Sadly, the Panda Cory was dead in the tank this morning. Also, one of the female Guppy fry (when are they no longer fry???) has also died overnight.
Because of this, when I got back from The Open, switched the lights on late and fed them well - was worried that they have been a bit neglected the last few days - the golf has meant the babies haven't been having so many feeds each day...
Showing posts with label corys. Show all posts
Showing posts with label corys. Show all posts
Sunday, 20 July 2008
Wednesday, 16 July 2008
AWOL Danio
The female Panda Cory that I noticed wasn't well a week ago might actually be making a recovery. She's been out a little more this afternoon and the marks on her side seem to have subsided. Likewise, the male Guppy is a little more active.
But what is strange is that the Danio who has been misbehaving - swimming vertically at one point - is missing. He's nowhere to be found there's not even a dead body. I've ripped out most of the plants and ornaments in turn to see if he is about, but I just cannot find him. I wouldn't have thought that the snails would have eaten the entire fish - bones included! In the past the most I've witnessed is the fish stripped to a skeleton, and that was a small Neon.
Maintenance - 20% water change; old filter running in tandom with new filter.
But what is strange is that the Danio who has been misbehaving - swimming vertically at one point - is missing. He's nowhere to be found there's not even a dead body. I've ripped out most of the plants and ornaments in turn to see if he is about, but I just cannot find him. I wouldn't have thought that the snails would have eaten the entire fish - bones included! In the past the most I've witnessed is the fish stripped to a skeleton, and that was a small Neon.
Maintenance - 20% water change; old filter running in tandom with new filter.
Monday, 14 July 2008
The troubles plod on...
Neith of the 'sick' fish are showing any signs of their 'conditions' improving, although the female Panda Cory did appear twice - around feed times, although I hadn't added food - and hunt for food. The male Guppy continues to hide away.
And now there's a leopard Danio that's acting strangely! His colour, I've noticed this evening, has paled off and he doesn't seem to be able to hover without sinking. Maybe some infection that is affecting his swim bladder and mucus?
On a brighter note, 2 shrimps are now bearing eggs. Maybe one can go to term and produce some baby shrimps - which will probably be food for the rest of the tank!
And now there's a leopard Danio that's acting strangely! His colour, I've noticed this evening, has paled off and he doesn't seem to be able to hover without sinking. Maybe some infection that is affecting his swim bladder and mucus?
On a brighter note, 2 shrimps are now bearing eggs. Maybe one can go to term and produce some baby shrimps - which will probably be food for the rest of the tank!
Sunday, 13 July 2008
Double Tragegdy!
A double tragedy - and neither of the 2 fish that we were expecting!
First, I noticed a Bloodfin Tetra stuck, and very dead, in the base of the Java Fern. Removed that and then saw a Neon Tetra stuck, and also dead, between the breeding traps!
The Neon - well, I'm not sure if he died and then floated there or swam there and became stuck. It hurts, either way. The Bloodfins I have seen one attacking the other - I think we had 2 males. So now he's alone and attacking his reflection.
We had decided only this morning, before returning home from our trip away, not to get any more occupants until after our main holiday. We go in just over 2 weeks and I didn't want to risk introducing whitespot etc into the tank next week. That would only leave me a week to treat it. With the baby Guppies growing, there's enough load on the tank anyway.
So when we come back we have to decide whether to get more Bloodfins (I really liked them!) and Neons, or Cardinals.
The female Panda Cory is still very quiet - I've not been able to find her, she's moved from her hiding spot of an hour ago. And also the male Guppy is still very much hiding. But I did knock a load of food off plants yesterday as I moved them about, maybe he's eaten too much of the loose food.
Maintenance -
First, I noticed a Bloodfin Tetra stuck, and very dead, in the base of the Java Fern. Removed that and then saw a Neon Tetra stuck, and also dead, between the breeding traps!
The Neon - well, I'm not sure if he died and then floated there or swam there and became stuck. It hurts, either way. The Bloodfins I have seen one attacking the other - I think we had 2 males. So now he's alone and attacking his reflection.
We had decided only this morning, before returning home from our trip away, not to get any more occupants until after our main holiday. We go in just over 2 weeks and I didn't want to risk introducing whitespot etc into the tank next week. That would only leave me a week to treat it. With the baby Guppies growing, there's enough load on the tank anyway.
So when we come back we have to decide whether to get more Bloodfins (I really liked them!) and Neons, or Cardinals.
The female Panda Cory is still very quiet - I've not been able to find her, she's moved from her hiding spot of an hour ago. And also the male Guppy is still very much hiding. But I did knock a load of food off plants yesterday as I moved them about, maybe he's eaten too much of the loose food.
Maintenance -
Friday, 11 July 2008
Splitting out the Guppies
The female Panda Cory continues to plod on. She was eating today, but she is still very thin and worryingly so. Chucked in another load of bloodworm this morning. The Corys are loving this new daily diet!
The male Guppy was also looking quiet, but later on did perk up. There wer probably 2 danios spawning today - I think all 4 females have spawned this week, they are all looking thinner and not about to burst. But the result was that not many fish, apart from the Corys, wanted feeding this morning. Full of fresh eggs, I suppose. I'll keep my eye out for babies hanging around next week!
I've also removed 13 female Guppies to the second breeding net. I found one near dead and another small one with most of its tail bitten away. The near dead one died at lunch time. I dropped it into the main tank as feed, but the larger fish tried to eat it and spat it out. So I suppose the larger males, and much larger females, are probably safe from the hungry mouths.
With nearly all of the females removed - there are a few smaller ones that seemed to know to hide with the males, it should be less stressful for the males. More space for them all, and 2 nets for the danios to hide behind.
The nitrate readings are back up to 20ppm. A bit disappointing, since I changed water mid week. I do need a few decent bunches of plants as areas are looking thin, but apparently the plane bringing the plants in on Wednesday didn't turn up, so we are without new plants in the whole area!
I have bought the Fluval 3 Plus filter. Almost twice the capacity of the Fluval 2 Plus, so should keep the water cleaner. Although I've not plugged it in yet! I'm changing the water tomorrow so I'll need to move a few bits about. The only space where there new filter could fit in (it's a lot longer) is right over the air curtain. I was concerned that the filter would suck in the air bubbles and produce micro bubbles if positioned there...
Maintenance - nitrate 20ppm; 13 female Guppies into separate breeding net.
The male Guppy was also looking quiet, but later on did perk up. There wer probably 2 danios spawning today - I think all 4 females have spawned this week, they are all looking thinner and not about to burst. But the result was that not many fish, apart from the Corys, wanted feeding this morning. Full of fresh eggs, I suppose. I'll keep my eye out for babies hanging around next week!
I've also removed 13 female Guppies to the second breeding net. I found one near dead and another small one with most of its tail bitten away. The near dead one died at lunch time. I dropped it into the main tank as feed, but the larger fish tried to eat it and spat it out. So I suppose the larger males, and much larger females, are probably safe from the hungry mouths.
With nearly all of the females removed - there are a few smaller ones that seemed to know to hide with the males, it should be less stressful for the males. More space for them all, and 2 nets for the danios to hide behind.
The nitrate readings are back up to 20ppm. A bit disappointing, since I changed water mid week. I do need a few decent bunches of plants as areas are looking thin, but apparently the plane bringing the plants in on Wednesday didn't turn up, so we are without new plants in the whole area!
I have bought the Fluval 3 Plus filter. Almost twice the capacity of the Fluval 2 Plus, so should keep the water cleaner. Although I've not plugged it in yet! I'm changing the water tomorrow so I'll need to move a few bits about. The only space where there new filter could fit in (it's a lot longer) is right over the air curtain. I was concerned that the filter would suck in the air bubbles and produce micro bubbles if positioned there...
Maintenance - nitrate 20ppm; 13 female Guppies into separate breeding net.
Thursday, 10 July 2008
100 posts...
100 posts and going strong...
The female Panda Cory is still quiet. She seemed to be trying to find food this morning, just not the energy to look for long. And she is extremely thin and a lot smaller than the male. I did gently use a net to guide her into a margarine tub, which I floated at the top of the tank for 30 minutes. I added plenty of variety of food and let her eat in peace. When I returned her to the tank I dropped in a block of frozen bloodworm, which I squirted directly around her. The other Corys loved that and I think she got some. I'll repeat the margarine trick tomorrow, if she's still with us. It is making it easier for her to find food.
Was also talking to the aquatics manager at a local garden centre and he said he uses the Fluval Roma 90 at home (same as me). He agreed that the filter isn't enough if it is heavily planted / stocked and said he ran two Tluval Two Plus filters in his tank. He recommended anything stronger than the basic Two Plus that's supplied with the tank.
Other than that, it's just keeping fingers crossed for the Panda Cory.
The female Panda Cory is still quiet. She seemed to be trying to find food this morning, just not the energy to look for long. And she is extremely thin and a lot smaller than the male. I did gently use a net to guide her into a margarine tub, which I floated at the top of the tank for 30 minutes. I added plenty of variety of food and let her eat in peace. When I returned her to the tank I dropped in a block of frozen bloodworm, which I squirted directly around her. The other Corys loved that and I think she got some. I'll repeat the margarine trick tomorrow, if she's still with us. It is making it easier for her to find food.
Was also talking to the aquatics manager at a local garden centre and he said he uses the Fluval Roma 90 at home (same as me). He agreed that the filter isn't enough if it is heavily planted / stocked and said he ran two Tluval Two Plus filters in his tank. He recommended anything stronger than the basic Two Plus that's supplied with the tank.
Other than that, it's just keeping fingers crossed for the Panda Cory.
Wednesday, 9 July 2008
I'm worrying again...
I'm worrying again. When does this become a peaceful hobby? I suppose when everything settles in (I thought they had done) and I'm not so attached to the fish.
Well, the Danio Fry that was released into the main tank seems to have survived the night unscathed. He seems to be swimming around happily. But someone has taken the biggest nip yet out of our male Guppy's tail. A good portion of the top has gone.
But what I am worried about is the female Panda Cory - she's suddenly very quiet and looks like she has a couple of marks on her side. Just like the Albino Cory did when it started its demise. And that lasted for 5 days!
So I've done a 20% water change and cleaned the filter and removed the last 'fern'. Kicked up plenty of dirt doing that! Also, I'd not added salt for a couple of changes, so in case they are wounds on the Panda Cory I added ½ teaspoon of salt to bring the salt levels back up. I worked out that 20% would have been lost in the change at the weekend, and then a further 20% of the remaining 80% with this water change, bringing it down to 64%. (Wonderful maths!). So ½ teaspoon seemed a little conservative, but I didn't want to overdose them!
Maintenance - 20% water change; filter cleaned; ½ teaspoon salt added.
Well, the Danio Fry that was released into the main tank seems to have survived the night unscathed. He seems to be swimming around happily. But someone has taken the biggest nip yet out of our male Guppy's tail. A good portion of the top has gone.
But what I am worried about is the female Panda Cory - she's suddenly very quiet and looks like she has a couple of marks on her side. Just like the Albino Cory did when it started its demise. And that lasted for 5 days!
So I've done a 20% water change and cleaned the filter and removed the last 'fern'. Kicked up plenty of dirt doing that! Also, I'd not added salt for a couple of changes, so in case they are wounds on the Panda Cory I added ½ teaspoon of salt to bring the salt levels back up. I worked out that 20% would have been lost in the change at the weekend, and then a further 20% of the remaining 80% with this water change, bringing it down to 64%. (Wonderful maths!). So ½ teaspoon seemed a little conservative, but I didn't want to overdose them!
Maintenance - 20% water change; filter cleaned; ½ teaspoon salt added.
Sunday, 8 June 2008
More Corys
We've added a pair of Panda Corys finally today - it's taken ages for them to turn up in the shop - we've been pestering the lady for weeks! Hopefully she picked out a male and female for us - my daughter is absolutely desperate to get breeding more inhabitants!
The Albino Cory spends a lot of time swimming up and down frantically. Aparently, that can be the sign of a female looking for a mate - I already thought it was a female, so that backs it up. So it looks like I'll need to arrange a large albino male partner for her - no juveniles for her, that won't do the business!
The shrimp is still carrying the eggs and the tiny Guppies are continuing to survive, and might even have grown slightly - width if not length. They definitely are far more interested in feeding - I spent 5 minutes tonight dipping food into their tub after removing the waste from the bottom.
Also did a 10% water change today - although the nitrate reading last night was only 10ppm, 12 after the last water change. But I did notice the male Guppy looking like a barrel - and so are a few of the Zebra Dabios. I'm assuming / hoping that it's just too much food, so no evening feed for anyone tonight.
The Albino Cory spends a lot of time swimming up and down frantically. Aparently, that can be the sign of a female looking for a mate - I already thought it was a female, so that backs it up. So it looks like I'll need to arrange a large albino male partner for her - no juveniles for her, that won't do the business!
The shrimp is still carrying the eggs and the tiny Guppies are continuing to survive, and might even have grown slightly - width if not length. They definitely are far more interested in feeding - I spent 5 minutes tonight dipping food into their tub after removing the waste from the bottom.
Also did a 10% water change today - although the nitrate reading last night was only 10ppm, 12 after the last water change. But I did notice the male Guppy looking like a barrel - and so are a few of the Zebra Dabios. I'm assuming / hoping that it's just too much food, so no evening feed for anyone tonight.
Sunday, 1 June 2008
Guppy closer to dropping
The Guppy, Blackie, must be getting very close to dropping her fry. Her tummy is starting to square off, the gravid spot is black, with other colours there and she's spending most of the time hiding in the corners.
We did try to net her, but she wasn't having any of it. I'vertried a few times, but she always hides behind plants (there are loads) or decorations - and it's not easy to net her in a cave... Although now that the lights are off she keeps swimming out into the open - until I put the net in...
Also, the older female shrimp is once more covered in eggs, so maybe that was the shrimps mating that I witnessed a few days ago. I'm pretty sure I saw her yesterday, without eggs, so today is day 1. Must keep the oxygen levels up this time and see if we can raise any. Quite a fast turn around since the first batch of eggs were lost - less than a week ago. It must be a good sign - they at least are happy in the water.
I was also watching the Corys for half an hour this afternoon. Fascinating little fish, just watching them and the shrimp feeding on the algae pellets and a few flakes that had drifted to the bottom of the tank. The Corys really struggle to find the food then take little nibbles, whereas the shrimp appear from nowhere, steal a whole pellet and swim off to eat it in peace. The large shrimp even 'fought' off the loach - which is about 8cm long! The shrimps then sit in a plant and eat away at the pellet, although loads of it does drift off in the process - messey little eaters.
When the loach finds a pellet there's a load crscking sound - almost a pistol shot sound, as he is biting bits off. Sometimes he takes several bites before losing it, other times he can't find it after his first bite. Then he swims around until he smells out another pellet.
The bottom feeders are surprisinlgy interesting to watch. Not like the top feeders that charge at the food and then it's gone. Much more fun than I thought they would be.
We did try to net her, but she wasn't having any of it. I'vertried a few times, but she always hides behind plants (there are loads) or decorations - and it's not easy to net her in a cave... Although now that the lights are off she keeps swimming out into the open - until I put the net in...
Also, the older female shrimp is once more covered in eggs, so maybe that was the shrimps mating that I witnessed a few days ago. I'm pretty sure I saw her yesterday, without eggs, so today is day 1. Must keep the oxygen levels up this time and see if we can raise any. Quite a fast turn around since the first batch of eggs were lost - less than a week ago. It must be a good sign - they at least are happy in the water.
I was also watching the Corys for half an hour this afternoon. Fascinating little fish, just watching them and the shrimp feeding on the algae pellets and a few flakes that had drifted to the bottom of the tank. The Corys really struggle to find the food then take little nibbles, whereas the shrimp appear from nowhere, steal a whole pellet and swim off to eat it in peace. The large shrimp even 'fought' off the loach - which is about 8cm long! The shrimps then sit in a plant and eat away at the pellet, although loads of it does drift off in the process - messey little eaters.
When the loach finds a pellet there's a load crscking sound - almost a pistol shot sound, as he is biting bits off. Sometimes he takes several bites before losing it, other times he can't find it after his first bite. Then he swims around until he smells out another pellet.
The bottom feeders are surprisinlgy interesting to watch. Not like the top feeders that charge at the food and then it's gone. Much more fun than I thought they would be.
Thursday, 15 May 2008
The end...and the beginning?
One of the Albino Corys appears to be unwell - it's sat around at the front of the tank all day, only moving when another fish has shifted it out of the way. Even dumping bloodworm pellets around it didn't arouse any interest, although the arrival of the other fish caused it to hide.
But on a positive note, I saw the largest shrimp at the back of the tank fanning it's swimmerets. I tried to convince myself there were little white dots on them, and even called my wife in, but she wasn't convinced.
But then the addition of a couple of algae pellets brought it out for the first time in a while. All of the shrimps have been hiding together around the bogwood since the addition of the new shrimps. Totally unsocial!
But this one came out for a favoured feed and then took a small piece up to a nearby plant and I had an excellent opportunity to admire the light green eggs covering the swimmerets. I did try to take a photo, but after 10 mintues I gave up looking for charged batteries.
But it does look like the shrimp is carrying eggs, so hopefully in a couple of weeks we should have a load of baby shrimps - although if I don't intervene, it will be a load of baby shrimps as fish food!
But on a positive note, I saw the largest shrimp at the back of the tank fanning it's swimmerets. I tried to convince myself there were little white dots on them, and even called my wife in, but she wasn't convinced.
But then the addition of a couple of algae pellets brought it out for the first time in a while. All of the shrimps have been hiding together around the bogwood since the addition of the new shrimps. Totally unsocial!
But this one came out for a favoured feed and then took a small piece up to a nearby plant and I had an excellent opportunity to admire the light green eggs covering the swimmerets. I did try to take a photo, but after 10 mintues I gave up looking for charged batteries.
But it does look like the shrimp is carrying eggs, so hopefully in a couple of weeks we should have a load of baby shrimps - although if I don't intervene, it will be a load of baby shrimps as fish food!
Monday, 12 May 2008
Monitoring the whitespot
The halfbeak definitely has more whitespots - there are 5 on his tail and 1 on his dorsal fin. All tiny - if that makes any difference? There are a few on the Loach, but the rest of the tank looks to be clear.
But I also slipped into the tank a couple of Albino Corys over the weekend and it looks lake the halfbeak has taken a nip out of the tail of one of them. The male Guppy also had the same shape nippied out of his dorsal fin too on his first night in the tank. It's a long, narrow shape - only the Halfbeak has that shaped mouth! Maybe it's his welcome to other males arriving in his teritory - the nice lady in the shop told my daughter that she thought we had a male and female cory.
We were intending to also add a pair of Panda Corys to the tank, but that stock didn't arrive last week. Might get some in a week or two, or might instead get something else. But the tank is getting rather full!
Still doing the alternate days 5% water change & addition of white spot treatment. But when I measured the nitrate over the weekend the level was between 5 & 10 ppm - so really low. Should mean that we can safely add a fish or two more.
But I also slipped into the tank a couple of Albino Corys over the weekend and it looks lake the halfbeak has taken a nip out of the tail of one of them. The male Guppy also had the same shape nippied out of his dorsal fin too on his first night in the tank. It's a long, narrow shape - only the Halfbeak has that shaped mouth! Maybe it's his welcome to other males arriving in his teritory - the nice lady in the shop told my daughter that she thought we had a male and female cory.
We were intending to also add a pair of Panda Corys to the tank, but that stock didn't arrive last week. Might get some in a week or two, or might instead get something else. But the tank is getting rather full!
Still doing the alternate days 5% water change & addition of white spot treatment. But when I measured the nitrate over the weekend the level was between 5 & 10 ppm - so really low. Should mean that we can safely add a fish or two more.
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