Chick-in-of-TheSea journal

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

Cut the flow down to minimum, and no more sand movement has occurred. There is waste in the front corner now, but significantly less than what was piling up in the back, and it was easy enough to remove with the turkey baster.

3 fish from the main tank are now sharing a quarantine tote, each with a different ailment. Fuzznose got a 24 hr ich-x treatment in a bucket before joining the other 2 in qt tote. Then we have bloated girl (Onyx) who has been through a couple treatments with no reduction in size, but she gets around well and has a great appetite. She currently eats brine shrimp medicated with metroplex to try to target the bacteria that Maracyn 2 did not.  She’s happy that Fuzznose (he seems cured but I was hesitant for instant reintroduction to display tank; I want to monitor) is in there, because they are both black neons and are schooling together. 

Then the neurological disorder (?) fish which I haven’t treated. I did acquire the Maracyn 2 for him but LFS was really doubtful about it. They have attempted to treat fish with this issue (I showed the owner the video) and have not had success. So, idk. Play musical quarantines again to target treat just him, or keep him comfortable? I am leaning toward just salting the tank, since that can provide benefit for everyone in there. They are at a level 1 salt at this time.

Edited June 17 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

Little bit of an update on the fishroom. I still have the new head-and-taillights in qt, as some of them were eating hungrily yet losing weight. I had previously done level 2 salt for them, but still no weight gain. Now I’m starting to see nice belly rounding out with praziquantal flake.

Geppetto recovered nicely from his stuck in shrimp cave incident.

The ember tetras are doing well, but I’m unhappy with the tank and the algae situation. I like how the pothos fills the tank, and it is fun to watch them swim through it, but something has to change here for aesthetics. 

One thing I am considering is giving the Walstad jar a massive haircut and planting the moneywort into the ember tank. However, I do need to add more sand to make that happen, as it is not deep enough to plant in.

 

The 29 gallon is doing well, and I haven’t had any other issues with illness in there.

I did notice a bit of fraying on Flint’s one fin, and I think it could be a little bit of stress from the new powerhead. So I updated the schedule on the Kasa timer for it to run the powerhead for 10 minutes, twice daily. All I need is for it to push debris out from the back and toward the hob intake.

The 3 kids that were ill from this tank are together in this tote. Fuzznose had a 24 hour ich x treatment in a bucket before joining. The pristella is the shivery swimming fish that I thought could have a neurological issue, or Colu suggested maybe he ran into something. Most concerning is bloated girl, Onyx, who has had various treatments with no improvement, but she is very active and eating well. She viciously attacked brine shrimp yesterday that had fallen to the ground. She dove for it, slid into home plate on her belly, came to a screeching halt which caused her mouth to angle down to the floor, the sluuurped up the shrimp. 😂  The food is medicated with metroplex, and she loves it. A few more days on that and then I don’t know what. Metro was supposed to target bacteria that the Maracyn 2 may have missed. 

I also don’t know what to do for neurological guy, or Hank the red gill guy who lives in with his school of head-and-taillights. Hank had salt, Kanaplex, and Maracyn2. He doesn’t play nice with Onyx. He’s nippy, so when he does go through any treatments with her, he has to reside in a breeder box where he just sulks like a naughty kid who got put in the corner.

Hank:

For the tanks consolidation project, I am thinking about this metal stand. Especially appealing are the electrical outlets and surge protection built in.
 

 

Still undecided about the 40b or 55g. Every time I think of the 55g I picture a massive flood on the floor, ya know, worst case scenario thoughts. But it’s probably safer, yeah? Because it has a center brace I believe?

 

 

Edited June 20 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea

[nabokovfan87]

On 6/15/2024 at 7:02 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

That’s a long time for ich!  Last I had it was a few years ago. I kicked up the temp to 86 and did the garlic infusion. It cured everyone but I did have a couple losses. Ich is a nasty one to deal with. I’d say maybe a week and a half was my duration of treatment and recovery.

Yeah! It was my colder temp tank and I really took time boosting the temp up. I didn't crank it to 80+ just because the fish weren't tolerant of that. It was definitely an enlightening experience. I had added fish, definitely ich, definitely was something where the lifecycle just took a lot of time to progress.

[nabokovfan87]

On 6/20/2024 at 5:27 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

Still undecided about the 40b or 55g.

Whichever you decide, get a stand for a 75G. I recommend the one that I have, but unfortunately it's not easy to obtain anymore.

The reason I say this is that it gives you the "space" for the table to be a table and the tank will always be supported well. 75G stands are made a bit better quality to distribute weight. I would honestly recommend a 40 (3 foot) or 60Breeder tank (4 foot).

I've been in the world of the 55G tank and it's just so tall and narrow (from to back) that it's difficult to really utilize fully. The added depth on the tank is very worthwhile. I like the height change from a 75g down to a 60 because it makes life so much easier for you and it's more panoramic in aesthetic.

If you take a 55G tank and put it on a 75G stand, the corners are supported properly and you can even skew it towards the back of the stand or front of you don't want it centered. This gives you space for things behind the tank or just a place to set something down. With the 40 on that stand, depending on construction that stand should be made in such a way with supports on the middle of the tank and you can locate it as such to be properly supported. Again, it just gives you a "table" for something like a canister filter or decorations or a place for things to go when you need to.

On 6/20/2024 at 5:27 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

For the tanks consolidation project, I am thinking about this metal stand. Especially appealing are the electrical outlets and surge protection built in.

The Petco branded ones are very good and very well made. I have a 55G one that is a bookshelf in its new life and I have the 20Long on one as well. That 40B stand is wonderful and they are reliable. The only real issue is that it's better if you have a wooden top on it and you don't have a stand for storage. Most other metal stands I've seen are made with thin materials and that would just concern me. It's definitely worth a trip to Petco and PetSmart just to see the stands and get hands on them and understand the quality as opposed to something from Amazon and a brand that you really don't know if it's reliable, certified, or properly designed for aquariums.

The one I have was branded aqueon and made by sauder.

The majority of wood stands from Petco are made by sauder.

On 6/20/2024 at 5:27 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

So I updated the schedule on the Kasa timer for it to run the powerhead for 10 minutes, twice daily. All I need is for it to push debris out from the back and toward the hob intake.

Awesome! What a great fix and elegant solution.  Much better than paying a few hundred for a fancy one in the saltwater world. 😂

[nabokovfan87]

On 6/15/2024 at 4:13 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

I set up the most beautiful quarantine.

Nice and tidy. You do what you gotta do!

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

Walstad jar got a haircut. Ember tank before & after.