Minanoras adventures in fishkeeping

[Minanora]

I moved 9 boys into the 75G. I now have my stock for my future guppy line. I'm going to start the setup of my first pond next week. We're running out of time! Holy hell April is almost upon us. We go on vacation, leaving our home to house sitters for two weeks in the beginning of May. These things really come fast. I need... guppy ponds! And I need new linens so I can burn the ones our sitters use in our bed. I can't share linens with people. I just can't. I think my husband would prefer we just burn the whole mattress. 😛

Edited March 14, 2022 by Minanora
Typo

[Guppysnail]

On 3/14/2022 at 12:23 AM, Minanora said:

I can't share linens with people

This! Total heebie jeebies memory. Before I retired 50% of my time was airplanes and hotels 🤮. I always took linens, pillow and a small blanket in my rolling carry on.  
Im excited to see your ponds. I want to try plant ponds this year. 
 

[Minanora]

The battle with algae continues... I don't really understand why it's back with vengeance. My poor plants, but the hair algae on the wood looks really cool at least. Curse you sideways photo uploads, curse you.

[Brandon p]

I don’t mind some algae. I’m some pieces of driftwood. I have one piece that I love covered In algae. The fish love it to. When the discus where in there the grazed on it all day. The angelfish do the same 

[Minanora]

On 3/14/2022 at 9:15 AM, Brandon p said:

I don’t mind some algae. I’m some pieces of driftwood. I have one piece that I love covered In algae. The fish love it to. When the discus where in there the grazed on it all day. The angelfish do the same 

I don't mind algae so long as its the fun stuff. the cool wispy algae on that wood is okay but dang it showed up fast. The other stringy ugly stuff... I have a battle plan. It involves a lot of shrimps. 🙂

[Minanora]

I have my shrimp breeding journal but I just have to put this nugget here. I love what this tank has become! I added more rotalas and got a fancy pants fluval plant light for it. The shrimp sanctuary now lives in the living room right next to me, where the 2.6 was. 2.6 is now on my desk in the office. Which is making me actually use my desk and encouraging an ergonomic environment. All good things.

Shrimp sanctuary is cloudy but it'll clear soon.

 

Then there's the 2.6. I'm having a hard time thinking of this tank without the Chilis in it. I may move them to the 5.5 and see how they do and if they don't do as well for some reason I'll move them back. They're so friendly and neat to watch in the 2.6.

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

I just accept some BBA or green hair algae as part of life. I appreciate any agenda that adds more shrimps to the mix. Shrimp sanctuary and the chili ruins are pretty sweet. 

[Brandon p]

I do use snails as well but if you do I would stick to nertile snails  or mystery. You can control there breeding.

[Minanora]

On 3/15/2022 at 4:44 PM, Brandon p said:

I do use snails as well but if you do I would stick to nertile snails  or mystery. You can control there breeding.

Good advice! I'm planning on picking up some nerites this weekend.

[Minanora]

I'm so excited! I hatched some orphan shrimp in a net!!!! I am beside myself. I wonder how many more will hatch!

https://forum.aquariumcoop.com/topic/19060-breeding-sakura-orange-neocaridina-shrimp/?do=findComment&comment=193921

[Minanora]

I bought 5 nerite snails and put them in the 75 today.

Two of them have areas that look like eroded shells. You can see it in the photos a little bit. Should I be worried about them? I didn't see this when I picked them out at the shop.

Stripy has the pitting.

Middle guy in this one.

Regardless, I love them! They're already scooting off. I placed them gently on the leaf when I put them in.

On 3/16/2022 at 8:46 PM, Minanora said:

I bought 5 nerite snails and put them in the 75 today.

Two of them have areas that look like eroded shells. You can see it in the photos a little bit. Should I be worried about them? I didn't see this when I picked them out at the shop.

Stripy has the pitting.

Middle guy in this one.

Regardless, I love them! They're already scooting off. I placed them gently on the leaf when I put them in.

Wait a minute.... Are those eggs on them !? 😂 If that's just eggs, that's hilarious! I'll have to look at them closer tomorrow. I hope they're eggs and not pitting.

Edited March 17, 2022 by Minanora

[Guppysnail]

On 3/16/2022 at 11:46 PM, Minanora said:

I bought 5 nerite snails and put them in the 75 today.

Two of them have areas that look like eroded shells. You can see it in the photos a little bit. Should I be worried about them? I didn't see this when I picked them out at the shop.

Stripy has the pitting.

Middle guy in this one.

Regardless, I love them! They're already scooting off. I placed them gently on the leaf when I put them in.

Wait a minute.... Are those eggs on them !? 😂 If that's just eggs, that's hilarious! I'll have to look at them closer tomorrow. I hope they're eggs and not pitting.

They could be tiny chips the one directly on the point is likely. Almost all the ones I see have that. As long as it has not penetrated the shell completely and you parameters keep it from further erosion it is of no consequence that I have noticed in mine that has it.  If it’s eggs it is hilarious 😆 

[Brandon p]

I have seen this two ways don’t buy others and I know there are YouTube videos out there about. He said the snail was Al vile and laying eggs regularly. I have use epoxy one and it did fine. It was not this kind but I don’t remember it was what I had for ponds

this next bit  I have used before at least part of it. I just used the nail polish on a snail that was getting a little pitting. I have to keep doing it once a month. I never tried the eggshell but I understand how it could work and if there was a large hole I think it may be the only way but I would use epoxy around the shell

”had another DSP female who had very minor damage on her main shell from falling or scrubbing it some way but at the time I didn't have the epoxy but even if I had the injury wasn't really large enough to fix with it. Some one told me you can actually use eggshell to patch a small injury so I took clear finger nail polish and a piece of eggshell and stuck it on there. 

I wasn't sure it would stay but it has been about 2 months now and it is still there protecting the bad spot. She is also laying eggs and growing well. You can also use nail polish to paint the shell itself if there is pitting or very minor damage to protect it from getting worse. 

Here she is 

“

 

hope this helps and you may want to watch the YouTube videos. If I get time today I’m going to just to see what on them.

[Minanora]

Thank you @Guppysnail and @Brandon p. I'll keep an eye on them. I can't find them right now, but I'll be working from home today so I'll be sure to get up a lot.

I do have marine grade epoxy so there's that! I'm ready if I need to use it. ^_^

I also have clear nail polish somewhere so I will apply some if the pitting is minor to help protect it from further erosion. Thank you again @Brandon p

[Brandon p]

@GuppysnailhVe you had to try fix a shell. I’m always afraid to say I’ve done This or that then something goes wrong. 

[Guppysnail]

On 3/17/2022 at 12:25 PM, Brandon p said:

@GuppysnailhVe you had to try fix a shell. I’m always afraid to say I’ve done This or that then something goes wrong. 

I have read a bit about it. My water is liquid rock and mine have never injured their shell so I have never done this. My understanding with certain epoxy type things is they get hot.  I did watch a veterinarian video on repairing aquatic turtle shells and the heat it produces is intense enough if not done correctly it can injure the turtle.  I would be afraid to try but if I had to to save my snails life I may or may not try I don’t really know. Nail polish I would not try. Being a girl it flakes off finger nails when wet and other hard surface as it dries and ages. I would fear a critter eating it.  Once dry in not sure if it toxic or not. It just would be such a temporary thing as to make it not worth it to me. 

[Brandon p]

On 3/17/2022 at 12:42 PM, Guppysnail said:

I have read a bit about it. My water is liquid rock and mine have never injured their shell so I have never done this. My understanding with certain epoxy type things is they get hot.  I did watch a veterinarian video on repairing aquatic turtle shells and the heat it produces is intense enough if not done correctly it can injure the turtle.  I would be afraid to try but if I had to to save my snails life I may or may not try I don’t really know. Nail polish I would not try. Being a girl it flakes off finger nails when wet and other hard surface as it dries and ages. I would fear a critter eating it.  Once dry in not sure if it toxic or not. It just would be such a temporary thing as to make it not worth it to me. 

Some epoxy does get hot but may don’t the one I used did not. The 1 showed in the pics is meant to be mixed with you hands.

[Brandon p]

On 3/17/2022 at 1:05 PM, Brandon p said:

Some epoxy does get hot but may don’t the one I used did not. The 1 showed in the pics is meant to be mixed with you hands.

I would still check. If it doesn’t say on the container the check the MSDS/SDS sheet. The company will have and most are available if you type in the product and put MSDS/SDS and it should come up. That was for everyone that reads. Most produces have them and if it’s considered a chemical it’ll have one. They have LD 50. WINDEX® ADVANCED GLASS & MULTI SURFACE CLEANER Has an LD50 of >5000/kg.

there is other information and lists that can be very helpful. https://chemicalsafety.com/sds-search/
 

has free search of over 1000 products

[Minanora]

@Guppysnail and @Brandon p I've used the putty epoxy that comes in the tube to make cosplay finger armor and nails while its on my hand. I had a nitrile glove glued to my hand with elmers glue... but it wasn't hot through the glove. 

I'm not sure that nail polish would be a problem if it is sealing pores in the structure. It would be hard to dislodge from the texture. compared to chipping polish or several layers of polish. The final product of nail polish is pretty inert once it dries.

I had my nails done once... yeah, once, by a professional. For my wedding. I about **** myself because she started scuffing the tops of my nails with a file to help the polish adhere. I made her stop. I seriously lost my cool. haha. I didn't realize people did that to themselves. 

 

In other news, I haven't seen much movement from the snails that I can see right now. They're...... not as mobile as the pond snails and ramshorns. Is this normal? I have one that has just chilled out on some repens all day. I don't know that they've moved. then one on the glass that has moved maybe an 8th of an inch today.

[Odd Duck]

On 3/17/2022 at 11:52 PM, Minanora said:

In other news, I haven't seen much movement from the snails that I can see right now. They're...... not as mobile as the pond snails and ramshorns. Is this normal? I have one that has just chilled out on some repens all day. I don't know that they've moved. then one on the glass that has moved maybe an 8th of an inch today.

Nerites can take a bit to settle in and start moving.  Remember they are almost 100% imported, so they go through a lot to get to us.  A bit of chipping isn’t unusual and not usually medically significant for the individual.  I’ve seen an unfortunately high death rate on nerites and have pretty much quit buying them despite how beautiful and effective they are.  I’ve been trying to focus on slowly livebearing species or other species that I know I can keep under control.

[drewzero1]

On 3/18/2022 at 5:43 AM, Odd Duck said:

Nerites can take a bit to settle in and start moving.  Remember they are almost 100% imported, so they go through a lot to get to us.  A bit of chipping isn’t unusual and not usually medically significant for the individual.  I’ve seen an unfortunately high death rate on nerites and have pretty much quit buying them despite how beautiful and effective they are.  I’ve been trying to focus on slowly livebearing species or other species that I know I can keep under control.

 

Perhaps because of being wild-caught/imported, nerites have been hard to get around here the last few years. I was hoping to also switch to slowly livebearing snails but that hasn't worked out.

I was given two nerites last week, both with moderate pitting. One has a barnacle attached to its shell, so I wonder if some of the pitting was caused by other animals trying to attach 🤔

I use epoxy for repairs and casting at work and absolutely wouldn't put the stuff we use in my aquarium. We use the JB Weld two part stuff and it can get pretty hot, especially when doing a larger casting, and it STINKS! Some epoxies soften with prolonged exposure to water, and the waterproof ones tend to have a longer harden/cure time. I'll have a look for something that might work.

[Minanora]

On 3/18/2022 at 5:27 AM, drewzero1 said:

 

Perhaps because of being wild-caught/imported, nerites have been hard to get around here the last few years. I was hoping to also switch to slowly livebearing snails but that hasn't worked out.

I was given two nerites last week, both with moderate pitting. One has a barnacle attached to its shell, so I wonder if some of the pitting was caused by other animals trying to attach 🤔

I use epoxy for repairs and casting at work and absolutely wouldn't put the stuff we use in my aquarium. We use the JB Weld two part stuff and it can get pretty hot, especially when doing a larger casting, and it STINKS! Some epoxies soften with prolonged exposure to water, and the waterproof ones tend to have a longer harden/cure time. I'll have a look for something that might work.

Interesting stuff about the snails. Compared to pest snails that proliferate willingly. I just did a bunch of reading on their care.

 

Yeah I'd never use liquid two part for snails. It really does get hot and smells to high heaven. I use it for repairs and recently used it to temporarily fix a hot tub plumbing leak. Worked great! 5 months, no leaks. Leak was on a fitting that I can't cut out and replace easily. The tub is going to get replaced at some point, it's 23 years old. It could use a total rebuild but I'm limping it along.

Edited March 18, 2022 by Minanora

[Brandon p]

On 3/18/2022 at 8:27 AM, drewzero1 said:

 

Perhaps because of being wild-caught/imported, nerites have been hard to get around here the last few years. I was hoping to also switch to slowly livebearing snails but that hasn't worked out.

I was given two nerites last week, both with moderate pitting. One has a barnacle attached to its shell, so I wonder if some of the pitting was caused by other animals trying to attach 🤔

I use epoxy for repairs and casting at work and absolutely wouldn't put the stuff we use in my aquarium. We use the JB Weld two part stuff and it can get pretty hot, especially when doing a larger casting, and it STINKS! Some epoxies soften with prolonged exposure to water, and the waterproof ones tend to have a longer harden/cure time. I'll have a look for something that might work.

Yes use the water proof kind. I used one from ponds. I agree look at this stuff it’s what not to useremember that that don’t need to be covered in water. I use a dish with gust the bottom having water on it so the snail can stay wet and let the epoxy cure over a long time.

Edited March 18, 2022 by Brandon p

[Brandon p]

Ok I was checking my new mini discus and I have a snail with a good size hole in itThere is a good size pleco of flat sone that is angled for the pair of breeding angle fish the were in the tank before. I’m not 100% sure want I’m going to do it going to do a post about it. I have so many that one is not going to make a difference. But I hate to see it die if it doesn’t have to. I would have Amazon some epoxy because I don’t have any and I’m not allowed to drive yet.

 

 

[Brandon p]

On 3/18/2022 at 8:27 AM, drewzero1 said:

 

Perhaps because of being wild-caught/imported, nerites have been hard to get around here the last few years. I was hoping to also switch to slowly livebearing snails but that hasn't worked out.

I was given two nerites last week, both with moderate pitting. One has a barnacle attached to its shell, so I wonder if some of the pitting was caused by other animals trying to attach 🤔

I use epoxy for repairs and casting at work and absolutely wouldn't put the stuff we use in my aquarium. We use the JB Weld two part stuff and it can get pretty hot, especially when doing a larger casting, and it STINKS! Some epoxies soften with prolonged exposure to water, and the waterproof ones tend to have a longer harden/cure time. I'll have a look for something that might work.

Some of wild caught snails stay in Brackish because they breed in brackish.  Mystery snails are easy to control. They need to lay there eggs out of the water. If you can keep the water close to the top they lay less or not at all. If they lay you just remove the egg cluster and no new snails.. snails chip and pit all the time. Outing was more likely do to lack of minerals.