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A Tale of Two Tanks: Miska's Journal


Miska
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My husband just said I can get a buffet and place a large fish tank on it. I use old solid wood media consoles because they are exceptionally sturdy (I mean, can also be used as benches, and my family sits on them and we are... not small... sturdy). So I get to go restore shopping over the next year! I am pretty excited about it. My plan is to breed my own fish and grow my own plants and try and make the tank a mixture of what I cultivate plus new diversity. 

And I think he *really* wants angel fish.

 

 

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I set up a 3rd tank today! A 5 gallon quarantine. I'm actually considering putting my entire aqua huna order in my 36 and moving the guppy trio to the 5 and the garbage guppies (my feeder fish guppies) to another 5 I have and am setting up. My 36 is fully cycled now, and in good shape. 

My son and I have a cold today- He is being a real stinker. We just got over Norovirus and Covid before that. Been a very sick winter (we did not go into public during the pandemic, and now we are venturing out more). 

 

I'll post the details on the new tank once I get through today. 

I have a 10 and another 5 to set up. 

And I am trying to decide what I want for the dining room. 

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Feeling: Stressed.

I woke up to a dead guppy female. I got her off aqua swap, and she was fully fully grown, so it may have been from old age, but I am very worried about this tank. The endless hybrid fry seem fine and the ender hybrids too (garbage guppies from a feeder tank). 

Because my plan was to move all these guppies out and quarantine my entire aqua huna order in the 36. 

I tested the tank 

0 ammonia

0 nitrite

5.0 nitrates (actually more yellow than orange). 

KH 2

GH 7

The tank has been like this for over a week- maybe two at this point. It's been cycling for 2 months maybe a tiny bit under.

My other female guppy of the trio is down under a piece of driftwood- I think giving birth. So I am freaking worried about her.

I just remember. Some of a plant hanging above got overwatered and the potting soil run off went into the tank (less than a quarter cup, as soon as I realized it, I moved it, and moved on). I didn't think anything of it, but now I am very concerned. 

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The guppy trio bit it. I moved the two to a quarantine tank that I tested thoroughly, but they both started being vertical and then passed away. 

The pandas I was so excited to get fell through- the guy waffled and said he could go one place then changed his mind. I am going to save up for Pandas from Aqua Huna or locally. 

The tetra are doing great. And Emerald Rasboras. And Mystery Snails.  Who I named: Myster and Mysuss. 

I am seeing spent shrimp shells (clear) around. No dead shrimp in the tank. But my GH is insanely high in the tank and from the tap it is 7 - despite the fact we have a reverse osmosis system on the entire house and water softener. I'm a little confused about that. The KH is 1? So I am getting crushed coral. But they are doing okay so I am not super wanting to change anything.

My Garbage Guppies are doing fine and other than the trio- no one has passed away. And my water is still reading very good. 

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On 2/26/2023 at 12:33 PM, Miska said:

The KH is 1? So I am getting crushed coral. But they are doing okay so I am not super wanting to change anything.

Long term they need the KH to keep shell health. You might get some stress molts, but eventually it will cause deaths for most shrimp species.  My tanks are at ~60-80 ppm KH.

@Chick-In-Of-TheSea what is your KH? Just curious because of the molt stuff you had going on.

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Okay! Seachem Neutral Regulator and Alkaline Buffer have moved my numbers!

PH: 7

KH: 6

GH: 6

 

That's in the water I am adding. The water in the tank is still higher but I am slowly changing it- I do not want to hurt the shrimp or fish. They seem much happier and much more active after two days of water changes (I am changing about 5-10% daily until the gh/kh comes down to the right levels). 

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Thank you so much! I am getting ready to breed them. I have a lady waiting in a tank, and my friend is bringing another lady and then we will gradually take one of the The Endler Boys at a time (That's their boy band name- they sing 90's pop boy band songs in their spare time). 

 

I love them.

 

I moved the mystery snails to my 36- My cycled aquarium had an ammonia spike due to a bladder snail explosion (like there was one and now there is 1000000 in just two days explosion). I am getting a 10 to move everyone to- and a dwarf pea puffer to eat the bladder buddies in the 5. 

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I got a 20 Long to move everyone to. And started a new Journal about it. 

As for the 5- I am going to get a pea puffer, I just need to find one! Aqua Huna only sells them in ridiculously huge packs. 

I am also on the hunt for a Reticulated Hillstream Loach (RHL from here on out in my journal) for a reasonable price for my 36 BF. 20 dollars, to me, is too much. I could get 2 for 22 on Aqua Huna but I am not sure I want to put one in the 20. And I'd prefer 3 total for the 36 BUT they only come in 2's at Aqua Huna, so I am considering buying a local one now and then a pack of them at a later day from AH. 

Pictures are of my 36- My mystery snails (I put food right in front of them lmao) and the cardinal tetra, who I think, are showing amazing color. But you can also see the weird algae clinging to the glass that calls for a RHL. 

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On 3/8/2023 at 3:52 PM, Miska said:

could get 2 for 22 on Aqua Huna but I am not sure I want to put one in the 20. And I'd prefer 3 total for the 36 BUT they only come in 2's at Aqua Huna, so I am considering buying a local one now an

Maybe just get 4 for 44 and list the other one for 15 bucks to anyone who wants it. Undercut the store and make a profit! 🙃

Or just put the remaining one in a different tank…

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On 3/10/2023 at 12:56 PM, Swamp Sunflower said:

My Aqua Huna hillstream loaches are out for delivery as we speak. I will start a journal this weekend of how they do though quarantine and med trio.

Omg I am so excited for you!!! Please do! As soon as you do I will follow because I badly want them!!!

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I couldn't find a good Anubias plant at HoT.  So I am going to keep searching. I am hoping to get more plants at the swap in two weeks. I want the plants for the 20L so I am going to plan that.

But this is what I got this weekend:There is one in there that I did not know what it was (it is the unlabeled one) but it looked so beautiful and healthy that I just bought it. I was dumb. I went in and I picked out things I wanted and will probably kill.  

 

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The selection was great! But it was so crowded that I have had a panic attack every time I am in it. I tried like crazy to hide in the plant area, because it's the least visited (which I do not understand as it is my favorite area). 

I think that if you want something local, and you want something "different" they will likely have it, or have plants to get it at some point. I met a man there who worked there who was really kind, and talked to me a lot about catfish. But I am HoH and it is soooo loud in there on the weekends.

So yes, it is great. It is. But go on a weekday during Spring Break. I was so happy in the plant area, though, so many plants. So. Many. Plants. I would hit it up more often if I lived closer, especially because it's right next to Games n Stuff which I *highly* recommend.



My favorite store is: Go Fish in Middle River. It's an older store, with some really neat hippies who run it (I am also a hippie). And they treat their fish before they put them out for sale. Their fish have always done the best for me. 

 

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On 3/13/2023 at 8:04 AM, Miska said:

Go Fish in Middle River.

i dont think that is near me

On 3/13/2023 at 8:04 AM, Miska said:


I think that if you want something local

yeah, that store is not local to me.

my real LFS is walkable from my house, so that is just my go to, for conveinince reasons, i've havent had many issues with their fish, and the one i had, i think was my fault as a beginner.

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Morning

I have had a horrible week overall. I have three bulging discs in my neck. So pain has been unbearable. I lost my favorite fish to a move to a different tank (I do not understand what happened everyone else was fine, I moved them to my 36). 

And my three platys from dan's fish died when I went away for a night and there was an unexpected ammonia spike in a different tank.

So I am draining my other 5 gal and my 10 and I am going to try and aqua scape the 10 in preparation for the 20. 

I am a bit down about it. I'll be okay in a few days, but fish tanks have been exceptional for me to learn how to feel my feelings. 

 

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Here is my buddy right before I fed her some calcium chips and algae wafers. I want to make my first batch of snello. But I am having initiation freeze. 

 

In the upstairs five two baby endlers are starting to color up. 

 

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