The Loach: Nature's Spaz

As I posted previously, I have had a snail problem in my fish tank.  Read this to catch up:

http://angjellockheart.blogspot.com/2015/01/std-snail-transmitted-disease.html

I tried to buy snail-b-gone from the pet store, but they don't sell it anymore.  The only way to naturally get rid of snails is to buy something that eats snails.  Namely, the loach.

So, I ended up buying two types of loaches, the very popular clown loach and the yoyo loach.  I bought them young so I will have them for a long time (hopefully.)  Here are the pictures.

The one thing I've noticed about having loaches, is that, they are total spazzes.  Maybe they are just young and energetic?  I could tell you more about it, but let me SHOW you through the power of moving pictures!

So they are a fun fish to have in the tank.  I think I already see a reduction in the number of snails crawling around the tank.  Since the loaches are high energy I have made sure to put shrimp pellets in the tank for them to eat.  Between regular fish food, shrimp pellets, and a multitude of snails, I think the loaches will start growing pretty fast.  Maybe I will post another video of them in a year or so when they have some size on them?

Good and Evil, Right and Wrong, Acidity and Alakaline

I have always loved fish.  Let me clarify, I have loved having fish as pets.  From about the time I was 12 I really studied up on them to learn how a fishtank worked.  During that time a lot of the equipment changed.  The good news is it changed for the better.  So I learned how to use a lot of the new equipment to make a better tank.

However, there was one weak point.  I was/am terrible at chemistry, which is kinda important when you have a fishtank.  Truthfully, I failed both halves of chemistry in high school.  I failed high school chemistry again in college.  When I took it a second time I would have failed it, but the professor took pity on me, and gave me a "C."

I worked at many pet stores.  They hired me due to my strengths in knowing how the big world of fish and fishtanks work.  Once I was there, I was the "go to" guy on all things fish.

So when I started having problems with my own fishtank lately I was a little more than upset.  I was switching my tank over from tetras, which I have had for almost 20 years to gouramis.  At first, I was suspect of the place I was getting them from.  Independent stores can either be really hit or miss.  It was when I brought home two beautiful gouramis that died within 24 hours that I started to suspect the problem was on my end.

Long story short, I got my acidity and alkaline mixed up on the PH scale.  I got them completely backwards.  Since I am pulling my water straight out of the well, it was really alkaline due to the limestone we have in the Florida aquifer.  My water was coming in at a 7.8 PH.  Now gouramis can live at that PH water, but when they come from the pet store with water at 6.6 PH, it tends to kill them.

When I realized my mistake I started testing everything.  The well water, the water out of the sink, the fishtank, and most importantly, the water out of the rain barrel.  Yes, my sister has a rain collection barrel for certain plants in her garden.  When I tested it, it came in at a perfect 7.0 PH, completely neutral.  So I changed my tank water over 70%.  When I tested it, it came in at 7.0 PH. 

So I went to the store and bought 6 new gouramis.  2 blue, 2 gold, 2 pearl.  A few days later I went to another pet store and bought 4 opaline gouramis.  So those ten, along with the original 3, plus the pleco are doing fine.  I haven't lost one yet.  They are getting along, and so far I haven't detected any problems. 

Honestly, I am mad at myself.  I know everyone makes mistakes.  But I hold myself to a higher level in that I was supposed to be a sort of "fish specialist."  But I'm glad I got it right now. 

So to end this story, here are the pictures and some video. 

Feel the Fury of Fishy Hatred, Part 2

For Part 1, read this:

http://angjellockheart.blogspot.com/2014/06/feel-fury-of-fishy-hatred.html

Well, I am still feeling hated.  And some of that comes from me.  After I moved the fish out to the small tank for the carpet to be laid down, I re-set up the old tank just fine.  All the fish survived the move initially.  However, after the tank started it's cycle, I started to lose some.  Of the five I originally moved, only two have survived.  The dickhead Alpha male, and one of the female blue gouramis. 

So, I just cleaned the tank, and I'm trying to decide what to do.  Do I keep buying gouramis or do I go with another type of fish?  I am heading on vacation, so I have a few weeks to decide what to do. 

I was thinking about some sort of cichlid fish, but they are a bit aggressive for my taste.  I will update in a few weeks when I finally decide.

Feel the Fury of Fishy Hatred

The fish are mad at me.  It's true.  You see, new carpet is being laid down in the house, so their 46 gallon mansion has to be moved.  What does this entail?  The short story, a lot.

But here's the long story.  First I had to set up a temporary tank outside.  I only had an old 10 gallon tank that I kept my pet scorpion "Sunny" in years ago.  So I had to set it up.  Next, came collecting all the fish, which they did not like.  I got them moved into their 10 gallon apartment.  I can understand them being mad.  Going from a 46 gallon mansion into a 10 gallon apartment?  You'd be mad too.

But overall the move is not too bad.  I get to do some serious maintenance on the big fish tank.  I am able to empty all the water, as well as take a razor to the glass to clean it.  I was able to take the main filter apart, and give it a good cleaning.  The main point is that it will look like a mostly new aquarium once it is put back together. 

Now as far as moving the tank around, that was surprisingly easy due to a giant lift jack my Dad put together.  We just put it level with the tank, moved the tank over to it, and shipped it off to the wash room until the new carpet is laid.  The fish tank stand is sitting outside at the moment.  Now both are out of the way for the carpet man. 

But back to the fishys.  They are not happy.  Would you be if you were living like this?

 

They're like, "What's your problem air breather?"

 

(Feel the fishy hatred.)

 

 

Have you ever seen a fish pucker his lip?

 

 

"Not gonna comment.  Nothing to say to you human."

 

"Why have you done this to me!!!!"

So there you have it.  They have to spend 24 hours in an apartment until the carpet gets put down, and I can reassemble the main tank.  Then, maybe they will start to like me again.

Reeling in the Gouramis

I think every fish tank owner has that "turnover" moment.  The moment where after having the same fish for a year or two, they all start passing away at the same time, and you need to restock the tank.  That's what's happened to me.  I have been buying quite a few gouramis.  It's kind of bad in that, I buy a few, and then I lose a few, and then repeat.

When I went to the pet store the last time I saw something I had never seen before.  Blue Gouramis.  Not Powder Blue, but Blue.  And they looked awesome.  I bought two of them.  When I went back the next week they were all out of them.  But eventually, I will want more. 

So onto the pictures!

My Little Community of Fish

You know, I like having fish.  Some folks say they are boring, and have no personality, but I disagree with that.  I think it's like any animal in nature, you just have to watch them and study them.  The hard part about owning fish is that, they have a short lifespan.  It's rough if you really get to know one, and then they pass away.  Or worse yet you watch them get to the point where they can't swim around the tank anymore, and slowly starve and suffocate to death.

I can't really stand to watch that happen to my fish.  Just yesterday I had to put down one of the oldest fish I ever had.  He was a Red-Eye Tetra that I must of had for around five years.  He had gotten to the point where his health was in major decline.  His jaw was messed up.  All his fins were in bad shape.  And yesterday, he was not able to get away from the flow of the filter intake tube.  It's like when dog owners know it's time, I knew it was time. 

I have learned to scoop them out of the water, and "pinch" their heads to kill them quickly when they can't get around anymore.  I can't stand to see them suffocate in the air or try to survive while being flushed.  It's cruel.  So as much as I hate to do it, I "pinch" them, and end it quickly. 

It's been a rough week anyway.  At the beginning of the month I gave my tank a really good cleaning.  At that point with the tetra, I had a total of four fish.  Him, two gouramis, and Big Joe the Pleco.  Once my tetra died that left me with a total of three fish in a 46 gallon Euro-tank.  So I was feeling bad due to the rough week, and looking at a near empty tank didn't help. 

I've been having a rough time deciding to get new fish.  We will soon be replacing the carpet, and that means emptying and moving the tank.  And due to it's size, that's not an easy task.  But I was told to go ahead and get some new fish.

I had been aiming to go to the pet store anyway.  I needed Ammo-carb and some aquarium salt.  So while I was there at Pet City in Lutz, I looked over the fish.  They didn't have many gouramis which I thought was odd.  I wandered down to where the guppies were when something caught my eye.  They had these smaller, friendlier gouramis in with the guppies.  And these were nice and red.  I had never seen any like these before.  There were not many in the tank so I got the three that they had.

I took many pictures of them in my tank, but they were still a bit freaked out by the move, and kept hiding from me.  Only two pictures came out well.  The older ones kept getting in my way thinking I was going to feed them.  That or they were like, "What do you want Pops?"  So I took the best pictures I could, and posted them below.

They are smaller, so I hope I bought them young.  I would like them to hang around a while.  We'll see how things go, and I might try to find another few like them.  I mean, I certainly have enough room in the tank.  And the good news is that, so far everyone is getting along.  Yes, there is some fish showing dominate signs, but everyone accepts it, and no one is fin nipping or fighting.  I think it's going to be a happy little community of fish.

Life of Gourami

I got new fish today.  I know this is not a big deal to some people, but it is to me.  You see, I have had Tetras the last 20 years.  Today I decided to get something different.  I decided to get Gouramis.  In my younger days I did not like gouramis.  Namely because one big male gourami bullied my favorite fish, Elizabeth (a Mollie) at the fishtank at school.  Really, the gouramis need more room than the 20 gallon tank that was at school. 

So now I have six new gouramis in my 46 gallon Eurotank.  They seem to be enjoying the new tank.  I have made sure to have plenty of rocks and plants for hiding places.  The fish tend to get along better that way.  I also changed the light bulbs as the old ones were getting really faded.

So I took pictures, and made an Independent film about these new fish.  I hope you enjoy them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And here is my Independent film, "Life of Gourami."