Guppysnail Aquarium Journal

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 12/4/2023 at 1:48 PM, Guppysnail said:

My Bolivian rams are doing fabulous. I’m so tickled with them. They are still very young but I can see a touch of red on the tail sides. It’s not enough to show in photos yet. 
 

One little on as it puts on size is showing a minor spinal defect towards the tail. Still spunky , eats well and is very friendly and fearless. However it has an odd gate to its swim and tires easily.  Then it rests on the substrate and scoots along. 
 

It will need removed from the group when they get near sexual maturity.  Maybe it can live with my frogs as long as the defect is not severe enough to degrade quality of life to discomfort. 
 

Yesterday I upgraded them to a 15 gallon to grow out more. I need to get more plants for them. 
 

They are all nosey and playful. Not shy or nervous at all. As soon as I sit in front of the tank they come running. Little beggars 🐷.  So I do t feel it’s a rush for plants.  They will grow in. I did get a few tiny crypts from the club auction this weekend.  I’ll put those in with them. 

 

 

What a bunch of cuties. Interesting the juveniles have a bunch of spots.  

As far as the cull, fortunately Bolivian rams are great community fish!  The only thing is, they are not very assertive in feeding, so if you put them in with others that are greedy with food, they may just hang back and not get any.  I use a glass feeding tube for Snoopy so I can send food down past the tetras to get to her.

[Guppysnail]

On 12/4/2023 at 1:58 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

What a bunch of cuties. Interesting the juveniles have a bunch of spots.  

As far as the cull, fortunately Bolivian rams are great community fish!  The only thing is, they are not very assertive in feeding, so if you put them in with others that are greedy with food, they may just hang back and not get any.  I use a glass feeding tube for Snoopy so I can send food down past the tetras to get to her.

That’s why I was thinking my frogs. They are not fast eaters and they ignore everything but live food. Only other things are neocaridina and 2 nerites. 

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 12/4/2023 at 2:01 PM, Guppysnail said:

That’s why I was thinking my frogs. They are not fast eaters and they ignore everything but live food. Only other things are neocaridina and 2 nerites. 

I think that would work well.  And maybe the ram will enjoy the occasional worm too when you feed the frogs.

[Guppysnail]

On 12/4/2023 at 2:03 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

I think that would work well.  And maybe the ram will enjoy the occasional worm too when you feed the frogs.

They go bonkers for worms. When I put them in the 15 yesterday they all ran and hid in the back corner. So 10 minutes later I added white worms out front. The beelined to them immediately before they hit the ground and have not gone back to hiding. 

[Guppysnail]

Good news and my blunders.

When I got the first 3 Bolivian rams it was a surprise find at a club auction hobbyist bred. Couldn’t pass it up.

I came home needing to dig a tank out of storage and set it up while the rams hung out in their bag. 
 

Rushing is never a good idea.

I use thick rubber-ish material shelf liners to sit my tanks on and to place between tanks sitting inside one another in storage.  
 

Day before yesterday I moved the rams to the 15.  Yesterday I broke down the 10 they were in.  
 

Apparently I never removed the liner from the bottom of the tank.  It stank indescribably and had all manner of goo under it.

The rams are all 6 very feisty now and even more active than before. The one I thought was showing early signs of a bent spine is up and rolling with the pack. I cannot tell which it was and none show any signs of a bent spine.  
 

My guess is either the liner was leeching something not good or the goo and smell and hydrogen sulfide was beginning to over power my poor babies or some combination of the two.
 

Im mad at myself for such a foolish error but elated all my kids are doing so well in spite of my blunder.

 

[Katherine]

On 12/5/2023 at 9:04 AM, Guppysnail said:

Im mad at myself for such a foolish error but elated all my kids are doing so well in spite of my blunder.

I'm glad to hear they're all doing well now, that must be a huge relief! 

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

@GuppysnailI think we all have had these moments - plastic wrapping, some corner on something that’s sharp, too much of this or that. You’ve done a great job with your BRs they look great! Enjoyed catching up on all your adventures continuing to have fun in the hobby! 

[jwcarlson]

On 11/15/2023 at 1:39 PM, Guppysnail said:

Where did you get this divider?  If you don't mind me asking.

[Guppysnail]

On 12/5/2023 at 1:20 PM, jwcarlson said:

Where did you get this divider?  If you don't mind me asking.

Amazon. They are acrylic made specifically for aqueon tanks. I do t know if they do the same for other manufacturers.  I have Aquarium Masters Seapora and 1 tetra. These do not interchange to those tanks. 
 

I love these they are so easy. 5 minutes and they are in. Just gotta move hardscape. The flex ones I’ve always been defeated by and never worked for me. 

[Guppysnail]

My duckweed looks a bit odd today 

[TheSwissAquarist]

‘I come in peace from the planet Ribbet’ 🐸 

[jwcarlson]

On 12/14/2023 at 5:09 AM, TheSwissAquarist said:

‘I come in peace from the planet Ribbet’ 🐸 

'High Peeper Bogknot sends salutations and implores you do something about this duckweed.'

[Guppysnail]

Slacking on updates lately.  I can barely come up for air.  
My hastatus Corydora are doing great but do not like their photo taken.

Im eyeballs deep in fry. My GBR hatch is easily 150+.  Last time it was only 50 or so.

I figured this one was going to be larger since the parents were born in my tank. I certainly was not prepared.  I had 2 -10gallons planned filters seasoning etc. 

In addition to those 2 I had to set up a 15g I was not prepared for.  

This is just the 15 

Both of the Badis badis dads have figured out how to raise fry without them getting eaten at the same time. They released the batches within a week of each other. I pulled about 30+ and have another 30+ in the parent tank.  
They have gotten large enough they now ignore moina and live brine. They only eat grindle worms grudgingly. They are all about white worms.  
These alone having so many only wanting worms has put a hurt on my worm cultures.  Trying to make sure GBR babies get some and the parent Badis badis and my frogs is quite challenging.  Every day I approach the worm cultures in fear that today will be the day I do not have enough to feed my live worm only eaters 😬

Add to that my normal monthly 80-100 Apisto cacatoides babies and mounds of melini and Aspidora fry. I still have about 12 pleco babies  one has awesome breakthrough color patch on his side  I love him.  Might keep him for awhile 

You can always tell when it gets close to swap time.  I get a touch stressed as I run out of room and water changes increase. But I still love baby fish. 
 

January 6 is the swap that all these kids will go to the vendor 😅 

[Odd Duck]

So many babies!  😍 

[Shadow]

On 11/6/2023 at 8:55 AM, TheSwissAquarist said:

Talking about swaps, do you have any tips for them @Guppysnail? My clubs organizing one soon and (seeing as I haven’t got any sellable size fish) the club treasurer has asked me to help out at her table. 

Man...I wish I had swaps in my area or a fish club. Tried starting one down here on the Gulf Coast via FB to try and get a base to do one eventually but not many folks joined the little FB group yet I started. 😞 

One day I hope I can move to an area or have that here. Oh well...I will live vicariously through you all. 

On 12/19/2023 at 4:44 PM, Guppysnail said:

Slacking on updates lately.  I can barely come up for air.  
My hastatus Corydora are doing great but do not like their photo taken.

Im eyeballs deep in fry. My GBR hatch is easily 150+.  Last time it was only 50 or so.

I figured this one was going to be larger since the parents were born in my tank. I certainly was not prepared.  I had 2 -10gallons planned filters seasoning etc. 

In addition to those 2 I had to set up a 15g I was not prepared for.  

This is just the 15 

Both of the Badis badis dads have figured out how to raise fry without them getting eaten at the same time. They released the batches within a week of each other. I pulled about 30+ and have another 30+ in the parent tank.  
They have gotten large enough they now ignore moina and live brine. They only eat grindle worms grudgingly. They are all about white worms.  
These alone having so many only wanting worms has put a hurt on my worm cultures.  Trying to make sure GBR babies get some and the parent Badis badis and my frogs is quite challenging.  Every day I approach the worm cultures in fear that today will be the day I do not have enough to feed my live worm only eaters 😬

Add to that my normal monthly 80-100 Apisto cacatoides babies and mounds of melini and Aspidora fry. I still have about 12 pleco babies  one has awesome breakthrough color patch on his side  I love him.  Might keep him for awhile 

You can always tell when it gets close to swap time.  I get a touch stressed as I run out of room and water changes increase. But I still love baby fish. 
 

January 6 is the swap that all these kids will go to the vendor 😅 

Soooo cool and sooooo many babies!!! Good luck with the swap, Gupp!

[Guppysnail]

How I spent the first day of Hubby’s Xmas vacation……🤬

Rescuing 4 Badis badis juveniles and a dozen shrimp from under the UGF plate in the 29 gallon tank I cannot reach the bottom of and redoing it. 
 

This leaves only the GBR tank with a UGF. That will be leaving sooner than later in case they ever figure out they are not supposed to eat the eggs. 

 

[Katherine]

Oh man! How do they even get under there?

[Guppysnail]

Ok so I guess it’s not horrible for an impromptu 💯 percent Tank redo on a tank I did not want to redo. 
 

The giant hair grass baby will grow in. I ordered 2 of the 4 stone caves to replace the shorter ones that will support the larger colony. I may just put them in addition to the others. 
 

I have 3 Aponogeton ulvaceaus and 1 Aponogeton longiplumulous (sp?) growing out in the frog tank to create a seaweed look. 
 

I hate trying to replant crypts with long delicate root structures.  I never get them all. 
 

Hubby is now napping while I clean up the disaster I caused 🤣

 

@Katherine I believe my babies travel under as new hatched fry and grow under the plate. No other access. The gravel is large enough for them to go between. That’s where they hide to avoid predation. The tank has …HAD…. Tons of seed shrimp and other microfauna as well as worms wiggle under for them to eat. 

[Guppysnail]

Ok i scavenged hornwort to make hornwort trees. I could not stand the blank space until the Aponogeton grows. 

[Guppysnail]

I have been so busy I’ve neglected my journal.

The GBR spawn was 196 total and badis badis were 82.  All are gone now.

The 6 Bolivian rams are relocating to a 20 long I am finishing this weekend so I’ll get good photos. @Elodie Rose helped me fill it a few days ago.  
 

Doing the club Breeders award program @Elodie Rose brought me back some Spixii snails and least killifish.  
 

I obtained a group of Cherry barbs that once grown out a bit will dither the Bolivians along with shrimp.  They are still babies but have grown so fast since I got them. They are half an inch long now. 
 

Im trading some fish with the club member I got the cherry barbs from. They are giving me Limia nigrofasciata. Humpback Limia. 
 

 

[Elodie Rose]

Limia nigrofasciata!!!!!! Wow. Exciting! 🤩

[Guppysnail]

My little Bolivian rams are not so little anymore.  They have graduated to a 20 long.  I still cannot tell boys from girls. Their tails have color now but the tank light are out in this video so you cannot see it.  

 

[beastie]

I know I have at least one male given mine breed quite often, and even when they are guarding I am having hard time figuring out which one is the male 🙂 I keep checking their underbelly like a pervert :)) Yours look lovely

[Guppysnail]

On 1/31/2024 at 4:44 AM, beastie said:

I know I have at least one male given mine breed quite often, and even when they are guarding I am having hard time figuring out which one is the male 🙂 I keep checking their underbelly like a pervert :)) Yours look lovely

Well that is going to be a challenge. I am only keeping 1 pair. I just do not have a tank large enough to accommodate that many adult breeders.  
I wanted to give 1 pair to @Elodie Rose when they were sexable. I guess im going to have to use ninja netting skills (that I do not have 🤣) to net them in pairs 😆

[beastie]

Granted I have them in a large tank, but unless spawning, which is either every two weeks or every other month, depending on their mood, they all hang together as a group, no issues. When spawning there will be chasing away, sure, but otherwise they are ok together. Interesting behavior, I also expected them to be more vicious