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
    @StephenP2003I love that sprite at the top!!
  2. Maggie
    @Streetwise, in culinary arts, umami is described as "earthy". Mushrooms have that taste.
  3. Maggie
    NYT article today: http://www.nytimes.com//vi-assets/static-assets/apple-touch-icon-28865b72953380a40aa43318108876cb.png A Race Against Time to Rescue a Reef From Climate Change - The New York Times WWW.NYTIMES.COM In an unusual experiment, a coral reef in Mexico is now insured against hurricanes. A team of...
  4. Maggie
    Welcome, fellow Marylander and new aquarist! You'll find lots of info on here on plants and fish and lots of other aquarium inhabitants (whether desirable or not), as well as on the Coop blog and YouTube channel. Good luck!!
  5. Maggie
    @lefty oI figured my danios had gotten mine too, but alas, two escaped their ravenousness! I'm moving them all to the 20L when that's finished (hopefully in the next few days), and will have to keep an extra eye out for any more that may have made it. This tank will be my quarantine tank and is getting new occupants ASAP, so I guess if any remain in there I can grab them later.
  6. Maggie
    I have only rinsed pebble substrate in one tank and that by itself smells!
  7. Maggie
    My API water conditioner (used to remove chlorine and chloramine) says it also removes copper and other undesireable metals from tap water.
  8. Maggie
    I decided not to put the 20L where originally planned. So I rushed out and got this aqueon stand and started the build in a better location and with slightly more room behind it. The easy planters are alot bigger than I thought they'd be, so just using 2 and not all 4. Any ideas/criticisms are more than welcome! I also have a small bag of ~.75-1" decorative rocks, a large bag of pebble-sized substrate, and a couple of bigger rocks. Here's a dry-run (except substrate is damp from being rinsed!)
  9. Maggie
    I thought my pregnant shrimp had lost her clutch weeks ago, but it turns out these two have been hiding very well, or there was a second batch. I'm so happy!!
  10. Maggie
    I also have a 45-gal (36Wx24Hx12D) and am partial to harlequin rasboras. I think most rasboras share water parameters with gourami, and many beautiful species to choose from.
  11. Maggie
    @Danielits the first thing I thought of when I was group-naming them! My rasboras are Cool and the Gang (not to be confused with Kool and the Gang, but they were on my mind at the time). My daughter helped name the danios - the females are Golden Girls (my choice) and the males are Backstreet Boys (hers).
  12. Maggie
    @DanielI couldn't get past the "blood and guts" part of biology. For natural science electives in my BS in criminal justice, I took biology of ecosystems and environmental science, both of which focused on the whole, rather than individual life forms. I'd rather have taken something like astronomy or planetary science, but they weren't offered. All this aquarium biology is very new to me! I have all kinds of algae in my tank but what kind it is - ?? (Josie and the Otocats love it, whatever it is).
  13. Maggie
    @Danielyou make me wish I had paid more attention in biology class, gone further in chemistry and physics, and made a career in a science field!! (I could do a deep dive into a legal brief on a federal civil case, however.) 😁
  14. Maggie
    Some day I want one of those!! But I need to catch up on fish first - I've probably spent 5x more on plants so far, with limited success.
  15. Maggie
    Hi Steph. CPDs are genetically close to danio erythromicron, and appear to have similar behavior. I've watched my dominant male chase gravid females and lesser males, getting quite mean with them. Their color flares during this activity. He also chased away other females in favor of a particular one, and they snuck away behind the mosses several times. Then back to chasing and aggressive behavior.
  16. Maggie
    Did final 25% WC after treatment for fin injury and infection. Two rasboras are missing part of their tail fin (the teeny end that has a black streak), and one is also missing part of a pelvic fin. It's really hard to get a good look at them as they never stop moving long enough, but the fuzz appears to be gone! Got another batch of BBS going - I'm giving them extra due to their medication ordeal and to help the injured ones recover (sorry, danios). Resting this evening in preparation for the start of new tank setup tomorrow!
  17. Maggie
    How long do these eggs keep in the freezer? I use like 3/16 tsp every other day in a basic round plastic hatcher, and really I need two of these so my fish get them every day. Having the bigger hatchery setup would be great, but its not economical right now until I get a lot more fish. I got the teeny non-Coop brand from the Coop, which is almost gone now, plus a bottle from the brine shrimp place that sold the hatcher, but will need more before too long!
  18. Maggie
    I have one of these too! Got from Marine Depot and it's my favorite non-essential accessory.
  19. Maggie
    The best thing about the USB pump is no noise. I wish someone could make a regular pump super quiet like that, and just have the USB for backup since it seems to not be so great for long-term use.
  20. Maggie
    I will need some dither fish for my danio erythromicron (dwarf emerald rasboras) who are extremely shy, once they're moved into the 20L. Guppies seem like the best choice. I'd like some that will compliment the danios' colors, and with not-too-dramatic tail fins. I guess some or most fry would also be food for the danios, but before buying from the LFS I'd want to make sure I could donate some back if I end up with too many. But my next purchase will be more harlequin rasboras since my gang isn't big enough. I'd love to see pics of your guppies! And then after those two fishes, I want cory cats and pearl gouramis for the main tank.
  21. Maggie
    I don't have many towels, and they go through stages. First they are people towels, then dog towels, then floor towels, then project/car towels. It was always a symbiotic relationshop, never needed a whole lot of any of them and one towel lasts almost forever! But now that I also need fish towels, I had to go and buy these. Also have a Coop towel on the wish list!
  22. Maggie
    I wish there was some sort of "tank-scaping for dummies" class to take or step by step videos to watch, and I'd give that to myself for Christmas. My 45 came out all wrong after several plants died, some did not die but I thought they did, and others took over. The java moss is randomly scattered all over now. I am fussing too much over planning the 20L (Coop plant order being sent today - all using the easy planters, tank set up starts tomorrow!) knowing the tanks I see on here are set up so nicely. People attach plants to things, make rolling landscapes and hills, interweave wood with plants and rocks, and I have no idea how to do that. I see intricate setups in teeny 5 gallon tanks and wonder how in the world you all make it look so beautiful! I'm pretty good with regular houseplants, and when I was married I had a really successful vegetable garden and also grew beautiful blue spruces and apple trees from tiny saplings. I know skills improve with practice, but I will never be as good as 99% of you on here.
  23. Maggie
    Closeup of a fat tummy this am. And I found out where they're hiding when I can't find them - inside the swords chowing down!
  24. Maggie
    Did 25% WC and remedicated. One more dose of erythromycin tomorrow and hopefully will be done. The two sick fish are doing much better today! They’re all swimming together, nobody is swimming severely erratically, and they all ate dinner. WC wasn't too traumatic either.
  25. Maggie
    My rasboras get into constant scuffles. The males constantly flair their deep orange dorsal fins and go after each other and the females relentlessly. I am sure it's because I don't have a large enough group (started with 8, lost one to injury) for the 45-gallon tank they are in. My 5-gal q tank is really insufficient, so I decided I can't get any more fish until the 20L is set up and the 10 can be q tank, and it will be next week before that's ready. I want a couple of other kinds of fish but think more rasboras needs to be the priority, for their health. I'm going to get 10 more and think that would make a nice group of 17 if everyone survives this ordeal, whatever it is. Anyway, one was injured in a fight a few days ago and I waited it out to see if it would heal. Well, it didn't. A white fuzz started to grow in the injured area, which quickly spread. Another fish got fuzz on his back behind his dorsal fin. I'm not sure if he had an injury there, but it wouldn't surprise me. Both were also swimming erratically, including turning upside down and floating as if they lost control, and then shaking it off and going back to normal swimming. They also started not keeping up with the group and staying off by themselves more often and lower in the tank. Monday night I started treatment with erythromycin and API general cure. I'm pretty sure it isn't ich since there are no well-defined white spots, but if anyone thinks it could be, please let me know! The fuzz on this one whose right "side" fin (pelvic fin?) was injured now also has the fuzz is under the left side fin and body. Today, thankfully they both look a teeny bit better, they both ate breakfast, and I'm cautiously optimistic. I can't get good pics as they are all very nervous and do not like the medication at all. I can't locate 2 of the otocats but will do a thorough search today. It's almost impossible to find them even with a magnifying glass! Water conditions: pH 6.6, temp 78, Amm, NO2 both zero, NO3 <20 ppm. I do 10% WC 2x/week and use API stress coat dechlorinator along with aging the water for several days, and heat water to match tank temp before adding. Haven't measured GH or KH recently, but KH is raised some using wonder shells (both 89.5 ppm without wonder shells, and pH crashes without them).
×
×
  • Create New...