What did you get done today?

[Guppysnail]

Congratulations on lots of wiggly babies. Cory babies are so much fun. 

[jwcarlson]

Are they always so active immediately?  The only other fry I have spawned like this are CPDs and those things were catatonic for like 10 days it seemed.

Edited November 23, 2023 by jwcarlson

[ange]

I got to enjoy a new fish day! These licorice gouramis are from AquaHuna and I was initially nervous because my water is definitely not at the pH that people throw around for these guys, but a few are already coloring up. They're chilling in my 15 cube (that I even gave two cute little caves for them 🥺) until they're done with observation. After that 2 are going into the family aquarium and 4 are staying in the cube for long-term residence.

[jwcarlson]

I think the hold out sterbai finally broke down and spawned today.  40 or so eggs, I think.

[MattyIce]

I didn't do this today, but figured I'd share.  I have been planning this tank Tetris move for nearly a month and finally got it done a little over a week ago.

From right to left it is 2 custom low boys I made out of 29 gallons, sitting over a 150 gallon tub, sitting over a 40 gallon tub, then a 20 gallon long sitting over a 100 gallon tub, next is a shelf with a 40 gallon, a 29 gallon, and 2 10 gallons, sitting over a 75 gallon, with a 40 gallon tub kind of hidden on the floor in the back right corner.  Next is a 50 gallon tub and hidden under that in the back left corner I have a 55 gallon drum for aging water that I pump out of my well.  Also under the 50 gallon I have a trash can on wheels hooked to a transfer pump for water changes, and then all the way to the left is a 100 gallon tub.

I used to have all my tanks spread out in a big room, I'd heat the room to 73 ish with a 4000 watt electric heater, and use heaters in the tanks closer to the floor that  I needed a little warmer, now I have them all in this 8' x 8' x7' tall space under my loft/bunkbed, with a whole bunch of curtains hung up around it to trap the heat.

So for the last week I've been using a good fan for circulation and the hot air from a dehumidifier to heat the space.  The coldest my tanks get are 73-74ish and I'm down 20-30 kilowatts a day.  This little change could save me 200+ dollars a month on electricity during these winter months.
 

Edited November 25, 2023 by MattyIce

[anewbie]

On 11/24/2023 at 6:59 PM, MattyIce said:

I didn't do this today, but figured I'd share.  I have been planning this tank Tetris move for nearly a month and finally got it done a little over a week ago.

From right to left it is 2 custom low boys I made out of 29 gallons, sitting over a 150 gallon tub, sitting over a 40 gallon tub, then a 20 gallon long sitting over a 100 gallon tub, next is a shelf with a 40 gallon, a 29 gallon, and 2 10 gallons, sitting over a 75 gallon, with a 40 gallon tub kind of hidden on the floor in the back right corner.  Next is a 50 gallon tub and hidden under that in the back left corner I have a 55 gallon drum for aging water that I pump out of my well.  Also under the 50 gallon I have a trash can on wheels hooked to a transfer pump for water changes, and then all the way to the left is a 100 gallon tub.

I used to have all my tanks spread out in a big room, I'd heat the room to 73 ish with a 4000 watt electric heater, and use heaters in the tanks closer to the floor that  I needed a little warmer, now I have them all in this 8' x 8' x7' tall space under my loft/bunkbed, with a whole bunch of curtains hung up around it to trap the heat.

So for the last week I've been using a good fan for circulation and the hot air from a dehumidifier to heat the space.  The coldest my tanks get are 73-74ish and I'm down 20-30 kilowatts a day.  This little change could save me 200+ dollars a month on electricity during these winter months.
 

This raises an interesting topic since aquarium heaters are quite in efficient. I follow another forum where they mostly talk about 400 to 1000 gallon aquariums and a lot of discus keepers actually gave up on using aquarium heaters (too expensive) and would run hot water pipes into their sumps with some sort of re-circulation logic to save 100s of dollar on heating their aquarium per year (gas heating is more efficient i guess); also folks with large fish rooms just heat the room. I do keep my room with aquariums warmer than the rest of the house - the house is 66-68 setting while the two rooms with aquariums are 72 (still on the low end since my warmer aquariums are around 82); and i've been debating if i should raise the temp of those rooms - guess i could run some test this year if winter is harsh enough. The heater i use have zones with dedicated zones for the two rooms in question; of course the rooms aren't sealed so heat does leak into the rest of the house which is inefficient. I guess i could keep the door close but ... havent' gone that far yet. Still i was impressed with the amount of $$$ those folks with large aquariums was saving. Unfortunately i just skimmed the details since i wasn't savy enough to implement what they were implementing however it suggest that using a dedicated gas heater for very large aquairum or rooms with many aquariums is cost effective.

[MattyIce]

On 11/25/2023 at 7:38 PM, anewbie said:

This raises an interesting topic since aquarium heaters are quite in efficient. I follow another forum where they mostly talk about 400 to 1000 gallon aquariums and a lot of discus keepers actually gave up on using aquarium heaters (too expensive) and would run hot water pipes into their sumps with some sort of re-circulation logic to save 100s of dollar on heating their aquarium per year (gas heating is more efficient i guess); also folks with large fish rooms just heat the room. I do keep my room with aquariums warmer than the rest of the house - the house is 66-68 setting while the two rooms with aquariums are 72 (still on the low end since my warmer aquariums are around 82); and i've been debating if i should raise the temp of those rooms - guess i could run some test this year if winter is harsh enough. The heater i use have zones with dedicated zones for the two rooms in question; of course the rooms aren't sealed so heat does leak into the rest of the house which is inefficient. I guess i could keep the door close but ... havent' gone that far yet. Still i was impressed with the amount of $$$ those folks with large aquariums was saving. Unfortunately i just skimmed the details since i wasn't savy enough to implement what they were implementing however it suggest that using a dedicated gas heater for very large aquairum or rooms with many aquariums is cost effective.

When I said I had my tanks spread out in a big room that I was heating to 73, it was a big room.

I was heating a 15' X 20' room with a pitched ceiling at 10' on one end and 12' on the other end. Essentially,  I went from heating 3200 cubic feet to heating 450 cubic feet.

I am not sure how inefficient aquarium heaters are, I think it has more to do with their lack of circulation, same with any heater kind of.  if you have a 400 gallon pool pond and all you have are sponge filters, it is going to be horrible, but if you have it inline with a 2000 gph pump, you could probably heat that 400 gallons with a 300 watt heater.

though as far as gas/oil, I dont think it is cheaper, instead I think that with a furnace or hot water heater, you are already putting energy into maintaining that water at like 160 degrees 24/7,  so syphoning off a few gallons of 160 degree water to mix with colder water is kind of like using something you already have while the in tank heaters are extra electricity.

Edited November 27, 2023 by MattyIce

[anewbie]

On 11/26/2023 at 7:21 PM, MattyIce said:

When I said I had my tanks spread out in a big room that I was heating to 73, it was a big room.

I was heating a 15' X 20' room with a pitched ceiling at 10' on one end and 12' on the other end. Essentially,  I went from heating 3200 cubic feet to heating 450 cubic feet.

I am not sure how inefficient aquarium heaters are, I think it has more to do with their lack of circulation, same with any heater kind of.  if you have a 400 gallon pool pond and all you have are sponge filters, it is going to be horrible, but if you have it inline with a 2000 gph pump, you could probably heat that 400 gallons with a 300 watt heater.

though as far as gas/oil, I dont think it is cheaper, instead I think that with a furnace or hot water heater, you are already putting energy into maintaining that water at like 160 degrees 24/7,  so syphoning off a few gallons of 160 degree water to mix with colder water is kind of like using something you already have while the in tank heaters are extra electricity.

I don't remember the details but i can try to find an old thread if you are interested - i found it by random wasn't really looking for it. My 'fish room' are 25x18 (ft) and 25x19 - both have 10 foot ceiling but the 2nd one is partially underground (basement level on a hillside; so the door side is ground level and as  you move west in the room you are walking underground as the hill slopes up. Anyway it is what it is - wasn't really describing my solution just mention tidbits from something i read. For me i'm waiting to see my electric bill this winter to make decisions. My 550 and 450 in the 25x18 room both require 2000 watt (2 1000 watt heaters); the 550 is only 78 but the 450 is 81 so quite a bit - the 25x18 and 25x19 are both on the same heater which is sep from the rest of the house but each room has their own thermostat. Right now i'm keeping the 25x19 at 72 and the 25x18 at 68 but might warm it - the rest of the house is 66. On the positive my home heaters are geo-thermo 😉

 

 

Edited November 27, 2023 by anewbie

[MattyIce]

On 11/26/2023 at 8:37 PM, anewbie said:

I don't remember the details but i can try to find an old thread if you are interested - i found it by random wasn't really looking for it. My 'fish room' are 25x18 (ft) and 25x19 - both have 10 foot ceiling but the 2nd one is partially underground (basement level on a hillside; so the door side is ground level and as  you move west in the room you are walking underground as the hill slopes up. Anyway it is what it is - wasn't really describing my solution just mention tidbits from something i read. For me i'm waiting to see my electric bill this winter to make decisions. My 550 and 450 in the 25x18 room both require 2000 watt (2 1000 watt heaters); the 550 is only 78 but the 450 is 81 so quite a bit - the 25x18 and 25x19 are both on the same heater which is sep from the rest of the house but each room has their own thermostat. Right now i'm keeping the 25x19 at 72 and the 25x18 at 68 but might warm it - the rest of the house is 66. On the positive my home heaters are geo-thermo 😉

 

 

Sounds like an amazing set up, good luck with that, I am not too familiar with geothermal.

If you could lower the temp from 81/78 you would probably save some money, try seeing what the lower limit of your fish are.  At different occasions, you know due to life, my jack Dempseys have been down to 65ish, real skittish, but none of them died or jumped out.   if you lower the temps, the water is perfect, and they start getting a little skittish, raise it back up a degree or two, and you've probably saved yourself some money right there.

If not maybe start looking into a 7' drop ceiling, that would save you a couple thousand cubic feet of heating each year.

Also, if your electric company has an app that lets you see usage from a couple days back, start checking that every day and experimenting to see where you can save money.  

 

Edited November 27, 2023 by MattyIce

[MattyIce]

On 11/26/2023 at 8:37 PM, anewbie said:

I don't remember the details but i can try to find an old thread if you are interested - i found it by random wasn't really looking for it. My 'fish room' are 25x18 (ft) and 25x19 - both have 10 foot ceiling but the 2nd one is partially underground (basement level on a hillside; so the door side is ground level and as  you move west in the room you are walking underground as the hill slopes up. Anyway it is what it is - wasn't really describing my solution just mention tidbits from something i read. For me i'm waiting to see my electric bill this winter to make decisions. My 550 and 450 in the 25x18 room both require 2000 watt (2 1000 watt heaters); the 550 is only 78 but the 450 is 81 so quite a bit - the 25x18 and 25x19 are both on the same heater which is sep from the rest of the house but each room has their own thermostat. Right now i'm keeping the 25x19 at 72 and the 25x18 at 68 but might warm it - the rest of the house is 66. On the positive my home heaters are geo-thermo 😉

 

 

This is a Great video that Cory put out years ago if you are into South Americans/giant tanks, at around 39:30 Mel starts getting into cold water changes and tank temps during spawning time vs winter time.  and mentions 78 during the summer and 70-72 in the winter, and how it helps them recognize the seasons and spawn better, but also stresses them a little to help them spawn better.  But that is for that specific kind of fish, if you have different fish, it might be different.

 

[anewbie]

On 11/26/2023 at 9:19 PM, MattyIce said:

 

This is a Great video that Cory put out years ago if you are into South Americans/giant tanks, at around 39:30 Mel starts getting into cold water changes and tank temps during spawning time vs winter time.  and mentions 78 during the summer and 70-72 in the winter, and how it helps them recognize the seasons and spawn better, but also stresses them a little to help them spawn better.  But that is for that specific kind of fish, if you have different fish, it might be different.

 

For the thank that is at 81 that is the lower end of those fishes further south; L172a and winemilleri - they really can't handle water much colder. The fuse went on the heater (it is a dedicated circuit) and the tank dropped to 76 and 2 fishes died during that period.

[jwcarlson]

Seem to have stabilized and I think I was certainly overfeeding early on.  16 sterbai still going strong, everyones eating and haven't had a loss in a few days.

Edited December 1, 2023 by jwcarlson

[MattyIce]

I bought some wasabi starts online, got them in the mail, and I've been trying to create some kind of Tatamiishi growing area.  I made this, this morning:


I used chicken wire and zip ties to make a gabion, and I used multi wall polycarbonate on either side of the gabion to make a kind of sump design, I am trying to get good flow under and over the substrate to prevent anerobic spots:


Along with the wasabi I planted some dwarf papyrus clones, a little Colocasia, some curly reed, and some other stuff I had


 

On 11/27/2023 at 5:56 PM, anewbie said:

For the thank that is at 81 that is the lower end of those fishes further south; L172a and winemilleri - they really can't handle water much colder. The fuse went on the heater (it is a dedicated circuit) and the tank dropped to 76 and 2 fishes died during that period.

Darn, sorry to hear about that, fish deaths suck.  All in all, aside from remodeling, it sounds like you are doing everything you can.

[jwcarlson]

My fish got into and ate the entire jar of freeze dried brine shrimp from ACO a week or so ago.  Since then he has gone prowling for fish food and knocking so much stuff over every night.  This morning he had broken a brand new bottle of Easy Green and it leaked all over and absorbed into the cabinets my 10 gallon tanks sit on.  Now the cabinets have grown up through the floor and into the kitchen.

So before work I made a quick bear bag and hung up all my fish food so he couldn't get to it.  What a pain.

[Odd Duck]

On 12/7/2023 at 9:45 PM, jwcarlson said:

My fish got into and ate the entire jar of freeze dried brine shrimp from ACO a week or so ago.  Since then he has gone prowling for fish food and knocking so much stuff over every night.  This morning he had broken a brand new bottle of Easy Green and it leaked all over and absorbed into the cabinets my 10 gallon tanks sit on.  Now the cabinets have grown up through the floor and into the kitchen.

So before work I made a quick bear bag and hung up all my fish food so he couldn't get to it.  What a pain.

ORD, but this is funny!  🤣 

[jwcarlson]

I put in a central loop for my fish room with 1" PVC header around the outside of my fish room.  I ran out of valves, but I'm also going to put a small header in my other room where there's a couple tanks and aging/preheat barrels.  I haven't glued it all up yet, I'll do that after I'm sure I've got it where I want it.  I've never had anything like this before.  It's quite nice.

[Emily in Everett]

I found and extracted two minuscule baby Reticulated Hillstream Loaches from the sump of my 90-gallon tank. Standing on my head in the cupboard to try to catch these zippy 5-mm-long suckers while elbow deep in fish poop and sump detritus while my kids held the flashlights was…um…a challenge. 
 

There’s a third one in the intake chamber of my main tank that looks impossible to extract—it may turn into an experiment on whether the intake box makes a good grow-out tank!

My 3 hillstream loach adults must include a m and f! I’m assuming most of the fry or eggs turned into munchies for the other tank denizens…or got accidentally tossed in previous sump cleaning…

I’ve never raised any fry before-this should be interesting! 

[jwcarlson]

Finished up dropping from seven air pumps down to two last night.

Main room.  Adapting this cheap pump to an acceptable PVC barb was enough to make me want to pull my hair out.  It's pretty quiet.  Also... I should have finished painting before putting the fish tanks up because it's going to be a pretty big pain in the rear now.  I'm not sure why my wife started painting, honestly.

Smaller manifold in the adjacent room.  

[Matt B]

Nothing to high tech. Just added a Nano Nermy Sponge Filter to a 10 gal. .  Now there is one original and a new and improved one in the tank... I figured I'll let them battle it out!! 

[jwcarlson]

On 12/7/2023 at 9:45 PM, jwcarlson said:

My fish got into and ate the entire jar of freeze dried brine shrimp from ACO a week or so ago.  Since then he has gone prowling for fish food and knocking so much stuff over every night.  This morning he had broken a brand new bottle of Easy Green and it leaked all over and absorbed into the cabinets my 10 gallon tanks sit on.  Now the cabinets have grown up through the floor and into the kitchen.

So before work I made a quick bear bag and hung up all my fish food so he couldn't get to it.  What a pain.

Just saw that I said my FISH got into and ate a jar of fish food when I meant my CAT did.  😆🤣

On 12/13/2023 at 8:29 AM, Matt B said:

 

 

I thought this was a picture I had posted and I was only seeing the bottom half.  Saw that duckweed under the lotus leaf and thought I was going to have to go home and burn down my house.  You scared me a bit.

[Katherine]

On 12/13/2023 at 8:34 AM, jwcarlson said:

Just saw that I said my FISH got into and ate a jar of fish food when I meant my CAT did.  😆🤣

I had wondered about that. I thought maybe it was a joke I didn't quite get.

My cat has been trying to eat fish food lately too. I've been putting it in a plastic bin with a lid.

[Matt B]

@jwcarlson Ha! Ha! I was pretty sure you meant CAT!  ... Duct weed?.. What duck weed?   

[anewbie]

On 12/13/2023 at 8:46 AM, Katherine said:

I had wondered about that. I thought maybe it was a joke I didn't quite get.

My cat has been trying to eat fish food lately too. I've been putting it in a plastic bin with a lid.

Well when i was a kid the cat had to eat fish food since the dog ate all the cat food 😉

 

[Odd Duck]

On 12/13/2023 at 8:34 AM, jwcarlson said:

Just saw that I said my FISH got into and ate a jar of fish food when I meant my CAT did.  😆🤣

It was a funnier story when you said “fish”.  😆 Still funny with “cat” but what really cracked me up was the bear bag/bucket!

[jwcarlson]

On 12/13/2023 at 8:39 PM, Odd Duck said:

It was a funnier story when you said “fish”.  😆 Still funny with “cat” but what really cracked me up was the bear bag/bucket!

I feel like the joke about the cabinets growing through the floor from the Easy Green didn't land.  I'll keep trying.  

What's hilarious is I whacked my head on that bucket three times a day until yesterday when I finally relocated it out of the walking area.