|
Post by misspiggy on Mar 8, 2010 20:26:43 GMT
I think mine is starting to get out of control. I have the black furry algae starting to come on everything, the filter, the heater, some of the gravel, the rocks, the bubble strip........ i dont want to do a complete water change hmmmm do you think i could buy some new buckets from the store fill it with 60% of the tank water, then throw out the other 40% and do an entire cleaning .. problem is .... the gravel contains a lot of good stuff in it for the water quality ... hmmm... I dont know .... that black algae is very hard to get off. I got a clean scouring pad this weekend and scrubbed the big rocks and got some off but after I put it back in the water i saw it all stand up again..... I dont knwo what to do?!!!!
I'm not even a tank person, my ex was REALLY into fish and he gave me this tank .... I love it but i need some help.
|
|
|
Post by Jeannine on Mar 10, 2010 2:13:46 GMT
you could use a slotted spoon or cat litter scooper and take off the top layer of 'gook' covered gravel and replace it with new. there is a "gravel wash" solution my mom used for cleaning the gravel...but I don't bother to use it. You don't want to get rid of all the gravel because then you would need to start the bio filter process all over like a fresh tank. When you set up a tank the water needs to condition - some people use starter fish to 'season' the tank. All the poop and fish yuck (and plants) create a biological filter under the gravel - full of good bacteria (yummy) that keeps the tank happy and healthy. Once the biological filter is set up and working properly the tank is set and you may never need to do a water change again!!! I have had tanks set up for 5+ years without ever doing a water change, the only thing I ever did was add water, and feed the fish. Common problems with fish tank are too many water changes, too many fish, too much food! Water changes are necessary if you have added medicine to treat a sick fish, or the condition of the PH/ammonia levels are out of whack. I would toss the top layer of gravel, add some fresh (rinse the gravel before adding it to the tank to get rid of dust and dirt). How many live plants do you have? get two rooted plants like Amazon Swards or Micro Swards (they look like blades of grass). The roots will thrive on the 'nutrients' in the gravel. Ho many fish? Are their too many? do you over feed them? overfeeding fish will make the water cloudy and murky too. I quickly scrubbed the side of one of my ponds today - I have green string algae - it's grosse, and the ice just melted! Had to reach in and upright a pot of lilys on the bottom - burrrrrrrrrrrrr up to my armpit in freezing clod water! Try the blue water tint stuff "Water Shade", I'll be adding that to my pond as soon as I clean out the fallen leaves and gunk. www.backyardstyle.com/shop/index.php?page=shop-flypage-4171hint: do not pour out from the bottle - instead use a chopstick and dip the stick in the bottle and then into the tank and swirl around; it cuts down on the mess and keeps your hands from turning blue. A little dab will do you. I need to take a photo of my tropical tank...and the fishies in the pond are so big!!! The baby fish made it! plus I have a tank full of more baby fish, but they are tiny. added: when I had "the pond mishap of 09" my pond liner sat empty & dry for about a month or two baking in the hot summer sun in my driveway while I let the hole in the ground dry out prior to the re-dig (that sucked!). Anyway I scrubbed the pond liner - literally crawled inside and scoured with a green scrubby sander pad to get all the dry algae off; it looked spotless. When I put the pond back in and filled with water a day later guess what was covering the walls...GREEN ALGAE!!!
|
|
|
Post by Jeannine on Mar 12, 2010 18:11:34 GMT
This is how Mushka & Indy help me "Spring Clean"... lazy dogs!
|
|
|
Post by 3piggles on Mar 18, 2010 16:18:17 GMT
Lol, the dogs are supervising!!!
|
|
|
Post by Pigjes on Mar 18, 2010 18:29:36 GMT
Heheheh, sweet!!!
|
|
|
Post by misspiggy on Mar 29, 2010 17:09:07 GMT
I sent you a message on FB about my tank.
Yeah, I might have too many fish and I think I may over feed. The algae I am gettin is the black furry stuff which from what I've read online is the hardest crap to get rid of. I have my two big rocks sitting on my balcony right now bc they're covered in it. I think I'll have to soak them in water diluted bleach or something to kill it.
Ughhhh. I dont even want to bother with it right now.
I put some new plants in my tank. I dont recall the name but they do look like large blades of grass. Then I have some other plants that were inexpensive. so I have 4 small new plants ... then a couple of the tall cheapy plants.
|
|
|
Post by Jeannine on Mar 29, 2010 22:31:53 GMT
Plants and bubble wands make the tank look nice Now that I have a new computer I can upload videos again...yay! this is from the last snowstorm in February. Why does Indy get to have all the balls??? She doesn't even play with them... Fine, I'll get it my self. So cute to see Indy snuggling with the bunny rabbit... But she is not supposed to be on the couch! "Look, that rabbit's got a vicious streak a mile wide! It's a killer! "
|
|
|
Post by misspiggy on Mar 29, 2010 23:20:17 GMT
Lol those videos were sooo cute!!!
I cant believe it was snowing!!! Weathers been great here, in the 80's. I wish it would stay this way instead of getting to the 100's this summer, ergh!!!! I have never been in snow!
|
|
|
Post by Jeannine on Mar 30, 2010 0:27:17 GMT
Snow is easy, just use a lemon zester to scrape some ice cubes, then throw the shavings up in the air and let them hit you in the face. Do this in front of an open freezer door that you have been standing in front of for the past 15-20 minutes. I think we had some snow the other night; its been going down to the teens, a high of 45 today!!! Now imagine reaching into an outdoor pond up to your armpit to upright a plant on the bottom!!! And I don't have thick blood, its cold out. My girls are silly dogs - that is one of their favorite things to do - run around the garage, the snow is an added bonus. Mushka is 9-years-old and Indy will be 9 in April.
|
|
|
Post by misspiggy on Mar 30, 2010 0:55:59 GMT
I dont know if I can afford to keep my freezer open for 20 minutes. I'll just have to experience the real thing someday! Your doggies are adorable, they looked so cute, especially when that one fell... i laughed out loud bout the same time you did
|
|
|
Post by Pigjes on Mar 30, 2010 5:47:26 GMT
Awww such lovely dogs!!!
|
|
|
Post by Jeannine on Mar 31, 2010 19:26:11 GMT
I don't seem to know how to use the video recorder on my camera very well - you think I would have figured it out, but I seem to turn it off when I think I have it on - so I record all the moving around and junk, and miss the good stuff - lol.
I added some more of the bigger baby fish back into the pond today. Big Fish, Little Fish, Butterfly Koi, Calico and Big Baby did great over the winter. See if you can tell who's who! I'm so happy Big Baby made it. One of the babies is a little small; but I don't think Big Fish can see very well anymore, so I'm not too worried.
Big Fish = the big orange fish with white fins Little Fish = the smaller big orange fish Butterfly Koi = black & white koi with long fins Calico = white fish with yellow head and two black spots Big Baby = largest little fish, gold color - he's in the upper left of the pond.
|
|
|
Post by Jeannine on Apr 15, 2010 14:02:49 GMT
Im home from work sick today - and getting extra snuggles form the girls. They always seem to know when I'm sick and let me sleep in and don't wake me up to feed them at 6am!!! Indy got her rabies shot and a new city license last weekend. When the vet saw/snuggled her she asked how old Indy was; she had just turned 9. The vet replied "an oldie but a goody" - that was sweet of her, but I don't think of Indy being old...I really should get her some hair dye to cover up the white furs! I have lost a few baby fish from the pond, I think a raccoon may be getting at them.
|
|
|
Post by 3piggles on Apr 15, 2010 20:47:30 GMT
Just getting caught up. The snow dog video was great. I always wanted a fish pond, but hub just isn't into that type of thing. We had a neighbor who had problems with neighborhood cats going after the fish in their fish pond. They put a screen over it. Don't know if that's something you could do. I hope it's not a racoon, as they often carry rabies. Don't want them coming in where the dogs are.
|
|
|
Post by Jeannine on Apr 15, 2010 22:35:59 GMT
Thanks! yeah the girls running in the snow are so fun to watch, I felt bad that I giggled when Mushka slipped, but it was too cute not to post. When they disappear over to the right is where the pond is. I live across the street form a cemetery so there is a lot of wild-life around. My neighbor has an old cat but she is such a fraidy cat she wouldn't dare come into the back yard. She will sit on the ledge of the front window...but its because there is catnip growing there - lol. My dogs are vaccinated against rabies, no Cujo's alowed!!! I only think raccoon because I have not seen anything, it happens at night, and some thing was moving rocks and digging the ground - maybe skunk, or opossum. There are also hawks and falcons around...guess its the circle of life. Friday 04/16/10 My weeping cherry is in bloom, I only wish I didn't plant it so far back in the yard...its growing out nice and wide like I had hoped in order to block out the view of the neighbors. and Mushka with her ball. I drained the little pond, it needs a good scrubbing. Indy is trying to lick the fish!!! jeanninelaporte.shutterfly.com/pictures/8
|
|
|
Post by Jeannine on May 21, 2010 17:41:35 GMT
There was something odd in the air last night that affected the dogs. Whats Cloe looking at? Indy flopping around in the grass. Oh no, Mushka too!?!? The Pond is starting to fill in - looks like I'll need to divide the plants in the fall.
|
|
|
Post by weesilvie on May 21, 2010 20:11:11 GMT
That first one's not a dog! But it is a cool pic!
|
|
|
Post by Jeannine on May 22, 2010 0:18:12 GMT
lol - I was taking photos of Cloe (the cat) and she poked her face out the hole in the cat tree and looked over to the right; so after I snapped her photo I looked over to see what she was looking at. Indy was being goofy and flopping all around in the grass. Then Mushka started to do it to...with the ball in her mouth, she just flopped over and acted all wiggly & goofy. I think they were trying to cheer me up.
|
|
|
Post by Pigjes on May 22, 2010 5:50:02 GMT
I love these pics!!!! The first one could easily win a prize!!
|
|
|
Post by Jeannine on May 24, 2010 1:09:22 GMT
A Black Panther has been spotted in the area...Oh it's just Kiva in the tall grass. Didn't I cut the grass two days ago!?!? Suchimu is enjoying spending time outside, all the grass she can eat; hopefully she works off those extra pounds.
|
|