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Fish Folk

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Posts posted by Fish Folk

    Columnaris or something else? Mysterious white bump on rice fish

    in Diseases

    Posted

    I have never had to deal with the long battle with columnaris outbreak. From photos online, I'd say you're right to be concerned.

    Best plan is to quarantine. However, the other fish may bark out with it eventually too.

    10 gal aquarium tanks are very affordable. If you know people in your community, there's almost always one available. Otherwise, Irene has a video on building one out of a plastic storage bin.

    I'd buy a standard recommended antibiotic, and treat fully in two separate waves of doings as prescribed. Columnaris can persist very long,

    Having said that, you will definitely spend more on medicine than your fish may warrant in some aquarist's view. It really is up to you how much investment you want to make.

    • Thanks 1

    Electric Blue Acara Journal

    in Photos, Videos & Journals

    Posted

    Looking again at this young EBA pair approaching spawning time. Note the color change on this female… face turns dark, body and head wash out light… a striking contrast to the male, whose colors remain more consistent. I had to crop this video in. Sorry for the lack of clarity.

     

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    Banded Darter - Spring Colors

    in Photos, Videos & Journals

    Posted

    On 4/2/2022 at 3:00 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

    What kind of egg laying do these fish do? 

    Reportedly, these particular Darters lay eggs in moss / algae / greens, or on _sides_ of wood, stone, etc. others like to bury eggs. Here’s a nice article about them.

    I’ll add that this whole archived website was designed around the study of Etheostoma zonale. 

    I could not find photos of eggs, but I’m informed from reading NANFA articles that the eggs are yellow — looking a bit like BNP eggs.

    Males fertilize from atop females…

    0FA3943F-0499-409A-8F50-D50968F3AE67.jpeg.dfe00899af3b2583e1462ef67b801314.jpeg

    Still not as “graphic” as Rainbow Darters, where females bury their body in the substrate…

    29052F29-4E1E-4712-9A6B-A0BA4F9F64CA.jpeg.dea88aa3a80d6f2553b575f75235e27a.jpeg

     

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    Archer Fish Compatibility

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Ok. I had to read a bit on this one. I don’t keep Archers, but last summer I went to a small aquarium up in Scranton, PA where I saw some in a large paludarium…

    427B4170-A8D9-4DAE-8F8A-F3619D093A25.jpeg.72bfbf8b77549b2d8e009acef04f468f.jpeg

    I am not certain the exact subspecies, but maybe you can determine…

    10BACE7F-2FA7-4E04-B802-D56B526F076A.jpeg.e1f2adf345f8db355c93e50f407a5d2f.jpeg

    I had to search to find this tank mate species. These were Mono Angels, an Asian species…

    6E28DB8A-E140-48E0-AAF9-ED89F8F66D05.jpeg.944645ceb1b5eaac596c921302228e10.jpeg

    One key is that both are brackish species. I don’t typically lean into such sites, but this page seemed very generous with helpful information…

    https://fishtankadvisor.com/archerfish-care/
     

    To your question, I am not sure exactly how to guess Archerfish would do in a long term fresh / non-brackish setup. But the Central & South American species you’ve named would not survive in a brackish tank.

    Hope this starts to provide you some answers. Sorry I don’t know more!

     

    Mea culpa… and introspection

    in General Discussion

    Posted · Edited by Fish Folk

    @Karen B. It is good to journal through valleys, not just when we’re up on mountain tops.

    There are many sort of coordinate planes we have to chart our way through in this hobby: (1) Nurture vs. Nature (2) More vs. Better (3) Perfection vs. Improvement. Many more can be listed and pondered.

    Thinking through your scenarios… you’re clearly trying to Nurture your fish well! This makes it very hard when you feel you might have done X or Y better. Success and failure alike become tethered to your care. But maybe, instead, you could adjust your thinking, and allow Nature more weight than Nurture for a change. I’ll never forget when @Irene interviewed a master breeder, he said “The fish do the work.” Obviously we can burn out trying to turn our hobby into a NICU ward. Maybe you can set your tank up to let Nature do more to preserve fish fry. More Java Moss, for example, to let the fish fry survive in tank than increasing your own work.

    With MTS (multiple tank syndrome) and gravel vacuuming, perhaps “Better” with what you’ve got can be your aim rather than “More.” I gave up most gravel vacuuming, and don’t often look back. As long as you’re changing water and have lots of plants, balance is achieved. I had to pump the brakes on new tanks, and decide what my limit was. I decided to enjoy what I’ve got, and try to do that better rather than add more. (My wife still thinks I’ve gone a little mad…)

    Raising kids has long ago forced me to embrace the axiom of “Improvement” and let go of my ideals of “Perfection.” The house is mostly broken. But here I am, at 2:13 am, holding my baby who refuses to sleep through the night. Far from perfect, but an improvement to share his care.

    Applied to my hobby, I enjoy each day looking at my tanks satisfied that I’ve made this or that small improvement rather than being upset every day that I’ve not achieved perfection.

    Anyway, thanks for sharing your honest reflections. Hope you’re encouraged as we talk this through. 

     

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    Birding & Nature Journal

    in Off Topic General

    Posted

    On 4/1/2022 at 11:04 PM, Torrey said:

    Whelp... we are 100% undecided 🤣

    Spouse brought this out:

    https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Coopers_Hawk/species-compare/70780511

    Glad to know we aren't the only ones who struggle to differentiate, and the bird prefers to fly with the sun behind it... or hide in the pines.😏

    Of course, there's always the possiblity that we have both, and I took a picture of the Coopers, and my spouse has seen the sharp shinned🤷🏼‍♂️

    https://birdwatchinghq.com/birds-of-prey-in-new-mexico/#hawk

    Yeah.. Sharpies v. Coops… classic ID challenge. 

    Birding & Nature Journal

    in Off Topic General

    Posted

    On 4/1/2022 at 8:15 PM, Torrey said:

    We have a hawk (I think) that is worried we aren't eating enough.

    20220329_124629.jpg.b12691355e74c961f3945db13eb576d6.jpg

    The hawk has brought us a pigeon every week for the past month.

    Screenshot_20220329-124834_Gallery.jpg.1714ecf1fab009e74e69644410bc41cb.jpg

    This is the best picture I have been able to get, as the vertical barring on the chest, and the horizontal bars on the tail help it blend into the ponderosa pines.

    Does your hawk look like this?

    5233B42E-F69E-4F86-9A85-C15A6F05515A.jpeg.d0d4b16e1bab4e4d4a60e14f430f59e2.jpeg

    Or like this?

    8E104398-1CA9-4A54-8482-4CE59989A419.jpeg.66aff89a47ac5895d3403e5bc79c6c98.jpeg

    Or even like this?

    5033D562-A7CB-4F00-BC5E-5550276778E3.jpeg.24985e1868c33feab6a8328f084fb453.jpeg

    All are photos of Cooper’s Hawk.

    • Like 1

    Just an amateur scientist

    in Off Topic General

    Posted · Edited by Fish Folk

    I’ve signed up for a JStor account and an InternetArchive account. Neither requires specific research credentials. Some quality information I have found there has been useful to my personal aquatics research.

    Speaking for all of us, thanks for the great work you all do with the CoOp Blog articles!  

    • Like 2

    Rainbow Shiner Breeding Journal

    in Photos, Videos & Journals

    Posted · Edited by Fish Folk

    On 3/31/2022 at 7:46 PM, Atitagain said:

     


    I keep thinking of it as well. What temperatures are good for them I know their a cold water fish but what is that 68F? Lower?

    Would a chiller be needed? My unheated tanks run 68-71F

    Actually, they’re very happy in low 70s. Just run some extra air for dissolved oxygen. They actually breed well if around 70-74°-F.

    • Like 1
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    Rainbow Shiner Breeding Journal

    in Photos, Videos & Journals

    Posted · Edited by Fish Folk

    Shiners are spawning again today - 03-31-2022.

    They are letting lots of eggs fall around the tank, and Rainbow Darters are eagerly awaiting “caviar.” 😂

    I found some eggs laid down in the molmy water under the stones. Here’s a talk-through…

    Here’s a photo of the “Java box” where I tossed the eggs+molm…

    D39554BA-9990-4776-B645-7D949A008AD9.jpeg.71b88e977dc54777c32c251d52506975.jpeg

    I cleaned off the stones, and placed the refreshed glass tray into the tank. Shiners have been very happy over it…

    I am optimistic that I’ll get a nice haul of eggs within the next 48 hrs. Whether or not I can get them to hatch after my last two failed attempts… who knows. I think I’ll try using a DIY floating flow-through  fry tray this time. I can place a plastic card piece over the top to lower lighting.

    4657ADCE-08C9-4616-B054-5F5D564910F1.jpeg.a048da6251f801a7ebbfd89e09547a35.jpeg
     

    C76496BB-56FC-4C05-91E6-320A26370982.jpeg.0f0c56b1c9088286f3cdb15c97059007.jpeg

     

    • Love 2

    Low Kh and hi Gh

    in General Discussion

    Posted · Edited by Fish Folk

    Sorry to hear about your losses. That’s the hardest part of the hobby in my opinion. Money + Care + Time = Big Loss.

    My water measures very similarly. I sometimes add crushed coral in with substrate, or hide a bag away behind Hardscape. Some aquarists put in their filters too. This can help increase your KH. When first added, it tends to leave a cloudy mess for a day or so.

    The goal of raising KH is adding buffer for your water so that pH swings don’t happen so precipitously. If you’re adding CO2, I think that will increase your risk of pH dipping.

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