Minanoras adventures in fishkeeping

[Guppysnail]

Your mutts are so pretty. I have a harder time giving my mutts away than my blue boys because each one is so unique. I end up falling in love with each and every one 🥰. My brine shrimp do not freeze even either. I rinse and strain and use bottled water to add enough liquid to get them out of the strainer. I toss a couple cubes in a bowl and let them thaw then pipette them in the tank. I like the pipette because my fish especially guppies have learned to eat right from the pipette. It’s crazy fun for me. This is how I do it. 

[Minanora]

@Guppysnail Cool! I forgot about silicone ice trays. I just put my bbs in a ziplock bag, got it out of the freezer, smashed it with the bottom of a metal cup into hunks. Tossed the chunks that were just water and used a spoon to get the bbs out and strait into the tanks. I use aquarium salt for my bbs so it's fine to add to my tanks, every tank is low on salt anyway. 🙂

I finally took a photo of my supply closet rack. Haha. This is the space that I keep most of my supplies besides foods, and testing supplies.

Besides that, the rack has dog treats, stuff for my drone, lightbulbs, overstock items. The rest of the closet homes my canning jars that are still full, wine, board games and my vacuum.

[Minanora]

Today is a sad day, but the nice thing is that the fish have no idea that it's a sad day. So they carry on. I saw an oto out! Of course he swam off before I could get a photo of him on the substrate.

Because of the sad day, I spent a while crying, going through a trove of emotions. I posted up next to the 75 and looked around. As I was looking, I noticed something... or the lack of, well, lesser quantities of algae! I've been dosing with easy green every 2 days for just over a week. I also ripped out a ton of my mosses that were infested with algae. Dipped a bunch of cuttings and a bit of the moss I saved with a mix of easy carbon, peroxide and water. The cuttings are all doing great. I did not dip my anubius' but I may go back and give it a try next week. I'm just happy to see the algae fading off. I hope that in a few months the nutrient balance will be back in order.

I'm going to pull out the hydrocotyle tripartita and put in some crypts. I have a bunch of dwarf swords that I bought for the small humans tank that I'm going to move to the front. When I bought them, they were grown out of the water.... and the LFS had no idea what they were. They were tall and lovely and then they melted! Then they sent out lots of baby plants, and I thought they were just that, babies. No, they only get to be about 2" tall, then continue to spread. needless to say, I want to put something a bit taller in back area for the fry since when I got the plants I didn't realize they'd melt and then only return as a miniature.

Anyway, sorry for the ramblings. Just trying to keep my mind occupied so I don't turn on the radio again. I'm sure the whole weekend will be me messing with aquariums and the garden. May even go fell some deadwood and cut a bunch of firewood where the only coms we have are our short-band radios. Also going to fill up all of the fuel tanks and fuel storage today. Maybe even brew some beer! We'll see. I just need to keep busy or I'll go crazy.

Edited February 24, 2022 by Minanora
Spelling error. Left the grammatical errors. :P

[Guppysnail]

I’m sorry you are having a sad day. Big hugs🤗. It’s good that your algae is coming to heel. I know my aquariums comfort and distract me whenever I have a sad frustrating or stressful day. 

[Minanora]

I finally made the lid for the fry grow out. I've just had the sheet of PC on the top, got sick of looking at it today and tired of moving it all the time. SO. Tada!

I used my dremel for this one. It was great until I put it away, then fitted the lid, then realized I needed to cut a feeding hole on the male side. haha. My cutting wheel was getting dull so it melted the polycarbonate and made a mess. Tried to buff it out, the polishing compound I have is too abrasive for it. So a mess it remains. BUT the light covers it most of the time so it's fine.

Yeah, messy table. Reorganizing the garage so there's some overflow.

FYI I love doing my filterboxes on the long end of tanks, thus, I make my own lids ^_^

[Minanora]

Mama shrimp is fanning eggs as of this morning! 🧡🦐🙂

[Minanora]

For some reason the hydrocotyle Tripartita is going nutso in the shrimp tank. It's just sand and no ferts yet. I'm going to start a basic dose, maybe the end of next next week, when I root all the runners this weekend and add the chili's.

[Minanora]

Shrimp video! 🦐🧡

 

 

[Minanora]

Today was a multi hour day. I changed out 35 gallons on the 75, changed 10G on the fry grow out. Changed 2.3G on the shrimp tank. Groomed a bunch of plants, moved 9 shrimp into the chili tank.... I wanted to move the chilis into the shrimp tank but with all the grooming I did on their tank I couldn't do it. So now there are shrimp in the 2.6 with the chilis. It's very interesting.... I didn't think.... just dumped some shrimp in there like a savage. So far so good. I regret not acclimating them, but eh, I only have so much time. I also covered another pair of pants in bar oil as I cut a bunch more wood that I brought home. Having a nice fire now, and loving the fish.

 

I installed a powerhead on the guppy grow-out! They love it! I left it on for several hours today and it was well enjoyed. I don't want weak fish with the huge tails they have.... they need the flow to get strong.

Edited February 28, 2022 by Minanora

[Minanora]

Not a lot of development. The shrimp I savagely added to the Chili quarantine are doing well so far. Today there were two molts in the tank. All are alive and eating allllll the bio-film that the tank has.

 

I've decided to rename my "old man" guppies. They're now "Bobo Rossi" guppies. Lol. Their coloring reminds me of a Bob Ross painting. Very, "we're going to add a little happy cloud right here" vibe. They are the ones with the pink and black body with orange tails.

Still loving the Shiva babies with the cool vertical metallic stripes. Their tails are really cool mosaic patterned, some with bits of yellow orange, some are yellow green. It's just neat! You can see one there below the Bobo Rossi guppy in the middle. They were being pigs... so they were hard to photograph this morning.

[Guppysnail]

I love that you thought to use the power head to increase guppy muscle development. I just recently added them to mine. What differences do you notice putting the hob at the end.  I’ve always wanted to but we’ll…to lazy to build a lid 🤣

[Minanora]

@Guppysnail I was just using air before, but I didn't think it was enough. I just got a powerhead after seeing your videos put up on your journal! ^_^

Before the divider went up to seperate the male and female guppy fry, I noticed that the filter box being on the short edge gave them more current to play in for the size of the space.  That's the biggest difference. Versus having the filter in the back, it just made a current across the small depth of a tank, albeit, a stronger current just based on the shorter travel distance. However it doesn't seem to circulate around the tank as well when hung from the back. I could be wrong.... I mean they're sold as "HOB filters, not HOS filters. *Shrug*

Bit it makes sense to me to have it on the side. Where esthetic doesn't matter, at least. My sons tank has an AC50 on the back, it's a 20G High. I'm tempted to even go up another size. That one will stay on the back of the tank though.

I've now had a Penguin150, a Tetra PF10 (on a 10G, then on the 20G High guppy grow out for a while), and now I have the Aquaclear 50 on the ladies tank, and a Tidal 35 on the fry grow out. I do not like the Tidal 35. I got it for 15 bucks though so I figured I'd give it a try.

I have the flow in the 75G, via the spray bar, turned all the way up most of the time. I plan to add a powerhead to the 75 as well, or maybe an in tank "filter" that has a UV sterilizer component.

 

A question for you about the powerhead, are yours loud? Mine is pretty loud. It's much louder than any of my air pumps and HOBs.

[Guppysnail]

On 3/1/2022 at 10:24 PM, Minanora said:

question for you about the powerhead, are yours loud? Mine is pretty loud. It's much louder than any of my air pumps and HOBs.

I’m not certain loud is the word I would use for mine. I can hear them very distinctly though it almost a low baritone humming. Somewhat annoying at first but I’m getting used to them and my fish love them so much I just don’t mind. I have hob canister and 2 sponges and now power heads on all my tanks 20g + and now powerheads in the back aimed low. There are faster and slower areas allowing them to play or rest so they never struggle. I know I have it up to high when they all stay in the slow zone. The two 10 guppy boy grow outs 1 has aquaclear 50 and a sponge the other the next size smaller ac sponge and a canister (I had it so why not use it). 
when I first started with guppies I read all this crazy stuff about no flow etc… internet hogwash as usual 🤣. 

[Minanora]

I have updates, but for now... here's a video of the grow-out from this morning! They're so pretty in the sunlight! ❤️

 

[Guppysnail]

On 3/3/2022 at 11:24 PM, Minanora said:

I have updates, but for now... here's a video of the grow-out from this morning! They're so pretty in the sunlight! ❤️

 

I setup my tanks to make sure each of my tanks get direct sun at least a little each day. I think it’s healthy for living things humans included to get sunshine. Do you notice yours are even more playful in sunshine. Mine always seem to enjoy it. They are gorgeous. Somehow I woke up out of reactions 😍😍😍

[Minanora]

On 3/4/2022 at 2:08 AM, Guppysnail said:

I setup my tanks to make sure each of my tanks get direct sun at least a little each day. I think it’s healthy for living things humans included to get sunshine. Do you notice yours are even more playful in sunshine. Mine always seem to enjoy it. They are gorgeous. Somehow I woke up out of reactions 😍😍😍

YES! I completely agree. Everyone is happy in the sun. Myself included. A cup of coffee, post up in the sun and watch the fish. This is why I want outdoor tubs in my garden! Fish, garden, sun = Peace.

I just wish I had more space that had sunlight. Our home is oriented in a strange way. In the summer mornings the neighbor on the next street overs solar panels BLIND us though, so our kitchen and eat in get blasted and are super bright in the mornings lol. So I guess there's that. I just want to live in the middle of nowhere where I can have a well and just have more kids, more fish, and more garden space.

[Minanora]

Anyway, so before I posted the fun sun video, the night before I was feeding the guppy grow out and one of the older guppies had a baby halfway in his mouth and just WOULDN'T let go. I have never in my life yelled at the fish, but I was seriously standing there yelling at this fish "GET HIM OUT OF YOUR MOUTH!" "SPIT HIM OUT!". It was a bit comical. I finally went and got my plant tweezers and scared him enough to eject the small fry. Thank goodness. I was beside myself. My husband got to watch the whole thing play out. He was laughing at me. I don't blame him.

 

In other news, I came home from work on Thursday after a long day. I didn't go into my sons room because I was making dinner and taking care of the humans and dogs. I finally made it back to my sons room to find one of the yellow tiger king cobra girls pinned between the glass and the mesh breeder box. She had struggled so much that her side was red and she was a pinecone. 😞 Sadly she didn't make it through the night.

The parameters in that tank are perfect. 7.8pH, 0am 0nitrite, 20 nitrate. 75 degrees. I was heartbroken to find one of the girls in distress. She was finally empty of fry too, so she was on her way to living out her retirement.

Tomorrow I take a handful of guppies and a bunch of swordtails to the LFS. Finally another batch to send off. I love opening up space in the tanks. Makes my spouse less annoyed with my obsession. I really do need a fish shed to contain my chaos. Having a fishtank on the dining room table is probably what is sending him over the rail. Sadly that's my favorite tank.... fry grow-out.

 

Then there's the 2.6 chili quarantine which has shrimp in it now. Everyone is doing great in there. My current plan is to move the chilis as planned into the 5.5. But now I love the 2.6... I'd had plants only in it for a few months since it crashed just before I got my shrimp. Well, I think I'm going to move the chilis and leave the shrimp and move the whole tank into the office for my desk. I'm sure I could have a 5.5 on the desk and the sit stand would be fine but I want the 5.5 in the living room where the 2.6 is right now. I feel like it would fit better in that spot and the 2.6 would make it so I could keep my printer on my desk and the spouses camera cabinet as well. That thing is heavy. 

I worry about the shrimp in the 5.5 having the rasboras in there. The 9 that are in the 2.6 now are SO brave.... They go up and just eat the chilis food. They get pecked at and don't even budge. I feel bad for the future culls that will go into the 75 with the swordtails... I doubt they'll last long with their behavior.

Here's one of them just eating the chilis food off of the tank surface. I'm thinking they have a death wish.

[Minanora]

Alright! Today I spent 4 hours netting fish out of tanks to take to the LFS. I netted out black swordtails, my yellow tiger king cobra guppies, my Bobo Rossi guppies and most of my kaleidoscope guppies.

ONE of the Bobo Rossi guppies escaped somehow and was just living it up in the female side of the tank... So I'm sure I'll have some surprise fry. Ugh. I came home from the LFS store to find him in there, so he was only in there for about 40 minutes so there's hope I guess. Now I'm keeping him and naming him Houdini. So he'll be moved to the 75G with the rest of the males in the next month.

The gal I usually work with at the LFS was happy to receive the fish I brought in. Obviously most excited about the king cobras. But everyone was well received. I kept one of the kaleidoscope guppies as well. They're just too cool to pass up.

Photos of the guppies in the LFS tanks up soon

[Minanora]

I had such a hard time picking out which Yellow Tiger King Cobras to send off. They're all so lovely. In the end I kept the one with the ribbons, the one with the orange and turquoise spots, and one other that looks almost identical to P1. I sent off 6 males and 6 of my females. They're super pretty too. Slowly the fry grow-out is getting more roomy!

[Guppysnail]

Selecting who to take is so hard. I feel like I get to know each one of mine and their personality quirks. I always feel like each of the ones I take are saying “ don’t you love me mom” it’s heart wrenching. Mine are mutts so each has their own look and I’m a guppy addict so each is just the prettiest to me 🙄. 

Edited March 10, 2022 by Guppysnail

[Minanora]

On 3/10/2022 at 1:56 AM, Guppysnail said:

Selecting who to take is so hard. I feel like I get to know each one of mine and their personality quirks. I always feel like each of the ones I take are saying “ don’t you love me mom” it’s heart wrenching. Mine are mutts so each has their own look and I’m a guppy addict so each is just the prettiest to me 🙄. 

Then when you see them in the store and you swear they recognize you... Ugh. I love my kids too much.

I've been battling illness/issues in the grow out, the 75 and the shrimp Sanctuary. I'm feeling a bit beat down, but then the shrimp surprise me with eggs and everyone is on the mend otherwise. Sometimes though, it's just exhausting.

The oldest of the shrimp children are fanning eggs. Even the gen1 female in the chili quarantine is fanning eggs!

I have lots of other updates, I just need to carve out some time. With prices rising I'm having to work a lot more.

Shrimp and the chili's!

I don't know why they uploaded sideways... First time for that issue. 🤔

Anyway, I have a new light coming for the shrimp Sanctuary. So when I get it I'm updating the scape, moving the tank and adding the chili's to it. I'm really excited!

Plus my husband is now working 6, 12 hour shifts for the next month and a half. Sure it's short lived but I hate it. He has to do it again in October. It's going to be a rough ride while he's on 12s.

[Guppysnail]

On 3/12/2022 at 3:59 AM, Minanora said:

Then when you see them in the store and you swear they recognize you... Ugh. I love my kids too much.

I am so glad I am not the only one who has had that thought.  
I hope your illness issues resolve easily.  My hubby is not yet retired and does the 12 hour shifts. They are not pleasant. He was contacted by a previous employer a few weeks ago and and received an irresistible offer so this is his last week on the 12s 🎉 

[Minanora]

A look at the guppy fry grow-out. Those boys.... I just can't. They're soooooooo cool! And their sisters are the females with the very yellow and black tails, with the colored dorsals. Just beyond beautiful. I love the blue hue tails on the others, the spots on the caudal fins are so cool. I love the orange boys too. Then that one Bobo Rossi. I'll move him and an orange tail boy into the 75 next week. I still haven't picked which of those striped boys to keep. They're all so unique.

And yeah the grow-out tank is scratched up really bad. It came like that. Previous owner was a college student. I imagine the scrapes are from a razor or something. Who knows.

[Guppysnail]

On 3/12/2022 at 6:59 PM, Minanora said:

A look at the guppy fry grow-out. Those boys.... I just can't. They're soooooooo cool! And their sisters are the females with the very yellow and black tails, with the colored dorsals. Just beyond beautiful. I love the blue hue tails on the others, the spots on the caudal fins are so cool. I love the orange boys too. Then that one Bobo Rossi. I'll move him and an orange tail boy into the 75 next week. I still haven't picked which of those striped boys to keep. They're all so unique.

And yeah the grow-out tank is scratched up really bad. It came like that. Previous owner was a college student. I imagine the scrapes are from a razor or something. Who knows.

Beautiful. I always try to keep those that seem the least aggressive in hopes their fry do not nip at one another and damage fins while hitting adolescence that way they look good for the lfs. Not sure it helps but I only ever have 1–2 that are bullies. 

[Minanora]

ORD....

Ty @Guppysnail. Yeah I try to keep the best balanced and best tempered. I'm looking at my above photos and see a SNEAKY girl in the boys side. *Facepalm* I keep them all well fed which I think helps a little. But sometimes someone is just a pill and gets a timeout and is flagged for the LFS.