temperatures almost never go lower than 4 degrees Celcius in winter and higher than 35.

I love plants in general but I specialize in succulents, orchids,air plants, bonsai and hippeastrum.

I am a school teacher teaching my native language, Afrikaans(related to Dutch), in a technical high school (grade 8 - 12). English is my second language - excuse me for not using it always correctly!. I love my work very much. I am also the headmaster of our school's hostel.

This is not my first time keeping goldfish- I had an aquarium 10 years ago but due to moving I haven't started it up again. I did have some "accidental" spawning and have manage to raise fry to adulthood.

I have a 75 gallon tank now and also a pond outside. To keep me interest in the hobby growing I am planning to grow plants for aquariums and also start a breeding program. I have a big plastic covered greenhouse that I am going to use for the above mentioned purpose.

Quality goldfish here in South-Africa is a rarity- it seems that all the goldfish no one else wants is dumped here.

For know I have Celestials, Telescopics, Oranda, Bubbleye, Hooded(wen) Pearlscales. two.....:youtellme: Telescopic longfin Butterfly? and a Moore.

I really need to start my own breeding line- that's the only way I will get some quality Goldfish.

Will post pictures of my tank and fishes and questions in the relevant forums.

Lennard

[small_ranchu]

Hi Lennard,
Welcome on board and you are at the right place for breeding. Enjoy!!!

[Ichthius]

Welcome.

Sounds like learning how to import fish is your best bet.

[joe]

welcome, two of my closest friends are from johannesberg south africa (sorry for the misspelling) You have a perfect climate for raising goldfish. welcome to this board, looking forward to hearing from you often

[Lennard]

Hi Lennard,
Welcome on board and you are at the right place for breeding. Enjoy!!!

Thanks.

My head is spinning because there is so much information here on breeding!

Beautiful fish in your album!

Lennard

[Lennard]

Welcome.

Sounds like learning how to import fish is your best bet.

Thanks for the welcome.

There would be no fun in it if I go that way! I am also a keen bonsai grower- the journey and not the end result is the fun of doing it.

The most important thing for me know is to get the breeding and raising setup ready. Remembering from previous attempts to raise fry my wife almost kicked me from the house!

Your blog is one of the reasons for me to be very enthusiastic about breeding - so after all is said and done I will blame it on you .....or give you credit when I have bred my own quality goldfish:worship:

Lennard

[Lennard]

welcome, two of my closest friends are from johannesberg south africa (sorry for the misspelling) You have a perfect climate for raising goldfish. welcome to this board, looking forward to hearing from you often

Thanks.

You are not too far out with the spelling - it's Johannesburg.

You will get tired of me later on because I always go nuts with a hobby!

Lennard

[opera]

Welcome.
Spend more times on this website, there are quite a few experience members in this web board. If you would like to groom and breed your fish. They can help you to be successfull.
I started joining this forum two years, with the help of nice people on this forum, now I have five spawns. Five of my TVR female fish produced lots of eggs again yesterday, but I have to pass since I do not have enough space.

[Lennard]

Welcome.
Spend more times on this website, there are quite a few experience members in this web board. If you would like to groom and breed your fish. They can help you to be successfull.
I started joining this forum two years, with the help of nice people on this forum, now I have five spawns. Five of my TVR female fish produced lots of eggs again yesterday, but I have to pass since I do not have enough space.

Thanks.

I am slowly working through each forum to try and catch up on the experiences of the members.

And sometimes things do not go as planned - even if you try and implement all the "rules".

I had about 45 three week old fry floating in a container with a hole stuffed up by filter wool in my main tank. I changed the water in there three times a day with water from the aquarium. They were not growing very fast because I did not have access to brine shrimp. Sunday night I moved them to a newly bought tank filled with the same water as the main tank and with an outside air operated filter with old filterwool from the main tank. I fed them well with brine shrimp that night and there bellies was swollen red with all the shrimp.

The next morning I found them all dead and it is so frustrating not knowing why!!

I had a week later spawn of fry on a wool mob of about 25 eggs. I thrown the eggs into a smaller tank in which I kept some recently collected Ruppia and three Glass? shrimps from the same dam(lake). I did not want to put fish in there because of possible parasites and other diseases.

A few(9) fry hatched in cold water and they were growing very faster than the cared for fry in the main tank. (interesting enough I found more than 20 different organisms coming from the collected plant swimming in the tank but the fry ate all of them - except for the shrimps). Sunday night I had to move their tank so I did an almost 90% water change - they are surviving, actually, they are looking fine!

Has this happened to some one else before or is this only me?

Lennard