Beardedbillygoat’s Fish & Shrimp Tank Journal

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

It’s always fun to add something new to the fishwall and today was like Christmas only there were bags of fish involved! 
Fundolopanchax gardneri p82 aka the steel blue killis arrived today a day early. They were frisky in the bag which was just below 70 and the tank was 72 so I went ahead and plopped and dropped them. The seller on Aquabid included a 4th pair when I’d paid 30 for 3 pairs which is always a great surprise. 

They have really colored up since lunchtime and can’t wait for some good food and water changes to see what they’ll do. These are my first killis and their reputation as jumpers proceeded them so I’ve secured the top as best I can. Lots of plexiglass/lexan and glass. First feeding was some crushed Vibra bites. I have some BBS going so tomorrow we’ll start fattening them up. I’ll need to remove the guppy mommas in there - they are untouched females I’ve been trying to fatten up for some juvie males that are coloring up. 
My tetra breeding experience didn’t go great No fry and I lost a couple green neons. I think id need to heed @Atitagainadvice in using distilled water. Maybe I could try again with snow melt. 

[Patrick_G]

Nice score! These should be really fun to breed. 

[Atitagain]

I’m so excited for you, that is great early and a extra pair! They do look frisky in the video.

good luck mate 

Edited November 19, 2021 by Atitagain
Speling

[Guppysnail]

Very beautiful. I’m rooting for you to have extreme success with these guys. 

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

I’ve had a lot of fun with these killis. Color has really gone up a notch. Here’s an updated video. 

I went a little Aquabid crazy. Saw that the same breeder I got my panda corys from had another 15 for sale and grabbed them. They have been such hardy fish for me I’ve been really happy with them and my hope is that by January this colony will start producing some eggs. If I can get some good yields from the killis and pandas I’d be thrilled. 

This is big daddy about 3 weeks ago. At present he’s in a cave with a couple dozen fry. They’re really small, I think just past the yolk sack stage and I’m planning to set them up in one of my grow outs. Have been debating taking Dad out as well and maybe fattening him up for a week or so but I also am worried that may stress him out. Do you have any thoughts @Guppysnail? 
Im feeling a bit guilt as I’m on my hospital week and I’ve done only a couple water changes. I changed water a bunch in the 2 weeks prior so hopefully things are going ok from what I’ve observed in my brief interactions with the tanks they seem good. I fed BBS tonight which is always fun and I’ll feed the rest tomorrow. 
I’ll leave you with the pure joy of feeding African Dwarf Frogs tubifex worms. Have fun 🤩 everyone! 

Sorry Benny Hill was my Grandpa Joe’s favorite. Good times that make me smile! 

[Guppysnail]

Im glad your killis are doing good. My mom BN lays eggs every 3-3/2 weeks. Dad gets a few days at best to eat. I always put veggies and wafers immediately outside his cave so he can sit in the cave with just his nose out and eat. I’m maxed out for space and do not move fish unless completely necessary and unavoidable.  I removed every other batch of eggs to give dad a chance to recover  I lift the cave gently to the waterline and slowly raise it up tilted into the cave a few times and dad releases. I have seen no I’ll affects. Dad fans the cave for about an hour or two then cleans it and then sets to eating and doing his normal thing. 3 1/2 weeks later rinse and repeat. When they laid the first clutch I read a lot of course. I ran across a few things (in Reddit so grain of salt needed) that females can breed a lone male to death. Not sure how true that is. 
The other thing I learned was I allowed two batches to hatch back to back. The second batch stayed smaller from over competition for food even though I kept veggies in 24/7 and fed repashy 2x a day on enough sticks everyone had room to get to the repashy and I’m thinking the biofilm and natural foods were slightly depleted from the first batch. When I removed the smallest to other tanks they filled in quick but still remained smaller and slower to develop than the first batch. 
Benny Hill was good times 😂

[Atitagain]

Another great thing about this forum, although we would learn better keeping different types of fish ourselves we can learn from real time-ish experience of others. And see different behaviors to be more prepared if we decide to get say, African dwarf frogs.(their so cool)

I remember being very young watching Benny hill, my mom did not approve (for obvious reasons to me now) which of coarse made it even more of a must watch show. Never got the jokes in the skits it was only about that song and the chase scene. 😁🤣😂🤣👍

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

@Guppysnaili have 2 growout tanks I setup for tetras that I never used so I think I’ll start dropping fry in there. I have my plant grow out too that’s not heated but I can plop a heater in there no problem. That way I can raise 3 generations at a time. They’d share the tank with killi and Cory fry eventually. @AtitagainI totally agree number 1 it’s the inspiration to try something different or new 2 it’s the lessons learned and pearls of wisdom. Similar in any professional situations where older colleagues passing down their learned experience. 
@Guppysnailand @AtitagainAs for Benny Hill, my grandfather and grandmother would tune into the local PBS station every afternoon and there was Fawlty Towers and other Anglophile tv including Benny Hill. Too funny. 

[Torrey]

On 11/19/2021 at 11:02 PM, Beardedbillygoat1975 said:

Im feeling a bit guilt as I’m on my hospital week and I’ve done only a couple water changes. I changed water a bunch in the 2 weeks prior so hopefully things are going ok from what I’ve observed in my brief interactions with the tanks they seem good.

This reality right here is what initially pushed me into testing the various options for a "more balanced tank"

Back in the late 80's, interns and students still got to do 72 hour shifts in between classes. I still look back at that, and try to figure out what the goal was: eliminate the people who cared most about patients with burnout? Make sure that the ER was never understaffed on weekends?

I mean, whoever thought 72 hour shifts, Friday- Sunday was a good idea🤦‍♂️

It's part of why I still use UGF for at least a portion of the tank, and why plants are in "the more the healthier" category... Fran wiped out 2 tanks of discus fry....

Try to remember that you can help others, best, by taking care of yourself, first. Especially being a cardiac nurse in these post-covid times.

Your tanks are awesome 🤩

 

I am ORD

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

@Torreythanks so much. I’m still doing what needs to be done in my personal and professional life so it’s all good. One of my partners sent me home early today which was a great help. 

Well I finally pulled the fry from Big Daddy. Some still have some yoke sac but most are fully formed baby BN Plecos. 

Not sure if I pulled them too soon or not but I’ve got them in a couple quart cambro tub within a 30 g tub, with oxygen, some floaters, some moss and a guava leaf. I put a very small piece a sliver of a sliver of boiled cucumber in with them. The adventure begins! 

[Guppysnail]

I had some that escaped on hatch day and were a tail on yolk with mouth. Didn’t see eyes. They did just fine. Biofilm is important first food. Throw in an almond leaf they will all gravitate to it. Good luck. Fingers crossed for you 

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

@Guppysnailappreciate the encouragement. Everyone is alive this morning. About 6-8 are huddled almost like a ball. The rest are on the leaf. One was on the cucumber. I did a 50% water change of my container. Fingers and toes crossed. 

 

[Atitagain]

Lol when I clicked on the video all 3 grandkids came running thinking I was watching peppa pig on my phone. The youngest even snorted!

great to see the BN doing well!

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

@Atitagainthats great. Yeah I wish my kids still watched Peppa Pig. They’ve moved on to Bluey. I am hoping they’ll just keep growing and looking good. 🤞

[Atitagain]

On 11/21/2021 at 12:18 PM, Beardedbillygoat1975 said:

@Atitagainthats great. Yeah I wish my kids still watched Peppa Pig. They’ve moved on to Bluey. I am hoping they’ll just keep growing and looking good. 🤞

Bluey is my favorite. Yes mine.

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

Big events going on presently are the Gardneri are really gregarious and fattening up. Pleco babies are vigorous and have stopped clumping together and are on the leaf and moss scavenging for food. Filmed a Sad Bowl update that starts to capture the beauty of these  lue Hawaiian Moscow guppies. Feeding African dwarf frogs is nonstop comedy.

When I change the water on my 45 g display I’ll get some cucumber and an algae wafer to my big daddy pleco and get some updated footage. 
Have fun and enjoy the journey!

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

 

[DaveO]

Love those lyrics😁

[Atitagain]

Your music from peppa pig theme Sanford and son always hits the mark. Always gives me a chuckle. The guppies in the sad bowl look really good. Still so fascinated by that bowl. And the p82s startin to show out. 🙂👍

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

@DaveOand @Atitagainhalf the fun of making these shorts is picking the music! 
Those Blue Hawaiian Moscow’s are really looking good. Their tails haven’t even really grown out yet when that happens 🔥🔥!

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

You might have to rename the Sad Bowl to the Blue Bowl (still a hommage to sad but Blue is a beautiful color). 

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

@xXInkedPhoenixXthats a winner of an idea, we could even go Dylan and name it Tangled up in Blue! 

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

I couldn’t understand why my dominant male longfin pleco had not left his cave and I finally figured out why. 

there were at least 60 more in the cave that I didn’t get the last time I was In there for a water change. I’m excited to see how this goes over the coming weeks. 

[Guppysnail]

Good luck. I’m very excited for you. They are definitely fun babies to watch grow. 

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

@Guppysnailas we had discussed ive got some freshly made Repashy I’ve added last night and this am, I removed all the cucumbers from yesterday, doing 50% wc twice if not 3 x a day, and keeping temp between 76-78. I just have air bubbling from an airline. Would you switch to an airstone? I’m worried it would increase the current a little too much.