Coffee with Teejay

[nabokovfan87]

Pandas are going nuts today.  Slightly stormy weather, just miles away, but you can smell it in the air.  5 pairs of them going all crazy chasing the females everywhere on different parts of the glass. Just these globs of little catfish darting all over 🙂

I'll give them some worms, that's my afternoon....

[TeeJay]

On 8/8/2022 at 11:20 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

Pandas are going nuts today.  Slightly stormy weather, just miles away, but you can smell it in the air.  5 pairs of them going all crazy chasing the females everywhere on different parts of the glass. Just these globs of little catfish darting all over 🙂

I'll give them some worms, that's my afternoon....

Yes we had a nice storm come thru last night but I worked 12 hours yesterday so I was dead last night to get up and watch them. I need to set up my camera to watch the tank one night when it rains to see there reactions. The finally got frozen brine shrimp and blood worms at a local shop. First time since I have set up all my tanks over the past 6 months that I've been able to get them. 

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 8/9/2022 at 9:09 AM, TeeJay said:

Yes we had a nice storm come thru last night but I worked 12 hours yesterday so I was dead last night to get up and watch them. I need to set up my camera to watch the tank one night when it rains to see there reactions. The finally got frozen brine shrimp and blood worms at a local shop. First time since I have set up all my tanks over the past 6 months that I've been able to get them. 

I believe some of the aquarium lights simulate lightning for breeding.  (That's too fancy for me.  I'd probably just flip the light switch on and off for the room I'm in and call it a day.)

[TeeJay]

Just got the Java moss in that I ordered. Got here very fast. Ordered on Sunday night and I got it about 30 mins ago. Have never ordered from here so I got just one package to see how they did. It's a nice amount at a really fair price. Came in a sealed bag with just enough water to keep it nice and wet.

So I opened it up and put it in my one gallon pitcher with just a bottle of seltzer water so I can r/o it for 12 hours. Sat a couple small slate rocks on it to hold it down in the water. Then set the pitcher in my 5 gal water change bucket and covered with towels to keep it as dark as possible.  Then it will be glued on bits of rocks and put in the shrimp tank and the Cory tank!

[TeeJay]

Got the Java moss in today. Going to put it thru r/o with seltzer water until tomorrow. Will change out the water for fresh seltzer in the morning. Then when I get home from work we will get it put into the tank.

Edited August 10, 2022 by TeeJay

[TeeJay]

So got the Java moss out of the seltzer water. I let it in there for 24 hours then rinsed it in tank water before gluing it to a couple of rocks. I only put 2 with moss in here and saved the rest for the shrimp tank. Hope to get it to grow at a good rate.

[TeeJay]

So I let the java moss soak in the seltzer water for 24 hours. I just drained it and rinsed it in some tank water before gluing it on some rocks. The main piece I glued to the top slate rock on the cave and 2 small rocks with some on it as well.wirh adding those 3 patches in with what was already in the tank it should fill out nicely. I can always order another batch. 😃

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

It looks nice and green.

[nabokovfan87]

I give it two weeks before they get feisty 😂

Then I'd feed the heck out of them and do a big WC. 

[TeeJay]

On 8/11/2022 at 8:32 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

I give it two weeks before they get feisty 😂

Then I'd feed the heck out of them and do a big WC. 

Yes they had frozen blood worms for the first time tonight and it's a full moon🤣

On 8/11/2022 at 8:31 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

It looks nice and green.

Yes it was a nice amount I got for 8 bucks. I'll def get more from them.

[nabokovfan87]

On 8/11/2022 at 5:38 PM, TeeJay said:

Yes they had frozen blood worms for the first time tonight and it's a full moon🤣

Get the candles ready. Turn the lights off!

I'm exhausted.  I'll post all the photos and what not shortly, but I do not EVER recommend BDBS for corydoras.  What a nightmare.

[TeeJay]

Over morning coffee before work I was thinking about water hardness calcium and molting. I know I have very hard water. Of course I don't know to what degree the percentage of calcium is in it. I feed Xtreme shrimpee sticks and mini alge wafers from hikari. Would it be a good idea to get something me type of calcium supplement like mineral rocks. I know the wonder shells just jack my water hardness up to an Xtreme level. Found that out the hard way lolm or would just the occasional bit of nano food blocks be enough? Just want to make sure the get the right amount for molting purposes.

[Guppysnail]

On 8/12/2022 at 7:39 AM, TeeJay said:

Over morning coffee before work I was thinking about water hardness calcium and molting. I know I have very hard water. Of course I don't know to what degree the percentage of calcium is in it. I feed Xtreme shrimpee sticks and mini alge wafers from hikari. Would it be a good idea to get something me type of calcium supplement like mineral rocks. I know the wonder shells just jack my water hardness up to an Xtreme level. Found that out the hard way lolm or would just the occasional bit of nano food blocks be enough? Just want to make sure the get the right amount for molting purposes.

I like the Zoomed nano spirulina banquet blocks. They have the appropriate calcium magnesium ratio (shrimp need magnesium as well). My shrimp really enjoy the vs mostly ignoring the wondershell. 
My water is also really hard and these seem to not affect my parameters much if at all. Maybe it’s because the shrimp and snails devour them really fast 🤷🏼‍♀️
ACO and Amazon have them.

i also occasionally use the protein nano blocks. They like those also but I always hope my nerites nom some of the spirulina ones. 

[TeeJay]

On 8/12/2022 at 7:45 AM, Guppysnail said:

I like the Zoomed nano spirulina banquet blocks. They have the appropriate calcium magnesium ratio (shrimp need magnesium as well). My shrimp really enjoy the vs mostly ignoring the wondershell. 
My water is also really hard and these seem to not affect my parameters much if at all. Maybe it’s because the shrimp and snails devour them really fast 🤷🏼‍♀️
ACO and Amazon have them.

i also occasionally use the protein nano blocks. They like those also but I always hope my nerites nom some of the spirulina ones. 

Yes I have a good supply of the nano blocks already that I had purchased awhile back for my snails. They never seem to take to them. I don't believe I have tried one for the shrimp since I got them. I sure do hope they will like them since I have about 30. You know those Amazon deals lol.

[Guppysnail]

On 8/12/2022 at 7:52 AM, TeeJay said:

You know those Amazon deals

I have closets full of great Amazon deals 🤣

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 8/12/2022 at 7:52 AM, TeeJay said:

Yes I have a good supply of the nano blocks already that I had purchased awhile back for my snails. They never seem to take to them. I don't believe I have tried one for the shrimp since I got them. I sure do hope they will like them since I have about 30. You know those Amazon deals lol.

The mystery snail babies should like those too.

[TeeJay]

Had to thin the hornwort out a bit this morning. It does very well in my water. It's amazing how starting with a little 1 inch piece grows. So now we can see a bit better in the tank. And even the Java fern that was lost in the middle of the driftwood. We can see it now!

[TeeJay]

Just a couple of pics of the shrimpy friends. An I'm not sure but I think the one is berried I think is the term. Correct me if I'm wrong please. The first pic is the one in question and it's in the others as well.

Edited August 13, 2022 by TeeJay

[TeeJay]

Caught this picture just now over morning coffee. Just before it jumped off the branch.

[TeeJay]

So today makes 3 weeks since we added our shrimpy friends to the sanctuary. This morning over coffee it seems that everyone is buzzing around the tank.i think it's the most activity I have seen at one time so far. I don't believe we have lost a single shrimp in the transition to my tank. 

I do believe we have one berried shrimp so far. I have not seen her so far this morning. But I'm sure she is hiding in some of the back Java moss. I hope to get more pics of her soon so I can be sure that she is.

[TeeJay]

SeeWell just sitting here checking water parameters for tomorrow's upcoming water change day. And was following @Anjum thread about his new paleatus Cory's. He was thinking of trying a sand gravel mix suggested by @nabokovfan87. So it's had me thinking all day about it.

Right now my Cory's are on just gravel. I have never used sand as a substrate before. But it seriously has me thinking about trying a mixed sand gravel in mine as well. I would love to see how they interact with a mix like that. And maybe I'll like the look of it better. If I do I'll give the caribsea crystal river brand a try. I think the color the offer will blend well with the color gravel I have in there tank. Of course none of them want to sit still so I can get decent new pics lol

[nabokovfan87]

LOL, you just have to get them after feeding when they ate so much they can't move!

[TeeJay]

On 8/15/2022 at 6:04 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

LOL, you just have to get them after feeding when they ate so much they can't move!

That's a plan. I'll have to do that tomorrow!

[nabokovfan87]

Here is some inspiration for you two 🙂






I think Pecktec does it a lot too where he will have a sand substrate as a cap, then toss some things into the surface to add texture.

It's sort of a "rubble style" aquascape.

Edit: Another fantastic one.
 

 

Edited August 15, 2022 by nabokovfan87

[TeeJay]

I was thinking a 5lbs bag is plenty. Just taking out the couple of wood pieces and just gently mixing the sand with the gravel then adding the wood back. That way I wouldn't have to take out the fish. Just give the sand a good wash before I put it in. And do it when I do water change that way I have lower tank water so I'll know how much extra water volume the sand will take up.