That is exactly what he looks like he's saying. LOL :D

Did you ever have a jaguar cichlid? I'm not planning on getting one, but I think they are pretty neat looking. I would like to get one in the future. If you did, how did you find it? Temperament, etc.


Daisy :D

Oh my gosh... LOL yes I did...
They are Central American Cichlids...

They are pretty common where I live.
They are sold under the name Aztec Cichlids (at least here).

I had him with a Red Devil (also central American)
That bugger was mean as hell!! So was the Red Devil.
He died from what I believe was stress due to fighting his reflection 24/7...

I'd go to feed him and he come out to where he could see me and try to attack me through the glass.
If anyone was walking by the tank, he go after you.
My dog would be walking by the tank, the fish would come out like he was attacking her through the glass, she'd stand there and watch him and he'd really be going absolutely nuts trying to kill her through the glass - gills flaring and all...
He had some mean looking teeth too with a bad under bite where the teeth were visible.

Oh, once I left his food can sitting beside the glass.
I could hear rocks and stuff scattering around, so I peeked in the room to see what he was doing in there and he was trying to kill the picture of the fish on his food can... Crazy fish...

LOL That is hilarious, poor thing. So I guess it wouldn't be a good idea to put them in with other fish. Or at least not a lot of other fish. There is a guy on aquaria central that put pictures of his 250 gallon tank, and he has a jaguar cichlid in it with, I think, like 20 other fish. Maybe more. And only one jaguar as far as I could tell.


Aquaria Central

Daisy :P

Those are some amazing looking fish!!
But that persons tank is way too crowded... Not much of a life for the fish...

I thought it looked like there were too many in there too, even with my un-experienced eyes. And they're HUGE.

It makes me wonder how they got to be so beautiful in a tank that is so crowded...
I would think that they would be all torn up from fighting or getting picked on... something...
His water is clean too!!
I wonder how he does it...

I sure don't know how he does it. I thought maybe lots of water changes. Or maybe he just got lucky and has a bunch of oddly un-aggressive fish.

LOL... True!
He had a lot of Bass, I wonder if their not as aggressive.
Along with a lot of water changes, he must have a massive filtration system going on...
The fish are absolutely beautiful; however, I'm baffled.
YOU ask him Daisy... hehe... I'm too shy...

Kae

I asked, so keep your eye on it, in case he answers. Any other questions, let me know and I'll post.


:D

Hey Thanks!!
:D :D :D :D :D

Kae

So the guy hasn't come back yet... pitty, I hope he does...
BTW, the fish common name is peacock bass, bass, cichla... all the same thing...
I hate posting in fish forums because you have some people who think they're know it alls... can't stand that... If the guy had any since at all, he would have known what you were referring too.

I figured out cichla were cichlids, but, I'm blonde, I get confused easily, so... Can't win them all. :D Soon to be a red head though. My cousin is going to dye my hair for me this weekend. Maybe it will help my confusion a little. LOL :D I'm used to people like that, starting with my brother. He asked me for help with his tank and then told me I was wrong with the answer I gave him, even though I asked three people, including you just to make sure everyone had the same opinion, because it's his tank and I don't want him telling me I screwed it up, who all gave me the same answer. And I told him this, but no, we are all wrong. I also printed out the article I found that said plecos need fruits and veggies in their diets, and showed it to him, and he told me I am weird.

I bought another Kenyi a week or two ago, a really neat looking one, his stripes were a little different, and he died last night, but I don't know how. I'm thinking one of the other fish did it, but I couldn't even begin to guess which one. The other one is fine, so can I strike out the possibility that it might have been the water? I thought it was also weird because one of my plecos was letting out air at the bottom of the tank and then it looked like he went up for air and went back down. I didn't think plecos did that. I don't remember any of the other fish going up for air either. And I have a bubble stone, actually three, in the tank. Do you think maybe I need to change my water or something?

Oh, the kenyi wasn't floating, he was on the gravel, but he was definitely dead.

There are at least 4 types of "cichla" cichlids that I know of.
They get the nickname "cichla" because of their scientific names:
Cichla ocellaris
Cichla orinocensis
Cichla monoculas
Cichla temensis
Each of these cichlids can be called "cichla" for short,
But other cichlids like oscars (astronotus ocellatus) for instance couldn't be called cichla.
I think it's confusing... LOL and I'm a brunitte...
I wish every fish had 1 universal name LOL
It would make things so much simpler to us fish people LOL

I colored my hair red once :eek: it was a disaster...
I hope yours turns out good and you like it.

I also tried to go blond once, but ended up with a tangerine head LOL
Both times I had to have it professionally fixed...

I wish you the best of luck... I hope it turns out beautiful.

I love blond hair personally, my daughter and son both have blond hair and my husband has dirty blond hair - I have always wished for it. Here is a picture of my family and I, you'll have to scroll down to number 260.

Let me know how it goes.

Kae

I thought you had 2 blue Kenyi's, did one die?

I posted about the kenyi right before you, I think. It is there, I double checked, because I have known myself to accidentally delete it.

I think if you found the right shade you would be a beautiful red head. There are so many different shades. And you do have to give it time to get used to it. I'm actually dirty blond, so sometimes my hair looks blond and sometimes it looks brown. I say to people that my blond side only shows when I'm acting a bit ditzy. I tried picking out a red color before, but it was dark and kind of looked purple, so I guess I picked out the wrong color. Some of the residents at work actually liked it; these are people in their 70's, 80's, and 90's!! Till I decided to dye it blond again I was actually liking it, where when I first did it I thought it looked horrible, and my mom grew to like it too. This color is different, definitely shouldn't have a purple tint to it. I don't think I have any pictures of myself. My dad has one from when he was in the hospital with my sister, my brother and I, but I don't think he would appreciate if I posted it. He was out cold and there were breathing tubes coming out of his throat. Maybe I'll have someone take a before and after picture of me, and post them in a week or two. What do you think?

It's bedtime. I need to be up at 4:45 tomorrow morning.

LOL!!
That is so strange. As soon as I posted, I realized that your signature list was different, so I asked. But I didn't realize that you had posted again about the Kenyi until just now.

I believe it's safe to assume that it's not the water.
Do you have any water tests to test it with?

I have some Cory catfish that go up to the surface of the water and grab a few air bubbles - they're not known to do it, but mine do... and I have plenty of bubbles and air in my tank.

They are fine despite the strange behavior and are about 3 years old...

I've never heard of plecos doing it either, but if he seems otherwise healthy, I wouldn't worry too much.

Your probably right about the Kenyi getting killed by another fish.
Probably just got real stressed out or beat up.

When I add new fish to an aquarium that has aggressive territorial fish already living in it, I rearrange the tank before adding the new fish.
This way, all the fish have to find new territories to claim and the newbie can find his spot along with the others instead of being chased away from "everyone elses spot".
It makes introducing a new fish less stressful on it.

Also Daisy, pet stores sell sick fish and he could have just had something...

I'm real sorry you lost the fish though...
From your description about how he was at the bottom of the tank though sounds like fish attacks.

I saw this a lot when my two killing machines were in the community tank.
The fish they would target would become so swollen and stiff from attacks that they would sink to the bottom and die.
It has something to so with swelling.

The shade of red I chose before did have a funky hue to it, it didn't match my skin tone.
My hair naturally has a lot of red in it, so I wanted to enhance the red tones and dilute the brown ones,
But I totally messed up.
Now I'm waiting for my hair to get healthy enough for me to do something different with it again.
It had been way over processed between perms and color and highlights for so long that it started breaking.
At one point it felt like dry straw... it was a nightmare.

A before and after picture would be exciting!

Kae

I didn't think it was my water, it's only been up and running about two or three weeks. I tested the water last week and then I did it again yesterday after I took the fish out. They were both the same. Nitrate 20, nitrite .5, hardness 75, alkalinity was between 40 and 80, and the PH was a little bit lighter color than the 6.8, but not anywhere close to the 6.2 color. Besides, it's natural spring water; NOT store bought natural spring water, natural, natural spring water. This is a pipe coming out of a natural spring close to where I live, and I went there and filled 50 one gallon jugs with the water. I thought that would be better for them than tap water. Hoping it would, anyway.

They all seem healthy. The bumblebees look twice as big as when I bought them.

I never really permed or tinted my hair much, just dyed it every six months. I haven't dyed it in a few years, so it's pretty much it's natural color. I permed it once a few years ago, but I hated using that pick-comb thingy that you use to keep it wavy or curled, so I started using the brush again about a week later. My mom calls it a pick, I don't know if that's what it's really called.

Yeah it's a pick... at least that's what I call it too.
I don't like them either... I use a brush and wet my hair before I brush it.
Plus, it's so long that the weight of it stretches the curls to where using a pick really does no good.

Wow Daisy! That's some real dedication to fill 50 gallons of fresh natural spring water for your fish... you go girl!!

I don't mind filling them. It only took about a half hour or so to do it. And I've heard its better for the fish than store bought or tap. It's free, too. If I had to pay to fill my jugs up, I would think twice, depending on the price.

I have no clue about freshwater springs.
That's really cool that you have one near you.
What does it look like? Just water coming out of the ground? Or does the pipe drain the water into a creek or something like that?

There is a pipe that comes out of the ground, and is set in concrete to keep it there. It constantly drains, but it doesn't really drain into anything, it just kind of goes down to the right where the ground is slanted. I don't know if it just soaks into the ground or if it runs somewhere else. The creek is across the street from it.

Sorry, I would write more, but there is an annoying lady on the phone and I can't think with her whining.

Also, it is someone private property, and they don't care that people come to get the water. That's actually why they put it in there, for other people. If it had been public property, that pipe would definitely NOT be there, much less set in concrete.

Well that's very neat:D

That guy on the other site responded to all the questions he was asked at one time. It would be the third and fourth response down that you are looking for. I think he changes too much of the water at once, but apparently it's working for him.

I'll take a look - thanks for the heads up:D

I think my cat is going wack. I picked her up and brought her upstairs with me. As we came closer to my door, she started yelling and hissing. When I opened my door, I let her go. She went flying up the steps, hissing and yelling the whole way up and around the corner. She was fine once she got into my bedroom. Then, when I stood up to go back down, she flew out of my room, hissing and screaming the whole time she was going down the steps. Then she sat at the bottom of the steps, hissing until the door opened. She went out and she was fine. I don't know if she doesn't like my room or if there's "something" up there that she doesn't like. And at least one of my other cats can't stay up in my room by herself without screaming and ramming into the door trying to get out. I have to be up there with her. I don't know. Think maybe my cats are a little wacko?

That is very strange...
What could she be hissing at... hummm...
I would think that something is making her mad or scared...
Or maybe she whacked. LOL. My dog is whacked - barks at nothing all the time...

I have a cat dilemma myself... A new little stray showed up...

I have another cat that does that, too, but this one goes near my door at lot more than the other one.

Uh Oh... are you thinking of keeping it? People are going to start calling you "cat lady" soon. LOL :D

I think it wants to "keep me"... hehe... She was wondering around the neighborhood before she decided to stay for good.
I'll probably try to find her a home.
I think she's pregnant...
And at this time, she won't let me get close enough to touch her.

I posted a question about her in the cat section...

I wonder what it is that your cats are going crazy over...
My cats do similar weird things, but it's usually because they're pissed that I'm going to put them outside...

Hope this post helps you some. Gestation period for cats is 60 days or so, so if you're thinking she's pregnant, you might want to find her a home ASAP if you decide you don't want to keep her. I know when mine started showing they only had about two or three weeks, before they had some little kitties. Since the stray is small, she could be showing early. Mine only had one or two the first time, but that could just be a family trait. After the first time they all had a steady four kitties. I know some cats have six or eight kitties at once. And if her nipples look full and they are kind of hard like they would be when they are full of milk (if you get her to trust you enough to pick her up and feel), she is almost DEFINITELY pregnant.

You could always try calling your vet and asking him/her if there is anything specific you should look for in the next few weeks, until you can get her in, to tell whether she has worms. If you don't get anywhere with your vet, I can always try calling a vet near me and ask them for you, but I've found that when they know you've been there before and you promise to bring them in to the office when you can, they give out the information you need. One thing they may tell you, but I'm not 100% certain that they will, is to keep her by herself until you know for sure, because worms can be passed in the fesces. At least that's what I was told in December. I had gotten my cousin's cat fixed for her because I am in a program that is cheap, and her cat had worms. Luckily for me, I kept her away from my cats. And Rescue Groups are ALWAYS full, especially in the spring, which is when all the little kitties that were born in january/february come out to play, and everyone says, "Oh, look at all these homeless little kitties."

This probably isn't exactly the best way to catch her because you would be forcing her hand (or paw, as the case is), BUT, you could always try to trap her in a raccoon trap, so you can take her in for a while, keep her in a room by herself, until you can get done what needs to be done, and if she has kitties in the meantime, at least they will be inside just in case something happens (you know, this weird weather). If you live somewhere that has possible snow (I live in PA, so it can snow through May) then they would already be warm and cozy and you wouldn't be worried that they would be too cold or something else of that nature. And also with her being in the room, she is likely to trust you a lot more quick because she knows she is relying on you to bring her food and water, and you would be her only contact. But this is only a suggestion. I understand if you don't want to do this. This is how I caught one of my cats. There were two kittens under the trash compactor at work September a year and a half ago, and we weren't sure how to get them out. Someone finally remembered she had a raccoon trap. She brought it in. I put milk and tuna fish in a bowl in the back of the trap, and within 24 hours we had caught BOTH of the kittens. The only problem is that the one bit me, and I had to get rabies shots. BUT the kitten did not have rabies, and he was scared because I was the first human contact that this kitten had ever had, and he was only about two months old at the time. (There are barns near by and we are 99% certain they came from the farm.) As I said, this is only a suggestion, and I understand if you don't want to try something like this. Oh, I found a home for the second kitten.

I think it's kind of weird because they only do it at my door. I swear I didn't do anything to them to make them do that. The one actually used to come up to my room all the time, for about two years, maybe more. Then all of the sudden she started hissing at my door. Maybe there's something evil in my room. :D I've heard cats can sense these things. :D

Yes! That helped me a bunch!
I don't have a trap, but it did spark a different idea on how to catch her.
Maybe I could block the cat door so that she can't run out of the garage and get her that way.

Or, I could put a crate on the other side of the cat door so that when she goes out, she goes into the crate...

She doesn't act terrified, just acts like she doesn't want me to touch her.
She'll come up to the food dish with me sitting right beside it, but will move out of the way when I reach to touch her.
Then, she'll come back and eat a little more and we repeat the process.

I was worried that I might not have enough time to get her to the vet,
From what you described about your cats makes me want to try to catch her even more...

But I don't want to get bit... I think I'll try the crate thing.

You had to get rabies shots:eek: did they have to give them in your stomach??
That had to be awaful...

I'll give my vet a call tomorrow to see if they'll give me any information.
Usually they wouldn't because I've called about strays before,
But maybe they will this time since they can look on their records and see how much money I've
Spent there in the last few months with all my animals yearlys...

Yes, we've had some strange weather this year...
I'm further south, so I didn't feel any of that sub zero weather you guys had up north.
My husband felt it though, he had a layover in Chicago and decided to go feel the cold air... he felt it all right... LOL
We did get a half an inch of snow out of it though. It was nice but gone by the next morning...
It was the first snow in 4 years.
And when I say snow, I'm talking an inch... LOL

Then last week was a bit chilly too.

My grandparents live in Moore Pa.
They said they froze their butts off this winter... and some this spring...

You know Daisy, I totally believe in spirits, and I do feel that animals can either see them or sense them...
It was the first thing I thought of when I read how your cat acted,
But I didn't say anything... some people get freaked out over that kind of stuff.

I have had experiences with stuff like that... pretty much total confusion and no answers for the incidences, but I'm 100% a believer...
There is something more out there (I feel anyway)
What's your take on it?

Oh, I forgot to mention...
Big Mouth is doing great.
She's made a friend with another female oscar...
Yeah!!
I was also told that she ate a fish:eek:

It made me start thinking about your Oscar.
Most of the fish you have will be too big to fit in it's mouth because their growing up together... But if any stay small, they might get eaten:eek:

This woman says her Oscars go after the bigger babies in the tank that can no longer hide and that Big Mouth picked up on it too.

She allows it to happen though, as a way to feed the Oscars and to control the fish population in the tank...

Kind-of sad, but she has a huge natural set -up and it happens in nature...

I don't remember exactly where the first set of rabies shots were, because they had to give them at five different spots, and there were ten shots total the first time. They said they had to put them at the same spot on the opposite sides of my body. Then I had to go back for one shot for four certain days. Those they just shot into my back thigh. They have a specific amount of time that they have between each of the shots. I think the second time is 6 days after the first ones, third one 7 days after that, something like that. But I'm not sure anymore how long between each shot is exactly. This was a year and a half ago, and I'm planning on not getting bit by a stray cat again. They weren't that bad. Most people say, "EWW! NEEDLES!!" But I gave blood before I had to get the shots, so needles don't bug me. And you can't give blood for a year after you get the rabies shots, since that is how long they stay in your blood stream. Vets have to get their shots redone every year so if they get bit they are safe. That's what I was told, anyway.

If your vet doesn't give you any info, I will call one of my vets for you. He should though, since you would be bringing her in to them at some point in the near future. I've been to about three different ones around here, so I'm sure someone will help. The people at the desk are pretty nice too, when I call. Hoping your vet will help you. If they don't, they are being jerks, that's all, in my opinion.

I do believe in spirits, too. There are things that happen consistently in my room that I can't figure out why. Such as, my radio turning on and off by itself. The one night last year, when I still had the air conditioner in the window yet, I had it off when I went to sleep. I woke up at 300am and the air conditioner was on. It wasn't too cold yet, so it couldn't have been on very long. Not a minute after I woke up, my radio turned on. I got up and turned both of them off. I laid back down, and as soon as I was flat on my back, my air conditioner came back on. I turned it off and made a bee-line for the steps. But, if it was a spirit, I would think all of my cats would act that way around my room. Unless they are just used to it from being in my room a lot. That's what I can't figure out. I told my sister about that and a couple of other things that have been happening (like the knocking coming from the second floor that my parents didn't hear and the footsteps coming up my stairs in the middle of the night), and she told me she is never going into my room again. I don't like to think on it too much, I may never get to sleep again. :D My house is 97 years old, so I'm SURE there are spirits in this house. One of my friends (the lady on the phone that is annoying, she knows I find her annoying, but she just can't seem to stop talking) wants to bring over her video camera and let it record one night to see of she catches anything.

I so glad Big Mouth is doing great. I'm sure she would do it anyway, being it is different tank, different fish, different circumstances. It's just natural.

If any of my fish get eaten, then I figure it is a way for me to learn NOT to put that particular type of fish in the tank with my Oscar or whatever fish ate it. :D

Wow Daisy, that is pretty spooky...
I understand you don't really like talking about it.
I can relate... I truly can...

As long as you're safe and nothing has tried to hurt you.

I'm not worried about getting hurt. I don't feel it's an evil spirit, just left behind. I think if it was going to hurt me it would have done that by now. It's just freaky when these things are happening and you don't know where it's coming from. My parents have said there are a couple of things that happened to them that they couldn't explain, but I don't know what it was that happened and I know that I have had more experiences than they have. Of course, it doesn't help that they like to tell me I'm nuts for even suggesting it. I know the previous owners wife died of cancer, I think 6 or 7 years ago. I thought maybe it is her. She was only in her 50's. And I found from our neighbors that she loved gardening almost as much as I do.