Guppysnail Aquarium Journal

[Guppysnail]

So here is what is going on. 
When I started thinking about Bolivian rams it was after I posted questions on gourami. I fell in love with a few of the resident forum Bolivians and went that direction. 
The GBR have all that personality, intelligence and bonus color. Thanks to @dasaltemelosguy gifting them to me I’m finally not so fearful of things labeled semi aggressive.  I always pictured a tank of piranha or Oscar’s non stop blood shed. Did not sound fun. Now I that i understand the behavior I’m more comfortable.

 

Being an opportunistic fish buyer 🤣 

I was chatting with a girl I met at a few fish club swaps from New York. She just opened a legit cat rescue 🤗. She mentioned her neighbor had “yellow” gourami that bred unsuspecting so the neighbor gave the breeders an offspring to her. They have been breeding regularly and she has a ton of them. 
I told her I could not find “yellow” gourami info. I sent her this photo 

She said that was them. They most likely will get to big for the 29 and not get along when they are sexually mature.   I only have 2 elderly girl guppies and 1 boy I could not catch plus Angel, Lefty, snails and shrimp.  The gourami are young so she is sending me a group to get started. I’ll keep 2 that pair and adopt the rest out when they grow. If they get to big I’ll rehome them (still hoping hubby oks a living room tank but I doubt it. I really have no room with Froggins big 40breeder there. 
 

Im actually hoping I can start letting the plecos raise their babies instead of taking eggs. If the GBR in mom n dads tank and Gourami in Angel and Lefty’s  keep the pleco fry population at a minimum it would be ideal for me. I’ll give it a test run worst case scenario I have a gazillion pleco fry 🤣 

In other news my GBR have learned that under the food dishes tons of baby shrimp live  now when I lift the dishes all 5 are swimming under it before I get it out  yesterday one of the girls swam through my fingers between my palm and the dish to get at shrimplettes  I love these fish and how personable they are.  
 

Dad always gets banged up when mom lays her eggs  always scrapes and tiny blood marks on fins or body  even broke both pectoral fin tips.  This time it was scary bad.  He was perfectly healthy going into the cave late Tuesday evening.  Wednesday morning he was fanning eggs and he backed out a bit  his entire lower tail was bloody  I got a good look at him when I took his eggs  him and mom are definitely to big for that cave now  I ordered a new one  I did put dad in a hospital tank (thankfully I had the funny tank still going) He was scraped up so bad I added some jungle fizz tabs to combat any potential fungus or infection. He is eating this morning and seems fine other than the injuries. I worry a bit because he was super stressed this time  Mom was running late with her drop so he was stressed all week  When mom was ready they were both panicking and would not go in the cave  In my pjs at night I was vacuuming his area trying to figure out the issue.  My largest nerite had taken a nap at the very back of the cave 🙄. With all that stress I do worry so I’m keeping a very close eye on him.

Here is the rough mating in a too small cave damage  

I have not gotten a look at the side that got beat up today the other side is fine  

Here is them panicking over the nerite. They never are on the glass unless something is wrong. 

Edited November 10, 2022 by Guppysnail

[TheSwissAquarist]

On 11/10/2022 at 2:36 PM, Guppysnail said:

So here is what is going on. 
When I started thinking about Bolivian rams it was after I posted questions on gourami. I fell in love with a few of the resident forum Bolivians and went that direction. 
The GBR have all that personality, intelligence and bonus color. Thanks to @dasaltemelosguy gifting them to me I’m finally not so fearful of things labeled semi aggressive.  I always pictured a tank of piranha or Oscar’s non stop blood shed. Did not sound fun. Now I that i understand the behavior I’m more comfortable.

 

Being an opportunistic fish buyer 🤣 

I was chatting with a girl I met at a few fish club swaps from New York. She just opened a legit cat rescue 🤗. She mentioned her neighbor had “yellow” gourami that bred unsuspecting so the neighbor gave the breeders an offspring to her. They have been breeding regularly and she has a ton of them. 
I told her I could not find “yellow” gourami info. I sent her this photo 

She said that was them. They most likely will get to big for the 29 and not get along when they are sexually mature.   I only have 2 elderly girl guppies and 1 boy I could not catch plus Angel, Lefty, snails and shrimp.  The gourami are young so she is sending me a group to get started. I’ll keep 2 that pair and adopt the rest out when they grow. If they get to big I’ll rehome them (still hoping hubby oks a living room tank but I doubt it. I really have no room with Froggins big 40breeder there. 
 

Im actually hoping I can start letting the plecos raise their babies instead of taking eggs. If the GBR in mom n dads tank and Gourami in Angel and Lefty’s  keep the pleco fry population at a minimum it would be ideal for me. I’ll give it a test run worst case scenario I have a gazillion pleco fry 🤣 

In other news my GBR have learned that under the food dishes tons of baby shrimp live  now when I lift the dishes all 5 are swimming under it before I get it out  yesterday one of the girls swam through my fingers between my palm and the dish to get at shrimplettes  I love these fish and how personable they are.  
 

Dad always gets banged up when mom lays her eggs  always scrapes and tiny blood marks on fins or body  even broke both pectoral fin tips.  This time it was scary bad.  He was perfectly healthy going into the cave late Tuesday evening.  Wednesday morning he was fanning eggs and he backed out a bit  his entire lower tail was bloody  I got a good look at him when I took his eggs  him and mom are definitely to big for that cave now  I ordered a new one  I did put dad in a hospital tank (thankfully I had the funny tank still going) He was scraped up so bad I added some jungle fizz tabs to combat any potential fungus or infection. He is eating this morning and seems fine other than the injuries. I worry a bit because he was super stressed this time  Mom was running late with her drop so he was stressed all week  When mom was ready they were both panicking and would not go in the cave  In my pjs at night I was vacuuming his area trying to figure out the issue.  My largest nerite had taken a nap at the very back of the cave 🙄. With all that stress I do worry so I’m keeping a very close eye on him.

Here is the rough mating in a too small cave damage  

I have not gotten a look at the side that got beat up today the other side is fine  

Here is them panicking over the nerite. They never are on the glass unless something is wrong. 

Have you thought about giving Angel a bit of a break from her partner?

Can't wait to see what the 'Gold Gouramis' look like!

[Guppysnail]

On 11/10/2022 at 10:05 AM, TheSwissAquarist said:

Have you thought about giving Angel a bit of a break from her partner?

Can't wait to see what the 'Gold Gouramis' look like!

Angel is my other breeding boy. He is Lefty’s partner. This is Dad moms mate. No, giving them a break is not the issue. Mom develops eggs regardless of dad being present. If dad is not there she can get egg bound. He only gets injured due to rubbing tightly on the cave when him and mom are both in the cave. A larger cave will fix the issue. It’s not a mating aggression thing

Edited November 10, 2022 by Guppysnail

[TheSwissAquarist]

On 11/10/2022 at 4:10 PM, Guppysnail said:

It’s not a mating aggression thing

I had a couple of Nannacara Anomala spawn about a year ago. Beautiful cichlids, but after spawning the female almost killed the male! Fiercely defensive during spawning season, but very tolerant otherwise. A fellow fishy friend told me once that if ones died it means there's a spawn!

[TeeJay]

On 11/10/2022 at 8:36 AM, Guppysnail said:

So here is what is going on. 
When I started thinking about Bolivian rams it was after I posted questions on gourami. I fell in love with a few of the resident forum Bolivians and went that direction. 
The GBR have all that personality, intelligence and bonus color. Thanks to @dasaltemelosguy gifting them to me I’m finally not so fearful of things labeled semi aggressive.  I always pictured a tank of piranha or Oscar’s non stop blood shed. Did not sound fun. Now I that i understand the behavior I’m more comfortable.

 

Being an opportunistic fish buyer 🤣 

I was chatting with a girl I met at a few fish club swaps from New York. She just opened a legit cat rescue 🤗. She mentioned her neighbor had “yellow” gourami that bred unsuspecting so the neighbor gave the breeders an offspring to her. They have been breeding regularly and she has a ton of them. 
I told her I could not find “yellow” gourami info. I sent her this photo 

She said that was them. They most likely will get to big for the 29 and not get along when they are sexually mature.   I only have 2 elderly girl guppies and 1 boy I could not catch plus Angel, Lefty, snails and shrimp.  The gourami are young so she is sending me a group to get started. I’ll keep 2 that pair and adopt the rest out when they grow. If they get to big I’ll rehome them (still hoping hubby oks a living room tank but I doubt it. I really have no room with Froggins big 40breeder there. 
 

Im actually hoping I can start letting the plecos raise their babies instead of taking eggs. If the GBR in mom n dads tank and Gourami in Angel and Lefty’s  keep the pleco fry population at a minimum it would be ideal for me. I’ll give it a test run worst case scenario I have a gazillion pleco fry 🤣 

In other news my GBR have learned that under the food dishes tons of baby shrimp live  now when I lift the dishes all 5 are swimming under it before I get it out  yesterday one of the girls swam through my fingers between my palm and the dish to get at shrimplettes  I love these fish and how personable they are.  
 

Dad always gets banged up when mom lays her eggs  always scrapes and tiny blood marks on fins or body  even broke both pectoral fin tips.  This time it was scary bad.  He was perfectly healthy going into the cave late Tuesday evening.  Wednesday morning he was fanning eggs and he backed out a bit  his entire lower tail was bloody  I got a good look at him when I took his eggs  him and mom are definitely to big for that cave now  I ordered a new one  I did put dad in a hospital tank (thankfully I had the funny tank still going) He was scraped up so bad I added some jungle fizz tabs to combat any potential fungus or infection. He is eating this morning and seems fine other than the injuries. I worry a bit because he was super stressed this time  Mom was running late with her drop so he was stressed all week  When mom was ready they were both panicking and would not go in the cave  In my pjs at night I was vacuuming his area trying to figure out the issue.  My largest nerite had taken a nap at the very back of the cave 🙄. With all that stress I do worry so I’m keeping a very close eye on him.

Here is the rough mating in a too small cave damage  

I have not gotten a look at the side that got beat up today the other side is fine  

Here is them panicking over the nerite. They never are on the glass unless something is wrong. 

So what's the size of the new cave?

[Guppysnail]

On 11/10/2022 at 7:53 PM, TeeJay said:

So what's the size of the new cave?

I currently have a plecoceramics small from Amazon in both tanks. I ordered 2 medium for a bit more height but it gives no extra width. I also ordered one large for all around more room but I don’t know if they will go for it. 

[TeeJay]

On 11/10/2022 at 9:14 PM, Guppysnail said:

I currently have a plecoceramics small from Amazon in both tanks. I ordered 2 medium for a bit more height but it gives no extra width. I also ordered one large for all around more room but I don’t know if they will go for it. 

Just tell em they can get cozy in the larger one together. Cue the Barry white

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 11/10/2022 at 9:14 PM, Guppysnail said:

plecoceramics

Pm link please? Want to buy one for my friend who has a BNP.

[Guppysnail]

On 11/11/2022 at 6:19 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

Pm link please? Want to buy one for my friend who has a BNP.

I can never get links to work from Amazon. It always says I don’t have the right mail feature. The small is the one they chose when young. I had medium options available for them but I think at the time they were too little so the medium was to big. I ended up giving the medium ones away. So I re-ordered medium ones. And I also ordered a large one and then I went back and ordered a second large one and now they’re out of stock because I don’t know the large might be too big for them and they might not like it. But these are what they are and I chose these because I like the way they look total vanity thing not because they’re any better or any different than any other cave type I just like them. 

Edited November 11, 2022 by Guppysnail

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

@Guppysnail It is closed on one end right?

I had my eye on this one also, because I like the little stamp.

Edited November 11, 2022 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea

[Guppysnail]

On 11/11/2022 at 8:25 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

It is closed on one end right?

Yes closed and rounded not pointy like the plant watering spikes. 

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 11/11/2022 at 8:36 AM, Guppysnail said:

Yes closed and rounded not pointy like the plant watering spikes. 

oh ok. rounded = safer?

[Guppysnail]

Got a look at Dad. As fast as his injuries happened they are healing. Catfish are so amazingly resilient 🥰

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 11/11/2022 at 9:50 AM, Guppysnail said:

Got a look at Dad. As fast as his injuries happened they are healing. Catfish are so amazingly resilient 🥰

Oh no!  Any idea how he got hurt?  (Maybe it was up further in the journal and I missed it)

[Guppysnail]

On 11/11/2022 at 9:58 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

Oh no!  Any idea how he got hurt?  (Maybe it was up further in the journal and I missed it)

It’s at the top of this page in the journal. His cave is now to small for him and mom. He always gets bumps and such when they both squeeze in for her to lay. It was really bad this time so he is in hospital. That’s why I ordered larger caves. 
The sides are not glazed inside so scratchy plus moms armor rubs. 

Edited November 11, 2022 by Guppysnail

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 10/17/2022 at 1:08 PM, Guppysnail said:

Ask @Chick-In-Of-TheSeai have no clue

They were rams of some sort; I just knew they were not Bolivian rams.  😆

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 11/10/2022 at 8:36 AM, Guppysnail said:

My largest nerite had taken a nap at the very back of the cave 🙄.

Lol. They do as they please.

On 11/10/2022 at 8:36 AM, Guppysnail said:

rough mating in a too small cave

So they will not mate in the open, both go together in the cave? (hotel room?)

EDIT: Eh disregard that.  You already told us. LOL

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

I read the original post.  He looks much better.

[TheSwissAquarist]

On 11/11/2022 at 4:15 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

So they will not mate in the open, both go together in the cave? (hotel room?)

First thing: 🤦‍♂️ Second thing: I have seen them lay eggs in terracotta plant pots, on their side or upside down.

[Guppysnail]

On 11/11/2022 at 10:15 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

So they will not mate in the open, both go together in the cave? (hotel room?)

How the whole thing works

Mom grows the eggs while dad cleans HIS cave. In a month Mom goes in and out to do the white glove inspection several times and sends dad back in to tidy up his bachelors pad to her liking. 
She goes in and so does dad he goes in front ways and back ways. Once mom lays the eggs she figures I made them you raise them and leaves. 
Dad fans the eggs until all the young hatch and absorb their yolks. 
I put veggies right outside his opening so he can grab snacks without leaving the young. Typically they just don’t eat for 7-14 days because good dads will defend eggs to their death if need be.  I spoil mine. Him and mom will share veggies outside the cave while eggs and young are developing. He is not protective against her and she has no interest in the eggs past getting the uncomfortable bundle out of her. 
Their courtship is absolutely beautiful. Here is part of one mating a year ago. Don’t mind my cat saying “Ma’am”. He wanted something but I was busy 🤣

see the used to fit in there but they are twice that size now if not more  

 

Edited November 11, 2022 by Guppysnail

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 11/11/2022 at 10:54 AM, Guppysnail said:

How the whole thing works

Mom grows the eggs while dad cleans HIS cave. In a month Mom goes in and out to do the white glove inspection several times and sends dad back in to tidy up his bachelors pad to her liking. 
She goes in and so does dad he goes in front ways and back ways. Once mom lays the eggs she figures I made them you raise them and leaves. 
Dad fans the eggs until all the young hatch and absorb their yolks. 
I put veggies right outside his opening so he can grab snacks without leaving the young. Typically they just don’t eat for 7-14 days because good dads will defend eggs to their death if need be.  I spoil mine. Him and mom will share veggies outside the cave while eggs and young are developing. He is not protective against her and she has no interest in the eggs past getting the uncomfortable bundle out of her. 
Their courtship is absolutely beautiful. Here is part of one mating a year ago. Don’t mind my cat saying “Ma’am”. He wanted something but I was busy 🤣

see the used to fit in there but they are twice that size now if not more  

 

🤣 I love the way you explain things!  LOL!

Does he fertilize the eggs after they are laid, or is she laying eggs that are already fertile?

[Guppysnail]

On 11/11/2022 at 11:13 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

🤣 I love the way you explain things!  LOL!

Does he fertilize the eggs after they are laid, or is she laying eggs that are already fertile?

I think it is while she is laying or shortly after. I’m not 100% certain though. 

[Guppysnail]

Hmmm 🤔  I think Cece is not the only panda fry that snuck in. I took that video and she looked like she does today. The in between photos I thought to myself she looked much smaller and less developed than she did in the video. Now today she looks more than twice the size the one I saw yesterday did. 

[Guppysnail]

Dad is almost fully recovered. No red any longer. I’m going to start changing out the water today and increasing temp. I slowly dropped the hospital temp to 73 so more dissolved oxygen was in the tank and slow whatever may have hitched a ride on his injuries so his immune system could get ahead of it. 
 

He knows he is completely Hidden and you can’t see him 🤣 but here are todays photos. His right pectoral got torn up but his left side sustained no damage thankfully

Edited November 12, 2022 by Guppysnail

[TeeJay]

On 11/12/2022 at 11:19 AM, Guppysnail said:

Dad is almost fully recovered. No red any longer. I’m going to start changing out the water today and increasing temp. I slowly dropped the hospital temp to 73 so more dissolved oxygen was in the tank and slow whatever may have hitched a ride on his injuries so his immune system could get ahead of it. 
 

He knows he is completely Hidden and you can’t see him 🤣 but here are todays photos. His right pectoral got torn up but his left side sustained no damage thankfully

Nothing to see here just a yellow moustache 😆