Odd Duck

And last a google search found these. Very small holes, but might be good for stem plants?

More!

Just found this, too.

@BaRanchik I also worried about this when I took up the hobby again because “back in my day” when I first started fishkeeping, they *were* lead based. They no longer are, so no worries about that any more. I have also seen rocks with holes drilled in them. I found a pic of lava rocks, but I have also seen some made with smooth, river rocks. Maybe that would better suit your needs.

@Ozymandias My hubby has more expensive hobbies, so as long as I keep up with the tanks, he’s OK with it. I have no more room for tanks, so I think I’m at my limit. 😆

@Streetwise So, glad you linked the previous thread about your RES, I feel caught up now. @Lisa S. You can combine powerheads (with prefilters) and send the water up the intake into HOB’s if you’re struggling with getting canisters to work. Feeding in a tub partway filled with water does help a lot with keeping waste out of the tank, but it usually takes some training to convince the turtle to eat that way. You do not have to dechlorinate water for turtles. They do not have gills to be burned like fish do, and the small traces of chlorine in the water actually help a little with keeping the water cleaner. Unless you have very excessive amounts of chlorine in your tap water, there’s no need to dechlorinate. It can help reduce their risk of shell and skin infections by *not* dechlorinating. Bigger is definitely better as far as tank size. Solution to pollution is dilution, after all. Outdoor pond is best. The best way to keep these guys healthy is getting them outside as much as possible. I know that may not be possible, so fresh UV bulbs at least every 6 months. I recommend using a permanent marker and writing the date put in service onto the bulb and the date to take out of service. Second the screen top to prevent the bulb falling in the water. There is also no need for a heater as long as the basking site is warm enough. Painted turtles range clear up into Canada. They are not going to be the least bothered by room temp water as long as they can bask and dry out. That’s all I can think of right now.

@CalmedByFish You should be able to find frozen Daphnia or freeze dried. Either should work for an endler. Bloodworms should have some grab, but not as much as Daphnia or scuds. I siphon scuds out of my shrimp tanks frequently. I want them out of the shrimp tanks and a want to feed them to my pea puffers. I use a 12 ml syringe (because they’re easy for me to get), a short piece (about 3/4”) of airline tubing, and a piece of rigid airline tubing (the soft connects the syringe to the rigid tubing). I know others use turkey basters or coral feeding pipettes. You should also be able to feed her about any kind of vegetable for additional fiber. I hear some endlers will even eat broccoli or green beans. Kale would also be good. I second the idea of cutting off the part of the hair going into the mouth to reduce the length that has to go through her. Should have thought of that myself.

@dasaltemelosguy I may actually venture to do a thread about it. I’m not sure how stunning the rock piles will be. I’m not even sure the rock will pile up at all. Right now, I’m planning to use river rock in various sizes, so I won’t really be able to *pile* since they’re rounded and too slippery. It will mostly be judicious placement of big ones around the bamboo pots, then smaller ones to help brace those in place, and smaller ones carefully placed to “look natural” on the bare bottom. 😆 😂 🤣 I do have some petrified wood pieces that I may see if I can place those well enough to simulate some chunks of “rotting” wood. Some of those are holding down driftwood in my 100 gallon right now. 😆 I even have a couple chunks of driftwood that I may try to cram into gaps in the rocks. Kind of getting away from the clean, “just bamboo and Val” idea now, though. This would all look so much better with a sand bottom, but then I’d have trouble getting detritus out from between rocks. Not to mention all the digging Jacks would do, constantly stirring up sand. Right now the tank is a bit of a hot mess. I guess it could make a good “before and after”! I have a couple shelves in it that *had* substrate and plants in them. Most of that substrate is now on the bottom of the tank, so I’ll have to clear all that out. The filters are way overdue for a rinse and thorough prefilter cleanings, and maybe a very light rinse of the sponge blocks inside the filters (only if indicated by excessive sludge). I have the jungle Val scheduled to be delivered Saturday, I have shower caddies (to hold lucky bamboo and pothos stems) expected on Friday. I already have egg crate diffuser for additional bracing of stems/bamboo and probably enough pots to use for the base of the bamboo and for the Vals. Small rocks to cover substrate are also expected on Friday. Bamboo isn’t expected until next week. 😕 I have screen to keep clay soil, Osmocote granules, then sand layers from leaking out the bottom of the pots. Dang it, I forgot to order a new turkey baster! Mine’s so old the bulb’s getting dry rotted. Oh, well, I’ve got a couple weeks before I’ll need that. I’m sure there’s other things I’ve forgotten, but I’m hoping to keep this as clean and simple as possible. Might tuck some Spathiphyllium into those shower caddies, too, while I’m “planting”. I’ve got plenty of that already. For anybody that has plants growing inside their HOB’s, did you just put the plants onto or beside your sponge blocks and let them grow into them? I have empty cartridges that I could use to brace the plants inside the HOB’s, but I’d rather keep the sponge blocks in there. I know they’ll be “ruined” by the plant roots, but I’d rather have the filtration. Did you do anything else, like using egg crate grid to brace stems? I wasn’t planning to put plants inside the HOB’s, but the idea is growing on me to have a whole “wall” of plants at the back. I’d appreciate any other thoughts or suggestions before I get too deep into this makeover. Yes or no to driftwood with the bamboo? Yes or no to sand? I’d use the coarsest pool sand I could find for this one if I do sand at all. Too tired for this, I’ll come back to it tomorrow.

I’ll leave canister filter questions to someone with expertise on the subject. I haven’t used a canister filter for close to 20 years.

@Torrey Glad I could entertain, at least. 😆 Looking at the Wolffia infested tanks today, they aren’t as scary as I thought they would be. I’ll have to keep an eagle eye out for the tiny little green specks, but at least I have a smidgin of hope now that I don’t think I’ll be spending the rest of my life scooping out green specks the size of a grain of table salt.

As much as you can possibly afford. There really is no such thing as too much filtration in a turtle tank. They are sloppy eaters, heavy poopers, with high nitrogenous waste levels in their poop. They can handle practically any current as long as they have an appropriate pull out to bask and rest. They need a LOT of UV, by the way, and best is a combo UVA and UVB with a fresh bulb at least every 6 months even if the bulb still works, they tend to lose intensity in their UV spectrum. Even better is an outdoor pond. There is a good write up on Tom Boyer’s website: www.pethospitalpq.com and look under “Pet Resources”, drop down the menu and click on “Aquatic Turtles”. There aren’t many times I need help on reptiles, but he’s one of the very few people I would call if I needed help for a patient. Tom has written most of the chapters on nutrition in many of the reptile medical textbooks. He’s a world-renowned expert.

@theotheragentm You could put in a motion sensor sprinkler. You could even put the hose on a timer so it only activates at night. You would just have to remember to deactivate it for any night time human or pet activity in the yard.

@ErinV This is what I refer to for ID on pond vs bladder snails. These look like bladder snails to me. Skinnier antennae, opening of the shell to the left, and shell isn’t as long. Ramshorn are having “snexy” time. You should have baby ramshorn before you know it.

If she’s still eating, try something high fiber that encourage the hair to move on through. Since they are micro predators, I would suggest Daphnia or small scuds. The exoskeleton should help move the hair along. Be aware, that a linear foreign body can be very dangerous in many animals. Because the intestines are always moving, a linear foreign body can saw through the intestinal wall from the inside as the intestine moves up and down along it. She may be doing fine, then get severely ill very quickly and pass with little warning.

@Bobbie It certainly is true that bettas can survive with fairly low oxygen in the water if the water is otherwise clean, they have a healthy labyrinth, and have access to the surface. It is also true that it’s very easy to get them better dissolved oxygen levels and I would absolutely expect them to be healthier with better oxygenation, so why would we not provide it to help our fish thrive and not just survive? I have had many bettas over the decades I’ve been keeping fish, even raised a single clutch of bettas way back in the day, and it just makes sense to me to provide some air. It keeps the water surface cleaner for better gas exchange, it helps turn over the water to bring unoxygenated water to the surface for even more gas exchange, and we can use it to drive a sponge filter for better water quality without too much current for the fish. It’s also a bit of a myth that they live in stagnant water. They live in relatively *still* water, but everything I’ve read about their actual habitat from people that have been there, and videos I’ve seen, says the water is slow moving but flowing, not just stagnant puddles. I hope this helps convince your friend that there is significant benefit to adding air (especially if attached to a sponge filter) and no harm at all, so why not add one?

@CalmedByFish I know that feeling with the algae. Founding member of Overfeeders Anonymous right here. I’ve had to relearn how much fish, shrimp, and snails actually *need* to eat. @Ozymandias I also stepped away from fishkeeping. Around 10 years off for me. I loaded myself up too much with reef tanks, Betta grow out tanks, paludariums, and too many hours working. Just got back into fish again a little over a year ago and I’m already back to 20 tanks. 🤷🏻‍♀️ But they’re lower maintenance tanks and no salt! Welcome back to the hobby and I’m glad to help any way I can. I’ve given myself a very intensive refresher on low maintenance planted tanks over the last year and have been exploring the incredible variety of plants that are now available. There are loads of very experienced and helpful people on this forum and this is by far the kindest, most helpful and intelligent forum I’ve found.

Some bulbs need some chilled time to break dormancy. There should be information somewhere on what breaks dormancy on any given type of bulb. Keep reading, it’s out there somewhere.

@ARMYVET The 16”D x 14”H is only $57.50, the 19”D is $99.

And nitrates? We need that info, too, to be able to tell how far along you are in the cycle. Plus you’re allowed to top off your water. Looks like you’re getting close to your minimum water level for your heater. Is there a reason you’re keeping your water level so low? Just curious.

@benchilton yes, on the vinegar eels. They are smaller than the microworms, but easier to culture. Slower growing, though, and may not keep up unless you have several cultures. I have your cultures ready whenever you are. I’m currently working from home, so whenever. I do have an appointment tomorrow, though. But anytime after about 4:00. I might be available earlier, but can’t be certain since I don’t know for sure how long the appointment will take. Edit to add the photo of a list I put together. The vinegar eels are so skinny that you get an impression of movement but I can’t really see them as individuals in culture. I can see individuals once swirled in water and more spread apart, but they are smaller than the microworms. The microworms are a bit more substantial but still really an impression of movement when together, but you can easily see individuals once swirled in the water. The microworms are a bit more fidgety to culture but much quicker and easier to harvest. Vinegar eels are dead easy to culture, but much more fidgety to harvest.

@Duke Silver He is looking a bit more fleshed out already! Nice work!

Quite frankly, she’s headed for catastrophe. I think you already know this or you wouldn’t be posting. How you approach her is obviously the tricky part. Keep urging her to join here. This is by far the sanest, kindest group I’ve found. Sending her fish profile info is a great choice. This will help her make her own decisions and then make smarter choices once she learns more. I’m not sure what else you can do without risking your friendship. How close are you? Seems like you feel it’s pretty delicate? There are friends that I can be blunt with and others that I have to be very delicate with how I explain. You’ll have to make that call on how you handle it, but seems like you’re doing it very gently so far.

Since I moved a group of 6 bronzes (Corydoras aeneus) to my 100 gallon, I don’t think the eggs are getting eaten but I have no idea if any fry are surviving. I haven’t seen a baby yet and I do periodically see them in my other bronze cory tank that has around a dozen or so in a 29 (they’re *supposed* be going to my lfs soon). I also have a singleton yoyo loach in with this group and still have the occasional baby randomly appear. I sure the eggs were fairly frequently getting eaten (witnessed) when I had a bunch temporarily in a 20 high holding tank and I’m reasonably sure the fry were also getting eaten. Too many adults in too small a space despite it being *loaded* with plants and driftwood. The 100 is very densely planted and has a low fish population so far since it’s *new*. I keep expecting to see fry, but none so far. Admittedly, I’m mostly viewing from across the room, not as often from up close. I only have a few small plecos in the 100 with the corys at the moment. Bristlenose morphs x 3 juvies, adult clown pleco (I’m assuming it’s still in there, haven’t seen it in weeks, unknown L#), and a young adult gold nugget (not certain which species of nugget, I *think* L018). It’s been forever since I had corys in the bad old days (I dropped out of fishkeeping for around 10 years and only fairly recently restarted) and I don’t think I ever had a significant group of the same species back then. I don’t recall ever seeing a cory breeding back then.

@benchilton Cultures are ready whenever you are. I’m in North Richland Hills. What part of DFW for you?

Well so am I and I have cultures of both! My microworms are neglected and sad right now, but I can fix that quickly. I was already planning to do that today, just got overcome by an attack of lazy. Vinegar eels are easiest to harvest from a bottle with a fairly long, narrow neck like a beer or wine bottle. I used one soy sauce bottle, the empty apple cider vinegar bottle, and a fruit fly culture deli cup. I’ll just dump a bunch into an empty water bottle for you for transport. And I’ll start a fresh microworm culture for you right now. I also have white worm cultures ready to go. Any interest in one?