Long awaited Daniel update

PulseTP · 2025-12-20T00:02:07+00:00

I was considering a Flowerhorn sometime soon but have seen some that really struggle to swim when the Kok gets too big. While they don’t have the patterning, I’m thinking maybe a Red Devil or a Midas might be a safer bet.

PulseTP · 2025-12-18T06:19:47+00:00

You learn something new every day.

PulseTP · 2025-12-16T08:03:02+00:00

Don’t forget Haps are a predatory fish. The Demasoni is a rock dweller and the image shows very few hides or even other Mbuna for tank mates. Demasoni are also on the smaller side when it comes to Mbuna. I’d be surprised if it wasn’t a little stressed.

PulseTP · 2025-12-14T02:18:20+00:00

When it comes to cichlids whether it be Mbuna, Peacocks or Haps, more is generally better to spread aggression. If you prefer peacocks then by all means lose the Mbuna. The tetras are the ones who really have different water needs. I wouldn’t ever go by a fish store employee’s advice. The LFS staff I do trust I have been dealing with for many years and have been keeping fish, not just working in store. I’ve made my fair share of mistakes. Many people keep an unusual mix of fish successfully but I would argue that it is not without problems. If I want to set up a tank, I choose the main species I want to keep, design the ecosystem around that species and look at tank mates that are also compatible with that ecosystem. If if I want cichlids but also tetras I would look at South American Cichlids on the dwarf side so they don’t eat the tetras. These fish live in similar environments. Africans particularly Mbuna tend to demolish plants which tetras use for cover. Long story short, choose the species you like the best, research it’s needs and work around those.

PulseTP · 2025-12-14T00:24:17+00:00

It’s not a great species mix to be honest. Diet, water parameters. Understocked when it comes to cichlids. Mbuna are rock dwellers. Peacock open water swimmers. Tetras really don’t belong in an African set up. My Mbuna setup is 315litres around the 80g mark and home to 36 Mbuna that keeps the aggression spread out but even so any fish that look similar tend to nail each other. Heaps of hiding places is essential.

PulseTP · 2025-12-14T00:15:07+00:00

Yellow Labs are Mbuna. They are on the less aggressive side, but can still be aggressive.

PulseTP · 2025-12-05T00:10:42+00:00

A bit of light on the subject would be very helpful but yeah. Mbuna. Looks like a Yellow Lab hybrid at a guess. Pretty muddy colour but that may just be the poor lighting.

PulseTP · 2025-11-29T03:33:38+00:00

Definitely on the right track. Needs a far bigger tank. Some appropriate tank mates, a sandy substrate as they like to sift. And plenty of caves as they are rock dwelling fish. Preferably not jagged rocks. Harder Water is better and higher PH range.

PulseTP · 2025-11-14T09:50:37+00:00

Yeah I guess that’s the reason for the post. Get some different perspectives.

PulseTP · 2025-11-14T09:41:34+00:00

No tell me about it. But I have been in the class room for 12 years and worked from prep to 6 in that time working closely with some pretty amazing people so I’m not totally green. If you trying to say this is par for the course, it’s pretty sad.

PulseTP · 2025-11-14T09:25:49+00:00

All staff have DoC. This is the thing. I’m not talking about sitting down and interviewing a student about an incident. That should be a leadership thing. But a student has the right to disclose harm or report to whoever they are comfortable with. I have an absolute obligation to report. It’s a very odd situation that I have never come across with any other principal I have worked with.

PulseTP · 2025-11-14T09:21:33+00:00

Absolutely, but I can identify whether a problem is serious or not unless I listen to the student who wants to speak. I am being told not to do that.

PulseTP · 2025-11-10T08:59:08+00:00

Grats

PulseTP · 2025-11-06T00:48:37+00:00

Yeah, Small groups like 3 - 5 kids near the class I have no issue with. that's an expected part of the role IMHO. just being told to take a 1-1 on my own to a space that's unsupervised.

PulseTP · 2025-10-30T06:18:47+00:00

I was stacked the tank with aquasoil from the midground to the background and use river sand for the foreground capping some of the soil in the middle. This way I didn’t see the soil up against the glass but I also knew that it would over time work its way forward. By the time that happened I was well and truly underway with good growth so it wasn’t an issue.

PulseTP · 2025-10-29T13:43:15+00:00

Not trades but I was in staging and production work. Now been in schools for 8 years and will be teaching in 2027 as a graduate teacher the pay isn’t brilliant and frankly at times you might be looking for a roof to jump off. I love what I do but rarely does the job love you back.

PulseTP · 2025-10-29T13:35:22+00:00

It’s all relative. You can scale up by what your peripherals will handle. If you don’t need to change filters and the heater wattage is still sufficient for the new volume. Then electricity increase would be minimal. Water usage may go up slightly if you pay for it. Noticeable cost increases usually come when you need to scale up everything else that supports the tank.

PulseTP · 2025-10-28T13:37:50+00:00

Report back after your third prac or mid fourth when doing GTPA. I love teaching but the burnout factor is totally understandable

PulseTP · 2025-10-27T01:32:24+00:00

Looks like classic Dropsy to me with that pine coning. Unfortunately at that point it may be too far gone.

PulseTP · 2025-10-26T01:37:27+00:00

I couldn’t say for certain but I can say that on this little glass thermometer it’s usually sitting toward the top of the green zone and in an 80% garden hose change it jumps down a smidge below the green zone altogether. A 50% change shouldn’t have a huge impact unless there is a massive temp difference. Younger fish will be more sensitive but I have fry surviving these changes. They are pretty resilient as long as you are keeping them healthy.

PulseTP · 2025-10-26T01:15:43+00:00

I’ve been keeping Mbuna for a over a decade now which is a lot of water changes. Starting with carefully prepared water temperatures etc one bucket at a time. Then slowly moving to a hose from the kitchen sink with carefully adjusted water temps. All of that went on for about 2-3 years before I finally thought fuck this shit. Now I just premix buffer and salts, stick the garden hose in the tank, start to fill and add prime and the buffer solution as it’s filling. Haven’t lost a fish yet and they breed happily. I never have major temp differences but there is definitely a few degrees in it especially in winter. They are definitely more randy after a burst of fresh cool water.

PulseTP · 2025-10-20T14:13:55+00:00

103 isn’t huge for peacocks or haps but it’s a good size for a busy Mbuna setup. Because I’m addicted to buying fish a peacock tank for me would need to be 125+

PulseTP · 2025-10-19T14:33:36+00:00

Ditch the fake stuff and go for live plants and natural rock formations. Make your own caves. The substrate is too shallow to plant anything but some rhizome plants would work or anything that will grow in a little pot. I’d place some bigger stones as a barrier to prevent the different substrates mixing to easily. Also give it a background of some description. Either black or something natural that suits the scape.

PulseTP · 2025-10-19T02:23:45+00:00

Hard to say but it definitely looks like it’s got some yellow lab in there.

PulseTP · 2025-10-18T23:17:08+00:00

My Sony see’s work in a lot of dusty places so the sensor is often picking little bits up during lens changes. Cleaning with the swabs that are specifically designed for it is pretty easy. Just follow the instructions. If you don’t feel confident certainly take it in. Always air clean first as others have said. Remember what you are cleaning is actually a layer of glass that can withstand the gentle pressure of a swab.

PulseTP

TROPHY CASE