SandBkeeper Posted February 9, 2023 Share Posted February 9, 2023 Hi everyone, This hopefully will be my journal, where I can document what I'm doing with all my aquariums. I don't know how well I will be able to keep up with writing, but we'll see. A little bit about me and my tanks. I got into the hobby about 6 years ago with my first tank. It was a super small 2.5 gal tank and I stocked it with like 10 different nano fish. Bad idea, but I hadn't discovered the fish world on the internet yet. After all the fish passed away after about a year, the tank remained empty with a few ramshorn snails. Fast forward about 5 years and I was still topping off the tank, though it was running with pretty much 0 equipment and had a colony of ramshorn snails. I hadn't changed the water in those 5 years, and the tds was about 600. 😲 I discovered aquarium co-op's YT channel and wanted to get back into the hobby. I changed the water in the tank and got my first pumpkin shrimp! Since then, I have a really bad case of MTS, which only gets worse every time I go on this forum. I have 7 tanks - 60 gal rimless amazon biotope/display tank - 27.5 gal quarantine that I hope to turn into a display tank see this thread - 20 gal long bloody mary shrimp breeding tank/aquascape - aqua one betta trio quarantine/shrimp cull/assassin snail holding tank -10 gal empty/quarantine/shrimp cull/plant holding - 5 gal snowball shrimp breeding tank - the original 2.5 gal tank with pumpkin shrimp My plans for the future are to get more into breeding fish, and keeping more fish as I mostly have inverts right now. I'm thinking to get back into breeding guppies, and I have some fish in the 60 gal display tank that I could take out and try to spawn. These fish include sterbai corys, pencil fish, bolivian rams (these are currently in the 27.5gal quarantine). I also want to try to breed some nano rainbow fish, some kind of wild betta, and eventually white cloud mountain minnows. If only I had more tanks ..... sigh...... lol. I'm currently breeding 3 different kinds of neocaridina shrimp. I have bloody mary shrimp, pumpkin shrimp, and snowball shrimp. I'm also breeding assassin snails and pest snails. All the fish I currently have - 2 marbled headstanders -1 albino pleco (I'm not sure about this, got her from a friend taking down their tanks) - 9 rummynose tetras - 12 Beckford's pencilfish + 1 baby (no idea how that one happened) - 3 sterbai corys - 4 bolivian rams - 7 pygmy corys - 16 dwarf rasboras + 1 chili rasbora (the lfs employee accidently gave me one chili rasbora) Thanks for reading, I'll try to post photos of all the tanks later! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSwissAquarist Posted February 10, 2023 Share Posted February 10, 2023 On 2/9/2023 at 7:29 PM, SandBkeeper said: I'll try to post photos of all the tanks later! Can’t wait to see them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theplatymaster Posted February 10, 2023 Share Posted February 10, 2023 On 2/9/2023 at 1:29 PM, SandBkeeper said: 1 baby (no idea how that one happened) have you considered the possibility that they bred? often things like that can happen in jungle style tanks where you see a baby every once a while, which hatched from an egg the adults layed on the plants.(But i dont know what your setup was, it might have been super bare) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SandBkeeper Posted February 10, 2023 Author Share Posted February 10, 2023 On 2/10/2023 at 6:40 AM, Theplatymaster said: have you considered the possibility that they bred? often things like that can happen in jungle style tanks where you see a baby every once a while, which hatched from an egg the adults layed on the plants.(But i dont know what your setup was, it might have been super bare) I'm pretty sure they did breed, but they were in a pretty bar tank with only duckweed as a tank and several other fish that would have eaten fry. This is a bad photo of what the tank looked like a few months ago, probably when they bred. Here's a picture of the baby a few months ago. On 2/10/2023 at 6:34 AM, TheSwissAquarist said: Can’t wait to see them! Here you go! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SandBkeeper Posted February 11, 2023 Author Share Posted February 11, 2023 I'm going to a fish store today! Very excited. The store is pretty far (1+ hour drive) and relatively new but got super good reviews on google and looks amazing from the pictures. Might get some new fish... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSwissAquarist Posted February 11, 2023 Share Posted February 11, 2023 On 2/11/2023 at 3:34 PM, SandBkeeper said: Might get some new fish Can’t wait to see them! Nice Bolivian Ram btw.🥰 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SandBkeeper Posted February 12, 2023 Author Share Posted February 12, 2023 Ok so I did a thing..... I spent way too much on fish yesterday, which led me to start rescaping my 27.5 gal, which led me to place another order of plants today 🤦♀️ Soo... Here's what I got yesterday - 1 koi male betta - 1 koi female betta - 3 honey gouramis - Xtreme krill flakes Here's what I plan to get today for my scape - Jungle val - Pygmy chain sword - Alternanthera Reineckii Mini - Rotala Indica I also might go to the store and pick up some live food cultures, maybe some blackworms and vinegar eels for the bettas. ANyone have any experience with them? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSwissAquarist Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 Those bettas. 😍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SandBkeeper Posted February 12, 2023 Author Share Posted February 12, 2023 Ok guys I have a mystery for you. I few months ago, I found a baby pencilfish in the 60 gal. I have no idea how it survived, but brushed it off as a happy accident since there was only that one. The pencilfish baby stayed in that tank, grew bigger, until a few weeks ago. It randomly vanished and I was very sad. Until... I found it in a different tank. Gasp. I was putting the bolivian rams into their quarantine, and suddenly I saw it again. I caught it and moved it back over to live with its parents. Now I've found a baby pencilfish in a completely different tank. I did try to spawn the parents in it a few weeks ago, but the males were bullying the females so after about a week I removed them and put them back in the 60 gal. I didn't think they bred, because I saw no breeding happening and found no eggs or babies until today. (this is a 10 gal tank that I'm currently using to quarantine the honey gouramis.) So, the mystery is, is this a different baby pencilfish or the same one? If it's the same one, how did it move from tank to tank? (keep in mind the 10 gal is on a different floor than the other 2 tanks) Here are some pictures This was the OG baby pencilfish a few months ago This is the "new" baby pencilfish now 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSwissAquarist Posted February 12, 2023 Share Posted February 12, 2023 Tetras & therefore Pencil fish grow relatively quickly, so I doubt it’s the same. Seeing as you attempted to spawn them, they’ve probably just been laying eggs, which have then been transported via plant cuttings. As for the disappearance, I’d put that down to filter or tank mates; maybe even parents! Hope that this has helped you further 😁 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SandBkeeper Posted February 13, 2023 Author Share Posted February 13, 2023 So here's what I've figured out. 1. There is definitely more than one baby pencilfish This is because I saw one in the big 60 gal tank, and there is definitely one in the 10 gal. 2. They are probably from different spawns, seeing as they are different sizes 3. I actually was able to breed pencilfish! Yay! I'd given up because the males seemed way too aggressive for the females in the 10 gal, but it worked! In other news, my 27.5 gal aquascape is going well. Got the filter, substrate, amazon sword in and just need to wait for the rest of the plants to arrive. (Also need to scrub some leftover algae, but that for another time 😉) In other other news, I have the two bettas in an aqua one betta trio, (https://www.google.com/search?q=aqua+one+betta+trio&rlz=1C1SQJL_enCA910CA910&oq=aqua+one+betta+&aqs=chrome.0.35i39j69i57j0i512l8.2619j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8). They can see each other through the slits, but can't get to each other. Both are doing well, and I think the female might be wanting to breed. She's very plump and has her ovipositor showing all the time. She also seems pretty frantic trying to get at the male. I have them side by side, but I could move the male over one compartment so that they aren't next door to each other. Do you think I should do this to calm the female down a bit? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SandBkeeper Posted February 15, 2023 Author Share Posted February 15, 2023 Today's update: I worked on my 27.5 gal aquascape, scrubbing algae, leveling subrate, adding hardscape/rocks, and planted most of the plants. I got jungle val, pygmy chain sword, alternanthera reineckii pink, rotala indica, and of course my amazon sword. I can't wait until the plants fully grow in!!! The plan for stocking is the 3 honey gouramis I have in quarantine, some bottom dwellers (most likely panda cories), forktail rainbowfish, and some kind of tetra. I'm debating between emperor tetras and black neons. I started my blackworm culture 2 days ago, and so far everything seems to be doing okay. Does anyone have any tips for culturing blackworms? Most of my fish seem to love them (especially the bettas and gouramis) and I want it to be a regular part of their diet. 60 gal: Added more leaves for tannins, but I don't think I'm ever going to get that tank to be a truly blackwater tank. Also, the bolivian rams have moved in and started setting up their own territories. It's hilarious when they were first introduced because they started schooling, and now they are all enemies. 20 gal: This tank is probably my favourite, partly because of the fish. I love the dwarf rasboras so much. They're so personable, interactive, and always moving and adding interest to the tank. Feeding them is one of my favourite parts of the day! 10/10 would recommend for any nano tank. Bettas: Female still seems very interested in breeding, but the male has shown zero interest. Oh well, it'll be about a month before I actually try to spawn them. That's pretty much it for today. I might try and catch the baby pencilfish out of the quarantine tank, because the gouramis seem to be chasing it around. Maybe I'll put it in the 20 gal long with the rasboras. Have a good day! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllFishNoBrakes Posted February 16, 2023 Share Posted February 16, 2023 I’m about to convert my 20 long to a blackwater tank and have the same idea as your 60 gallon. Gooseneck light for that dramatic effect, wood, a few stones, and I’m doing tons of botanicals. Looking at your tank with similar style is only fueling me to convert my tank! Also, congrats on the Pencilfish fry! That’s rad! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SandBkeeper Posted February 16, 2023 Author Share Posted February 16, 2023 Update on pencilfish fry: The plot gets thicker. So yesterday, I spent about 30 mins trying to find the pencilfish fry that I knew was living with the gouramis. After about 20 minutes of looking, I was ready to give up. Until... I see a really, really tiny baby swimming near the bottom of the plants. I netted it, and realized this was definitely not the pencilfish baby I had seen the other day. It was about half the size. Here's a picture of the original pencilfish baby I saw with the gouramis and the "new" one. So now I'm confused, as I have at least 3 baby pencilfish, but they are all different sizes. These two came out of the same tank, which the parents were only in for about 2-3 weeks about 2 months ago. How come one is so much bigger than the other? It could be because I wasn't really feeding them since I didn't think the pencilfish had bred. Oh well, they both got moved to the 20 long with the rasboras, where hopefully they can get more food. Maybe it's finally time to get some bbs. In other news, the male betta has officially started to make a bubble nest. It's pretty small, but it's a start! On 2/15/2023 at 8:46 PM, AllFishNoBrakes said: Also, congrats on the Pencilfish fry! That’s rad! Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllFishNoBrakes Posted February 16, 2023 Share Posted February 16, 2023 On 2/16/2023 at 11:35 AM, SandBkeeper said: How come one is so much bigger than the other? Right now I have about 50 Panda Angels, all from the same spawn. The majority are getting around the size of a dime with some being a little bigger and some a little smaller. I was looking in that tank the other day and noticed 1 that’s barely even starting to look like and Angel. It is so tiny compare to the rest. The bigger fish are probably outcompeting it for food, hence it being way behind the others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SandBkeeper Posted February 16, 2023 Author Share Posted February 16, 2023 On 2/16/2023 at 1:43 PM, AllFishNoBrakes said: The bigger fish are probably outcompeting it for food, hence it being way behind the others. That's what I was thinking. I'll have to look later tonight to see if there are any more tiny ones! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabokovfan87 Posted February 16, 2023 Share Posted February 16, 2023 On 2/16/2023 at 10:35 AM, SandBkeeper said: So now I'm confused, as I have at least 3 baby pencilfish, but they are all different sizes. These two came out of the same tank, which the parents were only in for about 2-3 weeks about 2 months ago. How come one is so much bigger than the other? It could be because I wasn't really feeding them since I didn't think the pencilfish had bred. Oh well, they both got moved to the 20 long with the rasboras, where hopefully they can get more food. Maybe it's finally time to get some bbs. Did you take one plant, trim it, spread it to other tanks? How far apart are those tanks and how.... Open is the top of the tank? Fish can get through some pretty tiny holes. It's a weird thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SandBkeeper Posted February 17, 2023 Author Share Posted February 17, 2023 Pencilfish update: the count is up to 4. I found another small one in the 10g last night. Into the 20 gal they went! On 2/16/2023 at 5:15 PM, nabokovfan87 said: Did you take one plant, trim it, spread it to other tanks? How far apart are those tanks and how.... Open is the top of the tank? Fish can get through some pretty tiny holes. It's a weird thing. Yes, I've moved duckweed around a few times. The 27.5 gal and the 60 gal are about 6 feet apart and both have lids, however the 60 gal has some gaps. The 10 gal is upstairs but I'm pretty sure the babies in there came from when I tried to spawn them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSwissAquarist Posted February 17, 2023 Share Posted February 17, 2023 On 2/17/2023 at 3:13 PM, SandBkeeper said: Pencilfish update: the count is up to 4. I found another small one in the 10g last night. Into the 20 gal they went! Yes, I've moved duckweed around a few times. The 27.5 gal and the 60 gal are about 6 feet apart and both have lids, however the 60 gal has some gaps. The 10 gal is upstairs but I'm pretty sure the babies in there came from when I tried to spawn them. Are you putting any special effort into keeping them alive? Might be fun to grow your school… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SandBkeeper Posted February 20, 2023 Author Share Posted February 20, 2023 On 2/17/2023 at 10:06 AM, TheSwissAquarist said: Are you putting any special effort into keeping them alive? Might be fun to grow your school… Not really, although I would like to try to feed them some better foods like BBS. I really need to set that up! lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SandBkeeper Posted February 20, 2023 Author Share Posted February 20, 2023 Update: Haven't found any new baby pencilfish, but the ones I put into my 20 gal long are doing well. Two of the bigger ones are more confident now that there are other similarly sized fish and one is even trying to school with the dwarf rasboras 😂. The bettas are doing great. Did a small water change on their tank and moved some plants. Both are very active and colorful. I'm waiting on my new aquascape to cycle so I can move the gouramis there, then use their quarantine tank for spawning. Any tips for breeding? @TheSwissAquarist@Fish Folk@James V. The gouramis are worrying me slightly. I got 3, 1 male and 2 females I think. The male is perfectly fine, happy, colorful, healthy, but the two females are still displaying some stress stripes. It's been one week since I got them, could they still be adjusting? One female has a darker stipe than the other so maybe it could be territorial and the other two gouramis are bullying it. If it is a territory issue, hopefully when they get moved to their permanent tank it resolves 🤞 The new aquascape continues to do well. I haven't tested the parameters yet, but there will most likely be some kind of ammonia/nitrogen spike. Just waiting for all the bacteria to colonize! I've seen new plant growth from the rotala already, and moved some of the rocks closer to the side so I have more room for planting. All my other tanks are doing well, shrimps are berried again, rams have settled in. Have a good day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted February 20, 2023 Share Posted February 20, 2023 On 2/20/2023 at 3:47 PM, SandBkeeper said: The bettas are doing great. Did a small water change on their tank and moved some plants. Both are very active and colorful. I'm waiting on my new aquascape to cycle so I can move the gouramis there, then use their quarantine tank for spawning. Any tips for breeding? What species are you trying to spawn? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SandBkeeper Posted February 20, 2023 Author Share Posted February 20, 2023 On 2/20/2023 at 3:51 PM, Fish Folk said: What species are you trying to spawn? Splendens, I have a pair of koi bettas. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted February 21, 2023 Share Posted February 21, 2023 On 2/20/2023 at 5:06 PM, SandBkeeper said: Splendens, I have a pair of koi bettas. Ok. Begin at the end: how will you separately jar / divide / house your males once fry mature so that they do not fight? I’ve built this: But before you reach this stage, you need a plan before that for growing out fry until they start sparring. A 20-gal long is reasonably good. Now, earlier yet, fry need a shallow container to eat — something not too deep, but where you can easily change water and see them grow. A white salad bowl is a good choice, or a sterile, food-safe white bucket with a tiny sponge filter. For breeding, I like to use a 6-8 inch deep Sterilite plastic container that is about 24-inches square. I fill with cycled water, java moss, and several floating Catappa leaves (or clean, dry oak leaves). I add clean, cycled tank water at about 7.0 pH. I also add blackwater extract. Male goes in, and then a clear sleeve that will protect the female. Female goes into the sleeve. Male builds bubble nest. Once female displays vertical bars and male has built a nice nest, remove the sleeve and allow them 48-72 hrs, no food, keep lights on low. Water temp should be around 80-F. I like to cover the spawning container with a lid to keep air humid. I also use a sponge filter _very lightly _ with a circle of airline floating to contain bubbles from disrupting bubble nest until fry all hatch. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSwissAquarist Posted February 21, 2023 Share Posted February 21, 2023 Condition bettas well, and introduce them to each other on a regular basis until they spawn. Fry need infusoria or some other small food. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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