Guppysnail Aquarium Journal

[Guppysnail]

Not a great day. We all have them. My panda fry perished 😢. I don’t think he was developing correctly but being my first panda fry I’m uncertain. His yolk was absorbed but the sac remained a large clear bubble?  He balanced on it and didn’t move around much. I’m not sure if he had developmental issues, if he starved (2 bbs hatches in a row failed because 2 nano pumps in a row failed…more in why in a bit) so he had only first bites and no live food to stimulate him to eat.  Except for a few minutes right at first I never seen him even try. Also a shrimp got sucked up the intake tube.  The fluval breeders use a tube with air pumped to circulate tank water through the breeder box so no worries about water quality.  When I found what was left of my little guy the shrimp was consuming him. Maybe the shrimp picked at him the way they do my pleco babies and being so little it stressed him and he died?  Maybe the shrimp picked at him and harmed him?  I really don’t know.

so I looked for more panda eggs and found 3 on the glass finally.  I scraped them off with a credit card and at that exact moment my new kitten pounced on my ankle startling me.  Whoosh…away went the eggs in the current. So I removed 3 more from plants with my fingers. Today was gravel vac and large water change in the panda tank. The only thing I could think while carefully vacuuming was I’m probably committing mass panda genocide because I can’t see the fry without a magnifying glass 😣. Then I realized mom laid her eggs last night and I had to be a monster and take them from dad. I have roughly 30 babies still in the tank from the stray clump that hatched outside the cave.  Allowing more to hatch with no space anywhere would not have been good tank management from me and would jeopardize all inhabitants.  Every month like clockwork they lay  they don’t consume their young and take longer to grow so are even more invasive in population numbers than my guppies. 

Then I realized 2 heaters were failing one in each cory tank…thank goodness for inkbird and dual heaters! One failed on one failed off.   So far 8 out of 10 of the Aqueon pro metal heaters have now failed between 3 and 8 months. I’ve never had such horrible luck with heaters. These did not work out I don’t recommend them.  The vivosuns with external temp adjust are still holding great so far so I ordered 2 more. 
So I walked over and figured feeding bbs would cheer me up…that’s when I found the second dead nano pump and spoiled bbs hatch.  The reason all of them are failing I think is I used check valves and wound my ziss airstones way to tight. 😡. On the upside 2 more of the new coop pumps arrived today and I placed my last order for 2 more. So all my tanks will be on those with dual valves. I’ll use my old tetra whispers for bbs and other random stuff. I’m keeping the nano on my scrap scape it’s still going strong.  
Along with the pumps I got today came the coop specimen container. HOMERUN ACO!  Wow is that an upgrade from my Lee’s one that is so scratched up it’s now opaque and brittle with age. 
Mived about 8 of the pleco babies in with Lefty and the guppy girls. I’m fairly certain Lefty is a girl as well. No pink head spot no cave use.  Honeysuckle is all boy. Nice pink headspot  starting.  
Livy aka Scooter was huge this morning.  She must have dropped a ton of eggs today.  She was slim by breakfast time. 
I took a picture of the egg clutch I removed from dad today. Not to be morbid but in case anyone has never seen one close. I figured at least the good of a learning opportunity could come of it.

More tubifex fun

 

I hope this helps anyone who has a rough fish-keeping day to know they are not alone. We all have them. 
HAPPY ADVENTURES…TRY SOMETHING NEW

Edited March 10, 2022 by Guppysnail

[Brandon p]

I wish I was getting eggs like that I think it will be a bit before I’m back to that. Just gald to be here. I’m 

[Guppysnail]

On 3/9/2022 at 8:33 PM, Brandon p said:

I wish I was getting eggs like that I think it will be a bit before I’m back to that. Just gald to be here. I’m 

I am glad you are here as well. I enjoy our interaction. 

[Odd Duck]

@Guppysnail Sad choice to have to make about the eggs, but completely appropriate population management.  It’s good to know your limits.  I was very stressed when I had all those crazy numbers of Jack Dempsey fry and it almost took me back out of fishkeeping before I’d barely started back in it.  Everything else looks good and has a better chance of staying that way since you made a smart choice for your system.

[Guppysnail]

On 3/11/2022 at 11:19 AM, Odd Duck said:

@Guppysnail Sad choice to have to make about the eggs, but completely appropriate population management.  It’s good to know your limits.  I was very stressed when I had all those crazy numbers of Jack Dempsey fry and it almost took me back out of fishkeeping before I’d barely started back in it.  Everything else looks good and has a better chance of staying that way since you made a smart choice for your system.

Thank you for this. It is one thing to think you are doing the right thing and another to have it validated by someone you respect.  🤗

[Patrick_G]

Sorry about your tough Wednesday. I’ve heard so many stories about those Aqueon heaters. I think it’s time to start replacing mine. One is 18 months old, I’m in the danger zone! 

[Odd Duck]

 

On 3/11/2022 at 10:29 AM, Guppysnail said:

Thank you for this. It is one thing to think you are doing the right thing and another to have it validated by someone you respect.  🤗

ORD, but thank you for the respect.  It means a lot to me when coming from you!  That respect right back at you!

Edited March 11, 2022 by Odd Duck

[Beardedbillygoat1975]

Those are some happy plecos to produce such large clutches. I am sure they will do it all over again for you soon. It still stinks. You know I share your pain with the heaters and I am just confused which way to go. I am down to Eheim or Fluval heaters at this point only. I won't do any other brands. 

[Torrey]

On 3/9/2022 at 6:16 PM, Guppysnail said:

Not a great day. We all have them. My panda fry perished 😢. I don’t think he was developing correctly but being my first panda fry I’m uncertain. His yolk was absorbed but the sac remained a large clear bubble?  He balanced on it and didn’t move around much. I’m not sure if he had developmental issues, if he starved (2 bbs hatches in a row failed because 2 nano pumps in a row failed…more in why in a bit) so he had only first bites and no live food to stimulate him to eat.  Except for a few minutes right at first I never seen him even try. Also a shrimp got sucked up the intake tube.  The fluval breeders use a tube with air pumped to circulate tank water through the breeder box so no worries about water quality.  When I found what was left of my little guy the shrimp was consuming him. Maybe the shrimp picked at him the way they do my pleco babies and being so little it stressed him and he died?  Maybe the shrimp picked at him and harmed him?  I really don’t know.

so I looked for more panda eggs and found 3 on the glass finally.  I scraped them off with a credit card and at that exact moment my new kitten pounced on my ankle startling me.  Whoosh…away went the eggs in the current. So I removed 3 more from plants with my fingers. Today was gravel vac and large water change in the panda tank. The only thing I could think while carefully vacuuming was I’m probably committing mass panda genocide because I can’t see the fry without a magnifying glass 😣. Then I realized mom laid her eggs last night and I had to be a monster and take them from dad. I have roughly 30 babies still in the tank from the stray clump that hatched outside the cave.  Allowing more to hatch with no space anywhere would not have been good tank management from me and would jeopardize all inhabitants.  Every month like clockwork they lay  they don’t consume their young and take longer to grow so are even more invasive in population numbers than my guppies. 

Then I realized 2 heaters were failing one in each cory tank…thank goodness for inkbird and dual heaters! One failed on one failed off.   So far 8 out of 10 of the Aqueon pro metal heaters have now failed between 3 and 8 months. I’ve never had such horrible luck with heaters. These did not work out I don’t recommend them.  The vivosuns with external temp adjust are still holding great so far so I ordered 2 more. 
So I walked over and figured feeding bbs would cheer me up…that’s when I found the second dead nano pump and spoiled bbs hatch.  The reason all of them are failing I think is I used check valves and wound my ziss airstones way to tight. 😡. On the upside 2 more of the new coop pumps arrived today and I placed my last order for 2 more. So all my tanks will be on those with dual valves. I’ll use my old tetra whispers for bbs and other random stuff. I’m keeping the nano on my scrap scape it’s still going strong.  
Along with the pumps I got today came the coop specimen container. HOMERUN ACO!  Wow is that an upgrade from my Lee’s one that is so scratched up it’s now opaque and brittle with age. 
Mived about 8 of the pleco babies in with Lefty and the guppy girls. I’m fairly certain Lefty is a girl as well. No pink head spot no cave use.  Honeysuckle is all boy. Nice pink headspot  starting.  
Livy aka Scooter was huge this morning.  She must have dropped a ton of eggs today.  She was slim by breakfast time. 
I took a picture of the egg clutch I removed from dad today. Not to be morbid but in case anyone has never seen one close. I figured at least the good of a learning opportunity could come of it.

More tubifex fun

 

I hope this helps anyone who has a rough fish-keeping day to know they are not alone. We all have them. 
HAPPY ADVENTURES…TRY SOMETHING NEW

Guppysnail, thank you so much for sharing your struggles. I know you, Atitagain, Brandon, and was it Patrick? Someone else had a massive healthscare and shared, and everyone sharing the importance of taking care of our health first, our families, and then our fish (thank you Hobbit & BeardedBillyGoat) really helped me not give up back in December. My heart rate variability is finally in the double digits. Apparently, if I can get it back up into the upper 20ms, I will get some more clearances. 

What an amazing time to be alive, when we can wear tiny devices that let us know whether or not our body is actually healing properly.

On 3/9/2022 at 6:33 PM, Brandon p said:

I wish I was getting eggs like that I think it will be a bit before I’m back to that. Just gald to be here. I’m 

Brandon, I would much rather you be here and able to engage with us, than not. The fish will wait, and will also be grateful youwaited to jump back in. It's taken me a year to start getting things moving back in the right direction. 2022.01.15 was my one year anniversary of my second chance (technically 5th chance after 2 bouts with cancer and a bad bout of covid) at life after the stroke. 

Every day I wake up grateful, because today I am doing better than the alternative.

[Guppysnail]

I trimmed down the 29 finally.  Everything is recovering.  The ludwigia painfully slow but I’m moving it out of this tank so picture it without the ludwigia. I’m going to try empty side walls for a change 😲 Once that comes out I will slide the APL over a bit so it is not cluttering the lotus  Every one of those leaves are at the surface and all you see is stem and shade  I wrapped each several times around the branches  it looks better but I can’t see the wood .  The wood and lotus are off center because I’m for once trying to hide equipment. Again the APL will move left when I’m ready to remove the ludwigia.   I need suggestions please on a lower light plant OTHER THAN anubias or Java  fern  to fill the hole by the cave in front of the heater. Lower light because I have cheap lights and near the bottom things struggle.  Something that won’t grow real tall but still hide the heater a bit maybe a little bushy?  
I have 3 panda eggs in the fluval breeder.  Hopefully this time is a charm.  I’m determined to get it right 🤞🏻I want panda babies dang it!

Mom and dads tank is recovering nicely. I forgot to take a full tank shot because I got distracted by this pretty thing. 
crazy long siphon. He says “Hi folks”

HAPPY ADVENTURES…RY SOMETHING NEW

[Brandon p]

My snails rarely have there siphons out like that. I see a lily. Will it grow out of the top of the tank if you let it? I’m excited that I finally got my val to grow. I do think it made a big difference that they where huge when I got them. I got 7-10 bunches that were almost as tall as the 75g. They had the weights on them so just dropped the in and went to Chicago for a week then was home for a few days ys and the the incident. Now they have already put it runners and grown in the gravel so you can’t see the weights. It’s the best I have erre done with Val. So it’s gaint. Val for me from now on . That doesn’t help you much. I have an idea but I don’t know the name I’ll look for a pic

[Guppysnail]

I think my snails are lazy. I was starting a water change and he did that as the water went down. Sometimes he will wait until it does.  Lazy lazy.  They grow to the surface then then float on top. Stems are to weak to support it above water.  Is it a lily?  I got 2 from a tank labeled only tiger lotus. One stays short smaller leaves and deep red. This one is crazy big leaves, crazy tall and only red streaks.  Val of all types pretends to be a plastic plant for months for me. I usually kill it trying to get it to at least grow a half an inch. 

[Blaha]

That lotus lily is growing in nice I love the huge leaves in contrast to everything else. My lotus turned red until the pads started flying up, and then they slightly greened again after they created a canopy, which is nice because floating or planted I cannot keep any stem plants alive. My val sat forever, then sent out runners like mad and died off on the early sprouts so it wasn't in the spot I wanted. I just want a nice, tall plant for the center of the backwall.

What is that plant with the flower?! I want one of whatever that is ha

As far as by the heater, maybe some dwarf chain sword or some crypt wendtii? They shouldn't really get tall, but tall enough to fill the area.

[Brandon p]

On 3/11/2022 at 9:23 PM, Guppysnail said:

I think my snails are lazy. I was starting a water change and he did that as the water went down. Sometimes he will wait until it does.  Lazy lazy.  They grow to the surface then then float on top. Stems are to weak to support it above water.  Is it a lily?  I got 2 from a tank labeled only tiger lotus. One stays short smaller leaves and deep red. This one is crazy big leaves, crazy tall and only red streaks.  Val of all types pretends to be a plastic plant for months for me. I usually kill it trying to get it to at least grow a half an inch. 

It almost sure it’s a lily. I could be wrong but most lotus are symmetrical with center and look different. This is a peace lily and that’s what it reminds me ofthis is what I think of when I think lotus. By no means does this mean I’m right. My aquatic plant knowledge is growing but slowly

[Guppysnail]

On 3/11/2022 at 9:58 PM, Brandon p said:

It almost sure it’s a lily. I could be wrong but most lotus are symmetrical with center and look different. This is a peace lily and that’s what it reminds me ofthis is what I think of when I think lotus. By no means does this mean I’m right. My aquatic plant knowledge is growing but slowly

Oh you meant the white flower. That is an anubias flower. The 29 does have a lotus then. It’s amazing how close the anubias flower looks to the peace lily.  

On 3/11/2022 at 9:56 PM, Blaha said:

That lotus lily is growing in nice I love the huge leaves in contrast to everything else. My lotus turned red until the pads started flying up, and then they slightly greened again after they created a canopy, which is nice because floating or planted I cannot keep any stem plants alive. My val sat forever, then sent out runners like mad and died off on the early sprouts so it wasn't in the spot I wanted. I just want a nice, tall plant for the center of the backwall.

What is that plant with the flower?! I want one of whatever that is ha

As far as by the heater, maybe some dwarf chain sword or some crypt wendtii? They shouldn't really get tall, but tall enough to fill the area.

It’s just an anubias. I bought it as a tube plant from petco. I’ve never tried a crypt. Looks like I’ve got some reading to do. I did have a few different types of swords in there previously they did not do well.  I even added a second cheap strip light I had about the house. The bottom just does not get enough light b

[Brandon p]

See I’m learning very slow

[Guppysnail]

On 3/11/2022 at 10:16 PM, Brandon p said:

See I’m learning very slow

I hope I never see the day I stop learning. It would be a boring way to live. 

[Streetwise]

My anubias pre-flower briefly made it to the top. I lowered the water level a bit, but it was too far for the HoB. I added water and the snails found the bloom.

[Guppysnail]

On 3/11/2022 at 10:19 PM, Streetwise said:

My anubias pre-flower briefly made it to the top. I lowered the water level a bit, but it was too far for the HoB. I added water and the snails found the bloom.

When I seen my flower today I wondered how your bloom did above water.  I have the pleco babies in there so I’m guessing they will eat it like corn on the cob. Mom and dad don’t bother them so maybe not. 

[Isaac M]

@Guppysnail the anubias flower is beautiful! I have only had cherry shrimp eat an anubias flower like corn on the cob 😂

[Guppysnail]

On 3/11/2022 at 10:42 PM, Isaac M said:

@Guppysnail the anubias flower is beautiful! I have only had cherry shrimp eat an anubias flower like corn on the cob 😂

Yes I also have hoardes of cherry shrimp in there. Glad I took a picture 🤣

[Isaac M]

Also, I would recommend a crypt in one of those clay pots to fill in that gap. 

On 3/11/2022 at 7:44 PM, Guppysnail said:

Yes I also have hoardes of cherry shrimp in there. Glad I took a picture 🤣

I do not have a great picture but this is one of my old tanks, you can see what the flower looks like if you wait too long to take the picture in a tank with cherry shrimp 😂

[Guppysnail]

@Isaac M which crypt is the least temperamental? Is there a crypt that is not temperamental?  All the ones I looked up say if you look at it wrong it melts. 

[Isaac M]

@Guppysnail well crypts in general are easy to care for, they just do not like changes, thats when they melt. However the common crypt wendtii is always easy to grow and easy to find. Crypt lutea has been hardy for me as well. Crypt Purpurea is the one I have in my 40 gallon corydoras tank but it grows taller in low light it seems. As long as you give it time and some fertilizer in the roots, it should do well.  

If you want an epiphyte though, bolbitis is a gorgeous plant in my opinion. 

[Guppysnail]

On 3/11/2022 at 11:01 PM, Isaac M said:

fertilizer in the roots

Is this a must?  I don’t add fertz or root tabs They scare me and my source water is 20-25 average nitrate so nitrate control is always challenging.  My tds in source water is 350 so 🤮 I’ve just recently been brave enough to use potassium, phosphate, and iron in teeny tiny amounts.