Fish Folk
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Posts posted by Fish Folk
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(Just one more Killi recommendation to consider)
Fundulopanchax amieti…
There’s a secret place here on the forum where some of us dump resources. I remember leaving a Killifish guide there… let me find it… hang on…
Ok, here you go:
My friend made this introductory video about Killis. It’s not professional video editing, but he’s a great aquarist and scientist…
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On 12/7/2023 at 10:46 PM, mtnmonster said:
I was actually considering white clouds as well. I've been wanting a 20 long, but they seem to be hard to find locally. Maybe I will hold off on the barbs and corys until I get one. This 10 gallon has just grown in so nice I can't bring myself to tear it down and put the plants on another tank so I'm just looking for something to add some activity and a little color. Planted tanks are great but adding a few fish can really boost aesthetics.
Whether you know it or not, I believe you are looking for a small, non-annual species of Killifish. Perfect for 10-gal tanks. They’re not fish you’re likely to find in a fish store. I breed Fundulopanchax scheeli…
But I also highly recommend Aphyosemion striatum…
Or the Aphyosemion australe (orange)…
I mean… there are many hundreds of species to consider… just do a single species-only tank.
Killis are the orchids of the aquarium hobby.
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On 12/7/2023 at 9:51 PM, mtnmonster said:
My betta died a couple months ago. So I have a planted 10 gallon waiting for some permanent inhabitants. Currently I have a few snails and a couple of male platys I had to separate to slow down the breeding in my platy tank. I'm giving them to my nephew for his 20 gallon community I set up for him.
I was at my lfs and the guy had a suggestion that sounded good but I'm afraid I may be a bit overstocked if I did it. 6 cherry barbs and 4-5 panda corydoras. I asked him why not pygmy corydoras and he said he's had trouble getting healthy batches and that panda corys are the next smallest and I just won't have as many. Right now I've got a sponge filter and I was thinking I could maybe do a hob for extra filtration but I want one with adjustable flow any suggestions for that too?
I've never kept cherry barbs or panda corys but they seem like they would be a fun combo to have. Would the 6 barbs and 4 to 5 panda corys be too much for a 10 gallon or is this a good reason to justify another larger tank? I'm open to other suggestions as well.
Great questions. You'll get a number of opinions online. Here on the CARE Forum, I hope you'd get _reasons_ for opinions. Let me share my views, and give you reasons.
(1) It is doable if: [a] you are a reasonably good aquarist -- keep the aquarium healthy and in balance, do not overfeed, water change regularly, etc. [b] you add even more plants. And then add more. And then just a few more 🪴🌱🌿 [c] add an additional filter -- HOB is fine. I love AquaClear filters. They are adjustable. But a second small sponge filter would also be fine instead.
(2) I rarely use 10-gallon aquariums anymore. a 20-gallon long is a much more satisfying aquarium space. If you're able to afford that, it would make for better digs. Cherry Barbs are lively. A 10 gal. tank would be a bit smaller than optimal. If you want to stick with the 10-gal size, you might consider White Cloud Mountain Minnows as an alternative option, since they probably could manage a bit better in smaller space...
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Got loads of Southern Redbelly Dace fry (free-swimming) and just-hatched Mountain Redbelly Dace ("skaters")...
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On 12/6/2023 at 6:39 PM, TeeJay said:
So I just got a trio of Fundulopanchax gardneri today. Was curious what temps you like to keep yours at. Of course the Google general knowledge says 65-75. I like to hear it first hand. Would like to get a little breeding action out of them one day soon once I get them conditioned well
Great fish! They're pretty tough fish. 70-F is fine. Maybe 74-F for spawning. Do you have mops made? They will spawn in yarn mops. I think LR Bretz had a video on making them . . . let me check for it . . . here you go:
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Lovely! "The Bronte Tank Journal." Do share photos if you like. I'm a fan of any aquarist who breeds fish -- however intensely or casually as it may be.
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A pleasant surprise: I sold these two young pairs of Fundulopanchax scheeli to a CARE Forum member just a couple weeks ago…
Now, all these fry are hatching out of the java moss in their tank…
I love fish babies!!!
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Got some nice free swimming Chrosomus erythrogaster fry (Southern Redbelly Dace)…
Meanwhile, my Mountain Redbelly Dace also spawned today…
I pulled the eggs afterward…
In the end, got a wee haul…
These sell pretty fast for me once they’re a few months along. Hatching them in a bottom 20-long with some M-blue…
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On 12/1/2023 at 6:05 PM, Tlindsey said:
My wife hated the smell as well 😆
Yessss 😷
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On 12/1/2023 at 11:18 AM, jwcarlson said:
How do you "know" when to feed your daphnia cultures?
I feed when the water clears. If it stays milky, I hold off.
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On 11/30/2023 at 11:48 PM, Mmiller2001 said:
Thank you! And your Rainbow Shiners are off the chart. What’s the maximum temperature they do well in? How big do they get?
Thanks. They can do OK up to 74°-F. Above that, they begin to breakdown. It’s not all at once…. but they stop spawning, get really skinny… etc.
Maximum size is about 2.75 inches. They take 6-12 months to color up. There are a few varieties of color forms. These are from Alabama / Red Hills region. What’s crazy is how they look when they spawn. They turn hot pink with sky blue fins. It is unreal…
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Good heavens @Mmiller2001 that tank looks amazing!
If I were focussed on setting up just one 40 gallon breeder (instead of the 17x miscellaneous tanks I do random things with) I would get an Oase canister filter with a spraybar for good flow. I'd select a color of stone from ActivFlora (I've used Red, Black, White / Gray), and I'd beg around for LOADS of plants. If you like a community of tropical fish, consider aiming for three species-layers: -1- an active, hardy schooling species (shoaling will do); -2- a modest group of bottom-dweller species; and -3- a nice centerpiece pair. If you use a black background and dark substrate, and loads of bright greens . . . a school of Rummynose Tetras are always impressive in motion. The entire internet will break, but you can buy a young pair of colorful Discus to keep in a 40-breeder. Here's a few I still keep and snapped a shot of the other night...
And for bottom dwellers . . . I'd love to add several moderately sized plecos of one species or another. Zebra Plecos are always tempting.
But you could easily also turn a 40 breeder into a cool-water temperate tank with no heater. I'd probably go for a mix of Rainbow Shiners, Two trios of Fireyblack Shiners, and some species of Darters. Same filtration . . . but add more air.
Here's my Rainbow Shiners and Fireyblack Shiners this week...
My favorite Darter is the Banded Darter. This photo isn't mine, but it shows how absolutely amazing they _can look_ in a home aquarium...
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On 11/30/2023 at 11:00 PM, Schuyler said:
Those guys look awesome! They remind me of my Fundulopanchax Gresensi:
Depending on the light the spots on the tail look blue or yellow
Then there's the guy the Aphyosemion Ocellatum:
O my . . . that Ocellatum . . . WOW!
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On 11/30/2023 at 6:44 PM, Schuyler said:
Aphyosemion Australe and Aphyosemion striatum are the ones you're more likely to find.
^^ I agree 100% ^^
Australe…
Striatum…
Now, I personally have raised many Scheeli. I do get some really nice colors from them. Here’s a few photos from my line. Different fish, different lighting, different maturity…
Let me add… most Killis are fin-nippers, and jumpers. Generally speaking… they need to be carefully watched in any community tank setup.
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Daphnia feast…
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I began feeding some Daphnia to fish today. I was pleased to watch the Elassoma gilberti housed with a sorority of Brick Swordtails showing up…
They really can camouflage well…
They do not express full colors unless conditions are right. But hopefully I’ll see more as the year turns over the calendar…
Bear in mind that the male E. gilberti are capable of nearly unmatched glory in spawning form…
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On 11/28/2023 at 9:19 AM, TheSwissAquarist said:
How do you take your pics? My camera only tends to focus on my background and completely zaps past my fish.
I just use my iPhone 11 pro. I try to limit reflections / room lighting. When you touch the screen, it automatically will refocus. I take 12-20 photos to get 1x decent one. I select ones where target fish are in focus. I try to crop out hardware, bring fish closer, use basic composition principles (rule of thirds, dark / balance). I adjust most all indoor photos: shadows (-20); contrast (+20); blackpoint (+20); and vignette (+30-50)
That makes the fish in photos as close to how I see them. The only challenge is that the iridescence on some colorful species seems exaggerated.
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Gorgeous!! Lovely pair.
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“…I can bring you in cold.”
My hot-water Tropicals tonight:
My cold-water Temperates tonight:
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This is awesome!
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Preparing yeast feeding…
A look at initial feeding (light)…
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My friend hooked me up! Thousands of D. manga + freshly cut spearmint. I cut the audio on these due to background noise…
In the tank…
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Clear! 😎
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Over the last few years, I have fed aquarium fish live foods. More recently, I have begun learning how to cultivate live foods. It is sometimes a challenge to get things right, but where successful, live foods is a game-changer with bringing fish into spawning condition and nurturing fry through their first month of life.
I hope this journal will prove helpful for aquarists looking to get at least one view on several live food species. Call it a live-foods-cookbook. By all means, if you’re a cook, please share YOUR recipes too!
Today, I time visiting with a friend just 1-minute away. He is a genius! He wanted to show me his Daphnia tanks. I was so impressed: no water changes. 100% Aquaponics. Here are a couple photos I took with his permission…
Daphnia magna - 10 gal
(feeding yeast, below)
Daphnia moina - 10 gal
(feeding yeast below)
The substrate in each is Oyster Shells available for under $20 at Tractor Supply…
The emersed plants (Pothos, Mint, etc.) used for Aquaponics zero out Nitrate, but also strip out out the minerals. The Oyster shells keep the water bslanced.
SO! I was impressed enough, that zI immediately went to town today to set up a spare 10-gal I’ve had sitting around, cycled. Here was the process:
(1) Get lights screwed in for plant growth a Daphnia multiplication. (Daphnia require light to multiply)
Before…
So I added several LEDs…
Then I washed out the Oyster Shells…
Started setting up the tank…
After adding cycled lava rock and cycled sponge filters, sponge filter squeezing from other sponges for bio… I added 3x new Mystery Snails…
They began enjoying the digs right away…
(BTW… I threw in a bunch of Susswassertang. Because. Just love that stuff!)
In the end…
Pothos added to floating pot for starting aquaponics…
(Mint will go in tomorrow)
I keep it in my fishroom bathroom closet…
After it settles, and I can test to ensure that there is ample bacteria keeping it all cycled, I will pick up a generous starter of Daphnia magna from my friend.
My goal is to cultivate these so well that I have live Daphnia to feed to fish twice a day. To feed the Daphnia, a liquid solution of Active-dry Yeast is prepared…
I will go into detail on that in a followup post.
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Black beard algae and hydrogen peroxide
in Plants, Algae, and Fertilizers
Posted
If your BBA is on wood or hardscape, remove it from the water, and spray the area with 3% H202 (over-the counter). Wait 5 minutes. Then put it back. The BBA will turn red / pink and die off.
No idea about snails. Unless they're ornamental pets -- e.g. Mystery Snails -- I wouldn't worry too much about them. I assume that the chemical reaction with H202 balances out in tank water reasonably quickly once re-immersed.
The tragic problem is . . . once you get some going . . . BBA is very, very hard to eliminate. I've bought a group of Siamese Algae Eaters before. They do wonders. I have a Clown Pleco that seems to eat some BBA if it's on wood. Some people buy Female Florida Flagfish to nibble on algae.