CJs Aquatics

Hmm, I hadn’t even researched it, just set up the tank a while ago and when the LFS had some “hillstream loaches” I bought a group with hopes of breeding, that’s crazy, that would explain things

caught this guy the other day, mine are shy too, thought it was odd his tail was blue

Excited for the journey… Question 1: can you use the substrate as is? Answer 1: it’s probably fine to use depending on what type it is…I doubt many harmful bacterial or parasites or anything would have survived in it if it’s been a long time dry, nothing beneficial for that matter eighter, my concern would be dust, and possible not fully decomposed plant matter leaching organics in the water once used however this being said, that’s really not much of a concern with maintenance. I suppose perhaps if it is not an inert substrate it could still alter your water possibly so that might be wortb looking into but if it were me I would absolutely use it Question 2: As is? With some work? Does it need to be pitched? Answer 2: if it’s sand or gravel probably a thorough rinse would be what I would do then use it. If it’s aquasoil or dirt or something other perhaps take consideration as to what it is and maybe as is with a cap…. Just my opinion, some people allow it to dry for a number of hours in the sun to make sure everything negative is removed but honestly probably just a rinse and your good to go… Question 3: large rocks? Absolutely can be reused, watch your parameters to see if they are leaching or buffering but again a good rinse would be my course of action and has worked for me in the past Hope this helps

turned orange to camouflage with the orange flower pot

They look similar, are effecting the “armpit” area of the fish on both sides not just 1, will try to get a better picture when he comes out, what’s the treatment for that a parasite med like paracleanse?

Rough week in the fish room, seeking yet another identification and treatment, my speculation is anchor worms. Small white wormlike what I would assume to be parasites are wriggling around underneath this puffer fishes right fin.

Thank you for the clarification, I’m no expert but I will tell you about dropsy as I understand it. It is a condition that can be caused by a number of different things ranging from the food you feed to some of the fishes bodily processes shutting down. Typically when it is left untreated for long periods of time it isn’t something the fish recover from, there are success stories, many of them so I do not want to discourage you, this is just my understanding. Treatments that are recommended usually treat the uncomfortable symptoms rather then “cure” the issue. This can extend the longevity of the fishes life significantly so it is worth it to me at least especially in the case of a pet fish. I would try to relax for now and address the ant issue so that doesn’t continue, perhaps something sticky like tape or ant traps around the tank so they can’t get to the fish, and a lid that still allows oxygen to pass through, can be home made like greenhouse panel or craft mesh, whatever route you take you don’t want those pesky ants interfering with treatment. As far as actual treatment goes I would relax for the evening and wait for someone more knowledgeable to weigh in with a step by step for you, I don’t want to provide any innaccurate info I just felt for you bc I’m going through something similar, I hope it gets better I can recommend meds that are said to treat the condition if no one else has personal experience with it, I’m just not well versed, I can say if it were me I would try kanaplex first by seachem, as I’ve had success with that with other things and it seems very mild for medication but it’s worked

It’s hard to make out for me what’s going on in the picture but I can empathize as my pet fish currently is undergoing some serious treatment for an illness he developed out of the blue. I’ve read many things that can help with dropsy if that diagnosis is correct. Salt treatments (epsom I believe) medications such as the med trio help ease the symptoms, obviously water changes making sure the environment is stress free and of good quality etc. I’ve even heard live foods help as they pass through the digestive tract easier. My point with saying this is it’s not a guaranteed death sentence there are things you can do. I can’t recommend personally a sure fire treatment for dropsy from experience as I’ve only dealt with it in guppies and was not proactive when it was noticed, however I can say that @Colu has been monumental in helping me diagnose and treat many things, very knowledgeable. I would try to get the best picture possible of what’s going on, and as much info as you can gather such as tank size equipment, stock load, water parameters, feeding regiment etc. and then proceed from there

I’ve never bred them personally but I recall one of the YouTube fishkeepers I follow posting a relatively detailed video of how he does it and it didn’t appear very hard, I’ll try to link it for your review, I wish you success…

I’ve struggled with this same issue with many different freeze dried foods, still do to an extent. I use techniques you listed for the most part. It appears you have to squeeze the trapped air out of the cube to get it to sink or water log it enough so it’s weight makes it do so naturally. I’ve found that the worm feeder cone although it’s not perfect has also helped. You can use it on freeze dried foods, some will sink, some will still float however it really helps eliminate the mess and helps you to work on stubborn floating pieces. I haven’t found a full proof way as I like you haven’t had 100% success with the recommended methods however some of the tools listed have helped to some degree.

These are all great ideas, I’ve started implementing them already. I guess a sub question would be as follows: I culled males into a mutt guppy tank, it’s quite male heavy. How would you go about adding females to it? Random selection? A number perhaps like 2 for every male? Female culls based on appearance like male culls? Buy females for them from the store? Other perhaps?

Welcome neighbor (Ohio fishkeeper here). Glad to have you and can’t wait to see what your hobby develops into. I also love all things outdoors and going bass fishing pretty much anytime I can, (keep my pole in the car in case I drive by a puddle that might have them in there) lol) This forum is amazing it has completely consumed me at times, entertained me at others, even saved me on numerous occasions. Nice to meet you, thank you for your service and can’t wait to see more from you…

Hey all, was wondering what your process is with regards to guppy breeding and selection specifically with regards to females. A bit of backstory I’m currently working with 4 strains of guppies. They are strains that are pretty set up but sometimes throw something that’s not like the parents which I have been adding to a mutt guppy colony. It’s easy to tell desirable males, but how do you tell which females should remain in the program and which ones should be moved to the mutts?

Thank you @Colu I was kind of thinking along the same lines since it’s the only one effected

seeking identification and treatment if necessary

Well this has definately given me a few ideas, hopefully it keeps going this is a fun thread in my opinion some of the storage solutions are awesome things I wouldn’t have thought of

Looks like a female to me if it’s old enough to be determined

Not the best pic but liking this pogo currently, took 2 plants, cut them up and planted the whole tank, it’s grown in even more since, pretty cool

Funny and true

@Colu has helped me with things like this before perhaps they can weigh in

Hey all, I thought it might be fun as I look at this mess of a fish room to play a little game. Post a picture of the most useful thing in your fishroom, That random thing that gets used everyday or you couldn’t live without. It’s my hope that it gives some people some ideas of things real fishkeepers use on a daily basis, or perhaps veteran fishkeepers haven’t thought of or considered and we can learn from each other and have a few laughs in the process, I’ll go first with something simple:

It looks more like a deficiency of some kind to me then an algae but it’s hard to tell based on the picture. I would dial in the lighting and ferts first and foremost. New growth is usually a good sign

I think the tank would be large enough for the loaches to establish territories. They can be a bit scrappy in my experience but it has rarely led to high undo stress or any real damage, unless your a snail, small enough to fit in there mouth, or they just woke up on the wrong side of the rock. Speaking of, line of sight breaks, hides, (places that each fish can escape to if they are being bullied) and making sure to target feed each species and keep them full would resolve most issues in most cases. I don’t see why it wouldn’t be possible with proper preparation and monitoring.

This is a highly debated, very advanced topic in my opinion. I guess in simplest terms, anaerobic bacteria as I’ve understood it is bacteria that doesn’t need oxygen to grow and colonize. I would assume it’s present in deep enough substrates/ possibly in plenum set ups, very niche aquaria. I am far from an expert on the topic as it can get very scientific however I have been led to believe it does utilize nitrates for some processes. Fact check this with the forum however this has been my simple understanding and I wanted to at least address your question. The tank looks great by the way, hope this helps some…

@nabokovfan87 that’s a pretty cool video