Coffee with Teejay

[nabokovfan87]

On 9/11/2022 at 11:11 AM, TeeJay said:

Just finished the water change on the killi and friends tank. Just thought I would put a little video up of the baffel in action. 

And on a side note it any of my fellow nerms are interested in paranormal investigations you can see videos of my experiences on my YouTube as well. Just a fun fact about the TeeJay.

Just now seeing this.  I guess it's been a heck of a month.

Looks good. I can't wait for the day when Aqeon or someone decides that lids can be made to go the other way and "side mount" hang on backs perform a lot better for the tank.   You've got that Tidal hot-roded for sure!

On 10/13/2022 at 4:07 PM, TeeJay said:

Sailor loves to hang in and on the hob filter most of the time. Today I caught him up in the filter chilling in the water flow coming into the custom baffel. I could just read his mind. "Just mind your business in just catching some waves"

Why do I get the feeling amano shrimp would use it like a little resort just for themselves. LOL

[TeeJay]

On 10/17/2022 at 6:44 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

Just now seeing this.  I guess it's been a heck of a month.

Looks good. I can't wait for the day when Aqeon or someone decides that lids can be made to go the other way and "side mount" hang on backs perform a lot better for the tank.   You've got that Tidal hot-roded for sure!

Why do I get the feeling amano shrimp would use it like a little resort just for themselves. LOL

Oh I bet they would. I have never tried those guys before. I know it won't be long until I'll have plenty of cherry shrimp to spread around to the other tanks lol. Yes I like that baffel alot. A nice custom fit. It just slips right onto the lip of the chute. 

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

Lemony Snicketts is so cute. He looks little. How long is he, would you say?
 

Sailor is cute too. His foot is lighter color than my zebra nerite’s foot. Neat. Did your daughter name him?  Nerites have a way of disappearing and reappearing. Sometimes I can’t locate Hampshire even when he’s right in front of me on the driftwood or something because he blends in so well and moves slowly.

Do you make a full batch of Repashy to make the lollies or do you make just a tiny bit? I’m glad they like it.

[TeeJay]

On 10/17/2022 at 8:24 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

Lemony Snicketts is so cute. He looks little. How long is he, would you say?
 

Sailor is cute too. His foot is lighter color than my zebra nerite’s foot. Neat. Did your daughter name him?  Nerites have a way of disappearing and reappearing. Sometimes I can’t locate Hampshire even when he’s right in front of me on the driftwood or something because he blends in so well and moves slowly.

Do you make a full batch of Repashy to make the lollies or do you make just a tiny bit? I’m glad they like it.

He is about 2" now. He was about 1" when I got him. Yes she gave him that name. The amount I used to make 2 lollis is the equivalent of a block of repashy that's 1"x 1"

[TeeJay]

Good morning fellow nerms. Time for coffee with TeeJay. The cold rainy edition. Not a lot of new news to report this morning. Other than it's time to thin the duckweed when I get home this evening lol. Everyone is doing great. And this morning I actually caught a pic of lemony and mcqueen chilling on the mopani wood this morning. Like there saying to each other "so come around here often?" It's only the second time I have seen McQueen out since I added him to the tank. I'll take what I can get. 

[TeeJay]

Just feeding a bit of grindal worms tonight and some shrimp dinner pellets for the corys. When out of no where a snail I didn't recognize comes out around the mopani wood. It took me a minute to realize he is one of my original mystery snails I got. It seems like he doubled in size overnight. So if I have never show him off this is Ivory.

Edited October 19, 2022 by TeeJay

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

Ivory is beautiful. And I can see how you can lose track of McQueen. He blends in so well.

Edited October 19, 2022 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea

[TeeJay]

On 10/19/2022 at 6:41 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

Ivory is beautiful. And I can see how you can lose track of McQueen. He blends in so well.

Yes and you know how they like to hide. I'm sure he is always off somewhere finding something good to eat

[TeeJay]

So I'm just sitting here watching the killis and and start hearing the water a bit more coming from the filter than usual. So I first thought it was just that the water level is a smidge low. And that's usually the sound it makes when it is.. so I go to and inspect the filter when I see this crazy one just chilling on the water flow dispersing from the filter. What a maroon as bugs bunny would say.

Edited October 19, 2022 by TeeJay

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

LOL! Is that Sailor?

[TeeJay]

On 10/19/2022 at 7:06 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

LOL! Is that Sailor?

Sure is. He just does what he wants. He always finds his way back to the tank so I let him do his thing. I'm thinking he comes in and out thru the round side holes on the ends of the baffel. If not he is climbing over the side and back in  the tank. Only one side has enough space for him to do that. Of course he is posted up in the baffel. And I always hate to try and pull and move them when they are suctioned in place.

Edited October 19, 2022 by TeeJay

[TeeJay]

Good morning nerm fam. How about a little coffee with TeeJay shall we?!

So water change was done yesterday instead of on its usual Sunday since I have to work today 😢. So I did a little trimming and thinning of guppy grass and duckweed.  It was time for root tabs this time. Had to feed the sword beast and others. And I'll tell you this the guppy grass definitely sucks up the nitrates amazingly well. 

In this tank my nitrates have always stayed at around 30-40. Always steady and never really jumped higher so I was never concerned. But since adding the guppy grass it stays right around 15-20. So if you very need something to help keep your nitrates balanced it's a good choice. 

This tank has usually been set at 77 degrees. But I think I'm going to slowly take it down to 75 degrees over some weeks time. I think everyone in here will enjoy that. As well for whenever I am able to add shrimp to this tank it won't be as warm and will be easier to get them acclimated to a couple degrees warmer than there used to in the shrimp sanctuary.  And may help with the corys in this tank spawn as well. Included is some radom pics I just took this morning. Enjoy!

Edited October 23, 2022 by TeeJay

[Anjum]

That tank is about as perfect as it gets right now! Nice job TeeJay 

[TeeJay]

On 10/23/2022 at 12:44 PM, Anjum said:

That tank is about as perfect as it gets right now! Nice job TeeJay 

I am extremely pleased with how well it is doing. I have never had an alge issue with it. "Knock on wood". Other than getting cc going to get my kh balanced out it has always stayed stable. Most plants except Anubias barteri how worked well for me. Hit rodding the tidal 55 on it was great learning experience. In total it has been set up for 9 months 

[TeeJay]

Think I'm going to play around with the temps in the Cory tank over the next month or so. Right now I have it set for 77. I'm thinking of slowly taking it down to 74-75. Since is only the corys and snails in the tank they will be in good shape. And since I'll be cranking up the heat in my apt sooner than later I'm sure the heater will get very minimal use for the upcoming time of year. See I can stimulate more activity.

[TeeJay]

Went to feed the corys this evening and guess who was out and about? Lighting finally made and appearance!. Of course as soon as I put the food on the food dish he ran away but I did get a couple of pictures first.

[TeeJay]

Good evening fellow nerms. Hope everyone is doing well. As I was talking to my partner in crime @Guppysnail about our house and emersed plants she gave me some new knowledge. I thought my inch and Swiss cheese plants liked about the same amount of water that pothos plants do. So in turn the inch and Swiss cheese were not doing well. 

So this evening I took them out of there pots and rinsed the roots off well and put them all in my emersed plant holders on the killi tank. Figured this was best chance and getting them to bounce back. So now I have a nice amount of emersed plants in the back of the tank. The roots on all of them were in great shape so I figure it won't take long for them to go crazy.

[TeeJay]

Good morning fellow nerms. It's time for a quick edition of coffee with TeeJay. This morning we have a short video of all the shrimp activity in the Sanctuary. They are always the most active the first hour in the morning it seems like. Because when I watch them when I get home from work there not out and about so much. So who is ready for some shrimpy exercise!

https://youtu.be/8vGLF0nuYOs

[TheSwissAquarist]

On 10/26/2022 at 1:38 PM, TeeJay said:

Good morning fellow nerms. It's time for a quick edition of coffee with TeeJay. This morning we have a short video of all the shrimp activity in the Sanctuary. They are always the most active the first hour in the morning it seems like. Because when I watch them when I get home from work there not out and about so much. So who is ready for some shrimpy exercise!

https://youtu.be/8vGLF0nuYOs

@TeeJay, since your journal makes you seem a bit like a shrimp king 😉, do you think that selectively breeding cherry shrimp to be the size of Amanos could work? @Scapexghost was wondering that the other day.

[TeeJay]

On 10/26/2022 at 8:20 AM, TheSwissAquarist said:

@TeeJay, since your journal makes you seem a bit like a shrimp king 😉, do you think that selectively breeding cherry shrimp to be the size of Amanos could work? @Scapexghost was wondering that the other day.

I wish I were a shrimp king...but I like the title. As far as breeding goes I have a really only had this tank setup for a out 4 solid months. The first 15 shrimp i started with were mid grade cherrys at best.

I them added another batch of 15 about 3 or so weeks ago. Those were more of a higher grade red cherry. I know I had at least one berried female from the original crew so I'm sure those will be a lower mid grade. So as far as breeding I don't know much. I know @JettsPapa does a good amount of breeding and culling. I'm sure he would have way better input on this than me.

I have only done so well because of the help of many others on here to get my tank where it at today.

[TheSwissAquarist]

On 10/26/2022 at 2:53 PM, TeeJay said:

but I like the title

Would you also like a throne, o mighty one 🙇‍♂️?😂

[TeeJay]

On 10/26/2022 at 8:56 AM, TheSwissAquarist said:

Would you also like a throne, o mighty one 🙇‍♂️?😂

Na. I can't let it go to my head lol. 

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 10/26/2022 at 7:38 AM, TeeJay said:

Good morning fellow nerms. It's time for a quick edition of coffee with TeeJay. This morning we have a short video of all the shrimp activity in the Sanctuary. They are always the most active the first hour in the morning it seems like. Because when I watch them when I get home from work there not out and about so much. So who is ready for some shrimpy exercise!

https://youtu.be/8vGLF0nuYOs

Wow, look at 'em go!

And your plants are beautiful!

[nabokovfan87]

On 10/26/2022 at 4:38 AM, TeeJay said:

Good morning fellow nerms. It's time for a quick edition of coffee with TeeJay.

*sips coffee*  Alright, I'm ready....

It's light or something I think. It's hard to explain, but yeah the shrimp go nuts when lights pop up.  I think it might be because in nature that's when everything wakes up and that's their normal behavior?

On 10/26/2022 at 10:05 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

And your plants are beautiful!

I had the same thought, it's a beautiful tank.
 

[TeeJay]

On 10/26/2022 at 5:32 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

*sips coffee*  Alright, I'm ready....

It's light or something I think. It's hard to explain, but yeah the shrimp go nuts when lights pop up.  I think it might be because in nature that's when everything wakes up and that's their normal behavior?

I had the same thought, it's a beautiful tank.
 

I think it must be. Like the light turned in the time to start the day switch or something. Not like us humans.