Let's talk about backyard farming

by Adie

Posted: 10 years ago 21 replies

OFF TOPIC

I live in a subdivision and has a limited backyard, but my family owns around 8 acres of agricultural land in countryside. I love farming but my time is not allowing me to do it.

What I have in my backyard is an aquaponic system. I have two 60-gallon tanks and around 10 square foot of grow bed where I grow lettuce, carrots, tomatoes and other leafy vegetables. My tanks are home of 100 tilapia that I harvest every 4 to 5 months. I grow free food in my backyard.

Any body here has a backyard farm?

ForumGuru

Banned 10 years ago

No farm...just tomatoes and peppers for me this year! No fancy systems...just dirt, manure and peat. Usually I have onions and strawberries too but I moved last year and I did not find the time time to setup my super small backyard for more stuff this year. I do have a 120 gallon aquarium in my dining room though. In-fact I used to breed the Tilapia - S. Freyeri to sell to fish stores and hobbyists. No eating S. Freyeri though because a colored up 6 inch male sells for around $70 retail and $25-30 wholesale.

Here is a picture of my one of my full blaze S. Freyeri breeders. These suckers are some of the meanest African Cichlids you can find.

When I was heavy into cichlid breeding I bred 17 different species of African Cichlids and had a stocking level of about 1400 fish at my house. Not a big time operation...just 3 rooms worth of aquariums.

None were for eating though, all were for sale to pet stores and private fish buyers.

Cheers

-don

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BigFrank

Banned 10 years ago

Originally Posted by ForumGuru

Here is a picture of my one of my full blaze S. Freyeri breeders. These suckers are some of the meanest African Cichlids you can find.

When I was heavy into cichlid breeding I bred 17 different species of African Cichlids and had a stocking level of about 1400 fish at my house. Not a big time operation...just 3 rooms worth of aquariums.

None were for eating though, all were for sale to pet stores and private fish buyers.

Cheers

-don

Hi Don,

I did not know that there were other fish guys, here. Before I got sidelined with CHF I had a farm with 320 aquariums. After moving back to the lake house I went to 150 and now ater 57 years in the hobby, I am down to a paltry 30 tanks (sniff).

I have had over 100 species of Corydoras spawn in my fish room, (I never say that I spawned anything) including one that for the first six years that the fish was introduced to the hobby, I was the only person to have them spawn (CW016). Recently, a few serious breeders that I sent fry to on 3 continents have reported spawning them, but I have yet to see a picture. lol

Fancy guppies were my first love, though. I started raising them when I was 8 years old. My uncle was a scout master and he brought me a female guppy in a Hellmann's mayonnaise jar with a few sprigs of Cabomba. When she dropped her fry I was hooked for life.

I was never a big Cichlid fan as I prefer more diminutive and less aggressive species. That said, they are some of the prettiest fish in the hobby.

I still do a lot of fish photography

and I am still keeping some very rare species of Cory including one (C. garbei) which no longer exist in the wild as it's habitat was completely destroyed. A common occurrence in Brazil and Peru, where most Corys live.

My total immersion in the world of tropical fish has been the singular joy of my life. Even when I was in Vietnam I kept wild Bettas. Not this one, though.

I can't believe that I had 320 tanks, stuffed to the gills with some of the most beautiful fish you would ever see. And lets not even mention the angelfish. Oh, my. lol

Notice the wigglers on the slate. Come to think of it, I guess I did keep Cichlids. South Americans, but no Africans except a few times over the years.

At one time tropical fish keeping was the most popular hobby in the U.S.. Simpler times. My fish have been my PTSD medication since I won't take the VA psychotropics. The fish actually work much better.

Cheers. - Frank

P.S. I am no longer selling fish commercially, so Mods, there is no 'self-promotion' in this post. Just a wee bit of showing off! lol

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seasoned

10 years ago

Originally Posted by Adie

MAN, I keep thinking about it! I researched the HECK out of it. I am just afraid that I will have something go wrong and get my basement floor wet, or the PH will go off, etc.

Luckily most other things will be relatively stable. Even if a heater broke down, I would make sure the home was at least survivable for tilapia. I EVEN toyed with creating a system to automatically fix some common problems. I don't think they even make such a system, but ones close to it are EXPENSIVE. I have a "day basement", so it gets enough light, etc. What I have been considering sounds like almost exactly what you have, as far as size and capability.About 60 gallon and about 10sf.

Steve

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ThomM 10 years ago

Just gardens and foraging now a days for me.
I have a life long friend just over the hill from me who has goats, chickens, and other assorted barn yard animals though so they are close by.

I do all my gardening organically both indoors and out.
When I grow indoors I have 3x4ft. by 18in. hi beds I use.
The outdoor gardens are always a challenge thanks to the woodchucks, deer, and chipmunks who think it's their buffet table
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hardraysnight 10 years ago

i dig gardening
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seasoned

10 years ago

Tilapia caught on with aquaponics because they are pretty hardy. The water doesn't have to be kept quite so clean, and the water doesn't have to be at such a precise temperature. They can also grow big and are edible.

The bad thing of course is that there are prettier fish, and tilapia can be disastrous for the environment if they aren't handled right. Like the snakeheads that that guy bought from china, put in his outside pond, and caused a ecological disaster that went on for YEARS and may STILL be a disaster. Of course he got them illegally! Wikipedia said they were offering prizes for killing snakeheads,in maryland, as late as March 28, 2012. I believe the main site of the problem was in the potomac.

Of course tilapia can't walk, so it is not QUITE as bad. Still, a lot of states passed some laws restricting them because tilapia are just as omnivorous, and tenacious.

Steve

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AprilCT 10 years ago

Very pretty fish in all the posts. We have no fish because no one wants to clean any tanks! It would be a lot easier to farm worms for fishermen!
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Adie

10 years ago

Hi Steve, I heard about that snakehead too but here in Philippines, snakeheads are very valuable and very expensive piece. I am talking about the Channa striata - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. This species s also hard to culture because of very high cannibalism.

About the tilapia in my aquaponic tanks, I replace water every 20 days although the water remains clean because of think vegetation on my grow beds. Once the ph dropped, I change the water. I grow tilapia for food but I also have an aquarium for ornamental fish havng Japanese koi and some other small inexpensive species.

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seasoned

10 years ago

Originally Posted by Adie

Yeah, the couple was, as I recall, chinese. The husband bought them because his wife was very sick, and they could supposedly help her. They were prized in CHINA also. She got better, so they didn't need the snakeheads. When the mated pair of snakeheads got too big for his tank, he moved them to an outside pond. They simply walked to the potomac, and started their damage. Being omnivorous, they could eat other fish, and vegetation, and that was where the problem really started. And YEAH, they will even eat other snakeheads, though snakeheads would be violent and probably the last to be obliterated.

Steve

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ForumGuru

Banned 10 years ago

Hey Frank,

Great stuff, great story and nice work on the Corydoras!

I did strictly mouth brooders and most of those were from Lake Malawi and the rest were from Lake Victoria. Most all of the fry I would remove from the mouth by hand otherwise they would be eaten almost immediately in my setups if I allowed the females to spit. Plus if I did not remove females from the main breeding tanks they would be battered by other fish trying to make them spit the eggs or the fry. Yep, some tough, aggressive, territorial sons-o-guns no doubt about it. I used to live in Rockford, Ill and the hard well water was perfect for breeding Africans.

I don't sell anymore, either, as I basically sold out many moons ago. When I was going good I sold to pet stores, fish stores, lots of private buyers and businesses, and eventually I sold most of my stock out to some guys that sold at the Chicago fish auctions. I took the cash and my time back and have regretted it ever since. I agree with you, some of the most enjoyable and rewarding years I have had were the years I was breeding. I only had 60 or 70 tanks but I would divide the 10's into 3 or 4 tanks, the 20's and 30's into 4 or 5 tanks, and I also used a lot of drop-ins as well. When my operation was at it's peak I would do 50-70% water changes twice per week.

Since I was only doing mouth brooders I had an 8 foot long double-decker tank that was custom built for female holders that had 40 separate flow-through compartments. Water would run through the length of the top section, waterfall to the bottom, run through the bottom section, and then it would be circulated back to the top and that tank helped me manage my operation fairly well.

I used to do a lot of fish photography (all no flash) and some of my photos still run in college biology textbooks that I licensed way back in 2002. Unfortunately for me, when I sold out my fish operation that basically ended my fish photography! Shooting African Cichlids in large tanks back in the early 2000's was not an easy task! All of the shots below were taken in my 55s or 120s. Shooting them in smaller tanks was not an option as most of the males would color down in smaller tanks.

I had tried many forms of general fishkeeping for a year or two and had a very wide variety of fish including many different species of schoolers, then I tried South American Cichlids, Pirannas, Snakeheads, Puffers etc. etc but I ended up with only African Cichlids because I loved the monogamous, polygamous, harem polygamist etc. family relationships and non-family relationships. I love the territorial behavior, the feeding pits they dig, the breeding grounds, the fierce defense of the family unit and territory, the mouth brooding behavior, the laying and the fertilizing of the eggs one-at-a-time while in the females mouth, and of course the colors both metallic and non-metallic.

Here are (were) some of my lines...

OB Peacock (male)

OB Peacock (female)

Yellow Princess (male)

Pindani-Zebra (H/B male)

Red Zebra (male)

Red Finned Borleyi (male)

Lemon Yellow Lab

Mangano (Check out those lush green algae beds growing on limestone.)

Rusty Cichlid (male)

I only have 2 tanks running now --> a 120 gallon and a 2 gallon for some fry I just netted from a Jewell Cichlid a few days ago. It's the first fry I have pulled in years and it's the first time for me not doing a mouth brooder! I grabbed them just for fun to drop back into the 120 when they get some size on them.

Here is a very quick and dirty snapshot of the Jewell and the fry remaining in the 120...I had already netted about 50 fry to the 2 gallon fry tank.

Since my fish count is so low these days I only do a few water changes a year and I leave the dirty work to the Plekos and my old 404s.

Hopefully in the next few years I will get back into it heavy again and I am glad to hear the fish have been such great medication for you! I fully understand the joy of this great hobby and it's great to see another hardcore fishkeeper on the forum! I have been keeping African Cichlids for almost 20 years but you have been at it a very long time --> congrats and keep up he good work.

Cheers!

-don

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BigFrank

Banned 10 years ago

Originally Posted by ForumGuru

Hey Frank,

Morning, Sir!

Great stuff, great story and nice work on the Corydoras!

Thanks, although we both know that the fact that I have that many Cory notches on my belt along with $1.50 will get me a decent cup of coffee, most anywhere. lol

I did strictly mouth brooders and most of those were from Lake Malawi and the rest were from Lake Victoria. Most all of the fry I would remove from the mouth by hand otherwise they would be eaten almost immediately in my setups if I allowed the females to spit. Plus if I did not remove females from the main breeding tanks they would be battered by other fish trying to make them spit the eggs or the fry. Yep, some tough, aggressive, territorial sons-o-guns no doubt about it. I used to live in Rockford, Ill and the hard well water was perfect for breeding Africans.

Not an easy task and one that I doubt I could muster the patience to pull off. I know quite a few breeders in that area and some of the best in the business hail from that locale.

I don't sell anymore, either, as I basically sold out many moons ago. When I was going good I sold to pet stores, fish stores, lots of private buyers and businesses, and eventually I sold most of my stock out to some guys that sold at the Chicago fish auctions.

I think I made more money selling fish than most things I have ever done in my life except for possibly desktop publishing when it was in its infancy. That was literally printing money.

I avoided selling to the stores as they wanted everything at rock-bottom prices and outside of my guppies, most of what I raised had no chance of selling in mom and pop fish stores. I tried to raise Corys for the most part that sold for $50 to $100 each. A few of my strains were in the $150 range and I would import species that would bring up to $250 each. Yes, for Corys. lol

I sold mainly on Aquabid, on and off auction. My on auction sales (under the handle Coryologist) have generated 1100 glowing feedbacks. My off-auction sales netted another 2500 or so transactions over the years. I used to do a radio show on Wednesdays in conjunction with my auctions. I played classic rock, talked about my auctions, royally insulted my loyal listeners who felt slighted if I didn't bemoan their existence on the planet and tell people that if they let some clown outbid them for my fish that they were total losers and had no recourse but to take their own lives. That proven success formula could generate $1500 in auction money in three hours time and usually another $1000 or so in side deals and add-ons. Those were some really fun times. I did that for around 6 years except for summer hiatus when it was just too hot to ship fish. I would then do the show on Saturday nites. Here's a typical promo that displays how I kept a good sized audience for Internet radio - besides playing some of the best 'kick-ass' rock and roll known to man. To say that it was an outrageous display of pure narcissism and inane drivel would be the understatement of a life time. lol

While it may be easy to dismiss the juvenile methods, you certainly can't argue with the results. Great money for having great fun. What, in life is better than that?

I took the cash and my time back and have regretted it ever since.

While I strive to never regret anything I have ever done in life (the mistakes were simply 'learning experiences') I am saddened that what was almost my entire life has been reduced to a small portion of my daily tasks. Of course, except for a few hospital stay to have coronary surgery, I have not been on a vacation in over 20 years. Running an operation like I had was basically an all day, every day affair. We kept so many fish in each tank that we were forced to to 70% water changes, every other day and at the farm, only 100 of the 300+ tanks were on a centralized system. Add to that cleaning 400 box filters a week and you get a sense of what my life was like. One of my helpers outside of the fish barn, which started life as a giant chicken coop on the farm.

I agree with you, some of the most enjoyable and rewarding years I have had were the years I was breeding. I only had 60 or 70 tanks but I would divide the 10's into 3 or 4 tanks, the 20's and 30's into 4 or 5 tanks, and I also used a lot of drop-ins as well. When my operation was at it's peak I would do 50-70% water changes twice per week.

Wimp! lol

Since I was only doing mouth brooders I had an 8 foot long double-decker tank that was custom built for female holders that had 40 separate flow-through compartments. Water would run through the length of the top section, waterfall to the bottom, run through the bottom section, and then it would be circulated back to the top and that tank helped me manage my operation fairly well.

My centralized system under construction. You can see the 200 gallon sump at the bottom. I used a giant swimming pool filter.

I used to do a lot of fish photography (all no flash) and some of my photos still run in college biology textbooks that I licensed way back in 2002. Unfortunately for me, when I sold out my fish operation that basically ended my fish photography!

Some of my Cory photos are still published in books by the world's leading Cory breeders and a few of my Guppy pics have been used in TFH magazine. I do hope to get back into it. After I lost my dog around 15 months ago, I lost my zest for life and really packed everything in. Having acquired a new girl, I'm hoping to rekindle the radio show, my photography and my indomitable spirit. We'll see how that goes.

Shooting African Cichlids in large tanks back in the early 2000's was not an easy task! All of the shots below were taken in my 55s or 120s. Shooting them in smaller tanks was not an option as most of the males would color down in smaller tanks.

Almost 100% of my pics were shot in a 2.5 gallon tank using 2 to 3 flash units, depending. We seem to be at opposite ends of the spectrum in our fishie pursuits. That just shows the boundless ways to pursue the hobby and that there are an infinite number of niches. Here's a pic not shot with a flash. Just some early morning direct sunlight. I love the mood of this shot.

I had tried many forms of general fishkeeping for a year or two and had a very wide variety of fish including many different species of schoolers, then I tried South American Cichlids, Pirannas, Snakeheads, Puffers etc. etc but I ended up with only African Cichlids because I loved the monogamous, polygamous, harem polygamist etc. family relationships and non-family relationships. I love the territorial behavior, the feeding pits they dig, the breeding grounds, the fierce defense of the family unit and territory, the mouth brooding behavior, the laying and the fertilizing of the eggs one-at-a-time while in the females mouth, and of course the colors both metallic and non-metallic.

No doubt about it. A fascinating family of fish. I would recommend that you try your hand at Apistogrammas. They bring most of the attributes you enjoy to the party, except for the size. fascinating fish.

Here are (were) some of my lines...

Mangano (Check out those lush green algae beds growing on limestone.)

Truly outstanding work. World-class. Kudos!!! Great job on the algae, too. No small feat in itself.

Ya' know - I have never had a tank larger than a 55 in my entire life. I would love a 300 gallon long before I croak. I do have a brand new 65 USG in the basement that I have been threatening to set up in the basement for some rare Pencils and Tetras that I love to keep. This fall may be the right time for that.

The shot just above is one of my favorites. If you look very closely you can see the undulation of the dorsal fin. Not an easy feat, if I do say so myself.

IHere is a very quick and dirty snapshot of the Jewell and the fry remaining in the 120...I had already netted about 50 fry to the 2 gallon fry tank.

Sweet!!!

Since my fish count is so low these days I only do a few water changes a year and I leave the dirty work to the Plekos and my old 404s.

I had to read that 3 times to make sure I got that correctly. lol What is a day without a water change? I will admit that now that I am down to 30 tanks with just a few fish in each, I only do WC's weekly. What a joy!!! lol

Speaking of Plecos.

Hopefully in the next few years I will get back into it heavy again

I truly hope that you do, Don. It adds so much to one's life.

and I am glad to hear the fish have been such great medication for you!

The absolute best and that's why I hope to keep them until my last breath and yes, I do have a fish will so they get to the right folks who will care for them. I'm on my third and what has been hinted as probably my last pacemaker/defibrillator. Keeping any living creature becomes a valid concern and that's why I was so hesitant to acquire another dog. But since I was sick of crying everyday for a year and she was about to be put down at the shelter, I think I did the right thing. She, too, will be blessed with a good home should anything happen to me.

Keep up the good work. The hobby needs qualified emissaries for it to grow.

fully understand the joy of this great hobby and it's great to see another hardcore fishkeeper on the forum!

Agreed!

I have been keeping African Cichlids for almost 20 years but you have been at it a very long time --> congrats and keep up he good work.

Well, you qualify to be deemed a 'dedicated enthusiast.' With me, it's just a matter of channeling my insanity into a harmless pursuit.

Oh, and before you ask, 'AMOL' Radio stands for 'Answer Man of Life.' While I'm not really a god-like figure, I do play one on the radio and I'm still a paid-up member in good standing with SAG-AFTRA. lol Ya' gotta have some fun to keep waking up each morning. I create my own and my adoring fans wouldn't have it any other way.

Here is the cover to the book I have been threatening to write for a decade. I keep waiting for my cardiologist to tell me that it's the bottom of the ninth and then I'm going to get right on that. lol

Cheers. - Frank

P.S. Sorry for hijacking this thread, but I will be keeping some wild Bettas out back this summer as soon as we get some 80º nights. It was 62º last night and I broke out a blanket.

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BigFrank Banned 10 years ago

Well, besides fish, over the years I have had summers where I would go flower crazy. Since my backyard has terrible terrain and composition, I do everything in pots. While the symmetry that I strive for leaves a lot to be desired in some of these attempts, they all bring the butterflies and hummingbirds which makes sitting on the dock on cool early summer mornings and warm, late summer afternoons about as pleasurable as it gets.

Here are a few of my feeble attempts and no - I'm not gay, but I am most definitely in touch with my feminine side. lol

My driveway at the old farm house.

That's the late, great 'Baby' on the dock and me with my summer, shaved head in the water. lol

This year I have 10 pots of tomatoes, some herbs, scallions and lettuce. The only flowers I have are my Portulaca, which is one of my all-time, favorite flowers.

Cheers. - Frank

P.S. A little something extra.
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ForumGuru

Banned 10 years ago

Hi Frank,

I can tell your fish operation was more robust than mine was...fine stuff indeed. Yup, you are right about some of the best African Cichlid breeders in country being located in and around the Northern Illinois area...lots of high quality breeders over that way. I had 2 or 3 lines that many considered to be some of the finest around --> those were my OB Peacocks and my S. Freyeri. I also crossed Ahli with S. Freyeri and those became very beautiful and popular fish as well.

I focused my attention for the most part on raising fish that would bring in between $15-$40 wholesale or basement retail --> but I did quite often have to resort to selling off mass quantities of fry and juvis as I just did not have the room to grow them all up. As you probably already know, coloring out some male African Cichlids can sometimes take as long as 18 months so it can be a long, tedious and painstaking process. The worst part about breeding the way I did it was I would have to remove and replace 200-400 pounds of limestone just to net a single holding female! Yeah, and and almost every time I would sell adult fish it would be the same deal too. I tried PVC and clay pots etc. etc. but nothing suits mbuna, peacocks and many other African Cichlids better than good ol' rock walls, structures, and caves.

I never did have a fish room...only rooms with lots fish tanks. When my operation was in full swing it was a full time three day a week job for me to maintain but I loved it. You really should get a large tank as I am still kicking myself for getting rid of my other 120. A 300 would be nice someday...sure would like to have one of those!

Love that Plecko...not sure how long he would last in my African Cichlid tanks though. I grew up the heaviest armored Pleckos to a size of 18-20 inches or more and they would still be blind as a bat as the Africans would go after their eyes.

Funny you should mention flowers as literally I have close to 100K flower and raindrop shots. Nope, I am not gay either...but I love beauty of all sorts! I have nearly 1 million photos so I have a lot of most everything.

I can tell our styles are much different in our endeavors, though. I am a big closeup and macro guy and hedge towards the artistic and/or abstract whenever possible.

During one early Illinois spring I planted 150 or more species of wild flowers, annuals and perennials in my yard. It took a month or two of hard work to get things going but after that they provided me several years of hassle free flora shooting!

A few drop shots...

I used to love doing Autumn shots...a couple shots just to get me to the post limit.

From 2002-2005 I did a few hundred thousands nature shots which included thousands of squirrel and bug shots as well. I also took thousands of cute cat portraits during that period so I have those shots coming out my ears.

I did a lot street photography and abstract art shots back then and at one point had some of my street art shots on the electronic screens at the Butler Museum of Art (I'll save those for another post!). My favorite city street shots are 1-2 inch patches of paint I found around city and basically once they are blown up they look very much Jackson Pollock paintings. I have been selling stock photography since 2002 and have been published quite a bit but one of my favorite subjects was a crazy Senegal parrot that I owned as that little sucker got a four page spread in Parrot Magazine.

Then in about 2005 I severely cutback on doing nature, animal, fish etc. and started doing a lot more street art, street, candid, concert, band, sports and other action photography. One of my favorite things to shoot is fireworks and I shot the fireworks shows for 10 straight years but lately I have slacked off due to the large stockpile of fireworks images I have on hand. I ended up working as the Director of Photography for an arena football league for a few years so I have more football and cheerleader shots than you can shake a stick at including the famous Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders. Once I gave that job up I have not done nearly as much shooting as I have been focusing on marketing my images, rebuilding dozens of 5-12 year old photography websites, and "computer art".

Of course I have my share of sunset photos, lake photos, boating photos etc. etc. but probably my favorite stuff is the artistic abstract stuff and the more difficult stuff to capture. Of the 1 million shots or so shots I have done over the past 13 years less then 500 of those shots were done with a flash. I am a natural light guy and even though I should probably change my ways I basically refuse to bust out a flash or artificial lighting of any sort. If I can't get it with a wide open lens then I am not going to get it...

Well, I believe we have hijacked this thread to the point of no return. Maybe we should start a photography thread that we can post to for a little show and tell and some friendly discussion.

Thanks for the suggestion on the Apistogrammas...for sure I will look into those!

Cheers!

-don

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Kay King 10 years ago

Don and Frank -

I think you turned this thread into something special.
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- BigFrank Banned 10 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by Kay King
  
  Don and Frank -
  
  I think you turned this thread into something special.
  
  I oftentimes do, but I'm usually ridiculed. lol
  
  Cheers. - Frank
  
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BigFrank Banned 10 years ago

Originally Posted by ForumGuru

Well, I believe we have hijacked this thread to the point of no return.

And I cannot keep my eyes open as I started at 5 AM and have not stopped. I will respond to this post at my first break in the AM madness so I can give it the attention it deserves.

Maybe we should start a photography thread that we can post to for a little show and tell

That would be great. I have lots of pics and videos, too.

and some friendly discussion.

Friendly? Have you forgotten where you are. Just joshing. lol

Cherrs. - Frank
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- Adie 10 years ago
  
  I think it's time to post mine. I love flowers...wild flowers, and some of these have been brought into my countryside backyard.. Photos taken by Cannon Powershot, not as good as SLR though but the best Point-and-shoot I ever used...
  
  Most of these flowers are unknown to many but they are lovely and eye-refreshing. Last April, I went on to visit my hometown and took some photos going to popular Patag Falls... These are some of the wild flowers I found along the way...
  
  While walking going to the falls, I also took a photo of these goats..
  
  ...and finally reached my destination...
  
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BigFrank

Banned 10 years ago

Originally Posted by ForumGuru

Hi Frank,

Morning Sir,

I can tell your fish operation was more robust than mine was...fine stuff indeed.

Actually, it was known as one of the top breeding operations in the country and was a point of interest for visitors from all over the world whenever the were in the NE -US region. When combined with the best sausage, peppers and onions sandwich this side of South Philly for anyone showing up at my doorstep, I had many more visitors than my PTSD was able to handle. lol

Yup, you are right about some of the best African Cichlid breeders in country being located in and around the Northern Illinois area...lots of high quality breeders over that way. I had 2 or 3 lines that many considered to be some of the finest around --> those were my OB Peacocks and my S. Freyeri. I also crossed Ahli with S. Freyeri and those became very beautiful and popular fish as well.

Hmmm . . . . . is that common accepted practice in the Cichlid world? I know in the Cory world any cross-breeding of species is highly frowned upon and totally discouraged. Not casting aspersions, just curious a to the mindset.

I focused my attention for the most part on raising fish that would bring in between $15-$40 wholesale or basement retail --> but I did quite often have to resort to selling off mass quantities of fry and juvis as I just did not have the room to grow them all up. As you probably already know, coloring out some male African Cichlids can sometimes take as long as 18 months so it can be a long, tedious and painstaking process.

While it is always possible to get top dollar for fully mature fish, I would raise very few to that state. The high cost of the types of food that I use meant that a cost-benefit analysis was required to determine at what age to sell fish was best. Generally 4 to 6 months, with 9 months being the starting age for breeding with a year being more common and what would be classified as adulthood. Additionally, Corys can have their own challenges in shipping. The younger the fish, the more successful the endeavor. Additionally, many mature Corys release a toxin when stressed which can kill them in a matter of minutes.

The worst part about breeding the way I did it was I would have to remove and replace 200-400 pounds of limestone just to net a single holding female! Yeah, and and almost every time I would sell adult fish it would be the same deal too. I tried PVC and clay pots etc. etc. but nothing suits mbuna, peacocks and many other African Cichlids better than good ol' rock walls, structures, and caves.

I know feel badly for voicing my common complaint of having to remove the occasional piece of driftwood to catch any stragglers that resulted from not finding all of the eggs to move, in the first place. lol I would have never been able to handle that scenario - at all.

I never did have a fish room...only rooms with lots fish tanks. When my operation was in full swing it was a full time three day a week job for me to maintain but I loved it. You really should get a large tank as I am still kicking myself for getting rid of my other 120. A 300 would be nice someday...sure would like to have one of those!

I have been checking Craig's List for the past year. I'll find one, yet.

Love that Plecko...not sure how long he would last in my African Cichlid tanks though. I grew up the heaviest armored Pleckos to a size of 18-20 inches or more and they would still be blind as a bat as the Africans would go after their eyes.

I'm not a big fan of large fish unless I plan to eat them. Of course the Plecos are a diet-staple in all of South America. Not even considered a delicacy.
[quote]Funny you should mention flowers as literally I have close to 100K flower and raindrop shots. Nope, I am not gay either...[QUOTE]
Yeah - like we're buying that.

but I love beauty of all sorts! I have nearly 1 million photos so I have a lot of most everything.

I can tell our styles are much different in our endeavors, though. I am a big closeup and macro guy and hedge towards the artistic and/or abstract whenever possible.

Yes. I can see that. I was raised in the photojournalism mold having been a Public Information Officer while stationed in Germany. There's nothing prettier than an Army issue, olive drab Leica M3. lol Subsequently started doing a lot of sports photography - pro hockey for the Philadelphia Drummer and staff photographer for Motocross and AMA Road Racing on the east coast for Motor Cycle Weekly. Everyplace from Louden (Laconia), NH to Talladega and Daytona. I was heavy into bikes at that point in my life as I was the sales manager at Triumph of Philadelphia, at the time one of the largest and most successful bike shops on the east coast. Then I moved to Key West and opened up my own underwater photography shop which was a Nikon dealership. So my life went from being immersed in Castrol 30 weight to the soothing, warm waters of the Florida Keys, diving most days and catching dinner every night. What a joyous time of my life that was. Almost 3 years worth.

Next stop, Boca Raton where I somehow, out of the blue got involved in the theatre and eventually wound up doing press work for theatres in the area and acquiring my Actors Equity card before moving on to NYC to pursue a career as a commercial actor - still always with a camera in hand. While my photography was more traditional in nature, I did have my forays into experimental photography, seeing how far one could push Ektachrome 400 and trying to be the next Jerry Uelsmann. lol I did all of my own developing until I one day became allergic to the chemicals and had hunks of my fingers slough off. Not pretty. lol

Unfortunately, my first bout of PTSD induced homelessness caused me to lose up to that point, a lifetime's worth of photos and negatives. Everything from my childhood, military service including fantastic work I did in 'Nam (if I do say so myself), all the motorcycle and diving stuff, theatre work - all of it gone, forever. I don't look back in sadness much as it's a worthless pursuit, but sometimes when I sit and ponder my existence I do categorize that as one of the Top 5 bummers of my life. Still, it was just boxes of memories which I can recreate in my mind at a moment's notice. You just can't share then, is all. I hope I live long enough to be able to download my memories to a hard drive. That's not to mention the music I have composed, my inventions and concrete plans to make the world a better place - if people would just listen and follow along. Sorry - narcissism rearing its ugly head.

During one early Illinois spring I planted 150 or more species of wild flowers, annuals and perennials in my yard. It took a month or two of hard work to get things going but after that they provided me several years of hassle free flora shooting!

Very, very cool, though personally, as much as I love flowers, there isn't anything I enjoy shooting, less. Even macro shots which I am partial to. I have a Canon 5D Mk II. It has one lens and one lens only - a 100mm Macro.

A few drop shots..

All very lovely. each and every one.

Squirrels and cats. A total waste of good electrons, free or not. lol Different strokes, right???

I did a lot street photography and abstract art shots back then and at one point had some of my street art shots on the electronic screens at the Butler Museum of Art (I'll save those for another post!). My favorite city street shots are 1-2 inch patches of paint I found around city and basically once they are blown up they look very much Jackson Pollock paintings. I have been selling stock photography since 2002 and have been published quite a bit but one of my favorite subjects was a crazy Senegal parrot that I owned as that little sucker got a four page spread in Parrot Magazine.

Yes, Don. I do have your package. lol

Then in about 2005 I severely cutback on doing nature, animal, fish etc. and started doing a lot more street art, street, candid, concert, band, sports and other action photography. One of my favorite things to shoot is fireworks and I shot the fireworks shows for 10 straight years but lately I have slacked off due to the large stockpile of fireworks images I have on hand. I ended up working as the Director of Photography for an arena football league for a few years so I have more football and cheerleader shots than you can shake a stick at including the famous Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders. Once I gave that job up I have not done nearly as much shooting as I have been focusing on marketing my images, rebuilding dozens of 5-12 year old photography websites, and "computer art".

It's nice that you have the time to effectively compliment your diverse interest and talent to pursue all of them. I'm sitting here how I'm going to find time for lunch, let alone a dip in the lake which is as warm as a bath tub, right about now. (sniff). I don't know how people do it. I find each day of my life being shorter than the day before. The blur of my existence is dizzying. I just want to sit on the dock and watch the eagles, hawks, herons and hummingbirds fly about as the clouds gently float by. That's not too much to ask for, is it?

Of course I have my share of sunset photos, lake photos, boating photos etc. etc. but probably my favorite stuff is the artistic abstract stuff and the more difficult stuff to capture. Of the 1 million shots or so shots I have done over the past 13 years less then 500 of those shots were done with a flash. I am a natural light guy and even though I should probably change my ways I basically refuse to bust out a flash or artificial lighting of any sort. If I can't get it with a wide open lens then I am not going to get it.

Yes, I have always been a big believer in shooting with ambient light. Total honesty in an image. I think I have taken about a dozen shots with my Canon in the past 6 months - all of my new dog. A few dozen other with my iPhone, but they count for nothing. Like the lobster sauce I made yesterday to kick off my meatless and mainly vegetarian diet planned for the remainder of the year. There's enough roasted garlic in that dish to kill a small horse. You can easily spot the chunks.

Well, I believe we have hijacked this thread to the point of no return.

Yes! Shame on you!!!

Maybe we should start a photography thread that we can post to for a little show and tell and some friendly discussion.

I'm sure we could get a few folks to participate in that and it might prod me to actually start taking some pics. I just got a new camera for tooling around with a 50X optical zoom so I can starting shooting the myriad variety of birds that frequent my back yard. It arrived a month ago. I've yet to open the box. PTSD sucks! lol

Thanks for the suggestion on the Apistogrammas...for sure I will look into those!

Cool. You'll enjoy them, I'm sure. Some of the best parental behavior of any group of fish.

Cheers. - Frank

P.S. Lunch - then a swim. lol

Thanks

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Dennis Gaskill 10 years ago

Well gee, Don and Frank make me regret not having ever taken pictures of my tanks. I only had two 55 gallon tanks, one for saltwater and one mostly for cichlids, and I haven't even set those back up since we moved. I can go to the restaurant where I donated my saltwater fish to "visit" them though. Last time I was there they didn't seem to remember me. You'd think they come to the front of the tank and wag their tailfins, but no.

I had a lot more colorful fish, but the humphead cichlids were among my favorites.
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Adie 10 years ago

This thread is becoming fantastic. I can't believe there are warriors who knows something special beyond Internet Marketing.
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- BigFrank Banned 10 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by Adie
  
  This thread is becoming fantastic. I can't believe there are warriors who knows something special beyond Internet Marketing.
  
  Uh, truth be told, I know almost nothing about Internet marketing.
  
  Cheers. - Frank
  
  Thanks
  
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