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shame you can’t seem to eat xenopus
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Feb 12, 2021 21:45
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E: Nvm, crappy joke
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Feb 13, 2021 00:50
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Goons with low pH tap water, how do you deal with that? Mine seems to be coming out at 5.0, which seems incredibly low to me. I've got a betta bowl with a bunch of crushed up oyster shells bubbling away right now with some spider plants hanging their roots in it, and some marimo balls, just to see what happens with the pH over time, and to see if the plants can handle that. Other bowls just have the regular dechlorinated water, and an array of plants. I've been dosing with bacterial starter, and lightly dosing with aquatic ferts at weekly water changes (1/4 the dose that's recommended for established tanks) for around 2 to 3 weeks now. eta: only one bowl has had an algae bloom, and it didn't have a marimo in it, while also being the smallest volume, and having a heater, was running the warmest. Second edit: To return to this, I think my test kit might be screwy. I melted some snow from the back yard, that fell yesterday, and it tested at 5.0 as well. I'm going to assume the snow is pretty close to 7, rather than in the same range as coffee. B33rChiller fucked around with this message at 01:12 on Feb 17, 2021 |
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Feb 16, 2021 02:35
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Wish me luck, was -27f (-33c) this morning and rolling power outages have started up. Little worried for my frontosa out in the garage in their 150g stock tank. Got it wrapped in insulation and covered in blankets, but with two heaters it's just hanging in at 72f. I've got a small UPS that should keep things powered for 30 min to an hour, but if we go past an hour I might have to run out and buy a generator. Would still leave all the indoor tanks unprotected, but they should be able to withstand a longer outage.
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Feb 16, 2021 17:51
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Enos Cabell posted:Wish me luck, was -27f (-33c) this morning and rolling power outages have started up. Little worried for my frontosa out in the garage in their 150g stock tank. Got it wrapped in insulation and covered in blankets, but with two heaters it's just hanging in at 72f. I've got a small UPS that should keep things powered for 30 min to an hour, but if we go past an hour I might have to run out and buy a generator. Would still leave all the indoor tanks unprotected, but they should be able to withstand a longer outage. I wonder if it might be an idea to try to buy a generator now (if you can) and just return it if you don't need it? I expect if the power goes out you'll have a hard time getting your hands on one. I wouldn't normally make this kinda post but I felt compelled because fish lives are at stake!
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Feb 17, 2021 08:56
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Literally 5 minutes ago I saw someone on twitter teaching about terra cotta heaters: basically a candle and a clay flower pot. Perch a flower pot over a candle and the pot traps all the heat from the candle and radiates it, instead of the hot air quickly dissipating into the room. Don't know how well that'd work in a garage, but might be worth googling for anyone in a real pinch. Cheap and a lot easier to get ahold of than a generator during a blackout.
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Feb 17, 2021 10:48
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ChickenMedium posted:Literally 5 minutes ago I saw someone on twitter teaching about terra cotta heaters: basically a candle and a clay flower pot. Perch a flower pot over a candle and the pot traps all the heat from the candle and radiates it, instead of the hot air quickly dissipating into the room. Don't know how well that'd work in a garage, but might be worth googling for anyone in a real pinch. Cheap and a lot easier to get ahold of than a generator during a blackout. or Enos Cabell could just get in the tub with them. How much body heat you reckon it takes to keep a stock tub full of African lake fish above freezing? you think the frontosa will follow the heat and huddle adorably with the strange mammal for warmth? Enos Cabell, is there a way to temporarily bring them inside the house? Maybe get an alternate tub going and warmed up in case they need to be moved?
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Feb 17, 2021 11:11
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I think we're through the worst of it, outside temps were actually positive this morning and the rotating power outages have been suspended. Wrapping the tank in insulation and covering in blankets seems to have done the trick, was able to raise the temp from 71 to 76 and it's holding steady there now. They were only ever supposed to be in the garage temporarily to begin with, but it's been almost two years now. Kept planning to reseal the 180g, then was going to cut it apart and use some of the glass to make a plywood tank. Now the plan it to move it out of the house as soon as I can rope some helpers and throw it up for cheap on FB market. Frontosas are loving the solid sided stock tank, so I'm going to bring that into the house and turn it into a lagoon style display tank. Just glad they were able to withstand the coldest weather in recorded history here!
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Feb 17, 2021 14:11
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ChickenMedium posted:Literally 5 minutes ago I saw someone on twitter teaching about terra cotta heaters: basically a candle and a clay flower pot. Perch a flower pot over a candle and the pot traps all the heat from the candle and radiates it, instead of the hot air quickly dissipating into the room. Don't know how well that'd work in a garage, but might be worth googling for anyone in a real pinch. Cheap and a lot easier to get ahold of than a generator during a blackout. I think this was proven to be nonsense because the same degree of heat still goes into the room but I can't quite remember.
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Feb 17, 2021 18:45
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VelociBacon posted:I think this was proven to be nonsense because the same degree of heat still goes into the room but I can't quite remember. Same degree of heat will go into the room, but a lot of it will be stored in the terracotta as a sort of thermal battery iirc. Helps concentrate heat where it's helpful.
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Feb 17, 2021 19:45
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Enos Cabell posted:I think we're through the worst of it, outside temps were actually positive this morning and the rotating power outages have been suspended. Wrapping the tank in insulation and covering in blankets seems to have done the trick, was able to raise the temp from 71 to 76 and it's holding steady there now. They were only ever supposed to be in the garage temporarily to begin with, but it's been almost two years now. Kept planning to reseal the 180g, then was going to cut it apart and use some of the glass to make a plywood tank. Now the plan it to move it out of the house as soon as I can rope some helpers and throw it up for cheap on FB market. Frontosas are loving the solid sided stock tank, so I'm going to bring that into the house and turn it into a lagoon style display tank. Just glad they were able to withstand the coldest weather in recorded history here! Glad to hear it. I get seriously bummed thinking about the toll being paid by pets, livestock and wildlife. 
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Feb 18, 2021 23:03
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Bulky Bartokomous posted:Glad to hear it. I get seriously bummed thinking about the toll being paid by pets, livestock and wildlife. Yeah it's kinda heartbreaking seeing updates from people down in Texas. Even with generators there is only so much you can do during an extended power outage like that when indoor house temps are below freezing.
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Feb 18, 2021 23:29
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In my 55g I have an adult severum, 2 common angels, and 5 black skirt tetras. I'm noticing some uneaten food in the gravel, rock work. In addition to watching how much I feed, I was also thinking of adding a bottom dweller of some sort. I don't want to overstock the tank though. Maybe some 5-6" or so pleco?
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Feb 19, 2021 02:25
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Bulky Bartokomous posted:In my 55g I have an adult severum, 2 common angels, and 5 black skirt tetras. I'm noticing some uneaten food in the gravel, rock work. In addition to watching how much I feed, I was also thinking of adding a bottom dweller of some sort. I don't want to overstock the tank though. Maybe some 5-6" or so pleco? Get another four or five tetras, and don't feed so much.
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Feb 19, 2021 02:55
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Anyone have tips on beating pop eye? Now that I'm through all the damned camallanus worms, my last pseudomugil gertrudae ended up with a secondary infection and unilateral pop eye. She's been in a salt (1tsp/gallon) QT tank for 7 days and I completed a course of erithromycin. However, I foolishly didn't replace the salt I was water changing out, so the solution was getting weaker and weaker over the course of a week. I've since upped the concentration to 1.5tsp/gallon and have been replacing salt on each water change. So far, she hasn't really shown signs of improvement. She's eating and swimming OK, but her eye is looking rough. Schwack fucked around with this message at 03:55 on Feb 19, 2021 |
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Feb 19, 2021 03:50
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Do water dechlorinators like Stress Coat+ go bad? Thinking of starting up a small 5 gallon with what I have left over from over 2 years ago. I also have some Seachem Safe powder - but think that would be too way overpowering for a 5g.
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Feb 21, 2021 05:23
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I think you're right about Safe, overdosing can deoxygenate water as it reacts so you wouldn't want to add it directly to a small tank but perhaps you could treat a tub of water and let it sit with a pump in it agitating over night and it would be okay? stress coat is a much less concentrated product and it's hard to tell how much effectiveness it will have left if it has degraded over time.
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Feb 21, 2021 15:06
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Ah thanks, that's what I thought. I'll just buy a new small bottle of conditioner save the safe for if I start up the larger tank.
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Feb 21, 2021 22:58
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B33rChiller posted:Goons with low pH tap water, how do you deal with that? Mine seems to be coming out at 5.0, which seems incredibly low to me. I've got a betta bowl with a bunch of crushed up oyster shells bubbling away right now with some spider plants hanging their roots in it, and some marimo balls, just to see what happens with the pH over time, and to see if the plants can handle that. Other bowls just have the regular dechlorinated water, and an array of plants. I've been dosing with bacterial starter, and lightly dosing with aquatic ferts at weekly water changes (1/4 the dose that's recommended for established tanks) for around 2 to 3 weeks now. You can always try seachem alkaline buffer. I love it. Keeps my numbers up.
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Feb 24, 2021 04:04
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Yeah, it was bad for a few days.  : I think everyone's alive except the teeeny tiiiiiny rasbora. They are happy now, though. I had put a warm blanket over the tank, which seems to have helped. Things have bounced back, at least. I was on the verge of crying because if I lost all my fish bros.Would a female blue powdered gourami, honey gourami, or a betta do okay with the Rams?
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Feb 24, 2021 05:38
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Of those three maybe the honey has the reputation for being the least hostile, but I'm not sure how the hostility would go in the reverse direction. Aqadvisor seems to think either gourami is fine with rams but don't mix gourami types, and definitely don't add a betta. How much room do you have? I think gouramis stay high enough in the tank that they shouldn't bother the rams.
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Feb 24, 2021 09:16
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Is it possible to over-quarantine? I've had a dozen corydoras julii (now down to 5) and a dozen ember tetras (now at 11) in quarantine for 7 weeks now. I'll go a week without any losses, and then all the sudden lose a few back-to-back, which is why I've been hesitant to move them. As of today, it's been 3 days in a row that I've lost a cory. None of the fish display any odd behavior prior to death or have any visible sign of disease or infection, and by the time I've found them they're too far post-mortem to see any cause of death. I've only used Levimasole and PraziPro as precautionary treatments and had no losses during treatment. No other signs of worms. No ammonia spikes to speak of, parameters have been stable (can edit to add specific parameters tonight after work). Any ideas? Is it maybe that they're stressed out form being in a bare-bottom tank for so long?
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Feb 24, 2021 23:25
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It could be the stress, tough to say. I always feel like I lose at least one cory when I quarantine a group. I don't want to open the debate up on treating/not treating, I'll just say my standard practice is observe for a week in the QT and let 'em go. There are pros and cons to both approaches. I have cut down on feeding in my 55g and it's looking better. I am thinking about adding a raphael cat though. I figure it would be cool to have at least one fish that has any interest whatsoever in the substrate. Are they okay by themselves or do they do better in groups?
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Feb 26, 2021 14:40
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I have three striped raphaels so I can only report how I've seen them behave. Raphaels do like snuggling in caves together but they also occasionally get pushy with each other and need separate caves. I think they do okay as solitary fish but mine cohabit with sterbai corydoras too, sometimes there are 8+ sterbai and 3 raphaels in the one rock cave. My understanding is that they can behave as ambush predators (and possibly snail eaters) as well as substrate feeders so they are a no-no with small fish. They're like a biological vacuum cleaner that inhales anything in front of them that they think might be food. They also dig a lot and I've had to adjust the rockwork in their tank so they can't burrow underneath and crush themselves. They are incredibly shy and nocturnal and the only ones that I've seen (on youtube) that are confident out of their caves pretty much only come out for food and they're older fish who have grown slightly more brave. The other major thing to know about raphaels is that they are very long lived, like 40+ years is the oldest I know of, so they're a long haul fish. They have extremely goofy faces and it is a treat to see them pop out of their caves so if you don't care about keeping a fish that you might only see once or twice a month, they are pretty great. Not for everyone though. And without caves I've heard they try to post themselves behind the heater and get burned. Regarding the dying corydoras, I think stress is often a factor, I don't quarantine my corys in barebottom tanks for that reason - usually a very thin layer of sand is enough to give them a bit of comfort. You're not losing embers any more so whatever the issue is, its specific to corys and not a waterborne disease. Corys love being in huge schools and they don't get that experience in quarantine.
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Feb 26, 2021 18:50
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Thanks for all the raphael info! That sounds like exactly what I'm looking for. It was either that or one of the ~6" pleco varieties. Maybe a bushynose. My buddy is always giving away bushynose plecos since they breed all the time for him. Not in a rush, I'll think about it for a bit.
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Feb 26, 2021 19:40
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I moved everyone out of quarantine and thankfully both the tetras and the cories seem much happier in the sandy bottom 125. Both groups are schooling with the existing tetras/cories, so I'm willing to chalk up the extra cory losses to stress from being in a bare bottom tank. Definitely going to put some sand in for the next go round! I was also thinking about putting a yoga mat or something similar under the QT tank next round. It's in the walkway to the living room on hardwood, so maybe the extra cushion will help to not jostle the tank and them feel more secure. I'd like to have at least a full dozen julii's and right now I'm only at 7. I'll probably give them a month in their new home to make sure everyone is happy and healthy, and then start keeping an eye out for more.
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Feb 27, 2021 01:47
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BONGHITZ posted:You can always try seachem alkaline buffer. I love it. Keeps my numbers up. Nice. I thought that would help. I've started adding a bit, and some equilibrium to my water change water, along with lightly sprinkling some aragonite on the substrate. Number's going up slowly.
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Feb 27, 2021 02:45
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Is this thing good for a fishless cycle? I searched aquarium ammonia so that I could but it into the tank before I get Betta Legousi II https://www.amazon.com/Fritz-Aquati...14503564&sr=8-3
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Feb 28, 2021 10:16
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Looks like an appropriate artificial ammonia source with decent instructions for use. Fritz brand did a sponsorship push on a bunch of aquarium YouTube channels in the last couple of years and the products look like they work pretty well.
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Feb 28, 2021 18:02
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Quote /= edit.
nunsexmonkrock fucked around with this message at 08:57 on Mar 3, 2021 |
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Mar 1, 2021 20:54
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I trust seachem stability, none other.
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Mar 1, 2021 21:00
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For a soft water man like myself I use all these products: Seachem: Prime Stability Equilibrium Alkaline Buffer Flourish Pristine I also add some kalkwasser when the snails cry out for it.
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Mar 1, 2021 21:04
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Thank you. I trust seachem. It will be like a month before I can have fish cycling the tank.
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Mar 1, 2021 21:08
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Stoca Zola posted:Looks like an appropriate artificial ammonia source with decent instructions for use. Fritz brand did a sponsorship push on a bunch of aquarium YouTube channels in the last couple of years and the products look like they work pretty well. Thank you too, whichever my husband gets I don't have to freak out over. nunsexmonkrock fucked around with this message at 21:23 on Mar 1, 2021 |
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Mar 1, 2021 21:20
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When I do fishless cycles I have a jug of pure ammonia from a hardware store. It was recommended on some other fish forums and I had one close enough to me. It was from Ace Hardware.
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Mar 1, 2021 21:29
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I have a glow light tetra that cannot maintain bouyancy. It fights to stay in the water column, and just lies on the bottom of the tank most of the time. Is that recoverable? I'm figuring I need to put it down...
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Mar 1, 2021 21:46
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Bulky Bartokomous posted:When I do fishless cycles I have a jug of pure ammonia from a hardware store. It was recommended on some other fish forums and I had one close enough to me. It was from Ace Hardware. Every time I look at the ammonia I shake it. It always bubbles which I think it means it has something else in it, rather not risk it. Also no ace here in Philly.
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Mar 1, 2021 22:04
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DeadlyMuffin posted:I have a glow light tetra that cannot maintain bouyancy. It fights to stay in the water column, and just lies on the bottom of the tank most of the time. Once I had a firemouth cichlid that seemed paralyzed and/or had swim bladder problems. Tried feeding frozen peas, epson salts, etc., nothing worked. Just before giving up I tried MelaFix, because why not? To be honest I thougth PrimaFix and Melafix sounded like the fish version of "essential oils" and were BS but I bought it once when my LFS didn't have anything else in stock to treat bacterial. Long story short, the fish bounced back and recovered. I think if you dig through my post history in this thread you can find it. Did the Melafix cause the recovery? Tough it say, might have just been a case of correlation instead of causation. But the fish did recover.
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Mar 1, 2021 23:05
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nunsexmonkrock posted:Every time I look at the ammonia I shake it. It always bubbles which I think it means it has something else in it, rather not risk it. Worst case scenario huck a raw cocktail shrimp into the tank for a bit, that'll generate additive-free ammonia for sure. Might be kinda gross fishing it back out once your tank's fully cycled though...
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Mar 1, 2021 23:28
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Asterite34 posted:Worst case scenario huck a raw cocktail shrimp into the tank for a bit, that'll generate additive-free ammonia for sure. I'm a vegetarian, so I don't have shrimp in the the freezer.
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Mar 2, 2021 04:22
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