grumpy

I don't know how you can only have several ramshorn snails... they seem to be multiplying in my tank like crazy,,,, there was even 2 that were connected at the head floating around my tank!!! why they were hooked up like that I dont know The connected at the head would be them breeding....... And I only have 8 right now (I was actually updating my signature while you were typing your post.) I've given away approximately 50 baby snails since I got the original 5 back in about April? I also diligently remove the egg sacks as soon as I see them. It was kinda neat when I first got them to see the eggs hatch and the baby snails grow, but now that I understand just how hardy these guys are, and just how many eggs they can lay, that novelty has worn off. And the Ramshorns in the brackish tank? They only lay eggs after a freshwater change. (I alternate brackish and fresh, keeping the sailnity between 1.002 and 1.004.) Well it is good to know they are breeding.... when i pulled them apart I thought they were dead and I thru em in my tank with angels and my loaches but they are moving I see... these ramshorns are the generic snails you get with plants right? Nope. Google 'Colombian Ramshorn Snails' for a picture. My largest ones are about 2 inches in diameter. The ones you get from plants don't lay visible egg sacks. (not visible to me anyway) I've had some success plucking those ones out by hand and tossing them to my oscar. I've never been overrun with them though. And the Columbian ramshorns also eat the smaller ramshorn/plant snail variety. I used to have a bunch of these, and they were awesome. I've been wanting to get some more for my ( non-planted ) tank. Does anyone have any they want to get rid of?

I have had zebra nerites for a while and occasionally have the same white dots. I believe they are nerite eggs, however none have ever hatched in my tank as far as I know. Grumpy

I used a combination of all of these treatments on a good sized piece that I picked up in Fish Creek Park. I soaked it in water with bleach for a day, then gave it about 5 rinse soaks, a day at a time. Each time I changed the rinse I put in new water as hot as I could get it, beginning with a kettle full of boiled water poured over the wood. It definitely colors the water each time, but by the fifth time it was almost nothing. So I attached it to a big piece of slate and put it in, with gravel hiding the slate. It looks fine and hasn't changed the water chemistry. And no bug was able to survive the cleansing and rinsing. Sounds like a lot of work but it's not really, and it's worth it to be sure you don't upset the tank.

I just bought a Nutrafin Pro feeder at Pisces on the weekend. They are usually about 55 to 60 bucks, and it was on sale for $37.99. It's been on my tank for 2 full days, and has fed my fish as programmed twice a day, and it's easy to program and set up. My need is same as yours...I don't want to bother neighbors or friends to come in while I'm on vacation. This unit seems like it will do the job nicely. BTW I did look at the Eheim while I was there. It appears to be the best one but it's also over 90 bucks. For a couple of one week vacations a year, I think the Nutrafin will do the trick.

My assorted Africans eat anything that grows. In the last couple of weeks they have gone through a couple of corkscrew vals, a bunch of cobomba, a small tiger val and a couple of others I'm not sure the names of. Which is why I still keep my plastic plants. When the real ones are getting eatcn, the fake ones start to look okay again. haha

Well, I think I now have some baby snails. Since I don't know what to look for, I'm assuming the unexplained tiny white dots that have appeared on the back glass are them. About 1 - 2 mm across I guess. Are these likely snails? Or ...???

Cool...I was kind of thinking Rams Horns. If so, they are from the snails I got from you a few months back. There look to be about 50 or more eggs...How many are likely to hatch and survive? Will the cichlids in my tank want them for lunch? If so, I would like to move them and save as many as possible. Thanks, Jim

I guess I should have mentioned that....quite a variety! yellow labs, c moori, blue haps, peacocks, angels, dwarf gouramis, assorted barbs and tetras, a few platys, and a golden a.e. Also, some snails; columbian rams horns, and zebra nerites.

Okay all you breeders out there, I've never tried to get any of my fish to breed, but there are a bunch of eggs attached to the underside of a rock. They've been there a couple of days at least, and so far nobody is paying any attention. I'm wondering if they are from one of my snails. Here's a pic. Can anyone tell me what they are? And what should I do with them to protect them? Or just leave them alone? Thanks all, Jim

Tanker, Thanks so much for the advice. It does make sense that the wood could absorb some chlorine and I wondered if it was a good idea but went for it anyway. I gave it an hour or so in the bleach water, and then doused it with boiling water, which I plan to do a few more times before submersing it in regular water. I'll definitely let it soak for several days and I as you suggested I'll test the water after that to see what's next.

When you say a lot, can you be a little more specific? I have a piece soaking in some cold water and bleach right now. Planned on doing that first, then rinsing with boiling water a couple of times. What do you think?

I don't know the first thing about breeding, but this was a surprise. While rearranging some stuff in the bottom of my cabinet, I spotted something tiny, moving, in my sump. Long story short, I scooped out 14 fry altogether, about 1/4" to a little more. I'm guessing my pair of ameca splendens, which I was keeping in a different section of the divided sump, are the mom and dad. Now I know you breeders will get a laugh out of this, but I had absolutely no idea that this could happen. I thought you had to put a lot of effort into setting things up just right. Is this really a fluke or is it normal? By the way, now that I have these fry, I've put them in a safety net that I use when I introduce new small fish to my community. I'm wondering, what I should feed, and how long I might have to keep them in there before they can be safely released. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks, Jim

I have ameca splendens and a gold algae eater in with various tetras and barbs and everyone gets along fine. There are also a pair of Angels, a pair of Opaline gouramis, some yellow labs and malawi dolphin fry. The splendens will occasionally nip at the angels, but so far not enough to be a problem.

Try between 8pm-9pm...usually quietish then...or anytime after 5pm Wednesday is usually good. Wayne's a hard guy to get hold of, but it's worth the effort. He made one up for me for my 90, with a cut-out for some raised plumbing in the back corner, and hinged both front and back. It took me a week to get it but it turned out perfect. He's definitely the guy to go to.

Jason, Thanks very much for all the advice on both this and the 'planting in pots' threads. I tried a couple tonight. Put some potting soil in the bottom about 2/3 of the pot, got the roots well into the soil, and covered the top 1/3 with gravel. I found pots at Home Depot that are about 3" or so high and about 2 1/2" across. Which means I can set them on the bottom and with 3" of gravel you can't see the pot. I'll now look for more plants and try a few more the same way. I'll post in a couple of weeks on any progress I make. Thanks, Jim.