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Maggie

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Everything posted by Maggie

  1. Maggie
    I don't miss the cold or ice either! After 7 years in Michigan and 25 years in upstate NY, I am now in relatively temperate Maryland. Many southerners might think of Maryland as north with a lot of cold, but every time it gets cold here I remind myself that it is probably 10-30 degrees colder where I came from. The increased summer heat is what I haven't yet adjusted to, even after 6 years. I do miss the beautiful summers and falls in New York - the farm stands and farm festivals everywhere, apple cider donuts fried moments before you eat them. Mmmmm. Beautiful mountains and lakes (Lake George, omg). But last week they got 3+ feet of snow, and we got 3" here. If you've never lived through a large snowstorm, I can say you go through days and days of windy, bitterly freezing cold cleanup, because the temp always seemed to plummet after a storm. If the power goes out, that can be big, big trouble (freezing pipes). I had a power outrage for 2 days once. My kids stayed at their father's house, and I roughed it with blankets and coats. Anyone around there with an aquarium without a generator would have been in trouble. No place to park and worse, no shoulder on the roads, because plowed snow is everywhere. You can't see ditches either, until your car falls 4-5 feet into one. You almost slip and fall on icy spots about 10 times a day. And it is very bad for depression. I'm glad I moved south!!
  2. Maggie
    I get my ice the easy way - press a glass up to the "cube" or "crush" button on the fridge. 😀
  3. Maggie
    I lived in upstate NY (Albany region) for 25 years. I never saw bubbles in ice, but ice jams in the spring in rivers and streams (the Hudson always has issues) make for interesting piles of very large, log-shaped shards that pile up in certain bends in the river and can stall the water's normal movement. They can be dangerous if they break free in a warm spell, causing flash floods in vulnerable areas. It is amazing fish can survive in those conditions!
  4. Maggie
    I have 6 otocats in my 45.
  5. Maggie
    Here they are corydoras paleatus. I think in different locales they are different species.
  6. Maggie
    I have a small in my 20L and would definitely not recommend a medium for a 16. Wish I'd done 2 nanos like @Streetwisedid.
  7. Maggie
    Oh no...MTS!! My 2nd tank was also a 10 gallon. But once I got the 20L, the 10 became a quarantine tank. I'd love another tank (a 30 breeder) but definitely do not have the room or the electrical outlets. ☹
  8. Maggie
    Christmas fell on water change and gravel vac day in the 45 and 20, and I just didn't want to put it off. I was in the right mood for it, and so very happy I got it all done! I am starting a photo journal on my dwarf lily bulb. I can see growth daily. Today I turned it around due to the direction of the growth, and partially buried into the substrate (was just sitting on top before). I even got to see three of my blue bolt shrimp today!! They've been elusive!
  9. Maggie
    Happy holidays!
  10. Maggie
    Large hydra photo bombed while trying to film danios under the wood.
  11. Maggie
    I have regular LED lights and glass lids, and 2 of my floating plants (sprite and salvinia minima) took over so much, I had enough for 2 bunches of throw aways for the quarantine tank, enough for the top of another tank (itself also taking over), plus had to donate alot and throw some out, after just a couple months. I have very soft water but use a little crushed coral in the danio tank to keep it at ~7.5; rasbora tank is at ~6.7. My other plants in the rasbora tank have suffered. The hornwort lost all its needles except at the very top and made a huge mess of needles so I got rid of it - I feel your pain there. I lost a bunch of other plants I don't even know the name of (bought "beginner package" from somewhere and nothing was labeled). The salvinia does not like getting thrown around in the filter flow at all, so I ordered some barriers. Good luck with your plants!
  12. Maggie
    I just got my first abubias plant last week (gold coin, from Aquarium Co-Op) and find it to be a very lovely plant. I have bought and killed so many plants - over $200 probably - because I didn't know what I was doing at all. After watching Cory's video on the easy planter, I decided to try this plant and others that he highlighted (also got easy planters but I find them a bit too bulky for my 20L as it is shallow). All plants in my recent order are doing a lot better than in the past since I think I actually planted them correctly (thanks, @Cory!!) and they arrived in great shape, but late due to USPS. I find fish easier to understand and care for than plants! Anubias gold coin on arrival and in tank after a few days.
  13. Maggie
    I would love to have discus, angelfish, and goldfish. I guess I'd need three good-sized tanks for those. Plus keep all the fish I already have and several more on the wait list. Dream on!
  14. Maggie
    @Irenehas a video on detritus worms and planaria. I was worried about worms that came in on plants, but soon after I introduced rasboras to the tank, they all disappeared. I hope your fish also find them a tasty snack!
  15. Maggie
    Here is some information on gas bubble disease from NIH. [Gas bubble disease of fish] - PubMed PUBMED.NCBI.NLM.NIH.GOV Gas bubble disease (GBD), a non-infectious, environmentally/physically...
  16. Maggie
    I age my water after dechlorinating, mostly to allow gasses to escape, but also to warm it up to room temp so it requires less heating. Water from the tap is under pressure and holds a lot of dissolved gas, and the colder it is the more it holds.
  17. Maggie
    @Streetwise, don't forget As the Biowheel Turns!
  18. Maggie
    Eagles are also thought of as being bonded for life. Yet watching the DC eagle cam shows otherwise. Mr. P. was caught on tape with a rogue female, who even eyed his and TFL's long time nest! So apparently eagles also bond much like humans!
  19. Maggie
    I got an anubias gold coin from Aquarium Coop and it's gorgeous! It's another easy to grow plant according to Cory. The one in the pic was in shipping for 8 days and here it is after 5 days in the tank. I was going to attach it to wood first, but got cold feet thinking I might damage it, as I can be somewhat of a bull in a china shop when it comes to artistic ability.
  20. Maggie
    Isn't it terribly stressful when you can't see that your fish are eating, or even worse you can't find them at all? I have 6 otocats who hide most of the day and only come out at night. If I am up before the aquarium light comes on I can see them for a few minutes, but hardly ever see all six. I've put algae wafers in and saw them eat a couple times, but mostly I am just contributing to my growing snail problem. My only solace is occasionally seeing one against the glass with a round tummy.
  21. Maggie
    I heat a quart of water in the microwave to just under too hot to touch, and mix with approx 1.5-2 gallons of room temp water in a bucket, using my hand to measure against the tank water to ensure its the same. You'd be surprised how accurate it is.
  22. Maggie
    That looks beautiful! And you have the lights just along the bottom? I've been wondering what to do for my 20L.
  23. Maggie
    Becoming a beginner aquarist when I retired in September is the first what I would call hobby I've had in a very, very long time. I used to go boating, water skiing and camping when I was married and kids were little, back in the 80s and 90s. I bought a guitar in early 2019 to learn how to play (had years of piano lessons as a child), but a couple months later broke my left wrist very badly and rehab took almost a year. Now, I have permanent limited range of motion due to pins and a plate, and also a lower back problem, but still practice a little bit. I have a long way to go to fill my aquariums with all the planned occupants, and especially to learn more about this hobby. I've always had dogs and/or cats and they take up a lot of my time. I can't live without at least one furry friend! Having fish, and being retired so I have the time to invest, has overall brought me a whole lot of inner peace and joy that was missing.
  24. Maggie
    Hello! In just five short days my A-Coop red dwarf lily is sprouting! Do I have it in upside-down? Thanks!!
  25. Maggie
    I was never a houseplant person, as I always had cats (now passed away) who got into the dirt. In March I rescued my work plants and brought them home (due to mandatory telework), which I had "inherited" from someone who retired a few months before. They were almost dead to begin with, and in real bad shape when I got them home (3 weeks without water). Here is one plant (no idea what it is) which tripled in size over the 6 months after being transplanted (old container shown for size comparison), new soil, east-facing sunlight, water, etc.
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