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Alesha

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Posts posted by Alesha

  1. 52 minutes ago, Cmike15 said:

    Nice to see, I’m about to start some seeds. My Home Depot was bare of seeds for a while but now they are all stocked up. 
     

    Was there a kit for the drip lines or did you buy it piece by piece? 

    Our kit was actually a hand-me-down from a friend. I ordered some extra pieces from Amazon. His was called a drip irrigation kit. Hope that helps. 

  2. 22 hours ago, Emika_B said:

    Alesha - Your garden looks great!  I had done something similar in my old aquaponic setup.  Aren't those buckets wonderful?  And congrats on the plumbing working right the first time!  It really does feel good when something with that many moving parts (or holes in this case) works the way you want it to.

    Thanks, @Emika_B! Yep, we love the buckets...they are SO handy! This is probably about 1/3 of what we hope to eventually have going. Waiting on some seedlings to grow big enough to transplant and for some seeds to arrive. Believe it or not, there are so many people buying seeds right now that the company I use has a backlog. We put in some bare root strawberries yesterday! Can't wait to see how they do. 

    • Haha 1
  3. Doug and I both have bad backs, from hauling our kiddo around all these years. (Isaac's 21 years old, non-mobile and weighs in around 100 pounds. I quit lifting him about 30 pounds ago, but Doug still lifts him daily. 🏋️‍♂️🏆) When we talked about trying a garden this year, Doug mentioned Cory's aquarium stands. I thought it was brilliant!

    We are doing 5-gallon bucket gardening, as well as some crates and various pots, and we're placing them on the stands. We did decide on just 2 2x4s since our bucket of soil are not nearly as heavy as a filled tank and that saved us a bit of money. 

    344431680_20210307_165536(2).jpg.559a4450e9b04c6bb73d19ae996f8d91.jpg

    They are very sturdy, even here in our sandy, grassy yard and they bring the buckets up high enough that harvesting is going to be a breeze.

    (Please notice, if you will, the drip irrigation lines. I've never done anything like this, but treated it all like a big puzzle of t-barbs, elbows, emitters and tubing, and put it all together. I was SO STINKING PROUD when we connected it to the spigot and EVERY nozzle had water and there were NO leaks or popped lines. It was incredibly satisfying, let me tell you!!!)☺️

    So, thanks for the idea, @Cory!  Our tired backs are grateful for your creative solutions that work inside the fish room and OUTside too!

    Alesha

    • Like 13
    • Thanks 1
  4. On 2/28/2021 at 4:45 PM, TheDukeAnumber1 said:

    I'm assuming/hoping gardening nerms are watching. I think I am a mid level gardener, through experience (hard lessons and successful experiments) I know a lot more than the average Joe, but definitely a lot less than the long time committed gardener.

    I have a question for ya'll. (I lived TN for a few years so I can say ya'll)

    Is fish water actually as great for watering plants as the majority claims? I'm sure it has nutrients for the plants and can be great for that aspect, but I usually till, fertilize, amend soil and mulch already. One thing that does not provide (or many things) is the soil micro organisms that are good for plants, I am a full believer that tending to the micro organisms in the soil can be of great benefit and am considering trying compost tea this year...

    In summary... is aquarium water providing micro organisms or bacteria that will live in the soil and are good for plants? Is it akin to compost tea? 

    Excellent question, @TheDukeAnumber1 and I have a little bit of an answer. From what I've read just recently, there are a few plants that DO NOT NEED additional NITROGEN. If they have too much nitrogen, all of their growth will be leaves and branches, and not flowers. Of course, if you want veggies and fruits, you need those flowers. So, on a few plants I've researched, they recommend do not fertilize with nitrogen, or at least not too often. 

    So, to my way of thinking, I also would NOT use my fish water for those plants. Because, at least with my tanks, when I do water changes, I am trying to get rid of excess nitrates, which would correspond with nitrogen, I believe.

    Now...if there's someone who knows better than I do, PLEASE let us know! My logic may not be right on this and I'd love to know if I don't have it correct. 👍

     

    • Thanks 1
  5. 2 minutes ago, H.K.Luterman said:

    On today's episode of, "Tanks of Our Lives"...

    Lordy. Ok. So.

    Saturday evening I witnessed Dragon throwing up. Which was... gross. I did some research and came to the conclusion that the chunk of fish I had fed him earlier that day was too big. So, I decided the best course of action was to fast him a day to make sure he was emptied out, and then go back to feeding. I feed him once a day, just a small bite, usually.

    Sunday rolls around, the fasting day, and I notice he's looking hungry; actively searching around the bottom of the tank with his nose down. Now, he's a big fish. Last I measured him he was a bit more than 8 inches, and he's thick. He's got weight on him. At this point I should probably just be feeding him every other day anyways, according to everything I've read about senegal bichirs, so I figure he's fine. He's FIIIIIINE. It'll be FIIIIINE.

    Sunday evening, I'm puttering around on the internet, and I hear a big SPLASH behind me. I turn around, and immediately see Dragon had Dinky by the pectoral fin.

    Hooooo boy, I jumped up and hurried to the tank. Dragon let Dinky go by the time I got there (within a few seconds). I stared long and hard to make sure Dinky is ok; he is, there's no damage to his fin, he's using it fine and there's not even any tears to the membrane. I then took a few minutes to think on what to do.

    My guess is that Dragon mistook Dinky as food, since Dinky is white and the tilapia I feed him is white. I feed them by placing pieces with long tweezers by their snoots. They have pretty bad eyesight, so I can imagine it would be easy to mistake a white fin moving by his nose for a piece of tilpia. He also let him go without doing any damage, so I think he did realize he didn't have food in his mouth.

    REGARDLESS, I proceeded to kick the bristlenose baby out of Quarantine (he's from a good, reputable place, so I doubt he's carrying anything) and put him in the 29 to grow out. I then put Dinky in the QT, and I'm going to put another inch on him before I put him back in the 75. 

    Also, I am going to continue to feed Dragon daily, because obviously he gets snappy when he's hungry. At least until Dinky is bigger and less likely to be mistaken as dinner. 

    Lesson learned. Keep Dragon fat and happy.

    Whew! Oh my word! They are keeping you on your toes lately. That was a smart idea to move Dinky back to the QT. I would've probably left him in the tank, but your moving him is the best option, I agree, to just be SURE he is not injured and that he doesn't become a snack. And poor Dragon...he just wanted a leetle taste!!! 😉 

    • Like 1
  6. 13 minutes ago, H.K.Luterman said:

    I have happy news! Dragon is back to eating, and is acting more like his usual derpy self. He's had three meals, and is back to swimming around.

    I have a suction cup plastic soap caddy coming in the mail to act as a platform for him, but it's delayed being delivered. I hope it arrives today. 

     

    Oh Yaaaaaay!!! I'm so glad to hear it! Can't wait to see if he enjoys the soap caddy. 👍

    • Like 1
  7. 38 minutes ago, H.K.Luterman said:

    Eugh. This morning I woke up to find my female bichir laying on her side, dead.

    I'm SO sorry, H.K.! I know how much you delight in your special wet pets, so this must be quite a blow. I'm hoping the other 2 perk up, as time moves them away from the loss, and that you're able to feel gratitude that despite her health issues, she had a wonderful, happy life in your tanks. ❤️ 

    • Like 2
  8. 11 hours ago, TheDukeAnumber1 said:

    My duckweed does not smell like cilantro, especially when smelled right after... cilantro.

    I've read when cooked it tastes like spinach... have yet to confirm that one 🙂

    I'll have to do a smell taste when my cilantro sprouts in the garden this spring!!! Not gonna taste it, though. I'm just not that inquisitive. 😉 

    • Like 1
  9. 17 hours ago, Streetwise said:

    Since you mention cilantro, I have to ask if you have ever heard of the concept of a supertaster. I know a couple of people for whom cilantro tastes like soap.

    @Streetwise - very interesting read. I doubt that I'm a supertaster, as I don't have problems with about half the list they mentioned. There are things that I can taste that my husband can't. For example: if a restaurant has food cases or pantries where they keep their baking ingredients built of wood - particularly strong-smelling wood like cedar - I can't eat the food there. It tastes like wood to me. There's a well-known deli in Orlando that is known for the their fantastic carrot cake. To me, it tastes like lumber. It's very frustrating. But it keeps me on my diet plan!!! 

    • Like 1
  10. Hi @Donna! So glad you've joined the forum! And this is a great question!

    A couple of things you can try:

    1. Stop feeding the snails. They reproduce according to the food supply. When it drops off, they will slow down.
    2. Get another aquatic creature that eats snails. You can try pygmy chain loaches or maybe assassin snails. The assassin snails reproduce muuuuuch more slowly than the rams horns.
    3. Take some to your local fish store. Especially is they have nice shells, with no pitting and a lovely color. It could be that your LFS would be willing to take some off your hands. 

    Personally, I would do ALL THREE things at the same time.

    Just a heads up - as snails die off, they reeeeeally stink. You'll want to remove any that die during this process.

    I sure hope that helps you a little,

    Alesha

    • Like 6
  11. 18 minutes ago, darkG said:

    One related idea is to somehow suspend or mount moss on / with strings that snails don't easily climb. Maybe like a floating island. 

    But in my (quite inexperienced) mind java moss seem to be a junky clump kind of moss at heart 🙂 

    Ooooooo...now that IS an interesting idea, @darkG! Suspended moss...hmmmm. Might have to study on that a while.

    And yeah...but we're going to try to tame the beast any way. 😁

  12. 3 hours ago, tolstoy21 said:

    Like others have said, glue it to something -- rock or driftwood -- or use a stainless steel mat, and keep it trimmed to shape. It will groom and grow nicely.

    I was able to keep it in a nice shaggy mat via routine trimming, when it looked like it needed a hair cut.

    Thank you so much for the explanation, @tolstoy21. I have been fully convinced by all the responses that trimming is the way to go! I'll be attaching moss to river rocks this weekend. I appreciate your input! 🙂

    • Like 1
  13. 19 minutes ago, H.K.Luterman said:

    Picked up a little blood parrot on Monday.  He's in quarantine, and is a shy little guy, as I read he would be. I've been quietly sitting by the tank now and then to try to help him get used to me. I'm thinking of naming him Igor.

     


    Shy maybe, but not too scared to eat! That's good!! He's a cutie. Will he get much bigger? Are blood parrots peaceful fish? I don't know much about them. 

    • Like 1
  14. 2 hours ago, gardenman said:

    I had a raft of Java Moss in my thirty high that was surrounding my spray bar from my canister filter. It was the width of the tank, stretched across half of the top of the tank and was about six inches deep (top to bottom) when I finally had enough and weeded out most of it.  If you have a spray bar in your tank, try wedging some behind it. Chances are it'll like that spot and grow like crazy there.

    Thanks, @gardenman. I don't have a spray bar, but I did try wedging it behind a large rock. It just wouldn't stay put. I also suspect my giant Siamese Algae Eater was zipping behind there and dislodging it! LoL! 😁

  15. 8 hours ago, Brandy said:

    and then I prune the dickens out of it so that it looks like topiary or a boxwood hedge almost. It LIKES it. Because the rock anchors it you can move it around and even shake it out a little during water changes if you have too much food in there. Fry and shrimp will zip back to safety, but the dirt isn't as smart.

    I also just sold a bunch of my trimmings on craigslist, so, you know...Now I get to go shopping? 😎

    Hmmm...I didn't think about it doing better WITH a pruning! But that makes sense, since most plants are that way. I'll give it a try. And yeah, shaking it out during water changes will make me a happier camper. 

    For a while, I had to really watch that I didn't get Black Beard Algae in the moss. I'd have to prune it just to remove the fuzzy strands. But since I moved my sponge filter - and the blob has been moving around the FLOOR of the tank - I haven't had that problem. The air and light seem to be the magic combo for BBA in my tank. I'll have to watch where I put the moss-wrapped rocks so I don't have a repeat problem.

  16. Just now, H.K.Luterman said:

    I don't know, I kind of like the big blob monster look. X3

     

    @H.K.Luterman - yeahhhhhh, I know. I have been liking it too...when I had TWO blob monsters. But I can't get the one (that separated from the river rock I had it glued to) to settle in one spot. It's always migrating along with floor of the aquarium and that drives me nuts. I like to SEE the bottom, to keep track of all the little critters down there.  So...I combined both blobs and now I find it's overwhelms the tank...just too big! So, I'll likely try to tie some of it to a few rocks...see if that will tame it a bit. 😉 

    I like my monsters...just want them to behave themselves! 😂

    • Haha 1
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