CJs Aquatics

Thanks again so much, I think I’m gonna purchase some kanaplex per your suggestion and dose the tank bc he doesn’t eat anything that’s not live so far. He is otherwise healthy, good appetite, active, doesn’t seem bothered but he clearly has something, I just hope it doesn’t do more harm then good, I was considering doing daily water changes and seeing if he beat it naturally but I also don’t want it to get worse and have to see him ever get uncomfortable. @Colu I appreciate your knowledge and responses

Thank you for the response, I’m willing to research something like this however my issue is probably gonna be that literally the only thing Jabba will eat as of this far is live snails. Can kanaplex be gut loaded into live snails or would it be better to possibly just try to create an artificial snail with the medication and repashy and oyster shells or something like that? Or just treat the whole display?

Hello all, bear with me here I’m not the best with tech. Recently I acquired a bucket list fish of mine the humpback dragon puffer “Jabba.” The only thing I can get him to eat is snails. He’s been doing well in his tank, however I noticed the other day he developed some white spots on his back. They appeared a bit fuzzy. Tank parameters seemed ok to me. I should preface this by saying this was after I introduced some small fish fillet pieces to see if he would eat something else, about 24 hrs after. The filet pieces were removed the next day as they started to fuzz, and then I noticed the illness on him which looked similar, he still seems otherwise healthy. I don’t know if it’s related. Anyone have any suggestions as to what it could be/ what to treat it with or do about it, my current plan is to monitor and water change daily, adding meds only if necessary. I will try to attach a picture, idk if it will post, I’m not sure how that’s done I’m on an iPhone if anyone wants to walk me through that as well, but I will try. Thanks for any ideas… -CJ

I’m kinda embarrassed that I don’t have any, they are awesome, I think you’ve seriously inspired my next investment lol

gorgeous fish with a fun personality…

This is a super cool idea, I currently have none but if we can catch them all I think you’ve found my next project

I bought snails online before and I brought them home and threw them in a tank. They woke up after about 1 day and started to appear normal. A few days later I noticed the similar signs of lethargy, and long story short I lost a majority of them. They probably came from a different kind of water then I had (which was perfect for snails) and being that it wasn’t what they were used to, and the shipping process/ lack of acclimation they suffered some shock which they didn’t recover from. Since then and many other instances I learned a lot. I learned that with snails, Calcium is magic, and stability is key. I don’t want to give you any bad advice so I hope someone else weighs in on this with even more knowledge then me but I will tell you what I believe/ what I would do in this situation based on what has worked for me personally in the past. -make sure heaters and other equipment is functioning properly - I would add oxygen to the tank, air stone or another filter etc. not a bunch of flow I would just essentially add more oxygen in case it’s related to that bc it can’t hurt anything -you don’t want to stress them anymore then they already are so you should monitor lighting for a few days as well while your trying to allow them to heal - I would do some minor water changes nothing major daily, 15-20% in case there is something in your tank causing the discomfort that isn’t seen, it will dilute it - add dechlorinator in case there is chlorine or chlorimines in your water (seachem prime) is what I use - I would personally add crushed eggshells or calcium to water for them to see if it’s a deficiency causing the lethargy - move them to one corner of the tank to make it easier to monitor if anything is working/ what the respond to (if they move around)

have you changed any water since you noticed the decline in there health? Do you use any sort of ferts or chemicals in eighter tank? Honestly I’m at a bit of a loss, so In this specific situation your tank parameters appear to be ok. I have ran into issues before regarding acclimation which appeared similar to what you described but there isn’t really a way to prove or disprove this being the cause. They are sensitive to changes in parameters which is why I was questioning you about that.

This is a mystery, are they eating at all or showing any interest in food at all? perhaps @Guppysnailcan weigh in on this one? They are very knowledgeable when it comes to snails and many other things. what are the parameters of the tank they came from vs the one they were moved too, and what does it contain bc if I’m reading this correctly you moved them from one tank to this one and then they started to appear to decline in health? Also how did u acclimate them to the new environment?

Have you dealt with issues with them before or is this something brand new going on? I’m sorry about the questions I’m trying to weigh out things it possibly could be, your parameters seem to be alright, what temp is the tank at?

@MidnightBel do different leaves affect ph differently in your experience or your wondering this as well?

has this tank been set up or is it recently set up? are these snails you have bred or did they come from somewhere else?

Interested in the answer to this also. I would think technically you could but i would imagine different ones carry different microscopic organisms with them. I would also assume different ones break down differently and leach different things in the tank perhaps altering ph differently. Probably different tannins as well. I think the procedure is usually to dry and boil them before placing them in tanks but im no expert. I would like to see what others think about this as well…

He’s super cool looking, I’ve been trying to track down some dragon puffers for forever, I want them to be my first, love all puffers though, the pie- bald one you have there is very cool looking…

Cannot confirm that it’s bba but appears to definitely be the starts of some form of hair algae. With regards to combatting it it’s probably due to excess nutrients in the water column or too much light judging from the density of plants it appears you have. Depending upon the age of the tank this could be related to it not fully balancing yet. I would test my water to see specifically where the nutrient ranges lie, and up my water change game as a first step. Monitor things then I would take a look at my light schedule. You can use a diluted solution of hydrogen peroxide topically on decor to kill algae as well. Plants eventually usually out compete it with good maintenance. As far as your fish not eating it, there are probably other more appetizing things for them to consume ie whatever you feed the others. I have heard of people introducing the algae they wish to become a food source to the fish by drying and mixing it with the food they feed however I can’t speak for this credibility as I have never tried it myself. Recommendations: 1. test water to see if the bloom is nutrient related 2. up the maintenance schedule 3. Adjust lighting accordingly 4. monitor I hope this helps, algae is a never ending battle for all of us, dialing things in appropriately takes time and a delicate balance, I would avoid chemical solutions unless absolutely necessary

🤔 this is a good question. So as someone who has had little fish sucked into gravel vacs and had to rescue them before it’s definitely an understandable concern. My best advice would be to take your time and pay close attention. With regards to this, a filter sock over the uptake of your gravel vac would prevent most sized fish from getting sucked up, or I’ve heard of people using panty hose as well after they had been cleaned of dyes. It does as u discussed hamper the ability to get mulm a bit but I doubt it would be to a crazy extent. Perhaps another tip if it’s going to be the source of some anxiety would rather use a power head or something like that to essentially move the mulm to the water column off the bottom and allow for it to be filtered by your filter. This method isn’t full proof eighter as most of the time it would take a while and make some mess. A diy gravel vac for nano tanks using airline tubing and a pipeette would allow for much more control but takes much longer. I always gravel vac into a 5gallon bucket personally, this way if something gets sucked up, after it settles, I can see the fish and just net them back into there tank. Almost like a 2 step security measure in my opinion. I hope something in here helps…

Hello, sorry to hear about your fish troubles, a few questions may help lead to a solution for you. what kind of fish do you have that are struggling? what do your tank parameters look like? what type of substrate do you use currently? to sort of answer your question, with regards to substrate the 2 you have listed, although I’ve never used them personally are both inert from my understanding, (don’t effect ph) meaning they should be safe to use together in a tank. They would need to be thoroughly washed I’m sure. They could eighter be mixed, or I would use the pea gravel as the base layer and cap with sand bc inevitably mulm and detritus will fall down there and rather then get through the pea gravel and make a mess (which could be good for plants) it will be easier for u to gravel vac it as it sits on the finer sand. I must say though, very rarely have I heard of the substrate being the cause of fish sickness and death, I suspect there could be something else going on in your tank. Also if your not switching for cosmetic reasons a 50 Lb bag of pool filter sand is like less then $10 cheap at most hardware stores and is often used by Aquarists as a substrate.

@SalDepending on the type of pleco extra calcium would probably be more beneficial then detrimental, especially if his diet hasn’t contained it previously, and in moderation I don’t think it would be a problem. As I stated I almost treat the crushed eggshells as a treat of sorts as I sprinkle them across the top of the tank once to two times a week… @Guppysnailliquid calcium in repashy….. genius!

I have a 10 gallon tank, hard 8.2 ph water dedicated to cherry shrimp and mystery snails… shrimp are breeding like crazy and the snails have the most beautiful shells ever so your chances are pretty good 😉

Hello Aedan, welcome to the forum and the hobby. Very nice looking fish as well! Best of luck, can’t wait to hear about your future Aqua-Adventures

I’m newer to shrimp, I actually have been shrimp netting the babies and letting them grow out in a large breeder box within the tank so as soon as they are of size they are eighter added to the seperate cull colony tank if they are not of the quality I desire, or if they are they join the colony producing in the tank the box sits in, it’s made things pretty simple, hopefully this helps

😂

Dried coral I believe, I agree with @Fish Folk

I never have personally but I think the safest practice probably would be to do so honestly

Super cool