AllFishNoBrakes’ Journal

[Zenzo]

On 12/17/2022 at 10:49 AM, TheSwissAquarist said:

How’s the new shrimp tank doing anyway? Looked superb on YouTube when you set it up.

Going strong. I showed it off in a recent video. 

[Patrick_G]

I just got caught up with your journal. Congratulations on the third Angel spawn working out! 
Now I’m thinking that I might like to try breeding some Angels. I have a 75 gallon, but it’s almost completely overgrown, I’d probably never find the eggs in the jungle. 
I do have an empty 20 gallon tall. Would using that as a breeder be an option? 

[nabokovfan87]

On 12/17/2022 at 1:08 PM, Patrick_G said:

I do have an empty 20 gallon tall. Would using that as a breeder be an option? 

I think that's what Dean uses in addition to 29's

[AllFishNoBrakes]

On 12/17/2022 at 2:08 PM, Patrick_G said:

Now I’m thinking that I might like to try breeding some Angels. I have a 75 gallon, but it’s almost completely overgrown, I’d probably never find the eggs in the jungle. 
I do have an empty 20 gallon tall. Would using that as a breeder be an option? 

Right now I have 2 pairs. The Marbled pair is in a 55 gallon community tank. They like to spawn on the Amazon Sword leaves, but I let them pick a side of the tank, and then try to tempt them with the slate. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. Best case scenario they use the slate and I just pull that out. Worst case they use the Amazon Sword and the plant loses a single leaf. 
 

My Panda pair is in 1/3 of a 55 gallon tank that I separated using dense aquarium foam. The only option I give them is a slate and they used it first time no problem. 
 

Me personally, I would get a group of Angels for the 75, raise them up, let them pair off naturally, and then you could move the breeding pair if you’d like. The breeding behavior is cool to see in a community as the parents heavily guard their territory, their eggs, and then their fry. If you’ve never seen it it’s pretty dope! I’ve seen it probably 10 times at this point and it’s always fun, although a tad aggressive. 
 

Also, if I can’t see the eggs right away I always know they’re there as the male chases off any fish that comes even remotely close, and the female stays with the spawn and continuously fans the eggs with her pectoral fins. Once you know what it is that they’re doing it’s easy to find the eggs, even when my 55 was completely overgrown with swords 

Edited December 17, 2022 by AllFishNoBrakes

[Patrick_G]

On 12/17/2022 at 2:16 PM, AllFishNoBrakes said:

Me personally, I would get a group of Angels for the 75, raise them up, let them pair off naturally, and then you could move the breeding pair if you’d like. The breeding behavior is cool to see in a community as the parents heavily guard their territory, their eggs, and then their fry. If you’ve never seen it it’s pretty dope! I’ve seen it probably 10 times at this point and it’s always fun, although a tad aggressive. 

Ok, great, that’s what I was thinking of doing. 
I haven’t totally settled on breeding Angels yet, but they’re on the list. Here’s the 75, you can see why it might hard to find the eggs! 😄

[AllFishNoBrakes]

On 12/17/2022 at 3:45 PM, Patrick_G said:

Here’s the 75, you can see why it might hard to find the eggs! 😄

For sure! You’d notice the missing Angels and then once you found them you’d find the eggs!

Angels have been super fun for me and they’re super easy to move. Dean has said, “you can pay for your whole fish room with a couple/few pairs of Angels” and I tend to agree. They don’t take a ton of work, grow quickly, and sell quickly. Win win win. 

[Patrick_G]

On 12/17/2022 at 2:49 PM, AllFishNoBrakes said:

For sure! You’d notice the missing Angels and then once you found them you’d find the eggs!

Ok, I know good advice when I hear it!  I think I might try adding a group to the 75 after I rehome the juvenile Swordtails. Aquarium Co-op has some of Dean’s right now so that might be a cool option. 

[AllFishNoBrakes]

@Patrick_G Nice! My best advice would be to start with a group that you obviously like, but go above the “assorted” group. I get at least double, if not more, for my Panda’s than I do my “assorted Marbled”. 

[AllFishNoBrakes]

Nothing crazy to announce. Just enjoying the tanks and took this shot the other night and wanted to share 

This tank always has a green tint in pictures from all the Dwarf Water Lettuce. All good though, I love me some water lettuce 

Edited December 20, 2022 by AllFishNoBrakes

[AllFishNoBrakes]

Another Wednesday means another day of maintenance and another journal entry. Put in some work today in anticipation of being out of town for a couple days next week and skipping maintenance. Photo dump in 3… 2… 1…

 

I’m an Operations Manager for a restaurant group, and one of our GM’s got me this framed original art for Christmas! Totally unexpected and not necessary, but so cool and I’m very appreciative! It’s going up in the office for sure.

The GM also got me this shirt! Too funny. I’m gonna frame it and hang it in the office as well. I don’t plan on having kids, but I raise plenty of fish. Too good, and again I’m very thankful.

This tank got a big trim today. The Rotala Indica on the left was basically left to just go nuts for the past 2 years. The plant mass at the surface was so dense it was starting to kill off the plants below it due to blocking out all the light,so today was the day. The PSO on the right also got a big trim.

Pea Puffer tank looking nice so I snapped a pic. I love that this tank is in my bedroom so I can look at it all the time. 

55 looking good and no green tint for once. Added some root tabs to the sword in the middle.

20 gallon high. This tank was also looking fresh with a trim!

This Angel, and one other just like it will be staying with me. They’re a super dope variant that looks “smokey” to me. They’ll continue to grow out in the 55 here until they’re big enough to join the squad in the main 55 Angel tank. The other 55 juvenile Angels will be going to the LFS on Friday!

Aponegeton sending up a flower. Has anyone pollinated, seeded, and sprouted from a flower? I’ve had plenty of flowers, but I haven’t seriously attempted seeding and sprouting from one.

Praecox Rainbow eggs in the mop. Maybe once the Julii’s and the Panda Angels are moved on from the 2.5 gallon tanks I’ll try to hatch some. 

Edited December 22, 2022 by AllFishNoBrakes

[AllFishNoBrakes]

Not sure if it’s a giant coincidence, or if this Arctic Blast coming in last night in conjunction with a water change really does trigger Cory’s to spawn, but I woke up to this today:

Albino Cory’s went crazy!

 

Pulled off a ton of eggs and into the tumbler they go. Also went through the Julii mop and found probably 6 eggs. Yesterday, I noticed the 2 biggest Julii fry have passed. Not sure what happened, so figured I might as well pull what I can and hatch again.

The countdown to fry starts now!

Edited December 22, 2022 by AllFishNoBrakes

[AllFishNoBrakes]

55 Angels went off to the LFS today. So thankful my local shop is cool and willing to work with me. When the dude was adding my credit to my account he said, “most people have a tough time making this profitable, but you seem to be doing alright”. Always feels good. That same guy also offered me a job last time I dropped fish off, and today he commented on my Blink 182 hoodie I was wearing: Maybe I’ll run into him at the show. That’d be fun!

I have the bags, the rubber bands, the specimen container, and Fritz Complete. 2 drops of complete in each bag. Figure if any ammonia were to develop I’d rather have it locked up than not. Also used an air pump to fill up the bags, but idk if I’ll continue to do that moving forward. Just felt more like an extra step, but you never know unless you try.

These guys definitely have the Panda gene/coloring, but with some yellow.

All blacks looked dope this round. The guy on the right is awesome.

Marbled pattern.

The guy in the left looks like a false Altum. Jealous of whoever ends up with this guy!

Another 80 bucks in store credit and the grow out tank is ready for the next round. Didn’t come home with anything today, just letting that credit stack up for when I need it. 

Edited December 23, 2022 by AllFishNoBrakes

[AllFishNoBrakes]

What up fish fam?! First journal entry of the new year. 
 

Skipped last week as me and my girlfriend spent a few days in the mountains without cell service. Was super nice to get away, unplug, and recharge in the most serene place with a fire every night and some tasty tequila courtesy of my boss. 
 

Just got caught up on maintenance. Water changes done, fertilizer in the tanks, and everything cleaned up. Got a couple things going at the moment. 
 

The Julii spawn I had going crashed hard and I have no idea what happened. One by one the fry were dying once they got to about 3/8-1/2”. No clue why. Was a little disheartening, but we’ll try again in the future. Being worried it could’ve been disease I dismantled the tank, and hydrogen peroxided everything including the filter. Rinsed out, let completely air dry for a couple of days, and then set back up. 
 

I had probably 25 Albino Cory fry hatch right before we went to the mountains. I put those guys in the refreshed tank knowing most of them probably wouldn’t make it. There’s currently 6-10 fry in there still so it is what it is. The recharge was much needed and the fish will spawn again. 
 

Panda Angel fry cruising right along. Still in the little 2.5 and growing slowly as I’m in no hurry to grow them out. When they’re ready, they’ll go to a 1/2 full 10 gallon and keep cruising. Photo dump incoming. 

Albino Cory’s freshly hatched right before we went to the mountains.

Amazon Sword throwing out another runner. We’ll have more baby swords in no time.

Marbled Angel spawn. Didn’t keep any of these eggs.

Another Panda Angel spawn. The difference in color from the above pictured spawn is super interesting. Didn’t keep any of these eggs either.

CPO carrying eggs!

Shrimp out of water today during maintenance. Tried to splash it with water out of the Python but they weren’t budging. Definitely still alive. That was a first for me today!

Edited January 4, 2023 by AllFishNoBrakes

[AllFishNoBrakes]

Whew! What a day. Major day of maintenance, but some neglected projects knocked off the list. 
 

Early this morning my girlfriend and I tore apart the entire 10 gallon aquaponics tray. Basically everything had run its course and it was a long time coming. Her wildflowers had died off, the jalapeño and tomato plants were long gone, the chives were harvested for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner, and the strawberries were looking sad. I tore it all apart, and man was that a project. Sooooo many roots were dead and intertwined throughout the entire tray. The tank was cloudy, all the drains were clogged, and it was just a mess. We saved the strawberry plants and everything else was removed. The entire tray was rinsed out including each piece of hydroton and then it was all put back together. Massive water change on the tank and it feels good to have a total reset minus the strawberries that were replanted. I’m excited for the next grow of fruits and veggies out of this tank!

 

Also did maintenance on the other 12 tanks including squeezing out all the sponge filters. Filter intake sponges included. Big trim on the Walstad, got a tank ready for the Angel fry, and harvested snails for the Pea Puffers. Just a giant day of maintenance, and I still have to do the fry tanks tomorrow. 
 

10 gallon is set up (at 1/2 water level) to receive the Panda Angels. They’re starting to actually look like little Angelfish, so next week they’ll go to their next tank. Albino Cory fry are doing well, and I’m pretty sure I counted a couple Julii fry in with them too. Female Bristlenose is cured of her ailment and back in with the male. 
 

Also, the Marbled Angels spawned again today, but I didn’t keep any eggs. The Panda’s are still occupying the hatch/grow out tank, and I think the Panda’s will spawn again soon. Fingers crossed I can start the next hatch when I move the current fry to the 1/2 full 10 gallon next week. 
 

Tomorrow I’ll get water changes on the fry tanks and we’ll be set for another week. 

Water Lettuce taken from the 6 gallon cube Walstad. The roots had grown into the dirt. Crazy.

Female Pleco cured of her ailment and back in her home tank. Shout out to @Colu for their recommendation of treatment. Worked like a charm and wasn’t anything harsh. Thanks again!

Panda Angels. Starting to look like little Angels. Couple more days and they’ll be moved to their next home.

Fresh trim on the Walstad. You can actually see critters in here again!

Edited January 12, 2023 by AllFishNoBrakes

[AllFishNoBrakes]

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: I’m a bad news first type of person so that’s where we’re gonna start. 
 

Today I realized my female Panda Angel from my breeding pair has Camallanus Red Worms. Ya, not awesome. However, ACO made some money off me for the expel-p to treat her. Also ordered some brine shrimp eggs, a Ziss breeder box, and the new enjoy nature daily shirt. Have any of you treated Camallanus Red Worms? I think I’m gonna take the pair and treat them both in a 10 gallon tank so they remain a pair. Undecided on the Pleco’s that are in the same tank. I feel like I should treat them all, but we’ll see. Maybe do the Angels first and the Pleco’s second? Any suggestions are welcome. 

 

Now for the good news. Water changed every tank, moved the baby Panda Angels to a 1/2 full 10 gallon tank, baby Cory’s growing nicely, I found an Orange Rili Shrimp in my Pea Puffer tank, shared my Ziss hatchery stand/modification with the forum and got a reply from Cory saying he liked it! Always cool when King Nerm chimes in and likes something we do. Another Wednesday, another round of maintenance done, and now we wait on the ACO package and contemplate how to treat these pesky nematodes in my fish! Cheers, nerms. 

Edited January 19, 2023 by AllFishNoBrakes

[TheSwissAquarist]

Have you read this?

https://www.aquariumcoop.com/blogs/aquarium/camallanus-worms

[nabokovfan87]

On 1/18/2023 at 8:58 PM, AllFishNoBrakes said:

Today I realized my female Panda Angel from my breeding pair has Camallanus Red Worms. Ya, not awesome. However, ACO made some money off me for the expel-p to treat her. Also ordered some brine shrimp eggs, a Ziss breeder box, and the new enjoy nature daily shirt. Have any of you treated Camallanus Red Worms? I think I’m gonna take the pair and treat them both in a 10 gallon tank so they remain a pair. Undecided on the Pleco’s that are in the same tank. I feel like I should treat them all, but we’ll see. Maybe do the Angels first and the Pleco’s second? Any suggestions are welcome. 

I would treat the whole tank.  That's what I did and it's more peace of mind than anything.  They (worms) get everywhere and the cycle is that you have to treat, siphon the worms, rinse and repeat over a few weeks.  I would imagine that it is possible for other fish in that environment to become exposed, so you save meds and have a more reliable experience by treating and monitoring (and removing) those worms all in the same tank.

@mountaintoppufferkeeper just went through it on one of his puffers.  I went through similar stuff with my corydoras.  Salt + Meds works really well and the method that Odd_Duck has prescribed me worked really well. I added in the salt when it made sense and that helped too.  Of course, just make sure you do enough WCs to clear out the salinity when need be.

Day 1: dose in levamisole (black out tank for 24 hours as it's light sensitive)
Day 2-6: water change, dose in paracleanse + Salt and follow directions on box.
Day 7+: Rest

You can give them whatever amount of days off that you feel is best, some say to treat every 7 days, some say to treat every 2 weeks. 

I did 3-4 rounds. As much as 6 is recommended for a bad infestation.

On 1/18/2023 at 8:58 PM, AllFishNoBrakes said:

baby Cory’s growing nicely,

They look awesome! Very cool.

[AllFishNoBrakes]

On 1/18/2023 at 11:43 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

I would treat the whole tank.  That's what I did and it's more peace of mind than anything.  They (worms) get everywhere and the cycle is that you have to treat, siphon the worms, rinse and repeat over a few weeks.  I would imagine that it is possible for other fish in that environment to become exposed, so you save meds and have a more reliable experience by treating and monitoring (and removing) those worms all in the same tank.

Indeed. The issue that I have is it’s a 55 gallon tank… after substrate and everything I could probably get away with 5 packets (50 gallons), water change, wait a week, and then dose again and use the whole pack. My thought was more A) that’s the only fish I’ve seen have that issue. B) Don’t wanna break up the Angel pair and and to re-pair them yet again and C) moving them to a 10 gallon quarantine tank is way more efficient both in dosing and in cleaning up and dead worms. I could use the whole Expel-p box in 2 rounds in the 55, or I could have 10 treatments in a 10 gallon tank. Things to ponder, for sure. Appreciate your insight as always!

Edited January 19, 2023 by AllFishNoBrakes

[AllFishNoBrakes]

Yoooooo! We have Bristlenose eggs/wigglers! I noticed the male had been hanging out in the cave, but I obviously missed this clutch of eggs for several days. Eggs/wigglers have been moved to the tumbler, and the fry will go into the Ziss breeder box when it shows up in a couple of days. 
 

I plan to feed the fry algae wafers, zucchini, green beans, sinking wafers, and baby brine shrimp. Any other hot tips you have? First Pleco babies of any sort for me so all suggestions are welcome. 

[TheSwissAquarist]

BBS works great, as do shelled peas and powdered algae wafers.

[AllFishNoBrakes]

Not my usual Wednesday after maintenance post, but wanted to share all the fry I have going at the moment. Feeling like if I had the space I would really enjoy another 55 gallon grow out tank, but I just don’t think it’s in the cards right now. All good though, I’ll make do with what I have. 

Panda Angels doing well after being moved from the 2.5 hatch out tank to a 1/2 full 10 gallon. They’re really starting to look like little Angels and the more you look the more you see  

A few Albino Cory’s and a couple Julii’s in the 2.5. Albinos are way bigger than the Julii’s already. You can see one of the Julii’s on the sponge filter compared to the Albinos.

Pleco’s coming right along! Exciting as this is a first for me. You can see they still have a little bit of yolk sac left from the underside shot, but these guys are huge! Crazy that they’re like 3 or 4 days old. Tomorrow they’re going to get moved to a Ziss Breeder Box, probably in the 55 Angel tank. Grow them out a bit in the breeder box as I wanna see how that bad boy works, and I’m sure soon they’ll be in the empty 10 gallon. 

Edited January 25, 2023 by AllFishNoBrakes

[TheSwissAquarist]

Everything's breeding!

[AllFishNoBrakes]

These Pandas just don’t stop, lol. I had the lights off for 24 hours as the tank was treated with Expel-P, specifically because the female Panda is the fish with Camallanus Red Worm. Turned the lights back on to see this:

Didn’t save any of this spawn as the tank is being treated and I’m still growing out the current batch of Panda Angels. Snails are out of control on this side of the tank from feeding up the Pleco’s. All good though, they’re just Pea Puffer food. I’m to the point where I can start regularly harvesting them for Pea Puffer dinner. I just gotta stop being lazy and actually do it, lol. 

Edited January 27, 2023 by AllFishNoBrakes

[Patrick_G]

Every time I see those baby angels I start planning! I’m definitely going to try breeding angels soon. 

[AllFishNoBrakes]

@Patrick_G They’re super fun if you ask me! Any idea what kind of Angel you’re thinking about getting?