Name - Ray Blackburn (Scouse Ray)
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Location - Liverpool UK
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Fishroom location - Inside the house
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Speciality - Dwarf cichlids but breeds all kinds of fish from livebearers to catfish
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Notes - I have visited this fishroom many times and it has undergone many changes, the current layout shown (2016) shows how it looks today, the fishtanks can be found in the dining room, livingroom and what once was an outdoor toilet and has been converted to have indoor access, the tanks are numerous and i have not stopped to count them all, i would imagine well over 100 tanks holding mainly dwarf cichlids which Ray specialises in, Ray breeds Apistogramma with ease and is an authority in this genus, most of the rare fish entering the country come through Ray and the number of first breedings is remarkable!
On every visit i see fish i have never seen in the flesh before! unlike many other fishroom owners Ray is a truely skilled breeder and has fry and offspring in almost every tank. He has many successes and is very well known in the UK, he was the first in the UK to breed Ivanacara adoketa not long after it first entered the country (2006), he was one of the first in the UK (If not the first) to record the breeding of Sphaerichthys vaillanti plus many more Apistogramma species too numerous to mention, he has been featured in magazine articles and is known and respected worldwide.
Ray is very active in the organised hobby and is a member of both the British Cichlid association and Preston and District aquarist society plus travels to Scotland on a regular basis where he supports West Lothian aquarist society. I do not know a single person with a bad word to say about Ray, he is loved by all and is an unforgettable character, i am lucky to call him one of my closest friends in the hobby and i love to visit Ray and his fishroom.
Ray in his fishroom, surrounded by tanks and fish!
The main fishroom is built into a narrow space, it is entered via a door in the dining room and was once a cupboard and an Outhouse/Outdoor toilet. The dividing wall has been knocked out and the plumbing for a toilet makes removing water from the fishroom very easy.
The door can be sen on the left hand side! and as you can see, the dining room hold more tanks! Lots of tanks!
Ray specialises in Dwarf cichlids and has the best collection in the UK.
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The pictures on the wall tell a story, a central picture of Alan Vassiere, surrounded by fish pictures taken by Ray and entered into photographic competitions which he won several of at the BCA. You can also see fishing pictures of Rays trip to Uruguay and him holding his Golden Dorardo (Salminus brasiliensis)
Ray even has tanks in between the kitchen and Dining room! to bring the temperatures up a little Ray uses several oil filled radiators. His tanks are very shallow to allow more tanks in a small space.
Rays water comes into the building and is ran via a R/O unit into the black watertank in the rafters, it is then gravity fed to the tanks when he needs it.
Lighting is via the units you can see in this picture.
You will see lots of rare fish at Rays house, mainly Apistogramma but lots of others too!
Apistogramma rubrolineata.
Apistogramma diplotaenia, how many Apistogramma hobbyists have this on their bucket list!!! I do!
Always lots of fry in the fishroom!
Here are some Angelfish fry
And their older siblings!
Ray has bred Hoplosternum catfish for many years, it is always great to see these dashing around the tanks!
A stunning Biotodoma wavrini in Rays Living-room display tank.
Crenicara punctulata... I think.. ?
Baby Apistogramma everywhere!
Ray was one of the first, if not the first in the UK to breed Ivanacara adoketa, this is a stunning fish and Ray continues to breed them. He is an expert with this species.
More eggs! .. I told you that he was good
Babies... Babies everywhere!! These Ivanacara adoketa are around 3 months old i think, beautifully grown and soon ready to find new homes across Europe!