The Wild Fishing Forum

Quote from: Laxdale on Today at 06:10:24 PMI was booted off a NC500 group

What on earth were you doing on an NC500 group?  Covert surveillance of the enemy?    

I was booted off a NC500 group for laughing at them all wanting pictures of toffee paper cows.

Some set of horns on that one Sandy

I took this one that used to be at the coffee shop as you drive north out of Callander.

Test kit wise I'd say :-

Ammonia
Nitrite
Nitrate
pH

With these you can ensure your tank is correctly cycled and then have the tools necessary to diagnose any problems correctly. A master kit will suffice and you can find the API kits on Amazon cheap enough.

Don't waste your money on litmus paper based test kits.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/API-Freshwater-Aquarium-Water-Master/dp/B000255NCI/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3UM8MWZG01JHM&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.57Q8H2juCmiUi9LxaZHIEZGeO3miYu4enwnOU5nJ7RNRn_zgy-RiSGmBr9jrs4w55ITa97svBuxo6_2I4jn5tzEP1ylRsUlHvsvgDoiVZbm8DGE12cFPKohwIG7bciBTW3VQpmjhGQz-qz1GZfARLTrlzl0O55blM-pkTVAI3aaSUFjXaOMRGvGsvRbe9xZ7bzLgY9Z93zqzq-bFyspDhAlVg1E3y0QhBqoX5dB_YQxzZTVwxnIBRGsWvqIpg_AwoyBceJmKvLhizM0vYNdar-BwKOxcxgPBf40Vg2CeIUc.EiVM7TFZUzbC8fNPqeEt_A0Ce2h_bWnIm4bFxX38SOU&dib_tag=se&keywords=api+test+kit&qid=1714734676&rdc=1&sprefix=api+test%2Caps%2C95&sr=8-2



Nets! One large enough to comfortably accommodate your largest fish when fully grown and a smaller one to chase it into the larger net.

Algae scraper and gravel vac to keep things clean.

Dechlorinator is not using a HMA or RO filter but see my post in your discus thread if keeping those.


Decor and live plants but these really depend on your chosen species.

Food. A combination of dry, freeze dried and frozen but again depends on the actual species you keep.

Pre filter media for your filter. It will need replacing at intervals.

They're easy.

Once upon a time most were wild caught and needed soft, acidic water that few people could provide.

Now almost all are captive bred. Most in the Far East and some in Germany. Ze German fish tend to be higher quality. If people buy themselves a HMA or RO filter then they're a doddle to keep. Don't mess about with tap conditioner though as it won't remove heavy metals from your water supply that will affect your fish in the longer term.

If you want them just buy a group of small fish and let them grow on and pair off. Feeding wise there's now a huge range of suitable discus frozen food. Just make sure you use a gravel vac to keep things clean and do not skimp on water changes.

If you're raising young in a grow out tank water changes are needed daily to maximise growth rates. A lot of people breed them because they see $$$ in their eyes. What most haven'y realised is that you can earn lots of $$$ but you really will have worked for it!

This German outfit are worth a look if you're seriously considering them.

https://stendker.com/en/

They have dealers offering their fish throughout the UK.

OK, the tank, stand, filter, heater etc are ordered.

What other tools and accessories, test kits etc  do you recommend I buy?  Willing to spend a few £100 if required.

They are a local attraction for sure. That pic is a few years old now, looks like a young beast!

Not enough current knowledge Jon. Just not ready for such a challenge!

One of the cows ended up on the Visit Scotland Instagram account. 60,000 likes. How do I get the image rights?!!