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Gill

Gill

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Joined
17 Mar 2008
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3,916
Location
Coventry
Back from India after a great holiday.

Been checking on my pico/nano tanks and outdoor barrells.

Tanks - No Maintenance since Jan

Pico tanks are doing well, need to check on "Reclamation".
Nano Pickle Jar - Doing Very well, little overgrown and Anubias have died but all fish and shrimp doing well. :)

Barrels - No Maintenance on them since Before Christmas

Barell with daphnia and gouramies - Smells Dead so not holding out any hopes, Can't even see any copepods or daphnia in the water. :(

Barrell with Marginal Plants - Teaming with daphnia and water is Crystal Clear. Only left a few inches of water in it to kee the plants going :)

Bucket with Bogwood and azoll - Can see some daphnia and copepods but not much else due to the tanins.
 
Mate.....are you being serious? Maybe rethink your fish keeping standards? Your surely teetering on a thin line by having TROPICAL fish outside in a barrel anyway, let alone chipping off for a long period of time...

Look forward to your response as surely this barrel was heated and filterd :)
 
nayr88 said:
Mate.....are you being serious? Maybe rethink your fish keeping standards? Your surely teetering on a thin line by having TROPICAL fish outside in a barrel anyway, let alone chipping off for a long period of time...

Look forward to your response as surely this barrel was heated and filterd :)
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Tropical fish outdoors, been doing for it for over 5 years with all types of fish.
Guppies, platties, corys, bettas, plecs, gouramies, danios, minnows, barbs, tetras.

Barrels are neither filtered or heated. Simply kept densely planted and not kept in full sun all day. Do not feed them much, top up the natural supply of live food every so often. Doing it this way and no probs so far.
If this is the 1st time you are hearing of tropical fish outdoors, it is not anything new. Alot of LFS in this area have been transferring tropical fish to cold water setups for tanks and ponds for a few years. Especially with Platties,gouramies and minnows,barbs.
TBH IME most Gouramies are exceptionally well adapted to cold/cool water setups and infact gouramies were some of the 1st fish to be kept in CW bowls tanks by victorians.
 
Ok, I just don't see why its necessary bro, there tropical fish. Tropical fish=heated water what's the point in putting them in a barrel :\ don't see the appeal.
I understand the dense planting for filtering the water, maybe my 1st post was abit heavy but I really don't see the need or appeal in this and can't get past the basic'ness' of coldwater fish...cold water...tropical fish...heated water

When I considering a fish species that I like the look of I research the needs of that fish and see if within reason can I provide what that species needs, and if I cannot than I do not, simple....

And as for victorians some of the things they did in that era where just a erm TAD odd so let's live in the now.... :D haha
 
nayr88 said:
Ok, I just don't see why its necessary bro, there tropical fish. Tropical fish=heated water what's the point in putting them in a barrel :\ don't see the appeal.
I understand the dense planting for filtering the water, maybe my 1st post was abit heavy but I really don't see the need or appeal in this and can't get past the basic'ness' of coldwater fish...cold water...tropical fish...heated water

When I considering a fish species that I like the look of I research the needs of that fish and see if within reason can I provide what that species needs, and if I cannot than I do not, simple....

And as for victorians some of the things they did in that era where just a erm TAD odd so let's live in the now.... :D haha
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Lol don't worry. I have always been one to experiment with Fishkeeping. Attitudes towards fish as changing and You would be suprised at the amount of people that are looking at alternative cold/cool water fish.
You would be suprised at the change in some fishes behaviour when in a barrel or pond.

Danios - Zebras and leopards
They change so dramatically, They are so much more active outdoors. They become much darker in color. Zebras especially develop a kind of disc that glows under flashlight, so amazing to watch the little dots zooming about at night. Even the Leucistic Danios Develop the disc that glows at night. Dunno what use it would have though.

Gouramies
I have always liked sparkling and Golden Dwarf Sunset and Honey Gouramies.
Have Had them all in Room Temp unfiltered tanks just out of curiosity - Results were Breeding and Croaking and Could watch them spitting water jets out of the surface of the water.
Have been keeping Sunsets and Honeys outdoors for a few years in the summer months, and they are great to watch.

paradise fish are another example of a fish that does great in a bowl or room temp tank - So similar to fighters in temperament and keeping habits.

One Fish that Suprised me the Most when tried in unheated and outdoors were Threadfin Rainbowfish.
Amazing fish to watch in an aquarium, but outdoors in a Tank (heavily Planted and In Semi Shade).
They liked the water to be slightly green instead of crystal clear thru experimentation.
Lots of Live food - Daphnia, bloodworm, mozzies etc.
Finnage grew to a much longer length than in a heated tank, less agression between males and the dominant fish grew alot bigger and more stunning.
I did have pix of them in an outdoor tank but were lost when PC crashed


I could go on for pages, but sometimes people don't like people who are of the straight and narrow and more left field. From plenty of past experience
 
Morgan Freeman said:
Do the tanks not freeze in winter?
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Yes they do, but by then the fish are back in the greenhouse or in the garage.
The only fish i live over winter are danios and minnows
 
I don't know what to say. Nayr88 pretty much sums up what I think. imho we need to be responsible for every animal in our care and not experiment with their life. I can't believe that anyone would leave tropical fish outdoors in feb, let alone unattended for months.

Gill I don't mean to sound harsh, and I understand that I am making judgements based an very little knowledge of your set up. Maybe if you could give more information I may be able to understand a little better.

regards
 
howanic said:
I don't know what to say. Nayr88 pretty much sums up what I think. imho we need to be responsible for every animal in our care and not experiment with their life. I can't believe that anyone would leave tropical fish outdoors in feb, let alone unattended for months.

Gill I don't mean to sound harsh, and I understand that I am making judgements based an very little knowledge of your set up. Maybe if you could give more information I may be able to understand a little better.

regards
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TBH, It does not bother me in the slightest.
To explain my setups would take a long time. I truly look after my Fish and always have best in mind. They are well fed and looked after. Just because I Don't Keep them the Way that the Elite and Norm keep them. Does not mean I am Being Irressponsible.

I simply tell people how i keep lots of different fish in different ways. They like it fine, don't fine. Have gone thru alot of trial and error and tweaking setups and feeding and planting to find a balance of things i like and fish that suit the setups.

The Fish I keep that are best suited to trop temps are being looked after by a friend of mine along with a few of my other tanks. And I will be collecting them from him shortly.
 
i'm with you Gill - i'm sure you look after the welfare of your fish! I accidentally gassed a load of fish the other day when i didn't realise i'd knocked my reg. In a way i see what you do as being more responsible than keeping fish in such a potentially unstable environment. How did you start your daphnia colonies? Do you have any idea on the temperature tolerances of zebra danio? Thinking about some for an unheated tank in my garage! Cheers, Matt
 
I think this is one of them threads where we will have to agree to disagree haha :)
Nothing personal Gill I hope you understand that mate.

just don't agree with it, I've added my 2cence will leave it at that.

Cheers
 
I have to agree with Nayrr here. I don't see why you would keep them in barrels. I say keep them well or don't keep them at all. If The RSPCA covered fish, I recon th
 
nayr88 said:
I think this is one of them threads where we will have to agree to disagree haha :)
Click to expand...

Wise words.

I am going to add my 2 cents, just to say my opinion. Could be right or wrong, and I do not want to add fire to any arguments!

I find him an inspiration. He has a unique style that is truly a breath of fresh air.

As someone who has kept fish for 20 years I recognise Gill as someone who knows his stuff.
I can understand why some find his unorthodox methods unsettling.
Thats always going to happen when someones approach differs so much from the from the current thinking (look at poor old Galileo).
 
Johno2090 said:
I have to agree with Nayrr here. I don't see why you would keep them in barrels. I say keep them well or don't keep them at all. If The RSPCA covered fish, I recon th
Click to expand...

Well One of the RSPCA Vets Is a friend of mine and the Licensing Vet aswell.
They have both been over to mine and checked on my setups and found nothing wrong with them.
 
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