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eatyourpeas

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Posts posted by eatyourpeas

    How do people feed their pea puffers?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Bloodworms do not keep after thawing. The best approach is to cut the little cube with a very sharp knife and feed that amount every time.

    Watch them to determine how much to feed. The uneaten food will foul the water. And, they will give you the cute look to get more food, but their little bellies will be full and will not eat more at that point. 🐡

    • Like 3

    Pseudo-saltwater journal

    in Photos, Videos & Journals

    Posted

    On 6/12/2021 at 4:10 PM, OnlyGenusCaps said:

    Thanks goodness it's acrylic or I'd absolutely have to break the whole thing down to make these changes.

    I am becoming a convert. Starting to appreciate acrylic tanks. Now, if Lego could only make bricks big enough and water tight...

    • Like 2

    Water change disaster

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    On 6/12/2021 at 1:16 PM, Gideyon said:

    My 10g is on the counter of a wet bar. So there is a sink right behind it.  But it's not a standard faucet. I thought about attaching a line from there to the tank (not even 3 feet) but couldn't find an adapter that fit it. 

    I like the idea of a Python for filling. But for vacuuming, I just felt it was too much water going to waste. 

    Those reasons made me look into an alternate method. I fill and dechlorinate 5 gallon buckets to the correct temperature, then insert an inexpensive pump with half-inch tubing and pump the water into the tanks. To work in reverse (drain the tank) fill the bucket enough for the pump to be submerged, then run the line from the tank into the bucket, where the pump will continue to fill the bucket. Said bucket can be outside and then just dumped when finished.

    • Love 1

    2 Otocinclus Died Within 2 Weeks Apart

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    On 6/11/2021 at 2:53 PM, Ben_RF said:

    Otos are amazing but they can be especially fragile, especially when not kept in groups.  If you are buying otos from a store that has not fattened them up, there is a fair chance they may or may not make it through getting adjusted to your tank.

    Thanks so much for that information! I lost mine and they were eating but not gaining weight, so still can't figure out what happened. I may not try again if they are that fragile. 🙁

    • Like 1

    Puget Sound Biotope

    in Photos, Videos & Journals

    Posted

    On 6/11/2021 at 6:24 PM, quirkylemon103 said:

    inverts are the coolest especially in saltwater, one of my favorite is the pom pom crab(I haven't kept them) 

    Reef PomPoms are so fun looking! I would love to witness a territorial battle between them showing off their anemones as the ultimate weapon of domination! 😄

    Puget Sound Biotope

    in Photos, Videos & Journals

    Posted

    As I was doing a WC on the little tank today, I discovered the two Grainyhand crabs are still there, so they did not die from the last tank bad event! And I watched one of the hermits grab an amphipod in mid swim and eat it for dinner! Crustaceans are so cool! 🤪

     

    • Like 2

    Questions about the Walstad Method

    in General Discussion

    Posted · Edited by eatyourpeas

    Something to be cautious about the Walstad method is keeping an eye on the bioload. The tanks tend to not to have a lot fish so the balance is maintained with respect to the plants. Also, after a couple of years, you will need to supplement nutrition for the plants as the substrate may become exhausted.

    • Like 1

    Can't Find My Pea Puffer

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    22 minutes ago, Ali said:

    Update: I found my puffer hiding, which as you guys have commented is very unlike him. That thing I found was definitely a worm of sorts, so thanks for tolerating my panicky dumb mistake. That's what this forum is for, right?!

    My puff puff perked up once I got his attention and got some food out, but he didn't seem himself and was maybe a little skinny. I tried feeding him extra over the next couple days. After an initial improvement, he declined again. I found the poor thing looking really skinny and paralyzed on the substrate today. I thought he was dead, but when I moved him, his eyes made eye contact with me 😢 The poor thing couldn't swim anymore and could only move his eyes. I had to put him down 😢

    My assumption with finding the worm was that he had some sort of parasite that eventually led to his demise. I have no idea if that was a land or aquatic worm. I do know puffers tend to get internal parasites, and he became very skinny despite eating. I have had him for a couple years. I'm not sure what triggered this, but he did live a good life. 

    Water test revealed trace ammonia- less than 0.25 ppm, mayyybe 0.1 if I could guess based on color. Very low nitrates, which is usual for this tank. It's heavily planted but also tends to grow algae, so I have always had to play a balance game with the lighting and adding water to replace what has evaporate. 

    So sorry about your little guy. They have a way to steal your heart and it is so sad when something bad happens to them. 😔

    I hope you are okay…

    Deep Reef journal

    in Photos, Videos & Journals

    Posted

    40 minutes ago, OnlyGenusCaps said:

    The Reservoir Return tank is a 42 gal RV water tank blank (i.e. no holes).  Because I am using it on its side, creating a lid for it is going to be a challenge.  I'd love to get input on that.  From the photos, I hadn't anticipated such deep channels on that side.  Oh well.  But, I do want a lid.  I always use tight fitting lids to reduce evaporation on my sumps.  It can get out of control in the winter here otherwise.  The purple circle is just the bunged up hole from production.  Just thought I'd explain what that was.

    Are you set on a single lid? Because you could consider cutting the two center pieces at the top area only, therefore using the edges as support (or leaving the channels too!) and using the cutout as a lid by. These silicone strips work great at making tops as aquarium lids:

    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MX4HX5S/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

    Using them on both edges will give the lids more stability as well as help with evaporation. 🙂

     

    • Thanks 1

    Puget Sound Biotope

    in Photos, Videos & Journals

    Posted

    The addition of a skimmer has brought the benefit of oxygenation! Tank survivors are active and the water parameters look great. I still need to assess whether investing in an oxygen meter is worth the money.

    Tank temperature is still high at 74F but with the added oxygen it appears to be fine for these intertidal critters. Still, I will add no more until it is time for the big tank. 🙂

    • Love 1

    Puget Sound Biotope

    in Photos, Videos & Journals

    Posted

    2 minutes ago, OnlyGenusCaps said:

    I wouldn't have expected that necessarily despite knowing the relationship between O2 solubility and temperature.

    It is definitely speculative on my part, but looking at the makeshift setup and how the critters were behaving, it points to that as a possibility. I am mostly sad that they died, and that I did not act on my instinct to correct the problem earlier.

    6 minutes ago, OnlyGenusCaps said:

    When this pandemic started, I wanted to keep dart frogs again.  I even started getting materials together.  Sadly, it became apparent as summer hit that living in a house without central A/C meant I simply couldn't keep the temperatures down to keep the frogs happy.  I had to abandon that.  But, that has lead me to revitalize my aquarium efforts.  Which led me here.  In the end I think I am going to be happier with the aquariums than I would have been trying to keep darts again. 

    I was truly hoping to have the big tank up and running earlier, so I knew I was lucky to have the outside temperatures work in my favor, until the last two days, that is. Central A/C is not common in houses in the PNW, at least not the older ones. A fan is our idea of keeping cool. So, you had a more responsible approach to your situation and I wish the timing had worked out a little better on my end. Good lessons learned, and will definitely be a bit more cautious moving forward.

    Thank you so much for the kind words. 🙂

    • Like 1

    Puget Sound Biotope

    in Photos, Videos & Journals

    Posted

    Two days of 80+ degrees did the little tank in. I was not able to maintain a stable temperature through the hot days, the internal water temperature reached 80F and I could see the critters were starved for oxygen. By the time I realized what was going on, it was too late. I lost both the CO Sole and the Tidepool sculpin. The crabs are really mad, and the snails are running for their life to the top of the tank.

    In a desperate attempt to save the ones left, I added a makeshift skimmer so that I could bring in some oxygen and increased the water agitation.  If by tomorrow it does not look better (the macro is a good marker) I will tear the tank down and return the survivors to the ocean.

    This means I will not have an observation tank until I finish the big one, where things will be setup properly (hopefully) and there will be a way to keep the water to the right temperature.

    This has been a humbling lesson, for sure. I am trying to not feel completely defeated as it has been a week of losses in other tanks. Will reassess after a few days... 😞

    • Sad 2
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