Chick-in-of-TheSea journal

[nabokovfan87]

On 8/14/2022 at 2:15 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

I thought it looked real enough to leave in there though. I think when it was bought it was labeled as artificial mopani.

Yeah, I know exactly what you're talking about!  I was going to ask "white mopani?", but it's one of the more common woods I have around me.  Hot tip, if you go to the big box store and the selection in the fish area isn't great be sure to check the reptile section.  It's all sold by zoomed and they sort things all by flat spots and what works best for which specific type of animal.  I had an issue once where I bought a decently size piece and it had some weird mold or issue with it.  A type of sap.  I emailed them, they asked me to send it to them and they sent me back basically a perch for a giant bearded dragon or something.  It was the size of a dinner plate, about 4-6" thick and 10 or so inches square. 

Mopani is cool, it's cheap, and when you find good pieces it'll last forever basically.  Moss loves it too! which is awesome.

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

Finally changed out to old hood to a versa top. More light is illuminating the tank now. Before & after.

Versa tops are annoying to trim and they never seem to fit right, but they sure do look nice.

 

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

YouTube is where most of us dump videos before a forum post. 
 

This is my most watched and most liked video. With 5.8k views and 61 likes, drumroll please…….

 

😳🙄🤣🤣🤣🤣

[Guppysnail]

Wow that looks like a whole different tank. I love it! STUNNING   I stopped using those awful plastic versa backs. I use egg crate light diffuser now so I can jam my emergent plants in it. 

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 8/18/2022 at 4:01 PM, Guppysnail said:

I use egg crate light diffuser now so I can jam my emergent plants in it. 

I'm too nervous a snail will crawl up a plant and get out.  I'm so classy I use duct tape over all the holes in the back.

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

I ordered a custom baffle that will stay on despite a fat snail trying to squish herself behind it. It looks like this. This guy custom makes baffles for TONS of filters. Can’t beat it for fifteen bucks.
 

Also the other morning when I was zoning out vacuuming some detritus, I overflowed my bucket. Good times, good times. 

Edited August 22, 2022 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea

[Guppysnail]

On 8/22/2022 at 12:45 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

zoning out vacuuming some detritus, I overflowed my bucket

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve done this.  I hear weird water trickle and wonder where it’s coming from then….OMG that’s my bucket 😝

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 8/22/2022 at 1:49 PM, Guppysnail said:

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve done this.  I hear weird water trickle and wonder where it’s coming from then….OMG that’s my bucket 😝

Lately I've taken to holding onto the side of the bucket, keeping a finger in it so I can feel water.  It's not my favorite thing to be bent over while vac the tank, but we do what we gotta do I guess (p.s. doesn't work if your water level indicator finger has already been in the tank and is already at tank temp.. how do I know this..)

Sometimes I put the bucket on a stepstool so I am not bending as much.  If I'm not lazy, and actually get the stepstool (which is right next to the tank..)

[nabokovfan87]

On 8/22/2022 at 9:45 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

I ordered a custom baffle that will stay on despite a fat snail trying to squish herself behind it. It looks like this. This guy custom makes baffles for TONS of filters. Can’t beat it for fifteen bucks.

I might need this for something.... 🤔

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 8/22/2022 at 2:56 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

I might need this for something.... 🤔

He has all kinds here.

Also he takes special requests.

[nabokovfan87]

On 8/22/2022 at 12:12 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

Also he takes special requests.

Can he fix the tidal?  LOL

I'm at the point where I have an idea on how.... but don't have the $$ to do so.  or a band saw.

Checking out stuff now. Much appreciated.

 

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

So I made a thing? Friend gave me a resin kit for Christmas two, maybe three years ago. I didn’t know what the heck to do with it so I let it collect dust. It has molds in it to make, I don’t know, flat discs that you can embed stuff into. (?) And a bunch of pigments and glitters. Again I’m thinking like.. ???

Anyway, I was going to list it on eBay but thought, eh.. maybe I will just “try” something. 
 

So I made this koi pond with pool filter sand and some stuff I collected from the yard. I don’t know how it will cure. I will know in a few days. 
 

It’s little. This is a ramekin.

Edited August 23, 2022 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea

[TeeJay]

On 6/10/2022 at 9:14 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

Bueller? Bueller? Buellerrrrrrrr!!

Black neons missed roll call. They skipped school to play in the current under the filter output!

 

 

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

Husband: Hey, what came from Amazon?

Me: A toner cartridge and a ream of paper for the printer.

Husband: Oh, I though you were going to say aquarium stuff!

😳

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 8/23/2022 at 4:46 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

.

Cool.  This thing hardened properly.  I might do this again in the future, probably with less sand. I think the sand takes away from it.  Perhaps a darker sand or a pinch of dirt would be better.

[nabokovfan87]

On 8/25/2022 at 5:44 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

Cool.  This thing hardened properly.  I might do this again in the future, probably with less sand. I think the sand takes away from it.  Perhaps a darker sand or a pinch of dirt would be better.

Very awesome.  Random question.... Do you have any plaster around?

Your project reminded me of one I did a long time ago. I still have it and still cherish it. 

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 8/25/2022 at 6:04 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

Very awesome.  Random question.... Do you have any plaster around?

Your project reminded me of one I did a long time ago. I still have it and still cherish it. 

I don’t have any plaster.

[nabokovfan87]

On 8/25/2022 at 3:11 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

I don’t have any plaster.

When I did the project, 4th grade I think, I was so confused at what on earth was going one.

We filled up a cup with sand and then we stuck shells into it.  Then we poured this gunk into the cup to fill it up and let it dry.  I appreciate it so much every time I see it, and how meaningful it is to me.  (think of it as a paper weight or just a decor item) but it's so aesthetically nice for some random crap a kid put together.

Edited August 26, 2022 by nabokovfan87
added photo

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

Just a dude hand feeding his ghost knife. 😍
 

 

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 8/25/2022 at 11:00 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

When I did the project, 4th grade I think, I was so confused at what on earth was going one.

We filled up a cup with sand and then we stuck shells into it.  Then we poured this gunk into the cup to fill it up and let it dry.  I appreciate it so much every time I see it, and how meaningful it is to me.  (think of it as a paper weight or just a decor item) but it's so aesthetically nice for some random crap a kid put together.

That is quite nice! I appreciate the barnacles.

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

Yeah I know.. the big box store.  But I went in there to ask for some [fish] bags a few weeks ago, as I believed at the time I was going to transport snails.  The associate gave me 5 bags and asked me if I was moving, and I told him I was moving the snails: taking them to an aquatics club meeting.  He's a total fish nerd; he was working in the reptile department, then they moved him to aquatics and he caught the bug.  Now he's got a fish room at home with fresh AND saltwater tanks. Big box doesn't sell saltwater, and he buys all of his fish, fresh & salt, from the LFS whenever he can. Go local! Woohoo!

Anyway he started asking me about snails: how I raised them, what's the best thing for them to eat, etc.  Of course he asked about algae wafers, but then I told him crab cuisine is even better and explained the calcium.

I went in there 2 days ago looking for Wondershell.  They were out of it, but when he saw me, he excitedly told me - I remember what you said about the snails, and every time I sell a snail I have the customer buy Crab Cuisine!  I looked at the rack where the crab cuisine should be.  SOLD OUT!  I'm internally cheering, and I told him that's awesome!

Then he went on to tell me all about his saltwater tanks, and Octopus Teacher (netflix) and all kinds of stuff.  Also told me all about the crayfish in the store molting. 🙂 I think he just likes when a knowledgeable customer comes in that he can get nerdy with.  He's fun.  I told him to get some Flamingo Tongues* last time I was in there, because they're cool. But when I saw him this time he said he did the research, and they eat all the plants/corals.  Makes sense.  When I dive, I always see them attached to seaweed or coral.

Oh also major props to this guy because he replumbed some stuff to ensure they have a proper quarantine area that is not connected to any of the other tanks.

This big box is not great by any means.  I avert my eyes from the betta section, especially. I don't buy fish there, and that's where I rescued Dodger from bully fish (I HAD to).  Just equipment and the plants in the tubes, sometimes I will buy those.  But it's great to know there is someone that cares about each fish's requirements.  He always tells me he tries to research what each one needs, and tries to provide that for them while they are in the store. And he can better educate the buyers as well.

*Flamingo Tongue:

Edited August 26, 2022 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

Just got an email that the baffle shipped today!  Woohoo!  My clear water bottle one is already turning green from algae.  With the black baffle, any algae should not be noticeable.

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

York & C-3PO found a new playground. 🙄

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

I started posting a little bit about this on the snail journal but decided this is a better spot for it. This little fish has been in quarantine 3 times. Once when he was bought, once for columnaris (with a friend that time) and then again for columnaris after being returned to the main tank where he was mercilessly bullied. He’s been on his own for awhile now. ☹️

Finally after a cycle crash in the quarantine tank due to level 3 salt treatment, I’ve moved him into the snail tank where he seems to be doing well. However, he hides and starts breathing heavily every time I turn on the light. If the light is off he happily swims the whole tank. I think this tank is good for him right now since the anacharis are getting a little crazy. Since he doesn’t like “the spotlight”, and he’s the scrawny kid who didn’t pull the lead role, yet he is tough and courageous when he needs to be, I call him Pippin. ⚔️ He was even featured in Tuesday’s paper!

Currently there are 3 black neons in the main tank (used to be more. Ich..). I have a few choices for Pippin.

a) I could make the 10 gallon where he is into a black neon tank (add 5 buddies) - in which case snails would move out to the 29g.

b) Have a larger school of black neons in the 29g and include him (maybe like 10?). The 29g also has 5 pristella tetras that all get along, but I’d add one or two more just to get to recommended school size, to help prevent future conflict with the black neons. 

What do you guys think?

P.S. To give you an idea of where we started, here’s Pippin’s quarantine friend from a past quarantine (this is his fat picture - he pigged out on brine shrimp before his Kodak moment) 😳😂 They both had symptoms like this. For more on Pippin’s story, click the qt link in my signature line.

 

Edited September 1, 2022 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea

[nabokovfan87]

On 9/1/2022 at 3:40 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

However, he hides and starts breathing heavily every time I turn on the light. If the light is off he happily swims the whole tank. I think this tank is good for him right now since the anacharis are getting a little crazy. Since he doesn’t like “the spotlight”, and he’s the scrawny kid who didn’t pull the lead role, yet he is tough and courageous when he needs to be, I call him Pippin.

😂 Well I guess the little guy earned his name!

Maybe there is heat coming off the light? Maybe the lid is so tight that is sucks out the oxygen or something when the light is on?  Definitely a strange issue. I would run a test to see.... Next time the light comes on and he's breathing heavily, open the lid and see if that changes behavior in terms of rapid breathing.