Blackwater Bloody Mary Neo Setup

[nabokovfan87]

Found a molt in the tank 🙂

I also found about a bazillion worms.  One of them finally landed on the glass so I was able to see movement. Definitely was inch-worming.  I took two videos to try to provide some details.  I just want to confirm these are what we all think they are.

@Biotope Biologist you had mentioned one type of worm moving without inching and one that inch-wormed.  It takes a minute for the camera to focus, but it'll get there. I believe the one that glides is Rhabdocoela as opposed to the nematodes that inch?

Sidenote, this is a helpful read.
https://aquanswers.com/tiny-white-worms-in-aquarium/

Edited April 13, 2023 by nabokovfan87

[nabokovfan87]

@Chick-In-Of-TheSea fun....

https://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/nematode/soil_nematode.htm

Quote

Bacterivores. Many kinds of free-living nematodes feed only on bacteria, which are always extremely abundant in soil. In these nematodes, the "mouth", or stoma, is a hollow tube for ingestion of bacteria. This group includes many members of the order Rhabditida as well as several other orders which are encountered less often. These nematodes are beneficial in the decomposition of organic matter.

Fungivores. This group of nematodes feeds on fungi and uses a stylet to puncture fungal hyphae. Many members of the order Aphelenchida are in this group. Like the bacterivores, fungivores are very important in decomposition.

Predators. These nematodes feed on other soil nematodes and on other animals of comparable size. They feed indiscriminately on both plant parasitic and free-living nematodes. One order of nematodes, the Mononchida, is exclusively predacious, although a few predators are also found in the Dorylaimida and some other orders. Compared to the other groups of nematodes, predators are not common, but some of them can be found in most soils.

Omnivores. The food habits of most nematodes in soil are relatively specific. For example, bacterivores feed only on bacteria and never on plant roots, and the opposite is true for plant parasites. A few kinds of nematodes may feed on more than one type of food material, and therefore are considered omnivores. For example, some nematodes may ingest fungal spores as well as bacteria. Some members of the order Dorylaimida may feed on fungi, algae, and other animals.

Unknown. Since free-living nematodes have not been studied very much, the food habits of some of them are unknown. The microscopic size of these animals presents additional difficulties. For example, it can be very difficult to distinguish whether a nematode is feeding on dead cells from a plant root or on fungi growing on the cell surface. Sometimes a nematode showing this feeding behavior may be classified simply as a root or plant associate.

 

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 4/13/2023 at 2:20 AM, nabokovfan87 said:

one that inch-wormed

Saw this on another thread, that a leech will inch-worm.

[jwcarlson]

It's pretty well impossible to tell (probably) without a microscope and an expert.  But I see worms like that in my tanks fairly frequently.  Particularly after water changes when I've kind of stirred things up refilling the tank.  I think they're detritus worms.  I've seen tetras eat them occasionally.  I will say that I haven't seen nearly as many since I've consciously been feeding that tank less and feeding more live BBS (perhaps more complete consumption?).  The main effort was to take snail population down and that also actually dropped the shrimp population down as well (probably due to less breeding, but also more predation for sure).  Not uncommon to see a kerri tetra with a large shrimp in it's mouth.... 😄 so I'm sure they're also eating the lot of shrimplets.

I actually just tore that tank down from a 36 or 37 (tall 29, basically) into a 40 breeder.  Added a LOT bigger rockpile to hopefully give the shrimp a bit more refuge.

I wouldn't be terribly worried about those worms.

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

 

[nabokovfan87]

On 4/13/2023 at 7:17 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

 

There is a feeding dish! I am also very much in need of a feeding tube 😉

I will probably clean the tank tonight if I get home early enough. I tend to remove the feed dish, siphon, the. Clean whatever need be.

The sand is a bright white sand and it's very easy to see waste, difficult to see the worms!!!! I just went through where I had removed everything and siphoned it 3-4x extremely well.

There's dragonstone in there so removing them isn't going to be easy at all or possible without meds or something.  The issue as far as I've been reading is that the worms take up oxygen, need a predator in there to keep the tank in check. I have a mass of air, so clearly air is not an issue causing them. Did I overfeed the corydoras prior... Probably. Just one of those things, I need to be able to see in the dark with how nocturnal these things are.  They come out when the fish sleep, go figure.

It'll get sorted, reading about them isn't great, not like I'm overly freaked out or anything, I just want to be able to manage it better.

25+ days until fry.

[nabokovfan87]

It's been a day....

Have you ever had one of those dreams where you wake up, you don't know exactly what was going on, but you know it was positive or negative.  The connotation of the moment had left some sort of residual feeling on your mind and that's what you wake up to.  I know this morning I was pretty frustrated.  I went to go get some work done out of the house, hoping to be done with the big painting project I started weeks ago.  Halfway through the day I checked my youtube feed and got the news of Filipe Oliveira passing this week.  I spent a good amount of time just sort of feeling the weight of that.  As I type this I'm watching yet another video he was on that I haven't seen yet.  It's a fun one, I really am enjoying it.  It's always tragic when the world loses a person with a wonderful, kind soul.  RIP Filipe, I'm thankful to have been introduced to you, but also that you are no longer suffering.

 

A day later than it should be, but the maintenance is done.  Having the shrimplets in the tank is motivation enough for me to just want the best for them.   It's been a day of getting work done and returning home, checking on everything I did push myself a bit to get the room back in order. 

The fish totes are now the fish tote (one in the other) and most of my equipment I need is actually where it should be, in the stands.  The shrimp tank, for whatever reason the left door now isn't aligned properly and I need to figure out how to fix it.  I might just need to shim it, but I did play with it last week and wasn't able to fully fix it by adjusting the screws. The big tank I need to adjust as well, but that's a project for another day.

I finally have the entire floor clear, my rugs in front of each tank, the spaces next to each tank clear for buckets, and I can sit and place the chair and view the tanks.  I'll try to squint real hard and see the shrimplets and avoid the worms.... I promise.

I dosed in everything in the tank, wanted to share the experience of trying to clean a tank with the shrimp in said tank and having the added stress of the tiny shrimp in the filter.  They definitely do use that foam as a place to get cover and as a place to graze.  As I pulled the air off the top of the filter there were two things that happened, the worms went everywhere and the shrimplets went elsewhere as the movement made them pretty unhappy with me.  I did have to let them get off the foam and there was a bit of "worms and stuff" that went into the water column.  Ultimately, the filters themselves do not really need to be cleaned, but as a force of habit I do want to keep some diligence when cleaning them.  I do have the clown pleco in there, so keeping the substrate clean is beneficial for the aesthetics as well as the removal of the worms as best I can. I got a few out, that's for certain.

To give you an idea, some of the tinge of the water is from the blackwater nature of the tank, but here is my view when looking for the shrimplets after cleaning out the filter.  I definitely used the flashlight to try to persuade anything that was in the foam to leave.  The worms and the shrimp do not like the bright light.  There wasn't any in the foam or the bucket, so that was nice. 

I can also confirm that siphoning up shrimplet molts by the dozen is pretty nerve wracking. I would like to keep that in there for them, but I will feed them some calcium tomorrow.



I am thankful and content now that the tank got the new water.  Watching all the tiny oxygen bubbles all over the tank was just a reminder of why I choose to keep them the way I do. 

Here's the test results, but keep in mind these are immediately after dosing in everything in the tank.  I also, call it the stress of the day getting to me, have basically no confidence reading the test strips today.  I will plan to get a GH/KH test kit when I can to help me with things. I can run a PH test with liquid, assuming it's not expired in my kit.

Test Result:
Temp: 73.5
Nitrate: 10 ppm
Nitrite 0 ppm
GH: 150 ppm (could be 50-150)
KH: 80 ppm (could be 60)
PH: 7.2 (could be closer to 7.0)

From the above, the only real concern I have is GH in this tank.  I have the ability to buffer in KH as I need it, but the GH I do not. 

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

Carefully check those buckets if you're vacuuming.  New shrimplets will be clear.  It takes some time and patience to sit and watch.  I use a flashlight and magnifying glass.  The first time I had shrimplets I saw them in the bucket before I saw them in the tank.  In the bucket there were no hiding spots, but if mulm is swirling you cannot see them.

Edited April 14, 2023 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea

[nabokovfan87]

On 4/14/2023 at 7:43 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

Carefully check those buckets if you're vacuuming.  New shrimplets will be clear.  It takes some time and patience to sit and watch.  I use a flashlight and magnifying glass.  The first time I had shrimplets I saw them in the bucket before I saw them in the tank.  In the bucket there were no hiding spots, but if mulm is swirling you cannot see them.

Yeah for sure.  They are definitely difficult to see!  It's about the size of the little amano shrimp zoeys too.  I wanted to get some cleaning now while the new shrimp were still eggs (or a few weeks old and bigger) so that I can give the new hatches a bit of time to grow.

I spent a good 5-10 minutes staring at each bucket before doing anything and probably just as long trying to get them off the sponge.

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

T Rex is carrying again

 

[nabokovfan87]

On 4/14/2023 at 12:11 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

T Rex is carrying again

 

Very beautiful.  That sand looks a lot like the sand I have, just without as much of a tinge maybe?  Hard to say. 

What all plants do you have?  I am running the slow / steady route, trying to get things like the moss and the anubias to do a lot of the work for me.  I have this one piece of nana petite that is 3 leaves and the rhizome is probably the size of a pinhead.  It's delicate, but recovering finally. 

I am waiting for some floating plants to arrive, other things to try to help out as well.  One thing I need to do a bit better with is density in my tanks.  I have been struggling, have tried many plant orders, but finally making progress again.... 😩

Off to go see if I have the items to make 4 planaria traps for the worms and bait them.

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 4/14/2023 at 7:40 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

What all plants do you have

There are various things I have put in over time. Some were just plants that I didn’t know what else to do with.

Water sprite (floating) - the shrimp ADORE this and spend a lot of time in it. It’s fun to open the lid and see my welcoming committee.

Micro sword (this is the various grass runners you see in the photos)

Anubias coffeefolia 

Anubias barteri

Anubias nana petite

Java moss

Christmas tree moss 

Anacharis, floating 

Possibly a sword or two if they made it. I forgot to feed them in this tank…

Crinum calamistrum

Red ludwigia if any made it… always struggling..

Random baby Java ferns that were tossed in there

Clump of dwarf hairgrass that wouldn’t fit in jar.

Green hair algae 🙃 The shrimp eat it but I need to thin it out so it doesn’t compete with the plants for nutrients.

Edited April 15, 2023 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea

[nabokovfan87]

On 4/12/2023 at 11:20 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

@Biotope Biologist you had mentioned one type of worm moving without inching and one that inch-wormed.  It takes a minute for the camera to focus, but it'll get there. I believe the one that glides is Rhabdocoela as opposed to the nematodes that inch?

Sidenote, this is a helpful read.
https://aquanswers.com/tiny-white-worms-in-aquarium/

@modified lung

I've been trying to find a video, does this movement help at all with an ID on this species?

Edit: so trying to find the right terminology....
I found a video of rhabdocoela, definitely not them.  These are a type of annelids, detritus worms, etc.  Grindal worms and others fall into that category as well as this list.  Fully aquatic ones, I am not sure where that list is....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annelid
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enchytraeus

Edited April 16, 2023 by nabokovfan87
added wiki species list.

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 4/15/2023 at 7:04 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

Possibly a sword or two if they made it. I forgot to feed them in this tank…

Yes! One is still in there! Looks good and healthy but hasn’t grown all that much. I gave it a long overdue root tab 🙂

Edited April 18, 2023 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

Well.. this seems appropriate 😜

[modified lung]

On 4/15/2023 at 9:42 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

@modified lung

I've been trying to find a video, does this movement help at all with an ID on this species?

Edit: so trying to find the right terminology....
I found a video of rhabdocoela, definitely not them.  These are a type of annelids, detritus worms, etc.  Grindal worms and others fall into that category as well as this list.  Fully aquatic ones, I am not sure where that list is....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annelid
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enchytraeus

You'll drive yourself insane trying to ID worms like that 😂😂

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 4/17/2023 at 10:23 PM, modified lung said:

You'll drive yourself insane trying to ID worms like that 😂😂

@nabokovfan87 fixates on worms. Lol

I think I probably would too if they were in great numbers like his tend to be. 😐

Edited April 18, 2023 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea

[nabokovfan87]

On 4/17/2023 at 7:23 PM, modified lung said:

You'll drive yourself insane trying to ID worms like that 😂😂

Yeah.... seems to be.  I've narrowed it down to either 22K or 80K species.  I am unsure which.  🙂

 

 

On 4/17/2023 at 7:26 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

@nabokovfan87 fixates on worms. Lol

I think I probably would too if they were in great numbers like his tend to be. 😐

I added riddick to the tank (the half-blind black corydoras that has some eye shine on her).  She will be there long term as the guardian of the shrimp.  Last night I checked in and she was digging in the substrate.  This afternoon she was all over the walls of the tank and the shrimp were on the substrate. 

I trimmed some moss in the big tank, so I can finally flesh out the piece of wood in the shrimp tank.  After the day it's been, would be nice to have some coffee and watch the shrimp do their thing, but it seems It's moss attachment time. 

If I had the mesh to do it, I'd be putting a moss wall up right now.

[nabokovfan87]

Well.  Tragic news.  It seems the female that was having the acclimation, molting, and white flesh showing has passed away. 

I saw her in the substrate, feet up, like this and it's never an easy sight.  When I see an amano like this, it's almost certain that the shrimp has passed.



She was in the tank for a while and all the stress of shipping, tank movement, I am certain all those factors played a role here.  I am going to be ensuring feeding a lot of calcium this week and next as a result.  I do have a good amount of shrimplets around the tank.

I went to net her out and she moved as if her final attempt to finish molting.  I don't think she will make it and so I sat and watched her for a little bit.  I moved her to the moss so she could have a place to grab onto something if need be.  (She fell underneath a piece of wood and it was really difficult to see her)



After 5-10 minutes then one of the other shrimp that was newly molted tried to take over.



I pulled her to a breeder box, no movement, nothing, and so I think that was just too much stress for her.  I pulled the eggs and hope that they are far enough along.  I do have a tumbler, I am unsure which setup is best.

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

@nabokovfan87 first, I am sorry for your loss.

Also wanted to enourage putting one or more shrimp with the eggs. The “shrimp nannies“ should keep the surface of the eggs clear of fungus. They do this with fish eggs. Let’s hope they do so with shrimp eggs too but I don’t see why they wouldn’t.

Also take the moss out so they focus on the eggs.

[nabokovfan87]

On 4/19/2023 at 5:57 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

Also wanted to enourage putting one or more shrimp with the eggs. The “shrimp nannies“ should keep the surface of the eggs clear of fungus. They do this with fish eggs. Let’s hope they do so with shrimp eggs too but I don’t see why they wouldn’t.

Yeah I thought so too.

I have the moss to the sides for now so I can see the eggs. Different compartment.

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 4/19/2023 at 9:09 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

Yeah I thought so too.

I have the moss to the sides for now so I can see the eggs. Different compartment.

Wouldn’t it be cool if you put a female shrimp in there and she picked up and carried the eggs? That’s a shot in the dark but ya know. Just saying. That would be neat if that was ever a thing.

[nabokovfan87]

On 4/19/2023 at 6:26 PM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

Wouldn’t it be cool if you put a female shrimp in there and she picked up and carried the eggs? That’s a shot in the dark but ya know. Just saying. That would be neat if that was ever a thing.

They are already carrying! 😂

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

They are?

Edited April 20, 2023 by Chick-In-Of-TheSea

[nabokovfan87]

On 4/20/2023 at 3:07 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

They are?

Yeah, I had 4 total.