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eatyourpeas

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Posts posted by eatyourpeas

  1. On 9/2/2022 at 7:29 PM, Guppysnail said:

    @eatyourpeasClementine is absolutely beautiful 🥰

    hmmm I thought all JTS had jade green shells. That beautiful brownish shell ….sigh…..now I want those to. I never met a snail I didn’t love. 

    There were four of them in the tank at LFS. They are huge, otherwise I would’ve taken them all. Clementine was the one that kept flirting, so she was the chosen one. 😍

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  2. I have always been reticent to go the shoal way with pea puffers for that reason. I keep reading they “like” to be in groups, then later find out they did not do well together after all.

    Take a deep breath. When the time is right, you’ll find the enthusiasm again to make the Offish that very special place. 😍

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  3. On 9/1/2022 at 6:24 AM, Odd Duck said:

    Seems like most are running substrate thinner these days so you don’t even have to stir it.

    Yes, that is correct! Mine is around 1”-1.75” thick. The high areas are where the crabs make mounds (they love to dig!), but it does not get nearly as high as a deep sand bed. There are enough critters to keep the substrate aerated, so that is good.

    The other interesting point is that I run a cold water environment, and am clueless as to how things would perform under tropical conditions. Bacteria is always happier in warmer waters.

    The other piece of news is that I saw the first juvenile goby in the tank yesterday! Dead, unfortunately, but it is a sign that they are succeeding in reproducing. He was about 1/2” and very healthy looking (meaning not scrawny). Hopefully there will be more.

    On 9/1/2022 at 6:24 AM, Odd Duck said:

     I was careful to try to eyeball where I was sticking my fingers, but you generally aren’t grubbing around in the sand with your hands.

    I agree! No need to be in the tank at all, except for feeding.

    On 9/1/2022 at 4:46 AM, OnlyGenusCaps said:

    I wonder if browns are more efficient than reds overall. 

    I have found Sargassum to be the best NO3 consumer, but unfortunately it is an invasive species here.

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  4. On 8/29/2022 at 12:57 PM, Guppysnail said:

    What do you guys think…backlit or not?  Everything is so full it’s not getting enough light. I can’t trim or even remove duckweed. I found out the hard way (thankfully no casualties) the duckweed roots are polluted with least killi fry. 

    196C5344-AB37-4E73-B862-5A199DD79293.jpeg

    CCB03D58-FFF2-4C4E-A4F4-9DD775AD2E1F.jpeg

    Almost forgot the tiny terrorists photo

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    With the backlit tank I feel like I could keep going forever. The second one definitely shows a finite landscape. I can see Bilbo going to another land in the first one, as if he is on a ridge and adventures await once he starts descending.

    There is nothing but milk in my coffee! 🤪

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  5. On 8/31/2022 at 4:59 AM, OnlyGenusCaps said:

    So, the layers aren't acting as an ammoina and eventual nitrate source for your tank, then?  That's interesting.  The BRS investigates video on it suggested 3 days is about optimal to prevent those things from happening. 

    After watching their videos (because those guys are awesome!) I realized that the standard setup for socks in a sump has them submerged, so of course they would become a nitrate factory. Mine sit higher in the V-Sump, so all they do is strain the water from particulates. The gunk never sits in the water, and it takes a while to saturate the three layers of floss. Gravity is your friend here.

    On 8/31/2022 at 4:59 AM, OnlyGenusCaps said:

    Also interesting!  I know most reefers reply on mechanical filtration and say the rocks are enough as biofiltration.

    Anemones consume a certain amount of ammonia. They love the stuff! Initially, when a had the NO3 spike, I realized there were not enough macros to consume the exported toxin, so now I make sure I supplement my reds with browns which are very efficient NO3 consumers. I am still trying to grow them in the tank, but have not succeeded as of yet. The reds are great looking, but I do not think they are as efficient.

    The beauty of planted FW tanks is the amount NO3 that can be exported because there are consumers. Certainly a challenge in the SW world, and since I do not have a refugium, the chaeto approach is not viable. 🤪

    On 8/31/2022 at 4:59 AM, OnlyGenusCaps said:

    I'm not on with the idea there is something I need to avoid being essentially stung by in my tank.

    And that, dear sir, is why one wears gloves. They may move in whether you like it or not, so embrace and enjoy them as they are quite the fascinating creatures. If you want a healthy ecosystem you have to embrace all. 😍 Oh, and I never put my hands in the tank, gloves or not! 🥸

  6. On 8/28/2022 at 4:03 PM, Guppysnail said:

    They cling very still to walls to hide. Instinct is movement attracts predators. So hopefully it makes it. 

    Ah, good to know there is hope he may still be in there. The tiny terrorists are the babysitters! 😆

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  7. On 8/28/2022 at 6:01 PM, OnlyGenusCaps said:

    What have you done?!

    I do not use the mesh socks. Instead, I layered floss mats in a strainer sitting under the tank water coming from the bulkhead. These then drain into two layers of felt socks, with a pad of poly filter to do a final polish. The oxygen in the tank has been increased by bleeding the internal skimmer and raising the output nozzle to the tank water surface.

    All sponges I was using as biofiltration have been removed. I now rely mostly on mechanical filtration. NO3 levels became too much for the macros.

    Healthy dose of macros added to the tank. No feeding. The critters relied mostly on pods, barnacles, and seaweed.

    Now that I am back the mesh socks are used again because I am feeding, and the amount of waste is spectacular! 😝

    On 8/28/2022 at 6:01 PM, OnlyGenusCaps said:

    Do you get very my in your cooler tank? 

    I do. Sometimes there would be four or five in the sock in the V-Sump. Always wear gloves when tending to the sump!

    They are excellent housekeepers, always keeping the substrate clean. I simply adore them! 😍 I have only seen one trying to steal food from Ursula Flerken without success, but for the most part they do not bother anyone. The largest one I have spotted is about 7” long.

    Creepy crawlies rule! 😆

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  8. Today ended the test run for the new filter setup. Three weeks of no media change, no feeding, just to see how they would fair when I go away for an extended period of time.

    Ammonia 0, NO2 0, NO3 0, a little low on Mg but not at a critical level. Not enough evaporation to worry about. Lots of pods and diatoms. The filter media was, needless to say, gross!

    All now back to normal, and found a new critter, Alitta succinea. It looks like a bristleworm but has paddles instead of hairs. Anxiously waiting to see a face! The height of the tunnel is about 0.5"

    image.jpeg.1a66db03f155233ac90481acd69f4f09.jpeg

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  9. On 8/25/2022 at 7:15 AM, Minanora said:

    Micro update: I hurt my hip so I'm really behind on everything. I can finally sleep through most the night again. Today is water change bonanza. I haven't done anything besides feed and fertilize since July so every tank needs work. I'm surprised at how well all the fish are doing and my plants are happy, although overgrown. I'll take photos today. I still need to take it easy with my hip. Luckily standing is the least painful so I should be able to trim plants.

    My husband saw two of the Amano shrimp steal wafers this morning and he was able to get a picture! IMG_20220825_065032.jpg.cbe64c09a34c1bc921e2eb4011628e6d.jpg

     

    Amanos are the consummate thieves! Always fun to watch them wrestle other critters for food. I once had a wafer in my tweezers and this Amano shrimp was intent on taking it from me!

    I hope you are feeling better!

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  10. On 8/20/2022 at 6:44 PM, smm333 said:

    Nice! I don't think my pygmy corydoras would bother anyone, so maybe I'll get lucky and have some baby lampeye. I feed the tank repashy community food,  so I will add the hikari foods when I pick them up. Thanks for your reply!

    Pygmy corydoras are very peaceful, so I think they would get along fine. Plus, they are mostly on the bottom part of the tank while the Lampeyes like being closer to the surface.

  11. I do have Lampeyes in a 12 gal. tank and they have bred for me. They leave the fry alone, but unfortunately the CPDs in the same tank go after the fry. I have one survivor that is now going through the teenage stage, so he fends for himself. They are great little fish. Peaceful, they know when you are near the tank and come and frolic. The tank has tons of Neocaridina shrimp as well as Ramshorn and Bladder snails and it is heavily planted.

    They get fed Repashy, Hikary First Bites, and Hikari Micro Pellets.

    More in my Odds and Ends Journal. 🙂

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