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gogomarigo

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Everything posted by gogomarigo

  1. gogomarigo
    My fiancé and I live in WA but are originally from HI where our families are. I’ve spent some time with my future in-laws here and there but I’m not that close with them (yet). My fiancé’s dad is introverted and quiet in group settings (like me) but I know he’s been keeping fish at least since my fiancé was a kid so I got him a Co-op gift card for Christmas. I told him how I followed the Co-op on YouTube and enjoyed learning from Cory and then I learned that the store is just a short drive away from us. I also recommended the Co-op line of products and gave him a link to the Murphy-cam. His reply (see photo) made me smile 😊 Despite what people may think, we don’t actually have many options for fish stores in HI (and the Waikiki Aquarium is lackluster, I def don’t recommend it lol). I don’t think Aquascapes 808 or Mastah Bettas are Co-op partners yet either, though I may try to convince them once we move back in a couple years lol. I was worried about moving back that I wouldn’t be able to continue my planted tank/nano fish hobby once I move back cause HI has really strict import laws due to the sensitive endemic/indigenous ecosystem but I discovered those two stores when I visited a couple months ago (first time home in over three years!) and I was surprised at the selection available. So far that makes three people I’ve turned on to Aquarium Co-op 😊 Omg the little tuft of hair 😭💛
  2. gogomarigo
    I love finding a shrimp shell molt in a single piece. It’s fascinating how it has all of the details of the shrimp, right down to the antennae! This is one from my Amano shrimp.
  3. gogomarigo
    If you are in the Seattle area, Bellevue Daiso had this sudare (Japanese reed blind) when I went yesterday! I was looking for one for so long but could only find blinds that were too wide or meant only for indoor use. Daiso had this width, and another wider width. Makes nice shade for my medaka (from the co-op!) in my porch pond while still giving them access to the sunshine they love.
  4. gogomarigo
    My 10 gallon planted tank with sparkling gouramis (including some fry!), chili rasboras, pygmy corys, blue neos, amanos, and a tiger nerite
  5. gogomarigo
    Not the best video but here is a clip that shows the strange movements my sparkling gourami makes: He does this nearly every time he opens his mouth to eat something (not every single time though). To me, it seems kinda like a twitch or a tic in humans. This has been happening for the past couple of weeks. Otherwise, no change in behavior. Still actively exploring around the tank. Still eating regularly. Still being a shy guy when I approach the tank too suddenly. I thought maybe it was something neurological but today I thought I saw some white worm-like things around his mouth so I thought I’d ask on this forum. Has anyone noticed this type of fish movement before? Again, it seems to only happen when he opens his mouth. He’s in a heavily planted 10 gallon tank (just did a big trim yesterday) with some Amano shrimp, blue neo shrimp, pygmy corys, chili rasboras, and a nerite snail. Up until a month ago, he had lived with a female sparkling gourami but she unfortunately got stuck in a clay shrimp dome (which has since been removed) and didn’t make it. water parameters using Aquarium Co-Op test strips: pH: 6.4 nitrate: 50 nitrite: 0 ammonia: 0 GH: 150 KH: 40 chlorine: 0 temperature: 75 Thanks in advance!
  6. gogomarigo
    My red tiger lotus finally has a leaf that reached the surface! I think being outside in the sunshine really helped. Now it will start to send out a different type of leaf that will become a lily pad. I’m not sure if it’ll be able to create lotus flowers before the cold weather hits but if not this season, then hopefully next! Most people know tiger lotuses for their speckled green leaves but the undersides of the leaves are actually a vibrant purple. The fish are youhiki medaka rice fish from the Co-op. I also have some miyukis from the Co-op too. And the red tiger lotus is from the Co-op!
  7. gogomarigo
    I think I might be having my first batch of sparkling gourami babies soon!⠀ ⠀ I recently put in this hide (more for the kuhli loaches but it seems they prefer the hobbit house). I noticed a week ago that one of the gouramis was fond of the lower right tube in particular but today, I noticed that there appeared to be little “hairs” at the top of that tube!⠀ ⠀ It was hard for me to see using a flashlight or taking a photo with flash cause of the glare and angle but I think I see a bubble nest! Usually babies are “face-up” into the bubbles at first too so I’m guessing what I’m seeing in the silhouettes is their little tails. In the lower photo you can see how protective the adult male is, despite them usually being shy. They won’t even let the female get close after the eggs have been put in the nest!⠀ ⠀ I’ll likely just let nature take its course this time around. I’ve got too much going on to set up a separate breeder tank. I’m just glad this means the gouramis feel happy and safe😊⠀
  8. gogomarigo
    All of my medaka friends survived the heat!⠀ ⠀ Here they are at feeding time😊⠀ ⠀ You can also see the new growth on my red tiger lotus!⠀
  9. gogomarigo
    Moved my porch pond into full shade and removed some duckweed. I was letting it grow to provide some shade when the pond was in half sunshine, half shade but now that it’s in full shade, I think surface area for gas exchange is more important. It’s supposed to be 102 on Sunday and 108 on Monday. I hope my medaka survive😩 There are also hitchhiker snails (which I’m sure the bladder snails at least will survive because they seem to be bulletproof lol) and blue neo shrimp culls (which I’m guessing will be goners?) These are 17 gallon totes so not very big for handling shifts in temp and I got black because I’m in Seattle and it’s mild/chilly most of the year. I don’t have an extra air stone or air pump so in addition to the high temps, I’m also concerned about dissolved oxygen. I do have some water sprite, Japanese dwarf pennywort, and hornwort in addition to the floating plants (and some lily bulbs that are still settling in).
  10. gogomarigo
    Cleaned up the duckweed in my 10 gallon. They mostly stay in the airline tube rings but sometimes the shrimp or fish will knock some out. I just put them back in using a little hair pick 🙂 May seem tedious to some but I feel like it’s worth doing to prevent an overgrown mess of duckweed. I love how the roots look from underneath tho, especially when they’re in a thick bunch in the rings—that’s mostly why I got duckweed despite hearing horror stories😂
  11. gogomarigo
    Update on indoor pond (ignore the dead plant in the corner that did not survive shipping😅) Image: black plastic bin with water, floating plants, and small orange and white fish
  12. gogomarigo
    Some brine shrimp eggs are coated in a magnetic substance for easier removal of leftover shells from your drained/strained batch. You have to use a neodymium magnet for some reason though.
  13. gogomarigo
    I wish I could do in-ground but I’m renting 😞 Glad yours are doing well though!
  14. gogomarigo
    I just started a mini pond. I have two 17 gallon HDX tough bins from Home Depot in my kitchen. I got two to hopefully prevent bowing. I’m in Seattle so it’s been in the high 50s - mid-30s and rainy. I currently have cull neo shrimp, hitchhiker snails (ramshorn, bladder), and six medaka from the Co-op. I didn’t wanna shock them by putting them outside. I keep my house pretty cool but I leave the lid on overnight (just on top, not snapped on) to keep the heat in and prevent evaporation. I’m picking up some acrylic soon to use that instead of the lid. That way I can keep warmth in but let light through. I’ll keep a little crack of open space though to ensure some air flow. My plan is to bring the pond out on my porch when the air temp reaches at least 70 degrees high and 55 degrees low. I know the water volume isn’t that much but I’m hoping that the acrylic will help keep the heat from the sunshine in. Then from that point on, I’m hoping I can permanently leave the pond outside. It’s a Southern facing porch so lots of sunshine. I know medaka can survive pretty cold temps but I’m wondering if using a cold frame (like for gardening) on my porch would be helpful in the fall/winter. I have a raised porch (10 steps up if that matters) so it wouldn’t benefit from thermal heat from the ground. But I’m wondering if it would make a difference by helping to hold warmth from the sunshine and additional protection from the frost and occasional snow. The water in my tub is only 10 inches deep; the length is 27” and width is 18” so I’m not sure if that’s enough to prevent the ice from getting down to the fish. I saw that Ryo Watanabe recently posted a video showing one of his medaka ponds with an ice layer and it doesn’t look very deep but the fish were still moving. But I’m not sure how much below freezing the air temp was.
  15. gogomarigo
    I ended up getting two from the Co-op! I was worried about them being shy/timid especially the first few weeks but both have been out and about even during daytime/when the light is on. Love to see them wiggling across the tank wall 🙂 Sometimes the Pygmy Corys shoal with them😂 and I realized they remind me of Tigger’s tail from Winnie the Pooh!
  16. gogomarigo
    I got impatient and just started my mini pond indoors😅 I’ll take a full photo when my plants come in.⠀ ⠀ I think gravel would look nice on the bottom but I’ll wait until it warms up and I move the bin outside (hopefully) permanently).⠀ ⠀ The pond will rely on plants for filtration and oxygenation. I’m adding hitchhiker snails and shrimp culls in it in addition to the medaka. Medaka can survive in low temperatures (even below freezing). ⠀ I’m planning to get a tiger lotus, water coin, and more water sprite. I’m excited to try lotus for the first time! And that I have an excuse to let the surface leaves grow. Usually you’d want to trim the surface leaf runners before they get to the surface. Once they do that, the plant will focus on growing lily pads rather than bushy aquatic leaves, which is what most people want for their aquarium since you’re viewing the tank from the side rather than from above. Some people have let lily pads form in their tanks though and have even gotten water lily blooms!⠀ ⠀ I might try to grow sweet potato too. It might be too much for the tank since the water sprite, lotus, and floating plants already suck up so many nutrients (though I guess I could add more fertilizer). I love vining plants and the root system would be great for shelter. I heard even a regular potato would work. I kinda wanna try Okinawan sweet potato but I’m debating on if I wanna “waste” an Okinawan sweet potato like that (whereas I don’t eat typical orange sweet potatoes)🤔😅⠀ ⠀ ⠀ Image: two small fish in a black plastic bin filled halfway with water. One fish is platinum white, the other is bright orange. There are floating plants and a potted aquatic plant.
  17. gogomarigo
    Are there particular foods you feed sparkling gourami at the shop? I bought some a few weeks ago but they only seem to be interested in live baby brine (which I’ve been having trouble hatching due to colder temps). Sometimes they’ll eat a couple pieces of chopped up frozen blood worms mid-water. If I try to spot feed with a pipette, they swim away. They don’t seem to be interested in chopped up frozen brine shrimp, Xtreme krill or spirulina flakes, Vibra Bites (even when softened), or Repashy. For the flakes and vibrabites, I’ve tried floating them on the surface and I’ve tried putting them in a cup of tank water to soak and then pouring them in the tank (maybe they can see the food better when they’re on the plants or substrate). The only other inhabitants are blue neo shrimp, a nerite snail, amano shrimp, and pygmy corys so they have ample access to food. Sometimes I catch them eating a tiny baby shrimp here and there which is fine but I’m hoping I can find an actual store-bought food they enjoy🤔
  18. gogomarigo
    Thanks so much! 🙂
  19. gogomarigo
    I can’t find any examples of YouTube of set ups that use an internal heater (rather than just the room heat). I know smaller heaters tend to be less reliable and I want to try to avoid something that’ll melt the Ziss hatchery (if I get it—still debating). I have the Brine Shrimp Hatchery that looks like a black disk with a hole in the center but even with my seedling heating mat, I think the air’s been too cold. I was having success when we had a few days of warmer, sunnier weather but having very, very few hatches this last batch. I do love the Co-op eggs though! Definitely notice the difference in separation and the eggs staying at the surface. Love the cute Murphy tin too😊 I didn’t think my Pygmy Corys would care for the live baby brine but they went nuts for the ones that fell to the substrate! I originally thought only my gouramis would go after them. I just got a neodymium magnet to try to see if it’ll help with shell removal but alas, I don’t have any live baby brine to test it with😅
  20. gogomarigo
    Will do! 🙂
  21. gogomarigo
    I just got them this weekend from the Co-op but I’m hoping they’ll spawn for me!
  22. gogomarigo
    Took me a while to get these shots but here are photos comparing female vs. male sparkling gouramis. It helps to have some sort of light source shining through them (similar effect as shining a light through a chicken egg to check for an embryo). They’re quick, shy fish so this can be tricky unless they’re in a specimen container or you’re patient😂 The key is to check the area below the grey line on their bodies. Females will have a triangular shape behind their gut area (their ovaries). The shape may turn slightly orange the closer they get to breeding time. Males will just have a fully transparent space behind their gut area. It can be difficult to tell if they’re too young though. I should note that in this photo, the female appears to have less grey spots than the male but I think this is just my particular female. Usually you can’t tell males and females apart based on external characteristics.
  23. gogomarigo
    Does feeding krill flakes (or fish food with lots of krill) enhance the color of shrimp other than red shrimp? I’m wondering if it’ll affect my blue neos at all (make color more vibrant? slightly more purple-ish?)🤔
  24. gogomarigo
    It seems like most sources recommend a tank at least 24” long for kuhli loaches and to get a minimum of three. I’ve seen a number of videos were Cory recommends kuhlis for 10 gallons though. If they’re in a heavily planted tank with mid-level nano fish and neo shrimp, is three still the recommended minimum?
  25. gogomarigo
    @OceanTruthyes! So incredibly beautiful when the light hits their scales. Reminds me of the book “Rainbow Fish”😊
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