Guppysnail Aquarium Journal

[Guppysnail]

On 3/8/2023 at 2:03 PM, Lennie said:

How are the asian stone minis doing @Guppysnail?

They are fantastic. I keep meaning to get a video. When I feed white worms they will flip upside down to catch them as they fall. Then they grab clumps of them off the floor and stuff their mouths full. Worms hanging out of their mouth they shuffle away from the feeding frenzy and spit the huge wad out so they can eat them one at a time. These guys are so fun. I spend way too much time watching them. 
they like to play in low plants. I added a big bushy narrow leaf Java fern for them on the right. This way in no area of the tank will they be exposed so I can turn the light up a bit. 

Edited March 8, 2023 by Guppysnail

[Lennie]

On 3/8/2023 at 10:11 PM, Guppysnail said:

They are fantastic. I keep meaning to get a video. When I feed white worms they will flip upside down to catch them as they fall. Then they grab clumps of them off the floor and stuff their mouths full. Worms hanging out of their mouth they shuffle away from the feeding frenzy and spit the huge wad out so they can eat them one at a time. These guys are so fun. I spend way too much time watching them. 
they like to play in low plants. I added a big bushy narrow leaf Java fern for them on the right. This way in no area of the tank will they be exposed so I can turn the light up a bit. 

My LFS always carry them. They remind me of you!

I should get them and gift you on your birthday. They would be much happier there!

They are looking lovely🥰

Do they socialize with each other, or them being in groups just makes them feel comfortable?

[Guppysnail]

On 3/8/2023 at 2:15 PM, Lennie said:

My LFS always carry them. They remind me of you!

I should get them and gift you on your birthday. They would be much happier there!

They are looking lovely🥰

Do they socialize with each other, or them being in groups just makes them feel comfortable?

I think they are very social. There are 6. They are always near or touching one another. I only occasionally see one venture somewhere alone they all stay together in the same general area though. Perfect little catfish to have a group of in a 10 g tank. I don’t see them really eating commercial food though. That tank is very alive with microfauna and I see them dive between gravel bits at whatever tummy thing is there. I think they are mostly foraging for whatever happens their way. None are veggie eaters. I feed granulated fry food. None seem interested in algae or meat wafers I’ve tried. 

[Lennie]

On 3/8/2023 at 10:26 PM, Guppysnail said:

I think they are very social. There are 6. They are always near or touching one another. I only occasionally see one venture somewhere alone they all stay together in the same general area though. Perfect little catfish to have a group of in a 10 g tank. I don’t see them really eating commercial food though. That tank is very alive with microfauna and I see them dive between gravel bits at whatever tummy thing is there. I think they are mostly foraging for whatever happens their way. None are veggie eaters. I feed granulated fry food. None seem interested in algae or meat wafers I’ve tried. 

Yea, they seem really not suitable for my tanks, as my tanks reach high temps during summer whatever I do. They seem to enjoy cold water from what I saw, too.

[Guppysnail]

On 3/8/2023 at 2:39 PM, Lennie said:

Yea, they seem really not suitable for my tanks, as my tanks reach high temps during summer whatever I do. They seem to enjoy cold water from what I saw, too.

I keep them at 74. I have an oversized air pump 60-100g dual outlet on the UGF. They like high oxygen low flow so I have the uplift tubes even with the surface so lots of air slight water movement. I have the canister outflow positioned the Same and a small 5g hob with low flow. 
I have to use a dispersion tool when adding water at water change. Even gentle currents blow them about. 

[Guppysnail]

New fish 🤩. One of my some days was Microglanis iheringi from Venezuela and are almost non existent in the hobby. 
I did get M. aff. Iheringi from Columbia. Look almost identical and behave the same just a bit larger at 3 inches standard length. These have a more pink ish base color than yellowish. 
THEY ARE SO WIGGLY 🤩

 

Edited March 8, 2023 by Guppysnail

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

Wow cool. How big do they get?

[Guppysnail]

On 3/8/2023 at 6:30 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

Wow cool. How big do they get?

3 inches

[Theplatymaster]

On 3/8/2023 at 5:50 PM, Guppysnail said:

THEY ARE SO WIGGLY 🤩

as much fun as normal swimming is,

there is something to be said that fish that swim by wiggling around might be funner. (kuhli loaches, panda garras, these new cats you have...etc...)

[Levi_Aquatics]

Those are super cool!! I had to watch that video a few times lol

[Guppysnail]

On 3/9/2023 at 12:06 PM, Levi_Aquatics said:

Those are super cool!! I had to watch that video a few times lol

I kind of suspect these were wild caught. They so far have not touched commercial foods but white worms were eaten overnight and scarfed down again this morning. 
They don’t know it but they may have an extended qt time until they learn to eat regular food. 

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

Do they have a common name?

[Guppysnail]

On 3/9/2023 at 1:13 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

Do they have a common name?

Bumblebee catfish. However there is a very large Asian catfish that is considered THE bumblebee catfish. So it can be confusing. 

[Guppysnail]

Quick note on my new bumblebee catfish. 
 

They are completely hidden under a Java fern…smashed against the front glass 🤣

I just saw one 🥱 yawn. I can fit the tip of my pinky in its mouth. 😲

I think I finally found a fish that may control my excess shrimp population. 
 

They have the personality of kuhli loaches. Same movement and hiding behaviors. Sleep in positions that make you think they are dead. Smashed between a coop heater and the wall with the head hanging upside down over the top 🤪

[Isaac M]

Hi @Guppysnail! Very cool bumblebee catfish! I wonder if a freeze dried tubifex cube could be stuck to the glass right before the light goes out so you can observe them eating? It would be interesting to see them eat like that given the size of their mouth haha 

[Guppysnail]

On 3/11/2023 at 9:08 AM, Isaac M said:

Hi @Guppysnail! Very cool bumblebee catfish! I wonder if a freeze dried tubifex cube could be stuck to the glass right before the light goes out so you can observe them eating? It would be interesting to see them eat like that given the size of their mouth haha 

I moved away from freeze dried tubifex. I had a few Cory overeat and bloat for a spell. I feed them grindal worms and BBS with a coral feeder. Usually the hold up on video feeding is my lack of enough coordination to do more than 1 thing at a time. 
They have started developing a taste for frozen blood worms and mysis shrimp. They eat like a very clumsy corydora. It’s comical. Being a bare bottom qt tank they hide behind things a lot. I’m hoping when they are in their forever home I can get some good feeding videos. 
They are starting to relax and a few krill pellets have gone missing. 

[Isaac M]

That is so funny that they eat like a clumsy corydora haha but ok great, I am happy that they are eating multiple foods now!

[Lennie]

I need lots of updates regarding your beautiful rams here @Guppysnail 🙃

I adore them! They need more content 

[Guppysnail]

On 3/11/2023 at 11:08 AM, Lennie said:

I need lots of updates regarding your beautiful rams here @Guppysnail 🙃

I adore them! They need more content 

I’ve been so inundated with all types of fry lately I have not had a lot of time. Running that many fry tanks with extra water changes it’s been busy. I will get some more updates and tag you. 
I can tell you my GBR just snubbed me. We tried frozen mysis shrimp today. They each tasted them came to the glass to explain their displeasure and refused to eat them 🙄

So I’m getting ready to feed the apology white worms. 
I swear my pets are all like the ancient Egyptian pharaoh cats. They demand worship and pampering. 🤣

[Lennie]

On 3/11/2023 at 7:41 PM, Guppysnail said:

I’ve been so inundated with all types of fry lately I have not had a lot of time. Running that many fry tanks with extra water changes it’s been busy. I will get some more updates and tag you. 
I can tell you my GBR just snubbed me. We tried frozen mysis shrimp today. They each tasted them came to the glass to explain their displeasure and refused to eat them 🙄

So I’m getting ready to feed the apology white worms. 
I swear my pets are all like the ancient Egyptian pharaoh cats. They demand worship and pampering. 🤣

Spoiled! Just the way they deserve to be 😄

have you ever fed bloodworms to gbr? I’ve seen conflicting comments. Keepingfishsimple mentiones he has always been facing issues and deaths after feeding bloodworms to gbr.

today I’ve tried tubifex and they loved it!

[Guppysnail]

On 3/11/2023 at 11:44 AM, Lennie said:

Spoiled! Just the way they deserve to be 😄

have you ever fed bloodworms to gbr? I’ve seen conflicting comments. Keepingfishsimple mentiones he has always been facing issues and deaths after feeding bloodworms to gbr.

today I’ve tried tubifex and they loved it!

No I don’t. Maybe 1x every three months or more my corydora get bloodworms. My understanding is they are mostly fat so not high nutrition. I use live grindal and white worms. 

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 3/11/2023 at 11:44 AM, Lennie said:

Spoiled! Just the way they deserve to be 😄

have you ever fed bloodworms to gbr? I’ve seen conflicting comments. Keepingfishsimple mentiones he has always been facing issues and deaths after feeding bloodworms to gbr.

today I’ve tried tubifex and they loved it!

Snoopy the Bolivian ram gets frozen bloodworms once a week. And once a week frozen brine shrimp. In between its Xtreme Krill flakes, daphnia, and vibra bites. She likes the vibra bites a lot because they fit well in her mouth and they sink if I release them underwater. She doesn’t like to top feed; she’s not good at noticing if food is up above her. And she eats random boiled vegetables when she wants to also. There were some pellets I bought to mix with meds but I ended up not doing it. They are called micro pellets. Just a basic tropical fish food. I gave some to the tetras but it turns out Snoopy likes those too.

[Guppysnail]

Here you go @Lennie  
This is Mom to this clutch 

Gbr babies in the 10g. Lights just went on in these tanks so no one is really colored up. They are not as colored as the parents yet but by afternoon/evening you can clearly see the reds and blues. 

These are the ones I moved to the 20L.

I had one boy who spent all his time terrorizing the others and keeping them away from the food dishes. The others spent their time eating so have grown quickly to catch up. Now they are all tank boss 😂

@dasaltemelosguy

[Lennie]

On 3/12/2023 at 6:02 PM, Guppysnail said:

Here you go @Lennie  
This is Mom to this clutch 

Gbr babies in the 10g. Lights just went on in these tanks so no one is really colored up. They are not as colored as the parents yet but by afternoon/evening you can clearly see the reds and blues. 

These are the ones I moved to the 20L.

I had one boy who spent all his time terrorizing the others and keeping them away from the food dishes. The others spent their time eating so have grown quickly to catch up. Now they are all tank boss 😂

@dasaltemelosguy

Amazing fish!

How old are these guys approximately?

Also it is super easy to see how in form they are compared the ones I see in the store. They are thicc 😄 !

The bosses are always interesting. I would keep that one. And name it redflag 🤣

[Guppysnail]

On 3/12/2023 at 1:02 PM, Lennie said:

How old are these guys approximately

Hatch date- 1/15/23 so a few days shy if 2 months. 
Fish hand raised by hobbyists vs tank raised by big breeders vs wild caught are totally different quality. The wild caught often being lowest due to handling and import stress. Big breeders don’t spend hours every day pampering each an every fish. Small hobbyists raising single batches at a time every fish is pampered and food competition is watched close. As soon as some started to get much larger than others I split tanks so everyone stays about the same. 
Boss baby is going to a forever home this week just to relax everyone in the tank. I’ll pick a nice chuncky girl to be his mate.