Chick-in-of-TheSea journal

[nabokovfan87]

On 9/4/2022 at 2:36 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

Link the mod thread? I can’t find it.

 

On 9/4/2022 at 3:56 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

Perhaps a binge watch of all of them is in order in my near future. Saw them all in the theater. The first Hobbit they had used a new 3D camera and the opening scene was zooming OUT through trees, and I remember feeling like I was kinda being swallowed by the trees and the foliage. It was incredible. 😍

Never a bad time to do that. I got a "fancy copy" of the book. Trying to reread it again and then I'm due for a watch. The two towers is still one of my favorites in the film series.

So glad those got made..... Such awesome content that changed movies in so many ways.

On 9/4/2022 at 6:10 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

I guess I’m buying a new heater. I don’t know what these are. They don’t come off. Scratches? The start of cracks? Best not to chance it. Who knows what they will do when it heats up. 
 

Lame.. only got 1 quarantine use out of this.

What heater is it? Looks like the fluval one if I had to guess. They might be a defect or scratch from those metal clips on the surface. Can you get your nail in there in any way?

Seems like a weird choice to have that design of a clip. It could be some weird residue or hard water thing.

I still need to get me an ACO heater. Why on earth no one sells the Fluval E series E50 anywhere.... I don't have a clue.

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 9/4/2022 at 12:32 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

What heater is it? Looks like the fluval one if I had to guess. They might be a defect or scratch from those metal clips on the surface. Can you get your nail in there in any way?

Fluval, yep. I felt like I almost could, so I chucked it. 
This one: Fluval M50 Submersible Heater,... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0027VMPXA?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

2 things I don’t mess with- leaky tanks and questionable heaters.

Edited September 5, 2022 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

Here’s little Pippin at breakfast time, enjoying the shade of the leaf. 

He’s been out in the open most of the time and doesn’t hide from me unless I do tank maintenance. 
 

He eats, but he’s kind of dumb - if I put a flake in he will bite at the water surface.. meanwhile the flake had already floated to a different area. So I grab it with the aquascaping tongs and put it near him again and he gets it. Maybe the light is a little bright for him when he looks up.
 

 

[nabokovfan87]

On 9/4/2022 at 5:26 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

This one: Fluval M50 Submersible Heater,...

Michael from Michael's Fish room just had his, same one, have some issues as well. I've never had issues with the e-seried and it's such a different design. I can't wait for a "better version" one day from someone, but for now.... That's honestly all I can recommend for a certain size tank.

[Guppysnail]

I have a label maker from my business years ago. I use red for the heater. This reminds me I have not relabeled since moving and adding things. 

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

Got the new qt tote filled with 5 gallons of dechlorinated water. The other 5 will come from the established tanks on maintenance day, as well as a seeded filter from snail/Pippin tank. 
 

Testing a heater. Not the ACO heater. I know about the flishy flashy and that would drive me nuts. Also I don’t know how it would affect the sleep cycles of the fishies. This heater is a Hygger 50w with an external control dial. The heater is filled with powdered quartz. Pretty nifty. Supposedly for its thermal conductivity. It is also explosion proof. Always a plus. I want to trial it for a few before I add fish to see what I think of the features and functionality (ie: how accurate is the dial vs a thermometer reading and how hot to the touch does it get). If I don’t like it, it is easy enough to return. So far Hygger has been good to me, in the way of lights.

I threw an airstone in there for some flow, for the time being, as circulation helps distribute the heat. Keeping track of temp readings in my lil cop notebook.

Edited September 7, 2022 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

@Guppysnail will be happy to know that I placed my order for the Co Op heater.  The Hygger seems to be accurate and it looks nice, low profile, nice external temp control, and the quartz powder inside is fancy.. but it is hotter to the touch than I'd like.  What if a critter got too close?  This is why we test prior to livestock moving in.  This is for the quarantine tank, which I do not keep up all the time. Therefore, I don't think the heater will be running all the time.  It should be quite a ways away before the flishy flashy occurs on the display, and I'm more comfortable w/ a brand I trust. 

My other heaters are Aqueon.  Thanks to the interwebs, I KNOW about the Aqueon situation. 😐  But I've had these for MANY years.  I guess I lucked out and got the reliable models.  The newer ones are bad news.

Also it was the perfect time to add some new plants to the order and try the Repashy community plus, which is getting great feedback here on the forum.  I let myself order from Co Op once a month, so I don't spend too much money. Hehe.

[redfish]

I keep adding items to another order from ACO to get to the free shipping...😬

I need to break it up monthly too.

 

I put a small heater in my quarantine tank  but want to order a few more ACO brand too.

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

Pippin ate good this morning.  MMM!!! Brine Shrimp!!!  He always leaves some behind though.  Good thing I have cleanup crew. 🐌🐌🐌🐌🐌

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

Here’s a photo I took in say, 2000? Can’t see much. Looks like a black skirt, 2 hatchets up top, a gourami peeking out of a cave? I think I even had a ghost knife in there at one point, and he lived in an Arizona iced tea bottle, the blue bottle because I knew they like dark tunnels, but I still wanted to see him.

 

Edited September 7, 2022 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

For about a week I’ve had this vase out in the garage under my grow light. Trying to get the anacharis to sprout after a melt. See some sprouting from the side of the stem?

 

there is also some Easy Green in there.

Edited September 7, 2022 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea

[nabokovfan87]

On 9/7/2022 at 3:02 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

I am pretty certain this is the same size / tank we had growing up.  Probably the same time, but I have no clue what the hood looked like.  I remember the wood grain and the size / shape, a few fish, but not much else.  I remember the decoration we had, marineland filter, all that fun stuff, but I totally couldn't tell you anything more then saying, "yep, it was like that!"

Cool to see something similar.  I don't think we have any photos of the old setup.
 

On 9/7/2022 at 3:12 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

For about a week I’ve had this vase out in the garage under my grow light. Trying to get the anacharis to sprout after a melt. See some sprouting from the side of the stem?

That's awesome.  Photo is awesome too, super crisp and well lit. I like it!  I need a plant in my room.  I have one in the living room by the front door and it's going off thanks to all the fish water and Easy Green.

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 8/15/2022 at 7:56 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

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.

 

@nabokovfan87 that hood was still in use like 3 weeks ago!!  Sans the light. Earlier this year I did upgrade that to a plant light, but here’s the old trusty. Bulbs & fuse have been changed over the years and it keeps on a’goin. But it will not grow stuff.

Still, just goes to show you how stuff lasts.

As far as the wood grain tank, well, I tried to get it going again a few years ago after it had been stored for a while, and the bottom fell out… that’s a fun story.

[nabokovfan87]

On 9/7/2022 at 5:20 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

Still, just goes to show you how stuff lasts.

As far as the wood grain tank, well, I tried to get it going again a few years ago after it had been stored for a while, and the bottom fell out… that’s a fun story.

For sure!  Super interesting.  One day you'll have to share the story 🙂

I don't really remember the old equipment and the older style tanks apart from "yeah I had one".

What I do remember.....

"Ok, let's clean the tank"
*takes everything out of the tank and takes it to the sink*
*Empty tank with all the water*
*gravel into strainer*
(Clean everything)
*Add everything back to the tank, add chemicals, add the fish*

"ok, see..... it's so clean now"

I've learned a lot now about what we didn't do right growing up with that tank, but.... even having one really was something where I knew I'd appreciate it and was one of the big factors for getting one the past 5 or however many years it's been.

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 9/7/2022 at 11:08 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

"Ok, let's clean the tank"
*takes everything out of the tank and takes it to the sink*
*Empty tank with all the water*
*gravel into strainer*
(Clean everything)
*Add everything back to the tank, add chemicals, add the fish*

"ok, see..... it's so clean now"

Yes!  I went to my friend's house and her mom was doing that for the 10g goldfish tank. She had us help swish the gravel around in the tank with tap water, and pour out the fish poop water.  I was a little apprehensive because we had a fish tank at home and didn't do it that way.  My dad was good friends with the owner of the LFS though, so I'm sure he knew more stuff.  I didn't know enough to question it. When you're a kid you do as you're told. "Come help with this"  "Ok..."

Also we just bought the fish we liked with no thought about whether or not it would get along with other stuff in the tank. If it did well, great. If not, that sucks, buy another type of fish.  I had a fiddler crab in a deep freshwater tank (which I now know needs an island/land AS WELL AS brackish water), western newt (don't even know what he was supposed to have for habitat - but he ended up crawling out and got crispy), probably had no business putting the ghost knife in the 29gallon, but we didn't know any better.  Everything was word of mouth, and the LFS would either share knowledge or they wouldn't.  Most of the time they wouldn't and just wanted to make the sale.  So we just avoided the fish that got big or were very obviously aggressive, ie: we knew basic stuff like don't buy an Oscar, it gets big and it is mean.. etc.

Also, going back to your tank cleaning experience, this Amazon review of a gravel vac made me LOL.

 

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

The quarantine tote is reading at a 78 so I believe it is a good day to add Pippin's friends.  More on that later.  It depends on when I leave the hospital this afternoon and if I get to the LFS before they close.  Dad has been in the hospital since Monday, and Mom & I are going to visit today.  🙁  It's been a bit of a stressful week.  I'm glad for the forum where I can escape into fishdom to take my mind off of things for awhile. 

The Co Op order should arrive tomorrow, and in that will be Aponogeton Crispus.  I'm told it will do well and multiply in a 29 gallon, so that's great.  I'd like to line the back wall with taller stuff to naturally hide my cords & tubing.  A living background, if you will.

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

Hooray! Pippin’s buddies have arrived. A stop at the LFS on my way home. They look nice & healthy and are a good size. I got 7 black neons so after all is said & done I will have 11 total. The guy that bagged my fish labeled it 6, so that means I got one free. That was sweet. I didn’t catch it until I got home. Shop local. 😍

Also to be fair, I got 2 pristella tetras as well and that will put me at 7 total. They are very washed out in color so my mission is to take them from this:

to this:

 

Also I did have a helper. Actually, I ALWAYS have a helper.
 

 

I really prefer to drip acclimate but since my QT tote is on the floor, we are floating and adding, floating and adding. 
 

They were initially really freaked out when the bags were laying flat and were slamming against the sides of the bag, but now that the bags are upright and held in place with a binder clip they are a lot more calm. I’m adding 1/2 c. water every 10 min after their initial 15 min. float. 

 

 

Edited September 9, 2022 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea

[Guppysnail]

Fur babies are so helpful. I’m sure you will have these guys looking great in no time. 

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

Everybody is situated now and are relaxing. The co op order came today, a day early!

I like the insulated plant pack.

So fancy!

But the Crispus are sad.

The bulbs look good though, and I think that’s what counts.

 

Maybe a little RR will perk them up.

I am now soaking the heater for 30 minutes and will make the changeover from the Hygger.

Lastly here is the gang. Everyone is schooling with everyone. They are mostly just staying still while they get used to their new surroundings. I am so very glad I bought a new tote. This one is so very clear and it’s easy to see them.

I taped a rock background on there so that my fur babies will leave them alone.

Of course, you guys can’t see the rocks but they can. 🙂

I think it’s going to also prevent them from getting stressed when I’m walking around in that area, doing maintenance and such.

And they already made a whole bunch of detritus. Wow! Sheesh. All that in just 1 hour. I’m used to having 1 fish (Pippin) in QT so the mess appearing so quickly took me by surprise. Admittedly, it’s been a minute since I’ve quarantined a group.

Edited September 9, 2022 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea

[Guppysnail]

What brand tote is that. It is very clear I would love to get one. 

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 9/9/2022 at 7:24 PM, Guppysnail said:

What brand tote is that. It is very clear I would love to get one. 

It is the Sterilite 66qt. I got it at Target.

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

I suppose you may be wondering, why tetras? Well, a friend had an aquarium in his apartment and the landlord found out about it. It was against his lease. And so he brought his fish to me. They just so happen to live a long time, because that was maybe 9 or 10 years ago? Tetras are very hardy fish. LOL

And so I’m just rolling with it. I’m increasing their school size because I know that makes them feel safe and happy. I did lose a few over time, one by one. Old age perhaps. There was an ich situation one time (the last time I tried to increase the school).

[rockfisher]

On 9/9/2022 at 7:27 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

It is the Sterilite 66qt. I got it at Target.

That brand is my favorite, especially at the 17.5gallon size like.

[nabokovfan87]

On 9/9/2022 at 6:57 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

Dad has been in the hospital since Monday, and Mom & I are going to visit today.  🙁  It's been a bit of a stressful week.  I'm glad for the forum where I can escape into fishdom to take my mind off of things for awhile. 

Very sorry for this! I hope everything is ok.
 

On 9/9/2022 at 4:59 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

I suppose you may be wondering, why tetras? Well, a friend had an aquarium in his apartment and the landlord found out about it. It was against his lease. And so he brought his fish to me. They just so happen to live a long time, because that was maybe 9 or 10 years ago? Tetras are very hardy fish. LOL

LOL, that's awesome.

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 9/10/2022 at 1:38 AM, nabokovfan87 said:

Very sorry for this! I hope everything is ok.

Thank you!  Seems he is on the mend.  He had some vertigo but they figured out it was something with the ear, easily resolved. He’s a senior citizen so he does not spring back so well from health issues as he did in his younger days. That was not an easy issue because he already uses a walker and needs assistance with things. But he should be released soon because he’s improving. 
 

After the reverse respiration, the Aponogeton Crispus seems a little… crisper? Hehehe. But a number of stems are broken and some leaves are translucent. 🫤 I trimmed off slimy/brown stuff and stuck it in the tank. The snails can help sort out the other parts that may decline. It doesn’t look half bad though. They are nice and tall and help create the background.

 

Class is in session for the quarantine crew.  Everyone are friends. I’m so charmed watching them school around. (It’s the little things in life…)
Also the pristellas are already starting to show their pretty red eyeshadow.  🙂 Hmm.. but… my other pristellas don’t seem to have red eyeshadow? I think I have 2 mystery fish.

Also I did watch everyone closely and see no signs of illness in anyone.

The co op heater is doing well. It runs a degree hotter than what I set but I don’t care. I just set it one degree lower, and it’s perfect. 

This is the rock background they see (prevents cats from seeing in and bothering them - Mouse got busted trying to claw her way into the tote before, when Pippin was there). Really it’s 2 Dollar Tree backsplash pieces for a kitchen. Good enough for me.

 

Edited September 10, 2022 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea