New from North Georgia guy

[oc99104]

Hello all. New here to technology and fish/aquarium keeping. I have one blue mustard betta & 3 cory catfish in different 10g aquariums. I'm presently tearing down a 5 gallon Fluval that became heavily infested with every kind of worm and pest snail. Since my Cory catfish keep laying eggs I'd like to make the Fluval, once I can get it sterilized, into a grow out tank should I have any live baby Cory fry. I'd like suggestions on how to sterilize this tank. I have literally thrown everything away and ordered new parts for the filter system in the Fluval I'm also going to silicone the tiny holes that go into the filter chamber. I think I lost my one and only baby Cory that way a couple weeks ago from their first batch of eggs. Also can anyone tell me if I will have better success with the cc eggs hatching in the 10 gallon aquarium that the three adults are in? I don't presently have a tank that is ready to transfer the cc eggs to.
I would like to post pictures but for the life of me cannot figure out how. I take part in several forums & I use to. Be able to post but not any more.
Thanks in advance.

 

[Autumnsky]

Welcome to the community.

Glad you found us here.

Not sure why you need to actually sterilize it. You didn't have any diseases it sounds like just some kinds of worms.

Using vinegar and baking soda and a magic eraser or generic version will clean, make sure to scrub and rinse under the edges top and corners and make sure you triple rinse the corners and under everything really well.

You can use a mixture of 3 teaspoons (or 1 tablespoon) of bleach to one gallon in the water to sanitize and 1/2 to 3/4 cup of bleach to disinfect.

You can add all your parts from the filter except the motor of course electrical parts/pump, and soak for a half hour or so and rinse, rinse, rinse.

Bleach can cause damage to all kinds of things. Just be cautious as bleach isn't good for your skin (use gloves) and use with open air circulation, also harmful to breathing.

Then after copious rinsing, you can use Prime water conditioner to soak everything to help neutralize bad stuff. I usually soak overnight. But I imagine an hour would also be good.

Also you will need to build up your beneficial bacteria again.

 

[oc99104]

Thank you Autumnsky I will definitely do what you suggest and then recycle the tank again. Eventually I'd like it to house just two mystery snails because that was the original reason I got this particular tank. I truly am crazy about snails - go figure.

 

[Leeatl]

Welcome to a fellow north Georgian . Autumnsky has given you some sound advice . I would add that you don't need to move the Cory fry . Just let them grow with their parents . I have never had a Cory eat it's fry....lol Once they get bigger you can leave them or move them .

 

[Autumnsky]

Thank you Autumnsky I will definitely do what you suggest and then recycle the tank again. Eventually I'd like it to house just two mystery snails because that was the original reason I got this particular tank. I truly am crazy about snails - go figure.

Your talking to another snail nerd!!! And inverts in general.

 

[oc99104]

So glad to hear there are other people in our big wide world that appreciate the individuality and beauty of snails and such creatures. I make it a huge point to move the snails out in the wild off the sidewalks so they won't get stepped on and I'm also one of those persons that pulls her car off the side of the road and goes out to the road to save the turtles and help them across the street. So we'd be good friends.
Thanks again for all the help you've offered. I look forward to continuing my interest in the aquarium hobby and having all of its inhabitants that I can afford and have time for.

 

[melosu58]

Welcome aboard. We are glad you found us here at AA.

 

[oc99104]

Your tank is beautiful. Thanks for the welcome.

 

[oc99104]

Update on snail dilemmas

I bought 2 Mystery snails & 1 Nerite about a week & a half ago. Like all my previous Nerites - doesn't matter what tank I put them in - they die within a few days of getting them. What is with that? I read forums all the time about nerite snails and nobody else's seem to die. Their snails do what they were bought to do which is clean the tank mine never do that. I purchase them from a very reputable Aquatics store that sells nothing else but tropical fish and snails. They seem healthy when they are picked out of the store and the minute I put them in my tanks and I have all different tanks they don't do well at all. The mysteries for the most part last a little longer, but even they die after a few months. I clean their tanks at least 3-4 time a month, they are filtered, live planted w/ substrate and heated. According to my API Master water kit water parameters -as of last night - showed 0 nitrate & 0 ammonia. I fed them blanched zucchini squash yesterday and attempted to feed them green beans which they would have nothing to do with I've also tried Rapashi & algae wafers - won't eat those either. There is NOTHING else in this tank w/ them. Please can anyone tell me what I'm doing wrong that the snails keep dying? These last two Mysteries are about the end of my hobby attempts with snails if they pass away also.

 

[Autumnsky]

Snail woes

Please share the tank parameters for...

Do you know/ can you check the pH?
TDS / Total Dissolved Solids ?
KH (calcium / alkalinity) / GH (General Hardness)



Mine seem to languish in most of the tanks until a pwc and then they are zipping around. Which in my case makes me think they prefer the higher pH. (maybe) Less TDS over all? Not sure about that part.

My kH is always low in the tap water nearly 0.

My TDS numbers are low 25-33 from tap.

Which means I usually need to put in some minerals - magnesium and calcium to buffer the tank water so the pH doesn't go low - below 6 pH. Okay for some fish too low for some of the others I have.

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Anyway, see if you can check the numbers and let's see what your water says. If you can, check the tap water and separately the tank water and see if there are any differences.

You can use the test stick strips for the KH /GH if you have them. Or the lfs often will test the water for free, just make sure to write down the readings.

My Nerites may starve, as it seems I can only keep one tough one alive, sometimes (I guess if it IS a tough one). Low pH long term is their enemy in my tanks. Multiples don't work very long in my tanks!

 

[oc99104]

Hello everyone. Sorry I kind of went away for awhile. I don't remember if I mentioned it or not, but I lost my second Betta fish when he got his fins stuck in the intake slot on my Aqueon Quiet Flow filter while I was at work. By the time I found him he had been stuck I'm sure for hr.s & though I immediately got him freed it was too late. So now I'm done w/betta fish. I still have 2 wonderful Mystery snails that have given me 3 clutches of eggs that I am incubating. They are 10, 7 & 5 days old present, but do not seem to have been fertilized. I'm not going to give up on them until they are 4 weeks old. Unfortunately, just today, my female Sara that I watched lay the clutches seems to be acting sick -. She normally has been EXTREMELY active & is now staying at the bottom of the tank about 1/8th out of her shell. I'll be devastated if I loose her now. The male seems ok, but he has sure bothered her an awful lot in the past 2 weeks. I guess he was breeding w/her. My Cory catfish are all hatched now and together in a 10g aquarium. I DID re-home their parents to my Aquatic Fish Store who was ecstatic to receive them. I did loose a few fry however which was upsetting, but still have probably about 18 living. Not all look very healthy and I'm concerned w/their water parameters. Per my API test kit all is well except Nitrate it's reading 40-80 ppm consistently even w/frequent pwc's. The 5 g Fluval that I have nothing in except live plants, a filter & a heater is reading Nitrate = 0, ph 7.6, Nitrite = 0, Ammonia = 0. Do you all think I should transfer some of my cc babies into the Fluval? What can I do about the high Nitrate in their 10 gallon tank? I enjoy these tanks immensely, but really get upset when I loose ANY of their inhabitants.

 

[oc99104]

Updating

Hello all I've been away awhile would like to update my attempts w/the fish/aquarium hobby & ask some questions. Not sure if I posted it or not, but I lost my second male betta = "Blue" I came home from work one day and his gorgeous flowing fins were stuck in my Aqueon Quiet Flow intake portion of the pump. I immediately got him freed, but it was too late. His fins were blood streaked and his breathing was so labored and he could hardly move. I lost him 2 days later Now I'm done w/trying to have bettas. My 3 Cory catfish that had laid eggs have been re-homed to an Aquatic Store that were ecstatic to receive them & the eggs which I kept have hatched. I still have about 18-22 fry even though some did pass away. They are all in a 10 gallon aquarium w/ heater/substrate/plants (real and silk)/air-stone & 2 SAFE filters. One of my questions is that the API parameters are all normal except Nitrate which is high at 40-80 ppm even after frequent partial water changes. I feel it is overstocked & that I'm feeding too much even though the fry are still very small. Can't understand any other reason for the high Nitrates. I'd like anyone/everyone's opinion on moving some of the cc fry to the 5 g Fluval Spec V that is bare bottomed with a sponge filter/heater & live plants. It's current API water parameters this am are: pH: 7.6/Ammonia: 0/Nitrite: 0/Nitrate: 0. Also if and when I decide to get another betta do you all think I might do better w/ a female or 2? Also how long should I allow my snail clutches (3) to incubate until I know they are NOT fertilized/viable. One clutch is 10 days old the other 2 are 7 & 3 days old.
Sorry for the long post &

 

[Autumnsky]

Try doing a 30% pwc and then another 30% right after. It helps reduce the chance of extra stress for the changing water. Then see if your snail seems to be acting better.

 

[Autumnsky]

Have you checked your tap water for Nitrates?

Once you find out if there are any in the tap water or not it will help. If none in the tap water then you will need to address the tank.

Have you vac'd the substrate? Removing the excess muck in the substrate should help.

Then on the filter have you cleaned the filter lately?

Do not rinse the filter pads/ sponge/ media in tap water. Only use dechlorinated water. This will preserve the most BB /beneficial bacteria possible.

Getting the water quality in order would be the best priority.

What are you feeding the baby Cories? Often feeding baby fish frequently causes the need to making many additional water changes than in an established tank with adults.