Morning Observations - Go for it

[nabokovfan87]

Hey everyone,

I recorded this yesterday morning while mentally taking a bunch of notes watching the fish. It took a silly long time between my phone and YouTube editing to get the sound fixed. Hopefully you enjoy. I'll tag ( @KittenFishMomhere as this was intended to show off the cloudiness of the tank related to another thread topic)

Observations...

I woke up this morning to the slight red glow of the LEDs switching on. The house was quiet and calm apart from the calming noise of the water movement. Grace was swimming around next to her panda bros and they were hunting together on the substrate investigating something. She paused and looked towards me, her usual morning hello that she gives me. Hard to understand what she wants, but she always just sits and stares at me every morning before she hides into her cave while the rest of the tank comes to life.

I sit in the chair and hit record, starting to watch the rest of the tank, hoping to see here pop out.  I don't feed the tank right away because I thought it was really interesting that they were in search of food. They get fed a good amount and there was a storm. I was watching the tank wondering if it was breeding behavior or just the pandas being pandas.

I watched to the right corner and there was a few of the group hiding under the bolbitis plants.  I planned across the tank and watched more of them diving their noses into the sand. The swordtails were also staring at me now, wanting their breakfast. I tried to open the food container one handed, but eventually tossed in some vibra bites. The swords were excited by this news but they have issues with this food until it softens up.  I can give them a portion of I crush it with my fingers, but I specifically didn't do this during this feeding because I wanted it to sink and go right to the substrate.  I watched a few of the pandas search the pile for their favorite piece. Some of them would push it out of their gills and go into the next. It is an interesting dilemma when watching them avoid the food. Maybe they are doing it because of shape or size or just the taste of the food not being what they wanted. The further I watched, the more I had hoped to answer that question of why they weren't happy with the food today.

 

I added in some flake food for the rest of the tank, watched the swordtail fry finally able to get some food as well as the parents. They were happy and finally able to eat. Maybe this was easier for the pandas as well. One thing was clear... Grace didn't want all the flow to push food (and fish) into her cave as she started to try to sleep.  Not fighting, but just a few moments of nosing and her letting those around her know, "hey the food is over there bud."  Seemingly everyone enjoys the flake, but some of the pandas were on the hunt for algae, burying themselves in the sand to lay, or hunting across the wood.

 

Breakfast in belly, the swordtails started their usual chasing. The fry weren't as silly and just swam around the wood looking for floating debris to test.  I checked in on the female sword that has the tail rot issues and her tail is back to fully healed. She's doing well and swimming a lot better now. She's happy and lurking around getting her breakfast. She hangs out in the back section of the tank away from the other females where she can more easily rest in the flow. 

It's one of those things where I was able to see the tank be itself and I noticed a few things that I've known, but it was nice to see it verified again for the 10th+ time as it were.  I need to get some stems in this tank. The bacopa died on me, but that's likely the future candidate for this tank. That would give the midwater fish a place to feel a little more comfortable as well as spots for the food to get stuck.  The swords to perfectly well grazing off the bottom, but it's a lot easier when the food is on the wood or still floating for them.

I also want to take some of this moss and glue it to the wood and rocks. I'd love to get a piece of the old 75G scape back and that was one of my favorite aspects. Maybe I will try some of that tumbled lava rock and make my own little moss balls of various sizes for the tank. I think it would add to the look as well as easily move around in the flow.  Hm.... I should track down some fishing line.

 

 

As always, I encourage anyone else to sit and watch their tank. It's a very important, but calming moment of the day. Just sip some coffee with @TeeJayaand try to enjoy the fish waking up. You'll see a lot of interesting behaviors when those red LEDs pop on.

Because of all of this I've gone ahead and set my light into the "pro mode" trying to give a lot more reddish hue in the morning and blue lights in the sunset. I really enjoyed seeing those LEDs for a few minutes with that shade on the tank.

Let's have a good day today. *Turns on the kettle*

[nabokovfan87]

She's ready for coffee too. 😂

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

Is Grace nocturnal @nabokovfan87?  When/what does she eat?

Edited January 5, 2023 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea

[nabokovfan87]

On 1/5/2023 at 10:11 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

When/what does she eat?

She's been with me for.... Feels like a decade but probably slightly less. I've seen her actually take a chunk out of food less than 5 times. Think of her like a giant oto or giant amano shrimp. She's a grazer. That's the way their mouth is designed, pointed down, focus on aufwuchs and is in the same family as SAE or barbs.

She tends to surf the glass and graze on wood and glass and substrate. She's usually doing good when it's repashy or frozen food time and she just gets a good healthy bit of food. (Usually puts her in a good mood)

I feed her omnivore type of died focused on spirulina and brine shrimp cubes.

And yes. She is 1000% nocturnal. Doesn't like lights. Always active after they go dim or when they first pop on she does laps before going to sleep.

If I put a pleco cave in there or a cichlid cave she'd be happy as can be. Her body was too big for my biggest cave so I opted to remove them so she didn't tear herself up on the sides. She stuffs her head in there, even upside down or sideways to fit.

[Theplatymaster]

In the morning my betta reminds me of a human. He just sits there for 5 minutes, almost like hes still sleeping, than he gets up. The cories are also more active in the morning. The platies like the morning because i feed them in the morning

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 1/5/2023 at 2:13 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

If I put a pleco cave in there or a cichlid cave she'd be happy as can be

Do it! Or PVC pipe (not as pretty). It’s her 10 year anniversary of adoption!

[nabokovfan87]

On 1/5/2023 at 12:18 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

Do it! Or PVC pipe (not as pretty). It’s her 10 year anniversary of adoption!

She'd be very excited for that 🙂

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 1/5/2023 at 2:28 PM, Theplatymaster said:

In the morning my betta reminds me of a human. He just sits there for 5 minutes, almost like hes still sleeping, then he gets up. The cories are also more active in the morning. The platies like the morning because i feed them in the morning

In the morning I find my betta resting on the anubias leaf. I put the plant in there temporarily but now it’s his bed, so it stays. 🙂 

[nabokovfan87]

On 1/5/2023 at 10:11 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

Grace

 Very closely related species 🙂

 

[PineSong]

@nabokovfan87, that's a very peaceful and beautiful tank.

I love to sit and stare at my tanks in the morning--I get up at 5:30 to do so--something younger me would never have thought possible.

It is one of the best parts of my day, and also if I see something terrifying (like a newly sprouted gonopodium in my girl-guppies-only tank) I have time to do something about it before I have to leave for work. 

Here's a morning in my tank:

 

[nabokovfan87]

Hopefully this posts right. Having a huge issue with mobile and the Android keyboard.

I really enjoyed your tank @PineSongaand I totally feel the morning check for things and then go about the day. It's something I'll have to incorporate and one of the main reasons why I really enjoy single big tanks compared to a bunch of small ones.

I am tempted to always have two, but that's plenty for me.  Thank you for sharing!

(Great music choice too)

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 1/5/2023 at 5:42 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

 Very closely related species 🙂

 

My dad used to have a red-tailed shark. It was a juvenile in a 10g.  I must have been, sheesh, probably 6 years old then.  I think it grew some and my dad gave it to a friend who had a larger tank.  

On 1/5/2023 at 8:07 PM, PineSong said:

@nabokovfan87, that's a very peaceful and beautiful tank.

I love to sit and stare at my tanks in the morning--I get up at 5:30 to do so--something younger me would never have thought possible.

It is one of the best parts of my day, and also if I see something terrifying (like a newly sprouted gonopodium in my girl-guppies-only tank) I have time to do something about it before I have to leave for work. 

Here's a morning in my tank:

 

@PineSong I want to put this on a loop and just let it play on my TV all day.  Your plants look amazing.  Clearly the angel is the boss, and I bet she'd eat guppy fry so you wouldn't have to worry.

Edited January 6, 2023 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea

[Rube_Goldfish]

On 1/5/2023 at 3:18 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

Do it! Or PVC pipe (not as pretty). It’s her 10 year anniversary of adoption!

@nabokovfan87 I'd bet you could hide a PVC pipe with some combination of paint, glued on mosses and/or epiphytes, and glued on sand/gravel, so it wouldn't have to look ugly. With a little creativity you might be able to hide it so that no one but you and Grace would even know it's there.

[Schuyler]

On 1/3/2023 at 12:01 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

She's ready for coffee too. 😂

I've only really seen rainbow sharks in the store so I'm used to them being little and skinny. Grace looks quite happy and healthy in comparison

[nabokovfan87]

On 1/6/2023 at 6:42 AM, Rube_Goldfish said:

@nabokovfan87 I'd bet you could hide a PVC pipe with some combination of paint, glued on mosses and/or epiphytes, and glued on sand/gravel, so it wouldn't have to look ugly. With a little creativity you might be able to hide it so that no one but you and Grace would even know it's there.

I moved her wood around and rocks last night.  She's got 3 pieces weaved together and two rocks and all these plants just for her little hide.  I will keep an eye on, but I know she'll dig some PVC if / when that's available.  Considering her age, Really tempted to let her back in the 75 this month.

On 1/6/2023 at 9:48 AM, Schuyler said:

I've only really seen rainbow sharks in the store so I'm used to them being little and skinny. Grace looks quite happy and healthy in comparison

She was eye catching when she was young. Probably arrived the day we got her and couldn't say no.  She's husky for sure! lol

[PineSong]

On 1/6/2023 at 9:10 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

@PineSong I want to put this on a loop and just let it play on my TV all day.  Your plants look amazing.  Clearly the angel is the boss, and I bet she'd eat guppy fry so you wouldn't have to worry.

Thank you. I do play it on my TV for my cat's entertainment. Not sure if she recognizes it's the same tank she sleeps on top of.

[nabokovfan87]

On 1/6/2023 at 12:55 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

I moved her wood around and rocks last night.  She's got 3 pieces weaved together and two rocks and all these plants just for her little hide.  I will keep an eye on, but I know she'll dig some PVC if / when that's available.  Considering her age, Really tempted to let her back in the 75 this month.

Might have to get some more hardscape this weekend if possible. She's just having issues trying to feel comfortable. Does Amazon sell PVC at not insane prices???

I adjusted things again, she was in her "secondary cave. I moved things so the mopani isn't as far up in the air, she fits a lot better, but wants a specific channel to lay in on a certain direction. She's cruising the tank as I type after the changes. I put a plant on the wall to shade her out and feel like cover, the rock is in the back now so the main piece of wood sits lower.

I know, I know.... Doesn't make much sense. My apologies.

She's facing the opposite way she usually does, maybe that's a good sign.

She has a little opening for her cave, it was a bit tight for her on last attempt and she didn't feel like she could loop around.

This little opening in the piece of mopani is why it's her cave. When she was smaller she'd sit at that doorway and peek out. When she would see something she'd slightly hover back and hide her body in the wood "cave".  As she got bigger I've stacked rocks and things to get it to sit just right.

She's having fun tonight now that she got more secure cover. We'll see tomorrow how her mood is!

Terribly blurry. But tried for 30 minutes to get a picture. The phone is big and scary. 😂

 

On 1/6/2023 at 5:54 PM, PineSong said:

Thank you. I do play it on my TV for my cat's entertainment. Not sure if she recognizes it's the same tank she sleeps on top of.

Probably enjoys the warmth and the little hum of all the equipment 🙂