CJs Aquatics

Hey all, got some tiger limia from the LFS, didn’t notice till recently one seems to have something going on. I don’t know a ton about these fish but was hoping someone could help identify this possible illness so I can treat it effectively. She seems to have some cloudy patches around her back, swims with a heavy waddle and if I’m not mistaken some flickering as well… not the best photos but hopefully it’s enough to identify the cause and prescribe the treatment, any insight helps thanks

Some female guppies are just mean, I would reintroduce them to each other after he heals up in a similar fashion as betta breeders do, where they can see each other and interact but can’t hurt each other and monitor behavior. You can also add more hides for him to get away, seperate there feeding routine, etc. I suppose you could rearrange there tank and if that didn’t work remove both and rearrange then reintroduce them as well. Generally with guppies I let them sort things out themselves, rarely has it ever been bad enough I’ve had to intervene but on occasion this is how it’s handled and it has worked for me in the past, hopefully this helps

I used that food on guppies back in the day, it seemed to help. Generally I think meds in the water and fasting has helped the most in my experience. Those must be super parasites for all that medication lol hopefully that clears them all up, random question, how’s your dojo doing in 82? I’m just curious I keep them myself and was always timid about the temp but I’m hearing more and more that they do fine warmer then I was led to believe, which would open up many more tank options

I would source it locally, perhaps Facebook marketplace. I had minor success with dustinsfishtanks back in the day, still have a few really cool pieces that came with an order but other then that I go local. eBay might work perhaps even Amazon these days, or this forums buy-sell-trade maybe. Hopefully this helps

I actually really like this tank, it’s unique, personally in my hobby currently, outside of the norm is what fascinates me the most, it’s really cool

1. Never tried Japanese Maple Wood in a tank nor do I know much about it however I don’t see why you couldn’t it is a natural wood. That being said it will most likely effect your water in some way shape or form but if your journaling and monitor the parameters and make adjustments it sounds like a decent idea to me. 2. Any type is quite a generalization to which most of the time I would say there are probably exceptions to the rule however for the most part or majority of them it shouldn’t be harmful. 3. I’ve had back and forth success with it personally, finally dialed it in and it’s growing like weeds. I basically set it and forget it. When I was catering to it it didn’t succeed, when I left it alone it thrived. this is a really cool project I can’t wait to see more of it, I want to do a similar journal as well for a tank I have one day when I’m actively trying to breed it’s inhabitants, keep up the good work

If the goal is plant growth I think you would be better off looking into the ferts and lighting. Some do better or worse based on water being hard or soft but in my experience it’s negligible mostly. I wouldn’t chase specific numbers with regards to water chemistry personally I would look at how the inhabitants are doing in what I have but if you do decide to make the transition I would do it gradually rather then suddenly to better monitor how things go little by little. You could remove a specific plant and try it in a tank of the new water for a while first to see if things make a difference as well to see if it’s justified, hope this helps some

New to platys also, I started with 8, they immediately split into 2 groups of 3 and 5. I didn’t pay attention to there gender but they seem to only hang with each other in those groups or sub groups within those groups even though they were all together when I bought them. They are also well aware of a predator that shares there tank with them and not only couldn’t care less but stay very clear of him. They are fascinating

I’m super interested to see the answer to this I’ve never seen one of those…

I believe the coop website has a club finder that you can type in your area and it will show you local fish clubs as well which is a good place to meet people in your area to source things from. Mentioning this as another hopefully helpful option in addition to your post.

To me that looks like in the pic on the top new growth. It looks like the plant melted back and has regrew that portion you have circled. If it were me I would ask what’s different about the tank they are growing well in and make the adjustment. They prob could benefit from a bit more fertilizer as you are dialing things in. Are they being shaded by another plant doing well? I have a similar thing going on in a 40 of mine and a 29 but it’s due to being shaded. Could be a number of factors I suppose but through process of elimination you can dial it in I would try first making sure they are actually receiving adequate light and not being shaded by another plant or algae. Then I would try adding root tabs underneath them and monitoring water parameters and go from there.

I would say you definitely want to make sure that everything is taken care of before they are done with medication, What did your process look like to start with?

Both the tank and it’s inhabitants look great to me, keep up the good work

Mine gurgles when it’s clogged with debris on the skimmer portion or water level gets low but other then that I’ve never experienced much issue with the bigger version

Beautiful tank

I’ve heard guppies, angels, bettas, scarlet badis, some loaches and some goby eat them, my pea puffers did not my guppies did not, my tiger limia may be but it’s too soon to confirm

I 2nd what @Rube_Goldfishsays, sand and root tabs will work perfectly and the Val will spread just fine even if left in the pot. You will see the runners jump from right out of the pot and the new plants grow from there, it’s probably the easiest way to go about it. For cichlids if you decided to go the capped route I would probably run a clay based substrate underneath 1/2 in to an inch of sand so as stated previously leach is minimal. It’s your choice but I think the bottom line is, Val regardless of whatever type you choose and sand will do just fine and eventually grow tall enough and dense enough to create a background effect for you in your tank with proper maintenance.

I can confirm personally my Val grows well in sand. Best plants I personally own that grow well in sand are my lily, Amazon swords of all types, and my crypts however the Val does well in sand. I will note that it appears that if the cap is deep it struggles a bit more then when it is shallow capped, probably due to being able to reach the nutrients easier but this is speculation. Doesn’t get easier then purchasing your favorite Val, and literally burying the whole pot it comes in in the substrate perhaps with a starter root tab then watching it spread like wildfire after perhaps an initial melt. Also growing octopus plant like crazy in sand so you have quite a few options I just listed briefly some of the ones I’ve had success with.

This is cool, I try to do a similar thing with the food mix, lately it has been adding different foods to a cup of aquarium water then using a turkey baster to distribute the mixture to tanks. I’ve noticed some stays on top, some sinks to bottom, and the variety helps the different fish find what they like.

Congrats this is cool I want to breed them/ own them myself in the future so I’ve done a little research and will offer the little I know. 1. If your feeding the tank, he should find what he needs I might adjust to add a smaller size for example if feeding pellets I would feed the pellets then offer a little more crushed to almost a powder, same with flakes. It spreads all over the tank to give you that added insurance that he has the ability to find food but chances are he will find something to graze on in an established tank. 2. How often, I’m unsure however as far as where they reproduce, from my limited knowledge it is usually rock piles or very tight fitting close knit spaces similar. I’m not sure what your tank looks like but I would look for an area that is similar to a rock pile or something that has very small crevices you wouldn’t expect the fish to even go in. Hope this helps, good luck

Hey @1HawksFan70, welcome back to the hobby and good luck on this awesome adventure your embarking in. To answer your question perhaps depending on maintenance val might be a nice option, it grows tall and looks similar to grass, however if not maintained regularly it can and will spread. If money is no object, the back of the tank could be lined with something like matala mat and planted with more Anubias creating a wall overtime. (Similar rhizome plants would work as well). Big fan of Java fern favorite being “thors hammer” Java fern, or bolbitis as far as hardy enough, I suppose they could work in the background as well. The go to will probably be moss, it’s the plant I see most people make backgrounds out of especially because a lot of times it already comes placed on weighted squares for easy placement. Lastly being an out of the box thinker, typically I’ve used regular black backgrounds however I saw someone carpet s repens and it made me think, If it can carpet, it can probably background. This theory isn’t tested but personally in the future I would love to try some oddball ideas like a s. Repens background or a pearlweed one. Hope something in here helps. Good luck.

Interested in a professional answer to this because it looks like no algae I’ve ever encountered, almost more like a moss of some sort

I guess given my limited knowledge of them as a relatively new creature in my fishroom it’s more of a crawl then a swim. I’ve never heard this though I can say I have seen them get pretty crazy with the wiggling before, never just swimming through the water column though so perhaps this is true, idk…

Hey all, I have a couple tanks with planaria but one is infested. In my experience a very niche group of fish have been said to eat them however the tank I have them in houses pea puffers so the do not. Anyone tried gut loading them somehow to make them more desirable, I imagine if they tasted better they would be an irresistible live food the way they wriggle around. My thought was perhaps catching some and feeding them in a 2.5 gallon and reintroducing them to see if there is any interest, perhaps vitachem/ garlic guard and fish foods? Any thoughts at all welcomed even if you think I’m crazy lol