Nataku
-
Posts
194 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Feedback
0%
Content Type
Forums
Downloads
Store
Events
Blogs
Gallery
Profiles
Posts posted by Nataku
-
-
On the original topic, it is known that various rainbowfish species will hybridize with each other. And the babies tend to be nowhere near as pretty and colorful as the parents. But rainbowfish aside from the smallest pseudomugils will be too big for a 20 long anyhow.
20 longs are a great size for a beginner community. I usually go for one mid-water schooling species, one bottom dwelling schooling species, and a centerpiece fish. So something like danios, peppered corydoras and a bolivian ram pair. Or halequin rasboras, kuhli loaches and a trio of honey gourami.
-
Yes I suspect there's more breeding going on in my tanks even than what I catch.
And I know at least in the last week I've seen two different tanks have angels spawn, the bronze corydoras have laid eggs, and I've caught the congo tetras spawning. Oh and the rainbowfish are doing their dance every morning because its a big enough school that someone always has eggs but thats just rainbows. Am I actively trying to raise babies of any of these fish? Not right now. So they are being left in community tanks and eggs are getting eaten. Any eggs that make it to fry are also getting eaten. But could some fry make it? Maybe. I mean a few make it in nature so I gotta figure the odds aren't horrific when the adults are being kept fat and happy being fed daily in home aquaria.
-
1,102 gallons/ 137.75 gallons average/ 7 tanks and 1 pond
-
1
-
-
I've got a 58 gallon from the... 80s? Has been set up and running on and off since then. Its sat empty for a few years during moves, been refilled and run for more than a decade etc etc. There's some mold in the (still original) silicone but I am not that bothered by it to care about the minor aesthetics. Still holds water just fine. No leaks.
I've got a glass 220 that was built in the 90s, even has a couple small chips. Been moved three times. I do the driveway test after every move. Heavy son of a gun. Needs a team to move. But still doing it. Still holds water, no leaks.
Tank failures happen, but they are extremely rare.
-
If you're worried about it, put it out on a porch or driveway and fill it with water. Let it sit for a week. If it leaks, it happened outside so no mess inside to clean up. Doesn't leak? Drain it, bring it back in and set it up.
-
4
-
-
They won't eat algae wafers. Wafer is not the same as actual algae to them and they are such picky eaters.
The only prepared foods I've heard people having luck with is repashy, as Stephen said. I've had no luck with it personally though (the angels and corydoras eat it, but the ottos want no part of it). Any other prepared foods are out, I've never heard of anyone getting their ottos on any kind of flake or pellet.
If your tank is not making enough algae to feed your ottos, you can always supplement your tank with algae from another source. I put stones in a shallow tub outside with a couple inches of dirty tank water and let them sit in full sun for a week - they grow algae. I put a couple in the tanks for the ottos to graze clean, and swap them back out to the tub the next day for another couple rocks. Keeps the ottos fed but the tank is algae free.
-
5
-
-
//content.invisioncic.com/b300999/monthly_2020_09/20200918_150222.jpg.9f5b6ee45b8c22bd4105e4e08549bc7a.jpg
Anostomus anostomus ie the striped anastomus or striped headstander or striped cigar fish. Think denison barb meets a julidichromis but its from south America and you've pretty much got this fish. Its schools with its own kind, gets to a decent size, pretty spunky and fiesty and doesn't take crap from its tank mates, and is capable of moving in any direction it wants at any time. They really do position themselves to be totally vertical and 'standing' on their head. And then they can swim in whatever direction while holding this position. They love to position themselves parallel with other angles in your tank, like any rockwork or driftwood. Upturned mouth, primarily an herbivore, diet is honestly pretty similar to a platy or swordtail.
//content.invisioncic.com/b300999/monthly_2020_09/20200918_153531.jpg.876edd6e432125ce5ccb941a29049c93.jpg
(He's not dead or ill! These weird positions are a common sight as he forages for food)
I wish I could find more of these so I could build a school back up. My lone specimen is at least twelve years old - he came with another tank I picked up from a friend who was downsizing, and they knew they had him at least eight years, and I've had him four years now. The kept him with Malawi cichlids of all things, and that's what I thought he was at first (had no idea a 'headstander' wasn't an African cichlid when they have names like 'eye biter') until another friend asked me why I was keeping a south American with the African cichlids. I assure you this fish took no crap from those mbuna.
//content.invisioncic.com/b300999/monthly_2020_09/20200918_153240.jpg.598fd2ca36cb32c3918826da172a452a.jpg
None of my LFS have ever had or been able to get these in in the years I've been looking for them - I've got my name on lists to call if they can ever get them in. I haven't had any luck finding them for sale from reputable sellers online either, they're always out of stock.
-
3
-
2
-
-
2 minutes ago, Mmiller2001 said:
Thank you. Does Paracleanse even work on Camallanus?
Paracleanse contains metronidazole and praziquantel, neither of which works on camallanus.
If you want to kill camallanus, you need levamisole. Now, camallanus is thankfully fairly rare in the hobby. You are going to run into other parasites far more commonly than these bastards. Which is good, because camallanus absolutely will wipe an entire tank if you don't get it taken care of. And paracleanse will work on all those other internal parasites you run into far more often just fine.
Its also why having a good quarantine protocol is so important. Its is way WAY easier to deal with camallanus or any other internal parasite for that matter, if you get to it in a bare quarantine tank before it gets a chance to get into your main tank.
-
7 minutes ago, Mmiller2001 said:
How do you determine camallanus? What are you looking for? Should I worry about this?
Camallanus can be identified as one or more red/bright pink 'spikes' or very thin 'threads' protruding from the fish's anus. The key factor is the color, they will always be red/bright pink. And they are not always present 100% of the time even in an infected fish because they can pull themselves back up inside the fish. This is why I watch closely after the fish eats, because as the fish poops, they will usually be visible for a bit. The poop falls away from the fish, the camallanus worms do not.
I do not have any good clear pictures on hand of camallanus but a quick Google search will show you exactly what you are looking for - beware, its pretty gruesome. What your gupoy has does not appears to be camallanus, wrong color and shape/texture. I'd treat that with the med trio, its some other intestinal parasite.
-
1
-
-
Tiger barbs eat shrimp. Do not keep tiger barbs with shrimp. There won't be shrimp long.
I used to get ghost shrimp and toss them in the tanks for the angels and tiger barbs. Feeding frenzy and those shrimp were gone in minutes. Every group of tiger barbs I've ever had has chowed on ghost shrimp, so no, they are not a shrimp safe species.
Now snails? They couldn't give a hoot about snails. Ramshorn, bladder, pond, mystery, assassin, nerite, MTS.... they don't care about snails and don't bother them. They aren't a snail eating species.
-
So my quarantine process is somewhat of a longer one, but I am just a hobbyist, not a store who needs to move product, so I take my time with new fish coming in.
They go into the quarantine tank day one, and I observe. I'm looking for spots, redness, swelling, damaged fins, etc etc. I dont feed the first day, just watch. Do I see something that indicates we have some kind of infection? Begin the med trio the second day.
If I didn't spot anything on the first day, the second day, I continue to watch and observe, and I give them their first meal. Do they eat it? Do they spit it back out? Do they not show any interest? Is everyone eating or is someone getting left out? I watch later for poop, is there any? Whats it look like? Observe vents closely for the dreaded little red worm (camallanus). If stringy or otherwise abnormal poops happen? Begin med trio. Spot camallanus? Hold off on the med trio. Begin levamisole treatment. Make note to self that a week after second round of levamisole is completed to start the med trio because I am SO not playing around with camallanus and I figure if the fish had camallanus they've got other things hiding in there too.
But if I don't observe anything abnormal? I just keep watching. And that's what I do, for three weeks. If nothing manifests in that time? Cool! Into the main tank they go. But if I spot anything in that time? Begin meds. After meds, observe for at least two weeks to make sure everyone is good. Good? Into main tank. Problems pop up? Treat with meds. And continue this cycle until I'm happy that the fish are free of whatever they came in with. Most fish make it through the quarantine time without issue and don't need meds. But I've had some groups come in that have stayed in quarantune for two months or more because they're just riddled with issues.
-
Tiger barbs are great fun to watch a big group of. One of my favorite shows on tv! (Should tell you how little I watch tv)
I kept a mixed school of tiger barbs that was normals, albinos, greens, long finned normals and a couple platinums in a 65 with a rainbow shark and a couple SAE and a group of dojo (weather) loaches. All the different types schooled together and no, the long finned variants did not get fin nipped at all. The SAE got in a few shoving matches with the tiger barbs around feeding time, but no one was ever damaged. The rainbow shark (in typical rainbow shark fashion) declared that she was boss of the tank and any time I put in a spirulina tablet it was hers and no one else's. She would defend it vigorously from the tiger barb hoard, but they'd still get a few bites in before she could gobble it down.
In another tank, I kept a group of half a dozen angelfish, a group of several dozen kuhli loaches, half a dozen hi-fin/lyretail swordtails and 25 tiger barbs (mixed albinos and greens). The tiger barbs ignored the kuhli loaches completely, even when they were glass surfing. The tiger barbs and angels were all put in when they were relatively small (angels were nickel sized) and they grew up together. The swordtails were the first ones in there so they could make plenty of live food for the barbs and angels. Yes I was absolutely curious to see if the 'nippy' tiger barbs would go after the big fins of angels or the swordtails, and if angels could be as mean as some people say they are. Thw swordtails were always bigger than the tiger barbs, and after one of the male swordtails turned around and bit a tiger barb back for nipping his tail, the tiger barbs respected and left the swordtails to the incessant plant pecking.The tiger barbs very quickly realized angels were to be given space as well, and that was that. The tiger barbs schooled around, the angels did their thing (which was usually hang out in the back wall of jungle val), the swordtails usually stayed at the top and picked at the roots of the dwarf salvinia and the kuhlis were adorable dorks that wiggled around on the bottom and in the plants. Pretty fun tank really. Tiger barbs are demonized about being nippy fish way too much. Just keep em in a decent sized school.
-
1
-
-
Came home to find the only one bronze corydoras in my 220.... *concern* I had a breeding group in there.
Go into husband's office to ask if he noticed anything odd going on in the 220 today.... find the other bronze corydoras have been moved into husband's office tank. He said he didn't like how the angels weren't eating the food off the bottom of the tank. We still haven't gotten there on 'how much' to feed that tank a day, but, he's learning, and I'm not going to fault him for taking initiative and showing an interest in the aquarium, even if it maybe wasn't quite the first step I'd have gone for. I went and caught the other corycat and moved him to be back with his group. Now I'm wondering what sort of bottom dweller I want to keep in a 220 with rainbowfish.
Oh and was trying to get a picture of my anubias in one tank to show someone and all the fish in that tank decided they had to photobomb me.
-
2
-
1
-
-
Who says people are using their real name or any of their real info on Facebook? I never did. Not giving my info to a site that likes to sell that info.
Then again, I also haven't been on Facebook in years, for exactly this sort of reason. Too much drama, too many loons.
I've got better things to do with my time than waste it trying to explain something to someone who won't listen. You've got better things to be doing too! Don't let them get you down. Enjoy life instead, and as was said earlier. Just keep swimming.
-
1
-
-
I'm another one who can't justify the price of the Fluvals for growing plants. I have both running on different tanks around the house but honestly it seems like the NICREW are growing plants better than the Fluval 2 or 3 that I have. Primarily the fluval 3 is still on the tank it is because the husband likes to play around with the light feature and watch it do the whole day/night light cycle. And sometimes he gets in a mood while listening to or making certain types of music and so he'll change the light color to whatever he feels fits. For the entertainment it brings my husband? The fluval is a fine price to pay.
But in the rest of the tanks where I'm more interested in just having a light to grow my plants? I'll stick with the NICREW because they're so cheap and seem to work just as well if not better.
-
1
-
-
So I didn't do this today, I just found it. This pair's first batch of eggs.
And this, well, this is Judas doing what Judas does once or twice a month. And then me cleaning it up. Because otherwise the corydoras will break it up and make a mess of it all over the tank.
-
1
-
-
I'm honestly not a fan of putting any schooling species with a betta in a 10. Want a betta and a school? Bump it up to a 20 long so they a have more space to move instead of constantly being up each other's anal fins. You'll really notice a difference in activity levels. The fish will be much happier.
Clean up crew? Malaysian trumpet snails. Corydoras aren't a clean up crew. And ottos tend to only do well if you have a ton of algae in an established tank in my experience. Which usually happens when you have lots of live plants and plenty of other surfaces for algae to grow. Not a ton of algae? Don't bother with the ottos, they'll eventually starve.
I noticed nerite snails weren't on the list for betta tank mates. Neither were Amano shrimp or ghost shrimp. I would do any one of those before considering a school in a 10 with a betta.
-
So when I have piglets that like to outcompete other levels of fish for food I usually break up how the food is delivered.
In my tank with rainbows, I just drop their food in and not a bit of it makes it to the ground - but they'd do the same to the sinking pellets or other food I feed the corydoras if I did that. So, I just have a length of pvc pipe that goes in the tank to the floor of the tank. Drop food into tube. Food sinks inside tube where rainbows can't see it or get to it. Lift tube slight and there it is, all sitting nicely on the bottom for the corydoras to come eat. The rainbows don't really seem to recognize its food when its already sitting on the bottom. I imagine the same tric could work for mid level fish, just hold the end of the pipe where you want it in the water column and drop food in. If you have a betta that only stays at the top, that's and easy way to get the food past him without him trying to pig out in it. Although... betta are usualy smart enough and food motivated enough to figure that trick out after a bit. Have you ever considered teaching him to go into a breeder box for feeding time? I've had to do that with a couple bettas in community tanks over the years.
For mid level fish I'd find a food that sinks but not super fast. Vibra bites would probably be my main go to. I love how it floats for just a bit and then sinks slowly, giving plenty of hang time in the water column for fish to go after it.
-
2
-
1
-
-
Yeah exactly!
I can't do a big ol' school of neon tetras in a pond and expect them to make it year round. But I could with white clouds. Although I personally like the look of neons more than white clouds, so this would be a win win.
-
1
-
-
Wow that's wild. Looks almost like the bastard child of a neon tetra and a guppy. I love it and that would be great to have a school of with that look. Probably be hardier than a neon tetra.
-
What? Dean without a tank brimming with fry?
Are you looking for new breeding projects? Ever bred red lizard whiptails? What about paracyprichromis nigripinnis?
-
4 hours ago, akconklin said:
Did you use "fine" or "medium" black diamond blasting sand? My TSC has both.
I'll check the bag when I get back home, I still have a partial bag sitting in the stand of one of my tanks. They usually just have a marker line through several of the grades to indicate what all is in the bag.
-
1
-
-
Black diamond blasting sand (BDBS) from Tractor Supply is a great cheap option for a sand substrate. Probably THE cheapest substrate for black sand out there.
I have kept numerous kuhlis (and corydoras, and other loaches) on it for years. They do great on it. Here's some pics of 'em on BDBS.
-
My hypomelanistic dojo loach girl who has over the years been getting patches of melanin slowly growing in. She eats out my hand and inspects my arm any time its in the tank for anything.
-
1
-
securing pond from animals?
in General Discussion
Posted
Yes your pond is much too small for koi. You could try smaller fish like guppies, wcmm, or paradise fish.
To protect it, they make netting which can be layer over the pond. Ive also seen more permanent wrought iron 'overlays'. There are also sprinkler systems which are motion activated to spray birds and small pests (not as effective on bears). Some people have ultrasonic systems they use to scrae away animals, I've heard mixed views about them and have not tried them myself.