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Aerofallosov posted:They did a study about Angelfish and what they do when not being watched. I heard about that! I swear smaller angel runs to the festivum if the big angel chases him because he's figured out the festivum ignores him but will 100% put the big angel in its place when it's nearby. Tangentially related I highly recommend Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? by Frans de Waal. Super interesting book, I recently listened to it on Audible.
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Jun 28, 2022 03:57
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Almost all the fish violence I’ve had to deal with has happened at night - penguin tetras biting off each other and other fish’s tails, for example. Whatever drama that made 6 of 7 of my big rasboras jump either to their deaths on the carpet or to fatal injury against the lid of the tank. It’s not just angelfish that wait until night, I think the only fish murder that was done in plain view was my brevibora cheeya trying to kill their brevibora dorsiocellata tank mates and separating them to a bigger tank was the only solution.
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Jun 28, 2022 05:06
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Ordered a dozen golden topminnows and some dwarf crawfish, will hopefully be here Wednesday or Thursday and can add them to my above ground pond I've been having great luck harvesting mosquito larvae and feeding them to my fish I have a half gallon generic bowl, scoop pond water from it, then toss 3-4 magnolia (med-large) leaves in there, provides some shade + nutrient base, and 4-6 days later I have 75-200 mosquito larvae that I can just dump in the pond and the fish go crazy over, probably super nutritious + mentally stimulating (as far as that goes with ancient fish brains) to eat true live, wild food Apparently the topminnows will leap out of the water to grab a mosquito hovering above the water, which is great, I see lots of those but none actually laying eggs in the pond,I think the pump disturbs the surface too much to lay eggs in the pond
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Jun 28, 2022 09:23
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Stoca Zola posted:Almost all the fish violence I’ve had to deal with has happened at night - penguin tetras biting off each other and other fish’s tails, for example. Whatever drama that made 6 of 7 of my big rasboras jump either to their deaths on the carpet or to fatal injury against the lid of the tank. It’s not just angelfish that wait until night, I think the only fish murder that was done in plain view was my brevibora cheeya trying to kill their brevibora dorsiocellata tank mates and separating them to a bigger tank was the only solution. Most cichlids commit their crimes in broad daylight they just don't care. Angelfish get bonus points for the extra cunning. I have a love hate relationship with firemouths. They are aggressive enough to destroy a community tank but will absolutely get their rear end handed to them by anything labelled as "aggressive" in aquarium stores.
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Jun 28, 2022 12:25
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Hi, I got a Sicce Xstream 3500 wave pump for my 55 gallon tank a few weeks ago to help with surface agitation and I was really happy with it. However today is water change and maintanence day and I cleaned some accumulated crap from the guard around the impeller (not the impeller itself) and now it isn't working since I switched it back on. Any ideas?
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Jun 29, 2022 09:27
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When in doubt, get the guard off and mess with the impeller itself, make sure it's able to spin freely, that the shaft is not bent or worn (or not snapped if it's ceramic), that the caps at the ends (often like a rubber stopper) are intact and the shaft is sitting properly in them, that the magnet that sits on the shaft hasn't come detached from it's mounting, and so on. Even if you find nothing wrong, taking it apart, giving it a wipe clean and putting it back together can help the motor to get going again. My understanding is the starting torque of these little motors is pretty small so even a tiny piece of muck can cause them to jam.
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Jun 29, 2022 09:43
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Thanks for the help, weirdly it seemed to just start up again whilst I was trying to remove the magnets, not sure what happened but glad it is fixed!
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Jun 29, 2022 11:49
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Yeah that sounds pretty normal for an aquarium pump/impeller. The number of times I've had something seemingly jam, found nothing wrong, turned it on, off, on, taken it apart, still nothing wrong, put it back, magically works - its frustrating but not surprising at this point. Glad it started working - Sicce is a decent brand right? You'd kind of hope stuff would last long and work well.
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Jun 29, 2022 12:56
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Bacon Terrorist posted:Thanks for the help, weirdly it seemed to just start up again whilst I was trying to remove the magnets, not sure what happened but glad it is fixed! Reminder for everyone to unplug any equipment before working on it, please.
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Jun 29, 2022 15:51
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B33rChiller posted:Maybe I need to finish my coffee, but this reads to me like you're opening up pumps while they are powered up. Important safety tip! I didn't open it up, I foolishly switched the plug socket position on my 6 way outlet while fault finding the pump, so I unplugged what I thought was the pump and went to take it out of the tank by sliding the exterior magnet away from the interior unit the pump suddenly started working, because I had actually unplugged the heater. Not ideal and I really need to label my plugs.
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Jun 29, 2022 16:34
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I have a bad habit of messing with my wave makers when the are plugged in. I’m less worried about getting electrocuted but more worried about getting my finger sliced up/chopped off. My Rossmonts annoyingly start up in reverse often.
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Jun 29, 2022 18:09
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Bacon Terrorist posted:Important safety tip! I didn't open it up, I foolishly switched the plug socket position on my 6 way outlet while fault finding the pump, so I unplugged what I thought was the pump and went to take it out of the tank by sliding the exterior magnet away from the interior unit the pump suddenly started working, because I had actually unplugged the heater. Not ideal and I really need to label my plugs. I use blue painter's masking tape and a sharpie to label my plugs right above the plugs and it has saved me from so many mistakes. If anyone else had to deal with my tanks they would be confused by the totally illegible 29PH/29F/AP etc. labels but I know what they mean. Just grab a 3-4" chunk and fold it around the cord so it makes a tag. I also have my canister filter input/output tubes labeled with colored zip ties so I don't connect them backwards (again).
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Jun 29, 2022 18:24
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On my salt tank with lots of gadgets I use a DJ power strip with light up rocker switches like so: Easy to label them all and switch stuff on and off as needed. For all my other tanks I use Kasa smart power strips. It's great being able to just say "alexa turn off planted tank" for water changes and have it switch off the filters and heater while leaving the lights on.
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Jun 29, 2022 18:36
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I have had a hell of a time with fairy basslets and banggai cardinalfish being picky eaters, and this stuff worked like a champ, so I wanted to spread the word: I tried frozen calanus, mysis, table shrimp, and squid and out of all of those they only picked at the table shrimp and left everything else pretty much alone. I was limping by on wolter worms and live brine shrimp until I found this stuff. A dude working at Petco, of all places, recommended it. I never would've tried it otherwise since I'm feeding marine fish, not cichlids.
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Jun 29, 2022 20:26
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Bacon Terrorist posted:Important safety tip! I didn't open it up, I foolishly switched the plug socket position on my 6 way outlet while fault finding the pump, so I unplugged what I thought was the pump and went to take it out of the tank by sliding the exterior magnet away from the interior unit the pump suddenly started working, because I had actually unplugged the heater. Not ideal and I really need to label my plugs. It was some type of magnetic mounting arrangement, rather than an internal component.
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Jun 29, 2022 20:35
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Bulky Bartokomous posted:Most cichlids commit their crimes in broad daylight they just don't care. Angelfish get bonus points for the extra cunning. I have a love hate relationship with firemouths. They are aggressive enough to destroy a community tank but will absolutely get their rear end handed to them by anything labelled as "aggressive" in aquarium stores. I broke down and got 3 angelfish for my community tank last week, despite numerous sources saying i shouldnt but the guy at the fish store said "eh it'll probably be fine" and that was good enough for me. so far though they've been great. no fins have gotten nipped and no ones been an rear end in a top hat that i can tell. left to right, Stephanie, Michele, DJ
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Jun 30, 2022 12:07
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The Nastier Nate posted:I broke down and got 3 angelfish for my community tank last week, despite numerous sources saying i shouldnt but the guy at the fish store said "eh it'll probably be fine" and that was good enough for me. How young are they? Mine are perfectly peaceful and happily schooling, but I expect that to change dramatically when they start thinking about making more angelfish. Also, make sure you don't have any small fish that will ultimately fit in their mouths, like neons. That said, I love mine. They're super friendly and curious (I have a hard time vacuuming the tank because they want to check everything out without thinking maybe going for a ride in that pipe thing wouldn't be fun!
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Jun 30, 2022 21:17
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Bonster posted:How young are they? Mine are perfectly peaceful and happily schooling, but I expect that to change dramatically when they start thinking about making more angelfish. Also, make sure you don't have any small fish that will ultimately fit in their mouths, like neons. i actually dont know how old they are but no, definetly nothing small enough to fit in their mouths
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Jun 30, 2022 22:00
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I have 6 honey gourami I got as unsexed juveniles. Now that they're developed a bit I have 2 males and 2 females and a couple I'm not sure on, but I'm kind of confused by their behavior. The two definite males have set up camp at the end of the tank near the filter intake; they hang out together all day, only leaving their corner to eat or to chase other gourami away (they don't seem to give a poo poo about any other kind of fish). Is this a thing? I'm not surprised the dominant males are being a bit territorial (though I haven't seen a nest or anything), but I didn't expect them to do so cooperatively.
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Jun 30, 2022 22:52
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No girls allowed. Please name those two Calvin and Hobbes
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Jul 1, 2022 00:13
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Due to my available hobby space being massively limited, I started to mess around with terrariums, which then turned into messing around with paladariums, which then turned into wanting a cleanup crew that I didnt need to feed, so I waited till my (heavily planted) tank had cycled and been stable for a while, then threw in some cherry shrimps to see how they would go. Turns out they are way more interesting than I was expecting. I want to make sure they are happy, but I also want to keep the maintenance to a minimum, so what are their dietary needs? I'm happy to do a water change every so often, like fortnightly/monthly, but again, I stress this is a fairly heavily planted tank with only a few shrimp in there, so the bioload wont be massive. I have some wood in there as well, plus rocks, and im throwing in a mulberry leaf as well. Do I have to get some shrimp specific food, or would that be enough?
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Jul 1, 2022 08:14
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NPR Journalizard posted:Due to my available hobby space being massively limited, I started to mess around with terrariums, which then turned into messing around with paladariums, which then turned into wanting a cleanup crew that I didnt need to feed, so I waited till my (heavily planted) tank had cycled and been stable for a while, then threw in some cherry shrimps to see how they would go. Welcome to shrimp addiction. I had the same epiphany when I started my first tank. When I had shrimp at work everyone wanted to come down and see them in my office. Course now it's the crayfish scuttling around, like a larger, much more aggressive shrimp
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Jul 1, 2022 10:24
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NPR Journalizard posted:Due to my available hobby space being massively limited, I started to mess around with terrariums, which then turned into messing around with paladariums, which then turned into wanting a cleanup crew that I didnt need to feed, so I waited till my (heavily planted) tank had cycled and been stable for a while, then threw in some cherry shrimps to see how they would go. Biofilm is going to make up most of their diet, and you'll have plenty in a mature, heavily planted tank. Most people overfeed shrimp because they really don't need much feeding in a mature planted tank (unless you have a huge breeding population). However, they do better with a wee bit of variety to thrive long term. You could avoid potential molting problems caused by nutrient deficiencies if you fed them once a week or so with a shrimp specific food, and it would hardly add much effort or maintenance to your routine. Most algae pellets are garbage for shrimp, but a pouch of something basic like Hikari pellets/crab cuisine would last you ages with just a few shrimp.
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Jul 1, 2022 11:42
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The Nastier Nate posted:I broke down and got 3 angelfish for my community tank last week, despite numerous sources saying i shouldnt but the guy at the fish store said "eh it'll probably be fine" and that was good enough for me. Angelfish are great fish. They seem very curious and deliberate in their actions. My new one is settled in and now actually spends a lot of time near the larger one which doesn't seem to care about nipping at him anymore. Bulky Bartokomous fucked around with this message at 13:32 on Jul 1, 2022 |
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Jul 1, 2022 13:26
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If any of you are in the Chicago/NWI area and want a fully cycled/aged 10g with a sponge filter + light + glass lid etc. Hit me up please. It's a bit grody but it comes with some MTS and Subwassrtang etc., and I think? there is still a live Chopstick Snail or two? in there. I aim for bio-active, and I will happily harvest a shitload of plants from my 29g to go in it. You won't ever find a complete cycled package with quality poo poo like this for free. Please Goons help me break this down and move it to a good home. It could make a great shrimp/nano tank for someone who cares.
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Jul 1, 2022 18:38
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Perhaps a strange question, but does anyone here know if it would be ok to feed excess floating plants to chickens? I've got a pile of salvinia, frogbit, and will have excess water hyacinth and water lettuce. The neighbor kid has some hens, and I thought it would be a better use to feed the birds, than to compost it. Anyone have experience with this? I'd feel terrible if I accidentally poisoned her birds.
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Jul 2, 2022 18:24
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B33rChiller posted:Perhaps a strange question, but does anyone here know if it would be ok to feed excess floating plants to chickens? I've got a pile of salvinia, frogbit, and will have excess water hyacinth and water lettuce. The neighbor kid has some hens, and I thought it would be a better use to feed the birds, than to compost it. Anyone have experience with this? I'd feel terrible if I accidentally poisoned her birds. If you've dosed any meds recently it could be very bad, but if it's just overgrown plants? Should be fine. Chickens are just tiny dinosaurs and will eat most anything and be ok. I think there is a chicken thread somewhere on here that will be better able to help/advise. EDIT: https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3417601
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Jul 2, 2022 18:47
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B33rChiller posted:Perhaps a strange question, but does anyone here know if it would be ok to feed excess floating plants to chickens? I've got a pile of salvinia, frogbit, and will have excess water hyacinth and water lettuce. The neighbor kid has some hens, and I thought it would be a better use to feed the birds, than to compost it. Anyone have experience with this? I'd feel terrible if I accidentally poisoned her birds. Aquatic plants are used in a lot of small/backyard farming as well as poorer countries as an alternative chicken feed or cheap greenery. My chickens love water hyacinth, water lettuce and duckweed. Make sure you rinse them well and avoid if you've been medicating the water or recently added any buffers/fertilisers/etc
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Jul 2, 2022 19:34
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I'm honestly really impressed with the resiliency of aquatic plants. Ordered two water hyacinth and two water lettuce. Toddler was infactuated with the fibrous balls of the hyacinth and ripped both large, healthy plants to pieces. The floaty balls were shredded from one plant but with some help from me would float upright and new growth was appearing, but eventually died. The other one had half a floaty ball left and it's trucking along, looking like it'll make a full recovery The water lettuce, she ripped all but two leaves off of one and mostly ignored the second . The first one regrew all of it's leaves, the second one has spawned three "pups" already, one disconnected on it's own and is filtering my tupperware backup pond now Golden topminnows arrived, along with some dwarf crayfish, topminnows living up to their name. I haven't seen them eat a mosquito yet but in the evenings it's not uncommon to see them buzzing over the water. I guess I need to go get some bloodworms from the fish store? They came in the mail so they're probably hungry. Dwarf crayfish went into my pond and immediately disappeared, probably never to be seen again, they're dark brown on a black pond liner. But I guess they eat algae so that's nice 
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Jul 2, 2022 20:00
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Be aware that hyacinth is considered invasive and illegal to dump in a lot of areas so if you have to get rid of any, please make sure to compost it thoroughly or dry and burn. It will also withstand most winter conditions even as far north as USA zone 4 (MN, Dakotas, etc.) so don't expect it to die off.
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Jul 2, 2022 21:38
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Yeah I am honestly surprised it's legal to ship across state lines at all, but yes duly noted
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Jul 2, 2022 22:05
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Cool. Thanks for sharing your perspectives folks! No meds dosing, just fish food and fish poop in the patio tub. No plans to dump any plants anywhere, apart from burying them in the heap in my yard. I wish the hyacinth would survive the winter up here, but it doesn't seem to be quite hardy enough for our winters just yet. I was just concerned that the plants themselves may be poisonous, and I don't trust the intelligence of any animal that we have domesticated. If it were wild birds, yeah, they probably know what's good to eat or not, but, yah know.
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Jul 3, 2022 00:13
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if animals knew when food was bad, poo poo like poison bait traps would have no business.
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Jul 3, 2022 20:05
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Aw nooo another tank with “where did all the water go” syndrome but this time I can’t tell if it’s evaporation or a leak, it’s been so dry here that everything is dry. The water level is about where I’d drop it to for a water change so the fish are okay at least.
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Jul 3, 2022 20:12
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I'm sure it's a gross simplification, but I Stoca Zola posted:Aw nooo another tank with “where did all the water go” syndrome but this time I can’t tell if it’s evaporation or a leak, it’s been so dry here that everything is dry. The water level is about where I’d drop it to for a water change so the fish are okay at least. Evaporation varies a *lot* with the weather. I have the saltwater tanks on ATOs, and sometimes it feels like I'm topping them off almost daily. Would you get hard water marks if it was leaking? Even if it's slow, mineralization might tell you where a leak is
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Jul 3, 2022 20:14
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This particular tank has no lid so it always shows the worst effects of evaporation. I’m going to have a proper investigation in the morning, there should be tide marks somewhere if it’s leaking. Or maybe salt creep from hardness drained the tank somewhere I can’t see it?
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Jul 3, 2022 20:28
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Stoca Zola posted:This particular tank has no lid so it always shows the worst effects of evaporation. I’m going to have a proper investigation in the morning, there should be tide marks somewhere if it’s leaking. Or maybe salt creep from hardness drained the tank somewhere I can’t see it? Why not just put cling film over the top for one night to stop evap and if the level drops you know you have a leak somewhere? Yes I know water interacting with the air is how oxygen gets into the water unless you have a bubbler but 1 night doesn't seem that extreme/dangerous.
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Jul 3, 2022 20:36
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Above ground pond update Had a tropical depression blow through. Due to inital quality/engineering lack of foresight, already was having structural problems, mostly mended with metal plates, planned on picking up some ratcheting cargo straps to shore up some failed fasteners and then reinforce with more metal plates. This seemed adequate until I could schedule more time to properly fix the problem (move fish to alternate holding area, drain pond, fix pond, fill/dechrlorinate, add fish back) Anyways, storm dropped about 4" of water into the pond causing untold additional stresses I hadn't been planning on addressing between now and tuesday (fix-it day) End up going out during the middle of a thunderstorm, emptied about 40 gallons (10% of max capacity) on to the already water-logged ground, now I'm standing in ankle-deep water at the top of a hill, under a tree all around me sounds like we're being bombed from thunder, wondering when I'm going to get electricuted Also, an anole (tiny iguana looking thing about 4" long) apparently fell into the pond and drowned  there are about four in my back yard, I think this was the guy who lived near the top of the tree by my office window
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Jul 4, 2022 06:44
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You might want to put a little ramp in there so if things fall in they can get back out again.
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Jul 4, 2022 16:30
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The thumbnail looks like a National Geographic magazine with the gold edge.
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Jul 4, 2022 19:16
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