Native Keeper

Yikes. Found something worse than Hydra! Oh, the risks and dangers of collecting wild organisms.

2/3/22 I was able to get a lot done today. I cleaned the glass of all my tanks; they all look much better now. I used glass cleaner to clean it, since three people, including my mother, recommended this method. here's a pic of my 10-gallon quarantine tank after wiping the glass down. you can find a pic of it yesterday above and can definitely see a difference. I topped off the 15-gallon Fluval Flex, and the 29-gallon Longear tank. I've noticed in the 75-gallon that the ammonia is becoming worse. To combat this, I'm cutting down fighting again to only once a day, and a put some extra decor that originally lived in the quarantine tank, to introduce more bacteria. I also noticed that two of the crawfish have seemingly traded homes. Originally, the largest crawfish lived underneath a rock on the far-left side of the tank where it is darker, while the second largest commonly resided in a crevice between two rocks in the middle of the tank. But today, I noticed that the largest was in the middle, and the second largest was on the far left! Not sure what this behavior means, but it is interesting. Here's a vid of the largest crawfish and a goldfish fighting over an algae wafer. Lemme know if you have any name suggestions! I noticed that two of my Harlequin Rasboras in my 15-gallon are actually more yellowish in color than the rest, not sure if this is an indicator of sex or what, though I don't think it's illness-related. I was able to get some good pics of Poky's poked eye, as well as a better pic of Batman, the Black Bullhead, seen below! some plans for the future: get another plant for the 75-gallon to battle ammonia (leave some recommendations). get some Shiners for the 75 (a bait shop sells them cheap; I think if I get some soon, let them settle into the tank before I re introduce the Bluegill into the 75, they should be fine. If you have any experience with keeping Bait Shiners, lemme know). Scrub off the algae blooms in the 15-gallon. top off the quarantine tank and the 5-gallon fry tank.

@Greg Stewart, forgive me, I didn't take that photo very well, here's a better one of that plant, and yes I'm fairly certain it's a newer leaf.

@Seattle_Aquarist, I dose it with Easy Green twice week, it's a 10 gallon tank, and I sadly cannot test the water right now; I misplaced my testkit and am still searching for it.

Hi everyone! is there a way to change your username on this forum? If so, how? thx in advance!

@Guppysnail, Anubias? I could've sworn it was Cryptocoryne, though I'm still kina new to the plant side of this hobby.

I cannot answer 1, but I can answer 2 and 3. 2) Pearl Gouramis can get around 6 inches (15cm), so I'd say it's very likely they will go for your shrimp. 3) I'd say 1 specimen would be the better option. Again, they can get 6 inches (15cm), though that is a max size, so yours would likely only get about 4 inches (10cm). If these answers have disqualified the Pearl Gourami for your tank, here are some of my recommendations for an Anabantid: Betta coccina Betta imbellis Betta smaragdina Betta splendens Pseudosphromenus cupanus Trichopsis pumila Trichopsis schalleri Trichopsis vittata Trichogaster chuna Trichogaster lalius Parasphaerichthys ocellatus Sohaerichthys osphromenoides All of these fish get around only 2 inches (5cm). There is still a chance that they may prey on the shrimp, but that chance is much smaller, and, if their behavior allows it, you can keep multiples of these species in your tank due to their smaller size.

from what I understand, most fish will do this, even bettas. The reason is due to the fact that shoaling fish have a higher chance of seeing predators before a single individual could. Basically, it's like hanging out with the bullied kids, since they'll be able to spot out a bully before you can.

Hi everyone! I recently noticed that my plants are abnormally colored. I know that this is caused by deficiencies. So, here's my question: what should I be adding to the tanks for these plants? the two plants seen are in different tanks. Thx in advance!

Hi everyone! We all know that cleaning the inner glass of a tank is talked about a lot; Aquarium coop even sells sponges specifically for the purpose of cleaning things like algae of the inner glass. But surprisingly, cleaning the outer glass is not often talked about. We know that we should, but I've never heard any tips on how to do it, so here's my question: How do you clean the outer glass of your tank?

@Seattle_Aquarist, the species you gave me is similar, but I don't think it's the same, though I will have to let these specimens grow before I say anything, so I will keep this in mind, thank you.

@Seattle_Aquarist, It was collected in Southern Missouri, USA.

2/2/22 yesterday I developed a migraine and didn't get the chance to do what I planned. Hopefully today I'll be able to clean the glass, as well as do some liquid fert dosing.

@lefty o Forgive me, I forgot to upload the image of it when I added the topic.

Hi everyone! A while back I collected the plants shown here. Could never identify them. Anybody know the species name? Thx in advance!

Hi everyone! I finally got my phone repaired, so I can finally provide photos and start this journal! Today I'll just give yall introductions on my current aquariums: 1. 10-gallon Gambusia affinis tank. This tank is only a couple months old. It holds 10 Gambusia affinis (1 certified male, 9 females/unsexed individuals) and Physella acuta that were introduced intentionally. When the tank was originally set up, there was also a species of Astacoidea, though this specimen quickly outgrew the tank and was moved to the 75 native tank, as well as what appeared the larva stage of some species of Anisoptera, though this dissapeared at some point. There was also what was likely a Lithobates clamitans tadpole, though this died after a week of introduction, likely not handling the change well. Originally, native plants of unknown classification were added, but it seems the tadpole had eaten all of them. After the rescape of my 15-gallon Fluval Flex, we had lots of leftover plants, believed to be Cryptocoryne. Some of these plants were introduced into the 10 gallon as an experiment to see if they could handle room temperature water. As of now, these plants have shown no signs of dying, tho I suspect that they are lacking certain minerals due to abnormal coloring of newer leaves. 2. 5-gallon fry tank. This tank originally was a temporary home of a male Plakat Betta splendens. Its recent purpose is to be a grow up tank for fish fry, mainly Gambusia affinis fry. Currently it is only home to some Physella acuta. There was also a colony Palaemonetes, but they slowly died out, which has led me to believe I'm simply not ready to keep shrimp just yet. The presumed Cryptocoryne was also addded here, but their growth was expected in this tank, since it does contain a heater. On the left is what was originally bought as a water dish for my Anaxyrus fowleri, but was repurposed as a place for shrimp food, making leftovers easier to clean. 3. 10-gallon quarantine tank This tank acts as a quarantine tank. Currently there is some sand in there, there used to be more, but I planned to take it out soon, as well as the decorations you see. The crocodile skull, as well as the black and white sand, is planned to be used in a 5 gallon I'm requiring soon, and I have yet to find a place for the skull cave, though I have considered keeping it for an Astyanax mexicanus or Astocoidea setup. 4. 29-gallon Lepomis megalotis tank. This tank was specifically set up for Poky, seen on the right. Poky is a Lepomis megalotis that I collected last year. I originally misidentified him as Lepomis humilis, a species I would love to have in my collection. After identifying him correctly, I still decided to keep him, since I had damaged his eye when I caught him, permanently blinding his left eye. I feel it would be cruel to release him back into the wild with such a disadvantage. He originally lived in the 75-gallon native tank, but was moved to 110-gallon trough, as well as a failed 25-gallon trough. This 29-gallon tank is planned to be temporary; I plan to get him a 40 gallon at some point once he out grows this tank, if he does. He currently shares this tank with an Ameiurus melas that was collected last year as well. Originally a species of Astocoidea was added, but it one day jumped out of the tank, and was moved back to the 75 where it originally lived. A Fundulus notatus that had survived a disaster in the 75-gallon native tank, had been moved to the 29, only to be attacked by one of the fish overnight, and died the next day. Pimephales promelas have been added as bacteria cycle starters as well as food for the inhabitants of the tank. Gambusia affinis have been added as food, since the Gambusia tank had begun to be overpopulated. Plants were originally added, but slowly died off; any surviving plants were transplanted to a seperate tank. My hope for this tank is to see Poky make nests in the sand that has been added for tha purpose. 5. 15-gallon Southeast Asian Biotope Fluval Flex This tank was originally owned by my mother, until disaster struck in the tank, and it was decided to redo it entirely. The tank's stocking isn't complete; currently only a shoal of Trigonostigma heteromorpha. One of the individuals is a survivor of the previous setup in this tank. Before they were added, Pimephales promelas were kept in the tank temporarily, since the tank they were going in didn't have a filter, and the filter was being shipped to the house. I plan to add some species of Cobitoidea to keep the tank clean, as well as some species of Anabantoidei. The plants all come from other tanks we have, and all seem to be doing well. The decoration seen on the right was a gift from my grandfather; I figured its coloration would fit with the color of the plants and substrate. Algae blooms have appeared but are being kept under control. My hope is to not let this hae the same fate as the initial setup of this Fluval Flex. 6. 75-gallon Native tank This is one of my oldest tanks still functioning today. It's supposed to be home to a female Lepomis macrochirus but has recently been a winter home to my group of Carassius auratus. Currently, it is home to aforementioned Carassius auratus, as well as 3 specimens of a species of Astocoidea. The plants you see have been added recently to fight the Ammonia spike that has recently occured, and has yet to go away. Once the Carassius auratus are moved back into the 110-gallon trough, it should die down. I have plans to add a Willow sapling to that tank for its roots. There is also an unidentified species of plant growing in the HOB filter. 7. 110-gallon trough. This tank acts as a tank for Carassius auratus that I rescue in the future. Currently, it's an absolute mess. The sponge filter doesn't filter the tank properly, leaving a large amount of waste on the bottom. I plan to get a cansiter filter for this tank soon, hopefully before Spring. The bluegill corrently resides here, though only temporarily. I am very ashamed of this tank and hope to fix it soon. Today I planned to clean the glass of the tanks, since after taking these photos, it's obvious that I need to do so. Thx in advance to anyone who decides to follow this topic!

due to her love for food, I'd recommend getting a tank for herself, that way you can easily control how much she eats.

yeah, I'd recommend feeding her way less, she is very overweight. How often do you feed her, and how much? What are you feeding her?

I'd say 3 or 4 Hillstream loaches could work!

If you're trying to breed the shrimp, then no. If not, then yeah, they'll keep the shrimp population in check!

@Zenzo, I am honored to have your response, thank you. If I ever post the research I've done, then I will tag you in the post!

Hi everyone! I'm currently working on a fun project that involves the speculative evolution of wild Betta splendens (let me know if yall would like to see it once I'm done writing it!). One of the roads I'm taking it is the speculation of an isolated population becoming amphibious to have access to more food. I'm currently using things like Mudskippers and Walking Catfish (Clarias batrachus) as references for this concept, since these fish commonly breathe atmospheric oxygen. A problem I've run into is that there seems to be no good info on the breeding process of these fish online, from what I've found. All of it is about captive breeding, not wild behavior. So, if anyone has info on how Mudskipper and/or Walking Catfish breed, please leave it down in the comments. Any courting info would also be really helpful!

I actually have that same AT-AT in a 15 gallon, I got it from my grandfather who gifted it to me!

@ScottieB, Missouri tends to be chill, and the species here aren't endangered, so it should be fine. I might release any offspring I get back into the wild, that way I'm not just taking.

Hi everyone! Soon I'm going to get a 5-gallon tank from my grandfather, the tank was gifted to him, but he doesn't have a purpose for it. I've recently become more interested in inverts, so I decided I would do a native invert 5-gallon. I currently have 2 species that I know I'll be able to collect for the tank once spring comes around, so if you've ever kept these species, or have any information on them period, let me know! Physella acuta (Bladder Snails) Amphipoda (Scuds or Amphipods as I call them.) If you know of any other peaceful, non-larvae inverts that are native to Missouri, let me know as well! Thanks in advance!