I used a larger trap last night and was rewarded with a female bristlenose waiting for me this morning. I used a 2-liter plastic soda bottle instead of the 20-ounce, and this larger size means the fish can enter and swim around and have trouble finding the exit, whereas before the fish did not have room to move around much, so the exit was right in front of them.
I set the trap with zucchini before lights out, but managed to trap two festivus and the juvenile domestic angel! Why they were so very interested in zucchini I do not know, but I realized I needed to wait until lights out, and that was met with success.
I slowly acclimated her to the 37-gallon, since the pH is much higher and the temperature is about 5 degrees lower. Hopefully this will not bother her. I will attempt to trap the male now, and construct some simple caves for the fry growout tank, and perhaps the pair will spawn for me. Once I sell of the remaining babies (40+) then they will have no competition for whatever food I put in there, and they will have a spell on their own before the next batch of angel fry is introduced. Hopefully. If the planets align. I don't want to get ahead of myself (yes, yes I do!) so I will concentrate on trapping the wiley male bristlenose tonight.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Updates
No luck trapping the Ancistrus so far, but as my daughter saw one of them go in the trap, and zip right back out, this is not much of a trap.
I believe that the bottle is too small, so once inside, the fish turns around and finds its nose right in the inverted bottle opening, and can go right back out. I will plan on making another trap with a larger bottle, so the fish will go inside and have to swim around to find the opening, hopefully foiling its efforts. These fish may be too smart for this type of trap, but I would like to give it another try.
Also, I have decided to hold off on moving the M. festivus out of the 150, since they are really not hurting anyone, and I believe a pair bond is forming. It may be that the best course of action will be to remove the extra third fish, rather than removing two and leaving one. I will have to monitor their behavior and make sure they are not stressing the tank or injuring other fish in their efforts to defend territory.
The domestic angel babies continue to grow and I am slowly selling them off. If I cannot get the Ancistrus pair from the 150 to move into the 37-gallon growout tank, I will find another bristlenose for that tank, as I think that is a very appropriate fish to keep the tank cycled until the next batch of eggs.
Agnes & Frank still have not spawned again, and they continue to gaze at the fry tank, so I am anxious to move the babies out and inspire the pair to spawn again.
Otis continues to be his awesome self. He enjoys his snails and the single thawed frozen krill I give him every other day or so. Those are a relatively large meal for him but he relishes tearing it apart, and I can easily hear his teeth crunching up the exoskeleton, as is the case when he eats snails, so I am comfortable his teeth are getting the maintenance they require. I do hate the idea of trimming them myself. Ugh.
I believe that the bottle is too small, so once inside, the fish turns around and finds its nose right in the inverted bottle opening, and can go right back out. I will plan on making another trap with a larger bottle, so the fish will go inside and have to swim around to find the opening, hopefully foiling its efforts. These fish may be too smart for this type of trap, but I would like to give it another try.
Also, I have decided to hold off on moving the M. festivus out of the 150, since they are really not hurting anyone, and I believe a pair bond is forming. It may be that the best course of action will be to remove the extra third fish, rather than removing two and leaving one. I will have to monitor their behavior and make sure they are not stressing the tank or injuring other fish in their efforts to defend territory.
The domestic angel babies continue to grow and I am slowly selling them off. If I cannot get the Ancistrus pair from the 150 to move into the 37-gallon growout tank, I will find another bristlenose for that tank, as I think that is a very appropriate fish to keep the tank cycled until the next batch of eggs.
Agnes & Frank still have not spawned again, and they continue to gaze at the fry tank, so I am anxious to move the babies out and inspire the pair to spawn again.
Otis continues to be his awesome self. He enjoys his snails and the single thawed frozen krill I give him every other day or so. Those are a relatively large meal for him but he relishes tearing it apart, and I can easily hear his teeth crunching up the exoskeleton, as is the case when he eats snails, so I am comfortable his teeth are getting the maintenance they require. I do hate the idea of trimming them myself. Ugh.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Bristlenose say whaaaa????
The bristlenoses are not having anything to do with my clever little fish trap that has worked so well for me over the years. They have not had their customary slice of zucchini for two whole days now, but they are not entering the trap, nor have they seemed to even approach it.
What now? I'm not willing to tear the tank apart to get them. We'll keep trying. I was careful to make the opening of the trap the right size for them, but maybe it is just too weird looking. I'll leave it in place a while longer and allow them to get used to it being there.
I'd sure like to get them moved, and once I make a decision like this I tend to obsess on it, but I need to be prepared in case I am unable to trap them and resign myself to leaving them where they are, and consider the cory cats the unfortunate ones in this scenario.
What now? I'm not willing to tear the tank apart to get them. We'll keep trying. I was careful to make the opening of the trap the right size for them, but maybe it is just too weird looking. I'll leave it in place a while longer and allow them to get used to it being there.
I'd sure like to get them moved, and once I make a decision like this I tend to obsess on it, but I need to be prepared in case I am unable to trap them and resign myself to leaving them where they are, and consider the cory cats the unfortunate ones in this scenario.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Ejected from the Game
I have decided to move the Ancistrus pair from the 150 to the 37-gallon angel fry growout tank. I need something in there to hold the cycle for me until the next batch of fry, and their diminutive size makes them good candidates, but they'll still have plenty of room. Perhaps, in their own private digs they'll spawn for me. I'll provide a cave for them and see what happens. I have left a good deal of brown algae on the glass of this rank, and there is a large piece of driftwood in there (it is not possible for me to maintain a bare tank) so hopefully they will be content. It is very sparsely planted.
I can't tolerate the bullying of the Corydoras in the 150, and I'd rather make them comfortable and eject the Ancistrus, though I do enjoy them in that tank. They are out and about more than other Ancistrus I have kept, and they seem to do a good job of controlling algae on the glass, though I don't know how much algae I am growing, actually. I will soon find out, if I can get them moved.
The problem is trapping them. I set up my usual clear soda bottle with the top and neck section cut off and inverted into the body of the bottle, with a nice slice of zucchini inside, and a rock to keep it down on the bottom. No takers. I omitted their zucchini feeding last night to be sure they'd be hungry, but they are not going in yet. I don't have a practical way to get them out of the tank other than trapping. I will wait them out, I suppose.
The tank is too heavily planted and 'scaped for me to try to chase them down with a net. I'd have to drain the tank and remove all objects to do it. This is a problem when you have a large tank like this. Any fish I want to get out must be trapped, or they have to be relatively curious and not easily spooked, where I can lure them to the net.
I have discussed this whole thing with Deborah, my catfish expert friend, and she finds their bullying tendencies to be unusual, but she is an advocate for the corys and is in favor of moving the bristlenoses out - there ought to be no issues whatsoever between them and the angel fry, no matter what the size of the fry might be.
She is also considering other options for me in terms of a suckermouth catfish for the 150, if I should desire to replace them. I also may wish to consider a replacement for my beloved Planiloricaria cryptodon that I lost not too long ago. I do miss that fish, and it might be a better environment for one now without the Ancistrus, which did seem to pester him a bit, though he did not put up with much from them. He was much bigger than they, unlike the little cory cats, which are intimidated by the Ancistrus. I could try to find another whiptail like before, or go with one of the twig catfish or Sturisoma species, but I need something that does not mind the balmy 82F water. I would not mind an algae eater, but I don't know that there are that many species that do a particularly good job of that, except for the Ancistrus sp. I may be very wrong about that, however, and will discuss it with Deborah if I do manage to remove the catfish pair and I find algae growth to be a problem. I will hold off on it and hopefully will see the cory cats scooting around in total comfort, knowing no spiny face will be coming after them and keeping them in hiding.
I can't tolerate the bullying of the Corydoras in the 150, and I'd rather make them comfortable and eject the Ancistrus, though I do enjoy them in that tank. They are out and about more than other Ancistrus I have kept, and they seem to do a good job of controlling algae on the glass, though I don't know how much algae I am growing, actually. I will soon find out, if I can get them moved.
The problem is trapping them. I set up my usual clear soda bottle with the top and neck section cut off and inverted into the body of the bottle, with a nice slice of zucchini inside, and a rock to keep it down on the bottom. No takers. I omitted their zucchini feeding last night to be sure they'd be hungry, but they are not going in yet. I don't have a practical way to get them out of the tank other than trapping. I will wait them out, I suppose.
The tank is too heavily planted and 'scaped for me to try to chase them down with a net. I'd have to drain the tank and remove all objects to do it. This is a problem when you have a large tank like this. Any fish I want to get out must be trapped, or they have to be relatively curious and not easily spooked, where I can lure them to the net.
I have discussed this whole thing with Deborah, my catfish expert friend, and she finds their bullying tendencies to be unusual, but she is an advocate for the corys and is in favor of moving the bristlenoses out - there ought to be no issues whatsoever between them and the angel fry, no matter what the size of the fry might be.
She is also considering other options for me in terms of a suckermouth catfish for the 150, if I should desire to replace them. I also may wish to consider a replacement for my beloved Planiloricaria cryptodon that I lost not too long ago. I do miss that fish, and it might be a better environment for one now without the Ancistrus, which did seem to pester him a bit, though he did not put up with much from them. He was much bigger than they, unlike the little cory cats, which are intimidated by the Ancistrus. I could try to find another whiptail like before, or go with one of the twig catfish or Sturisoma species, but I need something that does not mind the balmy 82F water. I would not mind an algae eater, but I don't know that there are that many species that do a particularly good job of that, except for the Ancistrus sp. I may be very wrong about that, however, and will discuss it with Deborah if I do manage to remove the catfish pair and I find algae growth to be a problem. I will hold off on it and hopefully will see the cory cats scooting around in total comfort, knowing no spiny face will be coming after them and keeping them in hiding.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
When Too Much is Not Too Much
Could an Aqua Clear 30 and an Eheim Ecco 2232 be overkill for a 10-gallon aquarium? Sounds like it, but it does not appear to be the case.
I do not intend to keep the AC on the tank, but for now as I grow brackish bacteria in the Ecco I want both filters running. Puffers are sensitive to water quality problems and I don't want to take chances. Are the plants blowing all over? Is the puffer being buffeted about? Nope. Otis actually appears quite perked up by the additional water movement, and the tank is definitely cleaner.
The rocks no longer have the fuzzy accumulation after I began using a toothbrush and in small areas at a time, scrubbing off the fuzz and silt (this stuff is still a mystery to me). Over time I have cleaned all the rocks, but whereas the debris used to fall to the bottom and I'd have to siphon it out, now the offending stuff is carried off to one of the filters. Love that.
In an effort to provide the angel pair more room to swim I pulled a large piece of wisteria out of the 40-gallon breeding tank, and since it was covered in wee tiny snails (the 40-gallon is my snail farm for Otis) I just chucked the whole plant into his tank and let him go to work on the floating snail barge. He is an active hunter type, so this was supremely enjoyable for him, if a puffer can be joyful. He seems to be smiling all the time....
I left the plant in place, hoping it will survive, and now I put his snails on the plant itself for him to find. This keeps him busy, which is good for a figure-8 puffer.
Meanwhile, I put the Emperor 400 on the 40-gallon in conjunction with the Eheim Classic canister, but the Emperor is just too noisy. I ordered a replacement impeller assembly for cheap and we will see if that helps. In fact, the Eheim ought to be plenty of filtration for this tank with just two fish in it, albeit relatively large fish. It is hard for me not to overfilter my tanks. Did you notice?
I do not intend to keep the AC on the tank, but for now as I grow brackish bacteria in the Ecco I want both filters running. Puffers are sensitive to water quality problems and I don't want to take chances. Are the plants blowing all over? Is the puffer being buffeted about? Nope. Otis actually appears quite perked up by the additional water movement, and the tank is definitely cleaner.
The rocks no longer have the fuzzy accumulation after I began using a toothbrush and in small areas at a time, scrubbing off the fuzz and silt (this stuff is still a mystery to me). Over time I have cleaned all the rocks, but whereas the debris used to fall to the bottom and I'd have to siphon it out, now the offending stuff is carried off to one of the filters. Love that.
In an effort to provide the angel pair more room to swim I pulled a large piece of wisteria out of the 40-gallon breeding tank, and since it was covered in wee tiny snails (the 40-gallon is my snail farm for Otis) I just chucked the whole plant into his tank and let him go to work on the floating snail barge. He is an active hunter type, so this was supremely enjoyable for him, if a puffer can be joyful. He seems to be smiling all the time....
I left the plant in place, hoping it will survive, and now I put his snails on the plant itself for him to find. This keeps him busy, which is good for a figure-8 puffer.
Meanwhile, I put the Emperor 400 on the 40-gallon in conjunction with the Eheim Classic canister, but the Emperor is just too noisy. I ordered a replacement impeller assembly for cheap and we will see if that helps. In fact, the Eheim ought to be plenty of filtration for this tank with just two fish in it, albeit relatively large fish. It is hard for me not to overfilter my tanks. Did you notice?
Thursday, October 8, 2009
More Options for Otis...
The AC 30 is not big or bulky, and aside from the flexibility with how media is loaded this does not seem like it is any more powerful than the Penguin 125. It is certainly no bigger.
I run an Eheim Classic plus a small Eheim Ecco on the 40-gallon breeder tank, so what I will do is pull out the Emperor 400 from storage, dust it off and put it on the 40, keep the Classic, and put the Ecco on the 10-gallon, and see what I think. I can tuck it under my desk, and it might do the trick. I have been very disappointed with the two Ecco filters I own, finding them remarkably underpowered and cheaply constructed, but the lack of power may be to my advantage when putting a canister on a 10-gallon tank.
If that is too much current (I believe puffers enjoy some current) then I'll stick with the AC30, or maybe sell some more angel babies and get the AC50. That way whenever I upgrade the tank I'll have a filter that can be used on the larger tank, plus the canister would certainly be appropriate for the 20 if it is not for the 10. I doubt it will be too much for the 10, however. I admit it - I'm an Ecco hater.
I have been having some algae problems in the 10-gallon, and since it is definitely not brightly lit I know (or suspect) it is an excess of nutrients. The Anubias is not growing fast enough to combat it, and itself is covered in a fine fuzz. The tank looks horrible. I puts some hornwort in there but it promptly melted, as it is wont to do.
I will try very judicious dosing of Excel (no, I have not forgotten the disaster that I attributed to the use of Excel earlier in these pages) and will be very careful with it. This is easier to do in a 10-gallon, where we are talking very small amounts, so there is no casual "glugging" of the container into the aquarium. I will see if this helps combat the algae and the Anubias to do better. It seems to be struggling terribly in the tank, even though it is supposed to be a plant that does well in brackish water. I don't think it is the SG causing the problem, actually, but I sure don't know why it is not growing. If it has nutrients and light it ought to do fine.
I have a 13w CF desk lamp over the tank, but it is raised way up above it, and there is a fluoro ceiling fixture in the room as well, but that is not on all the time. I will try turning off the desk lamp when the ceiling fixture is on, and basically just cut down the artificial light. You would think the light would be low enough not to have algae be a problem, but as is often the case for me, I have unwanted algae that I can't figure out how to cure. In my tanks where I have been successful dealing with algae, I have A LOT of plants present, and medium lighting. I don't want to heavily plant this little tank, since Otis needs his swimming space, so I will have to figure out what is causing it.
I run an Eheim Classic plus a small Eheim Ecco on the 40-gallon breeder tank, so what I will do is pull out the Emperor 400 from storage, dust it off and put it on the 40, keep the Classic, and put the Ecco on the 10-gallon, and see what I think. I can tuck it under my desk, and it might do the trick. I have been very disappointed with the two Ecco filters I own, finding them remarkably underpowered and cheaply constructed, but the lack of power may be to my advantage when putting a canister on a 10-gallon tank.
If that is too much current (I believe puffers enjoy some current) then I'll stick with the AC30, or maybe sell some more angel babies and get the AC50. That way whenever I upgrade the tank I'll have a filter that can be used on the larger tank, plus the canister would certainly be appropriate for the 20 if it is not for the 10. I doubt it will be too much for the 10, however. I admit it - I'm an Ecco hater.
I have been having some algae problems in the 10-gallon, and since it is definitely not brightly lit I know (or suspect) it is an excess of nutrients. The Anubias is not growing fast enough to combat it, and itself is covered in a fine fuzz. The tank looks horrible. I puts some hornwort in there but it promptly melted, as it is wont to do.
I will try very judicious dosing of Excel (no, I have not forgotten the disaster that I attributed to the use of Excel earlier in these pages) and will be very careful with it. This is easier to do in a 10-gallon, where we are talking very small amounts, so there is no casual "glugging" of the container into the aquarium. I will see if this helps combat the algae and the Anubias to do better. It seems to be struggling terribly in the tank, even though it is supposed to be a plant that does well in brackish water. I don't think it is the SG causing the problem, actually, but I sure don't know why it is not growing. If it has nutrients and light it ought to do fine.
I have a 13w CF desk lamp over the tank, but it is raised way up above it, and there is a fluoro ceiling fixture in the room as well, but that is not on all the time. I will try turning off the desk lamp when the ceiling fixture is on, and basically just cut down the artificial light. You would think the light would be low enough not to have algae be a problem, but as is often the case for me, I have unwanted algae that I can't figure out how to cure. In my tanks where I have been successful dealing with algae, I have A LOT of plants present, and medium lighting. I don't want to heavily plant this little tank, since Otis needs his swimming space, so I will have to figure out what is causing it.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Two-inch Tank Buster
Otis, the figure-8 puffer, is 2 inches of cuteness, and is busting out of his 10-gallon aquarium. The bioload of these guys is tremendous, and the little HOB (Penguin 125) is woefully inadequate to handle it. I need to do 50-75% PWCs every other day, and could stand to do them every day. The filter clogs frequently, and it is obviously not moving enough water.
I don't want to put him in a bigger tank because this tank is the perfect size for the location (my desk) and I do feel that it is enough space for his needs at this size. I realize that when he grows bigger we will need to move up (a 20-gallon tall would be perfect) but for now I'd like to make things work as they are.
I want to increase filtration and am researching my options. I think an AC 30 might do the trick (too big and bulky? need to go look at one), since it has a lot more media capacity and moves more water. I am also considering an extremely small canister filter, if I can find one. I need to get this done soon, though, because in spite of the frequent water changes the tank always looks (and is) cruddy. Amazing what a single fish can do!
Monday, October 5, 2009
Drama! Life in the ER!
I don't know if I have brought this up on these pages, but I am allergic to bloodworms. I have the usual airborne allergies, like pollen and ragweed, and have also relatively recently developed some allergies to certain fruits and nuts.
One other new allergen for me is bloodworms. I discovered that when I pop a frozen cube out of the tray and put it in a cup, if I don't wash my hands they would become itchy where they came in contact with the cube. Then I started sneezing when I handled bloodworms, especially the freeze-dried type, the particles of which can be inhaled as you shake out the treat into the tank. I decided to be extremely careful, and use gloves or have my husband feed the frozen bloodworms, or if I did use them I'd immediately wash my hands. The last time I forgot to wash my hands I rubbed my eyes and they swelled up, and I sneezed violently for a good 30 minutes.
I have not handled bloodworms myself for a month or two, and for some reason last night, late, I decided to give the 150-gallon a treat - frozen bloodworms. Everybody knows how fish go nuts for these bright red morsels, and it makes you feel good knowing how much they like it.
I forgot to wash my hands. It was bedtime, and I rubbed eyes, and they became itchy, and I realized what I had done. I washed my hands thoroughly and flushed my eyes thoroughly as well. I took 2 Benadryl immediately, but by then my eyes had swollen almost shut. Then my voice started going scratchy and I could feel my throat closing. I lost my voice almost completely as I was being driven pell-mell to the nearby ER. Not the way you'd want to spend your evening. I think if I had waited any longer I would have had to call 911, because it was progressing very, very quickly - by the minute.
I know it is not common to be allergic to bloodworms, but you do read about it. If you Google "bloodworm allergy" you will get lots and lots of hits, so it is not unheard of. The ER staff did not seem confused or surprised when I explained what had triggered this severe response.
For obvious reasons, I won't be feeding bloodworms in any form ever again. It is not worth it! My reaction to each exposure is more severe than the last, so next time I would be in even more trouble, I fear. I have also heard tales of people being allergic to bloodworms and blackworms, so I won't feed those anymore, either.
The only fish that worries me is my Figure-8 puffer. His diet is very limited, unlike my other fish. He enjoys snails, for sure, but I am not sure if that is a complete diet if it is all he will eat. He loves blackworms and bloodworms, but those are no longer on his menu. I will see how he does on raw shrimp and that kind of thing.
I know, from my research, that some people discover their allergy to bloodworms late, since if you have an allergic reaction like that you don't first think of fish food. You try to think of something you ate or drank as being the culprit, or an insect bite perhaps, and you may blame it on something completely different initially. Who would think frozen bloodworms could cause this? Not me.
So, if you find that you get sneezy sometimes when you feed your fish, you may correlate the symptoms to the use of bloodworms. If so, I'd nix them. Oftentimes allergic reactions are progressive, as in my case, and worsen with each exposure. If I had been stung by a bee and had this reaction, then I would just write it off to random misfortune, but I brought this drama on myself, and it could have easily been avoided. It is not worth my life to keep aquarium fish happy! It sounds so crazy to think that fish food could literally kill you, but I think, in my case, that could happen if I get exposed again and am not able to get help rapidly.
I reckon it is time for me to visit the allergist and address these sensitivities of mine, and perhaps be prescribed an Epi-Pen for emergencies.
One other new allergen for me is bloodworms. I discovered that when I pop a frozen cube out of the tray and put it in a cup, if I don't wash my hands they would become itchy where they came in contact with the cube. Then I started sneezing when I handled bloodworms, especially the freeze-dried type, the particles of which can be inhaled as you shake out the treat into the tank. I decided to be extremely careful, and use gloves or have my husband feed the frozen bloodworms, or if I did use them I'd immediately wash my hands. The last time I forgot to wash my hands I rubbed my eyes and they swelled up, and I sneezed violently for a good 30 minutes.
I have not handled bloodworms myself for a month or two, and for some reason last night, late, I decided to give the 150-gallon a treat - frozen bloodworms. Everybody knows how fish go nuts for these bright red morsels, and it makes you feel good knowing how much they like it.
I forgot to wash my hands. It was bedtime, and I rubbed eyes, and they became itchy, and I realized what I had done. I washed my hands thoroughly and flushed my eyes thoroughly as well. I took 2 Benadryl immediately, but by then my eyes had swollen almost shut. Then my voice started going scratchy and I could feel my throat closing. I lost my voice almost completely as I was being driven pell-mell to the nearby ER. Not the way you'd want to spend your evening. I think if I had waited any longer I would have had to call 911, because it was progressing very, very quickly - by the minute.
I know it is not common to be allergic to bloodworms, but you do read about it. If you Google "bloodworm allergy" you will get lots and lots of hits, so it is not unheard of. The ER staff did not seem confused or surprised when I explained what had triggered this severe response.
For obvious reasons, I won't be feeding bloodworms in any form ever again. It is not worth it! My reaction to each exposure is more severe than the last, so next time I would be in even more trouble, I fear. I have also heard tales of people being allergic to bloodworms and blackworms, so I won't feed those anymore, either.
The only fish that worries me is my Figure-8 puffer. His diet is very limited, unlike my other fish. He enjoys snails, for sure, but I am not sure if that is a complete diet if it is all he will eat. He loves blackworms and bloodworms, but those are no longer on his menu. I will see how he does on raw shrimp and that kind of thing.
I know, from my research, that some people discover their allergy to bloodworms late, since if you have an allergic reaction like that you don't first think of fish food. You try to think of something you ate or drank as being the culprit, or an insect bite perhaps, and you may blame it on something completely different initially. Who would think frozen bloodworms could cause this? Not me.
So, if you find that you get sneezy sometimes when you feed your fish, you may correlate the symptoms to the use of bloodworms. If so, I'd nix them. Oftentimes allergic reactions are progressive, as in my case, and worsen with each exposure. If I had been stung by a bee and had this reaction, then I would just write it off to random misfortune, but I brought this drama on myself, and it could have easily been avoided. It is not worth my life to keep aquarium fish happy! It sounds so crazy to think that fish food could literally kill you, but I think, in my case, that could happen if I get exposed again and am not able to get help rapidly.
I reckon it is time for me to visit the allergist and address these sensitivities of mine, and perhaps be prescribed an Epi-Pen for emergencies.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Baby Pictures
Here are a couple of pictures of the new addition to the 150 - the domestic scalare, which is about 2-1/2 months old (since free swimming stage).
Note how his stripe pattern closely resembles that of the P. leopoldi in the background.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Bullies : I've Got Your Number
No, not any of the cichlids, even though some of them are trying to pick on the new little juvenile angel recently added, this is more important.
I have been wondering about the fact that the school of C. trilineatus hide virtually all the time, even though I have what must be 11-12 of them (I lost track - maybe reading back further on the blog will reveal the actual number) but I never see them, except when the tank is dark, and only fleetingly.
The first time I noticed this was when I got my awesome Planiloricaria cryptodon (RIP), who one day launched himself completely out of the tank for reasons never to be revealed. After I introduced him to the tank, the cories hid. I figured the whiptail cat was just too big of a presence, and perhaps represented some sort of competitor for resources that they could only understand. Well, he's been gone a while, and still, no cories out and about like they should be. I have accepted this, and continued to feed them out in front of their lair (I can't see into the rock cairn where they hang out), but it has bothered me.
I was watching the tank today for a good long while, sitting very still, and lo and behold, out come the cories! Tres adorable! As soon as they start hunting for morsels, the Ancistrus, both of them (but mainly the male) rushes over and scares them off. Repeatedly. Roughly. Using undue force. I have found the culprits, and they have no whips on their tails, but rather a face full of them.
So, I am not sure what to do about this. The bristlenoses have plenty to eat - they have their choice. They enjoy zucchini, bell pepper, seaweed and cucumber in the veggie clip, always present and available, they enjoy veggie wafers that are dropped in once daily, and they also partake of the sinking particles of food or pellets that were intended for the more carnivorous occupants. They eat everything, including algae on the wood and glass - the male today was obviously eating the floating particles of daphnia (from the frozen cube fed to the angels) out of the water column, which is an interesting sight to see from a suckermouth catfish.
Why would they feel threatened by the cories, or otherwise be trying to prevent them from eating? It makes no sense to me, but I don't guess it should. I am sure it makes perfect sense to them. There is no question that they are chasing the cories off, however. I may wind up putting this pair, or maybe just the male, in the 37-gallon fry growout tank to hold the cycle when I don't have any babies in there, and he can't harass anyone. I like having an algae-eater in the 150, though, but I also like the cories (spent real money for every darn one!) and want to be able to see them, and want them to try to have a less stressful life, as much as can be possible in a glass box in my living room.
I am glad to finally discover a good reason for the cories to be hiding all the time, and now I just have to decide what to do. I will have to research Ancistrus type species (I will check with Deborah but there are probably hundreds) and see if there is something, or even some other type of dwarf pleco that would eat algae and otherwise keep to itself and mind its own business.
I have been wondering about the fact that the school of C. trilineatus hide virtually all the time, even though I have what must be 11-12 of them (I lost track - maybe reading back further on the blog will reveal the actual number) but I never see them, except when the tank is dark, and only fleetingly.
The first time I noticed this was when I got my awesome Planiloricaria cryptodon (RIP), who one day launched himself completely out of the tank for reasons never to be revealed. After I introduced him to the tank, the cories hid. I figured the whiptail cat was just too big of a presence, and perhaps represented some sort of competitor for resources that they could only understand. Well, he's been gone a while, and still, no cories out and about like they should be. I have accepted this, and continued to feed them out in front of their lair (I can't see into the rock cairn where they hang out), but it has bothered me.
I was watching the tank today for a good long while, sitting very still, and lo and behold, out come the cories! Tres adorable! As soon as they start hunting for morsels, the Ancistrus, both of them (but mainly the male) rushes over and scares them off. Repeatedly. Roughly. Using undue force. I have found the culprits, and they have no whips on their tails, but rather a face full of them.
So, I am not sure what to do about this. The bristlenoses have plenty to eat - they have their choice. They enjoy zucchini, bell pepper, seaweed and cucumber in the veggie clip, always present and available, they enjoy veggie wafers that are dropped in once daily, and they also partake of the sinking particles of food or pellets that were intended for the more carnivorous occupants. They eat everything, including algae on the wood and glass - the male today was obviously eating the floating particles of daphnia (from the frozen cube fed to the angels) out of the water column, which is an interesting sight to see from a suckermouth catfish.
Why would they feel threatened by the cories, or otherwise be trying to prevent them from eating? It makes no sense to me, but I don't guess it should. I am sure it makes perfect sense to them. There is no question that they are chasing the cories off, however. I may wind up putting this pair, or maybe just the male, in the 37-gallon fry growout tank to hold the cycle when I don't have any babies in there, and he can't harass anyone. I like having an algae-eater in the 150, though, but I also like the cories (spent real money for every darn one!) and want to be able to see them, and want them to try to have a less stressful life, as much as can be possible in a glass box in my living room.
I am glad to finally discover a good reason for the cories to be hiding all the time, and now I just have to decide what to do. I will have to research Ancistrus type species (I will check with Deborah but there are probably hundreds) and see if there is something, or even some other type of dwarf pleco that would eat algae and otherwise keep to itself and mind its own business.
She has gone and done it now....
The domestic angels, Frank & Agnes, spawned again, a very nice sized spawn on their usual sword leaf. However, this apparently did not bode well for the remaining baby from the last spawn that I left in situ when I removed his siblings to sell (I left him behind because he was a bit smaller than they and I figured I'd give him another week or so).
I then noticed he was not coming out for feedings, and he was up in a top corner, uninterested in eating. Cichlids in top corners of aquariums are being harassed and are under stress - this is a very common sign and one that should prompt removal of said fish.
So, I did. I netted him out rather easily, as he must be too young to fear The Net. I was carrying him over to the adjacent 37-gallon growout tank when Liz's Evil Twin grasped her by the ear and dragged her downstairs briskly, and thrust the net into the 150! Oh no! What has she done?!
I had a momentary lapse of judgment, OR, this is no biggie - the jury is still out. There is plenty of room in the 150, and this baby looks remarkably like a wild scalare, with the slightly turned up nose and the bold stripes on silver. He has a very, very prominent dorsal fin that has a red tinge. He's gorgeous and though I should resist trying to keep fish that I'm supposed to be selling, I could not resist (newbie!). At some point I will learn.
My actions will inspire scorn from the purists - if you are keeping wild-caught P. leopoldi angels, they should have a dedicated setup, the correct biotope, and ought to be properly bred; they should certainly not be mixed with common domestics. Tsk tsk. It is like mixing Endler's with fancy guppies, or even, as the very serious hobbyist would no doubt think, like a major metropolitan zoo breeding a tiger and a lion together for one of those charming (!) ligers.
I have no idea if the leopoldi will breed for me and see no sign that they will (Heiko Bleher says they won't in this setup due to the water that is too hard and alkaline for them - I tend to believe him), and mainly just want an attractive display. I will be able to easily remove this individual fish if there are any problems, since he is so different from the r
est, but given the amount of room available in this tank I wanted to see how these babies would turn out. He seems to be a real stunner so far, almost the size of a quarter. I have tried to get some pics of him but no luck yet - he's spending a lot of time in the weeds right now, as the most diminutive cichlid in the tank. His amazing sail of a dorsal fin, perfectly erect vertically and quite broad, makes him appear bigger than he is, and that gives him an advantage.
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