Best Sand ever!!

[Fishflyer]

Thanks, I'm actually working so I just peep in from time to time...could use a nap quite frankly. The buckets have the pothos in them, I'll be transferrng Patch and Kong soon. Boss is trying to act like a punk now with Brick but that's gonna get interesting real soon the way Brick is growing. He's starting to do that oscar thing with the open mouth now...I plan to order some of those silicone realistic fish as a distraction until I get some smaller tankmates for quarantine. Thinking of some sailfin mollie or a T Bar Cichlid.

Hahaha, A dummy fish to take his aggressions out on-- or be enamored with. >>>Does it look real ? Beautiful fish t bar cichlid. Should be interesting interaction with your own fish, depending on the size you get. I think I told you about the interaction between my little and big yellow lab cichlids during introduction. I sincerely hope your's goes much better. I have been busy too--that's why the late response. I hope you are still getting paid.

You must be itching to get back home and get on with it.

 

[Fishflyer]

Thanks, I'm actually working so I just peep in from time to time...could use a nap quite frankly. The buckets have the pothos in them, I'll be transferrng Patch and Kong soon. Boss is trying to act like a punk now with Brick but that's gonna get interesting real soon the way Brick is growing. He's starting to do that oscar thing with the open mouth now...I plan to order some of those silicone realistic fish as a distraction until I get some smaller tankmates for quarantine. Thinking of some sailfin mollies or a T Bar Cichlid.

Just home. On the way home I picked up a companion for my zebra loach, and another lamplight killifish. I could use a power nap too. Real sleepy, but I have to aclimate the fish first, and I do it slowly. Hopefully I won't fall asleep during the process.

 

[FINWIN]

Yeah, I'm about fed up with squabbling fish...parrots must have an ******* gene or something or maybe I just have a wild crew. Online you see all these people saying parrots are so mild and quiet. Yeah, when they're small!

Some of the fish look remarkably real, especially the lion fish. Gonna look crazy but its temporary. One thing I've yet to figure is that the aggression goes up when I'm around the tank! I don't get it. If I peep and move away they're fine. Boss better watch his tail, tho...I measured Brick today and he's a solid 4" now. I'm getting a 'cluster' and will put them in areas around the tank where Boss likes to go...should be interesting. Meanwhile Patch and Kong are in their buckets with heaters and sponge filters. I'm getting looked at like "Wtf is all this now???" heh, but they won't have too much longer to wait because...

Just testing everything out to get an idea how it will look. The led's have an interesting "tap" feature. So you get moon light, warm led white with blue, or cool led white with blue. I think I'll go with the cool. The warm makes the greens in the background look a bit murky. Meanwhile in the main tank Brick and Boss are watching all the activity!

Are you going to quarantine your new additions or drop n' plop?

 

[Fishflyer]

My fish look healthy -fast swimmers, no unusual skin manifestations no lethargic behavior. The fish store employees quarenteens their individual tanks when sick and won't sell. I know these particular batch of fish has been around for at least two weeks. Everyone in both tanks these came from at store look healthy. Each of their tanks has a separate water system. They water change with different size hoses.
I am not going to quarenteen these guys.
I have had pretty good luck with fish from this quality fish store.

With your fish aggression problem I don't know that sight barriers would help. Might need quite a few. I am speaking about pinnacle rocks, monoliths, real or manufactured. Maybe get a good sized one like a volcano type mountain. Driftwood? All the mentioned I think would look good in your tank. By the way the photos you posted--your tanks look absolutely great. I have a hollow log that can bed a hiding spot. Also have a castle that is tasteful with 2 swim throughs plus a hangout basement. Bamboo walls at either side or meandering through, or a curved wall? More plants. Whatever allows the fish to create a territory or limits them seeing each other for a bit. Just some suggestions.

Your lighting sounds cool. Two of my tanks have many colors of light to choose from and and option to make the light to fade and brighten quickly--?????, and an option where it transitions slowly through all the colors. Disco party light?

 

[FINWIN]

Something funny happened awhile ago...Brick ate so many pellets he 'swole up.' Apparently it was enough to intimidate Boss who reacted as if Brick was a new huge fish. Bad news is I might have to net Brick when feeding to keep him from eating too much. Its beyond ridiculous. Nothing I've tried worked so far. If I drop pellets on both ends of the tank he's off like a shot and gulps it all down. I've even tried placing food near Boss so he can get it in peace. Nope. Brick barrels in and grabs that too. So Boss basically gets everything that falls (Brick's mess) or everything in the sand. I'm not concerned with him starving, he's still a round ball. But I'm increasingly convinced this has something to do with the aggression...it seems to peak when Brick steals most of the food. Btw I added some new sight 'blocks' in the tank with extra plants I had removed...worked all of ten minutes.

Filled the new tanks with water and have the Aqueon filters running for a few hours. They're amazingly quiet. Treated with Prime and Quickstart, and seeded media from the big tank and holding tanks. The Pothos has been moved to the tanks and stones from the holding tanks. Patch used the opportunity to try and bite me of course (She has the teeth for it, too. More on that later). I must have some of the craziest Parrots on the planet.

 

[Fishflyer]

Something funny happened awhile ago...Brick ate so many pellets he 'swole up.' Apparently it was enough to intimidate Boss who reacted as if Brick was a new huge fish. Bad news is I might have to net Brick when feeding to keep him from eating too much. Its beyond ridiculous. Nothing I've tried worked so far. If I drop pellets on both ends of the tank he's off like a shot and gulps it all down. I've even tried placing food near Boss so he can get it in peace. Nope. Brick barrels in and grabs that too. So Boss basically gets everything that falls (Brick's mess) or everything in the sand. I'm not concerned with him starving, he's still a round ball. But I'm increasingly convinced this has something to do with the aggression...it seems to peak when Brick steals most of the food. Btw I added some new sight 'blocks' in the tank with extra plants I had removed...worked all of ten minutes.

Filled the new tanks with water and have the Aqueon filters running for a few hours. They're amazingly quiet. Treated with Prime and Quickstart, and seeded media from the big tank and holding tanks. The Pothos has been moved to the tanks and stones from the holding tanks. Patch used the opportunity to try and bite me of course (She has the teeth for it, too. More on that later). I must have some of the craziest Parrots on the planet.

I have a big killifish that is greedy too. I just scatter broadcast enough food for everyone. I have read slow or shy eaters don't get enough. (African frogs among others). Have to set it in front of there face.

Yeah the vision barriers don't always work ---really need a lot of them. One of my tanks is that way. Ridges, valleys, nooks, tunnels, plants, so smart fish can can hide when they want. Some people like open tanks. I like both.

You mentioned using Prime. A few years ago I came across Safe. Same thing as Prime, made by Seachem also. They made it for big tanks. (I worked the math down so you can use for small tanks.) It is concentrated in powder form. Just add appropriate amount to your fresh water change water. A bottle lasts 6months to year. Saves a lot of money I bought a set of miniature measuring spoons to go with it for under 5 bucks.

Yup there is usually some kind of drama going on in my aquariums too.
You mentioned switching tank mates. Have you tried every combination?

 

[Fishflyer]

I have a big killifish that is greedy too. I just scatter broadcast enough food for everyone. I have read slow or shy eaters don't get enough. (African frogs among others). Have to set it in front of there face.

Yeah the vision barriers don't always work ---really need a lot of them. One of my tanks is that way. Ridges, valleys, nooks, tunnels, plants, so smart fish can can hide when they want. Some people like open tanks. I like both.

You mentioned using Prime. A few years ago I came across Safe. Same thing as Prime, made by Seachem also. They made it for big tanks. (I worked the math down so you can use for small tanks.) It is concentrated in powder form. Just add appropriate amount to your fresh water change water. A bottle lasts 6months to year. Saves a lot of money I bought a set of miniature measuring spoons to go with it for under 5 bucks.

Yup there is usually some kind of drama going on in my aquariums too.
You mentioned switching tank mates. Have you tried every combination?

Especially with a new environment.

 

[FINWIN]

I have a big killifish that is greedy too. I just scatter broadcast enough food for everyone. I have read slow or shy eaters don't get enough. (African frogs among others). Have to set it in front of there face.

Yeah the vision barriers don't always work ---really need a lot of them. One of my tanks is that way. Ridges, valleys, nooks, tunnels, plants, so smart fish can can hide when they want. Some people like open tanks. I like both.

You mentioned using Prime. A few years ago I came across Safe. Same thing as Prime, made by Seachem also. They made it for big tanks. (I worked the math down so you can use for small tanks.) It is concentrated in powder form. Just add appropriate amount to your fresh water change water. A bottle lasts 6months to year. Saves a lot of money I bought a set of miniature measuring spoons to go with it for under 5 bucks.

Yup there is usually some kind of drama going on in my aquariums too.
You mentioned switching tank mates. Have you tried every combination?

Pretty much...here's the rundown

Boss / Patch / Kong = rumble, later tag team on Boss
Boss / Kong = Ok at first, went downhill when Kong established dominance
Boss / Patch = Ok until Patch laid eggs. Seemed to like Boss up until that point
Patch / Kong = Never was great...Kong kept going alpha on her. She sliced his lips one night.
Boss / Brick = Passable. Boss isn't an outright bully but he's a punk sometimes. The new tanks have him spooked though.

So basically

Patch with anybody = injuries
Kong with anybody except Patch = stress
Boss with the other two = injuries and stress
Boss with Brick = some bumping and pushing at times.

As I mentioned before, I think the dynamic with Boss and Brick is going to change in another month or so, especially at the rate Brick is growing.

Good news, though! Patch and Kong are in their new homes and they went completely berserk with excitement for 40 minutes, dancing along the glass. So the tanks are a hit...I finally put the moon light on as a signal to calm down and rest.

Meanwhile Boss and Brick floated in the center of the main tank and watched the setup and activity.

The one thing I didn't account for was the influence of the sand color...in the smaller tanks its so powerful it pretty much dims out the backgrounds. I thought something had happened to the leds at first. The warm white turned everything nearly yellow in Patch's tank (with the green sand).The Baja blue is a gorgeous color...and turned the background nearly black, lol. Completely different effect than the earlier pic I posted without the sand. Kinda embarassing an artist forgetting the influence of light and color on backgrounds! You can see highlighted areas from a distance but that's it. I think the type of led's on the smaller strips are a bit different too, they look 'harsher' and less true than the larger strip and have a more limited spectrum range. I think this is why the weirdness happened with the backgrounds. Gives them a lot of depth, tho.

Fish profiles and pics will be coming soon.

 

[Fishflyer]

Pretty much...here's the rundown

Boss / Patch / Kong = rumble, later tag team on Boss
Boss / Kong = Ok at first, went downhill when Kong established dominance
Boss / Patch = Ok until Patch laid eggs. Seemed to like Boss up until that point
Patch / Kong = Never was great...Kong kept going alpha on her. She sliced his lips one night.
Boss / Brick = Passable. Boss isn't an outright bully but he's a punk sometimes. The new tanks have him spooked though.

So basically

Patch with anybody = injuries
Kong with anybody except Patch = stress
Boss with the other two = injuries and stress
Boss with Brick = some bumping and pushing at times.

As I mentioned before, I think the dynamic with Boss and Brick is going to change in another month or so, especially at the rate Brick is growing.

Good news, though! Patch and Kong are in their new homes and they went completely berserk with excitement for 40 minutes, dancing along the glass. So the tanks are a hit...I finally put the moon light on as a signal to calm down and rest.

Meanwhile Boss and Brick floated in the center of the main tank and watched the setup and activity.

The one thing I didn't account for was the influence of the sand color...in the smaller tanks its so powerful it pretty much dims out the backgrounds. I thought something had happened to the leds at first. The warm white turned everything nearly yellow in Patch's tank (with the green sand).The Baja blue is a gorgeous color...and turned the background nearly black, lol. Completely different effect than the earlier pic I posted without the sand. Kinda embarassing an artist forgetting the influence of light and color on backgrounds! You can see highlighted areas from a distance but that's it. I think the type of led's on the smaller strips are a bit different too, they look 'harsher' and less true than the larger strip and have a more limited spectrum range. I think this is why the weirdness happened with the backgrounds. Gives them a lot of depth, tho.

Fish profiles and pics will be coming soon.

Sounds like a wrestling tag team lineup. Like some major personalities too. Poor guy and you have to be a vigilant ref plus too.
>>You think that new addition of the T bar cichlid will mix things up?

I know they tell you to change around the landscaping when you add a new tank mate to an existing community of aggressive fish. Well I don't want to change my landscaping around. Over time I change the design; take away and add things--improve. With the rocks and realistic ornaments I have-- their placement is best where it is--so I change out fish, fish communities between tanks.
With aggression levels of my 2 large cichlids, it doesn't make any difference.
I want to add my largest angel to a cichlid tank--I am thinking harassment will ensue, maybe not. But he is a showpiece in my livingroom, him and crowntail betta in another tank.

As for your sand darkening the background and on the other changing the fish color, are you OK with it? I have been giving it some thought.

Does changing the light LED color make a difference. If I don't like an effect, I change it. I saw the Baja blue sand, it was cool, but it was kind of dark -- that was for my tank, might make your parrots pop. I am thinking the Hawaii blue for one or two of my tanks. What I did when I chose too dark of a blue gravel, I mixed in lighter shades of blue and then the manufacturer changed the shade of the lighter blue even lighter. The effect of the 3 shades was/is good though. Sometimes the actual product color is different from.the color samples shown due to photography light. I don't know how true this sand color is to samples shown of Sandtastik, haven't gotten mine yet. Also a small sample of white shown against white paper can look different then a larger quantity if the actual product. I worked as optics tech for an opthalmologist and optometrist quite a few years before I started my gym.

If you are not happy with the effect, what about test mixing lighter shades of blue. Buy the 1 lb bag of lighter shade of sand for $5 and do a small test mix. If you are loathe to spend more money--well you already made a major investment. Buy small amounts over time until you achieve the color you like.

Did you say you have white sand in storage? What about doing a small test mix outside the tank with that?

Back/ footlights or spotlights for your backgrounds. All these are ideas for you. Maybe you have thought of them already. I laid down after I was done with everything and I was out, so I didn't hear the notification of your last entry.

 

[Fishflyer]

Sounds like a wrestling tag team lineup. Like some major personalities too. Poor guy and you have to be a vigilant ref plus too.
>>You think that new addition of the T bar cichlid will mix things up?

I know they tell you to change around the landscaping when you add a new tank mate to an existing community of aggressive fish. Well I don't want to change my landscaping around. Over time I change the design; take away and add things--improve. With the rocks and realistic ornaments I have-- their placement is best where it is--so I change out fish, fish communities between tanks.
With aggression levels of my 2 large cichlids, it doesn't make any difference.
I want to add my largest angel to a cichlid tank--I am thinking harassment will ensue, maybe not. But he is a showpiece in my livingroom, him and crowntail betta in another tank.

As for your sand darkening the background and on the other changing the fish color, are you OK with it? I have been giving it some thought.

Does changing the light LED color make a difference. If I don't like an effect, I change it. I saw the Baja blue sand, it was cool, but it was kind of dark -- that was for my tank, might make your parrots pop. I am thinking the Hawaii blue for one or two of my tanks. What I did when I chose too dark of a blue gravel, I mixed in lighter shades of blue and then the manufacturer changed the shade of the lighter blue even lighter. The effect of the 3 shades was/is good though. Sometimes the actual product color is different from.the color samples shown due to photography light. I don't know how true this sand color is to samples shown of Sandtastik, haven't gotten mine yet. Also a small sample of white shown against white paper can look different then a larger quantity if the actual product. I worked as optics tech for an opthalmologist and optometrist quite a few years before I started my gym.

If you are not happy with the effect, what about test mixing lighter shades of blue. Buy the 1 lb bag of lighter shade of sand for $5 and do a small test mix. If you are loathe to spend more money--well you already made a major investment. Buy small amounts over time until you achieve the color you like.

Did you say you have white sand in storage? What about doing a small test mix outside the tank with that?

Back/ footlights or spotlights for your backgrounds. All these are ideas for you. Maybe you have thought of them already. I laid down after I was done with everything and I was out, so I didn't hear the notification of your last entry.

Frigin' smart machines--love them, but they think they know English word placement and phraseology better than we do. I proofread the last entry twice but the corrections I made, the machine changed back to it's original choice of (incorrect) words. Then it doesn't correct a misspelled word. Aye yiyi.