J. Mantooth
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Posts posted by J. Mantooth
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I run a cheap pond pump in a bucket that sits under the faucet in my bathtub. I attach a 3/4 in. pvc hose to it, adjust the temp where I want it, let the bucket fill up, add water conditioner to the tank, then let it rip. I get the perfect temp every time. I made a tank filler head that hangs on the side of my tank with PVC pipe and a cheap 3/4 backflow valve from a hot tub supply store. Once it is close to done filling, I turn off the water and let the pump empty out the bucket, then I roll up the hose, put it in the bucket and put the whole thing away. I can do a whole water change on my 80 gallon in about 20-25 minutes, depending on how much I fiddle fart around with things. One of my 75 gallons is due for a water change tomorrow. If anyone is interested, I will snag some video. 🙂 I think the whole thing cost me maybe $50.00-ish?
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2 hours ago, Edward Steven said:
How cool that you have so many. I bet between everyone we could get the whole history of fish keeping scanned and uploaded. I like the vintage photos, I bet they were super difficult to get good pictures back then. How do you tell fish not to move for a couple minutes?
I'll say! At least they had graduated to film by the 1930's. Would have been murder, or impossible, with older plate cameras. I think Kodak came out with the Brownie, one of the first real 'portable' cameras in the late teens. @David Humphrey, does that sound accurate to you? Or at least close?
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5 hours ago, Dean’s Fishroom said:
I have a whole pile of these from the 30's through the 50's.
It's kind of interesting how some products have evolved and the basic principles of fish keeping have stayed the same.
I know @Dean’s Fishroom! It was your mention of them that sent me down the rabbit hole to find them, and a wonderful treasure trove of other cool stuff, in the first place. LOL! Thanks Dean! Well, I thank you. My bank account does not. 🙂
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19 hours ago, Daniel said:
I made and installed the observation hive for the Imagination Station, and in return they are restoring my old aquarium. Here is a video I made about swarming.
Well that seems like a darn fine trade! Great video too! I had no idea bee behavior is so interesting. I need another hobby like a hole in the head, but I will definitely will be looking into bees further. Way cool. 🙂
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I'm with @Faedother. I bury them in the backyard in the flower bed. They can fertilize the flowers and I can appreciate them again when the flowers bloom. Circle of life and all of that. 🙂
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@Daniel The Aquarium, Neon Tetra issue from November of 1936 is now in for your viewing pleasure. 🙂
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6 minutes ago, Daniel said:
@J. Mantooth A few minutes ago I just scored the first 3 years of "The Aquarium" at an live online auction (there was real floor bidding and all):
I would still love to see what's in the 1936 Tetra Issue. The introduction of neons in 1936 caused a frenzy!
How awesome!!! What a great win! That is going to be so helpful for your project.
I will break out the good scanner this afternoon and load it up for you. 🙂
8 minutes ago, Daniel said:Innes totally reminds me of @Cory. Very much quality oriented, if he thought the photograph of the fish didn't reflect real life, he would make a painting of what the fish really looked like. Also like @Cory a very wide knowledge base, and very patient in answering questions. And both have/had media empires.
I agree. Innes' attention to detail really denotes his passion for aquatics. I appreciate the way he dispels rumors and bad fish keeping advice in his books/articles. He almost sounds like a caring father 'tsking you into doing the right thing for your fish. Like @Cory explaining to someone that water changes really are important, how one should really test their water, and no, you can't put a Goldfish in a bowl. LOL!
I was also really impressed by how many of the "rules" for good fish keeping that are still very much considered sound advice today. Some almost verbatim. It seems like more of the equipment and technology has changed, rather than the basic principals. Though looking at the technology used in the 30's, I am really surprised more people weren't electrocuted using some of those heaters and air pumps. "Can be used with AC and DC current." Makes me glad to be keeping fish today.
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7 hours ago, Daniel said:
That is so cool that you have the 1936 Tetra issue! And yes, I would very much like to see what is in that issue. If you are willing please upload to here.
Does Innes mention how the first neons were originally imported in to the United States from Germany on the airship Hindenburg?
Apistogramma, Corydoras, and Elassoma (pygmy sunfish) are mentioned in the 1936 book that I uploaded, but no mention of discus. I haven't seen earlier versions of the book so I don't know what is new for 1936.
Is your 1931 version the book 'Goldfish Varieties and Tropical Aquarium Fishes' or the 'The Complete Aquarium Book'?
I will absolutely scan it this afternoon and upload it for you. 🙂
He absolutely talks about the import in that issue. It is quite a long article and is packed with really cool information about the import process.I have the electronic version of the original 1917 book, thanks to Cornell University and public domain, so I will load it up for you too.
I have the Goldfish Varieties and Tropical Aquarium Fishes book. I have a thing for Goldfish, so I went with that one. Really interesting to see the color photos. Really high quality for the time.
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I have 2x 1936 Aquarium magazines and 1x 1934 Aquarium magazine I am more than happy to scan to you if you would like. One is the 1936 Tetra issue in which it talks about how Neon Tetras are an amazing new discovery and is sure to become a huge hit in the hobby. They even discuss how hard they are to breed and how they will likely hold their value at $150.00 a pair, imported. LOL! Oh, how times have changed. 🙂
I have the 1931 edition of Innes' book. Not too much changed from 1917 (the original) to my version. Have you noticed any interesting new fish additions between the public domain original and your version yet?
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Goldfish are the best! Except when they have SBD, then its heart wrenching. It sounds like you have pretty much run the gambit when it comes to feeding/fasting. If you haven't heard of him yet, there is a veterinarian on the east coast of the United States that has multiple websites specializing in Goldfish/Koi health and treatment. His name is Dr. Erik Johnson, DVM. I have a few of his books, but I also use his websites to look for solutions. From his site, I was able to determine my pearlscale's SBD was being caused by a bacterial infection. I treated her and she has been floaty free for months now. He speaks at length about SBD in Koi and Goldfish and how to tell what is causing your fish's SBD (i.e. body shape, infection, food, all of the above). He also offers a ton of treatment options. If you are interested, his main site is drjohnson.com and his archive site is koivet.com. He also has a YouTube channel. Hope this helps!
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5 hours ago, Pat.Shaw said:
So its been almost a full week since I added one round of maracyn. The white slim/fungus on the corydoras is same. Im happy its not worse!
My plan going forward was to do a water change then start the 5 day treatment of maracyn and ich-x. Seem like a good plan? or keep feeding well and give it time?
I'm assuming the maracyn will negatively effect my beneficial bacteria? So I will keep a eye on the ammonia and nitrites levels.
Of course everyone is welcome to chime in on this.
Thank yall so much!
I didn't have a microscope at the time, so I can't confirm if it was Columnaris or not, but I have treated some of my fish that had what looks similar to what your little corydoras are wearing. I used a combination of Nitrofurazone (Furan 2) and Kanamycin (Kanaplex) to knock it out. It was gone after the week's round of treatments. I simply followed the dosing instructions for both and treated the tank accordingly with both meds at the same time. Nitrofurazone combats gram positive and some gram negative bacteria, while Kanamycin treats gram negative and some gram positive bacteria. So they cover the whole spectrum on both sides. The tanks I treated had corydoras in them and they didn't seem to have any issues. Both manufacturers also say they are safe for sensitive fish.
Disclaimer, this was before I had ever tried Maracyn and I haven't had it show up in any tanks since I added Maracyn to my arsenal.
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I stand by the quarantine med trio and it has worked beautifully to treat issues for which it was designed. However, I have run into a couple of instances of fish ailments that weren't covered by the trio that didn't really show up during quarantine. (Usually 5 or 6 weeks, for me, give or take a day or two.) From my research (online and books), these don't seem like super everyday common issues and don't generally present symptoms right away or are harder to spot. So far, some of my fish have presented (after quarantine):
Camallanus Worms - Treated with Safeguard Goat Drench (Fenbendazole) while waiting for Levamisole to arrive (3 weeks later). Now I am the crazy paranoid fish lady that periodically checks my fish's vents for worms. (Never thought that would be my jam. 🙂
Anchor Worms - Treated with Microbe-Lift Lice and Anchor Worm (Cyromazine) and Cyropro (different tanks, not at the same time). I finally received the Dimilin I ordered (one month later) so I am ready if it pops up again. No flashing for weeks, no lethargy, no nothing. All seemed well until an ulcer on one of my fish showed up. I assumed it had gotten into something and hurt itself. A couple of days later, all of the fish in the tank seemed to have a small ulcer and were flashing. Started general salt treatment (low level), until I could figure out what it actually was. The next day I could finally see the little buggers. Gross.
As much fun as it was to treat each of my established tanks after I added in the fish that had "completed" quarantine, I would rather not play those games again. Given the overall world situation, I couldn't go to my LFS to inspect the fish before I received them. At this point, I don't even want to order fish online anymore, not that it would have mattered to see them first as I obviously would not have caught either of the two. I would like to know if anyone can add insight to the following questions so we can all learn something and maybe avoid these types of shenanigans in the future.
My questions:
1. Are there any other not so obvious fish issues that can be hard to spot during a quarantine period? (i.e. Not the usual suspects like Ick, Velvet, Flukes, DOA, etc. Lol!)
2. If so, what are the tricks and tips to spot them early (if any)?
3. Are there any good treatments every fish keeper should probably have on hand as they are hard to come by or generally have longer shipping wait times? (i.e. Levamisole, Dimilin, Malachite Green, Potassium Permanganate, etc.)
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23 hours ago, David Humphrey said:
Jen,
Every photographer has to find their "sweet spot", where shutter speed, aperture, ISO, camera, lens, even post processing software and plug-ins, come together. They each play a part in determining the "look" of the image, and the individual photographer's style.
ISO and the corresponding "noise" that increases with raising the ISO, is subjective. As a professional, I've been known to "pixel peek" when processing my images. This comes from typically producing 40" prints or larger. So, being "nit picky" isn't necessarily a bad thing.
What we need to remember is how is the image going to be utilized. If we are primarily creating images for use on the internet, and taking into consideration that some sites, like facebook, compress images further, ISO noise is much less a factor than if the image is going to be used for the production of large prints. Also, weened to remember, that most people will never "see" the things that we do. 🙂
The quality of image sensors has been improving ever since the introduction of digital imaging. Each new generation builds on the past and strives to improve in various areas of performance.
I started out, back in 2001, with a Fuji S1, then moved to the Fuji S2, then moved to the Canon 5D, then moved to the Canon 5D Mk III, then moved to the Canon 5d MkIV, and now I have the Sony a7R IV. Each cane I made was because of the increase in image quality, noise reduction, and increased exposure range. One thing to remember is there is always a Price/Performance ratio that needs to be evaluated, and of course your budget. If I can't pay for a piece of equipment in a year with additional sales, then I have to seriously consider whether the investment is warranted.
Lighting is always a factor, especially with photography. The color temperature of the light (kelvin scale) determines how the camera, or film, will see the image. This is sometimes confusing because our brains color correct based on perception, i.e., that piece of paper is white, so our brain corrects the image for us, so we "see" it as white. If you are going to shoot film, you will need to either make sure that your light source is daylight balanced, or buy CC (color correcting) filters to compensate for the kelvin temperature difference. This is where digital has a huge benefit over film.
Are you going to use the additional light strictly for your fish photography, or will you be using it for other types of photography? If it's going to be for fish, I'd recommend Aquarium Co-Op's lights. https://www.aquariumcoop.com/pages/led-aquarium-lighting Not only will they give you more light, but they will allow you to grow plants. 🙂
There are many adapters for lenses. What we need to remember is that today's image sensors have better resolving power, in some cases MUCH better, and that older lenses may not be up to the task. You will need to test this before you invest in one. Most local camera stores will allow you to try an adaptor on your camera/lens before you buy it. Find one that allows this, take your gear, put the adapter on, and take a few test shots (at various apertures, and I recommend photographing a page of text from a magazine, etc.), then take the image files back to your computer and compare them, if you can, with images from other lenses.
TLR, there's a term few will know. 😉 My first 120/220 camera was a Mamiya C330, and 55mm, 80mm, 135mm, and 250mm. Great memories!
Hopefully you find this information helpful. 🙂
I'm always glad to help. I've been teacher/educator in the professional photography, collegiate field for 40 years.
David
I am an absolute pixel peeper! LOL! I try to be objective and remember most of my images will end up on the web, but I do like to make larger prints too. A photographer I met years and years ago told me it was a good practice to make prints of your best shots, mostly for prosperity and learning. I haven't needed to shoot anything for a billboard, but I do strive to give myself the print option should I decide I like the shot enough.
While all of my camera bodies perform well at even higher ISO's, I try to get the cleanest images I can from the get go, rather than relying too much on post editing. I think that comes from starting out on film, being largely self taught, and doing it poorly. 🙂 That being said, I am not poo-pooing modern post processing tech at all. I actually embraced Lightroom and Photoshop when I moved from film to digital, perhaps a little too much. Got sloppy for a while and had to reign myself in and go back to basics. Except lighting, apparently. LOL!
I see you made the move to Sony. I have been considering the same move for a couple of years now, but it comes down to that whole Price/Performance ratio you spoke about. Would I like to upgrade my gear, of course. But do I really need to? Meh. Then Canon threw a wrench in and released the new R5. Most of what I shoot now are musicians in dark clubs performing on a stage. Or musicians that need images for album art/promo work. Settings and lenses for that are pretty straight forward for that. I think because fish are moving much faster, they are smaller than people, and the fact they are in water in a glass box is the part that is throwing me off. 🙂
I am running Finnex Stingray lights on all of my tanks, with the exception of the 75 gallons + tanks. (Courtesy of AqCo, of course.) They are advertised to run at 7000K, which based on the handy image you posted, explains the bluish green tint on some of my shots. I will play with my white balance as I am now sure what that glitch was. Thanks again for that hot tip!
I think the problem is with my light placement. Most of my tanks are deeper (width vs. length) and the lights are positioned middle to back half of the tank. When my fish see me, naturally they are excited the bringer of food has arrived so they move toward the front of the tank. This is causing them to essentially be back lit. Last night I tried moving the light farther forward in the tank and the fish look great. So for closeups, this is better. But the plants and background look like garbage, which isn't so great for wider tank shots. I have a couple of pocket Aputure AL-M9's I think I will try to put those toward the front of the tank to add some additional pizzazz. Though if I put them on the top, all of the lighting will be from the top down. Should I be thinking about ways to light the tank from the front? Or maybe the sides? Doing that without glare? Are top down lighting issues moot because water is reflective? Substrate on most of my tanks is black or dark, so not much bounce going on in there. Everything in my gut screams direct flash on a glass box is a bad idea. LOL! Also don't want to give my fish a heart attack. 🙂 Unless there is a flash trick I don't know about?
Back in the day, I couldn't afford extra lenses when I got my first digital camera (Canon Rebel T3i). I used to adapt my old 35mm film camera lenses to it, as I already owned those. I am pretty sure I still have an OM-EF and an old Nikon F-EF adapter floating around somewhere. I will try your magazine trick to see whether or not my newer camera bodies appreciate the classics.
I have both the Mamiya C330 and a C220. I used to use an old Yashica too, but I have relegated it to bookshelf decor until I replace the door seals. I love shooting portraits with these! Makes me feel like a mad scientist with the bellows and knobs. The big shutter click really is satisfying. I have the 80mm and the 135mm lenses, but finding the 55mm, in serviceable condition, for less than a bazillion "you must be out of your mind" bucks has proven challenging. I still check eBay from time to time to see what is out there, but since I use the 80mm most of the time anyway, I am not in a hurry.
Of course the info is helpful! You know how hard it is to find a photographer willing to take the time to break this stuff down? I very much appreciate it!
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10 hours ago, David Humphrey said:
Thank you.
Photography is always evolving, and there is always something new to learn.
For fish photography, or any type of photography, the first thing to invest in is top quality lenses. Camera bodies change rapidly, no so with lenses. Therefore, your investment lasts longer.
You will also need to know the type of lighting that your tank has, and set the White balance appropriately. While many set their cameras to AWB (auto white balance) this can cause unwanted color shifts. Since the cameras sensor can be “tricked” by an over abundance of one color, let’s say green plants in the background. The camera will attempt time compensate for all the green and add red (which is the complementary color to green) in order to neutralize the color.
When it comes to photographing your fish, you will want to use a smaller aperture (f-stop), to give you a bit more depth of field. Assuming you’re using a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) camera that allows for interchangeable lenses. This will help minimize part of the fish going out of focus.
Another thing you will want to do is use a faster shutter speed. This will minimize camera shake and fish movement. An easy way to do this (again, assuming you’re using a DSLR) is to increase the ISO setting. Thus increasing the sensitivity, and allowing for faster shutter speeds.
Typically, I would recommend a minimum shutter speed of 1/250 of a second.
I hope you find this information useful. You f you have any specific questions, please feel free to ask.
Sweet! What you said means I am on the right track! I always forget about switching out of AWB, which explains why some of my shots have been a little hinky (blue/green tinges here and there). I have pretty much settled on 1/250 of a second for my fancy goldfish and bettas, but the koi aren't as used to the camera yet, so I tend to creep up to 1/320 ish. They see me coming with the big cameras and head for the hills, with haste.
I am hanging out at ISO 1000 using both a 50mm f/1.8 and a 24mm f/2.8. Neither of which are fabulous and I am not stoked about ISO's higher than 800 for any of my DSLR cameras. I have tried this configuration on a Canon 7D Mk II, 80D, and 5D Mk II, but noise seems to be an issue (or I could be nit picky?). The 80D actually seems to be handling best overall, which surprised the heck out of me. I think, for fish, I am going to need to spring for a f/1.4 lens and add additional lighting to the tank I am shooting. Maybe some fill from the top? Side? Direct or softer? I also haven't tried my 85mm f/1.8 yet. Even with adjustment for the crop, it is a better (quality) lens than my 50mm cheapo, so that could help. Oh wait! I have an old Olympus 50mm f/1.2! I bet with an adapter that would give me something crisp. Manual focus for fish though? I may want to rethink that. LMAO! It is a pretty cool lens though. It has the shimmer ring in it that disappears when you are completely focused. Pretty sure that is not what it is called, but you get the idea.
I noticed you mentioned the use of a polarizing filter for glare on someone else's post. I ordered some filters a couple of years back, but I haven't even opened them. I thought I would probably need them someday. Perhaps it's time I break them out of the box and see what they can do? LOL!
Ultimately I would like to get the settings down so I can break out one of my old TLRs or my old Olympus 35mm. Digital is fun and way more inexpensive, but I collect older cameras and I enjoy shooting with them. Though with 120 film, for the price, I want to make sure I can get pretty darn close before I burn a roll or six. 🙂
Thanks for being here man! I can tell you are already going to be a popular guy. Possibly more popular than you bargained for. 🙂
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Awesome to meet you! I can't wait to see you post some pics! I am also a photographer, though with only about 1/8 of your experience. Fish photography, I am learning quickly, is a very different animal from traditional event/sports photography. Looking forward to hearing more about your tank, your retirement, and some fish photography tips and tricks. 🙂
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LMAO! "We want good pictures and long format conversation. Now if that doesn't interest you, well, there is social media for that..."
Thank you Cory! I think this is going to be pretty fabulous! I appreciate the hard work you are putting in, and will continue to put in, to make this happen. Lots of forums out there are pretty brutal, so its going to be great to not have some of that garbage. 🙂
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Greetings from Oregon!
My name is Jennifer, though most people call me J, Jen, or simply Mantooth. I have been around the hobby for most of my life, though I decided about 6 months ago to finally get some tanks of my own. I started with a 10 gallon tank, but I am now up to 20 tanks of my own. My partner decided he wanted to hop on the bandwagon and has 10 tanks of his own, with the understanding they are essentially mine too. LOL! Our tanks are mostly evenly split between large-ish (75-120 gallon range) and small-ish (5-55 gallon range). I am a Goldfish and Betta nut and he is a big fan of catfish and bottom feeders, though we have a ridiculous amount of schooling fish and shrimp too. If you asked me what kind of fish was my favorite, my answer would be, yes.
I am a Programmer by trade, but I am looking forward to chatting with everyone about geeky fish stuff, instead of just the geeky tech stuff I hear about all day. Not that I don't enjoy talking about Star Trek/Wars, the latest in server security, or what RPG everyone is into right now, but I like other things too. I am also pretty sure my friends will be glad they are off the hook about yet another fish story, usually complete with photos. I try not to be THAT fish parent, but its hard when they are just so darn cute. Now I just have to remember how forums work. Pretty sure I haven't used a forum since the early 2000's... 😉
Working on my fish photography. It has become rather obvious I need to invest in some brighter/faster lenses to get this right. Here are a few fish pics, some from DSLR, some on phone. 🙂
Dwarf Cichlid Picking on Corydoras
in Diseases
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When I have had instances where some of my fish just didn't seem to get along with others, I have always opted to put them in a separate tank, let them relax and heal for a bit, then I generally try to place them in a different tank with a different group. But that is because I am a big softy and I hate to see any of my tanks stressed, rather than because I am certain it is really necessary. Petco is having their dollar a gallon sale right now...just saying....if you have one near you... 🙂
I have a really bully-ish Dwarf Gourami that I originally had issues with as he was chasing my Tetras around. I pulled him out, added a few Water Sprite to create some heavier bushes in the back corner, rearranged the other plants a bit to break up the viewing area from within the tank side to side, and put him back in the tank. I assumed the Tetra would appreciate the place to hide. I was surprised when my Gourami took over the bushy corner, but left everyone alone after that. Turns out, he just wanted his own little green nook. Also, I think re-adding him to the tank as kind of the new kid, with a different layout, calmed him down somewhat.
Full disclosure, I don't know very much about Cichlids. But for what its worth, I would either take the Corys out and QT them (just observation first, then meds if needed), before moving them into your son's 29 gallon, or I would temporarily remove the Cichlids, add more plants that break up the viewing area within the tank (not blocking your view from the front of course), shake up the rest of the plants and decor a bit, then put the Cichlids back in to see if that helps. 😉
How big is your QT tank? I once had 15 Panda Corys, alone, in a 10 gallon planted tank for about a month. I am not proud, but I unexpectedly inherited them. I put a bigger cycled filter on the tank (swapped with an established tank with 2 filters on it) and was more diligent about watching the parameters and detritus build up. I was concerned because they liked to dog pile on each other in a corner of that tank and I thought it was a reaction to the tank size. (I hadn't had any Corys prior to that.) Now they are in a 40 gallon and still like to dog pile on each other at night. Everything turned out great! I think if you are diligent about keeping an eye on the parameters, they could be alright in a small-ish tank short term. But I wouldn't attempt anything smaller than a 10 gallon.
P.S. I have lots of experience with diseased and trauma affected fish (I am a sucker for fish who look rough and need some TLC), but it still stresses me out when any of my little guys or gals are sick or are being bullied. I would be more concerned if you didn't care that your fish are missing chunks from their tails. 🙂