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Actually Bayou if you can believe it I don’t have a CO2 system at all–haven’t gotten around to saving up for it! That’s actually one of the things I’m proudest of, getting my tank to grow without a diffuser. I’d love one, but it has to wait for now. I add organic liquid carbon each day, as a replacement for a diffuser. The plants seem to do ok on it. The past couple weeks I’ve experimented with adding regular seltzer water (NOT club soda!!) to the tank each day instead of the carbon. The water seems clearer, and my java fern seem to have increased their growth a little. Too soon to tell much though.
That’s too bad Jennifer! I love keeping Apistos. They’re a pretty popular fish among fishkeepers since they’re pretty easy to keep and breed. You might be able to connect with a private breeder in your area through CL or asking around in the fish store. As far as the water, I’d get a test kit and figure out your new water profile. Most plants (and ALL the prettiest fish, it seems…) like real soft, mildly acidic water which is the exact opposite of what my tap is. My PH is about 7.8 and the general hardness is something like 15-18, pretty bad for the stuff I want to keep. Rather than mess with a bunch of buffers and chemicals, I just purchase reverse osmosis deionized water from the aquatic store. After messing around with my water test kit and a bunch of ratios I figured out I need a 1:9 mix of my tap to RO-DI water to get the ideal profile. It’s a bit of a pain lugging several 5-gallon jugs around all the time, but it’s worth it to keep the fish I love!
My heart skipped six beats when I saw the Treasure Chest keeper on ebay. Oh my gosh. Best. Color scheme. Ever.
I LOVE jewel tones, they are my favorite spectrum, this guy has everything! I’m in love, and mourning–I can’t afford him. I’m jealous of the lucky one who gets to take him home.
I think the fact that the molds are so difficult is one of the things that makes me appreciate the Oriental dragons so much. They are absolutely exquisite sculpts and worth the trouble IMO…but I don’t have to cast them 😉
Oh shoot, be careful what you ask for…I just needed an excuse to take some new pics of the tank 😀
Here’s Harley too! A kitten picture and a grown-up one.
And here’s some shots of the tanks:
Starting small, here’s my 2-gallon. Right now I’m using it as a fry tank to raise out the first batch of fry from my Cockatoo Cichlids. I only got about 6-9 but it’s my first try. I’m hoping my pair will breed again. The female’s more than eager, the male seems to have lost interest!
DIY Sea Monkey factory! The fry grow faster on live food.
Casa de Apistogramma Cacatuoides…and a blurry shot of the dad. Best I could do.
And…tra la! My BABY! All 60 gallons of it. I spend way too much time on this thing. All the plants are live–nothing in there is fake. Current fish species: Harlequin Rasbora, Mircorasbora, Gouramis, Peruvian Rams, Rhino Garras, and a Clown Loach. The plant species are too numerous to list, heh.
And here we have my fluffy pink Cabomba Furcata, my lovely Nymphaea Lily, and my dwarf Anubias, with an appearance from the camera-shy loach. (And…guess what! Labradorite stones!)
Oh, I love my tanks. I have another 10-gallon and a betta bowl, but they’re not as pretty 😀
I got a 4-bulb, 48″ T5 aquarium lamp WITH lunar LEDs on ebay for 99 bucks! Hot diggety damn! Shipping is $25 but I e-mailed CurrentUSA and they said I can come pick it up. Sa-weet!
And to think I almost bought a 2-bulb one without lunar lights from the local pet store for $180! They’d charge about $270 for the rig I just bought on ebay. I am SO stoked right now. My fish are gonna need sunglasses!
“Patience is a virtue.”
“Not right now it isn’t!!!!”😀
If Windstones were cupcakes, my face would be smashed up against the bakery window right alongside Drag0n’s….
Oh my GOSH!!! Those are the freakin’ cutest photos ever!! Who would I bother to get the high-res versions? I’d love to make a desktop of that.
Or maybe finally make a banner already…jeez….
I bought a curlie, then checked the store 10 minutes later and the hatchlings were up!
Someone is conspiring to make me save money…and I don’t like it 😡 haha!
I’m interested in one to purchase or trade for also. I MISSED mine! 🙄 🙄 🙄
I checked the store this morning! And this afternoon! Wat!
*Cries* I seriously feel sick. 😥
Maybe they are afraid of this happening?
Oh, I’m so sorry Darjeb. I’m glad you got the extra time, it sounds like you really made it count.
Good news for Harley and for me! Sorry it’s been so long, I’ve been so tired. I went to get Harley from the emergency clinic, to pick him up and transfer him to the Banfield Pet Hospital where I usually take him. After spending the night accepting the cost, and fully expecting to have to put down an additional $500 when I arrived, I can’t describe how I felt when they told me I was actually getting $500 BACK from the $1100 I had to put down the night before! I literally thought I was going to faint!!!
Harley went to Banfield where they did a few more tests on him and made sure he was getting plenty of fluids and proper meds. I got to bring him home Saturday night. He got a very good report card from the nurses–he has always been quite a little Romeo! When he was a kitten and I brought him in for his shots and neutering, a couple ladies didn’t want to let me take him home 😀 I kept him in the bathroom almost two days, so I could monitor him more easily, and also because all his litter box visits are making a HUGE mess. :puke:
He’s on medication to help with the infection, and is definitely acting himself again. I have pain pills/sedatives to use just in case but he hasn’t seemed uncomfortable. I’m so happy. Today I let him out of the bathroom and let him have run of the kitchen/living room, where the floors are hard. He’s urinating pretty frequently, but the clumps are almost normal size, which is gross but a good sign. He’ll have to have prescription wet food, the vet says indefinitely. Blleeeeeehhhh, I hate wet food. Maybe eventually I can get him back on dry. Having to go through all this again though is a pretty big deterrent from “cheap” (i.e. affordable and convenient, sold-everywhere, non-prescription) cat food.
The stay at Banfield did cost about $500, so in the end the total cost of this urinary blockage ended up being $1200-ish. Uck. At this point I’m just glad it wasn’t the $2000 the vet originally estimated! All’s well that ends well, I suppose. Harley has a funny little shaved patch on his pay from the IV. I’m so glad my lovey cat is feeling better 🙂
