Back in the Game

[QandD 573]

What kind of algae is it? Some algae is beneficial.

[Morgan'sMiracles 1,214]

What kind of algae is it? Some algae is beneficial.

Well, it's nasty floaty icky.

[QandD 573]

Is it green water or hair algae adhering to the side of the tank? Is it growing on your plants? I can't really tell. If you're worried about it, perhaps Dan in Aus or others might have suggestions on the plant subforum. I think different types require different modes of intervention. A water change would probably help. 

 

Otherwise, I wanted to say how nice your tanks are looking! It seems like you have a lot of cute fish in the mix--one from ECR? Cool! Poor pearlscale. Is it just me or are its fins kind of torn? Has it been treated for flukes?

[Morgan'sMiracles 1,214]

Is it green water or hair algae adhering to the side of the tank? Is it growing on your plants? I can't really tell. If you're worried about it, perhaps Dan in Aus or others might have suggestions on the plant subforum. I think different types require different modes of intervention. A water change would probably help.

Otherwise, I wanted to say how nice your tanks are looking! It seems like you have a lot of cute fish in the mix--one from ECR? Cool! Poor pearlscale. Is it just me or are its fins kind of torn? Has it been treated for flukes?

The pearlscale,along with it's three tankmates, have never been treated for anything. They were purchased last year by a second year l&h student for an aquaponics set up and left with the teacher when said student graduAted. Honestly, im shocked they survived. His fins dont seem tattered to me, but he certainly isn't healthy. Little Fish's tail is fused on top, too, which adds to the swimming issues. . .

But as for the algae, it is attached to the plants in awful green clouds. And it's awful. That tank.is hard. to clean because of the dividers. It's super awful.

[QandD 573]

 

Is it green water or hair algae adhering to the side of the tank? Is it growing on your plants? I can't really tell. If you're worried about it, perhaps Dan in Aus or others might have suggestions on the plant subforum. I think different types require different modes of intervention. A water change would probably help.

Otherwise, I wanted to say how nice your tanks are looking! It seems like you have a lot of cute fish in the mix--one from ECR? Cool! Poor pearlscale. Is it just me or are its fins kind of torn? Has it been treated for flukes?

The pearlscale,along with it's three tankmates, have never been treated for anything. They were purchased last year by a second year l&h student for an aquaponics set up and left with the teacher when said student graduAted. Honestly, im shocked they survived. His fins dont seem tattered to me, but he certainly isn't healthy. Little Fish's tail is fused on top, too, which adds to the swimming issues. . .

But as for the algae, it is attached to the plants in awful green clouds. And it's awful. That tank.is hard. to clean because of the dividers. It's super awful.

 

 

Just saw your post on D&D. His fins are just tiny and I don't see well! I hope that he feels better soon; it's so good of you to help him. 

 

I'd ask the plant forum if you're troubled by the algae. I'll bet they can help. 

[koko 14,334]

Looks to me like you need more current

[Morgan'sMiracles 1,214]

Looks to me like you need more current

Oh! Perhaps. There are dividers in the tank and they block water flow a bit. . .

[koko 14,334]

 

Looks to me like you need more current

Oh! Perhaps. There are dividers in the tank and they block water flow a bit. . .

 

 

 

Theres your problem, its causing stagnate water hun

[FishyMandy 6,272]

Ooh I had algae like that before, is very annoying! Good Luck dealing with it!

[Morgan'sMiracles 1,214]

So here's the news, folks! I removed the dividers from my 10g and cleaned up all the algae to the best of my ability. Unfortunately, this also meant removing two of the bettas. So Electric Storm, the pretty little plakat baby i had purchased, was given free reign of the 10g for a week and a half. Yesterday, i put in one of the dividers and attempted to place Pugley in the empty side. Unfortunately, Storm wasn't happy to share the space and TWICE managed to get to Pugley. Despite the fact that they are the same age and size, Pugley is a ripped up mess and Storm is perfectly fine, proudly parading around the tank with fins extended.

So i reluctantly added Pugley to the 20g, not holding out much hope for his extended stay there, but without any other options. Lo and behold, he loves it! With the ansorgiis always hiding, he jas free reign of the tank. The only downside is that his constantly showing off his pretty fins showns even more so how tattered he is from his fights.

In goldfish news, Little Fish seems happy and healthy. I think having the heater really helps him, more than anything else. I'll have to invest in a school heater for their little tank, and one for my aquaponics set up. My ap will probably be fine, as it's in a constantly heated greenhouse, but the little tank (smaller than my ap set up, gallon wise, and with 4c as many fish. . .) is inside, and won't have any heat during Christmas vacation next month. So I'll attend to that.

My other fishes are fine and healthy. Since Storm can't be in a divided tank, i might try having a small group of non flashy fish in with him. I can't have a betta alone in a 10g; it simply wouldn't do. I'm thinking a school of tetras. Any suggestions?

[goldfishfanforever 913]

You could get some ember tetras or possibly harlequin rasboras

[Morgan'sMiracles 1,214]

Todays the day Little Fish and Monet go to school! Here's hoping all goes well!!

[Morgan'sMiracles 1,214]

Monet and Clara are both transitioning to being alone. Clara will get a new buddy-- an ECR thai calico oranda baby-- but Monet will stay alone until summer whem i bring him home once again.

His "tank" seems to be stable at 65 degrees. As far as I'm aware, that's fine for goldfish. She just needs to adjust. For her ~22g tank, i will be buying a heater, a better filter, and maybe some deco? I put in a clay pot for her to hide in, but she would rather sit under the filter and pout.

[Morgan'sMiracles 1,214]

This is the first weekend that Monet will be staying over at the highschool. Im super nervous to leave her for two days! Also, I'm wondering if i should get her a school buddy. She is in a 22g tub but she seems lonely. Plus, i dont think her little body can produce enough nitrates to fuel plants without help. What do you guys think?

[Morgan'sMiracles 1,214]

Monet is happy and healthy after his weekend alone.

Clara, however, is not adjusting well to being alone. I wanted to wait until the baby calico was 3 months, but seeing how miserable Clara is alone, i might request she be sent along sooner. Im not sure, though, cause i know they'll reach full potential sooner with Cynthia than with me. . .

[Morgan'sMiracles 1,214]

Monet has some scales missing, likely from when i brought her to school. I got a picture. Hopefully it helps.

Clara still seems a bit down in the dumps. I've given her treats and i bought sone colorful plastic plants for the tank in hopes it'll cheer her up until the time comes for her to get a friend. If you haven't seen Cynthia's thai calico oranda spawn, hop over to instagram and check them out. They are beyond adorable. Six weeks old already!!

I finally ordered a heater for Monet. It'll be awhile before it arrives, and hopefully by that time I'll have a proper filter for Monet's aquaponics setup. It has a filter, it just isn't strong enough. And i have no idea if the set up is cycled. I test the water, but all we have at school are test strips. I fully intended to bring some water home to test yesterday, but then i was worried abouy Monet and i put her in said water to take pictures. There wasn't enough water from pre wc to get more, so I'll have to bring home the water for a proper test next thursday.

[Shahbazin 1,110]

I hope that Clara perks up for you - as long as Monet's water quality is good, I wouldn't worry too much about the scales. My gang knocks a few off every so often, but they just grow right back.

[Morgan'sMiracles 1,214]

I hope that Clara perks up for you - as long as Monet's water quality is good, I wouldn't worry too much about the scales. My gang knocks a few off every so often, but they just grow right back.

Alright, good! I was really worried about the scale loss.

[Morgan'sMiracles 1,214]

Waterchange day! It was very, very overdue. Unfortunately I wasn't able to do it last week due to horrid work schedule and lack of motivation. . . The fish weren't too happy with me. But I did full cleanings today. 80% on the 20l, 95% on the 29g and 60% on the 10g with only one betta.

For awhile after I did Clara's tank, she was just sitting and breathing really hard, nose down in the corner. She was totally in control of her body, just slightly tilted. I think it was because of the water temperature. It's impossible to match temp with my faucet, which is either burning hot or freezing cold, so I try to do equal amounts of hot and cold so it more or less evens out. . . She is usually fine with it, but I suppose in the future, I'll simply remove her to avoid her discomfort. She seems okay now.

In the 20g, Pugsley is doing really well. His fins are a total disaster from Electric Storm's abuse, but they're healing. He eats well and seems at home in the large, mostly empty space. There are plenty of hiding spaces, but he really doesn't do much hiding. The false penguin tetras leave him alone, and so do the ansorgiis. I haven't seen either of the big ones-- Lilac and Bushbear-- in awhile, but I know that they hide, so I'm not particularly worried. They can hide for weeks at a time and be fine. I'm having trouble with plants in that tank. I have lots of healthy anubias, and nothing else seems to be working. The lilies don't grow, the Amazon swords don't grow, and even the aponogetons seem like they're frozen in time. The hydro, however, totally melted away and died.

Do you remember how I got a new bristlenose pleco a few months ago? He was soooo tiny then, but now he has caught up to Aquila and Prisca in size! I'm so happy; I was worried I wasn't feeding them enough, but clearly if he caught up to them so fast, they have plenty.

My 10g is my favorite tank right now. The plants are doing amazing. My narrow leaf hygro is multiplying so fast! It only takes a week for the stalks I cut to once again reach the surface, leaving me to once again trim them. With a lower water level post wc, there is more current and I added a bubbler and removed the divider, so the stagnant water algae shouldn't come back. I will hopefully be adding some shrimp to this tank in the next few weeks. Probably red cherry shrimp. Are there any specific things I need for them? Do they need moss? There isn't much for short plants; should I get some? I have been considering getting some Marimo balls; would they like those?

Last but not least, enjoy some pictures.

I also bought some fake plants on eBay. I have no idea when they'll come, but when they do, it'll be the first time I've willingly added fake plants to my tanks. Wish me luck! Anything has to be better than the awful, boring monotony of my empty 29g.

[Morgan'sMiracles 1,214]

I got the first batch of little plants the other day. Ten three inch plants, which ill put. . . well, wherever i want to. Some in the 29g, i suppose. I will be doing a wc tonight.

Are we supposed to do 6 month maintenance fluke treatments? If so, ill probably do a few round on clara.

[Morgan'sMiracles 1,214]

I saw FishyMandy doing a year's recap on her blog, so I figured I'd do one, too. It's a cute idea. . .hopefully she doesn't mind me stealing it!!  

 

 

January: Purchased my 20L tank and Eleazar, my little black moor. I also gave Torrent, a betta, to my brother and set up the 20L with just Pascal, another betta. 

 

 

February: Added Eleazar to the tank with Kappa. Snail clutches hatched. Purchased penguin tetras for 20g. Re-dirted 29g. 

 

March: Nothing really happened here. Kappa had a brief floaty bout, but then was fine. My plants started really plumping out, as did Eleazar. All around, this was a good month for tanks. 

 

April: Kappa died. That was the worst month for fishkeeping. I made a photomontage of his life. These were the first and last pics I took of him. My sister tried to help by buying me a new fish, Misheal. He didn't even last until the end of the month before dying. 

 

 

May: I got the four ansorgiis. They are in my 20g to this day. Eleazar died at the end of May. Like Kappa and Misheal, it was completely unexpected. Then, I nuked the 29g and hoped for the best.

 

June: Purchased Martin and Frasier, an oranda and a ryukin. Neither survive the month. At the end of June, I purchased Monet and Clara. 

 

July: Crazy busy with working two jobs. I didn't do anything with fish at this time, barely finishing the QT of Monet and Clara before the months end. . .

 

August: I got a third albino BN pleco, named Apollo. I also considered giving up fishkeeping. And then, at the end of the month, I went nuts and bought six bettas. . . 

 

September: I bought a 7th betta, and got rid of two others.

 

October: Set up 'permanent homes' for the bettas. 

 

November: I assumed control of the overstocked 15g in my vocational class, doing large weekly wc to save the poor gf within from ultimate death. I also brought home LittleFish, a calico pearlscale, for observation. She is one of my teacher's gf from school. 

 

December: Moved Monet to my at school aquaponics system with ~300 gph of filtration. There are plans for a baby calico thai oranda from ECR to come in February, I believe, and s/he will go in with Clara at home. I will be purchasing another gf very soon to go in with Monet, as I need higher nitrate concentrations for any plants to grow in my aquaponics system. I'll be setting up a load of lettuce after winter break is over and, hopefully, reaping the benefits. 

 

I don't know if I mentioned this, but I also slowly pared down mybetta hoard. . . I only have two now, Electric Storm and Pascal. The others were all, blessedly, rehomed. I couldn't handle that many tanks.

[Morgan'sMiracles 1,214]

https://vimeo.com/150284515

Clara in a fresh, clean tank! I added a round of prazi in there with her, because she's been really off lately. I figured a maintenance round was in order. She didn't like having it put in the water. I put her back in post 80% wc and she just. . . Sat there in the glass bowl, glaring out the entrance. It was very cute and funny, but ultimately, it will be helpful.

I'm super worried about Monet this week. I ended up leaving her at school over the break so the cycle in her tank could finish. My teacher promised she'd be at school at least every other day to feed the fish. Still, I'm very worried. Here's hoping that she'll be alive and happy when I show up Monday. . .

So we got a lot of snow today!! Well, like, 6 inches maybe, but more than we've gotten yet! It's very exciting. I hate snow, but I love the feeling of a snow day. We may already be out of school, due to winter break and all, but it still feels very special.

I started working on an adult coloring book too! I'm almost done, so I'll be posting that to Mandy's and Ree's thread later.

All my other tanks are clean, too.

That is all.

[Morgan'sMiracles 1,214]

New fish! Two ~2" orandas, one blue and one blue gold. So gorgeous!! The blue guy is a little fattie!!

[mysterygirl 2,031]

Aw good luck with them. New Fish Day is so exciting, so full of promise.

[Morgan'sMiracles 1,214]

Aw good luck with them. New Fish Day is so exciting, so full of promise.

Thanks! Im more worried than normal over these two, just because they're from the same place i got Mishi, Fraizer and Martin. They all died within days. . . but it's been a few months, so hopefully whatever was going on was resolved and they'll live long, happy lives.