MrJim's Fishworks

[MrJim]

I thought maybe I'd start something to record the goings on with my tank which will be soon expanded~leaning more toward the 29 instead of 20L since they have the same footprint.

Currently in my 10gal I just added a couple of tiny otos Saturday night~I had a palm sized spot of algae on the back wall of the tank and it was gone Sunday morning. Watching otos and when they are just hanging on the side glass or on a plant leaf makes me wonder if they are just resting or sleeping and if they do most of their work at night...I did get some algae wafers-I think I starved my last one..my tank doesn't get direct sunlight and expect maybe he starved.

Ruby the GF is the queen of the tank-no doubt about it. She isn't aggressive to any of the others; she's just big. The corys go about their own business not bothering anyone, but those danios, particularly two of them, are a nuisance. There is now a danio that will hang with the neons in the corner with those other two get to into their chasing chasing games...not sure, maybe I'll take the back to the lfs I got them and trade em for more neons or another panda...

I'll post some pix in a little while..

[Sharon]

Jim, do you mean 29gal instead of litres....

[MrJim]

Jim, do you mean 29gal instead of litres....

Yes ma'am. I remember in the first grade (1971?) when the teacher said the US was going to convert to the metric system:hmm3grin2orange:

[MrJim]

My humble 10 gal~it has an AC30 + spongefilter (HydroII). I'm not a huge fan of the pirate head, but at least the GF won't root it out like it does the plastic plants. I like the plant thing that's in there now-it has a heavy weighted bottom. The pirate is hollow to hide in if the smaller critters like..

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Peppered Cory~no name...

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[Sharon]

Well, at least you're not as mixed up as I am...I think cm for snow, if I measure something it's inches, tanks are gallons, temp is Celsius...I confuse myself sometimes!:hmm3grin2orange:

The reason I ask is that a 29litre tank is actually smaller than the 10gal that you have...

[troy]

Feeding veggies to the otos would be a lot better than algae wafers.

[MrJim]

Ruby, queen of the tank, with a danio blur whizzin' by :hmm3grin2orange:

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The neons, no name~just doing their usual hiding from the danios & GF..
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Obviously Brookfish doesn't have to worry about any photography competition from me [Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

[MrJim]

Feeding veggies to the otos would be a lot better than algae wafers.

Yeah I'm gonna shell some peas for 'em. I gotta feed 'em after dark I guess, the GF will suck those right down. I understand blanching some squash would be good too?

[MrJim]

On my tank expansion~

I'm waiting a bit for warmer weather. I want to put in a sand bottom, but it's been so freakin' cold that I'm going to wait a bit so I can do a good washing outside. Thinking I'm going with a 29gal I would plan on getting an AC50 or AC70 plus the spongefilter for the filtration work. [I like to run the sponge so I have a seeded filter if I need a quarantine/hospital tank, and it does help keep things tidy.] In pricing the 20L & 29 are just not that far apart in price. Unfortunately I absolutely can't get anything wider, just no room.

I swing back and forth on the GF issue, maybe I'll donate her to the lfs pond; bet she'd like the room, though a 29 would be 3x the size she's in now...but I'm not getting anymore GF and maybe being with her own would be better, but then she's been around tropicals most her life anyhow so you can see i'm a real flip-flopper on the issue.

I'd like to lose the danios, (won't miss them, if I had a cat they'd already be gone:ssuprised:) add neons and corys (pandas & peppers) and leave it at that, though maybe adding a bit of live plants. I read about tying some kind of plant/moss? to driftwood, maybe trying it out, though all the stuff about adding CO2 and whatnot starts to sound complicated-the planted tanks are pretty sweet.

One of the side effects of getting a larger tank is that I'm not losing the 10~what would I do with it? Kinda keen on inverts like fiddlers or shrimp, and a species only tank would be neat, like some specific species of corys--pygmies in their own would be cool--so that bounces around in the back of my brain, along with figuring just where in the world to put the 10...I'd put it upstairs but it's not air conditioned and it hits the low nineties up here in the summer, worry it might get too tropical..but then it gets pretty hot in Amazon, doesn't the water heat up a bit anyhow?

[troy]

Also try broccoli, spinach, green beans, and squash. My otos eat those. They don't seem to like apple, orange, and carrot thogh.

[MrJim]

Also try broccoli, spinach, green beans, and squash. My otos eat those. They don't seem to like apple, orange, and carrot thogh.

Do you clip to side or weight them down? Do any of your other fish nibble at the veggies?

[troy]

I generally just heat them up in the microwave for 3-4 minutes and they sink down to the bottom when I put them in.

[MrJim]

Last night i put in a couple small chunks of broccoli~did what Troy suggested...the corys were on em pretty quick, the GF tried to munch but I made the chunks a bit larger. Both pieces were gone this morning...:hmm3grin2orange:

[MrJim]

On errands this morning I stopped in at one of our lfs (we have three, two are not chainstores). They must have gotten some new shipments in~loads of corys & plecos (plecs are $$). I would have snatched up all 6 of his pandas (they were wee tiny) but there was ick in the tank on the other fish...first time I saw pygmies there, and there were skunks & leopards & some others too...

And I saw a 30 gal; guess I didn't know they existed. This thread of standard tank sizes:

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doesn't list one, and I'd not seen one at the other 2 lfs so I didn't know. I like it better than the 29, not as deep with a bit bigger footprint. Now just to find the right stand.

[troy]

Last night i put in a couple small chunks of broccoli~did what Troy suggested...the corys were on em pretty quick, the GF tried to munch but I made the chunks a bit larger. Both pieces were gone this morning...:hmm3grin2orange:
My pygmy corys enjoy them. I've got a fat *** platy that munches on them too.:hmm3grin2orange: Good to your fish liked it.

[MrJim]

I rarely do the daily feeding~my wife takes care of that. I was just down looking in the tank and most of the tank gets excited about this time. Even the neons have their noses up against the tank glass and ignore the danios antics at feeding time. One of the otos is perfectly perched atop the pirate head watching the underlings act like a bunch of puppies...

After reading and re-reading older threads (the search option really helps; most questions asked seem to have already been answered) I'm going to go with the estes black marine sand in the 30 gal and I'm going to paint the back wall black also. It's funny but the only time I really notice the decor picture on the back tank is when I take a picture, and then it really stands out to the point of clutter distraction.

The stand for the 30 has been a chore~the only thing I'm finding is a stand at That Fish Place for around $250. Guess the 30 gal isn't really that standard, but I do really like it better than the 29 so maybe that's the way I'll go. The stand also has an available matching canopy~I wonder if the canopy has the lighting hardware and essentially replaces the normal hood?

[Heliwyr]

Why not build a stand? Would be much, much cheaper and you could get it to the proper size.

[MrJim]

Why not build a stand? Would be much, much cheaper and you could get it to the proper size.

A carpenter I am not~and I'm not fond of the block/plywood stand..if only NorthernGuy would come down here:hmm3grin2orange:

[MrJim]

Busy Day!

I decided on the 20L after all, picked it up along with stand and hood. I went with the Estes Black Sand and got a black background~didn't want to paint.

The only real issue is when I carried the bags of sand in I must have put a hole in one and it leaked sand throughout the living and dining room~it's so fine it wasn't noticed until one of the boys in his bare feet was like "Hey, what's all over the floor"~~yeah, I got in trouble on that one(blush)

While I had a brand new heater for this tank already I read a thread this morning about someone's aquarium turning into fish soup 'cause the heater crapped out, my Tetra whisper heater will stay in the package (I bought it some months ago and wish I still had the reciept) and bought a Stealth.

Picked up a new decoration~a cave thing, so I could retire the Pirate Head for later....as I said earlier I have 3 LFSs, and I ended up getting something from everyone, though Petsmart only got the decoration purchase, the private stores got everything else.

So I'm off to begin the setup process. On the filtration I thought over a few things, read some old threads about filter placement. For now I'm going to have the AC30 and spongefilter in each corner (like the 10 gal is set up) but maybe replace the sponge with another AC30. I know another 20L tank at the place I get my oil changed and he's running an AC70 and his tank looks good, just figure then that two in the corners would maybe work better....

****

Project is done for now and everyone is moved in. Took about 5 hours or so. Sand trapped a lot of air so had to work that out, and the danios were a terror trying to catch and put into their new home but other than that all went pretty well.

The stealth heater doesn't have a visible light that it's on~but it working, the temp is where I want it, just not seeing the light gets some getting used to. Pics to come later, I'm pooped:hmm3grin2orange:

[SamAnthrax]

I swing back and forth on the GF issue, maybe I'll donate her to the lfs pond; bet she'd like the room, though a 29 would be 3x the size she's in now...but I'm not getting anymore GF and maybe being with her own would be better, but then she's been around tropicals most her life anyhow so you can see i'm a real flip-flopper on the issue.

I would definately donate her, since goldfish should not be housed with tropical community fish.

[Nick89]

Ok.. First off, we have a problem here.. Goldfish are coldwater fish, while neons are tropical warm water fish.. It wont work...

[MrJim]

Ok.. First off, we have a problem here.. Goldfish are coldwater fish, while neons are tropical warm water fish.. It wont work...

She's been living with tropicals for nearly 2 years now so guess it is working...and working pretty well, though as posted earlier she's probably headed to a pond in the spring.

[Nick89]

Just because its working now, for 2 years, doesnt mean the fish is thriving at its best...

[MrJim]

Just because its working now, for 2 years, doesnt mean the fish is thriving at its best...

I'm aware of the situation~it's the first thing that was pointed out when I came to AC. There have been beaucoup threads about the topic and I've read through most of them and will not hash it out here.

[MrJim]

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I'm thinking it came out pretty good. Need to move the heater over just a bit so the cord follows the uptube~and the spongefilter is a bit crooked. Not concerned with hiding the pickup tube. I ran it with the filter on low last night and the sand settled nicely.

[MrJim]

Something odd I noticed with the corys last night after the were moved. The peppered was staying close to the panda, and at several points was facing into the panda sideways, like forming a "T". The panda would sit there a bit them move on and the peppered would follow after and after the panda would stop it go "T" again...I've read somewhere that they do that (or something similar) when breeding...maybe just a coincidence.

[troy]

Yep that's breeding. If you had some other peppered corys they would have bred.

[MrJim]

Yep that's breeding. If you had some other peppered corys they would have bred.

Guess no peppered panda huh? Would that at least mean the peppered is male & panda female or not necessarily?

[MrJim]

Some more notes about the change:

1. Since I could actually control the temperature with the Stealth I set it at around 74 instead of the 77 on the tetra whisper.
2. Turns out I have an AC20 and not AC30..that'll be remedied soon.
3. The peppered is still hovering and chasing the panda...maybe I should get a few peppered...haven't decided about stocking anymore.
4. The danios are actually acting civilized in their new home, maybe I won't feed them to the pirhanas after all.

I read an article in Aquarium Fish International (March 2009) about neons, and that they prefer cooler water in the 72 to 75 range (unlike the cardinals which prefer warmer 73-80). All of the current stock it seems like the cooler end of the scale, so I'll keep it in that range.

[MrJim]

Just did some water checks on the new set up..

Ammonia .25
PH 6.4
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 20

It's curious, water from the tap is like 7.2 but in the tank 6.4..

I have liquid test kit for Ammonia & PH but just the dipsticks for everything else. Will get a master kit, just don't care for the color code things, not exactly the clearest way to measure...I saw another kit for sale other than the ubiquitous API~Salifert~I'll ask around to see if anyone uses it.

Edit~just had to check the search :)

[MrJim]

Talking 'bout MTS~~already got the old 10 gal planned, going to take the danios out of the 20 and stick 'em in there, maybe add some corys or ghost shrimp.

Going to add some neons and peppered corys to the 20 then. Maybe the neons won't be as shy with the danios gone.

[MrJim]

Did my first cleaning with new set up~~Estes sand is heavy and even when stirred very little went up the siphon.

Also got 4 peppered corys today. I wondered how they would get along with the original peppered & panda-wow they started lovin' on each other as soon as they got together. As everyone said they are certainly more fun in a group than just one or two.

[MrJim]

Stopped in at lfs and picked up an AC70, an new digital thermometer (the old one didn't last very long), and some food~thought I'd try out the bloodworms.

I have the spongefilter from the 10 already in there and it's been in use for a while and I'll put in the sponges from the AC20 into the AC70. I think I'll put the charcoal in for a bit, I'm catching some tank odor though apparently no one else is, see if it helps.

[MrJim]

Put in the AC70~that's movin' some serious waterthumbs2:

After it was in the fishgang had to go over and investigate, it seems they like the current..

[MrJim]

I'm thinkin' maybe the 70 is too much, it's pushing out the sand in the front of the tank even at the low setting..the water turbulence seems a bit excessive and the residents are hanging around the other end of tank--maybe a 30 would have been a better choice..

[MrJim]

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The help around here is really great..

[MrJim]

After a couple weeks I've decided I don't care for the solid black background nor the solid black sand. Glad I didn't paint the back of the tank, and I think I'll get a 5 lb bag of white Estes to stir into my black sand.

[Sharon]

I think maybe you find it too dark? You may like the black background if you lighten up the sand....or lighten the background and leave the sand black?

[MrJim]

I think maybe you find it too dark? You may like the black background if you lighten up the sand....or lighten the background and leave the sand black?

I got a bag of white, going to pull some black, add the white and see what I got. Also got a new background but I'll see how it looks with the sand change.

Also not caring for the flourescent "fuzzy" look of the lighting..

[MrJim]

I pulled some black sand and added white & stirred it around. My youngest said "Look it's snowing in the fishtank!". Decided it wasn't enough and added the scenery background. I'll post a pic later, but I'm liking it so farthumbs2:

[Sharon]

I'm glad you like it...post a pic when you're ready!thumbs2:

[MrJim]

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[MrJim]

For two weeks now I've done twice weekly water changes~things are looking pretty good and everyone seems fine. I'm liking the saltNpepper sand, it does not show every bit of fishdroppings like the solid black did. I remember reading LadyHobbs remark about a certain color of sand showing everything, I think she was talking about a lighter color, but the dark isn't much better.

I think I've found a spot for the 10 gal to be set up, and I've a week off next month so that may be a project then.

And I mentioned sending the GF to a pond, and that didn't go over well with the Mrs., so maybe I can get rid of the sectional sofa in the living room and find a spot for a 29 gal for the GF + another comet and make it a genuine GF tank:ssmile:

Is there a cure for MTS?

[MrJim]

Second time in a week I'm dealing with sand jamming the filter. I got a piece of slate for underneath and posted a thread looking for suggestions. I sure don't like the idea of putting a sponge or mesh over the intake and I can't really raise the tube because of the configuration of the filter, and the higher the tube is raised I would think the less effective the filtration. The spongefilter in the corner never quits working so I'm good with bacteria and filtration temporarily while I fix the AC...and I've gotten pretty good at pulling, clearing, rinsing and returning it to the tank, not a skill I was looking to develope so quickly:hmm3grin2orange: I'm just wondering where the sand is coming from~I don't even stir up that much when I vacuum, you'd think that would be when it happens, but I'm finding sand under the filter media when I pull the basket out. I think the GF plowing through the sand like she's some kind of trenchdigger might be doing it, no one else is big enough to stir it up.

I may gravel off 1/3 of the tank and eliminate the sand at that end if the slate doesn't work out...I've seen some tanks done that way and they do look pretty neat, gives the corys their sand to play in...just have to think through the color thing..

[MrJim]

:19: I got awards, I got gifts, I'm like a real AC dude nowthumbs2:

[MCHRKiller]

I really must commend you for taking such wonderful care of your fish, most people just cast comet golds off as inferior fish. Yours is proof that isnt so, its a beautiful fish...and I do like your sand being mixed like that :)

[MrJim]

I really must commend you for taking such wonderful care of your fish, most people just cast comet golds off as inferior fish. Yours is proof that isnt so, its a beautiful fish...and I do like your sand being mixed like that :)

She is the only one in the tank that seems to recognize us~course she is larger and has big eyes, but she's the closest thing to coming home and having a puppy jump on ya (my wife is allergic to all furry critters).

She is a neat fish, perhaps not exotic, but never boring. I've noticed her now getting into the cave with the catfish. I've spied her in there with at least four corys, just huddled in hanging out or resting or being a mother hen, who knows? I do wonder how well they see & recognize. My wife does all the feeding, and she gets way more excited when my wife approaches the tank than when I do.:hmm3grin2orange:

[Sharon]

Beautiful setup Jim!!!

[Taurus]

Very nice looking tank and decor MrJim. thumbs2:

[MrJim]

The slate didn't work out~graveled off a section of the tank near the intake..the stones are mostly very smooth pebbles...

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Not sure where I'm going with this, but may pull out the sand and save for a deeper tank (29) and go with the smooth stones, or I may 'scape out another section with stones...the effect is interesting but have to see how it plays out, and how much tearing up the bulldozer does..:hmm3grin2orange:

I've thought of slowing down the filter intake by using the methods described earlier but I do want the amount of filtration to stay as max as possible, so it may just be that sand isn't going to work for this..though I've become quite expert at stripping the motor and impellor from an AC filter..

...and the residents are doing well, the GF seemed to recognize her old stones right away and began sucking & spitting them again..

[MrJim]

My wife sent me an email at work saying the panda cory had fungus on it~~when I got home I set up the quarantine tank and added meds but he was dead this morning---everyone else seems fine, sure happened fast. Have to test the water parameters but don't expect any surprises...had him about a year:scry:

[MrJim]

Tank parameters:
Ammonia 0-.25
PH 6
NitrItes 0
NitrAtes 20

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[troy]

You should have no ammonia at all.

[MrJim]

I always have a trace of ammonia~never tested that there wasn't any..

[MrJim]

Decided to move the neons and corys back into the 10 that is now upstairs in the bedroom (just collecting dust) and leave the danios & gf downstairs in the 20. Never had a tank in the bedroom before. We live on a very busy street and have to run small fans (two in the summer) to drown the street noise, so I don't expect the tank noise to be much of a problem..this project gets started very soon, and no later than the last full week of April since I have vacation that week. I've been seeding sponge for the AC20 that's going into the 10 so cycling isn't an issue.

[MrJim]

I've not had a single occasion of sand jamming the filter since putting the stones back in~~the two have blended together a bit, seems like it was the best solution. I'm putting together the 10 gal project next week (I'm on vacation), have been seeding sponge & biomax in my AC70 for weeks now. I do want to get another spongefilter for the ten just like what is in the 20-I'd better order that right now. For some reason NONE of the three LFS in town have spongefilters...go figure.

[MrJim]

We went away for a few days~left Sunday afternoon and just got back. The neighbor fed and kept eye on tank but sometime from this morning until we got home sand got into the filter and jammed it up. That's the last straw~~the sand is getting pulled this week when I set up the 10 gal and separate the inhabitants...just isn't worth the hassle. I got some smooth small stones (Estes) for the 10 and I'll just get some more for the 20...I consider the sand experiment to be a dud, but I'm glad I tried it-got it out of my system.

While out on vacation in the Winchester VA area (went to Luray Caverns & Harpers Ferry) I got into two LFS, one in Winchester and one in Front Roya VA...saw some things I hadn't seen before. I had to call someone over to ask what one critter was. It looked like a stingray almost, tiny little thing stuck to the side of the tank like a pleco except it was so small. The girl said it was a Butterfly Pleco and she said it gets up to about 4" long...funny looking little thing. Still, at both stores there were too many dead fish in the water. I know it was Monday and maybe they were closed Sunday and one store had gotten shipments of new fish so people were busy, but still...

[Taurus]

Yep. That's why I don't want sand in my tank Jim. Sand and AC filter don't mix well. :22:

[MrJim]

Yep. That's why I don't want sand in my tank Jim. Sand and AC filter don't mix well. :22:

Well when I get big enough tanks to run canisters then look out:hmm3grin2orange:

[Taurus]

You may have to put sponge covers on the canister's in take. Anyway..I'm glad you posted the out come to your journal. :22:

[MrJim]

You're welcome...

Got a big day coming up, probably Friday, when I separate the tank inhabitants into two tanks, and become a MTS victim:ssmile: ...I don't think the neons are going to miss the danios, and I've added a small sarassa comet to the 20. I'm going to lower the tank temp from 73 to 72-71 and in a couple weeks lower it again to 69-70. [Then sometime next year I'm going to exchange the 20L for a 29 since the comets will need more room.] Maybe I add a couple more danios? The comets just ignore them, maybe if there are a few more they'll calm down (or maybe not).

I'm going to keep the 10 gal at 72 degrees~~add a few more neons and maybe a couple more pepper corys. When I look at neons in the LFS they are so small, and mine have gotten so large. Maybe since they won't be cowering in the corner hiding from the danios they'll get more excercise swimming around.

[MrJim]

I had tried out the fresh foods in my tank with no results. I got a clip, and tried some lettuce but didn't get any nibbles, maybe it was too tough. Then I tried some cucumber-zapped it in the microwave for about 6 seconds to soften a bit. It wasn't long before the GF found it. I'd not seen behavior from her like this before-she went a bit nuts. All I can figure is she was so excited that there was food she didn't have to fight anyone over to get. At times it seemed like she flared herself at the cucumber-she couldn't have gotten her fins stretched out any more. Then she would attack the food like a starved pirahna, and I thought she was gonna rip the clip off the suction cup. The smaller comet got to eat off it too...looking forward to zucchini season.

My only grump is that I can't leave it for the otos-pig would eat it all or until she burst...otos are pretty fat, they're eating well...but not sure if I'm going to keep them in with the GF/Danio tank or move them over to the cory/neon tank...have to check alternatives to algae control...wonder if there are any cooler water small plecs that would work out--too bad that butterfly plec has to have warmer water..do weather loaches eat algae?

[MrJim]

Project done~officially a multi-tank dude. After setting up the 10 upstairs, which went nicely:
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I removed the sand and gravel from the 20 to replace with a small smooth Estes gravel I found. I figured I'd never get all the sand out--I just planned on getting out what I could without removing the fish though I moved the new residents from the 20 to the 10 (see sig). Turns out I was easily able to remove all the sand. Just by waving my fingers I was able to drift the sand into the corner for easy scoop out.

I just love how bright the new gravel is now

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~~I can understand the reasons folks like the dark backgrounds (which I did use black on the 10) and dark substrates, but for me I like it brighter, and am finally really pleased with how it looks, and that's the bottom line, right? In a couple weeks (after plenty of monitoring) I'm going to add some more neons to the 10 and a couple more danios to the 20, and may add a couple of otos to the 10 if algae becomes a problem. I could just move the otos back and forth, but they're the hardest critters to catch so I think that ain't much of an option. I think maybe 3 more neons; that would total 7 neons and 5 corys, maybe a bit crowded, we'll see how it goes.

[MrJim]

And I did add floss to both filters~~I had biomax & sponge for the AC20 in the AC 70 for a couple months-when I put them in the 20 I replaced the space with floss-also put some in the 20..interested to see how dirty it gets, I put it between the sponge and the biomax.

[Taurus]

Project done~officially a multi-tank dude. After setting up the 10 upstairs, which went nicely:

~~I can understand the reasons folks like the dark backgrounds (which I did use black on the 10) and dark substrates, but for me I like it brighter, and am finally really pleased with how it looks, and that's the bottom line, right?

You got it Jim. If you're please and happy with the look of your tank, that is the bottom line. I think it look just fine. I think you're going to be pleased with what the layer of floss will do for you are far as keeping the water clear. I usually change mine every couple of weeks. You've got the sponge and the biomax to house bacteria. Clarity of water is what you get when you add the floss. Did you pick up the quilt batting with no fire retardent int it? :22:

[MrJim]

You got it Jim. If you're please and happy with the look of your tank, that is the bottom line. I think it look just fine. I think you're going to be pleased with what the layer of floss will do for you are far as keeping the water clear. I usually change mine every couple of weeks. You've got the sponge and the biomax to house bacteria. Clarity of water is what you get when you add the floss. Did you pick up the quilt batting with no fire retardent int it? :22:

I got a big bag of floss from Petsmart. My water has always been clear, guess I'm in for crystal:ssmile:

[MrJim]

Well this didn't go as planned~~the water got up to 82 degrees and the tetras looked like they were stressing, really breathing fast, so I pulled everyone out and put them back in their original home. So I have a nice 10 gal tank that I need a resident that likes his water between 80-85..

[Taurus]

How did the water temp get up that high? Did the heater malfunction Jim?

[MrJim]

How did the water temp get up that high? Did the heater malfunction Jim?
No, it's upstairs and it got up to 90 degrees yesterday and there's not AC/Central in our house upstairs.

[MrJim]

The guppies are managing fine; they are an interesting fish. They are two males and they genuinely seem to be enjoying each other's company. They gently chase each other around a bit, swim together, bump around each other, but not in the psycho-boisterous manner of the danios nor in the timid manner of the neons.

In the other tank the attention is on the corys~~the original first pepper (which I'm guessing it male) is seriously all over one of the smaller ones (female?)~~the antics are interesting, sort of like watching a teenage dance. He huddles up close, on occasion hovering almost on top, nudging and cuddling in a most tender sort of way...maybe if there are eggs they'd be in the cave though I doubt any fry would survive to be seen thanks to that vacuum-cleaner goldfish.

I'm already considering upgrading the 20 to a 29 since the only cost would be the tank itself~everything else (stand, filter, heater etc) would fit on it so it wouldn't be a big expense...and I keep mentally rearranging and changing the furniture in the house to accomodate more tanks~:ssmile: I'm still not sure the 10 gal upstairs is really going to work when we get continued hot weather and it can get freaky hot here in the Cumberland Valley. (The AC runs downstairs but I'm not putting in one upstairs, neither my wife nor I can sleep in AC very well.) Anyhow I would still like to have the corys & tetras separated, have the goldfish and danios together, and maybe have a cichlid tank-my youngest think those strange blood parrots are just the neatest fish at the LFS (though obviously I'd have to research that further).

Work has been super busy-56 hours this week; haven't been posting much but I lurk through a couple times a day---I check the "New Post" list to see what all is going on...hoping one of the geniuses come up with a super easy-super cheap chiller idea:hmm3grin2orange:

[MrJim]

I added two mystery snails to the guppy tank~all's going well so far with both tanks, everyone happy and fat.:hmm3grin2orange:

[MrJim]

OK the snails have gotten more attention from my boys than any of the fish have ever received...go figure :)

[MrJim]

For the record I'm linking this thread ([Only Registered Users Can See Links.]); yesterday the big comet attempted to eat a live cory-all the details are in there. In short the cory didn't survive.

Interesting idea that the spines on the cory are defensive. The only way they are defensive is that the attacking fish dies, and since the cory dies along with it, the cory is sacrificing self for the good of the rest of the cory family so the attacker can't get anyone else. Interesting...

[MrJim]

Everyone is doing well. I'm feeding a spinach leaf once a week to the comets; they're loving it. Considering a couple female guppies for the pair of males; haven't decided for sure yet.

Everytime I look at the 20L I regret not getting the 29. I do water changes about every 5 days, and the parameters are good and it just looks exquisite in there; still it's a bit crowded. Thing is I'd only have to get the tank itself which isn't that costly. Since the footprint is the same everything else can just go right back...just might finish my coffee and sneak out and snag one though the missus will raise cain about it, especially since the 20L isn't that old...

[PostalPenguin]

Since the footprint is the same everything else can just go right back...just might finish my coffee and sneak out and snag one though the missus will raise cain about it, especially since the 20L isn't that old...

Just tell her in regards to aquariums: Size does matter and bigger is always better. thumbs2:

[MrJim]

Just tell her in regards to aquariums: Size does matter and bigger is always better. thumbs2:
:hmm3grin2orange:

[MrJim]

I found one of my otos dead stuck to the intake tube yesterday. There was a bit of spinach on the intake and I'm wondering if it was trying to get at it and got hung up on it. He looked fine upon examination, just bent from where he was against the tube.:scry:

[MrJim]

I have a small fan at the water level on the 10 gal moving air across it and it's doing a fine job keeping the water temp steady..

[MrJim]

I stopped in at a LFS (not a chain) and when a girl came up to me and asked if she could help:

"I want 4 female guppies", I said

She raised her eyebrows and looked at the tank and said, "Are you serious?"

She thought I was joking because she obviously couldn't tell the gender. So she called for the boss and he knew what was going on.

Then while I'm there a lady walks up asking how many neons were in the tank and the girl says "I don't know" so the lady counts them; I guess there were a dozen or so.

The girl asks "How many do you want?"

The lady replies, "I'll take all of them":hmm3grin2orange:

[MrJim]

The water parameters are great but I'm down to two female guppies~~not sure what the problem is but when they die they die fast...snails still having a good time..

Added two albino corys to the 10 gal, we'll see what happens...I'm going to do some tests yet again and post, maybe something will surface.

I'm thinking (again) of putting sand in the 10; since there's no bigmouthed comet spitting sand everywhere + having a sponge over the intake it should work out nicely...we'll see.

[MrJim]

The water parameters are great but I'm down to two female guppies~~not sure what the problem is but when they die they die fast...snails still having a good time..

Added two albino corys to the 10 gal, we'll see what happens...I'm going to do some tests yet again and post, maybe something will surface.

I'm thinking (again) of putting sand in the 10; since there's no bigmouthed comet spitting sand everywhere + having a sponge over the intake it should work out nicely...we'll see.

One of the albinos was dead this morning..:scry:

Tank parameters:

80 degrees
Ammonia: 0
Nitrites: 0
Nitrates: 20
PH 6.4

I have liquid test kits for the ammonia & ph; I'm using dipsticks for the rest-maybe time to invest in a master kit. PH test on the dipstick was around the 6.2 color so it was pretty close. There's plenty of O2 getting into the water; there's a spongefilter on one side and since the water level is down a couple inches for the snail there's lots of turbulence with the return water from the AC20.

Still investigating..

[MrJim]

Comet ate another cory [Only Registered Users Can See Links.] so what everyone said was true, if it fits in the mouth it gets eaten. I guess I'm moving the remaining corys to the upstairs tank--gonna ask the local lfs if they'll take my comets.

[ShadoWolf800]

I'm sorry to hear about the albino corys... :(
How big are they?

[MrJim]

I'm sorry to hear about the albino corys... :(
How big are they?

About an inch or so.

Within the past 2 days I've lost the other albino and one of the peppered..did a 50% and gently cleaned the filter media (replaced floss, rinsed sponge in tank water). I'll just not add anything else till, as my wife says, "this tank settles down".

Snails seems to enjoying themselves though :hmm3grin2orange:

[ShadoWolf800]

What do the snails eat? Just stuff the others leave behind?

[MrJim]

What do the snails eat? Just stuff the others leave behind?

Sometimes they crawl over one of the sinking wafers and munch that~~they eat the leftovers, burrow into the gravel after stuff, work over the algae? on the glass..I guess it's algae, I don't see anything but when they are going over the glass you can see their little mouths munching something.

**

No more deaths in the 10 since last post, don't think either of the females are pregnant, maybe pick up a male today?

[MrJim]

I replaced the spongefilter with the old Whisper internal powerfilter..since I'm keeping the water level a little lower for the snail's sake I figured why not? I put in a small piece of sponge at the bottom, stuffed in some floss, and topped it with a bag of biomax. Tank water looks extra clean. The splashing of the AC creates enough surface turbulence and putting bubbles into the water (easily into 2/3 depth of tank) since the water level is lower so I should be good with aeration.

I didn't get a male~~I think I'll just let it alone for a while.

I don't mention the main tank much~~all is well there too.:ssmile:

[MrJim]

Found the oto dead this morning in the main tank~~his stomach area was swollen a bit, not sure what happened there..at least the GF didn't try to eat it..

[MrJim]

Added to mystery snails to the 20 gal last weekend, so far ok though I wonder how long before the comet knocks one off the glass. They are smaller ones than what I have in the 10.

[MrJim]

I added a male guppy to the 10 gal~~we'll see if we get any young 'uns...even still when I visit LFS I want big snails instead of fish...they are great to watch. The young ones in the 20 are shy; the big ones in the 10 are so bold that when I vac the gravel unless I actually bump them they continue with their crawling as they they own the place:hmm3grin2orange:

[MrJim]

The little comet was dead this mornin~nothing seemed out of the ordinary, just did a water change yesterday and everyone else seemed fine. Odd thing about that fish is that during the time I had it there was never any appearance of growth at all...just seems a bit odd..everyone else is ok though.

It seems like the snails in the big tank aren't as bold as the ones in the small one. I'm guessing that it's because the fish in the small tank are small and not rambunctious like the comet & danios in the large one.

The snails in the large one, particularly the gold one, don't seem to scare quickly. And yesterday during the water change I picked it up to move it and he wouldn't even retract into his shell, it was like "Get done dude, I'm busy here":hmm3grin2orange:

I saw a SW tank today at a doctor's office (my son broke some bones in his wrist/arm~we have a surgical appt today at 3 pm) and there was a snail in there, didn't know there were SW snails, I could tell by watching it that is was different than mine, it almost looked like it had two "feet" instead of one...

[MrJim]

I bought a new 29 gal tank today~~just using the stand/hood from the 20L to upgrade my downstairs tank...yeah the mrs. wasn't too happy about it since the 20L is only 6 months old but I'm thinking about my comet:11:

I get to work on that little project this afternoon, won't be much of a job since the only difference between the 29 & the 20 is the background~~same gravel, same two decorations, same everything except more room.

I might later on get a few more neons but then might not, guess we'll see...'course the next question is what am I gonna do with the 20-sin to let a tank sit empty ya know...thinkin' maybe...fiddler crabs:ssuprised:

[Taurus]

I bought a new 29 gal tank today~~just using the stand/hood from the 20L to upgrade my downstairs tank...yeah the mrs. wasn't too happy about it since the 20L is only 6 months old but I'm thinking about my comet:11:


Just did the same thing myself Mr. Jim. Good luck with the 29g. thumbs2:

[MrJim]

Just did the same thing myself Mr. Jim. Good luck with the 29g. thumbs2:

Well thanks~~it turned out great, just one casualty. One of danios either got dropped from the net or jumped from the bowl and I stepped on it:scry: ....but other than that it was a clean transition. The comet immediately discovered the extra space, the danios & neons are still kinda hanging out at the bottom end just wondering what's going on. This is the 5th home for the comet in 2 years...showed up in a tiny glass bowl, put into a 2.5, then a 10, then a 20, now the 29...with the extra room and the different bluish background she really looks good moving around in all that extra room.

I also put the extension onto the AC70...I didn't really think much of it buy my 9 y/o son thought it ought to go on and then it made sense to put it on...he's full of advice.:hmm3grin2orange:

[Taurus]

LOL..I'll bet he is. I have two extensions on my AC50, and no extension on the AC30. But that's just me. I think your AC70 is set up just fine. :22:

[MrJim]

I have a Hydro2 spongefilter running in there too...we'll see how it goes, maybe I pull it and put in another AC, can't have too much filtration with a growin' comet in there.

Nice to be able just to replace the tank and not the filter & heater and such, though now my oldest son thinks the decorations look too short in there..just can't please everyone..

[Taurus]

I wouldn't think you'd need another AC filter with the AC70 and the Sponge filter in there. I would get sick of listening to the air pump for the Sponge filter though. Even if you remove the sponge filter and air pump, I think you're fine with the AC70 alone as long as you keep up vacuuming with water changes. I do about a 35% water change with vacuum twice per week with an Angel, 8 Pristella Tetra, and a BN Pleco in the tank.

The other thing I'll like to mention is I'm all done buying HOB filters. The ACs work great, but an AC with a small canister (Rena xp1, xp2) is even better. Future investments in filters will be canisters for me. I would do most of the biofiltration with the canister. :ssmile:

[MrJim]

Guppy started dropping fry~wife noticed some swimming around the tank, so I put her in the breeder tank (guppy not the wife) and collected two of the fry so far...I noticed she looked a bit thinner this morning (guppy not the wife) so I was suspicious but my eyes aren't as sharp as they used to be...

[MrJim]

[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

Next time I'll have the tv off and cover that red light thing(blush)

[Taurus]

(guppy not the wife)

Thanks for the clarification. thumbs2:

[MrJim]

The male gup wouldn't leave the female alone, and yeah I need to have another female or two in there but didn't want to introduce any new fish to the tank since there are fry in there so I came up with a solution. I acclimatized him into the 29...he's so energetic about chasing the female maybe he can play his grab a$$ games with the danios for awhile:hmm3grin2orange:

[MrJim]

I'm surprised~the male guppy is not intimidated all all by the danios~I watch him go nose-to-nose with them and the danio turns away...he really is a little studmuffin:hmm3grin2orange:

[MrJim]

Late last night we found another fry just hangin' round outside the breeder trap..now I'm wondering how many got sucked into the filters..

[MrJim]

Almost two weeks later and the fry are doing well...still have them in the breeder trap. I use some airline and "vac" the bottom of the trap, and I flush the trap several times a day to make sure fresh water gets in. The mother hangs around it~it would be nice to think she's checking on her kids; she's probably just smelling food..

[MrJim]

Changed the 10 gal to a sand bottom since it seems it's gonna be a cory tank~~had plenty of black/white sand left over...figuring the corys aren't gonna be blowing sand all around like the comet did, and the pickup tube is much higher than the AC70 was in the 20L so we'll see how it goes.

[MrJim]

I took the sponge off the pickup tube~sand jammed the impellor by late afternoon...I guess I'll leave the sponge on awhile.

[MrJim]

I finally got some pool filter sand~I can see why folks like it, and it sure was clean. I rinsed it and there was no dirt, just a bit of color--so far so good..the measure is whether it will stay down and not get pulled up into the AC filter--put it into the 10 gal, we'll see if the corys like it.

[MrJim]

Next day, no sponge over the intake on the AC, no impellor jams~~this pool filter sand is great.

[Taurus]

Jim, I'm glad you finally found a substrate that works for you.

[MrJim]

Jim, I'm glad you finally found a substrate that works for you.

Yeah me too~~now if I can just figure a place for my 20L then all will be well in the world:ssmile:

[Taurus]

It'll work out, Jim. I like what you're doing with medium to small sized tanks as my tanks are similar in size.

[MrJim]

4 months to the day of the first batch of fry we find two more small fry swimming around. We'd separated the male a few days after the first batch, so either he impregnated her immediately or this was one of those deals where mama stored the sperm~~in any event it was a surprise, guess we'll see if there are anymore in the morning.

[MrJim]

Well there were over a dozen fry this morning swimming about~~I caught about 3 or 4 and put into the breeder trap with the others...most everyone else got taken downstairs and fed to the 29 gal tank. I thought the comet might get them but the neons and the danios made short work of the fry, but they enjoyed their live breakfast. With live food in the tank the neons personalities almost got fierce:hmm3grin2orange:

[MrJim]

I'm going to move the fry to my 2.5 gal tank today~~haven't decided about filtration yet, I may use the little air-powered intank Whisper I first got or the Hydro2 that's in the 29. I have another Hydro I can replace with, and it's been in the tank for months, but it is big. I figured I could take gravel from the 29, put in a bag, and between the gravel and the filter we'd have enough bacteria for the tank. I've also got a small spare heater for the little tank. There are 13 fry in the breeder trap, everyone looks ok so far but will have to keep eye out to do any necessary culling, but time to move them into something bigger.

[MrJim]

I ditched the intank Whisper in the 10 gal and picked up another AC20 so there are two of them on it now. Also got two more peppered corys for the upstairs tank. I put in a flower pot but it is much too big, but I did find the perfect size today at another place so it's soaking overnight, and this big one will go downstairs into the 29.

I got 4 more neons for the 29...it was funny to watch 'cause they are small, and the 3 I have are fairly large. After acclimatizing and I put them in they gathered and as a group they starting looking around, and then one of the natives found the wandering group and next thing you know all 7 are huddled together swappin' stories...funny how they know their kind I guess.

So ends the fish buying for now; the numbers are where I wanted, and I've got fry growing out so we'll see how things go; and I still have the 20L tank in the basement to figure.

I am going to ditch the spongefilter in the 29 and add an AC50 to go with the AC70~~maybe overkill but so what. Since I reduced the depth of the gravel the 29 is staying exceptionally clean, not much comes up on the weekly gravel vacuum. Also, I picked up a 6' length of 7/8" ID hose. Once gravel vac is done I finish syphoning with that-takes no time to get the water out with that:hmm3grin2orange:

Love my tanks:19:

[Taurus]

Jim, before you buy another AC filter (AC50), rethink your options. If you put an AC50 and AC70 on the 29g, the price of those two HOB filters comes close to purchasing a mid-sized canister. Do you eventually want to put the 20 l back into service? Maybe try some GRBs or Kribensis in it?

You're talking about buying two more AC filters, an AC20 and AC50. Think about the future use of the 20l and maybe switching your current AC filters around. By the time you buy AC20 and AC50, you maybe close to the purchase of a small canister such as a Rena xp1, or Cascade 500. Just a thought. :22:

An AC50 plus AC70 on a 29g is going to put a lot of current into the tank. A small to mid-sized canister would give you much more media capacity without the current. Add a spray bar on the canister output and you can control the direction and flow of the output current.

[Taurus]

Small Canisters to think about, Jim:

[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

[MrJim]

I finally got shed of the spongefilter in the 29~~replaced it with an AC50, so along with the AC70 should be plenty of filter for the tank:hmm3grin2orange:

Actually the 50 is in anticipation of getting the 20L set back up.

Also added a weighted bubble wand under the gravel~~unsure at this point if I like it or not but time will tell.

I like the canister idea but am waiting a bit for that.

[MrJim]

Last Sunday I did some aquascaping with my collection of plastic plants. I wanted to put a bubble curtain in the middle of the tank floor, and ended up needing some weight on the hose so I put the weighted plant thing on the hose, then I had a hole, then I stuck another plant here and there and next thing I know it looked pretty cool.

I also had seven neons last Sunday.

It had been a busy week so I'd not looked in on the tank much.

Wednesday morning there's a note from my wife (she was up late) and said the "papa guppy is missing". So looked around for him but found nothing, figured maybe he died and ended up a comet snack.

Thursday I come home from work and my wife says, "You know you only have three tetras left?" :ssuprised: What? So I look and yup, no bodies and there are only three. They looked great, colors were brilliant. So now I have a mystery.

Friday I come home from work and there are two.

This morning I wake up and there is one.

I watched the tank closely yesterday and this morning, and with the addition of the extra plants I've watched the comet, and it's as though she's taken to some freaky kind of stalking/prowling down low around the plants. All I can figure is that she is snacking on these smaller fish.

Is it possible that a comet would have some predator insticts? I always figured when she ate something (like those two cory episodes I had) that she ate them by accident, just sucking one in when she is sucking up stones when she "vacuums" the gravel. Now I'm just getting suspicious.

The danios and female guppies haven't been affected, but then they are faster & quicker than the "victims" were.

(Also posting this in General Aquarium)

[MrJim]

...and the last neon was gone this morning..

[MrJim]

Added 6 Zebras and a small comet to the 29~~cool to see all 9 of the danios schooling, but disheartening to see the big Queen comet actually chasing after the smaller ones. I expect this kind of behavior from other kinds of fish folks describe around here, but after 2.5 years she is showing another side of comet behavior.

I told my wife that maneaters in the wild, like tigers or leopards, realize how easy a person is to catch and eat and develope a taste for the new prey; I suppose this is something similar.

I'm wondering if she is not getting enough to eat...but then I think she would eat 24/7 if she had the option. I added the other comet in hopes that perhaps some kind of companionship will help, though it is a fair bit smaller. It was actually in the same tank as the zebras (Petsmart keeps a comet in most of the community tanks for snail control). It's like a miniature of the Queen.

[Scrup]

My comets demolished my coral platies and my neons,and a few of the smaller guppies. As soon as they figure out that small fish can be food too, they treat them like food.

[MrJim]

My comets demolished my coral platies and my neons,and a few of the smaller guppies. As soon as they figure out that small fish can be food too, they treat them like food.

Yeah, that's just what happened to the 6 new zebras I got~even though some were a bit smaller than I liked the comet hadn't munched any zebras so I figured they were quick enough.

Wrong.

I had 9 total, and I'm down to 5, with one missing its tail fin.

I moved the two smaller zebras and the two female guppies up to the snail/cory tank...I never planned on having a predator fish:sconfused:

[MrJim]

Well I had to take out the remaining zebras~the comet ate another when I thought it would be too big, so that's that. I don't even think dojo loaches would be safe so I guess it'll be a goldfish tank after all.

[MrJim]

Added 4 giant danio to the comet tank last week and everyone is getting along great. The big comet chased after them early on, and they were a bit nervous the first few day, but I guess after the comet realized she couldn't eat them she left them alone, and when the danio realized they weren't getting chased they chillaxed.:ssmile:

[MrJim]

Well I took the sand out of the 10 gal today and replaced with pea-sized gravel. It worked out fine, just decided I didn't really like the looks of sand over gravel...it's smooth so the corys will be fine. Part of the aquarium experience is experimenting.

...and speaking of experimenting I had a clay pot in the tank that was just a bit large so I wanted to break it in half--yeah that didn't work out so well:ssuprised: ~~next time I'll break the bottom out first, then try to half it.

9 y/o son: "Dad, why are you breaking the pot?"
Me: "I'm not breaking it, just want to make half size."
Son: "Looks like you're breaking it though."
Me: "No, I know what I'm doing."

<<A few too many taps with hammer>>

Son: "Yup you broke it, maybe you shouldn't have broke it, Mom'll be mad."

:hmm3grin2orange:

~~In other news the fry are coming along nicely, I think all 13 are females, go figure====and the giant danios have established their preseence with the comet and all are getting along nicely. It's strange that the comet hasn't gone after the oto through all this.

And the comets sure like their Romaine lettuce :)

[Taurus]

Part of the aquarium experience is experimenting.


So very true Jim. Glad most things seem to be going well for your tank.

By the way, you tell a great story. :ssmile:

[MrJim]

So as I was heading to bed last night I peeked into the 29 gal tank and the oto's tail fin was hanging out the comet's mouth...I told the wife I hope she chokes on it~~so when I get up this morning and look into the tank the tail is still in the same place and there was a note from the wife sayin' "I think she's dying, can you help her!!!???"...so I get out the needlenose pliers and capture the comet and she manages to flop out of my hand onto the floor (it's 5:15 a.m.) but I manage to remove the deceased oto..and when I get home from work the comet is all happy and swimming around like nothing happened...

So it'll be snails & scrub pad to control the algae~~shoulda moved the oto to the 10 gal tank...:scry:

In other news I saw a "Jade Goby" (IIRC) at the LFS~~creepy lookin' thing. What was interesting is that they had put a small comet in as a feeder for it and it was half-heartedly stalking the thing. The comet looked awful ragged; I saw half-dozen attempts at snatching it but the comet always got away...but the goby didn't seem like he was trying very hard either..:hmm3grin2orange:

[MrJim]

One of the things I like about the darker tan/brown gravel over the lighter pool sand is the the peppered corys color is a lot nicer~interesting how they adjust their colors a bit~~their pale look isn't the nicest. The other thing is that they don't hide so much in the daytime with the darker substrate, maybe the light color + the overhead light made them a bit skittish? Now they are like their old selves prowling around instead of hiding in the cave.

The cave is an interesting thing~~just something I picked up at Petsmart. The corys will hide out in there, and the snails will hide out in there too, and sometimes all the corys and both snails will crowd in there. I tell my kids that they are having some kind of party in the basement of the cave thumbs2:

[MrJim]

quick note~added a small snail to the fry tank for the algae, but if they don't leave it alone I'll have to move it out. Also added a stud to the gup tank, the girls seemed lonely:ssmile:

[MrJim]

Yeah OK I see how it is~~the young gups would not let the snail alone, maybe it's just a little kid thing or something. So I moved her in with the other two snails in the 10. That makes one male and two female snails in there so maybe there'll be some babies soon.

I'm also going to move some of the young gups into the 10. I've absolutely got to come up with some plan to move the 10 gal occupants to the 20 but I can't put the 20 where the 10 is...currently it's on a dresser in the upstairs bedroom, and I don't want to double the weight onto that dresser so I've got to come up with some kind of plan.

Crazy thing is I actually like the 10 tank better than the 29. The community there is a hoot to watch, and the snails are just great. When I put the small one in yesterday it really made the other two look like giants.

[MrJim]

Time to update~~been away for awhile..

The 29 is now officially a coldwater tank, and the two comets seem to like it that way. That means in our house that the coldest it gets is around 68. The giant danios most all died off and I ended up executing the final two (clove oil formula works nicely). This was at a temp setting of 73 but they were rather nervous fish anyhow. A few weeks later I introduced another couple comets but they were dead within 12 hours, I didn't bother getting a refund from petsmart but that was the fastest I saw fish die.

I introduced an oto to the upstairs 10 gal tank, all well. Gotta get that bunched moved into the 20L so I can put all the gup fry into it. The guppy pair are interesting; the male isn't a horny angry fellow like his predecessor, he's almost a nurturing sort of male, often lets her alone for long periods of time and I'll see her seek him out at times. He'll hang around and gently nuzzle at her, but he's not like the father of the fry, a yellow-tailed terror that would constantly harass both females. The corys are their usual happy selves. I did a filter cleaning today at the usual Saturday morning water change. I syphon out some water to rinse the media; they lined up at the glass confused because I hadn't stirred up the gravel--they like that 'cause then they can get at stuff they normally can't reach..it's fun to watch. I want to get everyone into the 20L so I can add a couple more peppered to the crowd.

Guess I can't really call them fry after 7 months, couple nice males in the 2.5 gal tank. I can see I kept them in the breeder trap too long and stunted their growth but they are a happy active bunch inspite of my screwups.

[MrJim]

Introduced a small sarassa comet to the cold tank~~when it and the smaller comet get a bit bigger then I can move up to a bigger tank :)

Nothin' new~all's well with the finned fellows. Female gup died last Saturday, not sure what happened, I noticed her acting real strange during a tank cleaning and got to wondering if I accidentally smacked her when I was vacuuming the tank. :(

The LFS had some real nice large common GF~~dude said someone brought them in from a pond. One was bigger than my soon-to-be 3 y/o comet, thought maybe they'd make a couple but I didn't have enough tank for a guy that big...still I was tempted.

[MrJim]

Finally moved the young gups in with rest~~all doing well though I definitely have a couple of runts in there. Moving all into my 20L as soon as I get rid of some furniture (no, really, replacing the sectional with just a sofa and recliner and putting the 20 in the living room).

Then I still want to keep the 10 going, think I might try putting a betta in there. Guess I'll be back here at AC more often then. I don't think about stopping in much unless I have questions about stuff~~most of my online time is at the gunsite.

Comets continue to do great~the sarassa is tiny but bold. I think the big girl likes having company...when it was just the two of them she seemed to sulk in the corner a lot...and there's plenty of room to put a 40 or 55 there when they get bigger:hmm3grin2orange:

[MrJim]

:19: okedokee:19: ~~replaced the 10 with the 20L ~~so the 6 corys & 1 oto & 4 danions & 9 gups have a more room to play. Odd collection~the gups stay at the very top, the danios right in the middle, and the corys on the bottom...put both AC20s that were on the 10 onto the 20L.

I shot a video of the 29 & the comets~~maybe I'll get it onto youtube & link it shortly.

[MrJim]

Just poppin' to keep current~

29~just the queen these days, lost the sarassa a couple months ago~she seems bulletproof while her tank mates don't survive. I've seen her bullying others so I figure she's going to be alone for a while. Whereas in the past she seemed to pout in the corner when she was alone it is as though she prefers it now, maybe realizes there's no competition at feeding time.

20L~4 danios & all the corys still kickin' it. Guppies all died off quick though...

2.5~I have 3d generation of gups, grandkids of the yellow male I mentioned sometime back. One male and 5 females doing great...they're always glad to see me come home.:hmm3grin2orange:

[MrJim]

Moved the 6 gups into the 10 gal~~quadrupled their room but they act like they're still living in the little tank. They'll begin exploring soon I bet...going to add another couple females since these 6 are all siblings.

On another note my two otos are doing very well except one is now so fat that when it is against the glass he/she rocks against the glass since the belly is so round...maybe it's a she and we're preggers:hmm3grin2orange:

[MrJim]

Introduced another comet to the 29 and less than 48 hours later it's covered in some fungus looking stuff. Come here to research and find out it's called "Costia". I think it's my fault it happened. Found two threads that gave me all the info I need to treat it..this site rocks thumbs2:

[MrJim]

The gold comet died yesterday~causes unknown, started acting lethargic previous day and way dead by dawn...don't know if was related to the costia last week or not. I wasn't a big fan of the critter but we did have it for 5 years...

Anyhow looking forward to having a 29 gal tank with more than one fish in itthumbs2: I could move the inhabitants of the other tanks into a single one but then what would be the fun of that? Not sure what to do yet~headed to Lancaster County this week sometime, stopping in at That Fish Place for some inspiration.

I think I may bring the corys down from the upstairs tank; the upstairs gets so hot thinking maybe putting fish in there that can stand warmer temperatures.

[MrJim]

I'm leaning heavily toward making the 29 a tiger barb tank, maybe tossing those psycho danios in there with them and maybe a bn plec or a rainbow or redtail shark bottom feeder. Read old threads about them in the barb section and all my questions were answered thumbs2:

[Taurus]

Good luck with the tiger barbs. I think you've got a good stocking plan for the 29.

[MrJim]

Good luck with the tiger barbs. I think you've got a good stocking plan for the 29.

I was never a huge fan of the comet but it was the mrs. favorite~always wanted a more active tank and seeing that 29 with just one or sometimes two fish in it always seemed a shame.

Nice to see ya again Taurus

[Taurus]

I was never a huge fan of the comet but it was the mrs. favorite~always wanted a more active tank and seeing that 29 with just one or sometimes two fish in it always seemed a shame.

Nice to see ya again Taurus

Nice to see you as well. You're plan will give you a much more active tank.

[MrJim]

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Everyone is doing well this morning. A tank of danios isn't the most colorful but it sure is active. I think I will put in corys instead of the loaches, can't spend that kind of dough, but maybe I will try a different variety than the peppered boys I have upstairs.

[MrJim]

I lost most of the stock I bought last week~I thought the girl at Petsmart was handling the fish rather roughly (learned my lesson)...and I figure the shark's jump over the side turned out to be fatal after all.

Seven new baby guppies born Friday, the single one from the previous birth now has brothers and sisters to play with.

I picked up 2 more Zebras from a different lfs~~thinking now about swordtails perhaps though I keep reading about how they do better in brackish water though I kept/bred some back in the early 80s in FW...have to ask around.

[MrJim]

I got 3 red wag swords last week (male & 2 female) ~Swords are doing greatthumbs2: ~ looking forward to some young 'uns sometime.

[MrJim]

I wanted to tear down the upstairs 20L because it gets too hot in summer time. Compatibility chart said swords & corys would get a long but my swords turn out to be some mean SOBs, killed a small cory and utterly harassed the bigger ones so ended up stuffing the swords & danios in the 10, moved the guppies in with the corys and the comet, now the swords & danios are in too small a tank and the guppies are afraid of the comet...what a mess should have just left things alone and kept putting ice bottles in the upstairs tank...what a day.:scry: :scry: :scry:

[MrJim]

Added the CAE on Monday 7/4~~adventures here

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[MrJim]

The CAE likes to sit on the mag float I keep at the back corner of the tank. I sat for 20 minutes watching the fish; he would sit there just watching the antics of the danios who seems to play yet get a little closer to the CAE until the CAE would swim off, only to return to his roost and continue to watch the rest of the tank...he's an interesting critter.

[MrJim]

What a week~youngest son (11) went into hospital Monday with ruptured appendix and now it's Saturday and he's still in. Came home yesterday and wife said comet ate all but one of the guppies. I was going to take it to the next town over to a pond but with all going on I contacted lfs and they said they would take it back. My wife wanted me to euthanize it~she's not as loyal to this one as the previous comet. Moved the swords & cae to the 29 and the remaining guppies and oto (turns out there were two survivors) to 10. I left the corys in the 29 thinking that if the swords are put in while the corys are already there they won't be so territorial aggressive like they were when they were there first and I put the corys in afterward--science experiment in motion.

Gotta head to the hospital again...

[MrJim]

I have to say at this point I'm pretty happy with the way the tanks are set up. Turns out one of the male guppies left a gift before being eaten; found some fry in the guppy tank yesterday--caught two to add to the fry tank (5 total). Moved a larger baby out into the main tank and everyone getting along famously.

There are just 3 female gups & an oto in the 10~~like to get a couple more females and a male. I'd like to add a few more zebra danios to the bigger tank, don't think I'll add any more swords except maybe another female. Corys are good. Swords don't harass them anymore but the do follow them around sometimes 'cause they know if there is food the corys will find it then they try to snitch it away.

Yeah getting rid of the comet was the smart thing to do.

[MrJim]

CAE disappeared~last seen he was normal & active. I moved around the caves & plants but nothing. All I can figure is it died and got eaten by the corys:scry:

[MrJim]

I added a male sword last week~~disappeared like the CAE, gravel vac and moved everything and not so much as a loose scale...corys are looking exceptionally healthy, guess the meat is doing them some good.:ssuprised:

[MrJim]

I added a male sword last week~~disappeared like the CAE, gravel vac and moved everything and not so much as a loose scale...corys are looking exceptionally healthy, guess the meat is doing them some good.:ssuprised:

Found the male sword this morning in the AC70 filter on the 29gal~looks great; also found 5 fry in the AC20 filter on the 10gal.:ssuprised:

[MrJim]

All is well ~ did the monthly filter clean/rinse...nice to see how well the neons are doing~while I had healthy neons before (except when the comet ate them) they were never as social and lively because they were housed with onery zebra danios so they essentially clustered together on the bottom. These guys come right up to the glass when I go to the tank~they are curious and fun and get along great with the two female guppies in there. I don't think I will add any male guppies; I like the tank just as it is. I added a marisoa moss ball last week too.

The fry growout tank is doing well~I'll be moving one of them to the gup/neon tank next month.

The big tank is doing well also~the swords & zebras do their thing and the corys do theirs. One thing I've noticed since bringing the corys downstairs is that I don't see any eggs anymore. Upstairs in the smaller tank they would occasionally lay eggs but not once since. I don't plan on setting up the 20L upstairs (even though summer is over and I did get an A/C unit in the bedroom)~things are going well enough.

Last month I finally broke down and bought a Master API Test Kit after all these years. I only had an ammonia drops kit, PH drops kit, and everything else was those dip strips. Pretty happy when I tested the tanks and everything was perfect.

[MrJim]

All continues well in my tanks~regularly feeding (once a week for 3 days) zucchini in the two larger tanks for the otos though everyone else nibbles at it too...everything is boringly perfect I suppose.

I discovered I have a male gup in the growout tank, will be putting him in the larger tank soon; I'm sure the girls will like that lol.

I put a half of a marimosa (?) moss ball in the two larger tanks, they've been doing well, have to pack in the stones around it to keep from floating away. I'll notice particularly the swords nibbling at it.

Swords haven't given me any babies, I think the male may be impotent:ssuprised:

[Trillianne]

He's biding his time looking for the right girl. ;)

Just a fun note, Marimo "moss balls" aren't actually moss at all... they are a form of algae! ([Only Registered Users Can See Links.])

[MrJim]

Both of my otos are rather chubby, and the one in the 10 has gotten so spoiled with the zucchini that he's letting his algae-eating slide so I brought in another for company and maybe some competition.

I thought about moving the oto from the 29 over and putting in a bristlenose, even got a nice piece of driftwood in the tank, but after further research not sure it would be able to compete with the corys for food, especially any algae wafers...the corys are beasts when it comes to eating.