Wellxam
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Posts posted by Wellxam
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On 9/18/2021 at 11:57 PM, Odd Duck said:
Maple will have some tannins, but not as much as oak leaves, Indian almond leaves (IAL), alder cones, the Rooibos tea, etc. Fruitwoods typically have fairly minimal tannins compared to oak, etc. I’m no expert in this category, but tannins aren’t found in flowers, for the most part. Lots of herbal teas are made from the flowers of plants (3 different ones in the tea you listed). Several of the herbs in that tea have organic compounds, but not all organic compounds are tannins.
I don’t know if rose bush leaves will have tannins but I doubt they have much. Rose leaves are edible and most leaves that are rich in tannins are not considered good to eat since they are quite astringent and even bitter. Consuming too much tannins can even cause health problems in people.
Most any wood will have some tannins, as @Nooby said. Whether they are considered a significant source of tannins is another matter. Cholla doesn’t seem to have huge amounts, but the water will turn a medium brown if you boil it. For me, it doesn’t turn the water brown if you just soak it in room temp water or put it in the tank.
Mopani wood usually releases a significant amount of tannins and just putting it in your tank will darken the water. Boiling it will usually give you very dark water which can be used to make a black water tank or used as a water treatment for certain situations.
When we typically think of “tea” we think of leaves and buds from the Camellia sinensis plant, but a “tea” can be made from almost any plant when you look at how herbalists think of “teas”. It just means that the leaves (of whatever plant) have been steeped in hot water to release whatever compounds they may contain. Whether those compounds are tannins, dyes, or poisons depends on the plant, berry, or even mushroom used.
Most anything that’s a tea that is safe for people to consume is fairly likely to be safe for our fish, but it may not accomplish what you’re looking for in this situation.
On 9/19/2021 at 12:56 AM, Torrey said:@Wellxam I wouldn't use the herbal sleepy time because aromatic oils left in the spearmint and in the lemongrass can harm your fish.
A rule of harvesting plants / woods for tanks that I was taught (back in the 70's when I started this hobby😅) was fish gills are sensitive, and if I can smell it then it's damaging the gills.
While a lot of "canon" from when I first started has been disproven, even aquariumscience dot org says when collecting woods for the aquarium, don't use any that still have the smell (yes, even pines and junipers and cedars can be used, as long as they are not rotted and are not sappy).
I read an article about not using watermint in tanks with fish, for the same reason as not using sappy wood in tanks: the turpenes, pinenes and other aromatic plant oils can damage the gills. Kind of like putting a q-tip with a minute amount of essential oil on it up your nose: it will burn.
Many aquarists will use roobio tea for the color (tea colors are determined by drying process as well as by tannins).
Indian Almond Leaves (IAL) have had the most research done on their beneficial effects, Google 'peer-reviewed research indian almond leaves bettas' to find the most articles.
Another way to get lots of tannins in your tank is to use Miracle Gro organic potting soil.
It has lots of mulch that has been dried, chipped, and added to the soil to slowly decompose. The tannins will turn the water red in the first week, and it slowly gets darker.
I like to cap it with blasting sand, and my Malaysian trumpet snails like to mix the sand and the dirt together 🤦♂️
@Odd Duck @Torrey thank you for your time and in-depth posts, this gives me a lot to look into, and think about!
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On 9/18/2021 at 9:35 PM, Alec said:
I figured I wouldn't be able to add them but was wanting a few other opinions. I wish I could get a bigger tank.
Remember to take the time to enjoy what you have, New always feels more exciting, but there is something special to spending time just staring at your tank and growing some depth in your experience of your fish!
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On 9/18/2021 at 6:23 AM, Nooby said:
I use exclusively Indian almond leaves because it’s free where I am , I just go outside and pick up some
NICE I’ve got my mom on collection duty in Arizona for my cactus wood!!! ;~) (what comes out of cholla would be Tannins, correct ;~?)
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On 9/17/2021 at 4:30 PM, Odd Duck said:
I don’t think any of these ingredients are going to release tannins. I would follow others advice plus add oak leaves as another known source of tannins that’s safe for aquarium use.
So I guess what is the difference between tannins and the color of the “tea?” What elements leech out of these if they are not tannins ;~?
I guess it was my understanding that any dried leaves would provide tannins, e.g. if I were to collect my maple leaves and rosebush leaves etc… during fall would adding those also be a waste of time ;~?
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On 9/17/2021 at 10:50 AM, sairving said:
I wouldn't use your sleepy time tea at all. Indian almond leaves, adler cones, or peat in the filter are all great ways to add tannins. If you have a lfs nearby, they will most likely sell all three of these things. Certain types of driftwood will leech tannins as well. It will stain your water brown. Some people don't like the look.
If I had soft water, I would totally run a blackwater tank.
@sairving Reasons and/or explanation behind your opinion?
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I have my Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Tea, which is caffeen free and contains the following:
Chamomile, spearmint, leamongrass, Tilia flowers, blackberry leaves, orange blossoms, hawthorn and rosebuds
Has anyone done testing and/or used any of these particular ingredients for adding tannins, treating disease, de-stressing fish etc... or are you aware of any negative side-effects of using any of these ingredients?
Will this put my fish to sleep ;~? x~D
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AWESOME!!! I never randomly get the cool snails, this is awesome!!!
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I would like some help identifying this snail! I noticed one a few of them, no recent plant additions, but its possible that they were tiny/eggs, are these rams-horn snails? Also, is there a possibility that they are a brackish-water species, I ask because I recently got the tank up to approximately 1TBSP per 10 gallons of salt as apart of ich treatment (will be in the process of water-changing out the salt over the next couple of weeks, and I like these guys, so if they need brackish, I'd like to set something up for them.
The only snails I deliberately introduced were 2 Nerite snails, a few of which I figured would hatch from the salt introduction, but as far as I know they should not start with a different shell-shape.
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On 9/5/2021 at 8:09 PM, Littlefish said:
Detritus worms, unless you put blackworms in there at one time. Fish should gobble them
@Littlefish A LONG time ago I did, they look pretty translucent for blackworms, but I did remember doing so, and this tank was neglected for quite awhile, so that is a possibility.
On 9/5/2021 at 8:08 PM, The Fish said:Maybe Hydra. I've never run into them but I've heard they can eat fry and baby shrimp. Also dragonfly nymphs can eat smaller fish.
@The Fish I *think* I've seen some hydra, perhaps even in this tank, but they seemed to have disappeared, so I'm thinking the plecos ate them, there are also some tiny shrimp and amano shrimp and snails, but I though those would have been deterred by the stinging. I've never heard of Dragonfly nymphs, I've got some more nerming to do thanks!
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I found these little worms in the bottom of my shrimp tank, which is also currently housing a couple of young bristlenose plecos. I am assuming they are harmless detritus worms, that I could feed to another fish, or perhaps transfer to my corydora tank, where they wouldn't stand much of a chance.
This did however raise a question, are there any common things that if I see I should be panicking and/or fixing/removing? Even just things might require some consideration, like hydra may be harmful to tiny fish/fry, things like that.
Is there a forum post or video that I might have missed that may have the information that I am looking for? Thanks for any and all information. ;~)
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On 8/27/2021 at 3:53 AM, MAC said:
I used to have a higher stress job and spent alot of time away. I never had time or the place for a hobby. After making some lifestyle changes getting into fishkeeping has been a big help in giving me something to focus on and dial down.
My experience exactly! I am currently in the transition, (finishing at the place I hate, getting things prepared at the place I am going to, AND fixing and selling my current house, though luckally I am at least mostly moved out of that house already) its nice to come home and stare at fish sometimes!
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I would need ANOTHER form of mental help... fishkeeping is basically my therapist at the moment.
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Welcome!!! Quite a cool origin story, I have a feeling I'll be following your projects closely! ;~)
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On 8/24/2021 at 6:16 PM, PineSong said:
I really appreciate everyone's help. It's good to know other people who understand new (to this species anyway) fishkeeper anxiety.
It's good to know I'm not alone x~D I'm glad to hear they are doing better! That's the worst feeling, when you are at work, and can't do anything but think and plan, secretly hoping that you come home and the problem fixed itself! Or worrying that doing something will be worse than waiting ... sigh
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first one I’ve seen copied across a couple of websites, second one has information about all different kinds of salt, as well as a procedure for the bath, though it specifically targets bettas, I’ll attach the image of the procedure to this post as well. None of them specifically mention using it for muscular distress, but they do confirm that it acts as a muscle relaxant for them, so it should have that effect in my opinion.
https://www.hollywoodfishfarm.co.nz/product/epsom-salts-450g/
https://japanesefightingfish.org/epsom-salt-bath-for-betta/
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On 8/24/2021 at 11:45 AM, Hobbit said:
You can give them an epsom salt bath! I forget the exact recipe—one tablespoon per gallon? (You have to make sure there’s nothing added to the Epsom salts of course.)
I’ve heard of that being an application in aquariums, and I know its used as a laxative for people, not sure if it has that effect on fish or not, could be worth looking into!
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Nice tank! what are you keeping in there ;~?
Welcome to the co-op! ;~)
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Oh, and maybe watch that they are not constipated as well, the next time you feed, watch for poop, and make sure the stomach doesn't seem to bloat.
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On 8/24/2021 at 9:07 AM, PineSong said:
Thanks, no. The food was not visible when I returned home, and he did come out of the plants to eat at feeding time--this time I gave them tiny Bug Bites. So his appetite was okay, but he's still hanging out in the plants in an uncharacteristic way.
Sounds to me that he may just be stressed, I'd watch other water parameters, maybe do a good gravel vac, make sure all other stress factors are limited, to prevent disease etc... If the other mollies are picking on that one still, separate if possible?(again, I am unfamiliar with mollies, so I don't know if they need the socialization and this would cause more stress.)
If they were choking, they will more than likely have overused a lot of muscles to try to dislodge food, so, could just be sore, so may just be a case of needing to recover from that. (I was a massage therapist for a few years), not sure if there would be a way to treat inflammation in fish muscles, other than cooler water, but that is just a guess, and would potentially lead to an increased risk of infection, and would probably not be worth the risk.
I'd keep an eye for any kind of disease, and limit stress as much as possible and hope for the best.
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@PineSong Also, I'm assuming that this is frozen Spirulina brine shrimp? I'm not sure if I've ever fed that brand, but I'm sure I have, I currently have the San Fransisco Bay brand, but I've never had a problem with this or any frozen food, by just throwing the cube in frozen, it thaws pretty quickly in the water.
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This is not something that I have experienced, I am curious if anyone has dealt with something like this. Was the food still visible in their mouth when you got back home? If it looked like choking, I would have probably attempted to hold the fish, and remove food with like plant tweezers, but I don't know if that would have been the right move or not.
I don't really have experience with mollies, but I know from my danios, when one gets stressed, the others seem to bully the stressed one, (not immediately, and they might just be upset that they don't want to play too) not sure if this is a culling the herd type instinct, or something else.
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Very cool tanks!!! I can tell you put a lot of effort into the spacing! Welcome to the forum!
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On 8/24/2021 at 7:23 AM, Tankseeker said:
@Wellxamlooking at your full tank you should add some tall plants like java fern to fill up the higher areas
yes, I have some scattered plants, that I've yet to set, the left side is going to be a jungle val forest, they are starting to spread out, so I'll be planting them spread out a bit more, and then I'm deciding between the tall guys that are in there, what is going to stay, and what I'll be moving to other tanks, obviously they are stuck in quarantine mode at the moment. I also have red root floaters (they dried out when shipped, looks like some of them may be coming back though, so I'm keeping an eye) and frogbit that will populate the top. The nitrates have been lower due to medicating, but I will fertilize and resume normal feeding assuming I don't see any more ich. There is also a baby java fern (a free stowaway from the jungle val from my LFS! ;~DP.S. I've got a background coming, the glare on my picture is almost as bad as the camera was 😅
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So as of this morning, with room lights on, but not aquarium lights, he is no longer in the spot, and headcount says nobody died. I will continue to update, but am still interested if anyone has experienced something like this.
I have found a few other random posts on the internet describing similar behavior possibly, but nothing that leads closer to an actual answer.
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What are your everyday joys in aquarium keeping?
in General Discussion
Posted
To be completely honest, just grabbing a snack, and just sitting/laying down in front of my tank, and watching the fish do their thing! Especially fry, there’s always something about watching the new life find their way that is just intriguing!