-A blog is something private, and then again it is not, it is something shared, a moment or a thought, it need not be read by any to be needed by just one, this is my diary, my journal... this is my blog.-
Search Archives
January 2005
March 2005
May 2005
October 2005
December 2005
January 2006
February 2006
March 2006
April 2006
May 2006
August 2006
October 2006
December 2006
January 2007
February 2007
March 2007
April 2007
May 2007
June 2007
July 2007
September 2007
October 2007
November 2007
December 2007
January 2008
February 2008
March 2008
Higlighted Posts
Drip of Truth
Memorial
Worn (prose)
Always With You
Numb Love
First Kiss
Untitled
A Diamonte
My Writings Listed
Poe
Spine Tingling Reads
Charles E. Burns
And A Few Favorite Recipes
Orange Cookies Buckeyes Waldorf Salad Fudge
For Spirit And Friendship
Gifts
WindDelos Cheers Banners Awards
Thursday, July 05, 2007
Alright, to catch up... this past weekend I bought a 5 1/2 gallon tank with hood for Zar. I set up his new home on Sunday night (July 1) with a heater. I noticed the water was a little cloudy on Monday, but Zar seemed fine. The cloudiness continued to get worse and I did a partial water change on Tuesday that helped some. When I first set this tank up I added a small under gravel filter with air stone that came with his one gallon tank. On Wednesday, (July 4) I moved Zar to his vase with clean water that had been treated with Clor-Out and setting to the side for a few hours. The tank looked really white and I noticed a tiny white spot on Zar's head. My thought was, this is ick, so at the store I found Quick Cure for ick, Aquarium Salt, AquaSafe (a water conditioner and gets rid of chlorine) and Melafix. The Melafix is and antibacterial and although it will not cure ick, it will sooth him and also help fin rot, which I believe he also has from being cramped in that tiny container at the store and staying in dirty water. I used a small heater to warm the water to the same temperature as his tank and then moved him to the medicated vase with Quick Cure and Melafix.
While he was still in the vase, I gradually warmed the water more raising the temp to 86 degrees. This causes the parasites to become free swimmers and the medicine added kills them. While he bathed in his warm medicated vase, I tore down his tank and cleaned it with hot water, no soap and no bleach. Once clean and back together, I added 3 teaspoons of Aquarium Salt. The best way to do this is get some aquarium water into a small container and then add the measured salt to that, once dissolved, then pour into tank. I also added Melafix according to directions on bottle and the correct does of Quick Cure. When the temperature matched that of the vase, I moved Zar back to his tank. He is doing fine, swimming happily and eating his freeze dried blood warms very well. His tank is staying right at 82 degrees now and the water is crystal clear. The white spot on his head is gone. I am also noticing clear growth at the ends of his fins.
:UP:
Thursday, June 28, 2007
My latest endeavor has been my fish. It has been a few years since my tanks have been set up. When I did have them working, they did great with Black Angels, Black Mollies, Sword Tails that were bright orange and black tails, spotted Pica Catfish that we always called algae eaters and a Betta.
Our Angels were awesome. The first pair we had ate from our fingers and seemed very interested in us. They were in the tank for well over a year and grew very large. Our entire family was attached to them. When the first one died, the second soon followed and we felt for sure it was that he missed his companion. We did get more Angels and they spawned. We just were not familiar with what to do and each time there were eggs, the process failed.
All of the fish we had during those years did live a very long time and the tank was thriving when we moved in 2004. We gave the fish and a tank to a friend along with supplies she would need. We still had 2 tanks, a 40 gallon and a 20 gallon. The 40 gallon is what I have set up right now and just recently lost over 20 fish. Most of them were guppies. Guppies like cool temps and I was working on a warmer water tank.
The only thing is when the other fish also died, it raised concerns and I think either my tank had not cycled properly or I brought home something from the pet store.
My very first fish this time around was a Betta. We just called him Fish. So Fish had the whole 40 gallons to himself. The week prior he was in a large vase. No plant or anything, just himself and some rock for decor. After the tank had been up for a few days I added him so that he would have the benefits of a heater. Bettas love the warmer temps. He did great for over a week. He did seem lonely so we decided to get more fish. That is when we hooked up our power filter which I already know that Bettas do not like moving water, but it's a large tank and the movement really was subtle and quiet. It didn't seem to bother him. He loved the mosquito larvae I bought frozen at the pet store and seemed to get along just fine with the 20 guppies and the 6 zebra Danios. A few days later, the guppies started to die and then I began losing the Danios. It was the worse for me when Fish died.
My husband and I both thought maybe he was old when we brought him home, then again it was hard to say because of us losing all the other fish. The frozen mosquito larvae could have had parasites or disease, something may have been wrong with my filter and the cycling of the tank, or possibly the water from the pet store was not clean. There are still 3 Danios in there going strong and eating like pigs. I am careful to not over feed, but I did start giving them flake food. I like to do a little bit several times a day. Every time I walk past they think it's dinner.
My newest friend Zar is a betta that I am keeping on my desk in a 1 gallon tank for now. He would be in the 40 gallon if I was more confident that it was working right. Anyway, I would like to get a 10 gallon for him so he can stay on my desk. This fish is really something else and why Bettas are so easy to fall in love with. His eyes change. He squints and literally makes expressions. I get such a kick out of watching him. I think he likes watching me too. All I have to do is wave my finger a little and he starts dancing around almost like crazy, maybe he thinks it's a worm. At first he would not touch the mosquito larvae which was so surprising since that is suppose to be their favorite. So, I tried the freeze dried blood worms and that was a winner. He absolutely loves them and they aren't nearly as messy to give to him.
There are more pics in the Photo Gallery, but forgive my inability to take great shots. My daughter is the photographer but she is not at home right now while she is serving in the US Navy. Maybe when she comes home for a visit she can take some better pictures of my fishies and tanks.
:UP:
Cynthia's Escape Cynthia E. Jones cynthiasescape@yahoo.com