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H.K.Luterman

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Everything posted by H.K.Luterman

  1. H.K.Luterman
    How fun! I think my snails are still growing up but it'll be neat when I start finding clutches.
  2. H.K.Luterman
    Yeah, I enjoy having it too. When it completely covers the top I like how dim and green the light in the tank gets. The benefits far outweigh having to scoop some out every week, at least in my opinion; my livebearers like to pick at it and my mystery snails love it. And I mean, it's part of my Swamp Hag look now, so I'm totally rockin it. X3
  3. H.K.Luterman
    Did some plant trimming/duckweed removal in the 40 and 29. Moved a small sword to the back near the filter so my featherfin can have more room and gave the giant sword a good chop. Both then got a small water change. Before and after: Having a lunch break, and then it'll be time for betta, pea puffer and snail tank maintenance (all 5 gallon tanks each so it'll be quick).
  4. H.K.Luterman
    I usually just have it sitting open in a tab and look at it now and then.
  5. H.K.Luterman
    I got mine from a local big box store (Pet Supplies Plus); they keep it in the tanks where they keep all their potted plants. I bought some anacharis from them years ago and duckweed was all over it. I was like, "Cool, free duckweed." Now it's in all my tanks, on my clothes, in my hair, on the doorknobs, in my pockets, in my coffee.... You could probably just grab some from the wild if you come across it.
  6. H.K.Luterman
    My tanks go such long periods of time (years!) where absolutely nothing new happens, that all this drama currently going on in the 75 feels like a soap opera or something. Last night Gertrude gave herself the equivalent of a fishy black eye. I fed Dinky and gave Igor a treat (he loves crushed snails), and accidentally dripped water on the front of the glass; I feed my bichirs with long tweezers so I can just deposit the food by their faces, and I usually get some drips when I pull my arm out of the tank. SO, I got a paper towel and wiped down the glass to dry it. Gertrude HATES that, and apparently last night it caught her by surprise, and she completely spazzed out all over the place. I go to look at her a little while later and she had what looked like a large, opaque, fluid filled blister on her right eye. She must have bashed her face against the rock cave while spazzing out over the paper towel. EUUUGGGHHH. I should have gotten a pic of it just so people can see what that kind of injury looks like, but I didn't want to stress her out more; she hates the camera. But anyways, today it looks a million times better. The swelling is down and her eye just looks a bit foggy. As usual I'll continue to monitor it, but I'm sure she'll be fine. IN OTHER NEWS, I got the soap caddy for Dragon. I put it in and he's afraid to touch it. Like he's going out of his way to not touch it. Though I think last night he made some progress; he had one fin propped against it. He's so sensitive.
  7. H.K.Luterman
    I find that even if my Repashy falls apart that every last bit gets eaten up anyways. If you're seeing lots left over an hour after feeding time, just tweak how much you offer until they get it all.
  8. H.K.Luterman
    The Co-Op has a good video about optimizing HOBs with coarse sponge (I'm assuming you're asking about HOBs, but this really goes for any filter). It really comes down to personal preference. I've used those plastic scrubbies you can buy at Walmart with success. Some people have used crushed lava rock. Just anything that's porous with lots of surface area will be ok.
  9. H.K.Luterman
    My only experience with UGFs was in my first tanks as a kid in the 80s, and I can't remember much about them. But it never occurred to me that you could modify them. That's a really neat idea. I'm interested in seeing how well it works in the long term.
  10. H.K.Luterman
    My featherfin catfish may be my favorite in the looks department, but this doofus is really winning me over in the personality department. His name is Igor.
  11. H.K.Luterman
    When I was in elementary school, I remember going to my neighbor's house to play and being entranced by a "huge" (I was maybe 6 so it looked huge, it might have been a 55) tank full of guppies and little bladder snails that was kept by my friend's dad. So when I won 3 little comets at the school fair, I wanted to make a tank just like that. My mom is not really an animal person, and keeping a tank was a big no no, but my dad was able to get a 2 gallon fish bowl in my room for them (I know, I know). There was a little tiny box filter in it, and he showed me how to clean it, and gave me a demonstration on how to siphon gravel. Needless to say, the little comets didn't last long, but it definitely was a positive memory that cultivated my fascination.
  12. H.K.Luterman
    Love the aesthetic, with all the wood and those metal pipes on the shelves.
  13. H.K.Luterman
    I have happy news! Dragon is back to eating, and is acting more like his usual derpy self. He's had three meals, and is back to swimming around. Here he is getting chased by Igor. He's still trying to sit up in the plants with Dinky, but is too heavy. I put my old King betta's hammock in there to see what he would do, and he did try to utilize it before accidentally knocking it off the glass. I have a suction cup plastic soap caddy coming in the mail to act as a platform for him, but it's delayed being delivered. I hope it arrives today. I'm just so relieved he's acting more normal. My poor, sensitive sea monster.
  14. H.K.Luterman
    Ahhh ok. I was wondering about stuff like this.
  15. H.K.Luterman
    Ok Nerms, I have a question for you. The situation: 75 gal, 80 degrees, 7.6 Ph. Stocking is "semi aggresive": 2 senegal bichirs, 1 ctenopoma, 1 blood parrot cichlid. I have some algae starting to coat the older leaves on my anubias plants, I noticed it after starting to increase the light in an effort to coax my jungle val into growing more (increasing the light as in, scooping out duckweed, not lighting duration). I'm considering adding an algae eater, as I feel it would add more variety to the tank, and I'm very understocked. There is a nerite snail in there, but the little white eggs are really not doing it for me. Smaller snails are quick to become cichlid snacks. Three of the four walls are coated in algae, as well as the rocks, so there's lots to munch on in there. I'm limited to fish that get bulky and somewhat large - over 3 inches, or else they will be snacks. I'm also limited to plecos that are deemed bichir safe, since many will rasp their slime coat off - bristlenose are deemed bichir safe. So I have narrowed down my choices to either a bristlenose or a grown out SAE (or more than one, I don't know). Having never kept either, I don't know which is better at algae consumption. So what say you? Which would you pick? Here's a pic of the algae I'm dealing with.
  16. H.K.Luterman
    Yup, they're just some sort of flatworm, completely harmless. I don't think there's any need to be concerned about them, and I've never heard of them going too nuts in a tank. If they seem like they're populating too much for your liking, you can just cut back on the amount of food you feed to prevent uneaten bits sitting around.
  17. H.K.Luterman
    Mine is a picky butt and only ever wants snails. During the warm months I give him mosquito larvae and he will eat those pretty readily. Between the frozen bloodworms and snails you're probably fine. If you're really concerned, you could thaw the bloodworms in a few drops of Vita Chem.
  18. H.K.Luterman
    Slow moving worms sliding around your glass are completely normal, they help eat leftover food in your tank and are part of the ecosystem. Your betta will probably snack on them. Can you take a photo of the growth on your hornwort?
  19. H.K.Luterman
    Aw, that's great! I know that excitement all too well, I don't add to my tanks very often either. I look forward to seeing the pics!
  20. H.K.Luterman
    I'm legally blind (very VERY nearsighted) without my glasses, and so I'm just giving an opinion on what I think I'd like if I could no longer use eyewear. BUT, in a tank that size, I think I agree that maybe a very colorful red neocaridina would be the way to go; like bloody marys that would stand out well against a lush, green garden of aquatic plants. With no fish in the tank, the shrimp would fill it up rather quickly, and be all over the surfaces and swimming in the water column. A bold, solid color I would appreciate more than anything with a pattern; patterns of small colors blend together to a point where I would not even be able to tell they weren't a solid color. Maybe add a big, yellow mystery snail for variety they can name.
  21. H.K.Luterman
    Love the humor in your latest video. Just subbed to your channel!
  22. H.K.Luterman
    Those would be Sera O-Nip tabs.
  23. H.K.Luterman
    Yeah I've really gone back and forth about getting one for so long because they are so stigmatized. But so far I'm very happy I decided to try one out; he really is quite the little character. The whole mouth thing is what gave me pause for so long, but ... I mean... he stuffed down a pellet more than twice the size of what should have fit, so I think there's no problem there! XD
  24. H.K.Luterman
    Igor the blood parrot has been moved to the 75. The first thing he began doing is eating every trumpet snail he could fit in his mouth (I can hear him crunching them if it's quiet enough and I'm right by the tank). The next thing he did was establish himself as the boss, by flaring at Gertrude the ctenopoma and kicking her out of her cave repeatedly. Over the next 24 hours he settled in, and now he and Gertrude hang out together, following each other around and often foraging for food side by side. I've seen him doing some cute behaviors, wiggling his belly through the sand and spitting bits of it around. He seems intrigued by the bichirs but pretty much leaves them alone. So far he wants to eat everything but the New Life Spectrum cichlid pellets. This morning he ignored them in favor of the Sinking Carnivore pellets I feed my bichirs; they were too big for his mouth but he still managed to crunch them up after they had softened. The albino bichir is doing great. She's back to eating and is actively exploring the tank. The addition of Igor seemed to liven her back up. Dragon is still not eating. I'm watching him closely for any outer signs of being unwell but so far he seems normal. He does seem to want to sit at the top with Dinky when resting, but is too big to lay on the tops of plants like the baby can. So I ordered a soap caddy on Amazon I'll be putting in for use as a platform for him; it'll be here today hopefully. I have read bichirs can sometimes go on hunger strikes (much like snakes, which I have 19 yrs experience with so I'm pretty used to that), thus I'm trying to be patient and just watch him. I'm keeping his environment healthy and offering good food, so hopefully he'll come around eventually.
  25. H.K.Luterman
    One thing to consider, since he's wedging himself up high is maybe he wants to rest near the surface. You might want to give him a betta hammock (sold at big box stores). My betta was hyper active the first few months and then calmed down and started sitting more. When I saw him trying to sit on the plants, I got him a hammock, and he's always in it. You can see it on the right side of the tank, little plastic leaf.
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