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Torrey

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Everything posted by Torrey

  1. I found the best duckweed remover! Cut a flexible piece of plastic canvas, and make a "comb" (mine is 10" long by 4" wide) to curve around and scoop up the duckweed. Then use an infant nasal bulb to suck up the remaining bits of duckweed. I have removed all the duckweed from my dining room 4' tank!
  2. I've been going down the autistic rabbit hole of research around how "bugs" (including algae) won't and *can't* attack healthy plants. (John Kempf, Dr Dykstra) So, take the following with a grain of salt: I've stopped with drastic measures. Instead of trying to get rid of <insert "pest" in aquarium, including algae> I am spending more time researching how to get plants as healthy as possible. Most of the peer-reviewed research indicates *less changes*. Plants need temperature changes, water level changes, and nutrient fluctuations to trigger different strengths. They don't do well with drastic changes, though. They need a balanced ecosystem in other words, that includes paramecium, snails, shrimp, amphipods, copepods, fish, light, CO2 diurnally and O2 nocturnally... and nutrients. My microfauna need the algae, and the algae stays in balance when the tank is in balance. From my experience, 9/10 algae grows in response to a single nutrient being available in excess, and the most frequent nutrient they are getting in excess is light. I suspect the 4 hour limit on photoperiods maximizes plant usage of the photoperiod (see Dr. Diana Walstead's research at NCSU) and turns the light off before algae can outcompete the plants. Again, this has been my experience, and increasing feedings for microfauna initially increased algae growth, until I decreased back down to multiple 4 hour photoperiods broken up with 4 hours of lights out. I do encourage algae growth in specific areas, for microfauna to grow on.... Good luck!
  3. Prepped 3 more tanks for an extended absence, and checked water for microfauna. I need to locate an affordable *functioning* camera for the microscope, so I can request assistance identifying what I have living in my water....
  4. @Solstice_Lacer I just caught up on your journal. I don't see anything you documented that would have contributed to, much less caused, Goby's death. We never know how old fish are when we get them, even tiny fish we assume are young can be old fish with stunted growth due to high nitrates in the water they were bred in. I am so sorry you lost your majestic Goby, I would say you made the last months of Goby's life the most enjoyable an aquarium fish could hope for.
  5. After doing a lot of research to try and disprove what was presented.... I want to thank you @dasaltemelosguy for offering me a solution to my biggest dislike of travel, with what appears to be no negative side effects. I'm sure there's more research behind paywalls that I wasn't able to access, but everything I found validates your experience. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of the journey.
  6. Congrats!! Looks like it's going to be awesome... what plants are coming?😅
  7. Probably not appropriate by Forum guidelines😆🤣 I agree on the giant duckweed, I have it in several tanks (the red variety tastes different in stirfry than the all green varieties, a bit of a peppery aftertaste). I used the microscope to study the various duckweeds in my tnkas.... I have at least 6 different species if I am following the Minnesota extension publication properly. .. including rootless wolffia that is definitely aquatic glitter! Now, I need a camera that works with the microscope!
  8. Hard relate, although I am discovering (now that the microscope arrived) a lot of the data seems to apply above and below the waterline... the plant modifications due to subaquatic living (or is it the reverse, since "life" started in the water🧐) are species specific adaptations due to specific environments, similar to the land crops we raised on the farm. At least there's not the added air cross-pollination adding yet another layer of complexity to maintaining healthy plants in the offspring! If anyone else is struggling with the hardwater adjustment, I tried something with my last two shipments from ACO: I put half in RO water, and gradually increased the hardness with 10% water changes every time I had time (TDS and water chemistry testable by the ACO strips matched their predetermined tanks within 3 weeks) and had marginal melt (last shipment had melt because different USPS driver kept the box on the truck until later in the day, and inside the box got pretty warm). Reverse Respiration on the other half of the plants saw the damaged parts removed by snails (kept in my growout tanks for just this purpose) much faster, but the healthier parts of the plants went untouched by the snails. I didn't do the slower transition with the RR plants. My TDS out of the tap is over 400 by a TDS meter, GH is an extreme purple well above 300 on the ACO strips (and more drops than I can use on the liquid API) and KH is only 80 on the ACO test strips as a comparison for anyone struggling. Our tap water has so much calcium that drinking tap water yields kidney stones in humans and pets, and leaves a severe calcium ring on all faucets in less than 90 days... which is why I invested in both Pur *and* ZeroWater for our tanks and for our cooking water. Congratulations on your plant success @OnlyGenusCaps! (I start the day with blue lights to stimulate my pineal gland courtesy of my tanks, and end the day with red lights to soothe my brain to be quiet and let me sleep. I don't know if it does anything for the plants, though. My mid-day siesta periods of 4 hours each have almost stopped algae growth, I added a third 4 hour photo-period [extended to 5 hours] so my algae eaters wouldn't starve.)
  9. For anyone else interested in reading lots of fine print to stimulate more research into these tiny fish, I found this article earlier: https://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/badis-badis/ Sadly, I forgot to save the article about the Dario, which linked to another article about recently discovered new species of fish in Mexico indicating a benefit to livebearers is species in severely limited ecosystems can forego males, and limit themselves to asexual, livebirths. There is also new research into just how many fish actually change sex... and the numbers of identified species that do so keeps growing: https://www.latrobe.edu.au/news/articles/2020/opinion/what-we-learn-from-fish-that-change-sex Congratulations @Guppysnail, these guys are just so darn interesting! I don't even have any, and I can't stop researching them, lol
  10. I asked the same thing on Monday, lol
  11. Let's start with the plant on the left: A- algae is growing on a weakened plant. Either a nutritional, lighting, or carbon imbalance (frequently a combination of them) See chart to help identify deficiencies that make plants susceptible to being nibbled on, and susceptible to algae growth B- Plant has cannibalized itself where the leaf meets the stem. This leaf can't repair itself, and is no longer feeding nutrients to the rhizome. It needs to be removed at this point. (Fun experiment: You can do the reverse respiration soak to kill the algae, and see if the single, salvaged leaf attempts to grow roots. I have had it happen, rarely. It's a type of propagation, and is always worth a try if you have the space and the patience) C- Looks like some new growth, may also be an unhappy rhizome. My anubias do better when I suspend in the tank and don't let any part of the rhizome touch the bottom. Plant on the right: D- definitely an unhappy rhizome. Gently lift up and out of the tank. Rinse *very gently* in clear, dechlorinated water. Gently slough off any mold, mildew, or "funky smelling" parts. If it's mushy to the touch, get clean scissors (sterilize with rubbing alcohol, then rinse with distilled water, cut off the rot until you get to firm rhizome, then wipe scissors down with rubbing alcohol again. Please don't get any rubbing alcohol near your tank or near your plant, I don't want you to curse me when the alcohol kills the bacterial filtration in your tank if it somehow gets into your tank.😅 Once you have revealed some healthy rhizome, use Guppysnail's airline holder method of suspending the healthy rhizome in your tank. New groth will appear in 6 to 8 weeks, if we can identify what is causing the imbalance and correct it. E- More algae, but this leaf still has a healthy stem, so it can probably be saved. This is my favorite "identify the deficiency" chart. Anytime a tank's balance is disturbed with a large water change, a fish/snail population explosion, a change in lighting, or even something as simple as a change in fertilization schedule/amounts, the tank is going to be "out of balance" until all the various components (fish/animal stock, plant stock, nutrients, pH, TDS, beneficial bacteria, etc) rediscover their "new" homeostasis "sweet spot". This temporary imbalance (what I call growing pains in new tanks) causes a predictable sequence of algal growth. Having sufficient numbers of algae eaters (shrimp, snails, etc) will help shorten the amount of time the tank is in its "awkward teen stage". Diatom, followed by hair algae is a natural part of the cycle. The anubias is telling you, something is out of balance. The amount of algae in the tank is telling you there is an imbalance. The lack of clarity in the water is saying there is an imbalance. The rhizome condition is saying the rhizome isn't happy touching the substrate (some anubias can really be that picky. They give new meaning to "they need to feel free"). The most likely scenario, based on what I can see, is the rhizome on your one year old plant decided it didn't want to be on the substrate anymore, possibly a fish moved some substrate or mulm onto the rhizome, or it didn't appreciate a gravel vac that kicked something up on top of it. Doesn't matter what started it disliking the substrate, now it's a matter of making her happy again. So move her off the substrate (some of mine don't even like to be touching wood. They want to free float, and find their own happy place). The fuzzy stuff needs to come off, it's interfering with photosynthesis which causes an imbalance. Personally, unless a tank is on CO2, I prefer siesta lighting so that I can see my tanks earlier in the morning, as well as later at night, when I can actually enjoy them. My plants are happier, and I no longer have algae problems, by limiting my tanks to 4 hours of light at a stretch. All of my tanks now have dimmable lights, so I start tanks at 10% lighting until plants are established, and increase by 10% every 2 weeks (this is a new approach, but all tanks and plants are responding well for nearly 6 months now). My plants and tanks weren't always algae free, this past spring I was struggling with Blackbeard, cyanobacteria, filamentous green algae staghorn and hair algae. This post on reverse respiration didn't save my temperamental Roseafolia (I didn't try it in time), but it did eliminate algae from everything else, improved plant health, and 3 months later I am very happy with the results. Hope all of this helps! Don't give up, try to view it as a learning opportunity. I have no idea how many foreign languages you know, this is an opportunity for immersive learning of how to speak anubias. I see hopeful potential in each plant, I suspect the substrate touching them started an unhappy rhizome, which interfered with nutrient absorption, which made them vulnerable to algae, which has led to inadequate photosynthesis. I would take them both out, clean any rhizome rot, soak *completely submerged* overnight in plain seltzer water (literally liquid CO2 in H2O) in a completely dark space (covering a container with a black plastic trash bag works), then rinse off with fresh, dechlorinated water in the morning (or just add an airstone and light after 12 hours to allow the plant to use the CO2). While any affected plants are getting their spa treatment of reverse respiration, this is a good time to check that filters are working properly, water parameters have been staying stable, glass is cleaned, and change the light schedule if you aren't using CO2. Check on the health of all residents in the tank. Is there any decaying food? Evidence of underfeeding/overfeeding? Other plants having problems? Notate what you discover, so you have a hard copy to refer back to. Memories are fallible to anchoring and selection bias. Physical notes make it easier to identify what is going on. It'll take several weeks to see new growth to indicate if there are any environmental nutritional deficiencies, so be patient. Old growth can't heal, only new growth lets you know if you made the proper corrections.
  12. Daphnia. They love daphnia. Daphnia don't foul the water, don't tend to cause bloat, and they really love daphnia. They may take a little bit to relearn how to hunt daphnia... luckily the daphnia will just hang out and multiply. Mine also enjoyed hunting scuds (amphipods), but not everyone enjoys as wide a range of edible pests in their aquariums as I enjoy.
  13. I love how he's so intent... he doesn't even respond to you taking the picture!
  14. @xXInkedPhoenixX my CT scale growth appeared to be center of the scale out. I never found any info on it, but every time she got sick she would lose color in the center of the scales over her belly that had gotten distended. Good diet, good water chemistry, stable water chemistry and temps, and eventually she would heal up and coloration would normalize. I have some vague, probably impossible to substantiate ideas.... got a microscope handy in addition to all your water testing supplies?
  15. Closest to foolproof I have for you, but will require a separate area for "resting" before shipping (I catch fish 3 to 5 days before shipping, so they ship after a 24 hour fast): Bait your net. Blackworms, or frozen food in the net, and just keep rebaiting the net until you caught everyone. Set up some spare containers for separation, and if you get lucky you can move them straight to where they need to go... otherwise I just put in a bucket. Typically takes 3 days to catch every fish in the tank if that's my goal. You can return anyone you didn't need to catch *after* you catch your quota. Seriously, starve them for 3 to 5 days, bait your net, catch everyone. Nobody gets food unless they swim into the net. Bait with small amounts, use the largest net with the smallest holes (or line the net with an unbleached coffee filter, a few quick whip stitches will hold it in place). Good luck!
  16. I've been gone for a while, life has been very busy. @KittenFishMom how is your boy doing? My experience in using betta to keep fry populations under control has typically been with female bettas, I imagine the overall experience isn't all that different though with a boy. Bettas are frequently underfed, so when they first go in a livebearer tank they are going to overeat. If anyone knows of a workaround (other than adding before fry arrive) it would be awesome to share. If you can get your hands on daphnia instead of bbs, daphnia work like a laxative and ease things right on out. Daphnia don't die and foul the water like bbs, and don't contribute to FBS "fat betta syndrome" like bbs can. The livebearers will love the daphnia, too. After a couple of weeks, all of my bettas developed better waist management. Once they realized they could hunt and find food whenever they wanted it, they stopped overeating. It's a scary first couple of weeks because they are PIGS when they are starving. I never tried feeding them daphnia before moving them into the new tank, that might decrease their gorging tendencies. Again, this is my personal experience. The only two fish I have ever actually had eat to the point they exploded, it was on dry pellets. One was a livebearer and the other was an angel. I have had bettas scare me they were going to die from constipation, but again that was dry feed and not fry... I hope Mr Betta is still doing well.
  17. Welcome fellow desert fish buddy! There are actually a couple of us Nuevo Mexicanos in here, and you will see even more if you are a member of the YouTube channel and watch the members only talks. Summer is turning out to be rather hectic for me this year, as everyone is trying to overcompensate for the past 2 years... that being said, if you know you are going to be in Albuquerque we can coordinate a meet-up so you can leave Albuquerque with more fish stuff. This shop is part of the Co-op affiliate program, and has made it a lot easier to pick up an "oh dear, I under-ordered for this quarter" so I can maximize my dollar via free shipping *and* support local and the Co-op at the same time. (Mostly The Fish Room solves a problem for baby brine and Easy Fry food when I underestimate fecundity rates.... as well as needing an extra course sponge in a hurry). If you look up dasaltemelosguy and @Guppysnail's Reverse Respiration study, they make it easy to clean plants of hitchhikers (and algae), while apparently improving health/growth rates (at least so far, for me). Seattle_Aquarist has some great posts on how to convert clear, 2 liter bottles into aquatic plant nurseries, and combining the information from all of the above just quadrupled my val. The proof will be in how the plants are doing by Christmas, lol. I sent you a DM since my ability to get into the forum suddnely got really inconsistent, and once again, welcome to the hobby! It only has to be as expensive as you decide it needs to be, and NM is (in my opinion after lots of traveling) the best state to start the hobby in and still be able to look good on a low budget... especially if you are getting quality plants, like the ACO stock. Hope to get to meet you!
  18. After my TIA I discovered that my hands and brain don't always communicate well.
  19. Are your tanks planted? If yes, I would put sponges in a flat dish (more surface area at the top) with some tank water (lower the water level) so the bacteria stay alive and healthy. Bacteria use up more O2 than almost anything else in the aquarium, so offering a large surface area for gas exchange will keep the bacteria alive. Any time you think about it, agitate the water (literally just scoop water out with an aquarium safe cup/water bottle, and pour it right back in). Plants will keep the water in the tank in decent shape. Avoid feeding the fish if power is going to be out for a few days, unless you have fry that need frequent feedings. You can agitate the water yourself by using a water bottle, filling water bottle, and pouring back in. There were some kids in Indonesia who used water bottles to create a kinetic "water filter", I can see if I can find the link for you. If you have the supplies to build it, one of our homeschool kids recreated it to essentially "power" a sponge inside one bottle as an internal, no power needed, sponge type filter for a camping trip they took. It didn't work as well as promised in the video, they had to manually restart the process a few times a day. All minnows did stay alive however, so it was a success. (not the original video, but looks easier to build)
  20. I used to use expandable colanders, and put a paper towel in the bottom to slow the drain out of bottom holes. In the interest of reduce/reuse/recycle, I now have been using water bottles (from 1 gallon down to 16 oz, depending on size of tank) that I used a soldering gun to add holes .25" apart along the sides. I don't include any holes in the bottom 1.5" of the bottles, to protect my scapes/substrate from being washed around. So far, even minimizes soil disturbance. I don't know if @Streetwise has a better method. I like being able to place the bottle in the tank, directly on the substrate, so I have both hands to control the bucket. In my nano tanks, I use a gallon jug to pour water into a 16 oz water bottle that I cut the bottom out of, and left the lid on. Same thing: soldering iron tip made holes starting ~2" from the cap, so water is directed out to the sides instead of straight down. Repurposing water bottles before they go to recycling has been more effective than the store bought colanders, however my 4' T4' tank is my biggest tank. Most of mine are smaller nano tanks. I use the big "ream" paper clips to hold the bottle in place if I am not resting it on the bottom. Simply cut a "flap" from the bottle (on gallon jugs, you can cut the "base" of the handle and use the "handle" as the clip...just seal the handle so you don't end up with water on the floor😏) Personally, I was really happy to find the free option worked better than the purchased😅 Paperclip holding bottle in place on tank. Big ream paperclips will also clip onto the rim of plastic rimmed glass tanks.
  21. Cleaned out plants, examined shrimp molts, and still recuperating from all the re-arranging last week-end. I finally have a rack system in the apartments!!!! New incentive to finish going through boxes and boxes left from my MiL passing away a year ago, and BiL moving away a couple months ago: All boxes are now on the rack, so we could reclaim our living room (along with the 3 tanks that were already in the living room). Every box I go through, and determine a place for things to live (if we are keeping) or get things donated away (or shipped to BiL), I clear up room for another tank. Bottom of the rack will be new and improved Turtle Enclosure for Karma, along with improved endler ponds (for snacking of culls). I'll have room for a boys' pond and a girls' pond (twice the current available enclosure space) to reduce breeding of culls. Eventually will have 5 breeding 10 gallon tanks and a 40 breeder, plus a plant grow out rack inspired by Seattle_Aquarist. For now? I'm just happy all water parameters are stable, molts look clean on shrimp, shrimplettes are growing, and plants are growing faster than I can trim.
  22. No, I haven't yet! Just added to my wish list. I'm currently reading Carl Erik Fisher's "The Urge", and waiting for the new Laurell K Hamilton books to be delivered, and the new JR Ward books to get to the library (I love intra-library loan!)
  23. Have you considered buying a submersible LED light, and attaching to the timer? I found I have much more even growth now that I am adding side lighting to several of my tanks. Sometimes in submersible LED inside the tank (at the base of a particularly light demanding plant), and sometimes I mount the submersible LED on the side of the tank to keep the view nicer. the white between the two pico tanks is covering up a light focused on the tank to the right. Tank on the left isn't getting side light. It's an easy way for me to test for successes/failures. Side lighting definitively supports thicker growth. I don't use CO2, so I use the siesta lighting schedule to prevent algae growth. I have followed Guppysnail's advice on feeding shrimp and snails more, and combined with Mmiller & Seattle_Aquarist's help with improving my ferts game, the inverts quit eating my plants.😁 (Except for melt, they take care of melt...except on El Nino fern... which is generating plantlets on the tips of the green area. Blackened area was due to underfertilizing... I think.🤷🏼‍♂️)
  24. I trim mine, I was trying to grow some to replace marimo moss balls... It was not as successful as I hoped as the hair algae in my tanks grew way faster than the balls did, and soon took over🤣
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