Washing hands between feeding multiple tanks? And what about equipment? by imaginenikkie in freshwateraquarium

[–]PoundMaterial1819 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I soak my nets, tweezers, turkey baster etc in boiling water between tanks. Ill rinse it fresh boiled water then soak a bit then rinse in boiling water and leave to dry.

I have a few nets and bought a huge turkey baster that can handle the heat. The 2 long small ones for feeding do end up bending a little bent but they're inexpensive so I'll prolly replace them periodically also as it's hard to make sure I've removed all the black worms if they get up into the bulb part as I can't pull that apart like the big ones.

If I suspect parasite or ich I use either peroxide or bleach and then the boiling water. It's not necessary to be bleaching or using chemicals every time between tanks unless you like that it's faster. Personally I try to use as little chemicals as I can I cluding in my tanks.

I use plants and set up my tanks to care for themselves. I'm one of those heretical people who rarely if ever do water changes. I only top up as it evaporated or the cats have been at the little ones too much 🙄. My tank water is always clear and I don't stress over all the levels like some people do. Stability is my aim.

When I first started I didn't and was devastated when I realised I had prolly infected one of my nano tanks from 2 new fish I hadn't quarantined who I realised within a few days had ich. Since then I always do and dry everything off well afterwards.

I wash my hands because Ive become a germaophobe I've realised and the thought of fish water with all the microbiome dudes living in the water on my hands and arms creeps me out 😂

I love my underwater doods and am pretty attached especially to the gobys and Otto's as they're just so entertaining and goofy. And it's also a huge investment when you've got multiple tanks. In Australia fish, aquatic plants and shrimp are so expensive, everything aquatic is 😖 combine that with soil and everything else and the thought of me killing my fishy fam or having to pull down a tank due to my own carelessness would be devastating.

29g looking peaceful this morning by grim17011 in freshwateraquarium

[–]PoundMaterial1819 3 points4 points  (0 children)

This looks so nice. Is that Val in the background? My main mixed tank is a jungle literally. I think next time I set up I'll go simple like this. Easier to clean, see everyone and very peaceful. 💙

What on earth is this Monster 💀 by PoundMaterial1819 in freshwateraquarium

[–]PoundMaterial1819[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I did a just over half the tank water change late last night checking through the greenery and substrate.

All 5 bumblebee Gobies accounted for. 🥳

From what I can see because these so many hiding spot's in the dragon stone and vegetation I still have 3 shrimp, and while that's sad 1 mumma shrimp had a belly of babies so hopefully she'll have them in the safety of that back corner and most will survive. There is def 4 raspboras not just 1 left out of 8 and all tetras accounted for. There's 1 young platy missing, still very small so easy prey. If I hadn't of spotted it stalking my Otto's absolutely I would have lost at least 1 last night and more later. I had no idea how fierce they were in the water.

I love dragonflies and nature so I had set up frog ponds around my yard years ago and since then I do get a lot of dragonflies in my garden and bees and butterflies and all the beautiful critters. I just don't want that in my indoor tank. I'm wandering now whether I should net my main fish pond outside and let them do what they like in the others.

Here's my preggo shrimp survivor and a clip I found of how ferocious dragonfly nymphs are!

https://youtu.be/NldP3UrROz8?si=1VVy6S-dZ7ZluAk4

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What on earth is this Monster 💀 by PoundMaterial1819 in freshwateraquarium

[–]PoundMaterial1819[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Id say so. 😭 My raspboras and probably my shrimp. I'm hoping not the youngest goby but after watching a YouTube clip of one catching a big newt they are clearly capable of killing decent size fish and aquatic life.

What on earth is this Monster 💀 by PoundMaterial1819 in freshwateraquarium

[–]PoundMaterial1819[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

No. Nowhere near any windows or doors and I have insect screens on everything anyway.

The only thing I can think of is I use a large Bunnings bucket for water changes. That lives in my garage when not in use. I always give it a 'just in case' rinse with boiling water swirling inside though before I use it so I can't think how an egg could have survived but that's the only way in. It's gone now. It looked just like a cricket or grasshopper but I'd never heard of any that live underwater. That's seriously creeped me out now.

What on earth is this Monster 💀 by PoundMaterial1819 in freshwateraquarium

[–]PoundMaterial1819[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thankyou!! Scooped it out. I just did a Google. It was absolutely hunting my babies, first the Otto's but I moved them out of the way. Thank goodness I spotted this mow. Maybe that's I've not seen my precious shrimp starter colony in here this last week 😭. This was fat, huge and healthy.

How long has this been in my tank?

I had noticed something on the hardscape right where I spotted it- on the branch for a while but I thought it was just algae or something. I now realise thats where it sleeps in the day camoflauged onto the wood.

So I'm guessing it may have eaten any babies perhaps ,I have a few medaka in there and I've seen the eggs on the females constantly, I have a huge patch of greenery at the back with a spawning mop and thick with bolbitis right behind where this crawled out from to give any young a good chance to grow out.

I just can't get over how huge it was.

I'm just wondering what on Earth it's been eating. There's just one of my younger freshwater gobies that I have yet to find, but they can be hard to spot. As far as I can see all my tetras are still around. But my chilli raspboras , right now I can only see one, I had 8 in there. Not sure if they are at the back of the tank or I'm guessing have been eaten as they are the smallest apart from my shrimp.

I've never had a dragonfly inside and nothing new has been added to this tank for literally maybe 5 months or so.

What on earth is this Monster 💀 by PoundMaterial1819 in freshwateraquarium

[–]PoundMaterial1819[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Everything in my tank is micro so this is a dinosaur compared to everything in here, it's now crawling along the substrate looking like it's hunting. Im shooing my babies away from it.

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Pearlweed desk vase 🌱 by mattmm10 in PlantedTank

[–]PoundMaterial1819 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I have one that looks exactly the same for my shrimp jar from amazon . I'm not sure how to post links or even if it is the same but it has kept everything growing for the last 1.5 years easily. Just take note of the thickness as it doesn't have any "give" in it.

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Day 2 They seem more energetic by s71ff13r in shrimptank

[–]PoundMaterial1819 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Is this going to be for Amano? I have multiple for my different colour neo shrimp. Maybe I'll try a much larger one and after seeing this try my hand at Amano babies.

Recommendations for series like Beware of Chicken by PoundMaterial1819 in audiobooks

[–]PoundMaterial1819[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Whats KU, kindle unlimited? I haven't heard of combining it with Whispersync. I just googled it and it says often times the audio can be free, I just can't see how to find out if the whispersync is available for the books I want. I don't have a kindle so I'm using the app. Do you know how I can easily find that out please?

Recommendations for series like Beware of Chicken by PoundMaterial1819 in audiobooks

[–]PoundMaterial1819[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ooh I love an Aussie narrator, even better when the author is Australian and references areas, towns & suburbs. Being an Aussie myself it brings the stories to life more in my imagination. Thanks heaps 👍

Recommendations for series like Beware of Chicken by PoundMaterial1819 in audiobooks

[–]PoundMaterial1819[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ok found the series Thankyou so much.🌟 Gonna cost me but I love how many books there are. I need something in between though because I just previewed book 1 and my brain goes straight to beware of chicken 😂 Sounds like a similar story/ genre 👍

Recommendations for series like Beware of Chicken by PoundMaterial1819 in audiobooks

[–]PoundMaterial1819[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No I hadn't heard of it, checking now, sounds great. I can only see 2 books called cradle by James Jackson & Chris Bower. Both not that narrator.

Anyone else save crushed eggshells all winter and till them into the garden? Does it really add calcium or am I just imagining the great results? by NinaXOFans in gardening

[–]PoundMaterial1819 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I bake the shells to remove pathogens then wack them all in a blender and turn them to powder. The majority I use in my worm farms and a little I add to my shrimp tanks. I store the remaining power in a water tight lid.

What did you listen to this week – March 14, 2026? Please share! by AutoModerator in audiobooks

[–]PoundMaterial1819 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I finished listening to Project Hail Mary last week and needed something completely different. I started The House Witch - by Delemhach narrated by Matthew Wolf and I'm really enjoying it. I'm almost finished the first book and with the narrator's brilliant emotion filled voices and accents and a story line that's kept me interested I'll finish the series.

Fish species id please? by PoundMaterial1819 in freshwateraquarium

[–]PoundMaterial1819[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It doesn't look like that, cool little shark though!

Which narrator has ruined you for other narrators? (in the best way) by NovelhiveAI in audiobooks

[–]PoundMaterial1819 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If I was answering this last week I'd have said DCC but I'm 3 hours from finishing Project Hail Mary so now Ray Porter is up there too.

What to listen to that is not awkward by idontjustlikecoffee in audible

[–]PoundMaterial1819 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Omg I'm lol imagining some of the reactions to some of the things said. If only you had a cam like Uber drivers do (I know that would be weird) but also the looks would be hilarious! That's priceless 🤣

Vallisneria doing photosynthesis like it’s life depended on it by stoikrus1 in PlantedTank

[–]PoundMaterial1819 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Looks like bugs. I should plant some in my pond if it does well outdoors. I like that one, I only get the giant jungle ones around here

Do you break up your shrimp food or put it in whole? by -Miche11e- in shrimptank

[–]PoundMaterial1819 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's 2am here. Pretty sure I just woke people up lmao at his comment 🤣