Becoming - 55 gallon tank upgrade

thekoimaiden

I do hope you can get everything sorted out. Maybe it's the funky weather, or maybe it has something to do with that massive rain storm earlier this week. I just hope it clears up for your guys.

And we did get to see some loachy squiggles on the video! Yay!! Those guys are soo cute. ^-^

Nilet699

Hmm, i have ZERO to add on what it might be etc, but glad it seems to be going on the right direction for you, and im hoping you got it figured seeing as the carbon seemed to work so fast.....

Bigger HMMM........ i really wasnt a big fan of these loaches. Now i've seen your vid. Hmmmm!
Didnt think i liked the snakey weird squigly ness of them, but they were pretty 'cute' etc! Hmmm! lol

Perlumia

Chesherca, I've admired your tank thread for a while but never commented; I had to when I watched the video because I LOVE that you hand-feed your fish! I might try that myself but I'm half afraid my tetras will finish the food and continue eating my fingers...

Chesherca

Thanks for your comments and advice everyone! Sorry to have been so long in reply, busy week! I’ve barely had a moment to sit down for days!

I DID skip water changes this week, and over the last few days everything seems back to normal - no more hiding that I’ve seen from the rams. . . still not sure what happened, but it seems to be gone. I’ll do my missed water change whenever I get a chance now that they’re being NORMAL again, and see what happens from there. If everything continues to be normal, I think I’m going to start moving my dwarf Loachlings over :) Can’t wait to see what they do in there!!!




B.W.Guy - Thanks for your input. You, I believe, live fairly close to me - within an hour or two (based on LFS that you’ve mentioned) so it seems very possible that - be it the weather or the water - it’s a local thing. I don’t think that you’re close enough to be on the same water systems as me (not sure), so that leaves weather. . . but at any rate, it really made me feel MUCH better to hear that you've been through the same thing at the same time, and all was well. Such bizarre behavior! I really wish I knew for sure what caused it - but am very glad it's gone - hopefully for good!

Sylver - I’m not sure if it was weather related or not. My loaches will go a bit nutso when a drastic change in weather is on the way - but they get ACTIVE, they don’t lay around holding still and moping (they weren’t hiding - only the Rams) Thanks for your experience here, you might be right... though I’ve never seen any of the other fish react to weather in the slightest bit, the last week has brought a lot of low temps and snow or ice storms nearly every day, so something’s going on out there, for sure. . .

Koi - Glad you liked the video... there were a *few* squiggles captured, but I wish I could have gotten them on a super-hungry night, lol! Sometimes they’re pretty much all five sitting in my hand and squirming through my fingers. It tickles! But very fun and cute. Love those babies!

Nile - LOACHES ARE WONDERFUL!!! Seriously... thumb back through this thread, there are loads of pics and other videos with them in it - plus pics/vids of the dwarf loaches that are just about ready to go into the tank from QT. All of the ‘eel-like’ loaches, in my experience, are such fun critters to have around. They’re silly, and squirmy. . . I swear, they’re the biggest goof-offs of the fish world, and add a very different looking creature to a community. They ARE fish, but they look like little snakes. Love my loaches! They're so FUN!

Perlumia - Thank you for coming out of the shadows to post, and for the compliment! Go ahead and try it! I know Tetra are related to pirana and have teeth *giggle,* but I PROMISE you, from first-hand experience, their tiny gobs are far too small to do any harm! I also hand-feed my Mollies & Platy. These fish are all larger than my Tetra, and the live-bearers will nibble on my arm or fingers while I’m doing maintenance. Even my daughter’s Betta will nibble at me from time to time, and you can see in the vid where one of the rams nibbles my fingertip in search of food - it doesn’t hurt at all. I’ve been hand-feeding my Tetra, just really started with them, but just fingertips at the surface of the water, because they’re surface feeders.. It took a few weeks to get used to it, and convince themselves that they're brave enough, lol, but they’re finally starting to lose their shyness - and mine were wild-caught. It might be that tank-reared fish would be easier to 'train!. You'll have to try it - and let me know how it goes!

Chesherca

Thanks for your comments and advice everyone! Sorry to have been so long in reply, busy week! I’ve barely had a moment to sit down for days!

I DID skip water changes this week, and over the last few days everything seems back to normal - no more hiding that I’ve seen from the rams. . . still not sure what happened, but it seems to be gone. I’ll do my missed water change whenever I get a chance now that they’re being NORMAL again, and see what happens from there. If everything continues to be normal, I think I’m going to start moving my dwarf Loachlings over :) Can’t wait to see what they do in there!!!




B.W.Guy - Thanks for your input. You, I believe, live fairly close to me - within an hour or two (based on LFS that you’ve mentioned) so it seems very possible that - be it the weather or the water - it’s a local thing. I don’t think that you’re close enough to be on the same water systems as me (not sure), so that leaves weather. . . but at any rate, it really made me feel MUCH better to hear that you've been through the same thing at the same time, and all was well. Such bizarre behavior! I really wish I knew for sure what caused it - but am very glad it's gone - hopefully for good!

Sylver - I’m not sure if it was weather related or not. My loaches will go a bit nutso when a drastic change in weather is on the way - but they get ACTIVE, they don’t lay around holding still and moping (they weren’t hiding - only the Rams) Thanks for your experience here, you might be right... though I’ve never seen any of the other fish react to weather in the slightest bit, the last week has brought a lot of low temps and snow or ice storms nearly every day, so something’s going on out there, for sure. . .

Koi - Glad you liked the video... there were a *few* squiggles captured, but I wish I could have gotten them on a super-hungry night, lol! Sometimes they’re pretty much all five sitting in my hand and squirming through my fingers. It tickles! But very fun and cute. Love those babies!

Nile - LOACHES ARE WONDERFUL!!! Seriously... thumb back through this thread, there are loads of pics and other videos with them in it - plus pics/vids of the dwarf loaches that are just about ready to go into the tank from QT. All of the ‘eel-like’ loaches, in my experience, are such fun critters to have around. They’re silly, and squirmy. . . I swear, they’re the biggest goof-offs of the fish world, and add a very different looking creature to a community. They ARE fish, but they look like little snakes. Love my loaches! They're so FUN!

Perlumia - Thank you for coming out of the shadows to post, and for the compliment! Go ahead and try it! I know Tetra are related to pirana and have teeth *giggle,* but I PROMISE you, from first-hand experience, their tiny gobs are far too small to do any harm! I also hand-feed my Mollies & Platy. These fish are all larger than my Tetra, and the live-bearers will nibble on my arm or fingers while I’m doing maintenance. Even my daughter’s Betta will nibble at me from time to time, and you can see in the vid where one of the rams nibbles my fingertip in search of food - it doesn’t hurt at all. I’ve been hand-feeding my Tetra, just really started with them, but just fingertips at the surface of the water, because they’re surface feeders.. It took a few weeks to get used to it, and convince themselves that they're brave enough, lol, but they’re finally starting to lose their shyness - and mine were wild-caught. It might be that tank-reared fish would be easier to 'train!. You'll have to try it - and let me know how it goes! I just think it's so neat to be able to interact with them one-on-one. . .

blackwaterguy

Glad all your fish are OK. I really need to stop watching your videos though, like right now, before I whip out my credit card and start searching the net for kuhli loaches to buy right now!

You're spot on about how close we are. If you meant our water coming from the same source it might, I'm in the Susquehanna river basin and I think that extends down towards you. My fish were all normal this week after doing water changes. I don't blame you for waiting though.

Now I have to go do something else to avoid temptation. Stop taking such good pictures and videos!

Perlumia

Oh yes, we call it a "feeding frenzy" whenever I put food in the tank because they zip around like highly energized particles. In fact, when I sit near the tank (taking my periodic tranquility breaks!) they swim over to my end just in case I am going to feed them. Smart fish! I know their nibbles wouldn't hurt...on the other hand, there are quite a few of them... When I try vegetables I'll hold them with my hand and see what happens.

thekoimaiden

Join the cult of squiggly loaches!!

Jes, a pile of squiggles in your hand sounds like it would be hilarious!! If you can get a video of that I would love you forever (and blackwaterguy would go broke )!

Chesherca

Can't get a break, guys. Stomach flu has had me out for the last 24 hours +, blegh. . . tank seems fine, though now I'm too weak to do a water change. They'll have to make it through another day or two while I regain a bit of strength.

Everyone should have loaches, I've quite convinced myself - they're the best bottomish dwelling fish out there, but I have a very limited experience, lol, so for what it's worth. . .

BWG - I'll do my best to post up some HORRIBLE shots of them to dissuade the easily tempted - getting a BAD loach shot is easy as pie! ;) But that's really no fun, considering that this thread IS in the 'aquarium photography' section of the forum! Oh, and the Susquehanna is one of the water sources we draw from, but I was under the impression that it was one of the last ones we turn to in times of drought, etc. Could be wrong. We also draw from Loch Raven, Prettyboy, and Liberty. . . who knows. I'm just glad that whatever it is, seems to be gone - and hoping it never happens again! I've somehow managed to keep this tank health from the start, I'd really be a wreck if anything happened to my babies because our water went screwy *worries* I'm sure it'll be fine - probably was the weather, like you all suggested. Still keeping all eyes out, though!

Koi - I'll keep trying for the video - it's cool to see it from the outside of the tank, since I can only watch from above when I'm feeding them, lol! But a pita to set up the camera for where my hand and the fish will end up.

Plummy - give it a try, let us know how it goes! It took mine a bit of time to decide it was okay, the first few times they just hung around and waited for bits to escape my fingers, and the shyer ones still do - but now I've got the bolder Tetra popping right up and taking as much as they can. Feeding frenzy is right - greedy little tykes! Hard NOT to overfeed them - their little tummies get so huge so quickly!

Now. . .back to bed with me before I pass out. Hopefully I'll be feeling better soon, have a lot of catching up to do on everyone else's threads :)

Sylverclaws

UGH! I hope it's not the same stomach flu we had here. The nausea is long-lasting and absolutely awful, and once that subsides, the pain starts. >< Once you get there, hopefully you wont have that issue, try drinking some of the juice from a can of manderine oranges and nom on a small amount of yogurt if you have any. That helped me, but it was hard to keep it down, was the only thing that could even slightly lessen the pain. And don't take any medicine, it wont help! It makes it worse, you gotta get it out.

Anywho...your tank will probably be fine for an extra couple of days. Mine was ok. But if anyone is willing, maybe ask your husband if he'll do it while you watch and give orders? If you try to do it when you feel better like I did, you'll be sick again within the hour. ^^;