Fish Folk

How do you add your vitamins?

Yes! Thanks. Your'e right, the height of the impeller would be an impediment. Don't know what I was thinking!

Corresponding with @Odd Duck about the possibility of breeding Gold Nugget Plecos, I went down a NERM-hole today, and began imagining what a proper breeding setup might look like. They are notoriously "impossible" to breed in captivity. That is what most inspires me to want to try! Another contact had shared this YouTube short from Oliver Knott: Which got me thinking about how to majorly boost flow. So I decided to sketch something up. I'm imagining maybe a 55 gal tank here (dimensions look more like a 40 gal breeder) but a 75 gal would be fine too. For HOB filters on the side, I am imagining something like 2x Tidal 110 for TONS of flow. I'm also thinking of the larger, powerful HYDOR Koralia pumps. So in photos, from empty tank to set-up... The goal is a very sloshy tank. Of course heating elements could be added along the back. Yes, this could probably be done with canister filters too. As for greens, I think that roots reaching in along the back from a strategically selected plant tray set up behind on a shelf would be a good way to deal with nitrate buildup. What do you all think? Any suggestions? Improvements? Lets group-source this thing, and break the internet by breeding Gold Nugget Plecos here on the Forum! Here is an in situ video showing them being caught from river rapids... Some keys: WARM (ca. 87-degrees), oxygen rich -- maybe add a bubble bar underneath the powerheads in tank set up. Lots of proper food needed.

I add some silicone or water-proof sealant around the top and bottom edge of the styrofoam to make sure the collar doesn't move.

La Liga - Levante vs. F.C. Barcelona 3:00 pm ET - ESPN+ Levante is in the relegation zone, fighting to stay in the top tier. Barcelona, with a game in hand, is looking to secure the 2nd place spot. If the Blaugrana wins today, they will be level on points with Sevilla with a match in hand, but ahead on goal differentials, putting them in 2nd place behind Los Blancos. Pique is resting, opening the door for defender Eric Garcia to step up and shine. Unfortunately, looks like Ansu Fati is still in injury recovery -- though he's started training again with the first team. The match is away, at Levante stadium. Hope it's a clean match!

They do change color a fair bit. Lighting, water chemistry, lifestage, food, stress . . . all of these are factors. When they multiply, young shrimp do not always have the same level of vibrancy as adults. In time, some color up very well. Others tend to lean towards wild-type colors over a few generations. Cull if you want color!

Cheering you on! I love your Rainbow Shiner successes. @WhitecloudDynasty really got me hooked on them. Sometimes, if there is a major difference between water eggs were laid in and water eggs hatched in, there are difficulties that result. The way one Killi breeder explained it to me was that the eggs themselves have certain naturally occurring "salts" that tend to explode outward when eggs are moved from hard water over to soft water for hatching. Now, this may not at all have been your situation. If the next group are from the same brooders, I'd doubt the problem is genetics. I have never heard of bacterial infections causing bent spines. Anyway, keep going! You're an inspiration!

I use the Omega One veggie sinking mini pellets. They've got enough protein that everyone likes them. But greens are packed in... Honorable mentions include Omega One Kelp Flakes, Bug Bites Spirulina Flakes, and Omega One Veggie Rounds...

A 20 gal high is OK or breeding, or raising fry. But in the end, Angels most likely will need larger digs. I'd say a 29 gal is the smallest I'd venture for a full Angel lifetime. 55 gal is even better. Our angels spawned a number of times. I think that most of the time, when we didn't pull eggs, they ate them -- even when we left the lights on. But one time, if I recall, they left them alone over night. We've leveled up now, and no longer use specimen containers. Instead, I DIY-adapted a fry tray from Dean Tweeddale's fish room design. You can review the whole build here. In two quick snapshots, it looks like this: Here's a video I took today showing a batch of GBR fry that I raised this past month -- zero water changes, apart form the weekly WC i do for the overall tank. Loads of molm. But look at them! They're fantastic! This is what you want to do to raise Angels: I use 1/2 ml every 12 hrs for 3x total doses (e.g. evening / morning / evening). But with the flow-through, it's probably not as essential to measure perfectly. 1 ml would be alright. Just don't squirt the H2O2 directly on the eggs. Let it more or less dissipate through the container. You can track the most recent project with the GBRs here, go to the bottom of page 9.

FREE GUY (2021) "Good morning Goldie" . . .

Birding gleanings of the day… Tree Swallow: Northern Cardinal (male): Eastern Meadow Lark:

This Canadian cracks me up. I remember these interviews with a German catfish specialist, Daniel Konn-Vetterlein… You might also reach out to Freshwater Exotics, and seek to learn specific information on the waters where these are collected… https://freshwaterexotics.com/l18-baryancistrus-xanthellus-gold-nugget-cw/ They might be able to share with you precise measurements… TDS, Conductivity, etc.

Look into this… Pretty easy to place anywhere. External magnet holds in place well. We used to trigger Corydoras to breed. I’m using one now with my Redbelly Dace.

My son helped me set it ip tonight! His only comments were, “that was a long fifteen minutes…” and, “this is how the house burns down…” 🙄 (teenager) Awww!! That’s an awesome idea! Fortunately, I’m able to scoot down the stairs on my butt — like my 2-yr-old — and do some fish stuff.

(1) ?? Not sure ?? Melanotaenia fluviatilis (2) ?? No idea ?? (3) ?? Not sure ?? Melanotaenia trifasciata (4) Melanotaenia caerulea (5) Melanotaenia praecox (6) ?? Not sure ?? Melanotaenia trifasciata

I am really excited to see how this works out. I got the idea from Gianne (Inglorious Bettas). The heat tape + thermostat + power supply are not exactly cheap. But I think, for the way I breed fish, and the sorts of fish I've taken to keeping, it's a good possibility. I can add a bit of extra floating plants -- e.g. water lettuce, hornwort -- add a trio of E. Gilberti, and probably multiply them within weeks by just moving floating plants out to empty jugs. It's a trick I learned from Dr. Ted Coletti, outdoor pond-master. There are just SO many good jokes . . . I know 😂 I kind of wish people would send me jars of dill pickles . . . dill pickle potato chips . . . I'd love that!

Very Zen! Love it...

Well, I am not one to normally talk about personal health. But one week ago, playing pickle-ball, I totally ruptured my achilles tendon. Fortunately I've been able to get surgery this week, and am now on the slow path to recovery. But for 6 weeks I cannot bear any weight on my leg. Plus it's my driving foot . . . so there's that! Now, in all, I am in a very good place. Family is great. Work has been understanding. But we've had to cancel vacation, and things have come rather to a standstill. This brings me to my fishroom. Everything is down in the basement, a flight of 12x stairs. My boys have been sort of helpful feeding fish and whatnot. But I've been unable to stay away for long. Today, I was able to water change 4x tanks that needed it, feed the fish, video the German Blue Ram fry, and begin drying out killi egg media. Here's the Rams -- best batch I've gotten! Here's the Killi story (1) The Container with coconut fiber media (2) Emptied out after month or more in the tank (see broken tank story below for reason) Media with potential eggs drying out between layers of paper towel in fishroom tub In other news, I moved out the female Betta Imbellis from breeding tank. I think they've spawned -- it's hard to get low enough to see if there are eggs in under the catappa leaf. The final piece of my heating-strip-tape arrived in the mail to go underneath my betta jug rack. I cannot wait to show that sometime later. Hopefully I'll get some Elassoma Gilberti as my first fish to enjoy the jugs! Several days ago, however, I went downstairs to find a 10 gal tank had cracked and drained most of the water all over the floor. Boy was I thankful I'd just recently lifted the cords up off the ground! It was the Killi breeding tank... Don't feel too sorry for me with the cracked tank. I knew there was a tiny crack near the bottom for a year or more. I sort of "deserved" it! I was able to salvage all of the Killis. Right now, they're over in the 20 gal long tank I'd reserved for the GBR fry once they're moved out. Anyway . . . "That's the news from Lake Wobegon, where all the women are strong, the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average."

The enemy is playing! (Always watch the enemy . . . always watch . . .) Real Madrid vs Getafe ESPN+

What foods have you tried? My females enjoy frozen Hikari Spirulina Brine Shrimp and frozen Blood Worms. What I do is take cubes, drop them in a small container with hot tap water to thaw them, and then feed small portions through a syringe with airline added to the end. This allows me to carefully moderate the amounts of feed fed. The warmed up frozen foods seem much more appealing to them than other offerings.

Sorry, mate. This is an unfortunately tough lesson in fish keeping. "Always underfeed before you overfeed." The swollen eye, swollen belly, etc all sound like the natural result of over feeding. Basically, infection builds up when the water isn't clean enough. Fin rot, pop-eye, bloat . . . all generally are results of imbalance with feeding. Once excess uneaten food begins to decay on a regular basis, the likelihood of infections -- whether fungal, bacterial, or other -- greatly increases. When you water change, try to do a 30% water change weekly. Gravel vac some to pick up surface detritus. Make sure you're using water treatment when you put water back in (unless you're on a well). Cut feedings back to 1x per day for a week. Improve the foods you're feeding. Try some higher quality frozen foods -- like spirulina brine shrimp. Both Omega one and Hikari brands are my favorites. I'd plop a frozen cube into a cup of hot water to let it unthaw. Then use a syringe with an airline attached to feed just a small portion. You won't feed the whole cube.

Indeed! This was a 10 gal . . . still lots of wet havoc. a 90 gal spill would make me want to quit the hobby.

Water will not evaporate that quickly. Do you have an airline attached? Sometimes that creates a suction, especially if you do not have a check valve attached. I lost almost an entire tank of water due to a barely visible crack the other day. See photos... Check the floor for dampness / wet. Water can run down a very narrow point and pool all over the floor.If you have carpet, it's worse because it gets everywhere there...

@Fonske Same here! A right proper pickup to kick off the day...

here is an article with info: https://badmanstropicalfish.com/gold-nugget-pleco/#-_How_Can_You_Tell_If_a_Fish_Is_Male_or_Female From what I'm reading, it is nearly impossible to sex them until (1) they're fully mature (2) you have males and females to compare against The entire internet seems agreed they can't be bred at home . . . which makes me want to break the internet, and prove it wrong! As @Brandon p suggests, a top-down photo is very helpful. Can you get a wide pan, drain some tank water in, and temporarily move your pleco there to get a clear top-down photo?