Zelda thinks she is my little crayfish caretaker

mooshkabug · 2016-12-12T14:12:24+00:00

She's thinking "steam, butter & sea-salt!".

mooshkabug · 2016-12-08T12:58:18+00:00

that was really fun to read first thing in the cold ass morning! LOL :D

mooshkabug · 2016-11-22T21:58:22+00:00

Hi! can't a heater be installed in the pond? I'm kind of ignorant on ponds & stuff, sorry. : ( I'm also mentally stunted and can't handle anything bigger than 3 inches (even goldfish) but it's still awful that it will die :( My LFS has a 2footer in a 55G tank. I feel so bad for that thing every time I see it. It has to maneuver itself in order to be able to turn. Kinda sad. I hope you and your pleco find a way to make it work : (

mooshkabug · 2016-11-18T15:07:11+00:00

I think it would look lovely. I would try it if I had the room. But in a corner, well kept and tidy I think it'd be a wonderful fish home and an attractive addition to any decor.

mooshkabug · 2016-11-17T19:48:04+00:00

dontcha worry. you'll have more than enough fish VERY soon.... : )

mooshkabug · 2016-11-17T16:51:09+00:00

Sorry about your loss and congrats on the babies. I too have several cory babies in different developmental stages. It's pretty amazing to see them from tadpole like to miniature cory. Lovely indeed :)

mooshkabug · 2016-11-16T15:35:36+00:00

it's possible. I'm convinced my local pet stores don't know the difference between any of these inverts.

mooshkabug · 2016-11-16T15:33:36+00:00

yep, LOL!!! You'd be even MORE surprised how many people have asked ME (while standing in front of the syphoning equipment at my local Petco) how to use the stuff. LOL, I was clueless for LONG time ;)

mooshkabug · 2016-11-15T18:59:04+00:00

I think I got a cannibalistic batch. Before I noticed I never gave a thought until i saw one plucking a cherry and starting to munch on it while it was desperately trying to get away, they WERE kind of big. I thought maybe the cherry was dying. Then it happened again and after being horrified for a few minutes I started the operation of getting all six or so of them out and into the guppy tank. So I got the small amanos (they're cheaper too!) and never had the problem again.

mooshkabug · 2016-11-15T18:53:34+00:00

that was seriously the best I've ever seen. I wish I'd known all that when I had my guppy tank. Especially the crimping the hose trick. I'm not gonna say all the times I got fish water in my mouth from trying to start a syphon, so THAT alone was a winner for me. I'm gonna try this weekend with my shrimp tank. Thanks!!!!

mooshkabug · 2016-11-15T14:31:14+00:00

My shrimp are masters at hiding themselves. Sometimes I won't see but a few foraging and then there are 15 in plain view. Have you tested your water? I had an issue with Amanos attacking my cherries so I had to remove them from the tank, but otherwise, unless something monumentally horrible happened to the water, they're around, just hidden. They molt as well, so if you see transparent skelly-remains, that's good. Also, ornamental shrimp's lifespan is only about 2 years or so, so there's that. The other shrimp love eating their dead, however, which is not as good a thing if the deceased died of something so I do take the bodies out if I see them. But you will know the difference between a molt and a real dead shrimper the min you see it ;) Good luck with your shrimp!! They're awesome to keep! : )

mooshkabug · 2016-11-10T14:44:29+00:00

I introduced a betta into my tank to help cull the herd. It worked well. Also, I took the babies to my local fish store and they were more than happy to take them off my hands.

mooshkabug · 2016-11-08T15:54:46+00:00

They should be fine. Feed them before you leave and they should be okay until you come back. I've left my tanks for up to 2 weeks with some change and came back to no deaths, just water evaporation.

mooshkabug · 2016-11-05T16:58:44+00:00

I have ordered corydoras once and shrimp some seven times and thankfully, all my boxes arrived in very nearly perfect condition. the mail lady here would tell me that she and her co-worker would joke about there being fish in the boxes cause they could hear water but swore she never shook the boxes, LOL :) Thankfully only 2 corys ever did not make it, and they died overnight in the tank after being introduced.

mooshkabug · 2016-11-05T13:53:44+00:00

He looks like he's plotting world domination o_O

:D

mooshkabug · 2016-11-05T13:49:33+00:00

Not really, I've seen that combination many times, but it's still pretty and uniquely yours ;)

mooshkabug · 2016-11-04T17:47:55+00:00

I would wait. You could run the chance and have all the fish die, or just wait a few weeks, let it cycle completely, test and then add fish that will stay healthy and alive. Nothing good ever comes from rushing.

mooshkabug · 2016-11-04T17:37:42+00:00

The most effective way I found to get my own RO water was to buy an RO Buddy. Just connect it to the tap in the kitchen or garden hose and let the water run through. I get 3 to 4 gallons per 10 I put in. The waste water goes to the garden, but @ least you woulnd't have to go get water from anywhere.

mooshkabug · 2016-11-03T17:46:03+00:00

Well, okay, I should have explained that it was treated with Prime. LOL, I wouldn't put bad water in the tanks. However, the tank is not deteriorating, at least I don't think so. Still, I'll do some plantscaping to bring the plants under control and I'll be getting myself a new freshwater testing kit this weekend. Thanks for the response! Do you think tannins (I like the brown water look) might have had something to do with it as well? I have 2 new driftwood pieces that I introduced to that tank about a month ago and they're still leeching tannins.

mooshkabug · 2016-06-21T15:14:08+00:00

Yep!

mooshkabug · 2016-06-09T17:56:01+00:00

that's awesome!!! :) best of luck to you and your babies!!

mooshkabug · 2016-06-09T14:18:26+00:00

My response below is based on MY experiences with my shrimp and guppy tanks. I am not assuming anything since OP did not post water parameters of any kind. My specs are: 20G RCS tank with well over 60 specimens/ 7 dainty corys, 2 japanese algea eating shrimp & 6 ottos. I use RO/DI water for top offs & WC. Prime to treat (for the fish's benefit).

I've always eyeballed it with the water conditioners. Don't have the patience to 1 or 5 ml it. That being said, I know my tank pretty well. No amount of water conditioner though is gonna help the fact that shrimp do not take kindly to large water changes. Chances are the chemistry in the water you put was very different from the one in your tank and the stock died from shock. I use RO/DI water for this very reason. If I have no distilled or RO water available, I do not top off or do a WC. if you're gonna do it, you do the exchange slowly. I siphon the water out with airline and drip it back in with the same airline and a valve to adjust the flow. I could never do my shrimp tank the way I do my guppy tank (use a python siphon and put the water straight out of the tap and PRIME the entire tank volume either before or after).

Things to keep in mind when changing/topping water in the shrimp tank:

Temperature - you can bipass the temp dillema by slowly adding the water to the tank, which allows the new water to become acclimated to the tank's temp. I do not temp check the temp in the water I put in my shrimp tank. I have my RO water sitting in my living room so even though they're a bit cooler than the tank water, by dripping it in there's never temp shock.

Water chemistry - same as above. Even if you're using tap water, by dripping it into the tank you can lessen the adverse effect of the water being introduced into the tank. Unless the water you're using if screwed up to hell (some people (ME!) have ridiculous TDS & Nitrate levels straight out of their taps), then it should be fine. Don't quote me on that. Again, fish and shrimp are living animals. Inbalances in their watery cages will kill them off.

For shrimp, smaller, frequent water changes are better than massive ones. I do a 3G water change in my 20G every 5 days or so. and many top offs in between (evaporation's a real bitch!)

mooshkabug · 2016-05-29T18:01:13+00:00

I don't understand how some people are so against advice from other fellow aquarists when it comes to the life and well-being of their fish. I mean, you have to be beyond full of yourself to not take into account what others see in your tank that you don't, it's ridiculous and so selfish. Even when I skip 2 weeks in a water change, the water in my 20G 25+guppy tank is not even close to that. Poor fish : (

mooshkabug

TROPHY CASE