my paludarium -A work in progress

ValRasbora

ValRasbora

Superstar Fish
#41
May 2, 2009
1,202
0
0
Atlantic Canada
#41
I know, I know... I'm still very unsure of what I want and what I'm going to going to actually get. X on the adfs, I knew they were never a good idea. I'm probably not going to add the non-fish inhabitants until october-ish, so there' s still time for research.

The bettas are doing fine, they actually seem to like the slightly lower temp. They're still nervous and hidey but it's only the second day, and it took them about a week to get used to their old tank.

BLAH! THIS AQUARIUM IS IMPOSSIBLE TO STOCK >_<
 

paperdog9

paperdog9

Large Fish
#42
Dec 11, 2009
633
0
0
Your Imagination
#42
I hear ya, I wish my paludarium was REALLY big so I could do mollys and shrimp and what not, but I'll probably have to settle with only 2 or 3 crabs and MAYBE a few shrimp, but I have a feeling they will fall victim to the crabs, good luck though, its looking really good! :)
 

tom91970

tom91970

Superstar Fish
#47
Jan 2, 2007
1,305
5
38
Tejas
www.myspace.com
#47
That tank looks awesome! I have a 14g sitting on the porch that I might use for a paludarium. I've been thinking about converting my 30 into one, too. Really not sure but after seeing yours I'm getting inspired. I've done planted tanks so now it's time to take the next step.
 

ValRasbora

ValRasbora

Superstar Fish
#48
May 2, 2009
1,202
0
0
Atlantic Canada
#48
thanks tom! I'd totally reccomend one if you're up to a challenge. For the last couple years I've had an aquarium-related summer project and this was this summer's. They take a lot of planning, but are very worth it!!
 

ValRasbora

ValRasbora

Superstar Fish
#49
May 2, 2009
1,202
0
0
Atlantic Canada
#49
male blew a bubblenest without me seeing for 7 hours (that's what those 2 were up to!) and now he's guarding it- He won't let the female on "his" half. He keeps popping bubbles and blowing more. It's right under the dw so I can't check it.
it's been at least 40hrs since he blew the nest.
 

ValRasbora

ValRasbora

Superstar Fish
#53
May 2, 2009
1,202
0
0
Atlantic Canada
#53
Omg !

ValRasbora said:
I would FRIGGEN DIE IF I COULD RAISE THEIR FRY!
Click to expand...
... consider me 'dead'
yes, I have fry :D :D :D

Here's the full story to avoid confusing you all:
a few days ago, the male build a bubble nest. 2 days later, still no fry, despite my excitement and hopes. He kept on building his nest, but I assumed that nothing would happen and he was simply happy. His nest was/is HUGE (6"x5" at least)!! later I noticed that they were chasing each other and their colors were a bit better. Meh, I thought, probably nothing.
2 days later (today,) I noticed something like an ittybitty mosquito larvae in there (sometimes mosquitoes lay eggs in the paludarium), and I checked, not thinking it was fry... and when it was fry... I flipped! They're TINY! Just ADORABLE! hardly 1mm long! And of course the *good* camera isn't working but I'll make my dad fix it, no worries! Papa-fish is busy picking the fry and spitting them back in the nest (I hear them go "wheee Dady do it again!!!") and Papa-fish is such a good father, when Mama-fish comes out he keeps *such* a close eye on her that I have no worries about Mama eating the fry.

Why am I excited? Because I didn't try to breed them! SPLEE!

-sorry for the long post, you all know how exciting fry are!
 

Newman

Newman

Elite Fish
#55
Sep 22, 2009
4,668
0
0
Northern NJ
#55
nice! though if you want to raise them you should have some sort of culture of food going by now..they feed on their yolk sac about 2-3 days before they need to be fed.
 

ValRasbora

ValRasbora

Superstar Fish
#56
May 2, 2009
1,202
0
0
Atlantic Canada
#56
I gave them a few drops of liquid fry food last night. It was all gone this morning, so either they or the amano shrimp ate it. Speaking of the shrimp, one of them molted. Even though I knew they shed their skin I still thought one was dead!

As for food... oh gosh. Fry food overwhelms me... I'll have to look around for bbs but until then they'll be on liquid fry food- they're SO TINY! I always think of them as bigger, but then I look in the aquarium and I continue to be amazed at their small size.

tips on bbs hatching ?
 

Newman

Newman

Elite Fish
#57
Sep 22, 2009
4,668
0
0
Northern NJ
#57
feed BBS around 2-3 weeks after they hatch, or based on their mouth size. if they dont look like they can eat a BBS then dont pollute their tank with them.
liqui fry is cool, though a lot of things will eat it, and if you have other things in the tank like shrimp, yes those will eat it too. plus the white drop of liquifry will dissolve in a few hours anyway.

tips on BBS:
temp should be around 80F, salinity should be very briney, that is higher than seawater. i forget the teaspoon per gallon of water thing, but you can search for BBS hatching salinity. pH should be basic, around 8+pH. the shrimp should hatch 24-48 hours. the warmer, the faster they hatch. to collect them, use their tendency to gather towards a light source. be careful to not get any eggs or egg shells so that you dont feed those to the tank. fry will die if they swallow thegg shells. they should only be given BBS.
 

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ValRasbora

ValRasbora

Superstar Fish
#58
May 2, 2009
1,202
0
0
Atlantic Canada
#58
thanks newman! I'll keep them on liquid fry food until they're bigger and then switch them to bbs.
How do you make sure you don't get any eggs/shells? Could I use a spoon to harvest them?

I wish I could estimate how many there are :(
 

Newman

Newman

Elite Fish
#59
Sep 22, 2009
4,668
0
0
Northern NJ
#59
spoon to harvest baby brine? syringe is better. that way you can target the cloud of hatched BBS that hang around the light pointing at their hatching bottle, and not get the egg shells that are floating or the eggs that are floating or are on the bottom.
 

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