Chick-in-of-TheSea journal

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 12/3/2022 at 12:24 PM, TheSwissAquarist said:

🤔 Is your filter a potential risk…?

No. Have 2 sponge filters.

————

Umm… (??)

I was siphoning out an uneaten calcium chip, and Geppetto rubbed his body against my hand. He did this a minimum of 5 times.  Like a cat rubs on a person’s leg. Is this affection? Is this common in bettas? @xXInkedPhoenixX @Odd Duck

 

Edited December 3, 2022 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

Blanket octopus. Photo credit @katherineluphotography

 

[Odd Duck]

On 12/3/2022 at 11:41 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

No. Have 2 sponge filters.

————

Umm… (??)

I was siphoning out an uneaten calcium chip, and Geppetto rubbed his body against my hand. He did this a minimum of 5 times.  Like a cat rubs on a person’s leg. Is this affection? Is this common in bettas? @xXInkedPhoenixX @Odd Duck

 

Seems likely to be some version of curiousity.  Testing things out.

[nabokovfan87]

On 12/3/2022 at 9:41 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

No. Have 2 sponge filters.

————

Umm… (??)

I was siphoning out an uneaten calcium chip, and Geppetto rubbed his body against my hand. He did this a minimum of 5 times.  Like a cat rubs on a person’s leg. Is this affection? Is this common in bettas?

I think he thought your hand was a new interesting cave structure and he wanted to go diving through everything and explore.

Ironically in some way, I think that interaction reminded me of a few moments I've had with my tiger barbs. They would see my hand in the tank at the surface and come up and just give me the weirdest look. Confused as to why the food wasn't there, what on earth it was doing, but they eventually just came up and swim against you and interact with you in that way.

Very cool, very interesting behavior for sure.

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

sword and bulb update- gifts from @Guppysnail

added to tank 10/27.

I relocated some to other parts of the tank since they were growing underneath bushy Java fern.

 

Wow!!! ⬇️

 

Everybody is getting their vitamins (root tabs) today.

Also I tested my shrimp tank and there are zero nitrates. I worry about my floating plants in there but I understand Easy Green is bad for the shrimp, so we are just letting it ride.

[Guppysnail]

Wow you are definitely reviving my neglected plant kids. 🤗. I’m so glad they are coming back for you.  The crypts I replaced them with are thriving. Not giving them “vitamins” swords and such are a lost cause for me. 

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

I’m glad the crypts are doing well for you @Guppysnail. Geppetto’s tank has a crypt- my first one. I thought it would be hard to keep, but it’s happy.

 

See @nabokovfan87, I can’t ever really be confident about the nitrate test reading.

tank light 

incandescent yellow room light:

 

[TheSwissAquarist]

On 12/4/2022 at 1:57 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

sword and bulb update- gifts from @Guppysnail

added to tank 10/27.

I relocated some to other parts of the tank since they were growing underneath bushy Java fern.

 

Wow!!! ⬇️

 

Everybody is getting their vitamins (root tabs) today.

Also I tested my shrimp tank and there are zero nitrates. I worry about my floating plants in there but I understand Easy Green is bad for the shrimp, so we are just letting it ride.

As ever, a Snoopy photobomb 🤣

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 12/4/2022 at 8:36 AM, TheSwissAquarist said:

As ever, a Snoopy photobomb 🤣

Always!

[nabokovfan87]

On 12/4/2022 at 4:57 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

Everybody is getting their vitamins (root tabs) today.

Also I tested my shrimp tank and there are zero nitrates. I worry about my floating plants in there but I understand Easy Green is bad for the shrimp, so we are just letting it ride.

Shouldnt be?  Maybe it's a neo thing.  I really need to get some to figure out their care better. 😞

Grow little bulb grow!  Awesome progress so far.

On 12/4/2022 at 5:25 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

See @nabokovfan87, I can’t ever really be confident about the nitrate test reading.

I see it's high!  I take my tests outside when I have issues or use my bright white LED flashlight.  I would totally be doing a big WC on that tank today if I saw that.

I think you're at 40-80, so I just say 60 and that's hiiiiigh to me.

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 12/4/2022 at 4:35 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

Shouldnt be?  Maybe it's a neo thing.  I really need to get some to figure out their care better. 😞

Grow little bulb grow!  Awesome progress so far.

I see it's high!  I take my tests outside when I have issues or use my bright white LED flashlight.  I would totally be doing a big WC on that tank today if I saw that.

I think you're at 40-80, so I just say 60 and that's hiiiiigh to me.

I interpreted the reading as 40, and I did a water change. That was from the betta tank, from Kratos the poop machine, no doubt.

Edited December 4, 2022 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea

[nabokovfan87]

On 12/4/2022 at 2:02 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

I interpreted the reading as 40, and I did a water change. That was from the betta tank, from Kratos the poop machine, no doubt.

Well his name is Kratos.  😂

The better of the colorblind filters showed this: (you're likely right with the 40 ppm value)
sidenote, I think for that test specifically as it gets high it gets very very very opaque.  More translucent = lower value.

Edited December 4, 2022 by nabokovfan87

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 12/4/2022 at 5:35 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

Well his name is Kratos.  😂

The better of the colorblind filters showed this: (you're likely right with the 40 ppm value)
sidenote, I think for that test specifically as it gets high it gets very very very opaque.  More translucent = lower value.

Nifty!!

On 12/4/2022 at 5:35 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

his name is Kratos

Crapos

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

On 12/3/2022 at 9:41 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

common in bettas

I would say yes! Why they do it- I haven't a clue. I just think they're overall very curious fish! 

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 12/4/2022 at 11:16 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

I would say yes! Why they do it- I haven't a clue. I just think they're overall very curious fish! 

I find it very charming. He also watches what I’m doing, wherever I am in the room. He will come to that side of the tank and observe, and often he wiggles, I think to get my attention?

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

Yes, this is what makes most of us so attached to the little Bettas, and why when they get sick (as they sadly often do) it's a bit more traumatic for us because of their very individual personalities. This is why before I swore them off but we know the end to that story. 

- But yes I think they very much want to get our attention and are very observant. This is why some people do Betta agility- they are trainable. 

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

So I went to remove some limpets from the glass. Because you know, I didn’t RR the piece of anacharis before putting it in there.. anyway I removed them and they floated off… and Geppetto ate them!  He acted like he was hunting them and followed them and CHOMP! Hopefully he digests them ok. He ate like 4 or 5.

Edited December 6, 2022 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

The Fritz dark water, while convenient, is not as dark as the tea solution from boiling almond leaves. 3c tea in a gallon jug of water, topped off, is darker than Fritz. But Fritz is a time saver, so it’s in the rotation. There’s a big leaf in the tank as well.

Those looking to have a true dark water look should not depend on Fritz.

Edited December 6, 2022 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

I created a natural leaf hammock for Geppetto by elevating this anubias barteri with a suction cup so it is close to the surface. It took him some time to figure it out, but the last two days I caught him resting on there. 

Also the Christmas cacti are blooming; something that makes me smile every year. They started early: end of November. Maybe that’s because this year I watered them with tank water.

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

I ordered one of these thingies for Geppetto to give him a bit of enrichment. It’s made by the same guy that makes the baffles. #supportsmallbusinesses

Mine will be brown. There are 4 entrances and exits.

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

Came home to find froth on the surface.

 

Fish were fine; didn’t seem stressed. The big 3 checked out. 0/0/30. So I’m chalking it up to the different dechlorinator Stress Coat. Not a product I normally buy; it was given to me. I dosed for whole tank volume as I would do with Prime, but that was the wrong move. Should have only dosed for new water. Appears to be the aloe that causes the froth.
 

I do go straight from tap to tank with a pond pump & a Python hose, and I worry about dosing too little also. 

Did a 35-40% water change w/ Prime and the froth is gone.

P.S. Look how glorious that Aponogeton Crispus is. 

[TheSwissAquarist]

On 12/9/2022 at 12:52 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

Look how glorious that Aponogeton Crispus is.

That is a seriously nice plant! How are the other bulbs from @Guppysnail doing?

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 12/9/2022 at 5:41 AM, TheSwissAquarist said:

That is a seriously nice plant! How are the other bulbs from @Guppysnail doing?

Scroll up a little to Sunday. I did an update on all the bulbs!

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

My husband was looking in the fridge for the probiotics the other day and he says, which one is it? The one that says Repashy? 🤣