Rando place where xXInkedPhoenixX posts about stuff....occasionally...

[TheSwissAquarist]

Did you have a nice time in the UK? Punks looking great these days. 

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

On 11/3/2023 at 9:25 AM, TheSwissAquarist said:

Did you have a nice time in the UK? Punks looking great these days. 

I wasn't technically in the UK but close enough and yes it was a good time, and thanks, he's a good boy.

Edited November 4, 2023 by xXInkedPhoenixX

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

Floating plants keep taking over the top of the Medieval tank. Let's face it, that's not hard to do being a small tank. So I spent some time yesterday clearing some floaters and doing my best not to bring any shrimp or snails with them. It was to the point where the "tree" was not recognizable as a tree as you could not see the spiderwood at all. Problem remedied, though it will probably only last a week: 

I've counted up to 20 rilli shrimp in the tank so things are going well, and yesterday saw one berried female. They are really hard to spot in the tank unless they are large and bright and considering these aren't the super high end shrimp that's only a few of them. Ramshorns doing pretty well too, to the point they've seemed to outcompete the bladders that were in there- only see a few of them in the tank anymore.

Medieval wasn't the only tank that got maintenance, everyone did. All doing pretty good. My pretty pleco likes to hide but she's getting big and beautiful. Really she just likes to hang on the grapewood if she's not in the food bowl. 

My new Endlers are impossible to get pictures of in the Accidental tank but they are all doing well too. 

Finally, after I had a chance to settle down for the day after a long day of house chores was watching the Angry Man tank from afar and noticed that either recently they are doing much better or I just haven't had a chance to observe that Punk and Industry are doing really well. They were hanging out together and following one another around. No signs of even pretend chasing off. Was nice to see. 

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

I love how colorful Punk's bottom fins are.  I'm telling Snoopy we have goals..  🙂 What is Punk's diet again?  & ph? temp?

Oh but actually I guess we determined Snoopy is female so maybe she doesn't get the colorful finnage like the males would?  idk

Looking online it seems to be a widespread issue about Bolivian rams not coloring up.  Also they are hard to find!  Aquashella didn't have a single one.  And none of the LFS or big box have them either.  Imperial Tropicals is an in-state shipper, and they are always sold out.  My LFS did order some one time but they came in with ich.  My friend is really wanting a Bolivian ram.  She might have to get one from @Guppysnail when hers have fry!

Edited November 8, 2023 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

On 11/8/2023 at 8:21 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

colorful Punk's bottom fins

Well if you notice, Industry has colorful fins too, all depends on lighting and the angle I'm taking pics at, some days they are more colorful than others. As evidenced, this is actually her front/center: 

Her previously giving me lip: 

Bolivian males and females have the same coloring and often the same shape, which is why many say they are very hard to sex and I believe the only reliable way is by protruding sex organs. My two change color a lot, sometimes lighter, sometimes darker. I've also noticed some Bolivians are more gold than blue which I think Snoopy is more gold, whereas mine are more blue. This is just an observation though. 

I feed them Fluval Bug Bite flakes, Xtreme Krill, ACO fry food, occasional Hikari Vibra Bites and 1x a week they get frozen bloodworms and the tank gets baby brine (frozen) but not sure how much of those they eat. 

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 11/8/2023 at 11:36 AM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

Well if you notice, Industry has colorful fins too, all depends on lighting and the angle I'm taking pics at, some days they are more colorful than others. As evidenced, this is actually her front/center: 

Her previously giving me lip: 

Bolivian males and females have the same coloring and often the same shape, which is why many say they are very hard to sex and I believe the only reliable way is by protruding sex organs. My two change color a lot, sometimes lighter, sometimes darker. I've also noticed some Bolivians are more gold than blue which I think Snoopy is more gold, whereas mine are more blue. This is just an observation though. 

I feed them Fluval Bug Bite flakes, Xtreme Krill, ACO fry food, occasional Hikari Vibra Bites and 1x a week they get frozen bloodworms and the tank gets baby brine (frozen) but not sure how much of those they eat. 

True, Snoop is more on the gold hue. Also I have the light substrate working against her coloration. Sometimes when she swims up and in front of the sword plant, I'm like, dang.  You are lovely!  Snoop insists on eating a lot of the snail food, and she gets vibra bites quite often because they sink well and are a good size for her. She refuses to swim up to the surface for anything, but will usually come mid-level for things.  She is an expert at finding the chunk of food that is still frozen vs the stuff that is floating off of the sides of the frozen cube.  She always hones in on the big chunk and carries it to the back of the tank and eats it secretly before the tetras can figure out what just happened - LOL!

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

Do your rams use caves or tunnels?  I've offered them but she doesn't seem interested?

Also Industry's little pout is the most adorable thing ever.

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

You're right, substrate color may be playing against her a little. Also I think if I remember correctly some of the things they put in snail food is also good for color enhancing but don't quote me on that. 

As far as caves or huts, no. I mean Punk used the coconut house that's suctioned to the side of the tank in the beginning, probably out of insecurity, but I never see either of them actively using it. Since they are not cave layers I doubt that it is in their nature to use them. 

Edited November 8, 2023 by xXInkedPhoenixX

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

On 11/8/2023 at 8:21 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

ph? temp?

Sorry forgot to answer these, pH runs from 7.4-7.8 and I don't have a heater in their tank so depending on time of year 72-77

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 11/8/2023 at 12:30 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

Sorry forgot to answer these, pH runs from 7.4-7.8 and I don't have a heater in their tank so depending on time of year 72-77

OK, pretty much the same as mine.

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

Grateful for my little buddy Invictus, the last of my rescue Bettas.

Short beautiful video: https://photos.app.goo.gl/TAP2gvibBbM29sDW8

 

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

Haven't updated in a bit, holidays and other things getting in the way of the hobby lately. Plus been monitoring Punk's health with his bad eye, currently treating with Ich X per recommendations from our fish friend @Odd Duck. 

I don't know what it is about Platinum Guppies but in the Medieval tank I've lost all but one (this is the 2nd batch too!!!). They're white so very hard to tell some outward signs (like Ich) HOWEVER, there are 8 perfectly healthy Ember Tetras and now probably at least approaching 100 Rili shrimp so it can't be all bad in there! I pulled the last Platinum with zero plans of ever getting those again and put him in my male Endler tank because, well, he looked so pathetic in the Medieval by himself and seemed, for lack of better terms, bummed to be alone. He put up quite the fight though and had to chase him. He gave up the ghost and let me catch and release into the Endler/Accidental tank. Took him all of 15 minutes to acclimate to his new surroundings and play chase with his new friends. 

The Parent Tank has issues. It's the oldest of my tanks (2020) and it smells. Most of that is that the residents are almost entirely bottom feeders. All of my unknown number of Otos, my 1 female long finned albino pleco, several Nerites and now NINE Julli Cory. Now, before you say anything, yes, I am quite aware this 20 gallon tall is SO overstocked. The only reason it is at this point is because the Cory and the Pleco were both purchased to help stock the 196 gallon tank that is up and coming. Another plan too is while it is being established, and the fish are being moved to their new house, I may set up a 40 breeder to house EVERYONE I currently have that is going into the big tank- and that size will be more manageable until they are released. I entirely acknowledge I have a problem. BUT the fish don't seem to. Everyone happily eats (and clearly poops, I baste and/or vacuum every day) and pals around. There is detrius EVERYWHERE. I have the HOB, 2 sponges AND a UV sterilizer in there. It's ridiculous! To prove a point though- my Julli are reproducing. I have 2 juveniles in my tank so from 7 we go to 9. Here is a somewhat crappy picture of one of them to the right of a couple adults: 

They are adorable little things. Super gregarious. Their only roommate who is NOT a bottom feeder, Industry, is still getting along ok in here. I don't think she LOVES it but I will catch her following the Cory in the mornings and monitoring the food bowls from time to time. Don't worry little girl, we'll get you somewhere else. 

The Medieval tank, along with the inhabitants, will be going to my Mum eventually, she will put her small menagerie into that tank (she has two 5.5 gallon tanks). The Accidental tank and its inhabitants will get a new home as well, where I'm not sure yet maybe to another local fish keeper if nobody in the family wants them. Endlers I've decided are just too small to put into the 196 gallon tank and I worry for their safety. Plus there's 2 hillstreams in there. The only small tank that will stay with me is Invictus the rescue Betta in the Dragon tank. Until he is no longer with me. I might keep the Dragon tank after that but no more Betta. Probably some small species- even maybe a few Endlers, or shrimp. Who knows. Changes are coming to my tanks that's for sure. It's still going to be some months but we're steadily headed that direction...

Edited January 6 by xXInkedPhoenixX

[Odd Duck]

Sounds like some solid plans.

I hate to break the news to you, but I’m pretty sure you have trilineatus cories, not julii.  Julii are quite rare in the hobby from what I’ve read, and they usually have a more dotted pattern on their heads vs. the squiggly lines of trilineatus.  They are often more spotty looking as juveniles, so they are very easy to confuse them at every level of middleman and beyond.  Trilineatus are expected to get very slightly larger on average, and have slightly more distinct lines along the body.  Are supposed to have a slightly longer nose than julii but both still have a somewhat short, rounded nose compare to some other species.  Trilineatus have a much wider distribution range and are far more often seen in the hobby.

Does it matter which it is?  Not really.  They look so similar, have similar habits and behavior, and trilineatus may even live a bit longer.  I love my trilineatus!  They are far gentler with each other than the bronzes that are in the same tank.  It only matters if you want to get more to go with them for breeding.  Both species are lineage 9, so ideally shouldn’t be kept together to prevent hybrids.

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

@Odd Duck well thanks!!

Just another case of mislabeling has struck an unknowing fish keeper, shocking I know. I got one of them from a LFS when it was the last one along with 2 Hillstreams I was getting. I felt bad for it. Then I got the other ones from a big box store to give it company. They were also labeled as such. 

Personally I don't care what they are. They're friggin cute, and I wasn't looking for anything in particular when it came to a Corycat as to me they are equally neat. I'm actually glad they'll get a little bigger cause I'll see them in the 196 gallon tank easier. Probably good to know what they are! Much appreciated. 

I think then this could be also called a False Julii right?

Edited January 6 by xXInkedPhoenixX

[nabokovfan87]

On 1/6/2024 at 10:24 AM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

I think then this could be also called a False Julii right?

yep!  They are really beautiful at max size and pictures don't do them justice sometimes.  It's one of the single most common misidentified fish in the hobby and I think it's to the point where julii and false julii are almost synonymous for some shops. 

Edited January 7 by nabokovfan87

[Odd Duck]

On 1/6/2024 at 12:24 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

@Odd Duck well thanks!!

Just another case of mislabeling has struck an unknowing fish keeper, shocking I know. I got one of them from a LFS when it was the last one along with 2 Hillstreams I was getting. I felt bad for it. Then I got the other ones from a big box store to give it company. They were also labeled as such. 

Personally I don't care what they are. They're friggin cute, and I wasn't looking for anything in particular when it came to a Corycat as to me they are equally neat. I'm actually glad they'll get a little bigger cause I'll see them in the 196 gallon tank easier. Probably good to know what they are! Much appreciated. 

I think then this could be also called a False Julii right?

Yes, also called false Julii.  I think they’re a bit prettier because they have slightly more crisp and distinct lines and I prefer the squiggles on the face.  They are also very sweet and gentle during mating compared to my bronzes.  Really a very nice species.

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 11/23/2023 at 5:57 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

Grateful for my little buddy Invictus, the last of my rescue Bettas.

Short beautiful video: https://photos.app.goo.gl/TAP2gvibBbM29sDW8

 

I remember Invictus was the most questionable one healthwise for the longest time, floating on his side. I’m so glad he’s doing well. ❤️

 

On 1/6/2024 at 12:16 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

The Parent Tank has issues. It's the oldest of my tanks (2020) and it smells.

Run some carbon! It will remove your ferts, so maybe try it short term.

On 1/6/2024 at 12:16 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

my Julli

Beautiful!

On 1/6/2024 at 12:47 PM, Odd Duck said:

trilineatus cories

Well, I guess this ^
Still. Awesome looking fish! They remind me of saltwater fish I see while diving: “scrawled cowfish” or “scribbled boxfish”. Fun fact- the cowfish has horns; the boxfish does not.

 

scrawled cowfish

scribbled boxfish

 

Edited January 7 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 1/6/2024 at 1:24 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

Just another case of mislabeling has struck an unknowing fish keeper, shocking I know

🤣🤣🤣🤣

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

On 1/6/2024 at 7:17 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

julii and false julii are almost synonymous for some shops.

This seems to be what has happened to me, but in my opinion very serendipitous. 

 

On 1/6/2024 at 8:41 PM, Odd Duck said:

squiggles on the face.  

I'm a fan of squiggles and polka dots so this works for me. The fact that they are gentle is nice too, if they were more boisterous that would stress me out. Opposite of the point for me in this hobby. 

 

On 1/7/2024 at 4:22 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

I’m so glad he’s doing well. ❤️

Thanks, he's lovely and one of my favorite fish buddies. 

 

On 1/7/2024 at 4:22 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

Run some carbon! It

I'll try anything at this point! Thanks for the tip. 

 

On 1/7/2024 at 4:22 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

cowfish has horns; the boxfish does not.

This makes sense!

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

Tank maintenance as usual this week. 

To demonstrate the woe I have with the Parent tank recently- I vacuumed extra and discovered a dead Anubias plant so I pulled it from its spot in a pot- once I pulled that there was nothing left in said pot so I just removed it as well. This gave me more space and revealed more places to vacuum of course so I went about doing that. This helped the look at the bottom of the tank, but this tank continues to plague me. I cleaned the HOB and the UV sterilizer as I always do. I've decided the HOB doesn't have as much flow as I would like AND it's the original from this tank (2020, though I've not used it the entire time I've had the tank) I've decided to buy another because well, it's cheap enough to do so. This won't entirely solve my problem but it should help. The HOB will come with a carbon filter which per @Chick-In-Of-TheSea might help so I'm going to take that idea and try. This tank is in embarrassing shape. It's not like it gets any less attention than the other tanks, in fact it gets attention every day and it just continues to plague me. Bear with me, I'm working on it:

In prettier news, the Accidental Tank with all my Endlers and the 1 lone White Guppy from Medieval are doing well. I really love this tank, the plants do great (including the Pothos and Bamboo growing out the back not pictured). Fish seem to be thriving. I have a healthy population of bladder snails since I have to bottom feed the Hillstreams. I spotted both of them this weekend which is a rare occurance. Here's Dyson: 

Dyson is really dark in color and usually hangs out on the FooDog closest to the food bowl. Ha, can't blame them. 

Then here is Kirby, my original Hillstream. Not sure where they hang out in the tank but I see them so rarely now it was great to see them: 

Here is the whole tank minus the plants growing out the top: 

Sorry reflection is unavoidable with this tank. 

Moving on to the Dragon tank with Invictus the rescue Betta. He's doing well. Tank is doing awesome. Since the shrimp out competed the rams horn snails in the Medieval this is really the only tank with a small population of rams horns in it. Though I have spotted one in the Angry Man after a plant transfer. I pulled a whole lot of floaters- every week they try and take over the top. Since Invictus needs some space to breathe I took out about half which is typical. Some of those did go into the Medieval Tank. I try to save what floaters I can but they are prolific. Here's the Dragon tank, and you can spot Invictus's head near his tunnel: 

Angry Man is on it's 4th dose of IchX due to Punk's potential eye issue. Everyone is hanging in with it but no changes seen in him or the bloated Black Neon females. Tank still looks great though: 

Medieval is thriving, despite having lost 2 batches of platinum Guppies. I've decided not to replenish any Guppy population. 8 Ember Tetras still doing well in here, they are very bright orange so they're happy with their environs. The shrimp are EVERYWHERE. Tiny babies to grown adults. They are not perfect specimens as I've seen other shrimp breeders pull some that look like a lot of mine but they are pet shrimp and I don't care. Some of them have really cool patterns- all stem from the same Rili shrimp I started with. Here are some of the Embers with a shrimp photo bomber as it is impossible to take a pic of this tank without a shrimp somewhere now: 

Some shrimp: 

And my favorite shrimp pic is of one my juveniles taking a massive poo, always satisfying to see: 

Anyway here is the tank: 

I have to pull at least 3/4 of the floaters every week because by the end of 7 days the top is full. I try and keep a little in the corner behind the Arch (Amazon Frogbit) and some over the top of the "tree" for a fake canopy (Dwarf Water Lettuce).

Last but not least. While at my LFS this week to get some frozen food I came across their Siamese Algae Eaters. Little, tiny, baby ones. Ok maybe a little over an inch. I'd done some research and I don't think I'll be caught in yet another case of mislabeling (ahem, False Julii Cory) I believe this is a Siamese and not a Chinese as the stripe is supposed to go all the way down the fish for a Siamese and it does. Plus they did have some labeled Chinese and those lines were broken. Please let me know if I might be wrong! Anyway. I realize they get to be 6" but this fish will be going into the 196 gallon tank when it's ready. I figured with having to start with someone so small it will be nice to get them to gain some size before losing them in a tank that big. In the meantime they will live in the Angry Man tank after they clear QT and it's deemed safe for them to be released there. 

 

 

Edited January 10 by xXInkedPhoenixX
🙄

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 1/10/2024 at 8:18 AM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

some over the top of the "tree" for a fake canopy

Neat! It looks like a weeping willow.

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

On 1/10/2024 at 11:40 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

weeping willow.

Thanks, yes, that was kind of the idea since the Java Moss didn't end up working on the spiderwood. 

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

Shrimp EVERYWHERE.... (apparently they're liking the Repashy I had put out)

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 1/20/2024 at 5:42 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

Shrimp EVERYWHERE.... (apparently they're liking the Repashy I had put out)

Is it Soilent Green? My shrimps go nuts for that.

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

On 1/20/2024 at 6:59 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

Soilent Green?

No, this time it was Super Green mixed with Community Plus. 

Will have yet more shrimp shortly.... don't worry @Flipper, I saw your post about your hiding shrimp. I had the same thing happen and now look!  If conditions are right this shrimp explosion may be coming your way soon....

Edited January 21 by xXInkedPhoenixX