Jump to content
Watch our video on the rules of this forum.

Maggie

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    1,040

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    3

  • Feedback

    0%

 Content Type 

Everything posted by Maggie

  1. Maggie
    I started out in early November with 8 rasboras in a 45 gallon tank. Unfortunately, one got stuck in equipment and died, down to 7. Their behavior was odd to me, always sort of skittish, nearly always avoided the lower half of the aquarium (24" deep) except at water change time when stressed. I got 12 more rasboras in December and added them from quarantine yesterday. First off, everyone's behavior instantly changed. The newcomers were literally welcomed to the group before the last fish was out of the net. I can tell they're more at ease, and they're exploring parts where I've never seen them, like the lower left corner, in front of the ever-growing sword. The younger 6 (so cute - half the size of the adults) from the new group are having a blast playing around the bubbles from the sponge filter. Its adorable to see younger and older together, like a big family with varying levels of energy and excitement. And I haven't seen the adult males aggressively going after each other so much like before! To anyone considering these fish, I suggest to keep them in as large, and especially as long, of a tank as possible, and more than 7 or 8 fish if you have room. They are much more relaxed when there are more of them. It took me 7 hours yesterday to move them, break down the quarantine tank, sterilize all the equipment, clean the floors, and do the fish towel laundry. I am so glad to have that all done! There's nothing like waking up today, with no heavy chores that I absolutely must do, and knowing my fish also appear to think it was all well worth it.
  2. Maggie
    I have 2 generations of yellow shrimp (only 9 in total) and the younger ones always fly around more than the older ones, especially after water changes. My older shrimp mostly hang out as you described. Yours are a really deep color and look great!
  3. Maggie
    Today I got the 12 rasboras out of quarantine and now finally I have all 19 in the main tank. Broke down the quarantine tank as I'm going to take a break for a few days and enjoy the new beauty at hand. I washed and bleached the tank, still have to wash the substrate and equipment. Then I'll put the sponge from there into the main tank to seed. I'm exhausted. The meet and greet is going very nicely! Now onto the leisurely search for a single showpiece fish for this tank.
  4. Maggie
    Even if they seem dead, they might not be! I pulled one out thinking it was dead, and now there is new growth from a tiny root that must have survived. Another one also wilted but has started to spring back to life.
  5. Maggie
    How big are those adorable koi angelfish now? I love all your videos on these little guys. Like James Black I am also in love with them.
  6. Maggie
    That looks like the substrate I have in my new 20 gallon (fake plant in pic is temporary until lily and other plants grow in some). I love this substrate. It looks so natural, and I was able to mix in a little bit of crushed coral without it being too noticeable. The plants don't have any problem with it so far, and the gravel vac (even a little one) is strong enough to lift up this size pebble.
  7. Maggie
    Is it possible for you to pick up a plastic tub and keep them outside or at a friend's house temporarily?
  8. Maggie
    That's what I thought the first couple of months until that video of Cory accidentally saying it.
  9. Maggie
    New yellow shrimps on the way!
  10. Maggie
    So far mine have group names. Male danios are Backstreet Boys, females are Golden Girls, rasboras are Cool and the Gang, and otocats are Josie and the Otocats.
  11. Maggie
    Today during a water change I installed a cool floating plant corral I bought online. My fish always hate water changes and any time I stick my hand in the tank, so I will wait till next water change in order to make adjustments and remove a lot more of the salvinia minima. I'm really surprised how well this works - to one side is where the sponge filter bubbles surface, and to the other has the HOB filter (pic is sideways in order to see the flow). All it is is a piece of airline tubing and two attachments with suction cups. The attachments have leeway to float up or down for WC - you can see the thing that looks like a pole in the looking-up pic. Theres a little round thing hooked to that pole and the tubing that goes up and down on the pole depending on water depth and which length is ordered. I'd much rather be handy and make something for free or cheap, but the price was pretty reasonable. No more plants being thrashed about in the filter flow!! The pic shows how they get all messed up and turned upside down at the front where they were deposited after the ride (and eventually suffer) - I still have to fix those.
  12. Maggie
    That looks like a pearl gourami to me.
  13. Maggie
    There are lots of posts on here about angelfish breeding and behavior. See posts by @Danieland @Fish Folk
  14. Maggie

    Snail Indigestion

    Maggie replied to Alesha's topic in Diseases

    I use Glas Garten Mineral Junkie Bites for my shrimp. The label says "mineral food for shrimp, snails and friends". The pond snails go on it too.
  15. Maggie
    I'm not handy with making stuff out of other stuff, but have commandeered a whole lot of kitchen items! My two favorites are an old turkey baster, useful for vacuuming the shrimp dish between gravel vacs, and a little 1/4 cup acrylic measuring cup with a spout and handle that is perfect for scooping water for testing.
  16. Maggie
    I caught a pic of this fox in the field behind my house this am. My dog was going nuts. Sorry it's blurry - I had to use high magnification as it was about 200 feet or so away. And here's a cropped photo.
  17. Maggie
    Wow, Alesha, it's a good thing you found it! I've heard nothing but nightmares about duckweed except when goldfish are present!
  18. Maggie
    A couple of my rasboras are getting frisky in the lower half of the tank. Little chance of fry surviving, but I'd be thrilled with even just one!
  19. Maggie
    @Fish Folk, I have old pipes (house built in 1950) and was originally more concerned about how to heat the water if I used a python, due to concern about metals possibly leaching in the hot water pipes. I do a small water change (10% - 4.5 gallons in one tank and 2 in another) in my main tanks 2x a week, and 20% 2x a week in the quarantine tank, for ease of handling the water jugs. It really takes only about 15-20 minutes to simply change the water if I'm not also gravel vacuuming, and that includes heating some in the microwave and mixing in a bucket, adding to the tank about a quart at a time, and refilling/dechlorinating the jugs. I know it sounds like a silly, over-reacting process, but it works for me in my very small house with only 2 sinks nowhere near a fishtank. I also tried 3 gallon jugs and love them but cannot handle one easily with one hand. It makes sense to have a python if you have a dedicated sink/fishroom and several tanks or large tanks, but it would be more of a pain in the butt IMHO to dry and store a 25 foot hose when you only have 2 or 3 tanks and a small home. I should add, too, that taking care of my aquariums is very mentally (and physically) therapeutic, so I don't mind any extra time it takes.
  20. Maggie
    The Coop apparently used to sell a different kind, an actual trap that you baited with food. I saw a video on YouTube from someone who received one from the Coop and did a review of it (it might have been Jason from Prime Time Aquatics). He pulled it out the next day and it was literally covered with snails. I thought it was a great idea but it looked like it might also trap small shrimp and baby fish.
  21. Maggie
    When you have cold water under pressure from the tap, it can hold additional atmospheric gasses (nitrogen and oxygen) that "gas off" upon aging. Here is a photo of a gallon jug one day after I filled it. Once I shake this jug, the bubbles dissipate to the top and there's a slight "pop" when I take the top off (like a soda). I don't fill them all the way to the top, as that helps the bubbles dissipate faster.
  22. Maggie
    I had dwarf emerald danios (aka dwarf emerald rasboras, recently reclassified as danios and very close cousins to celestial pearl danios) in my 10 gal and they were fine. They're tiny and do not school at all. They crowd and hide together when frightened, which is every single time there is any movement at all in or within about 6 feet of the tank, but otherwise do not. The males spend all day chasing females and other males, and they're fascinating, but you have to sit perfectly still for several minutes to see them, or watch from afar. They were fine in there along with yellow shrimp, but I moved them all to a new 20L so I could have the 10 for a quarantine tank. I have harlequin rasboras in both my main tank and in quarantine. The 10 gallon is perfect for quarantine, but I would not have harlequins permanently in there, as they really love a lot of horizon swimming space - my 45 gallon is 36" and they use all of it and do "tricks and spins" over and under the equipment and filter waterfall. The problem with the dwarf danios is they are extremely shy and I cannot recommend them due to how shy they are. But they're a perfect size and swimming style for a 10 gal. I've heard pea puffers are suitable for a 10 gal, and there are lots of discussions on their care, tankmates, etc. Good luck!
  23. Maggie
    Wow, congrats on your success!
  24. Maggie
    There are so many different opinions on this! I had my tank-bred otocats in quarantine for just 2 weeks because I was making a huge mess in the uncycled, algae-free quarantine tank trying to feed them, got sick of 50% daily water changes, and was getting concerned about their health. I have 12 juvenile rasboras in quarantine now, for going on 3 weeks. They're all eating voraciously and have already grown a lot in that time. I guess we each have to decide, as there does not seem to be universal consensus. I'm going to try to hang in there for another week, but probably won't.
  25. Maggie
    I have yellow neocaridina in one aquarium and blue bolt (blue and white) caridina in another. I love them all! I started with 10 yellows. A few died but one had babies, and three of those survived - incredible, as they were in with dwarf emerald danios who hang out mostly near the bottom. I started with 11 teeny baby blue bolts (1/4-1/2") and they stay hidden. I can hardly ever find more than 2. I'm hoping in a few months to see them! My rasboras have gone after them a few times so I hope none got nipped, but the rassies never go to the bottom, so as long as any babies stay low, they should be okay. The caridina species gets a little bigger than neos, and likes softer water, so they're perfect for that tank setup. Once they are grown they'll be almost the same length as the rasboras and be left alone or just flaired at in passing. The shrimp are quick as lightning when they jump away - they must have a spring-like body part that reacts to touch! I do wish my LFS carried them - i feel like they're behind the times on that. If mine start to breed and my LFS is interested, I'll do a specific shrimp tank in whatever color they want.
×
×
  • Create New...