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CalmedByFish

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Posts posted by CalmedByFish

    Small guppy triumph at last

    in Fish Breeding

    Posted

    I'm glad you at least got fry, since they probably will be hardier. 

    Problems with guppies is why I switched to endlers. Truth is, I like the look of guppies much more, but it was a trade for peace of mind. With endler health going super well, I am considering those "Japan blue" guppy-endler hybrids though. 

    • Like 2

    Aquarium Co-Op black friday deals??

    in Edmonds Washington Retail Store Forum

    Posted

    On 11/25/2021 at 10:23 AM, Taco Playz said:

    Yeah, I heard that in one of the streams. But I didn't know if they were going to have sales or not I was just going to check. Thanks!

    Don't know if it's true in this moment, but a few days ago, ACO Amazon Swords were the cheapest I'd seen them listed before. Just fyi, in case you already were wanting one.

    I wanted at least 2, so ordered 3. Two came about 8" tall, as I'd expect. The third pot was actually two tiny ones. Pros and cons about that third pot, I guess.

    • Like 1

    New set up: Angel or little fish in first?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    On 11/24/2021 at 8:37 AM, Guppysnail said:

    Always add fish in the order of aggression.  Least aggressive first most territorial/aggressive last. Endlers will be snacks unfortunately. Young plates will but if your angel is not super aggressive they should leave adults alone “should?”

    So maybe my idea above of using that one male platy ("Horndog") as a test fish might be worth trying?

    New set up: Angel or little fish in first?

    in General Discussion

    Posted · Edited by CalmedByFish

    On 11/23/2021 at 10:37 PM, Colu said:

    Endlers are always going to be a snack for adult angelfish weather you add them Frist or second 

    Aagh. Grumble grumble.

    Okay, how about adult dwarf platies? Males are 1", females 1.5", and all are a chubby shape. What do you think?

    Edited to add: I have one male platy that's so obsessed with gettin' busy, I can't even let him share a tank with the other males. I might could put him in with the angel, and stand there watching with a net in hand in case he (or the angel 🙄) needs rescued. Maybe he could be a test fish.

    New set up: Angel or little fish in first?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I'm about ready to put my angel back into his big tank. (After moving.) But I've also been wanting to have endlers and platies in that tank. 

    Previously, when I added them to "his" tank, he picked on them, killing many. 

    What if I instead let the little livebearers get comfortable in the tank, then add the angel several days later? Might that prevent him from thinking the tank is his domain, and so prevent him from being as aggressive? 

    Need, Want, and Wish

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Need: A back-up plan in case something like The Texas Freeze happens where I live. (It was heartbreaking watching that via internet last year.)

    Want: About $200 of green plants. A bright blue fish. An aphrodisiac for my shrimp. (Seriously ya little weirdos, just get busy already.)

    Wish: An actual swimming pool of fish, so I can swim with them!

    • Like 4

    Carpeting Plant with Tough Leaves?

    in Plants, Algae, and Fertilizers

    Posted

    On 11/22/2021 at 5:32 PM, eatyourpeas said:

    Mine was left in the original pot for a couple of weeks (not intentionally, I did not have time to plant it). It started to grow like crazy, so I planted the trimmings in the tank and they are doing great. Perhaps keeping the parent plant potted for a bit may help?

    Interesting. I've heard it can help to plant the pot, as is, into the substrate so the top of the pot is even with the top of the substrate. Then let it extend itself from there, without the original roots ever being disturbed. 

    With a few of the species I bought, I might've had better results doing that. Not sure.

    Live bearer tank

    in Fish Breeding

    Posted

    On 11/22/2021 at 3:27 PM, meadeam said:

    A dwarf cichlid of some variety maybe?  

    I love angels, and will have a tank for them at some point.  Right now I don't have the space as I want a dedicated >=55g for them.

    My only experience with cichlids is the one angel, but I'm guessing someone else on the forum would know. Things I know of to check: Whether the water parameters of all the species overlap. Whether the cichlid can eat fry and can not eat adults. And whether the type of cichlid you're looking at *needs* buddies, rather than buddies just being preferable.

    Live bearer tank

    in Fish Breeding

    Posted · Edited by CalmedByFish

    I have one angelfish, so when fry get out of control, I net the tiny ones into his tank. 

    I'm thinking that post-angelfish, I'll add a fry-muncher that's less ravenous, and it could live with the livebearers. I haven't thought it through (long live the angel), but I'm wondering about a short-finned betta or a dwarf gourami. 

    Maybe you could add a fry-muncher to the tank, with a mouth small enough to leave the adults alone.

    • Like 1

    Carpeting Plant with Tough Leaves?

    in Plants, Algae, and Fertilizers

    Posted

    On 11/22/2021 at 5:59 AM, Fish Folk said:

    What’s your light like? Those 29 gal tanks can be a long throw. Also, temperature? Do you use airstones? I’ve found that a slightly cooler tank helps plants a lot. Airstones seem to help plant as well. You may find that a small amount of CO2 will do wonders.

    All the plants I've tried so far have been pre-move, so the situation will be different. What I tried them in was probably low-moderate light - so that definitely could've been an issue. Temp ranged 72-78. Most were tried in a tank with a HOB waterfall of several inches, rather than any air stones. I'm sure I want to not use CO2, just to keep things simpler. But I can now increase light, I use air stones (sponge filters), and I can max the temp out in the mid-70's. Maybe that stuff will help.

    On 11/22/2021 at 7:26 AM, Mmiller2001 said:

    Honestly, the MC and Baby Tears are CO2 required plants. And truth be told, to get that low tight carpet effect, you're going to need CO2. 

    However, dwarf Sag and few others should do okay. If they are melting away, something is off. Either your fertilization balance is off or light is too low. If the S. Repens is dropping leaves, that's probably a light issue. So I'd imagine it's a combination of both. I would also look at the substrate. Will it allow plants to spread roots and runners? 

    I have 2 recommendations to try, actually 3.

    1. Pearl Weed, will do very well with no CO2 and can be mowed into a carpet. Every time you mow it, replant until you have a dense patch. Keep it trimmed often.

    2. Marselia Hirsuta, this does well and grows like a vine under the substrate. Simpley cut a portion and turn it and it will zig zag across the tank to form a carpet.

    3. Hygrophila Serphyllum, now this can be hard to find and sketchy sellers, but will do well with no CO2. It grow like a vine over the substrate and sends roots down. This can over come less than I deal substrates. It has a larger, more oval leaf shape and may be what you are looking for. If you can't find it and want it, PM me. When my wife gets home, I'll have her take a picture for me.

    All in all, I would double check your light and nutrients. The answer is there. 

    Here's the Hygrophila Serphyllum, foreground right. I think it breaks that traditional small leaf carpet and adds a unique contrast. And apparently, it's rare.

    All good info. I bet light was too low, but I can fix that. I wish the need for CO2 was made more obvious on plant-buying websites. As for nutrients, I was using root tabs and Easy Green, holding nitrates at 20-30.

    The substrate I was using when I tried these plants was about the size of pea gravel. I'll now be using 2-4 mm gravel, which I'm guessing will work better for roots. Yeah?

    Nice species suggestions!

    I'll save this info to refer to. For the moment, I need to slow down the spending. (The new substrate is exactly what I want, but a pretty penny.)

    On 11/22/2021 at 10:20 AM, Patrick_G said:

    Thanks @Mmiller2001, great info! I wish we could save posts because I’d save this one!

    I keep a document on my computer for aquarium plant info. (Same for fish species, water parameters, blah blah.) I just copy-paste what I want, then I can open the document and hit "ctrl+F" when I need to search for a topic. It's an idea.

    Exotic tanks

    in Photos, Videos & Journals

    Posted

    Haha! This does kinda look fun.

    A few medaka should be good with the temp and size. 

    Guppies actually need some warmth, but endlers are similar, smaller, and don't need *quite* as much warmth. And if you do go with endlers, consider a few males instead of any females, just because they're a lot smaller. (Males' colors would be easier to see through that glass than silver females anyway.)

    As for the animals' well-being, I'm thinking medaka, neocaridina, and snails might be your best bets.

    • Like 1

    Carpeting Plant with Tough Leaves?

    in Plants, Algae, and Fertilizers

    Posted

    On 11/21/2021 at 9:34 PM, Fish Folk said:

    Can you share more about your space, tank size, fish species, etc? Are you trying to keep certain fry alive? Just curious. Have you tried Java moss? I think that Java moss can be very effective at protecting small fry while also being a possibility for carpeting.

    Space and tank size, up to now, have been unstable. I've known since summer that I'd be moving, so anything that needed substrate just got planted in tupperware with gravel and root tabs, and occasionally got relocated to a different container of water. 

    Starting now: Main tank is 29 gallons - internal footprint about 33"x13". Substrate will be 2" of 2-4 mm size gravel, with root tabs. 

    Water parameters out of the tap will be very similar to what I had before, so I think that won't have much affect on what plants will and won't live. (pH ~8, GH ~12)

    Critters in that tank: One angel. Endlers. Dwarf platies. Snails. I'm not trying to use the plants to keep fry alive. (I net them into another container for that.) I'm trying to let the adult endlers and platies feel safe from the angel, and let the girls get away from the boys.

    I got java moss months ago. It's succeeding in staying alive, but not really growing. 

    Since posting this thread, I've been eyeballing monte carlo on the ACO site. I've tried dwarf baby tears before, which looks very similar. Although the baby tears gradually died off, I now see that it's listed as "skill level: hard," where monte carlo is listed as "medium." Soo... Maybe? 

    In case this info is helpful:  Staurogyne repens lost leaves persistently for months until I gave up on it. Micro sword absolutely would not stay in the gravel for the life of me... and I really don't like the "grass" look anyway. Dwarf sagittaria has done a good job of staying alive and in the gravel, but not spreading. 

    Carpeting Plant with Tough Leaves?

    in Plants, Algae, and Fertilizers

    Posted · Edited by CalmedByFish

    On 11/21/2021 at 9:06 PM, Fish Folk said:

    what exactly are you hoping your carpet to look like? Do you want it rally low to the substrate? Or might something kind of higher work? We used Rotalla indica pieces to sort of carpet a tank 

    What I'd like it to look like: In a perfect world where I'm rich, the bottom would be covered in anubias nana petite, each glued to a small stone. 🙂 But let's go back to reality.

    It could be anywhere from 1-4 inches. 

    Your rotalla concept might work, using pogostemon stellatus octopus. It's the only plan I have that could be cut into multiple pieces like you did with the rotalla.

    Edit: Really, my main goal is to provide a bunch of hiding places for little fish, and females trying to get away from males. I've been wondering if I should use broad-leafed anubias(es). I have a barteri that's wide and low, which is a great single patch of ground cover. I'd buy more, but it'd sure be cheaper to buy just 1-2 of something that spreads fast.

    • Like 1

    So Annoyed

    in Off Topic General

    Posted

    On 11/21/2021 at 8:25 PM, lindabee53 said:

    my neighbor sent me an email saying that if he wasn't welcome, she wouldn't be back.  I replied, "Okay."  I'm not nice.

    This made me laugh! Is "okay" short for, "Okay, great! Thanks for letting me know. Glad to hear that. Made my day!" 😂

    • Like 1
    • Sad 1
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