The “Morning 10” Looking At Tanks

[Fish Folk]

One thing that can happen in the hobby is that as aquarists, we go in and out of attentive phases with our tanks. Sometimes I’m noting every minute detail, water testing, keeping a log-book of feeding, breeding, etc. But then there are other times — sometimes nearly months at a time — when I just feed and walk away. This inattentive phase usually yields one of two predictable results: (1) Oh my! There’s babies!! (2) Oh dear! Things are dying!!

To balance this off, I like to do a “morning 10” minute walk through the fishroom, briefly but mindfully looking at what’s going on in each tank. I like to make mental notes of things to address… (too much duckweed here… cyano bacteria there… health problems in this tank… fry visible here… that pair is spawning there… oh look! My social experiment is working!… uh-oh, death… etc.)

Not to be overly indulgent, but you’re invited along on my “morning 10” today. Maybe you see things I’ve missed? I’m always learning, so if you’ve got tips, I’d love to add them to my practice.

Here’s a real-time, unedited “morning 10” in the fishroom proper…

And here’s another couple mins wrapping up a walk around the rest of the tanks in the basement den / living room…

It’s a couple mins more than 10, but we’re I not talking and just looking, it’s less.

Now, after kids are off to school, some of those maintenance things begin to be executed:

(1) Trim Lilies to allow more light penetration…

(2) Water change over-stocked Guppy colony…

(3) Clear off some of the Duckweed covering Dace & Darter tank…

Sometimes I see more while doing maintenance and while feeding, but not always. It’s good to just LOOK for a window each day. Assess like a Doctor, like a Parent, like a Manager, like a good athletic Coach.

 Cheers ya NERMs!!

Edited January 6, 2022 by Fish Folk

[Guppysnail]

Thank you for sharing. It’s good to see what others look at in their tanks. I spend a few minute each morning when I turn on each light with each tank evaluating every inch and fish making my checklist. It keeps focused even during the inattentive phases so too many. things don’t fall through the cracks. 

[Fish Folk]

Some things done & observed after the “morning 10”…

(1) Rainbow Shiners get a cold WC..

(2) Xenotoca doadrioi also get a cold WC…

(3) This guy keeps switching girls. One female is set up on tank right, the other in tank left…

(4) I’m always playing a “where’s Waldo” theme with the BNPs in this tank…

(5) Hey look! My Java Fern is having babies!

[Fish Folk]

I’ll continue in the den… 

(6) I’ve decided to give these Banded Darters a “winter.” Shorter photoperiod  and lower lights, cold water changes, and slightly less food for 1-month. Then ramp things up for spring breeding…

(7) With a new heater, and temperature now raised 8-10°-F, these Snakeskin Guppies will have an increased metabolism, and should drop fry more readily. Careful balance needs to be found to keep them well-fed and not predating on their fry, but also not to pollute the water by over feeding…

(8) I need to decide how to wind down this colony. Genetics are too inbred. And … oh my… there’s TONS of fry still dropping…

(9) There are a few Ram fry that are real stunners! I look forward to getting select ones to other aquarists who can enjoy working with them…

(10) Guys, I don’t even want to know what’s going on in the “cave.”

[Torrey]

Great analysis!

The issue my tanks run into revolve around my flares. I know it's a matter of when is a flare going to happen, not "if", so I spend my 'good days' ensuring plants and fauna have the best possible chance to do well during a flare so I have a responsibility to keep things balanced. 

That means identifying which changes can spark fluctuations. Especially major fluctuations. 

I have one pico tank that insists on growing cyanobacteria, so I got all the livestock out of that tank before my surgery in November. I also cut back on lighting... and it still grew cyanobacteria, so I have not achieved balance yet.

We are 6 weeks past the last water change before surgery, and tanks are still reading between 8.2 pH (snails and amphopods), 7.8 pH on most of the rest, and the Walstad 10 gallon is down to 7.2 with no significant water changes since August. Nitrites are still holding steady at zero across the board, and nitrates have tanked despite 2x week liquid ferts.

I have plants that are still hanging out in their containers, because my spouse got them on an awesome sale... a few days after my surgery (I should have taken pictures of them that day, wasn't sure any would survive, and... only a few days after surgery). I figured out how to fertilize them in their plastic tubes, and all have tons of new growth, while waiting for their home to be set up.

I was expecting to see some change in water parameters of my spouse's 4' as there's nothing to control the endler population. 

Nope! The plants have multiplied in relationship to the endler population. I know at some point, something got a little out of balance, because one plant has some cyanobacteria on it now and there's some GHA on the bacopa caroliniana in that tank.

Water level dropped too much in one of the amphopod pico tanks, and the emmersed bacopa caroliniana seems to have died.

Same thing for my lucky bamboo in the living room male endler tank.

Not bad, imo, for tanks that I have not been able to properly take care of and my spouse has never taken care of tanks before... part of the luck is due to some underfeeding (led to endlers nipping Pebbles and  a few other pond snails to death😭) as my spouse was concerned about water quality.

Turtle, fish, the majority of the snails, the furry pets and the people all survived 2021 *and* my surgery. 

 

I call that a win.

Plus, the pico tank with cyanobacteria has tiny 'jumping' things growing? Too small for my camera on my phone to get a picture, but definitely some kind of organism that grows in the water column and moves via a jerky/jump like movement. It gets very excited when I add Fritz Zyme 7 to the water. Also, the Walstad now has green water 🤷‍♂️ Some is due to plants needing another trim, and some is just plain green water and a ton of new babies😬

PS: Your blue in your discus with your BNP (pic #4) is stunning!

[Fish Folk]

On 1/6/2022 at 6:28 PM, Torrey said:

Great analysis!

The issue my tanks run into revolve around my flares. I know it's a matter of when is a flare going to happen, not "if", so I spend my 'good days' ensuring plants and fauna have the best possible chance to do well during a flare so I have a responsibility to keep things balanced. 

That means identifying which changes can spark fluctuations. Especially major fluctuations. 

I have one pico tank that insists on growing cyanobacteria, so I got all the livestock out of that tank before my surgery in November. I also cut back on lighting... and it still grew cyanobacteria, so I have not achieved balance yet.

We are 6 weeks past the last water change before surgery, and tanks are still reading between 8.2 pH (snails and amphopods), 7.8 pH on most of the rest, and the Walstad 10 gallon is down to 7.2 with no significant water changes since August. Nitrites are still holding steady at zero across the board, and nitrates have tanked despite 2x week liquid ferts.

I have plants that are still hanging out in their containers, because my spouse got them on an awesome sale... a few days after my surgery (I should have taken pictures of them that day, wasn't sure any would survive, and... only a few days after surgery). I figured out how to fertilize them in their plastic tubes, and all have tons of new growth, while waiting for their home to be set up.

I was expecting to see some change in water parameters of my spouse's 4' as there's nothing to control the endler population. 

Nope! The plants have multiplied in relationship to the endler population. I know at some point, something got a little out of balance, because one plant has some cyanobacteria on it now and there's some GHA on the bacopa caroliniana in that tank.

Water level dropped too much in one of the amphopod pico tanks, and the emmersed bacopa caroliniana seems to have died.

Same thing for my lucky bamboo in the living room male endler tank.

Not bad, imo, for tanks that I have not been able to properly take care of and my spouse has never taken care of tanks before... part of the luck is due to some underfeeding (led to endlers nipping Pebbles and  a few other pond snails to death😭) as my spouse was concerned about water quality.

Turtle, fish, the majority of the snails, the furry pets and the people all survived 2021 *and* my surgery. 

 

I call that a win.

Plus, the pico tank with cyanobacteria has tiny 'jumping' things growing? Too small for my camera on my phone to get a picture, but definitely some kind of organism that grows in the water column and moves via a jerky/jump like movement. It gets very excited when I add Fritz Zyme 7 to the water. Also, the Walstad now has green water 🤷‍♂️ Some is due to plants needing another trim, and some is just plain green water and a ton of new babies😬

PS: Your blue in your discus with your BNP (pic #4) is stunning!

Thanks for sharing! I wonder if lower pH in Walstadt tank is due to increased humic acid from decomposition?