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Nice work! You three managed to finally give this thread the OP it deserves while I was busy being miserable. Thanks! Have some pics to start things off! South American Bumblebee Catfish:  Polypterus Endlicheri:  Praecox Rainbows and a Siamese Algae Eater:  Zebra Nerite Snail: 
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Jun 16, 2013 10:27
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| # ¿ Apr 28, 2024 04:03 |
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It's that time again folks! I've got a surplus of healthy Malaysian Trumpet Snails! Here's a link to the sale thread: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3555118 You know you want them, so buy buy buy!
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Jun 17, 2013 13:24
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SynthOrange posted:What a cutie. Get a net over the thing though! Oh, hey! That's JohnPTC's tank. It's only 1/5th the size of the largest FW home aquarium.
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Jun 19, 2013 20:24
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Anyone want to add Roborovski Hamsters to their stock? http://hampture.blogspot.com/?spref=fb
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Jul 12, 2013 09:28
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Today during my water change I discovered that my single Cinnamon Loach is still alive. Its nine friends did about three years ago, and I only see the lone remaining one about once every 2-3 months. I'm always happy when it randomly comes out for food or because of a WC. I'm amazed that it's still alive, especially since my Bichir growouts could make a quick meal of it.
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Aug 12, 2013 11:35
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Does anyone else get a little scared on water change day because you have to put your hands into a tank with a fish that has eaten fish the size of your fingers? I know my Polypterus endlicheri endlicheri sees my fingers and thinks "that looks like food!" I always have to pay attention to where it is when I'm doing stuff in it's tank. Also, I picked up two Aquaclear 30 powerheads for $8.35 each yesterday. I had to resist picking up the pile of 10's and 20's that were on clearance too. If you have a Pet Supplies Plus near you sometimes they have some amazing deals in their clearance section. This isn't the first time I've found stupidly cheap aquarium stuff there. Don't look at the fish selection though, that will just make you kind of sad and angry as it's similar to looking at fish at Wal-Mart.
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Sep 20, 2013 23:10
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daggerdragon posted:I strongly suggest 5 gallon buckets instead of Tupperware containers, unless you're referring to the like, seriously huge boxes. The more water, the more resistant it is to having poor water quality for the fish, less worries if some gets slopped out, better temperature control, and better resistance to being tipped over since you can pack other things around buckets to hold them upright. You'll need the air holes in the bucket lids, obviously, but when you're not traveling, put an airstone in each bucket for aeration. Bettas will be fine without filtration for 2 days, especially if you do 25% water changes and don't feed them for the duration. Agree with all this but wanted to add, don't feed for 2-3 days before. That way they'll produce less poop and the water quality will stay better. They can easily live a week without food, possibly two.
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Sep 23, 2013 02:12
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Yes, my tanks are dirty. Yes, I fed just before these pics were taken. And yes, I'm not editing a single one of them. Monster, my 11" Poly Endli:   Monster and his friend the 4-5" Syno eruptus:  4-5" Syno eruptus (Featherfin Catfish):  Four more pics of Monster (the only fish I've currently named, fucker has eaten hundreds of dollars worth of other fish, and is really interested in my fingers):     4" Albino Poly senegalus, in the 29 where Monster can't eat it:  I don't remember what this type of Gourami is called, and it's 5am, so gently caress if I care. It's pretty:  Two more Pics of the Albino Poly senegalus doing its thing:   Two pics of the Poly ansorgii, also in the 29, safe from Monster eating it. Also about 4":   Did someone say South American Bumblebee Catfish? No? Too bad. Here's the only one of three that agreed to be photographed at this time of night:  And to finish off, Monster again:  Yes, water changes are happening tomorrow, and I'm even going to upgrade the filtration in Monster's tank. I'm going to be sad when I have to sell him once he gets 3" larger, but the Poly ansorgii should turn into a new monster for me to enjoy.
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Oct 4, 2013 11:27
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demonR6 posted:Five bucks if you film the monster going after your fingers and another five if it latches on to one (or more) and we get full video of you struggling to free yourself from it. Screaming in pain and blood may get another few dollars depending on the authenticity and level of pain. The next time my friend stops by with her camera, I'll see what I can do about playing the "Gee that finger looks edible!" game, no payment necessary. Bichirs clamp down on their prey, crushing it in their jaws, and then do a crocodile style death roll. No real teeth to speak of, so I doubt we'll get much in the way of blood. A lifetime of crippling physical pain means I probably won't react with much more than surprise though, sorry. Ask Fusillade, her Endli has a few inches on mine, which means it's quite a bit thicker, has a lot more muscle, and a larger mouth. I'll still give it a shot though, maybe even stop feeding it for a few days and rub my fingers with some fish food. I think she said hers is significantly less interested in her fingers than mine is though.
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Oct 4, 2013 14:31
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Ever since my Siamese Algae Eater decided to jump out of a tiny hole, the algae situation in my 29g planted has deteriorated. I'm going to list the current stock, list what I'm thinking of adding, and hope someone here has other ideas, or notices any possible issues. Stock: 1 2.5" Cinnamon Loach (similar to a Kuhli Loach, but brown) 3 2.5-3" South American Bumblebee Catfish (will hopefully get traded in when I buy algae eaters, if I can catch the drat things) 1 5" Albino Polypterus senegalus 1 4" Polypterus ansorgii 1 2" Dwarf Flame Gourami 1 3/4" Convict 1 Nerite Snail Malaysian Trumpet Snails What I'd like to add: 1-3 Siamese Algae Eaters 1-2 Farlowella (my LFS usually has acus and gracilis, I'd prefer gracilis) 1-2 Bristlenose Plecos (longfin albino if I can get them) The SAE's worked out fine before, and I doubt the Farlowella or Bristlenose would go after the slime coats on the Bichirs. Amano shrimp would be awesome, but they'd just be really expensive food. I'm also considering adding a small school of something, probably Rummynose Tetras and/or an Angel of some sort, since the tank looks pretty empty. So, any suggestions? Algae eaters, and top/mid water fish that won't become Bichir food like the seven other tiny convicts I had.
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Oct 30, 2013 08:02
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Got rid of the SA Bumblebee Cats. Picked up an albino Bristlenose Pleco, a small Angel, and 11 Lampeye Tetras. They didn't have any true SAE's unfortunately. Also got a medium sized Salvini for my bigger tank. It's weird to have stocking space and nice to finally fill it and make it look like I actually have fish in my tank. So now I need an SAE or three and a new bulb and I can finally get rid of this algae.
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Oct 31, 2013 22:18
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Whale Cancer posted:29 gallon is way too small for two polypterus, is this a growout? Yep. The 40 breeder is the eventual home, but it's currently got a 10-11" Poly endlicheri growing out in it. The two in the 29 would be delicious snacks. I believe that a tank should be 6" wider than the largest fish, so I'll unfortunately have to rehome the Endli at 12", but I have a buyer lined up who I know will love and care for it, so I don't mind too much. It eats any other Bichir under 5" or so, and has tried to eat one 7-8" long. Once it hits 12" it is gone, and my smaller Bichirs get a new home.
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Nov 1, 2013 01:50
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JuffoWup posted:I think I got hit with the bug now. I'm pondering a little fluval ebi (or maybe the plant one) to go with my 16 gal tank. You are infected with MTS (More Tank Syndrome). Expect your tanks to multiply like MTS (Malaysian Trumpet Snails).
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Nov 9, 2013 02:53
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Poly ansorgii ate Poly senegalus (albino). I don't understand how a 5" poly fits into a 6" poly, but it does. Merry Christmas!
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Dec 24, 2013 21:47
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A friend of a friend who works at an LFS was doing a gravel vac on a FW tank and pulled these creatures up. Best guess is that they're about 2" long. Anyone have any clue what they are?
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Feb 5, 2014 21:02
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Desert Bus posted:A friend of a friend who works at an LFS was doing a gravel vac on a FW tank and pulled these creatures up. Best guess is that they're about 2" long. Anyone have any clue what they are? It's teeth from some sort of Pseudoacanthicus Pleco.
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Feb 5, 2014 22:51
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Shakenbaker posted:Waaaaait...how big is the pleco that has 2 inch teeth? My guess is that they're from a large L24 or L25 and that a lot of their length is hidden away inside the flesh. No clue what could have caused it to lose so many at once though. And I did say that best guess was about 2".
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Feb 6, 2014 05:15
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SynthOrange posted:Did one die in that tank and get eaten, leaving only teeth? The LSF that found those is excellent. It's highly doubtful they would have not noticed a dead fish of that size. Plus I'm pretty sure there would have been bones too among the stuff that got vacuumed up. It's just a bunch of teeth.
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Feb 6, 2014 06:37
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Bait and Swatch posted:Wow, that picture and the earlier one of the teeth gives me a very different opinion of the pleco. Combined with their armor and the fin spines, they're an evolutionary tank. The Pseudoacanthicus Plecos tend to be large and carnivorous. In captivity even the smaller herbivorous Plecos will eat as though they're omnivores. I'm gonna pump the person who sent me that pic for more info because I have no clue what could cause a Pleco that large to lose that many teeth.
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Feb 6, 2014 07:02
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Most CB Senegals will top out around 9-10", and the albino Senegals will usually only hit 7-8". So both are pretty small as far as Bichirs go.
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Feb 13, 2014 00:39
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LingcodKilla posted:It's official. Just did a total tank inspection right before changing the water. My rear end in a top hat angels most likely killed all four of the amano shrimp. Havent had a spotting in 5 days and there just isnt that many places for all four to hide in a 20gallon. Check around on your floor. Amano's are almost as bad as crayfish and the filter feeding shrimp when it comes to escaping. They love their algae and if they're not used to going after fish food, they'll seek it out even if it means leaving the tank. Granted, the thought of Angels eating them is just as likely.
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Feb 13, 2014 04:32
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Eifert Posting posted:Anyone know the name of this little ray of sunshine? Looks like Hydrolycus armatus.
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Feb 20, 2014 20:14
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Extra Smooth Balls posted:I have a fairly small heavily planted tank with white mountain minnows and a booming population of ramshorns and MTS. Please don't release aquarium stock into any body of water. Even if the species is endemic to your area, you can still spread potentially harmful bacteria. You could try selling some, people with Assassin snails will buy them. You don't need to remove many to cut down on the population and then you just have to watch your feeding. And I can't imagine they'd be difficult to euthanize quickly and painlessly. Either way, try to remove the biggest you can find.
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Mar 4, 2014 02:10
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demonR6 posted:What is fairly small? Buy a few assassin snails and it should help, that or take my approach and get a clown loach. The bottom of my tank looks like a snail graveyard now. Somehow, despite mentioning Assassin Snails, I didn't think to suggest getting some. That is the best solution.
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Mar 4, 2014 02:21
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Bait and Swatch posted:If you just want them as food, go with simple pond snails. They are easy to breed and feed. While they are considered a pest, my wife's puffers love them since they move around the tank and on the glass. MTS have thick shells and do not make good puffer food. Pond, Ramshorn, and young Apple snails are the three good options. All breed easily, just not as easily as MTS. It's probably for the best that both Cichlids are male. Pretty sure they could crossbreed and Apisto keepers are pretty rabid about hybrids. Those two fish would probably make some pretty offspring though.
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Mar 4, 2014 06:22
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Bait and Swatch posted:No plans for hybrids here either, they're just stuck together in the community 120 until I have a reason to seperate them. In a 120 with enough other fish to keep fry in check, you'd never end up with enough hybrid Apisto's to have any leak out into the aquarium trade. What's the rest of your stock?
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Mar 4, 2014 07:47
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Extra Smooth Balls posted:This is a small raised brick formal pond that I keep my minnows in in the summer, it's completely isolated from local waterways. Good to hear. What sort of minnows do you keep?
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Mar 4, 2014 08:35
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Extra Smooth Balls posted:A mix of normal and golden WMM, they do really well in the summer and keep the midge larvae population under control which is a nice bonus. There are even a few stragglers that I couldn't catch that seem to have overwintered just fine. Any breeding? And by "nuke" I hope you mean "remove the livestock and sell it or give it away or trade it for store credit" and not "dump a bunch of clove oil and rubbing alcohol in."
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Mar 4, 2014 08:55
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Help me FW Aquarium thread! I need a 30" light fixture that puts out at least 60 watts at 6700k. If it can accept a 21" Compact Fluorescent bulb with a straight 4 pin connecter so much the better, so my spare bulb doesn't go to waste. Coralife discontinued my fixture, and I have no idea what I'm doing in terms of trying to find new lighting except knowing how many watts I need and what color spectrum I want. Edit: Never mind, going to bite the bullet and go LED. Welcome to the future, me. So If anyone has anything to say about LED lights for FW tanks, that'd be cool. Desert Bus fucked around with this message at 00:42 on Mar 18, 2014 |
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Mar 17, 2014 21:23
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demonR6 posted:I have IAL if you need some.. And I have a garbage bag full of Oak leaves that have been in my closet for like 3 years. Assuming anything undesirable would have died off by now.
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Mar 18, 2014 02:51
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Sonic H posted:Question for the experts: Five Gallon buckets are your best friend. About 40lb each when full, and if you use a few you can split the fish up to keep too much waste from building up while they're in there. You can also use one for water + filter media to help keep it from going bad. Don't feed for a few days before so as to also reduce waste buildup. The lids keep the fish from jumping out, and keep the buckets darker to reduce stress.
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Apr 1, 2014 17:49
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w00tmonger posted:I don't have a snail problem right now, but when I went through this planted tank seminar it kept coming up. I love Malaysian Trumpet Snails for planted tanks. If you don't overfeed they're awesome, and if they do get out of control, you can get totally awesome Assassin Snails.
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Apr 1, 2014 18:24
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Fusillade posted:
Please say you got pictures.
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Apr 7, 2014 18:23
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mobby_6kl posted:Hmm one final thing - now that I have a quarantine tank, is anyone reusing theirs for something else while it's not needed? It seems like a waste to keep empty and it'd be fun for something I can't put into the main tank without getting eaten immediately - shrimp, crabs or snails perhaps. Or even the tiny frogs that I saw recently... Once needed for its purpose, they could be temporarily relocated to a split off section of the main tank, a bucket, or fed to the fish, I guess. Just not sure how feasible this is to pull off in practice. You always want something in the QT to keep the filter healthy. I would suggest Malaysian Trumpet Snails, but I suggest those for everything, so uhm... Something hardy and fast. Zebra Danios?
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Apr 8, 2014 17:24
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It's the time of year for Malaysian Trumpet Snail sales! Here is the thread: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3638253
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May 28, 2014 16:06
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aerialsilks posted:So, I've got a serious Malaysian trumpet snail infestation. Somehow, they've made it out of my 5.5 gallon into my 4 gallon and my larger tank. What's the best way to deal with them in the other two tanks? The 5.5 is getting nuked anyway but I've probably netted about 100+ snails out of it in just the last hour or so. The larger tank is platys, danios, cory cats, kuhlii loaches. The loaches will occasionally eat the ramshorns that pop up in the tank but I don't think they have the motivation to dig for the MTS's. The 4 gallon is cherry shrimp and a trio of lampeye killies. The easiest way to control an MTS population is to not overfeed. The second easiest, and the method I use once a year or so, is to deliberately overfeed a sinking wafer type food with the lights off, and then turn the lights on and collect a bunch by hand. I currently owe someone a bunch of them, so I spent a whole 5 minutes or so tonight and collected 50+. Since the bigger ones are easier to collect, it's a quick and easy way to reduce the bio-load, and it has a lingering effect since the smaller they are the fewer baby snails they can pump out. Completely eliminating them? That I do not know. Copper based meds are supposed to kill inverts, but the couple of times I've had to use them in the past I still had plenty of live MTS. Maybe completely break the tank down and boil everything and re-cycle the tank? Edit: Forgot about Assassin Snails. Desert Bus fucked around with this message at 13:16 on Oct 31, 2014 |
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Oct 31, 2014 11:40
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Enos Cabell posted:+1 on the not overfeeding to control MTS. I used to think I wasn't overfeeding, but the drat MTS kept getting more and more out of control, to the point that the front glass would be 50% covered by them. A month after cutting back from two meals a day to one, and the fish are still fine but the MTS are hardly noticeable anymore. I'm an adherent of the "low and slow" method of feeding fish. I feed my fish every 3-5 days, on average, and have at times not fed them for 7-10 days. Sure they grow slower, but the water quality stays great and I've seen a few sources saying that fish that aren't power-fed tend to end up healthier and more colorful. The only downside is that predatory fish are more likely to go after any edible tank mates, but proper stocking solves that issue. I can't even imagine how many MTS I'd end up with if I fed daily, not to mention I couldn't get away with missing a water change as often as I do.
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Nov 1, 2014 05:59
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bartolimu posted:In my opinion fish are always best scaled, dredged in seasoned flour, and pan fried until the skin is crispy. Sauces shouldn't really be necessary - just a spritz of lemon juice and a little salt should do it - but if you want to get fancy stick to spring/summer herbs. Dill is a particular favorite of mine. The main problem with eating aquarium fish, according to people who have eaten them, is that their flesh tends to take on the flavor of fish food. You'd need to cook them using methods that would overwhelm that awful flavor. I suppose if you plan ahead and spend a few weeks feeding the fish a more natural diet of plants and animals that issue could be ameliorated. Also, welcome to Pet Island new Mod!
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Nov 1, 2014 23:41
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Volkerball posted:Why do bucktooth tetra have to be so drat hard to breed? I want like, 70 of the evil fuckers, but at $7 a pop? Have you checked to see if your LFS can get you a bulk discount on them? All the info I can find on breeding them agrees with your conclusion of "drat hard."
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Nov 2, 2014 01:11
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| # ¿ Apr 28, 2024 04:03 |
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Picked this up a couple of weeks ago, and luckily it was out today when a friend with a camera was over. She hasn't sent me the in tank pics yet, but here are a couple from when I grabbed it out to show it off before it disappeared again into the substrate for however long. Black Devil Spike Snail (Faunus ater) (click for big):   It acts like a really big MTS so far. At $3.91 for a neat looking 2"+ snail, I can handle not seeing it much.
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Nov 27, 2014 11:58
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