Theplatymaster's NEW journal: A treacherous 20.

[nabokovfan87]

On 3/12/2023 at 5:14 AM, Theplatymaster said:

@nabokovfan87i have fixed the issue on my tidal 35, the BOTTOM intake. it was sucking up plant matter, and clogging, i have sponges on the main 2 intakes, so a simple scrap piece of sponge that fit right in can guard this intake, i feel so much better, with that intake covered.

There is no easy way around it. That filter has no intake. Only way to fix it is to get aquaclear sponge and cut a prefilter. Has to be rectangular shape and big enough to fit an entire pump inside.

Manually net out any debris you can. Pump is too exposed and strong for basically anything else to work.

[Lennie]

On 3/12/2023 at 5:06 PM, Theplatymaster said:

GH: 300+

I guess we divide it by 17.8 for dgh right? if so, it is more than 16?

That might be a reason why you are having loss. Higher gh than needed makes their shell so firm so they cannot crack the molt and die.

Edited March 12, 2023 by Lennie

[Theplatymaster]

On 3/12/2023 at 1:39 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

That filter has no intake

this is a circle has one side, or no sides argument.

it has like 30 intakes on it. my intake sponges on the normal intake have worked fine, ill see how the bottom one does.

i have 3D printed a piece to work on this, it worked, but was rushed and had some MAJOR design flaws.

first of all, a stupid measuring error, the tube was too long and hit the substrate.

i also did not make the hole wide enough, so getting it on was a pain, and getting it off was a ***********

the idea is it covers all the intakes, so the water is pulled through the bottom,which i put a prefilter sponge on.

not a bad idea in my opinion, but a horrible design on my part.

the hold in the side is for the power cord.

On 3/12/2023 at 1:45 PM, Lennie said:

That might be a reason why you are having loss. Higher gh than needed makes their shell so firm so they cannot crack the molt and die.

so how do i lower it? also there were a few successful molts before the deaths started.

[Lennie]

On 3/12/2023 at 8:48 PM, Theplatymaster said:

so how do i lower it? also there were a few successful molts before the deaths started.

 I think this may help you to understand it overall

https://www.shrimpscience.com/articles/shrimp-tank-gh/

[Theplatymaster]

On 3/12/2023 at 1:51 PM, Lennie said:

 I think this may help you to understand it overall

i dont think that is the issue, because as i said, they were molting fine for a few weeks.

[Lennie]

On 3/12/2023 at 8:54 PM, Theplatymaster said:

i dont think that is the issue, because as i said, they were molting fine for a few weeks.

That  does not really prove anything. Something off does not mean they will not make it through every molting, seeing issues is the time you start to question. They usually stress molt directly after being introduced to a new environment/parameters anyway. Early stress molting may trigger death too. But probably they made it through. Shrimpscience says 10gh as uplimit for neocaridinas, yours is above 16. Something to consider. If there is no very obvious reasons, and as you claim your fish can't hurt anything, then move towards other potential stuff.

a couple losses can be considered normal but if it is more than that, it is very likely to be something off, because neocaridinas are really hardy creatures.

[Theplatymaster]

On 3/12/2023 at 2:04 PM, Lennie said:

and as you claim your fish can't hurt anything

YES! non-existent fish CANNOT hurt the shrimp.

the shrimp are in a 2.5gallon tank, with some snails, and other little creatures, there are not fish in the tank.

wow, sorry. that really came out sounding too agressive.

Edited March 12, 2023 by Theplatymaster

[nabokovfan87]

On 3/12/2023 at 10:54 AM, Theplatymaster said:

i dont think that is the issue, because as i said, they were molting fine for a few weeks.

Molting is good, but let's say a shrimp molts early. Then when they try to molt again they don't (sometimes) have the ability to develop their shell properly. Either too thin or too thick. Stress molts will cause issues with shrimp. Long term.

It's not something you see on day 1, but it's something you see over time.... Molts being very off color and the shrimp themselves looking off.

On 3/12/2023 at 10:48 AM, Theplatymaster said:

this is a circle has one side, or no sides argument.

it has like 30 intakes on it. my intake sponges on the normal intake have worked fine, ill see how the bottom one does.

I posted a video in the tidal thread. 3-4 pages in. Someone lined the tank with foam and styrofoam. The video itself is difficult to find when searching YouTube, so all I can do is point you there.

It's not an argument, the pump intake hole is the input. There is one input and it's gigantic.  There is a skimmer that is a cut in the housing that is pointless because the entire input port for the filter is wide open and pointed in a different direction.

I use the tidal 35 as a circulation filter. I don't use it in a tank where there is any debris that could clog the pump or where there are fish that would get sucked into it (corydoras in my case).

Beyond that, it's "fine" and it works, and it can be used to mechanically clean the tank, but it is not a sufficient design in the sense of safe for fish and reliable due to the plant issues.

The 3d printed piece is a nice touch. I don't have one and I've tried messing around with taking the covers off of the tidal 55 and seeing how they fit on the 35.  Not useful.

Is recommend cutting foam, that will solve the issue if you can find the foam you need and cut it to size.

[Theplatymaster]

On 3/12/2023 at 2:16 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

the pump intake hole is the input

i am so confused, please clarify.

On 3/12/2023 at 2:16 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

I use the tidal 35 as a circulation filter. I don't use it in a tank where there is any debris that could clog the pump or where there are fish that would get sucked into it (corydoras in my case).

 im human too, ok?

this is the filter i have, so im trying to use it as well as possibly.

 

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 3/12/2023 at 8:14 AM, Theplatymaster said:

In my opinion the MOST stressful parts of this hobby

For me it is medicating fish, I always feel bad isolating them and dumping stuff into their water but hey, we have to sometimes.

And the other thing is checking to make sure I haven’t sucked up little creatures while cleaning the tank. It is shrimplets now but at one point it was baby snails, which start out sesame seed sized. It is very time consuming and hurt my eyes because it requires a magnifying glass and a flashlight.

Honorable mention for annoying thing (I wouldn’t say “stressful”, just unpleasant): filter maintenance. 

On 3/12/2023 at 2:09 PM, Theplatymaster said:

YES! non-existent fish CANNOT hurt the shrimp.

the shrimp are in a 2.5gallon tank, with some snails, and other little creatures, there are not fish in the tank.

wow, sorry. that really came out sounding too agressive.

@Lennie might’ve been referring to your betta. You say he’s nice, but in general bettas don’t have a reputation for being nice. I repeat “in general”.

[Theplatymaster]

On 3/12/2023 at 3:29 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

might’ve been referring to your betta. You say he’s nice, but in general bettas don’t have a reputation for being nice. I repeat “in general”.

i believe this is accurate due to previous conversation with @Lennie

also he has no hurt any antenna on Batmobile which is good.

On 3/12/2023 at 3:29 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

Honorable mention for annoying thing (I wouldn’t say “stressful”, just unpleasant): filter maintenance. 

i dont mine doing filter maintenance, but i dont have any canisters or anything, i hate cleaning sponge filters though i dont find it stressfull.

[Theplatymaster]

musical fish has been platyed.

all fish have been removed from my5gallon tank. (there were no fry 😞) and ive replaced them with 2dark orange platy females and a red/dark orange male, i want to breed out the male's traits, so im using similar looking females. (the females may be sisters)

other then that the tank setup is the same as it was before,

oh a picture (the male is already like "I have 2gals to myself, this is the best!" :

 

still a mini ramshorn snail colony @Cinnebuns

Edited March 12, 2023 by Theplatymaster

[Cinnebuns]

On 3/12/2023 at 5:45 PM, Theplatymaster said:

still a mini ramshorn snail colony

My mini rams population has gone down plus today I got a couple yoyo loaches. BYE BYE MINI RAMS!!

[Theplatymaster]

 

platies are doing well, i think i will leave the male in with the 2 females in the five gallon for a week  or two, to ensure insemination. i know red platis are nothing new, bit myself personally have never seen anything like the male before (and ive done a LOT of research, and visited my LFS way too many times), so i want to breed out his colors. (i also just want to gain some strain breeding experience for the future),

@mynameisnobodydo you have any experience on this subject? id love to hear it if you do?

the male^

@Colu

this fish that appears to have culiminaris is STILL healthy, and not spreading it, based on the fact ive seen the head splotches before in healthy platies, i think its just something genetic or something like that.

i had a fish that looked sick, i moved it in, because thats my hospital tank, the fish is perfectly healthy. (i was wrong, it wasnt sick), the 6juvinile platies in with that fish, perfectly healthy, i no longer suspect it is sick, it has been weeks since i moved it, and no further symptoms have shown, so unless its some sort of very slow acting disease i dont know about, im pretty sure the fish is healthy.

id post a picture but the fish is afraid of the camera, not me, just the camera.

 

@Miska

if we can get our negotiations done (which might take a while) here are some little cories for you:

 

 

 

 

[mynameisnobody]

@Theplatymaster I’m not sure I understand the question, so here goes what I think. If you’re looking to breed a particular color in platies, it all boils down to genetics. If you get assorted platies, the issues you’ll run into is what other genetics do they carry, so you may be culling out a large amount. When it comes to platies, I always buy a particular school. For example, I purchased 12 Gold Neon platies and if I choose to breed for a particular trait, it’s going to be a bit easier because they basically are a straight line to breed. With the unknowns or the randoms, it’s going to be a much bigger undertaking simply because you don’t know the history of the fish. Hopefully, this helps. 

Edited March 13, 2023 by mynameisnobody

[Theplatymaster]

On 3/13/2023 at 7:09 PM, mynameisnobody said:

@Theplatymaster I’m not sure I understand the question, so here goes what I think. If you’re looking to breed a particular color in platies, it all boils down to genetics. If you get assorted platies, the issues you’ll run into is what other genetics do they carry, so you may be culling out a large amount. When it comes to platies, I always buy a particular school. For example, I purchased 12 Gold Neon platies and if I choose to breed for a particular trait, it’s going to be a bit easier because they basically are a straight line to breed. With the unknowns or the ransoms, it’s going to be a much bigger undertaking simply because you don’t know the history of the fish. Hopefully, this helps. 

that makes enough sense, mostly im just doing this for fun to see what i can do, because yes, platy genetics are weird.

exhibit one:

neither parent had a similar coloration, or any black on the body to begin with, just black fins.and here is what i have

[Theplatymaster]

@Colu

i owe you an aopology, i was going on about how healthy this fish is, and now, out of the blue, very suddenly, swim bladder issues.

the fish needs to make an effort to swim up, which is a job the swim bladder does, which is why i suspect that is the problem, but its odd that it is out of the blue like this. 1hour ago it was fine,please help me diagnose this now.

[Colu]

On 3/13/2023 at 11:45 PM, Theplatymaster said:

@Colu

i owe you an aopology, i was going on about how healthy this fish is, and now, out of the blue, very suddenly, swim bladder issues.

the fish needs to make an effort to swim up, which is a job the swim bladder does, which is why i suspect that is the problem, but its odd that it is out of the blue like this. 1hour ago it was fine,please help me diagnose this now.

Problems with swimming can be caused by a number of things such as your fish over eating and the stomach putting pressure on the swim bladder bacterial infections of the swim bladder injury to the swim bladder high levels of nitrates can also effect the swim bladder or your  fish is weak due fighting off a bacterial infection or parasitic infection low kH can also cause  issue with platys due to lack of minerals what I would do is Epsom salt baths 1 table spoon for 2 gallons for no more than 15 minutes for 5days  as Epsom salt acts as a muscle relaxant to relieve pressure on the swim bladder and I would also do a course of metroplex in food feeding a small amount twice a day upto 21 days

Edited March 14, 2023 by Colu

[Theplatymaster]

On 3/13/2023 at 8:44 PM, Colu said:

what I would do is Epsom salt baths 1 table spoon for 2 gallons for 5days  as Epsom salt acts as a muscle relaxant to relieve pressure on the swim bladder and I would also do a course of metroplex in food feeding a small amount twice a day upto 21 days

so dose, large water change, dose again, or just leave the epsom salt in the water?

also what is Focus? is there a better name for that med? or a brand?

Edited March 14, 2023 by Theplatymaster

[Colu]

On 3/14/2023 at 12:49 AM, Theplatymaster said:

so dose, large water change, dose again, or just leave the epsom salt in the water?

I would only do Epsom salt baths in bucket don't add it to your tank as will raise your GH I forgot to add do the Epsom salt bath for no more than 15 minutes 

[Theplatymaster]

On 3/13/2023 at 8:52 PM, Colu said:

I would only do Epsom salt baths in bucket don't add it to your tank as will raise your GH I forgot to add do the Epsom salt bath for no more than 15 minutes 

thanks.

ill keep this in mind, and ill see how i can do...

i dont have anything ready for setup right now, so id need to work something out, and at that point, there is the sad truth, that id be doing a LOT of work for a $4 fish.

edit: On second thoughts, i win the most confused award. the fish is acting normal now. it was like a 2hour time period that it had this weird behavior, IDK what it was doing. Ill keep observing it, and see if this happens again, thanks for the assistance!

Edited March 14, 2023 by Theplatymaster
new information

[Colu]

On 3/14/2023 at 12:56 AM, Theplatymaster said:

thanks.

ill keep this in mind, and ill see how i can do...

i dont have anything ready for setup right now, so id need to work something out, and at that point, there is the sad truth, that id be doing a LOT of work for a $4 fish.

The way I look at things if it's something I can treat I will give it a chance if you think the suggested treatment I recommended won't have much of an effect the. I would just monitor and hope for best 

[Theplatymaster]

On 3/13/2023 at 8:59 PM, Colu said:

if you think the suggested treatment I recommended won't have much of an effect the

not what im saying at all,im fully confident you know your stuff.

im just no so sure its worth it.

also the fish is acting normal now, so im even more confused.

maybe it was giving birth?

[Colu]

On 3/14/2023 at 1:00 AM, Theplatymaster said:

not what im saying at all,im fully confident you know your stuff.

im just no so sure its worth it.

also the fish is acting normal now, so im even more confused.

maybe it was giving birth?

If it's started to improve then I would just monitor for now 

[Theplatymaster]

On 3/13/2023 at 9:05 PM, Colu said:

If it's started to improve then I would just monitor for now 

yep, thats my plan.

okay, updates:

first of all, i know that ranks on this forum mean nothing, but what they can do , is make me feel really good about myself when i finish them.

And i have finally finished!

but back to my offishal situation here:

next update:

CLEAR WATER! finally!

that only took me 2 days.

im going to dose some easy green (though i can NEVER remember to dose it twice a week).

garra guy eating a snack (algae) :

well...he left when i tried to take a picture

Batmobile just doing his thing:

Corydora, corydoraing:

and thats mostly whats up today, im gonna go feed the fish and the plants. (and then feed the human, me).

todays offering if you are a fish: (legit bottom feeder, and xtreme crave flake) :

Edited March 14, 2023 by Theplatymaster