PlanetCatfish.com

GoldenFeather wrote:Nui is in the big FiveFive and all is well.

That would be the big Hawaii FiveFive? Sorry, couldn't resist. That's brilliant news, give it a few days just to make sure everythings OK and then move the CAE. Then you can leave them a little while and think about adding a few more fishes perhaps to the middle and top of the tank. You've also got a nice 10gal for quarantine too.

Cheers,

Jools

She told me this morning that she has already moved Li'i (the cae) over too.. Apparently Li'i was not taking well to seeing her old friend in a big new space and was threatening to crash through the glass

Gina

• 'Ooops...'

um Jools?...

It's true, I've already got our GAE over there. She was going crazy. After not hearing back from you when I asked those couple times I just figured it would be okay. That you would have said, "no" or " stop or I'll shoot!"... but . you didn't?
Now I wonder if I've gone and done something dim enough to create a problem – like a premature ammonia spike? If so, is there a way to fix it? I did try to wait at least 24 hours.

• Googols? gf

___
.
PS: re: "The Big FiveFive" (((laughter)))) I can't believe your' familiarity with our history?! I'm truly impressed... you live where? What/who... do I know about...mmm... All I know about your home place is um... er.. 'i'm so bad with history and geograpy'-(((a whispered worry thought))) hmph. (((ding)))*Susan Boyle?

So have the CAE calmed down now?

--
Mats

Susan Boyle lives in the next town and shops at "my" supermarket. Or at least did. Meantime, just didn't want to rush with moving the CAE, but now that you have, well that's one less thing to worry about!

Jools

andywoolloo wrote:

yeah!! Just watch the water readings for Ammonia and NItrite, keep them at 025 ppm or less while it cycles or mini cycles, since i think you jump started it?

Thank you so so so so much Andywoollloo!!!
What a pleasure to come and find my Gurus celebrating for us! Exciting and makes us feel good about what we've so finally done. Googols to all of you for your patient patience.

RE: Ammonia 0.25 & Hold.

Oh. I didn't know this, thank you for telling me. I found it there this morning and FahReaked. I'm used to trying to maintain"zero" in the 10G and that number (0.25) was my bane. I killed it! Should I have left it that way? It affects them, Nui far more than Li'i. He becomes lethargic, breathing becomes a bit labored, eyes a little droopy. Not good. When I get it cleared he's a healthy active vibrant fish. But if he'll make it through this level of Am for this period of time okay... "fine" would be even better, we'll be able to do it.

So, does the Ammonia need to stay at 0.25 for a duration of time? If so is there a guess as to that framework/timeframe? Also, can I down the pH? No one has explained why Ammonia becomes so much more toxic when the pH goes above 7.0. I read the statement a few places but not the how. I guess I'm most interested in "how much". How much more dangerous is Ammonia when your pH is above 7.0. Because their's is running 7.4/7.8 in the 55G. I would like to understand it... that is if you have the time.

Regarding bringing the pH down. I think I mentioned someplace in the thread that I got a bottle of pH Down. And it was someone here that recommended I pick it up on one of my trips out to town. I did. If the ammonia is up and running at around 0.25ppm for some duration of time, I'd like to know if there's agreement on using it. (the pH Down). In my mind this is a positive way to use it... (here I go promoting the chemicals I promised never to use gadz) IF it would keep them from suffering the affects of high ammonia levels. Tonight for example the pH is at 7.8. I haven't done all the parameters yet so don't know about the others. But if the ammonia is up but not above 0.25, should I bring down the pH instead of doing a water change to adjust the ammonia? Is this called buffering?

BTW: For some reason this tank is running up at 7.8. It's strange, the water in the other tank never went above 7.6 (the tap level) and then it would decrease as the hours passed. – I don't know why it went up. It was at 7.4 at midnight last.

andywoolloo wrote: Test the water for A and NI every day and do partial water changes accordingly. Till it tests at or below 0.25ppm for the A and NI.

Okay... thanks again! I've actually been testing 2 - 3 x a day... I want to do them, doing morning and evening tests will allow my mind and heart to relax. Unless I need to work a water change. Regarding these "partial" water changes. What percentage would I need to change? I've been doing 50%-75% changes to keep things going well in the 10G. But now in the 55 things are much different and pretty much foreign to me. As an example, if the results put the Am's around 35%; how much of a water change would I need to do? Should I bring it all the way to zero or just down to at least or below 0.25ppm?

Just so I'm clear, I leave the Am and Ni at 0.25ppm but do a water change if it rises above this. After a bit, it will decrease and become zero with Na's happening healthy. At this point our cycle is alive and well. Is that correct?

andywoolloo wrote:Remember to keep the water going in as close to same temp as water already in tank and remember your dechlorinator. They have a heater right? I seem to remember you saying the heating of the water was a prob?

Temperature and heating... we've come a long way in such a short time from ziplock bags at 3 a.m. to electric heating. Yeah... but it broke. The first one. It's a Fluval Tronic 150w. The thermostat and/or automatic shut off are broken, neither works. I can have it on 65 and the water will be 82°/84° ƒ within 20-30 minutes! I was planning on using it on the 40G. Anyway, I have to contact Hagen(?) as it's a lifetime warrantee and should be covered.

The 55G has a new Hydor 300w that's working fine. I'm glad you brought this up though as I have a problem. I'm afraid to put the entire heater in the water even though it says that's the way to do it. I can't seem to get my mind and courage around putting the dial, and wire, into, the water. But what freaked/freaks me out most regarding these is the instructions on the back where it says: CAUTION !!! Make sure you unplug the heater before putting your hand in the water. And... wouldn't the fish be exhibiting signs of electrocution if the need to unplug was actual.

But yes... I will keep the temp balanced. It's been warm. We were lucky during the move as the water in both tanks, tho' polar is size, were the same – about 79°ƒ. And it's been there ever since. The Hydor Theo's working well.

andywoolloo wrote:Once you test 0.00 for A and NI and just have NA you're there. Keep the NA low thru partial water changes weekly or bi weekly and you 'll be good.

Do you understand the nitrogen cycle in the fish tank? first you 'll get A then NI and A then finally no A and just NI and some NA then finally no NI and just NA. then you watch your NA only.

I do now... since you explained it this way. Thank you so very much Andy. These are the numbers I was having with the 10G ( I was reporting them) with Na's at about a constant 20 when it came down finally. I didn't think I had a cycle at all and of course no one said "hey, you've got a cycle happening". I thought everything was all messed up because of the numbers going off all the time.

Towards the 10G end, this past week only, I was having to do at least three water changes a day (2 lg & 1 sm usually). I couldn't figure out why. I had a couple ideas since though, I don't know if they matter except that it helps me (and maybe others) to understand better (well, me). One thing is I'd left my filter unserviced for at least three weeks. I wasn't expecting me to take that long. I was hoping it be as full of beneficial bacteria as possible. If that's not how it works it's just indicative of my dimnitity. I don't think I understand the filter fully yet. Another thing possibly contributing to our problem I just found last evening when moving Li'i... her tree cave!

The little tree was full of poop, algae wafer, unknown bits and transparent gunk. No wonder she moved out this month. She's been sleeping in the cavern under Nui's hiding rock. The only time the tree had been cleaned was by Scott during the rescue. I've moved it to vac under it daily but have never swished, turned or thought of things being inside it. I moved it slowly so as not to disturb them. In such a little place any bump with my hand inside would cause them, especially Nui to flipflashtwirl at the speed of light. And stir everything up! So, b ecause it has a bottom hole as well, I figured (I guess) that whatever she'd pulled into it would fall out . And it did, there was always a good amount of waste there. Last night was quite different though. I really swished and dunked that tree in the 10G and man o man! was it full. (yuckgagikuckgadzuagh (((shiver))))

And I discovered, Li'i is a hamster. I knew she'd been dragging wafers across the tank to her cave. How dim could I be? (no answers please. Jools?)

Andywoolloo wrote:A liquid drop test kit will be your best friend, and a bucket. and a python if you can get one.

I want to get a python when I can afford it. I find them on Ebay sometimes for around $20/25 which I think is a good price. Amazon has them at around $50 I think. And if they're used...? Is buying used equipment bad? I'm thinking about other fish having diseases and fungus' etc. Can it be transferred to your tank with that sort of thing going on on the other end or its recent history?

Thanks a Googols Andy for such an informative response, what a nice celebration gift. We appreciate it.

GF

I wouldn't worry about diseases on equipment that is "dry" - if it's kept wet, then yes, it could be a cause for concern. But if the python has been left to dry before it's shipped, it shouldn't be a problem.

And yes, keep the nitrite and ammonia levels as low as you can. Did you move the filter from the 10g to the 55g?

I have three Hydor Theo 300W heaters. All have the dial under the water (except during water changes). The reason companies write to "unplug" or "switch off" the electrical things before you put the hand in the water is that if you have a weak heart, and the equipment is leaking electricity into the water, and you have an accident because of that, they can point to the text in the instructions and say "See, we told you so".

Over the years, I've had quite a few heaters. They have all failed in one out of three ways:
1. Stick on forever.
This is where the thermostat doesn't switch off the heater when it's reached the "set" temperature and it is the most common and most dangerous failure, as it's raising the temperature to silly levels.

2. Stays off forever.
This is where the thermostat doesn't switch on when the heater needs to go on. Can be bad for the fish if there is a big temperature difference between the ideal tank temperature and the room of the tank, as the temperature goes low.

3. Glass breaks because of me sticking hot heater into cool water.
If you take the heater out of water, then you should make sure it's not connected [and make sure it is really the HEATER and not some other equipment, which is what happened when I was taking the heater out when Martin S and Richard B were over at my place getting some fish, and I then went to put the heater back in and "Psshh crack" it went...]
This is generally a very obvious failure, and absolutely one where you should disconnect the heater after you've done this... (And be very careful when picking up the inevitable small pieces of glass inside the tank!)

--
Mats

MatsP wrote:So have the CAE calmed down now?

--
Mats

Hi Mats...!

She's doing Great! Thanks for asking. She's been all over the tank today, repeatedly. And I saw her swim the entire length! This is something... really. Recall when we first got her

• (sideline: you know that when I say "we" I mean all of "us" – inclusive of you... though you're not present but in digital/spirit. I feel like they are ours, you've all been so much a part of saving them, keeping them alive and now giving them what they've so badly needed)

Sorry, okay so... She couldn't swim. I know she knew how... I imagine its the first thing they learn?? But it was't possible due to the starvation. Oh I've analyzed this. She had a coke bottle figure dorsal view down. Sign of severe case if starvation. No wonder Nui had holes down to his red flesh when we got them. She was eating him. They're tank mates already done, he had to be next. Or she did. Anyway, Li'i would push off, glide and sink. And then do it again until she got where she wanted to go. Poor little thing...must be one of the worst things for a fish, not to be able to swim. I'm glad that's all it was tho'... it took about a month I think. But now... today she got to swim 48" straight. And she did it at mid water range. I'm so happy for her.

So yes.. this is good. But also Jools and/or Naturalart (where is Naturalart? I hope he's okay) were right to recall us to the fact of Li'i's tendancies. And today I realized as she hung on the front glass, how very much she is grown. She is Over 5''! She was just over 3" when we got her. This is amazing, and frightening. She can get 12" the books say. Maybe in the wild. I hope. Funny to have a giant fish named little. I mentioned it to Scott and he laughed saying "that's like an old man named Jr." (smiles). But not so funny either. They have to be separated at the right time, maybe soon and properly. I believe the 40G will become Li'i's home. She can't be in the 10G. I don't know what supposed to be, but to me she seems already too big for it. Her nature is definitely too big for it Why they had all these largish fish in this one 10gallon tank I can't even begin to understand. Poor old man... their owner was pretty old.??? Anyway, I think he's probably grateful to us all for taking care these creatures of his that he was unable to make provisions for. And would be horrified to know of what became of them after he'd passed on.

So the GAE is doing well... Please feel free to advise me on moving her though. I mean, it could even be soon as we begin to come up with tank mates for Nui. I don't know anything about Pleco's for example... but to me, they look to be a rather still fish. If so, in a tank with Li'i, they could be in danger of her cleaning habits. If she does get even bigger than this... what am I going to put with her. And the other thing to think about is this. Her nature is aggressive, in that she will try to clean the slime off other fish. And that's her pure intent. A rather mindless gesture you could say. And, she is also very very very sweet spirited. Another fish, truly aggressive, would likely kill her. She's not a fighter. .. I don't think she is... she's a hider. Like Nui. Both hiding sweet spirited fish.

So tank mates for Nui... we don't want or need to be restricted by Li'i. But there is extra planning need. Like, because she is also territorial, we don't want her to own the entire thing. I don't know if a fish would do that, just a consideration that came to mind.

Well... enough said about all that. Li'i is healthy and happy to be with Nui in the big tank. She doesn't even go in his new spaces. The broken terra cotta pot (Scott hit it at a wrong angel?) I was able to take two pieces of it and make a small bridge between his rock and a corner... he loves this. And the other sitting at the opposite corner of his rock, creating more hiding space behind it, allowing him pass through space and place to get under at last. OMG... he's wanted this so bad. I also put his airstone, he loves this airstone from the 10g, I put it at the edge of the pot piece and glass. Most of it runs up the glass but about 3-4 trickles run under the bridge along the roof and up to the surface. I see him in there upside down just hanging out etc. And Li'i keeps her distance from these spaces under neath. She's all over the tops of them but doesn't go inside. She'll sit outside it and look at him but that's it. But if scared or cold, I bet I'd find her in there next to him. When it's been cold I've found them that way. She cuddles up close by his tail end.

Okay... really nough faffing... i could just go on. We are all so happy. And now you are part owner of two fish in the Pacific. Like adopting refugee children see? That's you. You are Nui and Li'i's adoptive parents.

"What? what...??? oh." hmhm "Okay!"
Ah, you guys.., umm, Nui wants to see if you register him in your species list...
i don't know what to tell him you tell me.



Much Aloha and The Googolplex of all Googolplex's for you
.....everyone... readers/responders/friends

Nui, Li'i & GF

Jools wrote:Susan Boyle lives in the next town and shops at "my" supermarket. Or at least did. Meantime, just didn't want to rush with moving the CAE, but now that you have, well that's one less thing to worry about!

Jools

Good Evening/Midnite Jools,

You're the most! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your kind guidance. The guidance and taking the time to lay out a step by step. BTW, I read your "about me' (? title) page today. I think written in '08. How incredible! You've done all of tis.. The master mind behind Planet Catfish... The appreciation we have is just inexplicable. Really. I also saw on a species list, that you've caught several of your fishes in the wild. What adventure it must have been. - it's been a true life saver for us/ There can be no doubt. None

So you got to see her on a regular basis.. She has a most incredible voice. I remember wanting to have an evening free to watch the show. All the suspense on her behalf. My nerves and hopes were affected. Well, she really did touch all our lives across the Earth with her lovely/amazing voice and that's wonderful. Bathgate sure puts out some world level individuals.

Googols Jools,
GF

GoldenFeather wrote: ...<snip>
"...inexplicable. Really. I also saw on a species list, that you've caught several of your fishes in the wild. What adventure it must have been. - it's been a true life saver for us/ There can be no doubt. None"..
...<snip>
Googols Jools,
GF

Okay... can you tell I'm tired, I have no idea what I was trying to do there...(^). I can only say, I know you get the spirit of what iwas trying to say... that and the gest .
Goodnight all and thank you,

See you tomorrow Planet Catfish

GF

Before sleeping... I forgot I'd wanted to upload this photo of a cat I found surfing and looking a pictures of fish today. It's a catfish, I forgot the name of but it's BEAUTIFUL with luscious lips. I don't know any details but maybe it could be a friend for Nui? I know you'll all know and am so looking forward to hearing about it. Can't wait.

Here s/he is: I just took a screenshot. It was a site called: waterwolves I think

Not suitable for Nui unless you get a MUCH larger tank. It's a species, not quite sure which (they used to be easy, as there was just the one species, but recent work on this group of fish split the one species into, I think, 9 different species, and I can't really tell them apart!). They all grow to a couple of feet, so you need something that is about 8 x 4 feet base and a few feet deep to keep one...

--
Mats

MatsP wrote:Not suitable for Nui unless you get a MUCH larger tank. It's a

Auchenoglanis

species, not quite sure which (they used to be easy, as there was just the one species, but recent work on this group of fish split the one species into, I think, 9 different species, and I can't really tell them apart!). They all grow to a couple of feet, so you need something that is about 8 x 4 feet base and a few feet deep to keep one...

--
Mats

Oh my Gosh! Two feet long? Eight feet long? I'll never get there... I'd have to make a tank that big. Wow. But kind sounds fun. This catfish is beautiful isn't it. It's lips look human even. Amazing. Okay... Nui... there's more fish in your river.

Thanks Mats... that was fast!
GF

Just to clarify the fish in the picture should be a it will still grow large though...the measurement in the data page will eventually be ammended.

Birger

Happy Friday/Saturday?! Everyone,

Hope your worlds are full of happiness and its' cause. We're doing alright... Nui is thrilled in this new tank, even with Ammonia levels riding at 0.25. It spiked to 0.50 this morning and I did a 9 gallon water change. I I have no idea... this tank has had those Nitrates since before we moved Nui... weird. The pH went up to 7.6 with the water change but had been below 7.4 so I was happy about that at least. And I switched to using Prime instead of Stress Coat today. I still have some Stress Coat but want to save it for use on skin issues that could arise in the months to come??? Just a precaution. I'm like that. Besides, I was anxious to try Prime, hearing such good about it. Nui really liked it at least. He loves to get in the fresh pour of water when I'm doing a change. He loved this. May be also have been that I was pouring from a big five gallon bucket vs a single gallon pitcher. Bit dif.

I have a couple questions I've been holding aside for the transfer to complete. I have this other quantity of gravel from the 10G I had pulled out. Can I use it? The one from the fridge is now room temp and been out of the fridge for two days. The other, I'd pulled out three weeks ago right before my injury. It's been sitting in still water though I did try to freshen it a couple/few times.

Second question has to do with a live plant. I had picked it up the week before the injury. I had put it in the 10G and they loved it but it was overwhelming them. I think, it was just a guess based on their behavior. This now is directly after the fall. I pulled the plant and threw it in the bucket with the gravel. They both sat there for about two weeks without any attentions from me. I forgot all about them during that ordeal. Are they okay to use now? Could some type of negative bacteria, fungus etc have grown in there? I can see nothing with my naked eyes, but know this type of thing can happen. I pulled the plant over a week ago and put it in its own container with conditioned water. Or was it tank water? I forget, one of them.

Last, I have that small blue gravel from an old waterfall project that was never used. I began rinsing that in another bucket over a week ago. Then it sat with some water in it. Tank water that. And since then the wood airstone had sat in it a couple days. That's where the wood grew that last bit of white goo stuff. Nothing appears to be on the gravel from the airstone and of course, Mats said it would be harmless to the fish anyway. Can I just give it a good rinse and add it to the tank? One end has no substrate at all.

At this point I don't care about appearance. I'm careful where I've placed their things but other than that, it's going to change. I'll be going to the other side Wednesday and plan on getting a couple bags of playground sand which the guy at the DIY Store says is the round and smooth type. Though, we can't always depend on the word of store employess. Sometimes... not always. Could be rough. I'll get it if its smooth.

Well... that's it for the mo with the questions. I think it would be really good if I could put the gravels in the tank. REally good...

Googol Yous,
GF

Birger wrote:Just to clarify the fish in the picture should be a

Auchenoglanis wittei

it will still grow large though...the measurement in the data page will eventually be ammended.

Birger

Hi Birger,

Thank you btw for the times you've come into the thread with your wise words. Its really been appreciated. Question, why does this fish in the photo you've posted have no markings and the other does? Is it an age thing?

GF

Question, why does this fish in the photo you've posted have no markings and the other does? Is it an age thing?

The hover feature in this case brings up the first picture from a different species...that is something only Jools can figure out.

for the times you've come into the thread with your wise words.

Hmmm maybe not so wise...the fish I mentioned has all black barbels and the fish you showed has white lower barbels so now I am thinking it is another of these
Regardless it is a nice peaceful fish with plenty of character, unfortunately too big for most people.

Birger

Birger wrote:

for the times you've come into the thread with your wise words.

Hmmm maybe not so wise...the fish I mentioned has all black barbels and the fish you showed has white lower barbels so now I am thinking it is another of these

Auchenoglanis cf_occidentalis

Regardless it is a nice peaceful fish with plenty of character, unfortunately too big for most people.

Birger

Hello Again,

I, I come from a place of near complete ignorance here. So yes... wisdom abounds and is found 'round every corner of Planet Catfish, or so it seems to me. (((smile)))

Unfortunate indeed. I think its beautiful many times over. I went back to the site I found it on and they call it:

• Auchenoglanis occidentalis...Giraffe Cat

I don't know if they're correct, I can see a resemblance in the markings though. If you want to see the page you'll find it at:

• http://forums.waterwolves.com/index.php ... try1214974

It has countless fishes of all sorts on it. Images and names only so far as I've seen. Seems like a collective of collecting by members of that forum. I also like the Calico Shark which is based on looks alone. And then there's another I feel drawn to like the Giraffe Cat called:

• Mormyrops anguilloides...Cornish Jack

It's probably too big too. It seems to have a sweet temperament. Tho' I could be absolutely wrong... as I only base this on what I sense from the image alone. ??? And then some of them look like they'd be very very mean.

I guess I could say this is my first attempt at identifying a Catfish... haha, right. I still need to figure out the links at the top of the page.

Googols to you,
GF

Happy Friday/Saturday?! Everyone,

Hope your worlds are full of happiness and its' cause. We're doing alright... Nui is thrilled in this new tank, even with Ammonia levels riding at 0.25. It spiked to 0.50 this morning and I did a 9 gallon water change. I I have no idea... this tank has had those Nitrates since before we moved Nui... weird. The pH went up to 7.6 with the water change but had been below 7.4 so I was happy about that at least. And I switched to using Prime instead of Stress Coat today. I still have some Stress Coat but want to save it for use on skin issues that could arise in the months to come??? Just a precaution. I'm like that. Besides, I was anxious to try Prime, hearing such good about it. Nui really liked it at least. He loves to get in the fresh pour of water when I'm doing a change. He loved this. May be also have been that I was pouring from a big five gallon bucket vs a single gallon pitcher. Bit dif.

I have a couple questions I've been holding aside for the transfer to complete. I have this other quantity of gravel from the 10G I had pulled out. Can I use it? The one from the fridge is now room temp and been out of the fridge for two days. The other, I'd pulled out three weeks ago right before my injury. It's been sitting in still water though I did try to freshen it a couple/few times.

Second question has to do with a live plant. I had picked it up the week before the injury. I had put it in the 10G and they loved it but it was overwhelming them. I think, it was just a guess based on their behavior. This now is directly after the fall. I pulled the plant and threw it in the bucket with the gravel. They both sat there for about two weeks without any attentions from me. I forgot all about them during that ordeal. Are they okay to use now? Could some type of negative bacteria, fungus etc have grown in there? I can see nothing with my naked eyes, but know this type of thing can happen. I pulled the plant over a week ago and put it in its own container with conditioned water. Or was it tank water? I forget, one of them.

Last, I have that small blue gravel from an old waterfall project that was never used. I began rinsing that in another bucket over a week ago. Then it sat with some water in it. Tank water that. And since then the wood airstone had sat in it a couple days. That's where the wood grew that last bit of white goo stuff. Nothing appears to be on the gravel from the airstone and of course, Mats said it would be harmless to the fish anyway. Can I just give it a good rinse and add it to the tank? One end has no substrate at all.

At this point I don't care about appearance. I'm careful where I've placed their things but other than that, it's going to change. I'll be going to the other side Wednesday and plan on getting a couple bags of playground sand which the guy at the DIY Store says is the round and smooth type. Though, we can't always depend on the word of store employess. Sometimes... not always. Could be rough. I'll get it if its smooth.

Well... that's it for the mo with the questions. I think it would be really good if I could put the gravels in the tank. REally good...

Googol Yous,
GF

Birger wrote:

Question, why does this fish in the photo you've posted have no markings and the other does? Is it an age thing?

The hover feature in this case brings up the first picture from a different species...that is something only Jools can figure out.

It's because the name A. wittei is in the A. occidentalis species data as a synonym. Remove the synonym and it'll fix itself.

[Edit from Mats: I'll fix that one... --Mats]

Jools

Most Mormyrops generally grow quite large. There are some pictures on John Sullivan's flickr site:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnandthe ... 423733917/

(John is a "fish scientist", Ichthyologist, from New York state that spent about 9 months near Kinshasa in the Republic of Congo).

The one you pointed out in the link should grow to about 5ft, so if the Giraffe cat is a bit large, this is another good bit larger...

--
Mats

MatsP wrote:Most Mormyrops generally grow quite large. There are some pictures on John Sullivan's flickr site:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnandthe ... 423733917/

(John is a "fish scientist", Ichthyologist, from New York state that spent about 9 months near Kinshasa in the Republic of Congo).

The one you pointed out in the link should grow to about 5ft, so if the Giraffe cat is a bit large, this is another good bit larger...

--
Mats

((((laughter)))) Oh my... so much for window shopping. Such sweet looking creatures. But they don't compare to my dark dragon prince here, Nui. Nope. And never will...

Nui is HAPPY! and so is Li'i. I looked up yesterday and saw the two of them playing tag. Nui looked like a puppy chasing his tail! They were circling up and down in the water obviously so very glad to have space to do this in. Li'i darting in and out teasing him. The spiral swim was a like a water ballet I could just feel how good it felt to them. Nui is happy with the broken terra cotta pieces Scott has set up like bridges for him, loves to be under them especially since I put an airstone in place so a couple streams run along its' ceiling. I'm getting photos to be able to share with you all soon.

Did I tell you that Li'i is now 5"s? Yep. On her way to the foot long terror she may become. Li'i the hamster will be moving to the 40 gallon. I think that's her home. If you all agree, I think it might be good to do so when we get a new tank mate for Nui? I wouldn't want the new love we bring in to feel intimidated by having her in with Nui? I don't think most people begin a tank with a GAE either. Kinda difficult to build a community with her.

I have some good news for all of you. I called Nui and LI'i's former owner's partner last evening and had a nice long talk with him. Evidently, he is the one who purchased them, as gifts for his dying friend. Nui and Li'i's ownder was 90 years old with a terminal bed ridden condition. This guy I called has kept fish for many years he says and had four marine tanks going at once. He told me Nui wasn't a catfish but a pleco (said something that sounded like pecopotimus?) and that he didn't realize he was going to grow so large. That when he got him (two years ago now) that he was a baby at 2" and doubled in size. That he had bought him with a smaller tank and had to buy a larger one because of this unexpected growth. He also said that their other tank mates were all goldfish, three of them. I didn't ask any details. Oh, and he said the only reason he got Nui was because they had a severe algae problem, that their goldfish tank was extremely green. That Nui lived well off of this and that they never had to even feed him saying "well just look at him haha he grew like crazy ha ha ha!". hmm

So Nui and Li'i are a perhaps 3 years old? I don't know how old a 2" Euptera is...? And, based on this information, is there a way to know if Nui had been stunted? I would think at 2" the growing stage they are in is most important. Their need for quality water, space and healthy diet would be of the utmost importance, no? Anyway, we did get to find out how old Nui is. I thought he was older. Still, they survived 2.50 years in a possible and even smaller tank and then the rest in the 10G is tragic. Living 5 months of that time without any food but their tank mates, algae and their own waste and no water changes. Tho' it was topped off now and then.

I had thought Nui was an old guy because his skin is so tattered like around the edges where it over laps other skin areas. And then the curling little flips curved 'round paper fili he edges of his gills and the various color tones of his skin. So do any of you have any thoughts on his skin and gills now with this new info?

Thank You so much,
GF

Re: 55 parameters

Hi Again,

I wanted to post their parameters... They've been running pretty consistent without any Nitrites until today. There have been slight Nitrates at below 0.5 all along and the Ph bounces between 7.6 (tap is the same) and a pale 7.4. The Nitrites climbed to 0.25 the first day and went a little higher. I've done a small partial water change in the mornings and evenings just to keep it below the 0.25ppm mark. Last evening the Nitrites color had a very very slight lavendar tint to it. Nothing at all to measure by. I thought we'd probably see them rise higher today and we did.

Today's numbers were:

pH 7.4(low); Am - 0.50; Ni - 0.25(high); Na - 0.5

We did two small changes to bring the Am down to below 0.25... 19 gallons all together. I guess that's about it for now. I'll check again around 9 pm and if nothing again around midnight just to make sure they don't get into any trouble with it during my down time...

There does seem to be a difference in how they responded to these levels Their breathing is not as labored as it would become in the yl ''
Any advice in these regards?

GOOGOLS ,
GF

Re: 55 parameters

Hi Again,

I wanted to post their parameters... They've been running pretty consistent without any Nitrites until today. There have been slight Nitrates at below 0.5 all along and the Ph bounces between 7.6 (tap is the same) and a pale 7.4. The Nitrites climbed to 0.25 the first day and went a little higher. I've done a small partial water change in the mornings and evenings just to keep it below the 0.25ppm mark. Last evening the Nitrites color had a very very slight lavendar tint to it. Nothing at all to measure by. I thought we'd probably see them rise higher today and we did.

Today's numbers were:

pH 7.4(low); Am - 0.50; Ni - 0.25(high); Na - 0.5

We did two small changes to bring the Am down to below 0.25... 19 gallons all together. I guess that's about it for now. I'll check again around 9 pm and if nothing again around midnight just to make sure they don't get into any trouble with it during my down time...

There does seem to be a difference in how they responded to these levels Their breathing is not as labored as it would become in the yl ''
Any advice in these regards?

GOOGOLS ,
GF

keep the Ammonia and NI at or below 0.25 ppm. back to back 50% partial water changes if necessary.

Rememeber to add the dechlorinator and remember to try and keep the water going in as close to same temp as water that came out. whats their heater set too? is it submersible and set horizontal? then you don't have to worry re unplugging and plugging back in during water changes, just put it horizontally below the 50% mark and when you remove the 50% it will still be submerged.

Your question re the gravel in fridge, IMHO it has no more alive beneficial bacteria, I think the temperature of the fridge would have killed it plus it needs things to feed on like in a tank. the good bacteria i mean.

If your A is at 0.50ppm then a 50% water change will bring it to 0.25ppm. in a 55 gal tank changing only 9 gals isn't going to drop it enough. Aim for the 0.25ppm and however you get there, 50% in the morning and 50% at night or however.

Just trying to let you know mathematically what you'd have to partially change to get in reasonable safe area for your fish. Try to not let it get above 0.25 ppm during cycle.

you're doing wonderfully!

p.s. why would anyone get a bed ridden man a fish tank and fish? unless the person gifting the fish intended to come care for them or have someone do it? or maybe they didn't know about fish.

omg if my syno euptersa had to live on algae , well honestly I didn't ever think they could! i guess neccessity made the euptera live off that, either that or perish. Mine are such avid eaters i cannot imagine it. Mine would be so mad!!! they get aggravated when they skip one day feed!

andywoolloo wrote:keep the Ammonia and NI at or below 0.25 ppm. back to back 50% partial water changes if necessary.

Rememeber to add the dechlorinator and remember to try and keep the water going in as close to same temp as water that came out. whats their heater set too? is it submersible and set horizontal? then you don't have to worry re unplugging and plugging back in during water changes, just put it horizontally below the 50% mark and when you remove the 50% it will still be submerged.

Oh man thanks Andywoolloo...I didn't know that. Will do so from now on.

Your question re the gravel in fridge, IMHO it has no more alive beneficial bacteria, I think the temperature of the fridge would have killed it plus it needs things to feed on like in a tank. the good bacteria i mean.

So, it's okay to rinse it and use it right? Bacteria can grow on it again. I just want to increase their substrate to help out and to make them happy. Li'i especially needs to have it as it's her main source of algae. If I can get it going again that would be good. I'll just remove the carbon first this time. Then when I add the sand this coming weekend, I'll use the gravel under the filters to help prevent the intake/impeller issue brought up earlier.

And what do you think about gravel that's been sitting in still tank water for a while? Would it possibly have grown unbeneficial bacteria??? If so, is there a way to clean it? Or do I just need to rinse it too and use it?

If your A is at 0.50ppm then a 50% water change will bring it to 0.25ppm. in a 55 gal tank changing only 9 gals isn't going to drop it enough. Aim for the 0.25ppm and however you get there, 50% in the morning and 50% at night or however.
Just trying to let you know mathematically what you'd have to partially change to get in reasonable safe area for your fish. Try to not let it get above 0.25 ppm during cycle.

This is great! How'd you know I failed math? Not really, I won some awards actually but somehow, I lost it along the way. Usually, I have my husband double check my stuff all the time. Speaking of math and formulas here though I'm interested in having someone elses formula for Prime. I'm only able to carry three gallons at a time when doing my changes. Since one cap is 50 gallons and one ridge in the cap is 1 ml then 1 ml should be 10 gallons. This means for my five gallon buckets 0.50ml would match it. I think I've got that right, it 's pretty straight forward. But five gallons? Well five gallons is going to be 0.25 I know that, but I can carry only 3 gallons. I have an eye dropper divided into 1ml down to 0.25 (5 gallons). There are 4 drops & a miniscule splash. Now what? At first I used 2 drops but decided Id need to use 3 in order to cover it and a little extra shouldn't hurt. Am I correct? help please....

you're doing wonderfully!

• um... ...googol

p.s. why would anyone get a bed ridden man a fish tank and fish? unless the person gifting the fish intended to come care for them or have someone do it? or maybe they didn't know about fish.

Right? I suppose there's nothing that can be done now but to provide the best we can. But I'm truly horrified to consider the restrictions both environmentally and anatomically that he has had to live within.

omg if my syno euptersa had to live on algae , well honestly I didn't ever think they could! i guess neccessity made the euptera live off that, either that or perish. Mine are such avid eaters i cannot imagine it. Mine would be so mad!!! they get aggravated when they skip one day feed!

Right? Well that and their tank mates. But ingesting urine and what not? Poor poor gills, systems of both he and Li'i. I'll be forever saddened by the life they'd been given. It seems from Pet shops to their customers a giant need for education exists. Petco can spin you crazy with mis-information and varied opinions of various employees and then kill your fish at the same time. I've never been in there and not found fish floating in their tanks. It's always, "yeah, we got a bad batch".

Evidently this guy was told Nui would survive on algae. That he was a bottom feeder and that's it. When I told him I'd found him in what would be close to living in mud, do you know what he said? "Well, that would be perfect for them wouldn't it? I mean just by looking at him you can tell he's like the color of mud, you know to camaflauge and hide in. That's why he looks like that". I told him he came from a free flowing river in Africa. All he said was "wow, Africa.......". Okay?

He also asked me what type of fish I wanted to get. Said he's a friend he works with in his pond and they've got the "pecopotimis". I think he means pleco... and said that he scared him to death almost when he put his hand on it as it was floating up in the lily pads. He said they've got barbs and that he could get me a net full if I wanted. He is a very nice person. So if he's got pleco's maybe they're Ancistrus? Then again, that may not be good because he did say he once had Discus who he used to feed live guppies he'd get from a pond. That they caught something one day and all died. So, if this pond is the same one I wouldn't want to get a pleco from it would I? Or, even if it isn't??? What do you think....

• Thank you Andy for all the help... It's wonderful to learn from all of you. I hope I'll be able to help out others and have a desire to learn all I can about Euptera. I found another page where a Euptera had been attached. His dorsal was gone through out most of the middle leaving only a bit on each end. I don't know what else was done to him I had to close the page. But now I'm wondering if there's a place for some research and outreach to help others. I see so many people also not wanting theirs after they're grown. ??? I don't know... just want to do something tho', to return all the wonderful giving we've been so blessed to receive here on Planet Catfish.

Next msg re: a new fish store found besides Petco and Walmart.

Hi Everyone,

I'm going to the other side this Wednesday... yeah. Which means I can pick up sand.... yipee. But what I really want to share is that the last time I was out there, I went to that other pet store Pet Shop Maui, that I'd found have a large fish selection. Well, it's larger than Petco, much more varied and the people seem better informed. It was there I found a woman who knew how to clean ocean rocks for freshwater tanks.

As far as the fish they have, they have some common plecos and a couple baby cories. One was dying... the guy said they were crashing that it wasn't a good shipment. Sounded so much like the Petco reason I didn't know what to think. The girl working there told me that if there's a fish I want that they don't have, that I can have them order it for me. That if it's on their list of fish they can bring in, it would be okay. And that if it were expensive I would just need to pay first. I thought this was good news as what ever we decide we want to put in the 55 with Nui, it won't be on island. Not possible given the resources I've found so far.

BTW, there was an upside down fish there. Up in the plants on the surface. I couldn't see it well, a couple babies I think. She said it was a Butterfly something. She didn't know the whole name. But I was wondering if it was a catfish??? It had a lot of white with black markings. The fins and tail had like stripes on them, black. That's about all I could tell.

So when ever you feel we can begin discussing Nui's new tank mates we can at least know we have a means to get it. Unless it would be better if I were to buy directly from a seller someplace? I'll rely on you for that decision.

Googol Lots,
GF

Hi...

Mats, you asked if I moved the filter from the 10G earlier... and I didn't answer. I didn't... Gina advised me to just move the media between the two filters already going on it. But I was wondering if it would be good to move the filter box as well? It hasn't been running and I was thinking I'd get it going again as I would like to have something in it. Unless I shouldn't.

You all mentioned early on that the 10G would be a good quarantine tank. If that's what we need to do with it, would you please let me know how to make it one? I'll need to get it ready won't I if we're going to bring in new fish soon?

G-Plexing,
GF

RE: Diet

Hi Andy and Naturalart...

Naturalart, you've been in my thoughts. So much a part of things and now I don't see you. Perhaps you're in San Tropez having a sun... What ever it is I hope you're in bliss.

I'm writing to the two of you because I think you both have Euptera... I've been doing some reading and it seems that when it comes to diet, people feed bloodworms to their Euptera only once a week? Is this so? I've been feeding bloodworms to Nui everyday because he likes them most and they have a good level of protein. Is this a mistake?

Googolplex, GF

Calling Nui's Super Heros...

Hey everyone, we've been talking and would like to know if the ideas that have been exchanged in regards to getting Nui a mate, another Euptera friend would perhaps have changed? Now that we know he's only about 2 & 1/2 or more like 3 yrs old. Before knowing this, I imagined him years in a 10 gallon, now we know he only lived in something perhaps / hopefully as large as a 5 gallon for a year and the 10 gallon year + the 5 months. I don't mean to minimize the horrorific reality he was subjected to. Rather I'm looking for a way to add a little more positive light to it to his personal life. He's such a playful fellow, I think he needs someone he can play with. That's why Li'i is is so good for him at the moment, but we all know where that is going to.

I'm currently reading an article by Jools on Euptera, haven't gotten far yet, but was inspired to ask about the idea and hope I now have of having getting another Euptera for Nui to be with. Andy has 5 in a 75, I don't know how many Naturalart has – but it seems 2 in a 55 wouldn't be bad. Unless the number creates problems or the potential of them, enough so as to discourage the idea?

Since the rescue I've been thinking of him having quite a long lifetime of that abuse and that it would likely have created an unhealthy phychological frame of reference. Thus making it risky to have another with him. I'm just wondering if that possibility has lessened given his age? I understand it's also possible that those 5 months alone would have been enough to drive even a human insane.

Understanding, in my case learning, the phyche of Euptera, Syno, Catfish... seems an important thing to me.

Goodnight...
GF