Chick-In-Of-TheSea

March 26

On 3/25/2024 at 10:32 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

I woke up this morning and panicked- the water in Flint’s QT tank was all cloudy

2nd panic of the day!!!!!1!1!!!1!!!!! I double dosed the Kanaplex! And didn’t realize it til 10 or 15 min later! I’ve been so careful to cut and weigh the JF tabs, and drop the water line by a half gallon in the 5.5 tank. But I absentmindedly doubled the Kanaplex (did 2 scoops) because my previous qt was 10 gal and dosing that amount became habit! Omg what a dum dum. Emergency 50 % water change. Flint seems fine. I, however, am about to lose my marbles over here.

I will probably not dose tomorrow and just let him relax.

March 26

Here is the treatment in progress. Sorry for the typos. This is a screenshot so I can’t edit. He looked too bad to not treat.

I have used this treatment in the past for a different illness, columnaris, and it cleared it up every time. Hoping for good results again this time.

On 3/23/2024 at 2:22 PM, Guppysnail said:

It looks more like rubs than illness.

I feel like it’s a possibility he got behind the PFS and then got all wiggly. Those things are like dish scrubbers. (Or uh, fish scrubbers?) 🙃

March 26

I woke up this morning and panicked- the water in Flint’s QT tank was all cloudy. The night before I had siphoned the debris and dosed with phase 2: JF. Also the tiniest kelp nugget for him, which I believe he consumed because I didn’t see it anywhere in the tank later. Anyway, I changed 50% of the water before heading off to work. I don’t trust cloudy water. It makes me very nervous.

Came home and tank is clear. Did the 3rd phase (JF + Kanaplex). Too early to tell if it’s working. He looks all bruised, as shown in the OP, poor fella. I had a small chunk of driftwood in QT because he loves wood, but I took it out. I decided it was too abrasive/too many edges could snag him. Replaced with a very smooth ceramic pleco cave, because he does want to bolt when I introduce light (only used to check symptoms). Now he has a safe place.

Offered small kelp nugget again but I will check back on it in 30 min and remove it if it is still there (just in case that was the cause of the cloudy water).

Also tested ammonia which is 0.

March 26

On 3/25/2024 at 7:46 AM, Colu said:

What I would suggest is a course of maracyn2 that's shrimp safe if your going to treat with kanaplex than I would remove the shrimp kanaplex as can be harmful to shrimp @Chick-In-Of-TheSea

Malaysian trumpet snails in the tank too (I like them)

Strangely, 1 of Geppetto’s dots has disappeared. Now he only has 1 left. Medicated food still working, I guess?

I did a water change for him today also, 20%

March 25

On 3/15/2024 at 7:23 PM, Colu said:

Kanaplex in food isn't very effective in food as very little of the medication is absorbed by the intestinal tract I would use maracyn or maracyn2 in food he's a recipe

Geppetto finished the course of Maracyn and he looks better but still has 2 raised white bumps on his head. Is the Kanaplex next? Should I rest him? There are 2 juvenile shrimp in the tank somewhere. And live plants.

Bumps look like this on the side of his head, first photo

March 24

On 3/23/2024 at 9:42 PM, Tony s said:

So. Typing on my iPhone doesn’t always work the best….. apparently
I have no idea what Sunday has to do with anything. 🤣 I don’t even remember what I was trying to say. It’s a good thing @Guppysnail and @Colu were great at interpreting 😂

He was relatively easy to catch on Saturday. 🙂

March 23

On 3/23/2024 at 2:22 PM, Guppysnail said:

I agree with @Tony s. It looks more like rubs than illness. If he has a cave feel the inside. My dad had that happen. The insides of the caves are often unusually rough textured. Jungle tabs and kanaplax heal him right up. I always add 1/8 TEAspoon salt per 10 gallons for dad as well and turn bubbles to max by adding extra airstones.

That’s the course I was considering. No decor in the tank besides plants and spiderwood. I used to have a cave in there but took it out because he wasn’t interested in it.

March 23

Hi all. Flint was at the front of the tank today, and I noticed patches on him. Is this illness or just part of his coloration pattern? Other fish in the tank are not presenting any symptoms.

Temp 75

amm 0

nitri 0

nitra 25

gH 150

kH 180

pH 7.2-7.6 (hard to tell)

chlor 0

Will he snag in a net? Should use a cup to catch him, yes?

I have a QT tank cycled and ready to go.

I have a water change and siphon on the schedule today as well. Trust me, I’m well aware of the detritus problem. Detritus collects quickly at his hangouts. Super high bioload; what you see is all from him! Water is changed/tank siphoned weekly.

Update: he’s in a QT. Meds in stock are :

March 22

Shiva the olive nerite 🫒

Wild shrimps vs. dragonfruit stick, 2 angles

March 21

On 3/18/2024 at 4:44 PM, clownbaby said:

Personally, my advice would be to simply embrace the tannins (they're good for your plants & fish), but I also understand not everyone wants yellow water 😅

I am a total nerd, so let me add in some scientific knowledge here.

I haven't used spider wood or any other driftwood with a tannin problem in aquariums, but I do collect wood pieces from the beach & local hikes for my garden or my grandpa's pond. Sometimes I will find a piece that is really dirty, has a lot of tannins, or still has phloem, cork cambium, or bark/cork.

Anatomy of a Tree

Heartwood is dead wood. It is old growth cells (sapwood, vascular cambium, phloem, or cork cambium/cork) that has died and now only serve the purpose of structural support. Sapwood aids in transpiration: which is water vapor exiting through the leaves of the tree. Vascular cambium is new sapwood growth, but does not do much for transpiration; it is simply a new expansion of sapwood. Phloem serves in the transportation of sugar - it takes sugar from the leaves (which is produced by photosynthesis) to the roots. Cork cambium is the cells of the bark and the bark serves as protection of the inner layers. [note: bark is also called cork.]

If you cut through phloem, you cut through sugar transport... which kills the tree, as it cannot gain nutrients any more. If you cut through only a section of the phloem (so not completely cutting the entire trunk) or only one limb, the tree does not die.

Tannins within Tree Trunks & Limbs

There are two kinds of tannins: condensed tannins and hydrolysable tannins. Condensed tannins are found in food and byproducts, and can generally be ignored. Hydrolysable tannins are found in tree bark, stumps, limbs, trunks, leaves, and some nuts/seeds. Both condensed tannins and hydrolysable tannins aid the tree in protection, whether protecting against fungus, bacteria, disease/rot, or insects. Hydrolysable tannins are primarily made up of ellagic acid, gallic acid, and sugar [glucose]. Ellagic acid and gallic acid have anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory abilities, hence fighting against diseases & whatnot. Chemically, ellagic acid and gallic acid are actually white, but when exposed to oxygen, turns brown/yellow.

Considering that hydrolysable tannins primarily protect the tree from external threats (disease, fungus and bacteria, insect, etc), most tree species have the highest concentration within their bark and cork cambium, with tannin concentrations following within the phloem and then cambium. Sapwood and heartwood is [typically] incredibly low in tannin content.

What kills trees
Trees die from a removal of access to nutrients and/or roots. Because of this, trees die for six main reasons.
1. Drought. Trees need water for nutrients. In the process of transpiration, trees take water from the soil through the roots, up the sapwood, and out through the underside of leaves or needles. Without water, trees cannot take in carbon dioxide, and, in addition to an absence of water movement, therefore cannot create nutrients.
2. Drowning. While many wetland trees have adapted to low-oxygen conditions, with many of them constantly living in water, most tree roots cannot tolerate saturated soil or being submerged in water. This essentially suffocates the tree, as the aeration in the soil which usually provides oxygen is absent, making it so the tree cannot obtain oxygen via the roots. Additionally, this can disrupt the photosynthesis process, as the sunlight and carbon dioxide is disproportionate to water.
3. Disease. Disease is a wide term, but typically means an organism (bacteria, fungi, or some other simple organism) is saprophytic or parasitic, taking away nutrients from the tree.
4. Insects. Many varieties of insects eat the bark, sap, and inner wood of trees. Many insects lay their eggs in trees or house in trees. Bugs can kill trees by:
a) burrowing deep within the bark, or to the inner wood, of trees
b) sucking sap and other nutrients from the tree
c) disturbing photosynthesis and other nutrient transfers
d) spreading disease
e) … and more.
5. Cutting. Due to logging, this is the most common reason for tree death. Without access to the phloem, the roots are deprived of sugar, and starves.
6. Excess nutrients (also called fertilizer damage). This is the best way to go about killing a tree or limb if you want a specific part of the tree. Nutrients such as magnesium, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, iron, and boron are very important, but can be deadly in excess.

How this all applies to tannins in wood

(AKA: TL;DR)

Tannins are highly present in bark and cork cambium, so it is best practice to remove the bark from driftwood if any is present. I use a potato peeler that is specifically for plant use (not for eating!), but any knife, razor, or even your own hands will do a good job. If the bark or cork cambium is hard to get off, soak it for an hour in hot salt water. You can use table salt or epsom salt.
By removing the bark, you remove a high concentration of tannins.
Hot water leaches out tannins in high quantities, as heat triggers a transfer of nutrients.
Salt causes fertilizer damage – the excess of nutrients suffocates the tree.

I would use 1 cup of epsom salt per every quart of water. Allow it to dissolve before putting the wood in. Soak this for at least half an hour.
For cooking salts, mix one-fourth to one-half cup of salt for every quart of water. The process is the same.

After soaking, use a rag or abrasive scrubber and scrub the wood all over with hot water. Rinse with lukewarm to cold water, and repeat if needed.
Chances are, you’re going to need to do this at least twice. Using a razor the peel layers between soaking & scrubbing can also help, but depends on the wood piece.

As a relatively last resort, soak it in boiling vinegar concentrate (one fourth cup of vinegar per quart of water.) This will engage several nutrients and help leech the tannins. You can also mix salt and vinegar, but be sure to thoroughly rinse several times before putting it in the tank.

Hope my long-winded nerdy info-dump helped! Haha...

This is a great explanation! Thanks for taking the time to post this!

March 19

Look at Flint’s stubble!

He’s eating one of his favorite foods: snail cookies from Crayfish Empire.

March 19

Stop scrolling and relax.

March 17

There are 4 new bladder snails that have appeared in the shrimp tank. I also found eggs. I took those out and put them in the Walstad jar. I don’t feed the tank very often since there is a lot of algae.

March 17

@nabokovfan87

March 17

Here are some pictures of Geppetto. I shined the flashlight on him. The dots on him seem consistent with the

On 3/15/2024 at 7:35 AM, Colu said:

Canal neuromast inflammation

photos from above.

Also there are round “bleach” marks on his lower fin, just a loss of pigment in a circle shape (?)

He is acting normally. Very social with me.

March 16

I feel like we needed to see a snail eating a green bean today! Am I right?

Hampshire the zebra nerite went dormant for almost a week on the driftwood. I was concerned and even tried jostle him a bit to check for wellbeing but he was firmly suctioned. Now he’s back to cruising with his frequent Uber passenger, Button. I put some Repashy powder in to coat the things.

March 16

Here’s a Snoopy pout! The tank is shady now with all the plant growth. Large leaves are growing across the top of the water, so algae isn’t an issue.

My favorite is this sword (sorry for glare)

March 16

On 3/16/2024 at 7:53 AM, Colu said:

maracyn in food

He ate the medicated food. I think he likes it, actually.

March 16

On 3/16/2024 at 7:53 AM, Colu said:

Metronidazole does treat aeromonas that gram negative bacteria you would want to treat with maracyn2 or maracyn in food or dose the tank with kanaplex @Chick-In-Of-TheSea

Got the Focus from mom & pop shop. Will mix up the food.

March 16

Oh shoot @Colu

The flake foods I have are metronidazole, fenbendazole, praziquantel, and levamisole. None of these apply, right? (Metro, maybe?)

I do have garlic guard already. Would need to buy focus if I need to make food. Also have an empty qt tank but it’s a 5g. He doesn’t do well in a 5g. He bites his tail off in a 5 because he feels claustrophobic.

March 15

One of my white worm cultures has been crashing pretty hard. About 2 weeks ago I split it off and the new one is chugging along ok, but I hadn’t done anything with the old one except stir it and feed it. The soil was very compacted and water logged, and the worms have been sluggish.

Today was the day. It smelled like eggs.. very sulfury, and the top looked almost like it had a film on it, despite the stirring I had been doing. It was attracting fruit flies as well. I took it outside and spread it on wax paper and section by section harvested as many worms as I could, dunking them into a condiment cup of dechlorinated water.

My husband came outside, curious as to what I was doing. I explained, not knowing how to dispose of the rest of the soil, as I am not wanting to have too many cultures- I decided 4 is my limit. His eyes lit up at how rich the soil has become, and he said a plant would love it. He grew up on a farm. I don’t have a compost pile or anything, so why not? I do feel bad for any baby worms left in it but I tried very hard to find everybody that I could.

So the rich, stinky soil went into the pot-up of this mini gardenia which has been desperate for soil amendment.

It’s under shelter on the porch but will get some morning sun. At first I began to pot it into terra cotta, but I thought about the possibility of any remaining worms I couldn’t see and I thought that would be cruel because terra cotta dries out quickly. So plastic it is to help retain moisture. Maybe some of these buds will bloom soon.

The worms I saved went into the other container with the culture that I had split off. @Guppysnail what do you do with the old soil from your cultures? Just curious.

On 3/15/2024 at 7:23 PM, Colu said:

Kanaplex in food isn't very effective in food as very little of the medication is absorbed by the intestinal tract I would use maracyn or maracyn2 in food he's a recipe

Thanks @Colu! @Guppysnail sent me a bunch of medicated flakes and they also contain garlic for palatability. I will try those out.

March 15

On 3/15/2024 at 7:35 AM, Colu said:

Possible Canal neuromast inflammation that can be caused by a high bacterial count in your water that can cause small raised spots or they can look like a fluffy pimple and you can get discoloration of the head he's some pictures for comparison the recommended treatment is to increase water change and filtration to lower the bacterial count if you have a uv steriliser I would use that for week see if you notice any improvement if he gets worse then I would do a course of kanaplex @Chick-In-Of-TheSea

Never heard of that one. Thanks @Colu. I will increase water changes and see how we do and I will see if he will eat Kanaplex food I have.

March 15

On 3/15/2024 at 2:30 AM, nabokovfan87 said:

Were you ever able to check this out? Especially given where things are now.

Yeah, she said she had to sacrifice a fish and send it to a fish scientist or doctor, and they did a necropsy to find the issue which is otherwise undiagnosable. But she knew it was genetic and she had been breeding those fish, so she just took care to not sell the offspring. Instead she kept them.

On 3/14/2024 at 11:29 PM, Ninjoma said:

Love the bird photos! I think birds are my favorite type of non-aquatic animal to observe and photograph. Especially uncommon ducks and geese.

We feed birds in the yard which has lots of trees. We also have a bird bath and a squirrel corn cob feeder. It’s cute to see the squirrel tails hanging down from the bird bath when they are getting a drink. Just recently we were able to attract 2 different species of woodpeckers with suet. Also I started putting the hummingbird feeder out. They should be returning from Honduras around this time of year. I have videos on my channel of some of our birds. The crows are regulars and even brought a gift. They recognize faces and remember who is kind to them. Link below. Bird videos are mixed in with the aquarium ones. 🙂

March 15

On 3/14/2024 at 7:49 PM, Colu said:

How big are the spots are they raised or flat any visible holes or sunken in areas on the head@Chick-In-Of-TheSea

The spots are gone, they were raised and white and there were only 2. Sunken areas “maybe”. He has a very dark head and the tannins make it tricky to tell.

This is what the dot on his head looked like before:

March 14

Folks, I’m confuzzled. Geppetto had a spot on his head. I cured it with ich x. I waited a few days before changing the water to let him soak in the medicine (similar to med trio instructions). It was ok for a week but then the spot came back. And a second one. So I retreated him. Spots gone. But now it looks like 2 of his scales have lost pigment and/or maybe are sticking out, but not in pineconing style. It’s kinda like they are elongated/pulling out? Not sure. It is very difficult to spot and he has to turn juuuuuust right for me to see it. Hence no photos. I did a 30% water change to begin to dilute the ich x, and he has catappa leaves in there, but I don’t know what to make of this or what to even treat for. He’s in good spirits: does the wiggle butt dance when I approach; even made a small bubble nest. Ideally I’d like to feed a medicated food, as I have several varieties in stock. @Colu

Also to my surprise there is a shrimp still in there! A juvenile. Probably grew up inside the heater or the cholla. I still have a few shrimp huts in there too. Lots of places for it to have taken shelter. This shrimp has been through 2 rounds of ich x and salt and doesn’t seem affected.

I’ve been posting less because I have a new job with a longer commute, and I’ve also been working at home some days and evenings. Family came in from out of state and whatnot too. I’ve been keeping up with tank maintenance but I haven’t been able to really sit in front of the tanks much which is a bummer.

What I can tell you is Flint the bristlenose pleco is such a handsome guy, and is often right out in the open. He catches my eye quite a bit! When he flares his fins look so majestic, and his whiskers are starting to get longer too. He is well aware of where the food dish is and can often be found chilling in there, even when it’s not mealtime. The other fish do tend to outcompete him for food, so I like to offer veggies as well as drop Repashy in after lights out. He goes around and cleans the walls after dark, I noticed, and there is no food left in the morning, so I know he and the snails have been getting their fair share while the other fish sleep.

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