Theplatymaster's NEW journal: A treacherous 20.

[Theplatymaster]

When i said i had beat my hair algae outbreak, i was SO wrong.

i dont know what imbalance caused it, and dont feel like getting something to eat it, so im down for manual removal, here is all the stuff i just pulled out, with a bottle of prime for comparison (this is the small dropper bottle), so yeah, lots of hair algae.

but considering what @Guppysnailsaid about algae being good for breeding fish, ill be putting the algae in here:

for hiding spots, and a food source for the adult and hopefully fry platies.

also Batmobile looked like he was gunna parachute, but then he didnt. Bummer...

i have some plants floating in my breeder box, they are doing fine, im seeing new growth on some dying elodea which is good, the plant wasnt doing so well, so new growth is good. I want to have lots of it to plant in my tank in the future, but now im just letting it grow.

it has been way too long since this tank has gotten a WC, so ill do one now:

Edited March 14, 2023 by Theplatymaster

[Guppysnail]

I’m glad you are finding the joy of algae. This algae is prime panda egg ground

This algae I grow in the gourami tank hoping to get enough microfauna is I get babies they thrive. 

[Theplatymaster]

On 3/14/2023 at 4:37 PM, Guppysnail said:

I’m glad you are finding the joy of algae. This algae is prime panda egg ground

This algae I grow in the gourami tank hoping to get enough microfauna is I get babies they thrive. 

if you had never suggested it, id have never tried it.

a small moss update: @nabokovfan87

a while ago i conducted some experiments on terrestrial mosses

, turned out, they worked.

here is a picture of the moss grown in submerged form (in my 2.5gallon tank) :

it doesnt work out so well on camera,but the fuzzy tendrils from the moss are bright green, and they have all been grown submerged, which is how i know its working, its growing.

it takes a while, but it can grow submerged. i will be  gathering large amounts of this moss, putting in underwater by my window with some ferts, and ill just let it slowly change, and then after a month or 2, ill have a giant supply of moss, which will be awesome.

 

[Theplatymaster]

here is my bag of moss:
it is the kind that has been growing submerged.

the sad thing is most of this bag is not moss, there is lots of dirt and twigs and stuff. (it was growing on the ground), so i will be washing it off very well before moving it to the PBpretzel jar.

Edit: I forgot to take a picture, here is a picture of the moss on a bed of filter floss:

Edited March 14, 2023 by Theplatymaster

[Theplatymaster]

i plan to go to the LFS over the weekend, but as always, my shopping list is bigger then my budget.

my shopping list:

Friend for this guy: ( ill ask, and if they will accept snails from me later, then preferably female (ill try my best to sex them) otherwise, ill just chose one i like.

dechlorinator (im running low) 

silicone for various DIY projects.

Hikari normal sized algae wafers, i hate the minis for MY applications.

Fish bags (they give me those for free).

My budget: $10. the dechlorinator is my top priority item, then the algae wafers, then the mystery snail, silicone is last. though i doubt i can get all the items with my budget. I may have to barter a little... fortunately my LFS knows me as a semi regular customer (ive been trying to buy more from them now, as appose to ACO) , so as long as it is only a 1 or 2 dollar difference, i should be fine.

 

 

Edited March 15, 2023 by Theplatymaster

[Theplatymaster]

John is feeling mean today,flaring at the platies

i guess ill just chuck some betta pellets in his tunnel...hopefully he can get them before the plateis can.

 

im looking for garra guy, i havent seen him in a while, but then agin, its a mostly black fish, against a mostly black substrate, and a black background, camouflage

also dwarf aquarium lily is doing something interesting, so ill have to check it out..

people say anubias are slow growers, IDK what im doing but this nana petite disagrees. in like 3weeks, its already doubled in size, from where i cut it.

i can grow anubias very well though, im not sure what im doing that they love so much.

Edited March 15, 2023 by Theplatymaster

[Theplatymaster]

Algae's beware!

there is a panda garra on the loose!

[Theplatymaster]

@Chick-In-Of-TheSea

should i be concerned?

my mystery snail has closed its operculum thingy, and is not coming out. (next to Batmobile is Algaecide).

also an adorable picture of garra guy, who is like:

"ooo! is human home?"

 

 

Edited March 16, 2023 by Theplatymaster

[Theplatymaster]

its been a while.

i think ill set up some BBS to hatch.

before:

after:

well, i was setting it up, but realized i had a leak in my infusoria culture, so after dealing with that.

a moment of silence for the various little critters losing their homes, as i shut down my culture, to prevent water damage.😞. though i will probably move the culture to a different container that is NOT leaking.

but getting the hatching setup:

mostly i just want more corydora fry... 😄

i had so much fun raising these ones, i want MORE!

also @TheSwissAquaristif you ever dislike your nose, fail a BBS culture, the smell alone will 💀 your nose.

Edited March 16, 2023 by Theplatymaster

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 3/16/2023 at 5:17 PM, Theplatymaster said:

@Chick-In-Of-TheSea

should i be concerned?

my mystery snail has closed its operculum thingy, and is not coming out. (next to Batmobile is Algaecide).

also an adorable picture of garra guy, who is like:

"ooo! is human home?"

 

 

They do sleep like that.

[Theplatymaster]

no worries!

the infusoria (mostly copepod) culture has been saved!

i poured it out into a 2gallon pretzel container i was using for my contest with @TheSwissAquarist, though i forfeited and had emptied the container out. the little critters now have a larger home, but ill have to remember to add more tank water to it next time i do a WC, and also squeeze out some media into it, for some  food, and more little friends.

i am running air to this container.

personally i split air pumps.

on 1whisper 10 air pump i can run,

1.BBS hatcher

2.infusoria culture

3.moss culture.

and its on 1 outlet, which is important as in this area, my outlets are limited.

the new home of my really little critters:

 

 

Also if anyone has any fun ideas of platy colors, id love to hear them. Im breeding platies right now for scientific reasons, to looks at their genetics, but to me, it doesnt matter which ones i breed, so if you have any ideas, and i can try to make it work with my fish, i might.

So any ideas?

 

Edited March 16, 2023 by Theplatymaster

[Theplatymaster]

Tank lights turned on,

corydoras have been breeding.

i guess i got my wish even without the BBS.

i cant tell fertile from infertile at this point, so ill just wait and see.

im going to hook up an air stone for oxygenation.

Thats what's happening here.

@Miskaif i am successful with this batch, i may have even more cories for you.

[Miska]

Awww yay! I am reading the tank now lmao. 

 

[Theplatymaster]

On 3/17/2023 at 10:25 AM, Miska said:

Awww yay! I am reading the tank now lmao. 

hopefully i can get them to hatch, that is my biggest issue, but once they are fish and not eggs i can take care of them well.

[Theplatymaster]

I just got back from my LFS.

I got Some dechlorinator, though i cant believe how expensive it was. (and it was the small prime).

Also

@Lennie@Chick-In-Of-TheSea

Batmobile is getting a friend.

The LFS didnt have that many mystery snails, and i couldnt sex this one, and its smaller then Batmobile, but they should still be friends right? or does the size difference matter?

I think its a magenta snail, im hoping its female for a breeding project, but i cant tell yet, the new snail is temp acclimating now, but will be released in 5 minutes.

i also get some fish bags, they gave be those for free.

I was going to then leave, but one of the employees wanted to show me the saltwater pipefish they got in, neither of us know if this species is related to the freshwater pipefish (the salty ones are much bigger).

So if anyone knows, id love to hear it.?

ill ad another picture once the new snail is in the tank, hoping it will get along with Batmobile.

Im hoping it will REALLY get along REALLY well with Batmobile 😉😉 (im also REALLY hoping its female).

 

 

[Lennie]

On 3/18/2023 at 12:14 AM, Theplatymaster said:

I just got back from my LFS.

I got Some dechlorinator, though i cant believe how expensive it was. (and it was the small prime).

Also

@Lennie@Chick-In-Of-TheSea

Batmobile is getting a friend.

The LFS didnt have that many mystery snails, and i couldnt sex this one, and its smaller then Batmobile, but they should still be friends right? or does the size difference matter?

I think its a magenta snail, im hoping its female for a breeding project, but i cant tell yet, the new snail is temp acclimating now, but will be released in 5 minutes.

i also get some fish bags, they gave be those for free.

I was going to then leave, but one of the employees wanted to show me the saltwater pipefish they got in, neither of us know if this species is related to the freshwater pipefish (the salty ones are much bigger).

So if anyone knows, id love to hear it.?

ill ad another picture once the new snail is in the tank, hoping it will get along with Batmobile.

Im hoping it will REALLY get along REALLY well with Batmobile 😉😉 (im also REALLY hoping its female).

 

 

I like drip acclimating my mystery snails. They open up faster that way usually. I've heard of cases them not moving for a couple days if not drip acclimated. But might be something else too, who knows.

[Theplatymaster]

On 3/17/2023 at 5:17 PM, Lennie said:

I like drip acclimating my mystery snails. They open up faster that way usually. I've heard of cases them not moving for a couple days if not drip acclimated. But might be something else too, who knows.

i was following @Chick-In-Of-TheSea's care sheet, where she just reccomends temperature acllimation.

here is the snail in the tank, though a corydora is curious.

it looks pretty good and its slowly emerging from its shell now, it sealed itself it for the transport (i dont blame it).

Edited March 17, 2023 by Theplatymaster

[Lennie]

On 3/18/2023 at 12:22 AM, Theplatymaster said:

i was following @Chick-In-Of-TheSea's care sheet, where she just reccomends temperature acllimation.

It is also mentioned to add tank water in there too.

Everyone may prefer something anyway, but I always drip acclimate my all snails.

[Theplatymaster]

Batmobile meeting his new friend.

Smaug is slowly awakening. (thats the new snails name.).

On 3/17/2023 at 5:27 PM, Lennie said:

Everyone may prefer something anyway, but I always drip acclimate my all snails.

my current method worked for Batmobile, and Smaug is opening up now.

 

I think this is more then a hello hug.

Male is on top, they are touching right side to right side,

it got Smaug out of her shell quickly,

Male is still sitting on top in the same position, neither one is moving much.

i think this is breeding...

@Chick-In-Of-TheSea

@Guppysnail@Cinnebuns

Edited March 17, 2023 by Theplatymaster

[Cinnebuns]

On 3/17/2023 at 4:30 PM, Theplatymaster said:

Batmobile meeting his new friend.

Smaug is slowly awakening. (thats the new snails name.).

my current method worked for Batmobile, and Smaug is opening up now.

 

I think this is more then a hello hug.

Male is on top, they are touching right side to right side,

it got Smaug out of her shell quickly,

Male is still sitting on top in the same position, neither one is moving much.

i think this is breeding...

@Chick-In-Of-TheSea

@Guppysnail@Cinnebuns

Yep. That's a he on top of a she or he. They will mount males too so only means the top one is male. 

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

I drip acclimate but made the care sheet for newer hobbyist who are most likely familiar with floating fish or snails in a bag.  Tank water can be added to the bag periodically to help them acclimate.

[Theplatymaster]

On 3/17/2023 at 10:11 PM, Cinnebuns said:

Yep. That's a he on top of a she or he. They will mount males too so only means the top one is male. 

i know the top one is male.

i thin considering the uncomfortable view i go into the bottom ones body during the embrace they are a M:F pair.

How long after breeding is egg laying?

I will reach out tomorrow to see if i can rehome any snails, if

a.I can homes for snaillets

and

b.its a small clutch

then i will raise them,

On 3/18/2023 at 3:51 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

I drip acclimate but made the care sheet for newer hobbyist who are most likely familiar with floating fish or snails in a bag.  Tank water can be added to the bag periodically to help them acclimate.

oh well.

its worked fine for both snails though.

@PineSong

i have a new update on my platy breeding projects, ill post pics in the morning (the tank light is off),

but basically.

A.I was trying to just make my own strain of platy but

B.My platies went and did that for me, i can just take a pair and breed out that strain (which i think is unique, because ive done A LOT of research, and visited my LFS A LOT of times, and ive never seen anything like this).

Edited March 19, 2023 by Theplatymaster

[Cinnebuns]

On 3/18/2023 at 7:14 PM, Theplatymaster said:

i thin considering the uncomfortable view i go into the bottom ones body during the embrace they are a M:F pair.

That's still not reliable way to sex them. It looks the same from the outside whether it's a f or a m on the bottom. 

On 3/18/2023 at 7:14 PM, Theplatymaster said:

How long after breeding is egg laying?

Can be the same night and then once a week for months. 

On 3/18/2023 at 7:14 PM, Theplatymaster said:

b.its a small clutch

then i will raise them,

You can also split a clutch if it's too small and discard part and incubate the other part. 

Also keep in mind, even if she's mated the first 1-2 clutches have a chance to be infertile. 

 

[Theplatymaster]

On 3/18/2023 at 8:59 PM, Cinnebuns said:

That's still not reliable way to sex them. It looks the same from the outside whether it's a f or a m on the bottom. 

i was referring to sexing them by checking the penis sheath.

On 3/18/2023 at 8:59 PM, Cinnebuns said:

You can also split a clutch if it's too small and discard part and incubate the other part. 

whats the best way to do this without harming the rest?

[Theplatymaster]

Todays post was sponsored by Hair Algae, with the motto "When you think about it, im just free moss" (which @Guppysnailwould agree with).

which i am using it as in my breeding tank.

Algaecide the nocturnal nerite: (tank lights still arent on yet).

looking around, and no mystery snail eggs today.

@Miskai regret to inform you that the cory eggs went bad. (i did say im still working on the whole cory breeding thing),

ill post more once the lights turn on in 3minutes.

woo hoo! tank lights are on!

I have a lot of work to do today:

1.I have removed hair algae, i also found the BEST tool for this job:

why is my hand the best tool?

1.Its easier to control force, so im noto oupdrotting plants.

2.I had an area here:

that i cant reach with tweezers, and cant see well.

I dont need to see it if i use my hand, it has nerves for a reason. also my hand, is more flexible then tweezers.

I need to move some stuff around as my WC bucket is  a storage mess at the moment:

then ill do a WC, move dirty water to

A.Copepod Culture

B.A bottle for my mom's plants

and

C. My neighbors plants.

then clean the filter media in the copepod culture (to get lots of stuff in there),

then refill the tank.

but enough posting, i should get working here.

also snails:

Batmobile and Algaecide, the BSFF (best snail friends forever)

though i think Smaug is feeling left out 😞

also i just want to add, with the stocking of this tank, put it in a doctor's office, with someone that knows what they are doing (not me), and kids would have a BLAST with the platies and cories.

Edited March 19, 2023 by Theplatymaster