Still no neons
Posted by Anja on May 4, 2008 at 19:21 | Last modified: July 9, 2012 19:24I wanted to divide the large java fern on the side, so took out half of the water to get at it, cut it up and restick it plus some seven or eight new little plantlets. First time I did a 50% water change since set-up. I hope the fish will be ok with this, and all the java fern divisions will survive. Unfortunately, I can’t take any pictures ’cause the camera broke. *sniff*
Even though I treat the new water with Blackwater Extract, the color of the tank water has cleared up dramatically with this. I can actually see that the rocks on the back wall print are gray rather than brown. Not sure I like it that much, but I guess I’ll get used to it, and the water will get a little more yellow again, too.
Tags: chemistry, Microsorum pteropus | Categories: 25G South American | Comments Off on Still no neons | PermalinkStill no neons
Posted by Anja on April 20, 2008 at 19:19 | Last modified: July 9, 2012 19:20Added 7 more glowlight tetras today, bringing their total number up to 10. It suddenly looks a lot more lively in that tank. I have the feeling the three old ones are a tad territorial, but it’s not easy to tell them apart. Looks like mere bickering, though, I’m not really concerned.
Tags: Hemigrammus erythrozonus | Categories: 25G South American | Comments Off on Still no neons | PermalinkEveryone is peachy
Posted by Anja on April 19, 2008 at 19:18 | Last modified: July 9, 2012 19:19… and the little pleco doesn’t look like he took any damage. I hope I caught it in time, and that the weeks he spent at the LFS were enough of a quarantine.
I still don’t know why the QT suddenly crashed like that, but I guess that small a system w/out any plants is always vulnerable. I might also change the filter material. I don’t trust those all in one pads that came with it. When you change one (though I hadn’t, so that wasn’t it), all the nitrifying bacteria come out with it. That can’t be good.
The mystery Ranger Pleco btw. seems to be a Pterygoplichthys weberi.
Tags: chemistry, Pterygoplichthys weberi, Rory | Categories: 25G South American | Comments Off on Everyone is peachy | PermalinkQT crash
Posted by Anja on April 16, 2008 at 19:17 | Last modified: July 9, 2012 19:18Had a heart attack this morning. Went to check the ammonia in the QT as I did every second day, and it was through the roof. Did an immediate 75% water change w/ Prime and Stability, and the pleco, who’d been just hovering on the bottom immediately picked up a bit, but ammo was still not in any comfortable range. I did small 1 quart water changes every fifteen minutes for a few hours, w/out bringing it down any further.
Around 4p.m. I finally gave up on it, netted the pleco, checked him over for any signs of burns, but didn’t see any, and moved him into the main tank.
Lost one of my cories today
Posted by Anja on April 12, 2008 at 19:15 | Last modified: July 9, 2012 19:16He was the smallest and always a little less boisterous than the others. Yesterday afternoon I missed him at feeding time, and searched in vain all evening. This morning I found him still alive, but sticking to the filter intake. I put him in a QT by himself so he wouldn’t get picked on (not that there was a mark on him), and an hour later he was dead. I have no clue what killed him. All I can think of is that he was fighting something since I got him, and the stress of being moved to the main tank on Wednesday weakened him further. But I have no idea what he could have been fighting. Apart from the fact that he was half the size of the others (and they’re all not fully grown, so I thought he was just a bit younger), he didn’t look any different. He was definitely out and about and feeding with everyone else yesterday morning. Water tested the same as always (amm/trites 0, nitrates under 20).
Needless to say I’m keeping a sharp eye on the others now.
Rory
Posted by Anja on April 10, 2008 at 19:13 | Last modified: July 9, 2012 19:15They still had the Ranger (mystery) Plecos at my LFS today, and they assured me that they would take him back in case he got too big for my tank. I mean, what’s a girl to do, faced with the tiniest cutest wiggliest most interestingly patterned pleco ever seen? And who can resist a mystery? Right? Right? Right.
So *erm* anyway. He’s in the QT now. Most people I talked to who know plecos, seem to think he’s some kind of peckoltia. Anyway, I named him Rory (‘Rose is Rose’ fans will understand).
Tags: Pterygoplichthys weberi, Rory | Categories: 25G South American | Comments Off on Rory | PermalinkBig Adventure
Posted by Anja on April 9, 2008 at 19:10 | Last modified: July 9, 2012 19:12Moved the cories into the main tank today. They, of course, went immediately for cover.
I think I’m almost as stressed out as they are, even though everything went smoothly. They were easy to net in the QT. I added some Prime and Stability to the main tank to give everyone a good start, and now we’ll have to see. The glowlights are merely curiously peeking at their new neighbors now and then. Cthulhu hasn’t come out yet. I know I’ll be eagle eying that tank again now for the next 78 hours to make sure everyone is ok.
Here’s one in the background, trying to blend in behind the glowlight tetra:
Tomorrow I want to see what my LFS has for as as far as a next batch of newbies is concerned.
Tags: Ancistrus, Corydoras paleatus, Hemigrammus erythrozonus | Categories: 25G South American | Comments Off on Big Adventure | PermalinkThey sure like their brine shrimp with spirulina
Posted by Anja on April 5, 2008 at 19:09 | Last modified: July 9, 2012 19:10
Niam!
Tags: Corydoras paleatus | Categories: 25G South American | Comments Off on They sure like their brine shrimp with spirulina | PermalinkI was just going to buy fish food
Posted by Anja on April 3, 2008 at 08:08 | Last modified: July 9, 2012 19:08… and then they had these cute little cory cats. You know how it is. Anyway, five of them are in my QT right now. I fed them and the tetras a couple pinches of dried bloodworms yesterday and they totally went wild.
Here they are happily munching on some NLS pellets I got for them yesterday:
The Mohicans really appreciated the change from the flakes and gobbled up quite a few of those yummie new pellets. The guy in my LFS said, even his BN likes them, so Cthulhu might be in for a treat tonight.
Tags: Corydoras paleatus | Categories: 25G South American | Comments Off on I was just going to buy fish food | PermalinkGlowlight update
Posted by Anja on March 28, 2008 at 19:04 | Last modified: July 9, 2012 19:05So far they’re okay, though they weren’t terribly interested in food this morning. They’re incredibly fast movers, which is why there’s no picture yet. I’m trying out videos, but they need to be worked on, and I need to figure out the software before I can do that. So, only verbal update for now.
Tags: Hemigrammus erythrozonus | Categories: 25G South American | Comments Off on Glowlight update | Permalink