29 + 10 planted

[toolman]

I love Patrick but would never put him in the tanks. Maybe under a rock...

Haha... Under a rock!
Good one... LMAO

 

[DreaminginBlue]

You know, for a bit I thought you were going to surprise me, tell me that you were so proud that they walked out with an Aqueon 10 gallon kit. but no, you broke my heart.

I wish they'd have done just that. A really nice ten gallon setup for that betta, and if they wanted a Spongebob theme so badly they could've bought the ornaments and scaped it with those. Really regretting not trying to say something. Next time I will. Who cares if there's a chance I'll get yelled at or insulted, if there's a chance I can help a betta it's worth it.
Once in a while I'll see a kid that's done their research telling their parents that those tiny bowls/tanks won't do, but more often than not I see the opposite play out. Makes me want to work at my local Petco just so someone would be giving out correct information! Plus, usually (definitely not always) people listen to employees, so I'd be able to save bettas and other pets misery at the hands of uneducated (but no doubt well meaning) owners. Sadly I'm not old enough yet. Someday...
Then again, that Petco used to have one awesome employee who knew her stuff. One time I saw her explaining that a betta couldn't do well in a bowl, and the customer had a fit. They wanted a cheap pet and weren't willing to spend the money required to properly care for the fish.
She's no longer there but I have no doubt that she helped a great many animals get proper care and live happy, healthy lives. If only all petstore employees were like that.

 

[nirbhao]

I've seriously considered taking stickers with injaf.org on them and sticking them on the boxes-- or at least the handouts!

 

[DreaminginBlue]

Yeah! Maybe we could talk employees of our local big box stores into helping us with that. If we put the stickers on the teeny tank boxes there would be no way to avoid looking at them. That site would definitely help people get correct information and not put bettas in miserable, tiny tanks. Many people ignore care guides from what I've noticed, but even the care guides they have aren't great... Petsmart's seem a bit more accurate... but Petco' guide says that they need a tank 1/4 gallons minimum. I can't even imagine anyone putting a fish in a 1/4 gallon tank and thinking it's a good idea... but people do.
I wonder if maybe a bunch of us here on AA could team up and build a site/social media account to help spread correct facts? It'd be a fun project and definitely worthwhile. Just a thought.

 

[nirbhao]

What great energy!

I fully support your endeavor. My role can't be too active right now. I'm home schooling a six year-old who has migraines and have a broken foot, so my time and energy are pretty tied up.

I spent four years in a direct action organizing group, so I'd be happy to help with planning and structure.

 

[DreaminginBlue]

That'd be great! I understand completely and whatever spare time you're able to contribute would be great, I really appreciate that you'd be willing to take time out of your busy schedule to help.
I also won't have much spare time until after May (AP exams, schoolwork, etc... yay!), but I can put in a little work every time I'm free.
I've been wanting to do something like this for a while, but I have no clue where to begin. I have a few friends I could recruit (animal lovers, artists/digital artists, social media junkies, you name it LOL) and though they may not know much about fish, I'm sure they could help in some way. I could really use help with organization, so it's awesome to hear that you've got lots of experience with it!
I was thinking maybe social media would be the best way to reach people- especially young people like me. If we could get simple, accurate, easy to digest information out there, then hopefully more people would be able to see it and learn. Maybe inforgraphics would be a good idea? Who knows... I just want to figure out some way to get information into the hands of even those who impulse buy a pet so that they know what they need and how to care for it. Especially parents buying pets for young children... To some people digging through the internet for accurate information can be daunting, and if we had one quick and effective delivery of everything they needed to know (like a care guide, but more accurate) it'd make life better for the owners and the fish.
Top of my to-do list is to create an accurate list of so-called "easy" pets... even beyond fish, the information on this is wholly inaccurate and misleading in most cases. For example, terrestrial hermit crabs- most people think they're easy beginner pets, right? Just throw them in a Kritter Keeper with some rainbow gravel, some food and water and extra shells, and they're good? Actually, not at all. They are nowhere near easy and make terrible beginner pets for a variety of reasons (difficult to care for, mostly nocturnal (kids lose interest), not exactly thrilled at being handled, etc). I own hermit crabs and it took hours of reaseach (after ditching the care guide that was practically useless) to figure out how to maintain humidity, feed them, keep the temperature in a good range, etc... Not going to go on that tangent now, but parents looking to give their kids a pet need a resource that tells them the difficulty level of caring for each pet and which are good starter animals for their children. I've seen too many well-meaning parents buy an animal they later can't care for or unknowingly never cared for correctly, only to have it die and break their child's heart. Fish or otherwise, it'd be nice to know exactly what kind of care an animal requires and if they're willing to give it that care before buying it. Kudos to the parents who do the reasearch or have their kids do it before buying a pet, but I'm sure even they would love to catch a break by getting the correct information all in one place.
Then there's the matter of figuring out what to name this project/site/page... I never was good with titles so it might be a while before I have any good ideas.

 

[nirbhao]

Yep. You're going to do amazing things.

So, first, let's take this conversation elsewhere. Second, I'm a big fan of the Midwest Academy's direct action model. Here's a strategy chart- mull it over.

It's time for me to get some sleep.

 

[nirbhao]

This is right where the filter outflow hits the substrate. They lay here, tentacles waving in the current, looking like they are terribly distressed. I touch them, and they pull into their shells. I move them, and they come right back over and do it again.

I can't decide if this feels good because it's awesome on its own, or if they're doing this because not doing it is uncomfortable. They'll stick out their siphons every so often. They'll go eat and then come back.

Should I be doing something differently?

 

[TMaier]

I have never seen a snail hang out upside down? If they are eating and the water quality is good I wouldn't worry. If there is something going on it might be impossible to figure out. All you can do is offer a healthy environment and hope for the best.

 

[Caliban07]

Can they turn themselves back around?

Sorry I can't help just curious.

 

[nirbhao]

Not at snails can turn themselves over, but mysteries can. They turn themselves over to go eat, but then they come back. Friendly Giraffe is literally being rocked by the flow, but she seems to be loving it.

T, I felt really guilty about this! I was like, "Oh no! She'll be upset that her snails are not doing well!" Snails hang out of their shells when they're dying, you know? But the way she is moving her tentacles reminds me of Maxime on Bubbles, riding the dinosaur like a rodeo star. If she didn't like it, she wouldn't keep doing it, right?

 

[TMaier]

I know you are doing everything you can to make them happy and healthy. Don't feel guilty.

 

[Caliban07]

Not at snails can turn themselves over, but mysteries can. They turn themselves over to go eat, but then they come back. Friendly Giraffe is literally being rocked by the flow, but she seems to be loving it.

T, I felt really guilty about this! I was like, "Oh no! She'll be upset that her snails are not doing well!" Snails hang out of their shells when they're dying, you know? But the way she is moving her tentacles reminds me of Maxime on Bubbles, riding the dinosaur like a rodeo star. If she didn't like it, she wouldn't keep doing it, right?

I would agree with this logic. There must be a reason they are doing this and I don't think it's a negative one although I can't look at the pictures too long. Small snails I can deal with but they are massive [emoji33]

 

[TMaier]

I would agree with this logic. There must be a reason they are doing this and I don't think it's a negative one although I can't look at the pictures too long. Small snails I can deal with but they are massive [emoji33]

Lol. Here is a bit of size reference for you Caliban. This is a little distorted but I think she's about ping pong ball size.

 

[nirbhao]

Thanks, T. I love them and am doing my best to give them a good home.

Cal, Maxime is currently between golf ball and baseball sized. Have you ever seen Futurama? She makes me think of the Crushinator.

 

[Caliban07]

Lol. Here is a bit of size reference for you Caliban. This is a little distorted but I think she's about ping pong ball size. View attachment 298491

You are just doing this on purpose now. Nice colours though!

 

[Caliban07]

Thanks, T. I love them and am doing my best to give them a good home.

Cal, Maxime is currently between golf ball and baseball sized. Have you ever seen Futurama? She makes me think of the Crushinator.

Haha yes she does a tad. Nerite size is about as far as I would go but it freaks me out just when they are stuck together. If I saw Maxine on her back and she couldn't right herself then she would be one dead snail.

 

[TMaier]

Lol. If I could overnight a giant mystery snail to Caliban and get a pic when he opened it....I imagine it would be priceless.

 

[nirbhao]

Here's Vanilla Snail, nomming on some apple. He's slightly smaller than Maxime.


I was trying to find something I could put next to her for scale. Watching her wander, she got a little too close to the filter.


So that's the 17mm (16?) mesh intake cover that fits over the AquaClear tube.

They've both developed algae on their shells, which means they get ramshorn tagalongs.

I just read (researching whether algae on the shell is a problem) that earthworm sticks can help make their shells shinier. I think I'll try that.

Edited to add: bummer that these pictures are sideways!

 

[UntimelyLord]

On the topic of snails, how are your rabbit snails with your plants? Saw some cool looking ones but have heard some will eat plants?