What did you get done today?

[OnlyGenusCaps]

On 4/23/2022 at 10:50 PM, Juancho said:

I been using this specimen container for maintenance on the tanks. Looks like I need a couple more for what there actually made for.

Those forks!  😂  It's like Uri Geller decided to start making sculptures inspired by Salvador Dali!

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[Juancho]

On 4/25/2022 at 7:06 AM, OnlyGenusCaps said:

Those forks!  😂  It's like Uri Geller decided to start making sculptures inspired by Salvador Dali!

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Lol, yeah pretty special. There for sale 😜. Obviously (I think) there for my cucumbers and zucchini in my pleco tanks. When I put the veggies on the tongs and drop them in the tank, the handle lands first and there’s enough buoyancy on the veggie it keeps it off the ground so all the fry can jump on for a bite. But still for sale ha

[OnlyGenusCaps]

On 4/25/2022 at 7:26 AM, Juancho said:

Obviously (I think) there for my cucumbers and zucchini in my pleco tanks.

As some one who doesn't keep any catfish, that was not obvious to me at all.  Thanks for the explanation!  Seems like an ingenious solution.  I still think you get get a fine arts dealer to buy them.  Well, with a good enough story! 

[Juancho]

On 4/25/2022 at 7:45 AM, OnlyGenusCaps said:

As some one who doesn't keep any catfish, that was not obvious to me at all.  Thanks for the explanation!  Seems like an ingenious solution.  I still think you get get a fine arts dealer to buy them.  Well, with a good enough story! 

Making money 💰 

On 4/25/2022 at 7:45 AM, OnlyGenusCaps said:

As some one who doesn't keep any catfish, that was not obvious to me at all.  Thanks for the explanation!  Seems like an ingenious solution.  I still think you get get a fine arts dealer to buy them.  Well, with a good enough story! 

Lol that pic of that guy though that cracks me up. Living in that matrix 

[Juancho]

Another water change for the discus. 
hoping my browns breed which I think this big ole brown is trying to do. And a quick pic of my super red fry. And I’m hoping my super reds breed soon again. 

[Juancho]

On 4/25/2022 at 11:17 PM, Juancho said:

Another water change for the discus. 
hoping my browns breed which I think this big ole brown is trying to do. And a quick pic of my super red fry. And I’m hoping my super reds breed soon again. 

Sorry i accidentally pushed a button now I guess I have to reply. I couldn’t figure a way out 

New fish today. Calico super reds and super reds for the breeding projects. 

[bentaz]

I converted my tote system to off grid.

It now has an 80ah battery, 2 x 15w solar panels and 2 x 1100lph (yeah, I'm a metric) pumps. I've hooked one pump up to a timer so I'll have it come on during the day while it's charging and the other will run 24/7, but has a motor speed controller wired into it so I can turn it down during periods of extended bad weather if needed.

The control panel and battery will be moved and neatened up after I finish testing.

I will probably bring a spare 300w solar panel I have up at my (off grid) weekender back to town and put that on there in a couple of weeks time.

 

Happy to post links to all the bits and pieces if anyone's interested. 

Cheers 🍻 

[Baphijmm]

Did a 25% water change on the Rio Negro tank with RO water from the newly-serviced RO system; GH is still above 300 ppm (water change done ~2am, test done at ~12:30pm), but it's certainly better than it was. Will continue doing this as regularly as I can, once I get back from Socorro for the week; difficulty is, I've got to do this for all my tanks, as all of them were serviced from the same faulty RO system, so they've all got absurdly-high GH. Not a major problem for the mbuna tank per se, but a pretty big problem for the betta tanks, for example.

Obtained three new kuhli loaches from the LFS in Alamogordo, which were introduced to the "sorority" tank this afternoon. Also obtained three new airstones and an air pump, to try to pump some air into the three male betta tanks, as their temperatures are a little higher than I'd like.

Awaiting UPS for deliveries of fish and supplies; in particular, one delivery should contain three new harlequin rasboras for the "sorority" tank, and six new Corydoras adolfoi for the Rio Negro tank. Once they get here, those fish will begin the acclimation process, to be introduced to their respective tanks before I leave this evening for school for the week.

[Henry the fish keeper]

Went to my local petco today and saw some red honey gouramis and thick-lipped honey gouramis. They were gorgeous! 😍

Edited April 27, 2022 by Henry the fish keeper

[Torrey]

I did a clean up, trim, and water change on the #ScapesFromScraps take and the endler bachelor tank.

And I did a thing.

 

A. THING.

I'll post an update tomorrow. 

[Guppysnail]

On 4/27/2022 at 3:08 AM, Torrey said:

And I did a thing.

 

A. THING.

I'll post an update tomorrow. 

Such teasing is cruel 🤣

[HH Morant]

You know, the thing.

[Torrey]

On 4/27/2022 at 4:10 AM, Guppysnail said:

Such teasing is cruel 🤣

I stopped by my LFS to see how things were doing, and to pick up some halfbeaks and shrimp for breeding for the store.

I discovered why I hadn't heard back regarding readiness, they had experienced an early ACO type mishap, where a tank developed a crack and it took out 3 other tanks... obviously dealing with that took priority over a call.

I came home w/o the halfbeaks, and with only half the expected number of shrimp... and no plant matter in the bag for the shrimp to hang onto (poor things), which necessitated a quick exodus from the bag, adding plant material, and setting up the slow drip method for acclimation. As well as a strong reminder that I need more ACO USB air pumps, lol!

So spouse helped out with pictures while I took care of setting up. Once everyone was stable, I set up the GoPro... and forgot that the battery only allows for 1 hour of filming.😏 Which meant I needed more help from Patient Spouse™ in the filming/photography department (meaning I asked if I could please borrow the phone to grab stills and some more video while GoPro was charging. I *really* need extra batteries and the external charger, lol)

Here is a sneak peak at some of the stills, showing the process yesterday.

 

Gorgeous blue dreams. I was a little alarmed at the instant molt of one shrimp in the bag, and with nothing for them to grab hold of I didn't want to risk leaving them in the bag for the acclimation process, so they went in a Tupperware well rinsed in ZeroWater and I added some hornwort for them to grab hold of (and graze) during the drip acclimation process. Since both the store and I use the city's tap water, pH between the store's tank and my Scapes from Scraps tank were almost identical. The biggest differences in water quality were GH & kH, as I mix ZeroWater with well filtered tap water to (now) keep my tanks closer to 75 GH (ppm), between 80 & 120 kH (ppm), and my TDS are 180 instead of the store's 350.

 

So I threw in some plants, and started a drip line. Premixed plant fertilizer bottle did double duty as a GoPro mount, lol. When the tank water container and the shrimp container are at the same level, I use the giant clips to control flow (works for as long as the water line in the tank water container is a couple inches above the water line in the shrimp container).

The shrimp look really healthy, and a second shrimp shed (I suspect a female) shed during the drip acclimation process. I dripped in water until double the amount, then remove half the water while more drips in, until the parameters in the shrimp container and the new tank match completely (in the parameters I can test for). That process was started at 5 pm when we got home from the LFS, and was completed by 8:20 pm.

Halfway through, I had to elevate the tank water container and create a makeshift drip regulator (dry erase marker from the fridge, with a rubber band) to keep a slow and steady drip pattern.

Chia seeds were the perfect height and stability in the kitchen. This is a *huge* indicator of how far Patient Spouse™ has come, that fishy things were not only allowed in the kitchen, but I actually received some tech support in the process!

However, having to explain shrimp procreation activities (I did say I thought the one who molted in the drip acclimation process was female, right?) in the kitchen may have been a bit more than PS™ was expecting when they asked if the smaller shrimp was hurting the larger shrimp right after we watched the larger shrimp "jackknife" out of its shell. Sadly, the molt was when I realized the GoPro battery died, so I didn't capture it on film.😭

I did get a video of the purported "after" action on spouse's camera (hence the mind-blowing explanation in the kitchen, lol).

Everyone seems to be thrilled in their new environs, and they checked out the very top of the tank and the "interesting light" after the lights went out last night. Today, they are exploring independently, and no longer staying within 3" of each other all over the tank. The smallest of the three is the bravest, and was intrigued by the light last night literally touching every square millimeter in exploration.

The larger two are happier today in the plants, and cleaning biofilm off the branches. Will see what they think of green beans tonight after dinner.

Hopefully, I have set up more stable tanks now, that will withstand anything the coming years throw at us. Can't wait until the third, when I get to place my next ACO order!

The two bigger shrimp are still staying in close proximity! (These are the two from yesterday who were "getting busy" in the drip acclimation container).

So, this is what I have been working on for the past two days, because they are so cute I keep sitting down to take pictures or film them!

I also did my weekly 5 gallon bucket removal of plants from my spouse's tank, and tomorrow I will be rescaping the Walstad inspired tank with waht I trimmed.... and hopefully less duckweed that I will more easily keep under control?🤞🏼

[Guppysnail]

@Torrey OH MY GOODNESS 😍 I am so happy you are doing more shrimp.  I hope yours have the Tiny Terrorist genes and are crazy prolific for you.  The store I used to get mine to start never had anything for in the bag. They did not start selling live plants at the little one until I pestered enough and took them some and they sold out that day.  I always had them throw some of the rubber bands they closed fish bags with in the bag. Works like a charm for transport they hold on to them just fine and do not get injured by the bands. Crazy happy for you 🤗

[Torrey]

On 4/27/2022 at 6:43 PM, Guppysnail said:

@Torrey OH MY GOODNESS 😍 I am so happy you are doing more shrimp.  I hope yours have the Tiny Terrorist genes and are crazy prolific for you.  The store I used to get mine to start never had anything for in the bag. They did not start selling live plants at the little one until I pestered enough and took them some and they sold out that day.  I always had them throw some of the rubber bands they closed fish bags with in the bag. Works like a charm for transport they hold on to them just fine and do not get injured by the bands. Crazy happy for you 🤗

ORD 😍

[Torrey]

@Guppysnail when I get the rest of the shrimp, I'll ask for rubberbands if plants are not an option!

Here's what I did on the 26th:

 

[Jeff]

Started a tank re-vamp last night. TO-DAY, I was able to see how my tank finally looks after all the mulm settled down. 

Dealing with this PITA driftwood that still isn't sinking. Still soaking in my 5g bucket submerged with rocks holding it down.

My SunSun canister arrived in the mail today, to eventually install on the tank. 

Excited to finish the process; so currently hurrying up to wait 🙂

[PineSong]

Today I continued my version of "one tank at a time" improvements and painted the back of my red shrimp tank. I was at the stone yard for an outdoor project and picked up some more smooth cobbles for my tanks and pond. I continued to wait for a hunk of wood to waterlog--one month and counting!

[Juancho]

Today I cleaned all the tanks. I always break it up in different days. And now I remember why. 3.5 hours later I’m done cleaning. My work schedule was hectic this last week, so I put it off till today . Now I don't care what it takes or how late it is I’m sticking to my schedule. And getting them done during the week. 

[anewbie]

I spent 3 hours giving the 120 some love and care but the most that happened is the clown loaches poked their noses out to see what i was doing. One really annoying thing about this tank is my amazon sword insist on spitting out at least once runner a week and usually 2 or 3. None of the nice swords have runners just the amazon and it won't stop. Oh and my opacus sword sent out 10 new leaves the last couple of weeks. This seems a bit excessive; but at least they are nice looking. More than i can say about the amazon sword. This is the opacus if you haven't seen one:

[ange]

My unintended GBR spawn will likely come into full wiggle tomorrow. I swear I saw one moving but since I can only get a clear view from the bottom of the jar I can't say that with certainty.

Originally I had them in a Ziss breeder box from ACO but I had issues with fungus so pulled them into a jar with a drop of methylene blue. Does anyone have experience using an egg tumbler for GBR eggs? I know that they generally parent them but the tank has some known egg eaters in there (not the parents) and would rather not have the conflict.

[Gumbo99]

I got a lid made for my 10 gallon from a greenhouse panel, cribbed then idea from a video on the Co-Op's channel as well as another YouTuber named Ryo Wantanabe. Also pictured is my solution to mount a Fluval nano on a rimmed tank..not optimal, but using what I have. 😆

[Juancho]

On 4/30/2022 at 9:08 PM, ange said:

My unintended GBR spawn will likely come into full wiggle tomorrow. I swear I saw one moving but since I can only get a clear view from the bottom of the jar I can't say that with certainty.

Originally I had them in a Ziss breeder box from ACO but I had issues with fungus so pulled them into a jar with a drop of methylene blue. Does anyone have experience using an egg tumbler for GBR eggs? I know that they generally parent them but the tank has some known egg eaters in there (not the parents) and would rather not have the conflict.

Hi! 
i use one with a super red spawn. The dad at the time wasn’t a very good dad, so I pulled the eggs and put them in a tumbler. I loved it! BUT it was my first time and I would of done some things different. There’s a breeder I watch that puts the tumbler in a totally different 10g tank with some methylene blue or peroxide to help aid in the protection of the eggs from fungus.  That might be might next move. And he says to adjust the air to just move the eggs around a little, he also takes out any eggs that are not fertile but he didn’t show that trick. How your spawn turns out awesome 

[ange]

On 4/30/2022 at 9:36 PM, Juancho said:

Hi! 
i use one with a super red spawn. The dad at the time wasn’t a very good dad, so I pulled the eggs and put them in a tumbler. I loved it! BUT it was my first time and I would of done some things different. There’s a breeder I watch that puts the tumbler in a totally different 10g tank with some methylene blue or peroxide to help aid in the protection of the eggs from fungus.  That might be might next move. And he says to adjust the air to just move the eggs around a little, he also takes out any eggs that are not fertile but he didn’t show that trick. How your spawn turns out awesome 

Thanks! My current setup is a reused jar with airline tubing connected to a plastic straw so it sounds like a much smaller volume variant on the setup that you described. I lost about a dozen eggs to fungus before deciding that I either have to let the parents be parents or pull the eggs and get methylene blue involved. I've dialed back their antifungal now that they're wiggling and I'm replacing about 20ccs from the jar with water from the tank with the breeder box so that I can plop them when they're ready for the breeder box. I really can't stand the staining from methylene blue which is why I try to avoid using it where possible.

Knowing me I'll eventually try an egg tumbler if only to document the difference in conditions across spawns. I've never had an explicit need for one because I've never intentionally bred fish but after setting up a rack I've been attempting to raise some of the spawns that happen periodically in my display tanks.

[Juancho]

On 5/1/2022 at 4:12 AM, ange said:

Thanks! My current setup is a reused jar with airline tubing connected to a plastic straw so it sounds like a much smaller volume variant on the setup that you described. I lost about a dozen eggs to fungus before deciding that I either have to let the parents be parents or pull the eggs and get methylene blue involved. I've dialed back their antifungal now that they're wiggling and I'm replacing about 20ccs from the jar with water from the tank with the breeder box so that I can plop them when they're ready for the breeder box. I really can't stand the staining from methylene blue which is why I try to avoid using it where possible.

Knowing me I'll eventually try an egg tumbler if only to document the difference in conditions across spawns. I've never had an explicit need for one because I've never intentionally bred fish but after setting up a rack I've been attempting to raise some of the spawns that happen periodically in my display tanks.

Sounds like you have a great plan. I agree with the med additives. I rather not. I have had several clutches and tried moving the eggs adding meds ect. And the best clutches I have  had is when I let the dad  get them to wigglers and then I separated the fry and used a little make shift grow out tub. I do have a few breeder boxes but I feel like this new method works best until the fry are a little bigger idk you can really go Down a rabbit hole with all this stuff haha. We’ll keep us posted.