xXInkedPhoenixX

Here you go, now people can connect your fish with your issue and hopefully we can get you some answers. Perhaps @Colucan help diagnose?

Hi @SuzanM! Welcome to the forum. Takes a bit to learn how to navigate how to communicate here. This is where your bird post should be so I'll put it here. If you scroll down on a thread you will see a place to reply. If you want to get someone in particular's attention, type the @ sign then type out the screen name as I did for you at the beginning of this post. :-) I will also help you with your other post From @SuzanM for this post: " Yes. we have 4 budgies. we had eggs several years ago and 4 hatched and grew to beautiful birds. a professor at our local college took them. Had no issues raising them both parents were very good."

@Odd DuckI had a male and female, and this was pre-internet so I didn't know to move the male out. He killed a couple of babies which made me very sad but I thought it was that they were born dead or were "defective" as nature sometimes has parents remove them. However, I eventually did learn he had to be moved out. So for a long while I just removed eggs when I saw them. I did manage 1 baby though eventually and she lived with her parents after she got big. They were little alien looking babies but still cute.

I used to keep Zebra Finches -and though messy- really miss the little buggers.

I tag @everybody cause everybody here rocks in their own way!

Ordered 2 packs of the clips! And @Odd Duck, right here my friend:https://www.aqueon.com/about-us/contact-us

@Odd Duckif you haven't already you might try contacting Aqueon directly. The only reason I say that is that I couldn't find the official Aquatop clips so I emailed them and they sell them separate (and adding shipping) through direct contact with the company. I've found most aquatic companies have been really responsive to inquiries. The clips you've mentioned here, tho, they are one of a kind as far as I can see so I'm saving the link too even if I don't use them!

@Odd DuckI really appreciate you taking the time to do that. I know sometimes with things like those they have a little give. I've been searching on Amazon since you sent the link for others like it to no avail so far (I'm on page 4 I think). I may just order those and try them. Worst case scenario I return them.

@Odd Duck thanks for the tips! Question about the clips, hope they're an option but see they're for up to 5mm. This is 6mm glass on the tank, do you think they'd still work?

Oh the dogs will be into it. Even my cats turn their heads when I play that one.

I've done something of a high risk move that I hope turns out ok. Weeks ago I got 6 beautiful white male Guppies that were planned for the Medieval tank. Sadly I am now down to 1, having lost the last one a few days ago. They've been medicated with different meds, salted, water- changed and etc to no avail. There have been no signs of illness they just get lethargic a day or 2 out and then, bam, dead. The last one (like all the others before they died) looks healthy, acts normal, eats. It was in the tank by itself and it just looked....sad. That can't be healthy. So I am taking a gamble. I put them in the Accidental Oto tank with the other Guppies waitiing in QT (5 Grass Guppies traded locally and my Mum's 2 that are convalescing with damaged tails). I realize this also potentially puts Koianu at risk (as well as the other Guppies) but I weighed all of the options and decided we're going with it- I am prepared for all possible outcomes and still have a QT running. When I put them in last night they looked very timid but this morning he was totally normal- active, playing with the other Guppies and eating with them. I had to do it, IMO happy fish are healthy fish- this was the final resort to try and save the last white Guppy. I also had to remove my 2 male Guppies from the Flex9, they are the most chased in that tank by the Endlers (and maybe Serket but I've never witnessed any long term bullying by her just a quick chase and that was it), they are older now and slowing down and their tails are looking ragged likely because of that. One might actually be on his way out as he often swims upright (but then rights himself, then upright, then etc, etc). So I have 9 Guppies standing by in the Accidental Tank. Still very much chasing each other - they seem to get along far more peacefully than with the other species they've been housed with. I am pondering but I think the 4 Guppies of similar strains (the males from the Flex9 and my Mum's) will stay in the Accidental tank indefinitely. This can change but this is what we'll go with for now. The rest of them have a chance to move to the Medieval tank hopefully soon. This was the last white Guppy this morning (they are all impossible to take pics of: I did do a bit of rearranging in the Accidental tank. I added the pagoda you see above that was in my now decommissioned 4 gallon Aquatop that was replaced by Invictus's 7 gallon. I also removed the potted Amazon and used an Anubias that was originally for the Medieval tank but dubbed too big. I glued it to a rock and added more big and small rocks. I like this look better for now.

My Punk loves frozen food day too, they get a mix that day of both BBS and Bloodworms.

If we're doing youtube it's ALWAYS THIS: AND THIS:

I realize in a breeding perspective this is a "fail" but: You are right beginners OR a fish keeper like myself (meaning, fishy please don't breed in my tanks) would be more than happy to take on pretty male guppies like that. So your LFS will be lucky to have them!

Invictus got a new heater and a better lid in the last couple of days. He now enjoys 80-81 degree water and seems very pleased with it (lights off in tank):

Small update on what's going on in the tank. Today I picked up the piece of polished edge plastic that I ordered for the top of this tank. And maybe some of my intrepid friends here can help me with an idea as to how to keep the lid on here! I've already done something for the meantime. So I think it looks great personally. It sits right where i need it to and has just enough space in the back for the tubes/wires (and hopefully not enough for fish but we all know that isn't much room). I'm glad I got polished edge- which doesn't translate well in pics. First, here is a full view of tank with lid: Edge of lid: Top of lid (fogged up already): So what I did for now or maybe permanently we'll see, is put the original glass clips onto the bottom side of the lid with doublesided silicone tape. This raises it slightly off the lip of the tank, but it also bows the nth of an inch in the middle and makes contact with the lip again. I knew it would do this which is why I made the front stick out that far- for support. Here: They are at the very front edge and the other set as far back as possible so if the feline persuasion gets on the tank or something knocks it, it won't just go sliding off. It is actually a little tricky to even lift the lid which I find to be a good thing for now. Intrepid partner has offered to make a bracket at the back for support but I'm wondering if you all have another idea to nix the original clips and trade for a nifty trick, some sort of corner bracket perhaps that would attach to said lid and let it rest along the whole front of the lip? I'd still need a way for the back to also have a way to hang on. I think I just need a trip to the hardware store. Or perhaps there is a small acrylic knob I can attach to the inside under the lid....wheels are turning.... Anyway perfect opportunity to show some progress in the tank. We've started some hair algae on the moss that gets the most light and a little on the glass even- yay new tank problems! Haha : One of the pieces of Monte Carlo possibly out the door forever though there are some green limbs left I hope survive. Sadly this piece did get pushed around when the Arch decided to float when filling the tank. While it looked cool at the time kind of pushed up against the arch then it doesn't look like the Monte likes it: Still loving the rock floor. I haven't changed anything yet with plants, still mulling it all over. What I have done is when I see a stray piece of Java Moss I throw it over there and it's been attaching itself to the floor and I'm starting to like the look. The moss all over the tank is doing well, some that was brown are starting to come back and that which was green is just getting bigger. Anyway, peek at the arch and floor (look closely and you can see in the top of the pic the shadowy Subwassertang on the shelf above the rock floor): Then the tree, still very happy with that, and the repens is doing quite well still. Especially the Repens at the back because it hasn't been disturbed unlike the ones at the front. As mentioned moss doing good- the stuff I thought was dead is coming in a little like @Odd Duckadvised it might: Hoping later this week I'll be able to add some livestock!

That's interesting since I've done research before on Ember Tetras and lots of sites say up to 84 for Embers (I was planning them for an 80-82 degree Betta tank. I do have them in an unheated that that gets to 82 in the summer and they have always done fine.)

Hope some of your eggs hatch!

I would do gravel not sand for a beginner. Get them lots of rhizone plants that can be glued to rock or other hardscape. Gourami and Betta seem to be a set up for failure- they have a high enjoyment rating but a very high mortality rate for beginners - each species comes with their own genetic issues. I'd skip the heater as long as their house is regular temps (again heater failure rate) and get hardy species that are active and interesting like Endlers or Guppies (and only get males) some Cory (when the tank is well established and not until then- could even do a small sand "lake" in the tank for them later if you really wanted sand) and depending on the size of tank you choose a half dozen Ember Tetra (for a small tank) or some Rasboras or Neons (for a schooling fish).

So this tank's problems have slowed but continue. I hadn't had a deceased adult since the last post (of course when @Odd Duck suggests cutting one open I can't find one) - this is a good thing except I was for a few days daily finding deceased babies in the floating breeder. Ugggghhhhhh. I cannot say if it's a tank problem or they were moshing themselves to death. There were no outside signs of illness or injury. I wasn't keeping track but I think I've lost 5-6 (I'm not counting because I'm half frustrated and half depressed about this tank- which equals denial to an extent). I separated the babies into two separate breeders so as to eliminate the death by moshpit theory. No dead babies today. Food eaten as per usual. I'm doing larger water changes. there is SO much mulm being churned around that wasn't being churned before. Lots of vacuuming. The HOB has picked quite a bit of it up but there's plenty that sinks to the bottom- but some days it's just floating around. Yesterday was the first time I found one deceased adult but unfortunatly they were far too decayed to be able to do an autopsy. I stopped the Metroplex in the adults food last week (they had it about 2 weeks) and they're all seemingly eating well, the food is always gone that I leave for them and I saw one adult on the side of the tank today with what looked like a healthy poop coming out. The only thing I can think to do is to do a complete reset on this tank. Maybe it has old tank syndrome? I did test the water yesterday, NO Nitrite/Ammonia, Nitrate good (25), buffer around 4, gh has always been high (liquid rock), ph around 7. I keep trying to eliminate possiblities but haven't found the trick yet - though again at least the deaths have slowed.

So. The stocking plan keeps kind of morphing for this tank. I had dreams in the beginning of 6 white Guppies with my pretty rescue Betta, White - nature apparently had other plans. I'm down to 2 - weeks later in QT, and one of them isn't looking so hot. Not that there's any real SIGNS of illness- nothing obvious- they just get lethargic then boom, dead. That's the way all of the deaths have happened. I tested their tank water- a fully cycled 3 gallon QT at this point. So frustrating. I put salt in their water, and some Alkaline buffer as the pH was pretty low - hoping to make them more comfortable- but that was the only parameter that was off. Anyhow. The plan has changed again. The Medieval tank had a Nitrite reading yesterday so it's continuing to go through the cycling process. After some reasearch of the twinwall @Odd Duck suggested I actually decided to skip it. Honestly didn't much like the looks of it online but nowhere I could find sold it in stock (had to be ordered) and I only wanted to look at it closer. In desperation for a lid yesterday I visited the plastic shop, ordered a thick piece of acrylic and will have them polish the edges to make it look nicer. I'll start with this for now. It will be finished next Friday - which is hopefully the day I can start adding fish. Back to the stocking plan. I took out my 6 baby Black Neons from my Angry Man tank and traded them yesterday to a local for 4 male Grass Guppies. I told him I didn't care about color - I got 3 red and 1 blue. They will go in the Medieval tank now. My Mum's Guppies, which were also headed there will not, they will go in my Flex9 with Serket and the other Endlers and Guppies. I will take out the Ember Tetra and put them in the Medieval tank too (6 or 7 of those they are hard to keep track of). If any of the white Guppies make it, they'll live in my Flex9 too. But since they keep dying that just keeps extending their QT time. Such a shame. Anyhow, here are the Guppies I picked up last night: We soldier on!

So yesterday I "fished" out all the baby Black Neons I could find, which was 6 of varying sizes. I put them with my Mum's Guppies in the Accidental Oto tank (where Koianu lives) on the divided side of the tank. They are beautiful little things: So I posted on the local forum to see if anyone was interested for a sale or trade. Last night I transported them to their new home and (traded) brought home 4 male Grass Guppies, 3 "red" 1 "blue". (Dark pic, lights were low): These 4 are going to go into the Medieval tank I'm building. Anyhow. They spent the night in the Accidental tank. This morning when I got up however.... I found 2 of the 4 on the other side of the divider and in Koianu's space. Not sure how they did it but the only way I see is that the jumped the fence up top. Seems too tight everywhere else for them to get through! Koianu was not pleased about his uninvited house guests: I watched for a minute to see how Koianu was taking their presence. He definitely chased them but they are undamaged (they are also very fast, so that probably helped): So I caught the little buggers and put them back with Mum's Guppies (2 bottom left): I went about my daily maintenance planning on removing some water- and guess what, 1 of them hopped the wall again somehow. The wall wasn't very close to the waterline but clearly somehow this happened so I lowered the waterline a decent sum and hope they won't be visiting again.

I think personally, the pH is way too acidic, I aim for around 7 or a bit above in my Betta tanks. The lack of kh to me, means your water parameters can wobble on a dime which isn't great for a Betta, they are sensitive. Adding an airstone and salt may help.

As @Guppysnail states my healthy baby Otos poop in a spiral. It always makes me smile.

@Chick-In-Of-TheSea love the squid, I have something similar somewhere in the house, it's a dog toy the cats play with. I tend to avoid anything that's more than 3 books (and avoid most of those too). I typically enjoy really off the wall and quirky fantasy books- 1 off novels. I love most of A. Lee Martinez's novels (not his series with Constance Verity), Toby Barlow has written two totally different yet extremely odd and wonderful books, Sharp Teeth which is a totally unique werewolf novel (my favorite fantasy monster) and Babayaga a quirky book about witches and a person turned into a flea! So yea. Oddball stuff.