blainep

Not sure about the moving of poop piles, but the other things you describe sounds like they are shimmying. If that's the case, it means they're stressed or scared. Mollies need LOTS of warm, fresh, hard water to feel good. Think of them almost like a hardwater Discus. That's where part of the rumor of them needing salt comes from, they don't need salt, they need very fresh water with high carbonate hardness. Note as well that salt won't hurt them, they can be adjusted to a full marine environment. Males tend to breed on the 'Hit and run' plan, so I doubt they're showing breeding behavior. When Mollies are feeling good, you'll know, they'll be at the glass like puppies begging for food. If they're stressed, they'll hide in a corner and shimmy.

Diana also has a section dedicated to the 'El Natural' method at APC From some of the reading I've done, Diana Walstad is one smart cookie, not just with the planted tanks.

Do a little research on the 'Walstad' method of setting up aquariums. You can't really create a complete ecosystem in an aquarium, but with a little work, you can make them very low maintenance.

They're still there, looks like 3 or 4 in the tank, but no girls ! Apparently more females are coming, possibly late next week.

I've got a little bit if you want it.

What about using something like Mylar sheeting ? aquariumplants.com example

As long as it is the 'for windows and doors' type, yes. I've used it to reseal several tanks.

It's hard to get a clear picture of a sliver with eyes :smokey: Keep them coming.

It's not unusual to have a few fry that are deformed or under developed. There are several possibilities as to why. Normally, they won't live for more than a day or 2. If they do survive, they are often weak and prone to disease. If you leave them be, they may survive and be fine. I usually leave mine be, if they make it, great. If not, they're snail food.

If she's looking active and eating, she's probably fine. If she's hiding out, lethargic or not eating, she might not be feeling well. Double up on your water changes for 2 or 3 weeks, if you see any problems, add a little aquarium salt to the water ( About 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons ) for a couple of weeks. If you need to add a little salt, dissolve the salt in a little water and add it to the aquarium slowly. It won't hurt your other fish and it will help keep nasty bacteria and parasites down.

That's a good sized drop. Watch the female, livebearer females can be prone to infection after a drop. Congats !

I breed a lot of livebearers as well. They're fun to watch and easy to care for. Loads of personality as well. Good luck with the fry, I'll be watching for pictures.

If you like fry, your gonna love livebearers ! :smokey: There will be lots more coming !

What kind of mosquito fish are you looking for ? Gambusia or Heterandria formosa. I don't have any Gambusia but I do have a few H. formosa.

A great little fish for small and nano tanks is Heterandria formosa aka least killifish / pygmy livebearer . They're a tiny little livebearer, tough as nails, can be kept at room or tropical temps. A couple of pictures of them Just a thought.

I'm running 24 to 26 tanks at any given time, various lights, filters and heaters. In the winter, my power bill will get as high as $225. Most of the time it hovers around $200. Unless your are running huge tanks at high temps in cold rooms with enough light to run a hydroponics setup, the aquariums are not the electrical culprit !

One thing that will help is to hang an AquaClear filter on the tank, in the part of the filter that would normally hold the sponge, take out the sponge and stuff it with filter floss. The filter floss will take out alot of the dust particles. You'll need to replace the floss every 2 or 3 hours, but it works, fairly quickly.

Currently Breeding Fish Poecilia latipinna, Rio San Antonio - Wild type Molly Poecilia velifera - Wild sailfin Molly Poecilia petenensis aka Poecilia kykesis - Large wild type Molly Poecilia salvatoris - Liberty Molly Limia perugiae - Don't know a common name Heterandria formosa - least killifish - pygmy livebearer Endlers livebearer Ameca Splendens Xenotoca eiseni - Orange Tail Goodeid Snails Pomacea canaliculata - Cana Snails Asolene spixi - Striped/Zebra snail MTS livebearing snail Inverts Neocaridina denticulata sinensis (red) - Red Cherry Shrimp Working on, awaiting fry from Limia Tridens Limia Nigrofasciata - Black Bar/Humpback Limia Caridina cf. babaulti / Green Shrimp Marisa cornuarietis / Giant Columbian Ramshorn Snails

Those tanks were nasty, I set up a 'production line' for cleaning. By soaking them in tubs with vinegar and water overnight most of the goo and grunge was gone, then a wipe down and rinse got them pretty clean. Thats also why I decided to have the tanks sit on the shelves the way they do, the fronts of the tanks are very cloudy from abrasive cleaning pads . So the viewing window is smaller, but clear, so you can accutally see the fish. Looks also like I will need to increase the drainage ability. The drain pipe is handling the flow, but if something happens to slow down the flow, I may have a small flood happen. So I'm going to 'T' into the drain hose in a couple of places and add a second hose. That will increase the amount of water that can travel thru and give me a backup in case one of hoses fail or get plugged. A little more tweaking and I think things should be perfect (or as close as I'll get to perfect). Blaine

I went with the 15 gallon tanks on the rack just because I had so many of them. So this is my 'little fish' condo. Currently it's housing my Endlers, Heterandria formosa, Ameca Splenden fry, Orange tail Goodied fry, Crystal and Cherry red shrimps, Zebra Danio fry and a few of those cool snails from Melody. As you can tell, I like little fish and livebearers. There are a couple of errors in my design, but nothing I can't work around. Most of the tanks are already spoken for, I have a big box of rare livebearers coming in soon, enough that I will have to step up production of 'Phase 2' ( all the 20 gal tanks, 8 of them, done in a similar fashon). I was freaked out for sure when it came time to fill the tanks, would it leak? would I suddenly have 2200 plus pounds of water on the floor ? Thankfully only 1 dripper (the painted tank on the bottom row), a quick replacement with another tank and all was good. The thing is way bigger than I had pictured in my mind , 80 inches high and 8 feet 3 inches long and nearly 3 feet wide, but much like standing in a fishstore. Phase 3 is going to include larger 50ish gallon tanks, hoping to finish the room with one or two huge tanks, but thats quite a long way off yet. Next spring I gotta redo my pond, sprung a leak in Aug. I decided just to let it drain for this year. Blaine

I guess this fits as a DIY project. This took up most of my spare time for about 2 months and ended up costing quite a bit more than I planned to spend, but I'm happy with the results and I guess that's what really matters. It started with getting lucky and managing to grab a few tanks from the Sunridge Petland renos (My thanks to Petland). After spending the better end of a month cleaning, repairing and resealing tanks, I ended up with about twenty 15 and 20 gallon tanks. The next question is putting the tanks to use. I wanted to attempt my first sump system and I really had no idea what I was about to jump into ! The tank cleaning operation . The Tanks, all lined up. Pump Testing. Construction day. Making sure the tanks fit on the shelves. Assembly, Does it fit ? And it holds the tanks and water. The first tenants. Decorating the tanks with the goodies I picked up at the CAS auction ! Pictures of the finished product to follow. I've scince added the center supports and tied up the wiring so it is off the floor and away from the tanks to prevent them from getting wet. Also added small shelves on the sides for air pumps . The filtration is handled by 2 20 gallon drilled tanks to act as the sump. Along with 2 of the corner drip filters that were used by Petland and 4 (so far) large air driven sponge filters. The lids for the tanks I made out of difuser panels. The shelves are 4 2x6's lengthwise and cross braced, with 5/8ths plywood on top (each), all glued, screwed and bolted together. All the tanks are valved, so any tank can be separated from the rest, the downflows are all covered with AC 20 HOB foam filters to prevent livestock transfer. And alot more I can't think of right now. Anyway, thought I'd share Phase 1 of the fishroom with everyone. Blaine

Is there a date for the fishroom opening? Should I bring snail treats & fish-shaped jello? Will we drink like fish? Shall I buy a new outfit? Go on a diet and then buy a new outfit? I suppose all of the answers will be on the Little Mermaid invitations. Well, We'll probably drink like fish, but I'm not so sure about the little mermaid invitations Just got back tonite, I was out in the interior of BC for a week. Still have a few days of holidays left, so ( If I can get my big butt out of the 'lazyboy' ) I will be constructing the stands for the tanks and sumps this week. I think I smell another DIY thread about to happen ! Blaine

Hi Melody, great to see you surfing around this side of the mountains.(FYI The Snails are doing great !) I suppose if one was to search around enough industrial suppliers, you would find 'aquarium safe' silicone sealer for a reasonable price. But for smaller tanks the GE silicone 1 or similar product appears to work just fine. As long as it has no anti fungal agents in it. If I was resealing a larger tank, I think I would take the time to find and use true 'aquarium sealant' . I'm resealing 15 and 20 gallon tanks, still heavy when full, but nothing compared to a 50 or 100 gallon tank. FYI for anyone resealing tanks or working with raw silicone - Use only in a very well ventilated area. I work everyday in an enviroment full of various fumes/chemicals and this stuff had me choking and eyes watering ! With a little work, I now have 21 drilled tanks ready to set up. ( When does a hobby become an addiction ?) Blaine

Well, everthing has been sealed up, left to cure for a few days, and leak tested. All looks ok, apears to be holding. From here, only time will tell. Blaine

Well, looks like I started something big here. From the research I and everyone else have done, it looks like GE Silicone 1 should be fine for resealing aquariums. I guess I'll find out soon enough. I'll be assembleing the tanks in the next day or two. If it all comes crashing apart, I'll be sure to update !