Gab's Tank thread!(BABY FISSHHEESS!)

[Vanilla eXee]

Gabrielle_AnimalLuver

I have no idea when it happened. Since Aida chewed the wire, the tank light has stayed off to prevent a fire. Last night I was looking for Shy. I picked up the Hikari wafer, they even smell better, I also got a veggie clip (what veggies do I feed him again?) well in my search for Shy, I saw something moving, and I just screamed. BAAABBYYY FFIIISSSHHHYYYY!!!! LOL, maybe I over reacted. But they are ssoo cute. I dunno how many, they are microscopic, and they are half see through, and blend in perfectly with the sand.



I saw maybe 4 at one point, so I think there maybe 5-10. That would be my guess at this point, but I was under the impression they had a lot more than that at a time. And my fish doesn't look any smaller in the belly. But my other girl has gotten big now.

At first, when I was debating platies and barbs, I was very nervous about the baby thing. First I thought my tank would be overcome with them, like snails lol, then I was freaked out about them getting eaten. But, Zuko, is lloovviinngg this. How can I not find it cute. He is having the time of his life chasing them. And I actually really hope he does eat one, cause I haven't seen him eat since I've had him!!!

I picked up frozen bloodworms yesterday. I got a package of cubes, I dunno if the brand is any good. The girl wasn't terribly helpful, I was standing in front of the freezer asking about betta food and she handed me a bottle of flakes rolleyes I found that a lot of it sank, maybe I didn't let them defrost long enough, but either way, as with the flakes, the platies swoop in, eat everything, before Zuko even knows what happened.

So question about the babies, I know yall told me what to feed em, but, that was when I thought they'd have a separate tank or net. There are 5-10 microscopic babies in a 15G tank zooming around avoiding being eaten. They're not really noticing the crushed up bloodworm I attempted to throw at them.

At this point your tank should be established enough to have microscopic lil critters the babies can eat. Also put some crushed up flake near the top and they'll n** at that. 'Grats! And bloodworms are supposed to sink when they defrost.  

[Akari_32]

BABIESSSSS!!! heart heart heart heart heart heart

They should be fine in the the main tank, but if you want to, I just picked up a 2 gallon glass canister from the kitchen section at WalMart for $10. You could get one of those to seperate them, or a Breeders Net, or even use them as an excuse to buy a new tank! LOL

Shy can have all kinds of things. Yellow Squash, zuchini, mustard greens, endives, accorn squash (Ninja didnt really like this, though), even bananas, and other (non-acidy) friuts... Whatever he likes. Fruits shouldnt be left in for more then about 6 hours.  

[Gabrielle_AnimalLuver]

I have a spare 5gal lol. But no spare heater or filter. Dad says the wire is too badly damaged to just wrap in electrical wire. He's SUPPOSE to cut it and put a new plug on it. But... I dunno when he'll get around to that. He also said he'd do something about all the wires but for that I went ahead and started that project on my own.

If the bloodworms sink... How will Zuko find them to eat them lol.  

[Akari_32]

Gabrielle_AnimalLuver

I have a spare 5gal lol. But no spare heater or filter. Dad says the wire is too badly damaged to just wrap in electrical wire. He's SUPPOSE to cut it and put a new plug on it. But... I dunno when he'll get around to that. He also said he'd do something about all the wires but for that I went ahead and started that project on my own.

If the bloodworms sink... How will Zuko find them to eat them lol.

Daily water changes will be fine with out a filter wink

If little Zuko wants to eat, he'll have to figure it out! LOL I use a turkey baster, feed 3 or so worms for the non-bettas and the Bettas get around 6. Then the rest goes in the fridge for the next feeding. the first feeding is uaully done in the morning.  

[Gabrielle_AnimalLuver]

Akari_32

Gabrielle_AnimalLuver

I have a spare 5gal lol. But no spare heater or filter. Dad says the wire is too badly damaged to just wrap in electrical wire. He's SUPPOSE to cut it and put a new plug on it. But... I dunno when he'll get around to that. He also said he'd do something about all the wires but for that I went ahead and started that project on my own.

If the bloodworms sink... How will Zuko find them to eat them lol.

Daily water changes will be fine with out a filter wink

If little Zuko wants to eat, he'll have to figure it out! LOL I use a turkey baster, feed 3 or so worms for the non-bettas and the Bettas get around 6. Then the rest goes in the fridge for the next feeding. the first feeding is uaully done in the morning.

6 whole worms for a betta!? That seems like a lot. I use to give sushi like 1-2. How often do you feed?  

[Akari_32]

Gabrielle_AnimalLuver

Akari_32

Gabrielle_AnimalLuver

I have a spare 5gal lol. But no spare heater or filter. Dad says the wire is too badly damaged to just wrap in electrical wire. He's SUPPOSE to cut it and put a new plug on it. But... I dunno when he'll get around to that. He also said he'd do something about all the wires but for that I went ahead and started that project on my own.

If the bloodworms sink... How will Zuko find them to eat them lol.

Daily water changes will be fine with out a filter wink

If little Zuko wants to eat, he'll have to figure it out! LOL I use a turkey baster, feed 3 or so worms for the non-bettas and the Bettas get around 6. Then the rest goes in the fridge for the next feeding. the first feeding is uaully done in the morning.

6 whole worms for a betta!? That seems like a lot. I use to give sushi like 1-2. How often do you feed?

I feed 1-2 times a day. I have some big Bettas though. Link is a King (4 1/2 inches long), Plutto is pretty big for a standard veiltail (3 1/2 inches long), and Gambit, IMO, is pushing the limits of being called a King (just under 4 inches long), too. My other boys, Chiisai and Ayame, are/were just really active, and burned it off so quickly. Every fish eats differnt amounts.  

[Gabrielle_AnimalLuver]

A lot of people tell me betta's only eat every 2-3 days. I think these are mostly people who think Betta's do fin in tiny lil bowl though, so, obviously with room to swim they could eat more. I'm still not sure how to figure out how much to fee everyone. The platties are totally one track min, just eat eat eat. They pick up sand in their mouths and spit it out like they're foraging. They poke at the pleco's wafer. Nothing ever lasts long enough for my betta to realize it was ever there it seems. Yet he still looks healthy. I've been doing once a day cause I'm worried that in my attempt to get Zuko to eat I might be overfeeding the platies.  

[Gabrielle_AnimalLuver]

BY THE WAY! My other platy is going to pop momentarily. She's like a balloon AND she just hovers in one spot not really swimming or moving about. Course ZUKO has issues with that cause the heater behind the fern is HIS spot. But if she doesn't hide back there, my horny lil boy starts chasing her. Perhaps I should get a breeding net, by the time I go out and by it, I am pretty darn sure she'll have popped em out already. I do have thet spare 5G, no heater though.  

[Akari_32]

When I feed frozen foods, I feed till their tummies buldge alittle bit (betweem 2 and 6 worms, or 5-10 brine shrimp). Depending on the fish's size/activity, I'll fed more or less, sometimes. Feeding every few days is good in an environment where there it little water and swiming space. Less food is taken in, so less poop goes out, oviously lol

Dont worry, Zuko will learn. When he's hungry enough, he'll eat. It took one of my Bettas almost 2 weeks to eat beyond a bit or two every couple of days, and that was after a week of not accepting food period.  

[Gabrielle_AnimalLuver]

Reverse syphon with a cat post. Cause I'm cool like that ninja

 

[Akari_32]

Good thinking XD

Glad you got the light fixed! Hope the little ratty is feeling better (and learned a good lesson!)  

[Gabrielle_AnimalLuver]

My other female just had her...um...litter lol...of babies. I'm thinking of finally giving each individual platy a name, so that I can keep track of who's related to who. Cause up till now I was calling babies 1rst gen and 2nd gen, but in reality they are all 2nd generation but just have different mothers. The older babies have already gotten their black markings. When they're a litle bigger, I should be able to tell them apart.

I am starting to get a little nervous about overpopulation. All 5 first borns seem to still be there. They are at least twice the size of the newborns now, and the other fish don't seem to be going after them.  

[Akari_32]

Gabrielle_AnimalLuver

My other female just had her...um...litter lol...of babies. I'm thinking of finally giving each individual platy a name, so that I can keep track of who's related to who. Cause up till now I was calling babies 1rst gen and 2nd gen, but in reality they are all 2nd generation but just have different mothers. The older babies have already gotten their black markings. When they're a litle bigger, I should be able to tell them apart.

I am starting to get a little nervous about overpopulation. All 5 first borns seem to still be there. They are at least twice the size of the newborns now, and the other fish don't seem to be going after them.

Ask your LFS if you can trade them for supplies or foods. Or put them on craigslist or something. With the Pleco in there, you definatly have to be carefull about too many fish, as that number is very much lowered by Shy's bioload.  

[Gabrielle_AnimalLuver]

So I saw Zuko eat FINALLY! But here's the story.

I was away this weekend, left Friday am. Told my dad to feed the fish. When I got home, Zuko looked a bit odd. Fins seem fine, but his fins just weren't, fanned out like they should be. And seeing as I've never seen this fish eat, I got some blood worms, sucked it up in the tiniest lil pipette that comes with my water test kit. I carefully squeezed it so that just 1 or two worms were hanging off the end and held it right in front of his face. He ATTACKED IT. Grabbed this super long worm and gulped half it down. But then...he reminded me of a snake. He was super still with half a worm hanging out of his mouth, and I watched him it took him like 30secs to eat the whole thing. Now he's fine, fins are fanned out, he's swimming around like nothing ever happened. So I think he may have actually been starving. I think the platties eat everything SOO fast, even if I put too much, Zuko is in his own lil lala land and never sees the food. So now I have two fish it seems, who need their food right in front of their face. I'm going to try to feed them at the same time every day and have some sort of routine so Zuko anticipates food and comes looking for it.

But I also did a water test as I was about to change it. And I actually have trace of both nitrate AND nitrite. Had a small panick attack, did a 80% water change. well, I took out 80% I haven't put back in cause the cat post I use for my reverse syphone is currently occupied...

Also, yall say pleco's have a heavy bioload. The platies are ALWAYS pooing and they have these big poops and the tank is covered in platie poop. gonk

Oh, and I need name suggestions cause I'm gona start naming the platties as I can tell them all apart now. Even the older babies.  

[Vanilla eXee]

I got round 2 of Endler fry today as well xD