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Any idea what's wrong? | 20 comments (20 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

Baby brine - especially newly hatched baby b.s. (none / 0) (#4)
by unclescott on Wed Nov 19, 2003 at 07:51:48 PM PST

is among the finest foods one can give to fry. The aquarium hobby and industry simply wouldn't be what it is without brine shrimp - especially the baby b.s. Live (within a few hours of hatching) is best. Frozen, if accessible to the fry, is very good. (They're loaded with those HUFAs.) As with all wonderful things in life, if we aren't somewhat moderate in what we do, there may be consequences.

It has long been the bane of killifish to get velvet. 99% of the time there was also an over feeding of b.s. and uneaten bodies lay on the tank bottom for over a day. At a certain point down the road - whammo!

It used to be that aquarists blamed the brine shrimp for being a vector for velvet. Several of us began to wonder though if it doesn't just set up an environment where the organism blooms. Shedd Aquarium vet Dr. Martin (aka Marty) Greenwell tends to agree.

This is where having a pond snail infestation in a fry tank will be a huge blessing. (Even those much loathed Malaysian livebearing snails have their uses - especially in guppy tanks.) People always tossing out snails, even killinuts, when asked if they ever have encountered velvet, will respond, "what's velvet?"

Right after daphnia cultures and plants, the starters I'm most asked for are pond snails. "Who'da thunk it?"

[ Parent ]

Pond snails? (none / 0) (#6)
by Angelee on Fri Nov 21, 2003 at 03:51:12 PM PST

Funny you should mention pond snails. I managed to aquire a couple of them (totally by accident) in some plants that I bought. I let them stay for the time being, thinking oh it's only a few snails. Funny thing about snails, they multiply rapidly. So I ended up with an infestation that I figured if it got out of hand, I could just remove them either chemically or physically. Until then they could stay. Thank goodness I didn't get rid of them!! Learn something new every day.
Thanks
Angelee
"The Rocky Mountain Gupster" ANGELEE
[ Parent ]

One of the other draw backs to zapping snails (none / 0) (#7)
by unclescott on Fri Nov 21, 2003 at 05:48:32 PM PST

(copper products certainly can do the trick with some) is that a big die off can really pollute the tank. One can carry on about the dangers of introducing any poisons into a tank too.

G.G. will make a good case for using loaches (although cruising back discussions here will also unearth Scott L's warning about skunk loaches and their socially unacceptable aggression.) That is a more effective biological solution, although I have reservations if there are baby guppies in the tank because of the din-din rule. (If they can fit in somebody's mouth, they are din-din.)

One Saturday morning, when our kids were pretty small, I asked them if they wouldn't mind removing snails from our living room 40 gallon - the lower tank on the rack. 500 snails later I was rather glad I hadn't offered a dime a snail. ;)

A plant mavin has also suggested unless the snails were unbelievably out of hand, most plants (if adequately lit) wouldn't be nibbled very much. The little rams horns (I especially like the reds) and the non-live bearing cone shaped snails behave pretty well.

Caveat emptor though: The Columbian rams horn snails (2-3cm in diameter, with that classy light and dark striping) are eating machines. In a tank of fry and Najas, they are an attractive cleanup corps and probably can't keep pace with the Najas - such a fast grower that I discovered the Aquatic Gardening Crowd really dislikes it.

Also, I am one of many stung when what I was sold as the relatively benign mystery snails revealed themselves as one of the 20 some other members of their genus - all known as apple snails. Those suckers had spawned repeatedly and I actually gave a lot of the young away as Christmas presents. At the time, sponsored an aquarium club where I taught. Imagine my dismay upon returning from Christmas break to see a denuded, previously lush 20 gallon tank in the classroom. Several of the kids, who had been sent home with snails, a Java fern each. a pair of guppies or killies, and several starters of water sprite, were dismayed to be the not so proud owners of big fat apple snails. :(

[ Parent ]

Thanks US, (none / 0) (#5)
by guppygirl on Thu Nov 20, 2003 at 12:27:43 AM PST

My fry tank has started to get a little funky,
probably all the bbs, that I feed them.

Time for a new home for some pond snails.
I won't need to tap your supply, I have plenty in the loach-less tank.
;-)

Thanks again,
gg
:-)

[ Parent ]

Lochness-tank (none / 0) (#16)
by Angelee on Thu Dec 04, 2003 at 07:07:15 PM PST

I had a situation a week back with my water resembling a Loch (greenish and cloudy). Just awful. I am almost anal about vacuuming out the gravel every 9 days. I changed 30%ish and checked the stats on the tank before and after. Nothing..Finally found out that one of my gouramis was showing signs of parasites (A-HA). Right to the hospital tank with treatments all around. Finally, a clear tank again! I hate when that happens. I know Uncle Scott is a "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". I'm awful... "fix it til it's broke" tendencies...Always fussing. Even my houseplants... the ones that love babying flourish (that would be all the ones that aren't supposed to grow here)..the ones that like to be left alone, like cactus..well you know. I have to remind myself to quit all the time.
"The Rocky Mountain Gupster" ANGELEE
[ Parent ]

Do you do house calls? ;) (none / 0) (#17)
by unclescott on Thu Dec 04, 2003 at 07:43:33 PM PST

[ Parent ]

House Calls? (giggle) (none / 0) (#18)
by Angelee on Fri Dec 05, 2003 at 04:13:47 PM PST

Does anyone else have soaking houseplants at any given time of the year?? (note to self: fishy's water for houseplants in large quantiies BAD, in smaller quantities GOOD.. send excess water outside to the magnolia tree and flower gardens instead)
"The Rocky Mountain Gupster" ANGELEE
[ Parent ]

And don't try storing that wonderful fishwater (none / 0) (#19)
by unclescott on Fri Dec 05, 2003 at 05:46:38 PM PST

fertilizer, for later watering, in capped gallon cider jars either. ;)

All the best,
u.s.

[ Parent ]

Any idea what's wrong? | 20 comments (20 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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