Jump to content
Watch our video on the rules of this forum.

xXInkedPhoenixX

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    5,007

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    25

  • Feedback

    0%

 Content Type 

Everything posted by xXInkedPhoenixX

  1. xXInkedPhoenixX
    @Chick-In-Of-TheSea Thank you for your compliments. Angry Man is everyone's favorite when they see my tanks in person. Punk is the crown jewel, I love him too. So my tanks get a variety but I've narrowed it down. I feed a different food every day. ACO small fish food, Xtreme Krill Flakes, Fluval Color Flakes, Fluval Spirulina flakes (not super often but it gets mixed in) and Fluval Tropical Flakes. I also once a week do a mix of frozen bloodworms and baby brine shrimp. He eats all of the foods I've listed.
  2. xXInkedPhoenixX
    Interesting! I have a 4 gallon with anubias nana species, looootttssss of duckweed. However in that particular tank I'm not interested in getting rid of it. I found aggitation though does kill the duckweed.
  3. xXInkedPhoenixX
    **your idea with the added bonus of protecting fry or potentially eggs is genius!
  4. xXInkedPhoenixX
    Honestly I think that's a really great idea! I like to play with different ways to use anubias. I glued one to a rock and put it on top of the dirt in a pot so the roots grow down but the rhizone isn't buried. I also have glued them to tall sticks about halfway up and let the roots grow down making for quite a reverse plant display. I've done a similar thing with using suction cups to attach them high on a back wall (cause it's hard to break up the back of a 20 tall with plants) and let it do the same thing. Gives the illusion of taller plants and it looks neat.
  5. xXInkedPhoenixX
    Hahah super cute! My Punk is more pouty lipped than kissy...
  6. xXInkedPhoenixX
    Welcome to the forum @Neolamprologus! Lots of good people and information on the forum. I'm among the low tech tank keepers- all easy grow plants and no ferts.
  7. xXInkedPhoenixX
    I find they are very similar to Betta fish- but lkely a lot less prone to illness like they are. Lots of personality!
  8. xXInkedPhoenixX
    Congrats on the new fish @Guppysnail! They are adorable! Aren't they fun fish
  9. xXInkedPhoenixX
    What I did is this: Barely thaw out cube of bloodworms. Mix in meds (in my case also Focus, it helps bind the meds). Cut out the plastic mold that the bloodworms came out of and put them back in that mold. Freeze it in its own lidded container (I use small ziplock sauce containers) marked "medicated". Every day you need it, just cut off a piece of the cube and put it in a dish or small container to thaw (doesn't take long, less than 10 mins- I've never timed it- just usually come back 10 mins later). Put the rest in freezer. Leaving it in the fridge won't last long- if I cut too much and have too many, what I've been doing is taking an ice pack and putting the thawed container with the leftovers on top of the ice pack in the fridge- this prevents the worms from getting brown too fast as they tend to do just sitting in the fridge but don't freeze and I feed them the very next day- if I still have more they get tossed.
  10. xXInkedPhoenixX
    @drewzero1 I get it- Bettas aren't for everybody. Personally as I've mentioned here, I find them difficult to care for- when they go downhill they seem to go fast. This sucks because otherwise they have pretty awesome, individual personalities. I think most of it is indeed breeding- people who do it responding to demand for more color, different patterns, longer fins. These all lead to them being bred for those things and not for health (like say, bulldogs- bred for looks not for the benefit of the breed- causing things like breathing or mobility issues). I liked that they seem to be going towards shorter finned varieties (plakat) which I felt would eliminate the constant issues with long male Betta fins- but lets be frank- breeding fish like this the way they are going will likely always have problems. Then we have the issue of care. Most of the time they are kept solo which frankly is the easiest because again they are more prone to illness so having tankmates can sometimes be a gamble. For a lot of fish keepers- a solo fish is "boring"- you mean I have to dedicate a whole tank to one fish!? However at least with Betta- it can be a 5 gallon minimum tank and not a 50 like a goldfish. There are options for Betta Sororities now- which interests me but that would likely require in my mind at least a 20 to give these territorial fish their space- so you may have to anticipate some aggression. You also have to consider in order to keep them properly they need (per my research) for optimal health 80-82 degree water and high humidity because they breathe air. Not a lot of species prefer that temperature so it narrows down your possibilities greatly. You also need a tank that can provide that humidity- tight fitting lids, some people use plastic wrap I've heard. The higher temp water helps with the humidity, lower temps will not. They also do better in tanks with tannins- this is no problem for me now because I do this will all my tanks and can see the benefits- but not everyone likes tinted water. So now I have these 4 and with the criteria above, I'll be honest- none of the available options are the "best" options. I'm considering keeping GloBetta because- sadly I probably won't have any takers on her- and I have to say I don't understand it- but I think she's awesome and has a really great personality. However, my option for her is my Flex9- she'll have lots of tankmates but the temps won't be entirely optimal for her- however it is my warmest tank and will be high 70s to low 80s a lot of the time. My Mum's tank will be great for one, the temps should be good as I've put a flat heater, but there are tankmates, will they bug them or vice versa? I'll put feelers out for other fish keepers if need be- but my other thoughts are for a divided tank, that is heated, for whatever 2 might be left- this can also pose issues- stress (if they see each other too much), illness, having to divide a small tank- then of course temp and humidity. They're "fussy" fish to say the least. For a fish keeper like me I put them in the "difficult" category- but I really like them a lot. What's funny for me is that I don't really like them specifically for the looks, I'm actually more attracted to them for their personalities- they are just amazing- and no 2 are alike.
  11. xXInkedPhoenixX
    @TheSwissAquarist I have heard of them. There are many species of Otos just like Cory. Most of them look very similar though some are bigger or smaller than each other. There are some you really can't tell apart. The most interesting one I've heard of lately is the Orange Otocinclus- they look much different than what I've kept. For now I'm at capacity with fish so I'd have to wait to try anything else.
  12. xXInkedPhoenixX
    @TheSwissAquarist Good luck friend! You never know. Despite Otos not being super popular for their looks in a tank- most fish keepers want them because they are excellent clean up crew. I personally thing they are beautiful and fun.
  13. xXInkedPhoenixX
    @TheSwissAquarist I started with 6, 5 of them died. Then I got another 6 they all made it through QT so 7 in that tank are my orignials- Mama Oto (who I suspect has most of the spawns) is documented earlier in this journal- likely had most of the 60+ babies I caught early on- now they come in smaller bursts. You'd think maybe I'd have a lot more babies because of the volume of Otos, but no. I've also since added a few other Oto Vittatus from the LFS to make sure the gene pool doesn't get "dirty". Anybody I catch from this point will be traded/sold/given to other fish keepers.
  14. xXInkedPhoenixX
    OTOCINCLUS VITTATUS: The Parent Tank This morning I caught another one. Didn't see any others (yet). I think that takes me upt to 9 in the floater (that includes 3 that were already in there for some time). @TheSwissAquarist to answer your question, I haven't a clue. There are 60 plus Otos in this tank, they do what they want. I haven't figured out the breeding patterns and I'm not really trying to. 🙂 Nobody else here seems to try and breed Otos, or have so far reported their Otos successfully spawning so, since mine do I just document for future forum members who might want to crack the code. I don't purposefully breed anything.
  15. xXInkedPhoenixX
    OTOCINCLUS VITTATUS: The Parent Tank Well I told you I had spotted 3 and had caught 2. Well I thought I spotted 3 tonight, so I caught 3. Then I saw 4 and 5. So there may be more incoming little ones shortly here- we shall see! Here is just one of the ones I caught tonight (I just put the other 2 directly into the floating breeder from the net): So this weekend I need to work on getting the divider in the Accidental Oto tank and hope that it's going to be good enough for the biggest of the Otos to go in and stay. I had a plastics place cut me a piece that's similar to my manufactured one with holes and had someone else cut some notches in it for the suction cups. This will make it a near self contained tank within a tank just not with seal around it. I just don't want the babies to get to the other side through the holes. It may not work and I might have to wait until they're a bit bigger to transfer. It's just an experiment. Don't worry there's going to be active filtration on either side of the wall if it does work. More on that later!
  16. xXInkedPhoenixX
    Ok peeps, update time! Today I had an early shift so nobody got breakfast, I'm rolling out at o-dark-thirty the least I can do is let somebody in my house sleep in! Today was also water change day so why don't we see what's going on... Purple Dumbo, so far a fan favorite is a good girl- she had her betta pellet dinner and she got a betta leaf today so if she needs to relax there's somewhere she can. No longer medicated but for some aquarium salt and IAL water. Even since day one I've not been too concerned about her- on that day in a couple of hours in QT with me she was SIGNIFICANTLY better than she was in the store, and while she displayed some symptoms of what I thought was swim bladder even by that evening she was swimming and acting like a normal little fish. She'll stay with me until a good amount of QT is over then we'll have to decide where her new home is. But you need to take a look at day 1 verses now- I mean, what a little beauty- why was she still at the store?!?: Then we have little GloBetta. Also no longer medicated but for aquarium salt and IAL water. I hope over time she gets more of her red back in her tail but today after her betta pellet dinner and her water change she was all over her tank. She had a betta leaf but I moved it towards the top of her tank for a place to rest. I'm so glad she made it this far- I was worried about her due to the condition of her container but I'm very pleased with her progress. White Twintail Halfmoon also progressing, no longer medicated but also still utilizing aquarium salt and IAL water. I can't believe that in late September he was just laying on his side. Now he happily eats his betta pellets- can move all over his tank, and takes his water change flow like a champ. I still think it will be more time until his true colors come out but I really think he's going to be a stunner. I think he is now anyway: Lastly we have a very good update for Red Crowntail today. He's still using the walls as crutches and he will still float up to one side when he's not concentrating but today more than ever he came away from the side of the tank to hunt his food! I gave him some Metroplex soaked bloodworms so those were fed by tweezer but I floated a few daphnia just to judge and away he went and did really well! No significant change to his discoloration but I'm really proud of the little guy. I appreciate the ongoing support and encouragement the forum is giving the 5 of us. Thanks for rooting for the little ones!
  17. xXInkedPhoenixX
    I hope your little one pulls through, please keep us updated.
  18. xXInkedPhoenixX
    @Rebirth just so you know, I've used Metro with focus and didn't need to use Garlic Guard. @Odd Duck has mentioned garlic may do more harm than good so I've avoided using it. My Betta is eating his Metroplex soaked bloodworms just fine.
  19. xXInkedPhoenixX
    I used kanaplex on my 4 recent Betta rescues and they are pulling through, only one remains medicated though, he's taking Metroplex with food and Expel P so it's all sometimes a very hairy ride until our fish friends get better. (my rescue doesn't have what yours does, we're on a whole other roller coaster at my house unfortunately) I regularly use Indian Almond leaf tea (Catappa leaves) (I boil a stockpot with a couple leaves and fill bottles part way with that and the rest with tap and then declorinator) for all my tanks- I get that subscription shipped by Amazon. I do believe it's beneficial for all fish and that water is being used in my Betta rescue tanks.
  20. xXInkedPhoenixX
    I got this bundle from Amazon, the Metro is also a good medicine to have on hand. Focus is used to bind meds to food in case you need to go orally with medication, our guru @Odd Duck says while Metro has some effect in water column it's more effective in food (thanks friend for all you teach me) , but in the case of Kanaplex it's fine in the water column and I rely more heavily on these than some other meds I have on hand. https://www.amazon.com/Seachem-Treatment-1-Focus-1-Metroplex-1-Kanaplex/dp/B01HH6X4T8/ref=sxts_rp_s_1_0?content-id=amzn1.sym.acfa156f-6066-4c30-8587-c628ec07e337%3Aamzn1.sym.acfa156f-6066-4c30-8587-c628ec07e337&crid=17SSUC28SG4TT&cv_ct_cx=kanaplex&keywords=kanaplex&pd_rd_i=B01HH6X4T8&pd_rd_r=ac2e9981-2fb1-45ad-893c-ed6cc5e3f185&pd_rd_w=hyYpM&pd_rd_wg=gzfN2&pf_rd_p=acfa156f-6066-4c30-8587-c628ec07e337&pf_rd_r=XVGZ44Y75570P17QBE5J&psc=1&qid=1666122744&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIyLjY1IiwicXNhIjoiMi4xMSIsInFzcCI6IjIuMDYifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=kanaplex%2Caps%2C413&sr=1-1-f0029781-b79b-4b60-9cb0-eeda4dea34d6 I hope she gets better, they're good little fishes.
  21. xXInkedPhoenixX
    If it helped before then by all means do it again yes- but maybe it got reinfected because it didn't clear the infection entirely- so maybe consider if Maracyn helps some do a dose of Maracyn two after if your local shop has it to cover the other spectrum of bacteria. Something is most definitely better than nothing (providing it's supposed to treat what she has), if it helped her already hopefully it will help her again. Poor little thing. You can absolutely switch or after a med cycle try another. Just know you might have to do a good water change of course before you start a new round of meds.
  22. xXInkedPhoenixX
    What I suspect @Rebirth is that the maracyn products treat differently, gram-positive and gram negative depending on which you use. If Maracyn is all you have I'd say go for it. (looking at Fritz's site- says they'll both treat it- but I suspect if you don't get results from Maracyn alone you might need the other- site also says you can use both at the same time but depending on how your Betta reacts to one med I'd assess the situation if it came to that)
  23. xXInkedPhoenixX
    According to Fritz's website Maracyn Two is more for Popeye. To be honest Seachem's Kanaplex has been more of a go-to for me (so I'm partial, but as with everything in this hobby you can approach 1 problem several ways- this can also be frustrating I know) and I've had good results with it for everything I've treated it with- that is not to say Maracyn wouldn't work- but it looks like you need the other according to the site. So get whichever you can and use that. Weirdly per your pic it also treats pop eye, so their site is a bit confusing.
  24. xXInkedPhoenixX
    @Rebirth you may also want to consider epsom salt baths for no more than 15 mins a day for a week or so to help with swelling- but if it stresses the betta more after you try it once or twice I'd just do what I first advised. If I remember correctly, half a tablespoon per gallon NO additives just Epsom. I mix up a gallon with the salt in a jug and just pour a little into a container at a time for the soaks. The bottle lasts the duration of the treatment typically with a small fish and container. I would hand catch the Betta to try and reduce and further trauma.
  25. xXInkedPhoenixX
    I appreciate that @TheSwissAquarist gives me so much credit but I am no expert. Bettas are very hard fish to keep- but I bet I got the mention because I currently have 4 I'm trying to rehabilitate after their poor care at a pet store. Speaking from some experience- If I were in your shoes I'd get a hold of some Kanaplex and treat right away. Popeye is caused from poor water quality when both eyes are involved so at some point something went wonky and then you often have bacterial infection. Salt may help but Kanaplex in the water ASAP may do a world of good. Water MUST be pristine- NO ammonia or nitrite! Low nitrate I recommend. I'd search the tank for anything dead or dying from inhabitants to plant material. Don't overclean, but see what initially caused this. I'm very sorry @Rebirth I hope you can get your Betta better.
×
×
  • Create New...