xXInkedPhoenixX

Thanks, yes, that was kind of the idea since the Java Moss didn't end up working on the spiderwood.

Yes that's usually a big indicator!

So years ago, 2006, I picked up a book called The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly. My imagination was so sparked by this book that it is among a very few books that I hold as most treasured and have read it more than once- ever time a similar effect has occurred. I don't reread the vast majority of books I pick up. This book is only surpsassed by one other that I've read around 4 or 5 times. Anyhow, while travelling this last fall in Ireland I went into a book store. Behold I saw The Land of Lost things by the same author- a NEW book all these years later. Weirdly I also had no idea that I was also in John Connolly's native home and he'd just been at the bookstore recently SIGNING the books! Now while I am sad to have missed the man himself I was more than happy to pick up this new book and have been reading it. Halfway through I already know it to be just as endearing as the first book will be.

Awesome! Congratulations!

I knew you'd do it @Mmiller2001. Still wish I was your neighbor so I could get cuttings every day. It'd be like fresh flowers in my tanks. Neither of us would ever be bored. And remove half the fish!? You can give me those too I guess.

Stores will often take them back if he's not what you expected I'd check with them.

Might be Java. The other plant, maybe dwarf sagitaria?

Day 4 of IchX was administered yesterday. No changes. Not sure what to do next.

Tank maintenance as usual this week. To demonstrate the woe I have with the Parent tank recently- I vacuumed extra and discovered a dead Anubias plant so I pulled it from its spot in a pot- once I pulled that there was nothing left in said pot so I just removed it as well. This gave me more space and revealed more places to vacuum of course so I went about doing that. This helped the look at the bottom of the tank, but this tank continues to plague me. I cleaned the HOB and the UV sterilizer as I always do. I've decided the HOB doesn't have as much flow as I would like AND it's the original from this tank (2020, though I've not used it the entire time I've had the tank) I've decided to buy another because well, it's cheap enough to do so. This won't entirely solve my problem but it should help. The HOB will come with a carbon filter which per @Chick-In-Of-TheSea might help so I'm going to take that idea and try. This tank is in embarrassing shape. It's not like it gets any less attention than the other tanks, in fact it gets attention every day and it just continues to plague me. Bear with me, I'm working on it: In prettier news, the Accidental Tank with all my Endlers and the 1 lone White Guppy from Medieval are doing well. I really love this tank, the plants do great (including the Pothos and Bamboo growing out the back not pictured). Fish seem to be thriving. I have a healthy population of bladder snails since I have to bottom feed the Hillstreams. I spotted both of them this weekend which is a rare occurance. Here's Dyson: Dyson is really dark in color and usually hangs out on the FooDog closest to the food bowl. Ha, can't blame them. Then here is Kirby, my original Hillstream. Not sure where they hang out in the tank but I see them so rarely now it was great to see them: Here is the whole tank minus the plants growing out the top: Sorry reflection is unavoidable with this tank. Moving on to the Dragon tank with Invictus the rescue Betta. He's doing well. Tank is doing awesome. Since the shrimp out competed the rams horn snails in the Medieval this is really the only tank with a small population of rams horns in it. Though I have spotted one in the Angry Man after a plant transfer. I pulled a whole lot of floaters- every week they try and take over the top. Since Invictus needs some space to breathe I took out about half which is typical. Some of those did go into the Medieval Tank. I try to save what floaters I can but they are prolific. Here's the Dragon tank, and you can spot Invictus's head near his tunnel: Angry Man is on it's 4th dose of IchX due to Punk's potential eye issue. Everyone is hanging in with it but no changes seen in him or the bloated Black Neon females. Tank still looks great though: Medieval is thriving, despite having lost 2 batches of platinum Guppies. I've decided not to replenish any Guppy population. 8 Ember Tetras still doing well in here, they are very bright orange so they're happy with their environs. The shrimp are EVERYWHERE. Tiny babies to grown adults. They are not perfect specimens as I've seen other shrimp breeders pull some that look like a lot of mine but they are pet shrimp and I don't care. Some of them have really cool patterns- all stem from the same Rili shrimp I started with. Here are some of the Embers with a shrimp photo bomber as it is impossible to take a pic of this tank without a shrimp somewhere now: Some shrimp: And my favorite shrimp pic is of one my juveniles taking a massive poo, always satisfying to see: Anyway here is the tank: I have to pull at least 3/4 of the floaters every week because by the end of 7 days the top is full. I try and keep a little in the corner behind the Arch (Amazon Frogbit) and some over the top of the "tree" for a fake canopy (Dwarf Water Lettuce). Last but not least. While at my LFS this week to get some frozen food I came across their Siamese Algae Eaters. Little, tiny, baby ones. Ok maybe a little over an inch. I'd done some research and I don't think I'll be caught in yet another case of mislabeling (ahem, False Julii Cory) I believe this is a Siamese and not a Chinese as the stripe is supposed to go all the way down the fish for a Siamese and it does. Plus they did have some labeled Chinese and those lines were broken. Please let me know if I might be wrong! Anyway. I realize they get to be 6" but this fish will be going into the 196 gallon tank when it's ready. I figured with having to start with someone so small it will be nice to get them to gain some size before losing them in a tank that big. In the meantime they will live in the Angry Man tank after they clear QT and it's deemed safe for them to be released there.

This seems to be what has happened to me, but in my opinion very serendipitous. I'm a fan of squiggles and polka dots so this works for me. The fact that they are gentle is nice too, if they were more boisterous that would stress me out. Opposite of the point for me in this hobby. Thanks, he's lovely and one of my favorite fish buddies. I'll try anything at this point! Thanks for the tip. This makes sense!

@Odd Duck well thanks!! Just another case of mislabeling has struck an unknowing fish keeper, shocking I know. I got one of them from a LFS when it was the last one along with 2 Hillstreams I was getting. I felt bad for it. Then I got the other ones from a big box store to give it company. They were also labeled as such. Personally I don't care what they are. They're friggin cute, and I wasn't looking for anything in particular when it came to a Corycat as to me they are equally neat. I'm actually glad they'll get a little bigger cause I'll see them in the 196 gallon tank easier. Probably good to know what they are! Much appreciated. I think then this could be also called a False Julii right?

@Odd Duck thanks for your continued support. I never thought the female neons getting bloated were negatively effecting the tank (except when they pass of course) because nobody else seems effected- they just get bloated, really bloated. I figure it's an egg issue since it seems only girls are getting it. I tried high concentration salt soaks and QT but that doesn't help their bloating in any way. Plus the usual med suspects, antibiotics etc. Just not IchX until now. The Harlequins have had zero issues. I have all 10 from when I got them in 2020. I'm hoping for a good result of some kind!

Haven't updated in a bit, holidays and other things getting in the way of the hobby lately. Plus been monitoring Punk's health with his bad eye, currently treating with Ich X per recommendations from our fish friend @Odd Duck. I don't know what it is about Platinum Guppies but in the Medieval tank I've lost all but one (this is the 2nd batch too!!!). They're white so very hard to tell some outward signs (like Ich) HOWEVER, there are 8 perfectly healthy Ember Tetras and now probably at least approaching 100 Rili shrimp so it can't be all bad in there! I pulled the last Platinum with zero plans of ever getting those again and put him in my male Endler tank because, well, he looked so pathetic in the Medieval by himself and seemed, for lack of better terms, bummed to be alone. He put up quite the fight though and had to chase him. He gave up the ghost and let me catch and release into the Endler/Accidental tank. Took him all of 15 minutes to acclimate to his new surroundings and play chase with his new friends. The Parent Tank has issues. It's the oldest of my tanks (2020) and it smells. Most of that is that the residents are almost entirely bottom feeders. All of my unknown number of Otos, my 1 female long finned albino pleco, several Nerites and now NINE Julli Cory. Now, before you say anything, yes, I am quite aware this 20 gallon tall is SO overstocked. The only reason it is at this point is because the Cory and the Pleco were both purchased to help stock the 196 gallon tank that is up and coming. Another plan too is while it is being established, and the fish are being moved to their new house, I may set up a 40 breeder to house EVERYONE I currently have that is going into the big tank- and that size will be more manageable until they are released. I entirely acknowledge I have a problem. BUT the fish don't seem to. Everyone happily eats (and clearly poops, I baste and/or vacuum every day) and pals around. There is detrius EVERYWHERE. I have the HOB, 2 sponges AND a UV sterilizer in there. It's ridiculous! To prove a point though- my Julli are reproducing. I have 2 juveniles in my tank so from 7 we go to 9. Here is a somewhat crappy picture of one of them to the right of a couple adults: They are adorable little things. Super gregarious. Their only roommate who is NOT a bottom feeder, Industry, is still getting along ok in here. I don't think she LOVES it but I will catch her following the Cory in the mornings and monitoring the food bowls from time to time. Don't worry little girl, we'll get you somewhere else. The Medieval tank, along with the inhabitants, will be going to my Mum eventually, she will put her small menagerie into that tank (she has two 5.5 gallon tanks). The Accidental tank and its inhabitants will get a new home as well, where I'm not sure yet maybe to another local fish keeper if nobody in the family wants them. Endlers I've decided are just too small to put into the 196 gallon tank and I worry for their safety. Plus there's 2 hillstreams in there. The only small tank that will stay with me is Invictus the rescue Betta in the Dragon tank. Until he is no longer with me. I might keep the Dragon tank after that but no more Betta. Probably some small species- even maybe a few Endlers, or shrimp. Who knows. Changes are coming to my tanks that's for sure. It's still going to be some months but we're steadily headed that direction...

He seems stressed enough that I chose to leave him in the main tank. I did recently have a black neon die and I have another bloated one (females) which has been an ongoing mystery to me. And though I've tried to treat them, nothing else has worked so far - SO- besides him being stressed I thought it couldn't hurt to treat the whole tank since I haven't tried Ich X yet. That being said I have not added salt to the tank. I did treat with salt (albeit a lower concentration) for quite some time with no changes. If I see any improvement with Punk I will consider removing him and trying salt in QT.

@Odd Duck, you sure about fungus? I see no fuzziness at all on his body. The lens of his eye is just super foggy. I understand it could be IN the eye right? is that what we're thinkin? I have some Ich X so I'll start treating him with that.

@Guppysnail @Chick-In-Of-TheSea well he's doing better in the sense that he's not being chased/attacked but his eye hasn't cleared at all. I finally got a decent picture of it which I will attach. I was hoping @Colu and/or @Odd Duck might have another idea as this last week I saw him a few times scratch along that side of his body on the substrate and the chola wood in the tank. It makes me think parasites but everyone else seems ok. Bad eye: Good eye:

@madmark285 those are some cool ideas! I have some ideas similar to your 2nd one and/or stacking rocks strategically. Not sure I'm going to do too many but I do plan on at least a few plecos so it would be nice to have space for them like that.

@govsfabshop haven't decided entirely yet, mostly we have decided not to, just out of concern of the caves being more difficult to clean if the power heads push detrius into them. However straight ones are still being considered in my head.

My favorite psychobilly band did Run Rudolph Run: King of Jazz, Harry Connick Jr's rendition of I'll be home for Christmas: Merry Christmas Everybody!

I have a lot of art in my house, some of which is water/fish related. Here is a small painting that was gifted to me from my Etsy wish list:

So 192 gallons without anything in it of course. If calculations are correct.

Exactly right, it's 84Lx22Wx24H

Hi there, welcome to the forum! That appears to be a Copepod to me, harmless. Sometimes free source of live food.

@nabokovfan87 thanks. He seems fine despite the one eye but that clearly puts him at a bit of a disadvantage if other fish decide to be mean (like Industry who is doing fine in the other tank being boss). I think it might be permanent too, however I've also had some experience with eye issues and sometimes they clear up so you never know I guess.