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Showing results for tags 'environmental conditions'.
Found 5 results
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I've kept many species and seen aggression from almost everything, many non-pike cichlids, two types of dwarf pike cichlids, variatus platys, plecos, wild bettas, etc s ome of which have ended in major injury. Plecos in particular are pretty vicious fighting over caves in my experience. That leads me to think freshwater puffers might be getting get a bad reputation. I work with the hairy puffer pao baileyi (now paired up) who never had a fight since arrival in 2018, and seperately have the mekong river puffer pao palustris in a colony that has now been in the fishroom for a month or two. Are Pao puffers really total murder machines who need solitary confinement in all instances or are they the victims of a reputation that might be amplified by how the exist in the hobby? A few of my 6 pao palustris colony definately chase each other from time to time and give some quick though intense "mouth hugs". I would bet those are probably territorial arguments. They end fairly quickly once line of sight is lost and everyone moves back to the cave or plant roots they call home. My current belief is they arent trying to fight to the death since they are all doing well eating, exploring, general puffering, and there has been only superficial scrapes thusfar. Those arguments have become less frequent as they have settled into defined territories. The attached short video clip is from earlier and is the palustris colony's typical feeding response to frozen krill. They even feed with a bit of a pecking order and exhibit some personal preference for certain foods. I have also observed both of those behaviors in my hairy puffers. Is the reputation of the ambush puffers based on research, a built in margin of safety due to their cost and how they are sold to hobbyists, aquarium legend, something else ? Am I just lucky with the 9 individuals over 2 Pao species I've kept so far? What say you nerms? -
Greetings Looks like my house has some extra inhabitants crawling around inside the walls (it's very common here in So. Cal.) and we are going to need some treatment. Tenting and fumigating has been recommended. Anyone have experience with how this may affect aquariums? I have two planted tanks established. Thanks!! -
You often see something like, "my fish are dying because of a fungal infection". I suspect it is the other way around. That is, "your fish are dying, and that is why they have a fungal infection. With the exception of a few diseases like ich which can spread rapidly when you see that most of the fish in an aquarium are sick, it is because of poor environmental conditions. It is useful to ask why many times. Something like: Why are my fish lethargic? Answer: My fish have a fungal infection. Why do my fish have a fungal infection? Answer: My fish's immune systems were compromised and this led to a fungal infection that normally would have been warded off. Why were my fish's immune systems compromised? Answer: Poor environmental conditions. Why do I have poor environmental conditions? Answer: Now there is the real mystery, because when the parameters were measured they were "all perfect". Hmm...everything is perfect and yet the fish are sick? I think it is all too easy sometimes to confuse the cause (environment) with the effect (sick fish). -
Hello, I recently insulated my garage and plan to move fish out there. I bought this heater from Home Depot - https://www.homedepot.com/p/Comfort-Zone-1-500-Watt-Electric-Digital-Quartz-Infrared-Cabinet-Space-Heater-with-Remote-Control-in-Black-CZ2018-EC/311938921 On max settings the highest the temp has gotten is 72 degrees. The garage is 206 square feet and it has been about 30 degrees outside the last two days. Is there a better heater that can keep the garage in the high 70s? -
What level and temperature do you keep your fishroom? I try and keep my Arizona Garage fishroom at 50% humidity and between 74° F - 79° F year round. I have two dehumidifiers I run, one in the summer that blows cold air, and one in the winter that blows hot air.
