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What did you get done today?


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On 10/2/2021 at 12:58 AM, Torrey said:

I believe that Carolina (can't remember 2nd half of the name) sells blackworms, and I know that they see amphopods. 

I love life foods that can replicate in the tank.🥰

Carolina Biological, but it’s only about 150-200 worms for $11.50 plus shipping!  Way more expensive than other sources like AquaBid.  Probably one of the most reliable sources, but you would have to buy a lot to have enough to feed fish.  They reproduce very slowly for me (maybe I’m doing it wrong), but I can’t keep up even when not feeding them out daily since I trade off with whiteworms and frozen bloodworms.

 

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On 10/2/2021 at 12:22 AM, CalmedByFish said:

Seeing that tub feels like shaking a Christmas present, trying to figure it out. 🙂 What's in there?

LOL, its a pond lily, some cagey wild form neos, and 3 or 4 guppy fry that I didn't see when prepping the tub to move in to the shop. Most of the tub guppies went to the LFS. I have a bout a 100 fry that need to grow out from the tub and that tanks inside, then those are going to the LFS as well.
 

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On 10/2/2021 at 1:58 AM, Torrey said:

I believe that Carolina (can't remember 2nd half of the name) sells blackworms, and I know that they see amphopods. 

I love life foods that can replicate in the tank.🥰

Yeah, I've actually heard of them! The only thing that keeps me from ordering online from anywhere is storage. I live in a tiny apartment, with a teeny tiny fridge, so setting something like that up would be a no-go for now!

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On 10/2/2021 at 8:08 AM, Odd Duck said:

Carolina Biological, but it’s only about 150-200 worms for $11.50 plus shipping!  Way more expensive than other sources like AquaBid.  Probably one of the most reliable sources, but you would have to buy a lot to have enough to feed fish.  They reproduce very slowly for me (maybe I’m doing it wrong), but I can’t keep up even when not feeding them out daily since I trade off with whiteworms and frozen bloodworms.

 

I typically only order from Carolina Biological when I am starting a new tank. I do cut worms and change the water twice a day at room temp before I use them to seed the dirt /organic soil of a new set up.

I try to give the worms a month or so to get established before I add fish, and the fish will keep the worm population from getting out of control. 

I have a standing order for blackworms at my LFS. They call me when a shipment actually arrives, and I reserve as many oz as I can afford. 

These I rinse daily for the first week, then rinse 2x a week and feed thin shavings of zucchini, squash or carrots with each water change. 

I keep them in the fridge and don't bother cutting them in half. I have been able to make my last purchase of 6 oz last in the fridge for close to 3 months? Maybe only 2 and a half... at any rate, last night I fed the last of the blackworms to everyone, and added the remainder of the blackworms to the Walstad tank once everyone else was full.

This morning, everyone is still looking full, and almost every tank has a few worm ends sticking out of the substrate. If a fish gets too close, the end rapidly retracts into the substrate, reminiscent of tube worms, lol.

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Did some tank maintenance today on my betta tank and added some more plants to my 34g. IMG_20211002_211107.jpg.abe33031766d795a9e6e9fa1dc6aeaa7.jpg

Starting to get a nice boom in the bladder snail population to feed my assassins in the 34g.

IMG_20211002_210814.jpg.8b227fb8d71f0e87f8b4594d986abc57.jpg

Also got to see all my ottos at once 🙂

IMG_20211002_210701.jpg.f1f77e9b7d18e1585b1a14616c06683a.jpg

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On 10/2/2021 at 3:25 PM, Intuos said:

Did some tank maintenance today on my betta tank and added some more plants to my 34g. IMG_20211002_211107.jpg.abe33031766d795a9e6e9fa1dc6aeaa7.jpg

Starting to get a nice boom in the bladder snail population to feed my assassins in the 34g.

IMG_20211002_210814.jpg.8b227fb8d71f0e87f8b4594d986abc57.jpg

Also got to see all my ottos at once 🙂

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Tanks are looking good!  Always nice to see all otos and get a head count!

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On 10/2/2021 at 11:41 AM, Chris said:

Yeah, I've actually heard of them! The only thing that keeps me from ordering online from anywhere is storage. I live in a tiny apartment, with a teeny tiny fridge, so setting something like that up would be a no-go for now!

I stored 6 oz in a dish with a breathable lid that was only 4" diameter. They really don't take up much space in the fridge, mainly they don't like light

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On 10/2/2021 at 4:19 PM, Intuos said:

Only the second time I have seen them all at once in nearly 3 months 😂

I have 6 in my 100 gallon.  I can see 3 at most at any given time.  2 right this minute.  I see 2-3 in my 20 G long with my pea puffers, should be 5.  I suspect pea puffers harassing them.  Pea puffers don’t deserve otos for friends and won’t have them anymore when I transfer peas to the 29 G.

Edit to clarify that otos are too sweet for murder beans and will still either live, but more comfortably, in the 20 G long without the puffers or I may attempt to catch them again and move them in with buddies in the 100 G.  If I happen to catch any otos while catching puffers for their move, that will likely make my decision for me.  Otos that get caught will go into the 100 G with nanofish, cories, and small plecos.  Either way, they will never be hassled again, the sweet babies.

Edited by Odd Duck
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On 10/2/2021 at 4:25 PM, Intuos said:

Did some tank maintenance today on my betta tank and added some more plants to my 34g. IMG_20211002_211107.jpg.abe33031766d795a9e6e9fa1dc6aeaa7.jpg

Starting to get a nice boom in the bladder snail population to feed my assassins in the 34g.

IMG_20211002_210814.jpg.8b227fb8d71f0e87f8b4594d986abc57.jpg

Also got to see all my ottos at once 🙂

IMG_20211002_210701.jpg.f1f77e9b7d18e1585b1a14616c06683a.jpg

Your tanks look awesome! Love them!

On 10/2/2021 at 5:25 PM, Odd Duck said:

I have 6 in my 100 gallon.  I can see 3 at most at any given time.  2 right this minute.  I see 2-3 in my 20 G long with my pea puffers, should be 5.  I suspect pea puffers harassing them.  Pea puffers don’t deserve otos for friends and won’t have them anymore when I transfer peas to the 29 G.

Edit to clarify that otos are too sweet for murder beans and will still either live, but more comfortably, in the 20 G long without the puffers or I may attempt to catch them again and move them in with buddies in the 100 G.  If I happen to catch any otos while catching puffers for their move, that will likely make my decision for me.  Otos that get caught will go into the 100 G with nanofish, cories, and small plecos.  Either way, they will never be hassled again, the sweet babies.

I've been lucky - my current DP doesn't bother my ottos or shrimp. I've had some in the past that were true terrors, though!

I did a lot today - water changes on all of my tanks, rescaped a tank, and stole some plants and shrimp from my mom. I got her a 29 gallon kit from Petsmart for Christmas 2019, and she's got a pretty decent tank now. Balloon mollies, guppies, and Limia Nigrofasciata, and cherry shrimp that were all bred in my tanks, and then a small school of Odessa Barbs all live pretty peacefully in there. She's got a buttload of Anubias and Java Fern, as well as some Crypts and Ludwigia. She doses Easy Green and Root Tabs whenever she feels like it, rarely changes water, and feeds daily... and her water tests great every time I think to test it. Goes to show what an established, stabilized, complete ecosystem can do, even for someone who isn't super nermy like the rest of us.

I got rid of my RCS a few months ago, so I stole some back from my mom now that she's bred the dozen I gave her into a hundred. 6 went into a little bin with a sponge filter and a bunch of mulm from an established tank to breed, and 3 went into my dwarf puffer tank to breed and make shrimplets for food. He's never bothered adults, but I'd like him to have some things to hunt in there!

 

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I managed to get two feedings in today on all of my tanks, so I've got tons of nice, rounded bellies. I need to start hatching out baby brine again, but I've gravitated more towards larger fish that have no interest in it... I may just start freezing whatever I can't feed into cubes.

Bumblebee Gobies eating some frozen brine:

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Nanaue got some bloodworms tonight, so he's been hunting around the substrate for ones he missed. He's not nearly as skittish as he was!

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My Green Spotted Puffer has finally lost his stress coloration from the tank move, and seems to be doing well in his new home.

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And the ottos love green beans. Excuse the mess - I just rescaped this tank today, and I haven't had a chance to get all the rotted wood off the substrate yet! And I let the paint run when I painted the back of the tank 🤦‍♂️

Rm5gmoy.jpg

 

Edited by Chris
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On 10/3/2021 at 12:02 AM, Patrick_G said:

@Chris, is that an Amazon Puffer or a huge Pea Puffer with your Otos?

I think the pic makes him look a little bigger than he is! In reality he's just over 1.25" or so. I've had him for almost two years, and he was wild caught, so I assume he's nearly maxed out!

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On 10/3/2021 at 12:13 AM, Odd Duck said:

@Patrick_G Bad Pea Daddy is as almost long as a good sized adult oto and at least 3-4 times the mass of an oto.  That’s just part of the reason I won’t be putting any otos into the 29 G that’s going to be the new puffer home.

They can turn into little chunks, that's for sure! I guess that's a good size comparison - my DP is roughly the same size as my ottos, and all have been in the tank for almost two years.

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On 10/2/2021 at 11:16 PM, Chris said:

They can turn into little chunks, that's for sure! I guess that's a good size comparison - my DP is roughly the same size as my ottos, and all have been in the tank for almost two years.

Bad Pea Daddy was my first pea puffer, and was just reaching adult colors when I got him as a rescue, so around 6-7 months old then, I’d guess.  I’ve had him since Nov 27, last year, so he’s probably around 1.5 years or maybe a little older.  I tend toward overfeeding, so I made him too much of a chonk so I’ve been cutting back on his food to trim him down a bit.

I think it might be very different if they grow up with otos, but none of mine have.  They were showing adult colors by the time they met otos.  I’ve never seen them be bad to the otos, but the otos behavior changed significantly after I added the puffers and they never really settled back down to more normal behavior with the puffers in the tank.  I’m hoping they do once puffers are moved to their new tank.

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@Odd Duck Haha.  One would think so, right?

Unfortunately not, or at least not yet.

I was in the process of getting a group a while back, but by the time I had saved for the fish, tank and equipment they were sold out.  So now I am waiting for the importer to get them in again, but it is taking its sweet time.

In the mean time I figured it was a good screen name.  Just about obscure enough to not be previously taken on most fish forums.

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Got water changed in both tanks and then watched the antics of the various residents. I could seriously watch shrimp swim all day long. Things seem to be going well in my baby guppy tank, and I'm now attempting to care for my first ever clutch of mystery snail eggs.  Caring for my 70-some house plants took most of the day, but I always have time to sit down and watch my tanks.

 

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On 10/3/2021 at 3:41 PM, ApiApi said:

@Odd Duck Haha.  One would think so, right?

Unfortunately not, or at least not yet.

I was in the process of getting a group a while back, but by the time I had saved for the fish, tank and equipment they were sold out.  So now I am waiting for the importer to get them in again, but it is taking its sweet time.

In the mean time I figured it was a good screen name.  Just about obscure enough to not be previously taken on most fish forums.

Obscure gets a new meaning on this forum, doesn’t it?  People that have bred fish I’ve never even heard of and I’ve been in fish for a long time with a better than average memory for scientific names.  I’ve been surprised at how many species I’ve run across mentioned on this forum I hadn’t heard of elsewhere.

I’ve not really tried to purposely breed many species (other than B. splendens years ago (successful), and more recently the pea puffers (successful but in an accidental way, lol).  I’ve bred plenty of others, but not in a deliberate, planned way, just gave them good conditions and whoops, there it is.

My current wish species is B. persephone but I’m looking for a tank raised breeding group but I’m afraid I may have to go for wild caught to find any at all.  That isn’t really my goal, I want to push wild caught out of the hobby by providing tank bred fish, not encourage more to be pulled from the wild.  If you know or hear of anybody with tank bred individuals or pairs, let me know.

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On 10/4/2021 at 1:11 AM, Odd Duck said:

Obscure gets a new meaning on this forum, doesn’t it?  People that have bred fish I’ve never even heard of and I’ve been in fish for a long time with a better than average memory for scientific names.  I’ve been surprised at how many species I’ve run across mentioned on this forum I hadn’t heard of elsewhere.

Oh absolutely!

 

On 10/4/2021 at 1:11 AM, Odd Duck said:

I’ve not really tried to purposely breed many species (other than B. splendens years ago (successful), and more recently the pea puffers (successful but in an accidental way, lol).  I’ve bred plenty of others, but not in a deliberate, planned way, just gave them good conditions and whoops, there it is.

That is usually how it goes, is it not?  Most of what I have bred has been deliberate, but pretty much allways in response to me seeing breeding behaviour in their display tanks.

 

On 10/4/2021 at 1:11 AM, Odd Duck said:

My current wish species is B. persephone but I’m looking for a tank raised breeding group but I’m afraid I may have to go for wild caught to find any at all.  That isn’t really my goal, I want to push wild caught out of the hobby by providing tank bred fish, not encourage more to be pulled from the wild.

The persephones are some gorgeous-looking fish.  As for the wild vs. tank raised, IMHO, it is all about context, but I am thinking 'What did you get done today?' might not be the best place for that discussion 😅

However, getting it established as a tank bred species in the hobby has to start with wilds at some point, and I think that is especially the case with a lot of the wild-type bettas.  Being as 'new' and obscure as a lot of the species/strains are, I am afraid we might soon run into problems with the genetics should we pick the broodstock from tank raised individuals only.

 

On 10/4/2021 at 1:11 AM, Odd Duck said:

If you know or hear of anybody with tank bred individuals or pairs, let me know.

From your choice in meassurements I am guessing you are from the US?  I am Norwegian myself, so I probably do not know anyone who could get them to you, but I will keep my eyes and ears open in case I come across some online in the US or with world-wide shipping. 

If you were interested in tank raised Apiapis, however, you could try Taylor from Simply Betta on YT.  I cannot guarantee that she is shipping, or is even willing to part with some, but I know she has a group that seems to have been breeding well for her.

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The one thing I finally did today was track down my male borelli. He was shocked and growled viciously but still I managed to capture him on 'film'; sadly i failed to capture the elusive females. They always said females are a bit brighter....

 

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