Autumnsky's Conversations in water keeping

[Autumnsky]

This thread will be about all the other related things about the tanks (& tanks without their own threads) and covering the areas of discussion related or touching on fish keeping.

This way I won't need to drive everyone on my favorite thread crazy with my fish keeping madness.
https://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f23/what-did-you-do-with-your-tank-today-195155.html

Kind of like a fish keeping journal but with life and friends included as a conversation.

Will be sharing some of my favorite pics and tanks and experiences, and some of the worst as well.

***************************LINKS****************************
Will be adding some links to my other threads in case I make a reference to something it can be found.

Long time waiting - coming soon
https://www.aquariumadvice.com/foru...umnskys-island-lagoon-style-build-366664.html

RIP
https://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f129/prl-autumnskys-next-shrimp-adventure-355165.html

https://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f129/tangerine-tiger-shrimp-335240.html

https://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f129/orange-eye-blue-tiger-shrimp-adventure-251729.html

Tough Tank
https://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f19/autumnskys-72g-bowfront-345685.html

Got all nostalgic and posted this for pics of favorite stuff.
https://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f19/pic-your-favorite-367150.html#post3511576

March 2014 Tank of the Month
https://www.aquariumadvice.com/march-2014-totm-award-autumskys-72g-bowfront/

Fun Ammonia video from Aquarium coop

Also an article documenting healing by using Epsom salts - magnesium sulfate. Starts around the top of the 2nd column.
Magnesium Sulphate Powder in the Treatment of Wounds and Ulcers

More about the how much magnesium is used in bodies /and cells
Office of Dietary Supplements - Magnesium

Using Epsom Salts
https://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f17/using-epsom-salt-in-fish-therapy-374191.html#post3548383

Article about water chemistry
Beginner: Water Chemistry

Saving an article which is very interesting
Aquarium Invertebrates: Tube Anemones
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[TMaier]

Comfy chair and [emoji897]ready!

 

[Autumnsky]

Thank you TMaier for the suggestion.

Yes, there is a wierd little corner in my yard, which I have been storing any sort of item which might be able to withstand the outdoors, because evidently I have way to much fish stuff. This odd corner is a point which 4 parts of fence come together and form an odd space slightly out of the way from scowling, disapproving persons which do not like stock piling of stuffs.

There is a deciduous tree which shades the spot right at the opening of the odd shape like an irregular pentagon more like a rectangle.

This is the space I keep all my buckets of plants and stuff in the warm months. And grow a water garden of Elodia /Anacharis flowers in a home depot or similar bucket, wild pond snails and any other extra rock or DW extras filter pads things that used to be in a tank and got swapped out, etc. And I tried growing Daphnia last year, without much success.

There is a narrow isle to the corner, and in the opening of that hallway space is an Evergreen tree which screens what is behind it. YAY!!! I am plotting a further way to disguise it as well...my secret garden storage area!!!!!

There are lots of fallen leaves and a big mess right now. My 125G plastic pond is there and I loaded all my rocks that were lined up against the house under the deck into it as it wasn't being used for a pond because the painters were painting the house last summer. Now it is full of yucky water and leaves since the tarp blew off of it in a wind storm and I didn't realize until it was already a mess.

 

[Autumnsky]

OMGG (oh my goodness gracious) I just watched the DIY unpacking 500 Discus youtube and thought I would die of wanting Discus.

Good bye every other fish in the 72G - hello beautiful rainbow of Discus, lol!

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

More interesting articles to read

Found this article noteworthy, good explanations and easy way to understand.
How to avoid 'old tank syndrome'

And I was just trying to find this article again and just saw it, so noting it
Frequently asked questions on nitrite

 

[Autumnsky]

As for Discus, I saw them in the lfs when I was a kid and was really wowed by how amazing they were, how majestic and so beautiful.

It is, figure out auto water change system this year and get Discus, time.

 

[TMaier]

I am always amazed by the beauty and terrified because of how sensitive they are. I would do something slightly stupid or negligent and doom them.

 

[Autumnsky]

Yes they pretty much need daily pwc because they will not grow well if poor water. Most well knowing people have them on a continuous water in and water out changing system. And there are people who have 4 Inch fish and say my fish are fine & I almost never have to do a water change.

Good fish can be the size of a plate, not a saucer. Locally there are a few breeders in our Fish club. Just being able to catch one when they have a group of babies. I might like to try out a few local fish and see how it goes. We have a couple importers in the area too. I dare not buy them and if not able to give them the attention they deserve.

So pwc system info project coming soon. The issue is a cheap one, not pretty for a display tank, and the ones which would be great for a display tank are too mucho dinero. I have seen two hobbyists fish room basements and both used different system designs, and the professional breeder room I saw was more hands on and used a combination of methods, none pretty aesthetically. Pretty useful but not pretty pretty.

 

[Autumnsky]

Amazonia Light - replacement substrate arrived at my house yesterday.

It looks like buff color when dry, sorta tan but when wet, looks grey.

Smells faintly mouldy.

Normal? Really do not think any substrate should smell mouldy. Again it does smell a lot like dirt. But with an undertone of mouldy. This to me is REALLY irritating.

This new substrate was purchased to take shrimp keeping to a higher experience/ moving up a notch, with the substrate being an integral part of the environment. Being revered as great for plants and CRS (or PRL) shrimp and specifically for the keeping a good pH and having a shrimp healthy mineral content.

Now I have gone from the wonderous Amazonia to Amazonia Light - substrate for Dummies. Interested that I can now try a new product from a company which is highly esteemed. But aggravated and disappointed in the mouldy issues from such a company. Maybe I am over reacting to said mouldy smell and it has no bearing on the health of shrimp. But my inner alert antenna went up.

I opted for the replacement item but cannot return this as per the agreement. Just like potting soil, if it smells mouldy I wouldn't use it on nice, expensive potted plants, I would return it. This leaves me in a quandry to some degree.

Anyhow

 

[TMaier]

Rinse it well, pull that tank together and let it run. Test it for a month before adding anything other than a few snails.

 

[Autumnsky]

Thanks. I added Prime water to the 5G bucket and it is just sitting for today and tomorrow. We will see how it goes.

Will test occasionally and see if it is easy peasy substrate, usuable by anyone without long waiting. Which would be nice since I have little time anymore. If it is easier to use, I will be happy about it. .

 

[TMaier]

It's gonna be fine. (The power of positive thinking)
I'm just excited to see what you pull together.

 

[Autumnsky]

Oh, my DW order of three purchased pieces and also a misc. amount of scrap pieces and bark or anything he wanted to fill in the box. He threw in for some terrariums - you know when I have spare time, LOL.

Oops, ended up mistakenly getting it sent to my DD's address and haven't seen it yet. Super excited to see what misc. bits he threw in.

Also was thinking next winter maybe of making a paludarium. A member here long ago now, had a really beautiful one in a glass fish tank, there have been a few. I was gonna look for a long, XL ExoTerra. Who knows, maybe sometime. Hahaha.

One more issue, tried to get a discount today by spending over $50 at Amazon (on 2L of Prime and big Matrix media) but my code wouldn't work, even making sure it would be over 50 when the discount was removed. Oh well. I feel like I am in one of those hedge mazes like in The Shining. (shaking my head and half smiling on the craziness.)

Goodness. This project is indeed the most difficult, troublesome work for a tank I have ever done.

 

[Delapool]

Are you getting the pond going again? Assuming it is tucked into the corner out of the way.

 

[Autumnsky]

It would be nice to get the pond set up. We still have pretty cold weather til Mother's Day in May - 2nd Sunday is the "okay to plant" plants time and mostly safe for frost, so it would be after that a few weeks at the soonest.

I do really miss having it. The issue of having a couple fancy GF in the pond is that I need to have some where for them in the winter, though for 2 winters I kept my Koi and GF in the little pond with a minimal heater to keep the water from freezing, though the top was all but froze and I had to move the heater closer to the top.

This was getting me wondering about raising some little fish in the pond like Rachel O'leary of Msjinxed.com has had videos of her summer tubbing as she refers to it which are tanks of water outdoors to grow fish in and awesome water plants. One of my favorite fish for the tank right now are the Microdevario Kubotai. I am not sure about this last sumer, but the one before she raised over 400 of these awesome lttle fish. Heck I'd be excited to get pretty much any babies from that kind of project.

She has tons of great videos showing basic and interesting things to do with fish. Especially the nano fish which I enjoy so much. The other fish I might want to try to raise in the out doors is the CPD's. She has the magic touch, but I would love to do it!

Having fish I would want to keep in my tanks all the time /year round would be ideal. So maybe trying something like that. Or one or 2 fancy GF. I have been wanting a cool water tank anyway. (What don't I want to try? )

 

[Autumnsky]

Oh and the plastic pond is in the mysterious corner yard and filled wth yucky winter water right now.

 

[TMaier]

If you have a cold water tub/tank how do you filter it? Or even a pond?

 

[Autumnsky]

If you have a cold water tub/tank how do you filter it? Or even a pond?

Just for fun, when I had more time on my hands, I made a trash can filter out of a 55G real trash can! It was an experiment gone a little bumpy but ended pretty well.

Pumped the water into the plastic can had a pond prefilter sponge on the pump, and the overflow was like a water fall (but not too pretty). It had media in it and it worked very well, always had great water quality. Raised a few little Koi for ~ 2 years and a couple pretty feeder GF, then they went to a friends of my DD's' real pond and were later eaten by Predators within a few years, birds and Racoons apparently, the Koi were over 12" then.

They just use a sponge type filter for those, or just a pump for circulation, and break them down when it will get too cold for fish. Rachel O'leary I believe just added some water for evaporation and usually gets rain to refill the pond to some degree.

The heavily planted tubs, and lots of floating plants eat up whatever the fish and food left overs can produce for ammonia.

 

[Autumnsky]

Headed to pick up some premade SW at the lfs. Semi hoping they have a couple fish I am looking for. They are pretty expensive so I have to balance the want with common sense.

The other far away store has what I want a little cheaper and I will be near there in a week for the CAS meeting.

Checking out some Sundadanios Axelrodi.

 

[Delapool]

That's a cool looking little fish. Don't think I've seen them here.

 

[Autumnsky]

Yes, there are Red, Green and Blue. Long ago for around 2 years plus I had a little group of them, but I am guessing lived their lifespan. I had Neon Blue. Bad Pic but it was a few years ago.

Got the closing time wrong at the lfs, so barely made it there, got 15G prepared SW, plus found they had a little remaining Seriyu stone.

Picked up 2 cool stones, one circle looking kinda flat disc but a chunk on the bottom and a nice 2nd or 3rd stone for Iwagumi strong triangle mountaint point type pics later. Yhey were only 3.49 p/ pound but they were heavy so instead of the 5 I picked I got only 2. The others were around $35 more, and since I just got all these great DW pieces, an Iwagumi doesn't have a big DW in it, so I decided to wait on the rest for now.

They had an amazing Dragon Stone I really wanted. It was pretty brittle, and I wondered really how long it would really last in a tank.