Ten shrimpy pics

[treefrog]

Date: 4/20/2010 3:18:50 PM
Author: kenny

Mmmm Reef Tank!!!
I love coral reef tanks, but they are sooo expensive, and lots of work but so worth it.
My friend had one and it was so cool to watch the corals and all the sea creatures.
Did you get any of those colorful clams?

I can sit there literally for hours and watch the action like it was a movie.
For me the shrimp always stole the show.

Yes, do take lots of pics and post them.

I have a 7 year old pair of clownfish. Finally decided to start a reef back up. The clowns aren''t in it yet though. Saltwater is certainly in a different price league from freshwater but so worth it. I''ll post some pics soon. Yes - I too can watch it for hours -- always something going on somewhere in there... and I''m always determined to find out what and where!

Clams are very high maintenance... none for me right now. I do have some coral though, and a blenny, and a yellow watchman goby. Oh and snails, zooplankton, and some tiny egg-like things on the glass/acrylic.

All I have are big lenses so photos will be a challenge but I''ll get some up.

Ok... off to watch some more aquarium shenanigans...

Treefrog

 

[IdLikeToBuyAVal]

Here is a ramshorn snail in the java moss & cabomba. The java moss is full of bubbles.

 

[IdLikeToBuyAVal]

And one of our newer inhabitants, pelvicachromis taeniatus 'moliwe'. This is the female (the male is in the fore screen checking things out). I love her colors!

ETA: the plant in the bottom picture is subwassertang, a freshwater relative of seaweed! It's an awesome plant, Kenny, and will grow much like a moss ball if you can find it! It stays near the bottom of the planted tank so it definitely does okay in lower or filtered light.

 

[kenny]

Val, it''s all so beautiful.
Some day I''ll advance beyond my simple goldfish.
There is so much variety available for the home aquarium

The best part is how I find myself just relaxing when I simply look at our tank.

 

[IdLikeToBuyAVal]

Thank you!!

There''s nothing wrong with goldfish! They''re gorgeous colors! I would LOVE to have a koi pond at some point but I''m not sure it''s in the cards. You never know though

 

[lightningbug]

I love this thread.

Interesting, beautiful, and totally unexpected.

Kenny...you''re the best!

 

[Gailey]

Super pictures Val, and a lovely tank.

I came across some photos of the tank I set up for my Mum a few years ago that I haven''t posted before. I''ll try and do that tomorrow. I need to re-size the images first.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 4/21/2010 12:23:41 AM
Author: IdLikeToBuyAVal
Thank you!!

There''s nothing wrong with goldfish! They''re gorgeous colors! I would LOVE to have a koi pond at some point but I''m not sure it''s in the cards. You never know though

you better think twice before you decide to built one.

 

[loriken214]

Kenny,

You''re AWESOME!!!

Thank you for sharing your shrimp with us! I''m truly interested in how they progress....

Big hugs to you,

Lori

 

[treefrog]

Here you go Kenny. Not quite a full tank shot but it''s most of it. Torch coral on the left, Stylophora small polyp soft coral on the right, and the small rock in front and the two little pieces above the coral on the right are all Ricordea. If you look closely behind the center ricordea rock, you''ll see my yellow watchman Goby (Toby) behind it in his burrow under the rock. I set up a couple of swim-through and caves with the rock work.

 

[treefrog]

Here's Lenny The Blenny. This little guy is so cool. Just full of fishy personality. He blends in really well with the rockwork and can be found perched just about anywhere. It's about 1.5" long. Sorry about the color - it was a night shot under the moon lights.

 

[kenny]

Kenny likes Lenny the Blenny.

Sorry,,,,,, it was just sitting there.

Very cool coral.
My friend had a Blenny.
They move like comedians and have a goofy look on their faces.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Treefrog...beautiful shots

are they Fuji live rocks?

 

[kenny]

Okay ready for some morning mama drama?

If you recall there were still two very preggie mamas in the ward.
I wake up to 15 or so new babies.
After transferring them to the nursery I start watching the two mothers.
One had clearly finished dropping but I was going to leave her in the maternity ward to recuperate, though I doubt this is necessary since the eggs were just on her not in her.

Then I thought I saw a baby spring away from the mother that still is packed with eggs.

As I'm watching the eggless mother attacked the one with eggs.
She went right for her head.

Whassup with dat?
I was thinking it may be an evolutionary survival thing - Kill competing DNA so my DNA will have a better chance of going forward.
Yikes.
Or maybe she just wanted some eggs for breakfast.
The remaining pregger is still fanning her eggs but her head is down, and I think she's injured.
What a brutal world it is for shrimpies.

I got the net and transfered her to the main tank; hopefully a goldfish will kick her @ss.
So now, once again all is well.

Tune in again tomorrow for, "As the Prawn Turns".

 

[treefrog]

Date: 4/21/2010 11:52:27 AM
Author: kenny
Kenny likes Lenny the Blenny.

Sorry,,,,,, it was just sitting there.

Very cool coral.
My friend had a Blenny.
They move like comedians and have a goofy look on their faces.

"Kenny likes Lenny the Blenny."

Yeah... Lenny is very comedic to watch. He seems to enjoy taunting Toby the Goby. Lenny will perch on the rock just above Toby''s hideaway and race in to take food from Toby. Toby will chase Lenny but Lenny is very fast and agile. Here''s a pic of Toby the Goby. He was right near the front of the aquarium so some of the zooplankton on the on the front is nearly in focus as well. That stuff is a fraction of the size of a grain of sand.

 

[treefrog]

Date: 4/21/2010 11:54:18 AM
Author: Dancing Fire
Treefrog...beautiful shots

are they Fuji live rocks?

Hey DF! Thanks! They probably are. Most were pretty much covered in purple coraline algae. I actually hand picked each rock from display tanks at the fish store. That way I didn''t have to go through the dreaded rock curing process and it was only about $1 per pound more than plain uncured rock.

 

[Gailey]

I'll tell you the story of how I became an aquarium fanatic. OK I admit it, 13 tanks was a tad OTT but I'm in recovery now, I attend meetings.

About 10 years ago I worked in an office. One day someone came by selling little perspex fish cubes with one fish in them. I refused to get one. My Dad kept fish when I was a small girl and I did not think they would fare well in 8" cubes. And I was right, many didn't.

One day my desk mate was going on holiday and she begged me to look after her fish - a single male guppy. Begrudgingly I said yes. Well my friend was away longer than she anticipated due to illness and I was stuck with the fish. And I became quite attached to my new companion. he didn't judge and seemed to become quite attached to me. He wagged his tail eagerly every time I brought out the fish food and swam around, seemingly luxuriating every time I changed some of his water for freshly poured Evian.

But I decided he was lonely and decided to buy him a wife. BIG mistake. Two days after the wedding the wife appeared to have left him. Single White Male was completely alone in his tank. I searched high and low, wondering where on earth Mrs G could have gone. Never found so much of a trace of her. The concensus of opinion was that SWM had eaten his new wife. Henceforthe he was renamed "Killer". But he had a gleam in his eye, as all rogues tend to have and even though I was disappointed he had eaten his wife, I was flattered that I remained his one true love.

So then I decided that this prison that "Killer" lived in must surely be the reason for his deranged psyche and embarked on a mission to rehabilitate him. Within a week he had moved from his gaol to a salubrious 2 gallon plastic hex penthouse, complete with large snail and a bunch of floating hornwort.

I never did trust him not to eat another wife, so did not introduce another fish. I did tempt him with a frog and seeimingly, both decided that the other was a meal too far. They lived in harmony for some time.

But of course I was feckless, I was not true. In reality, Killer was not enough of a male guppy for me. Having had a taste for one fish, one was not enough and I became a fish whore. I admit it. Looking back, I am not proud of my adultery. Although I regularly visited "Killer" - several times a day in fact, I had to face the fact that he just wasn't enough. My appetite had been whetted and needed sating, and sating, and sating. One tank became two and the rest is history. First it was Angelfish, then a Gourami or two and then one day I discovered the alluring delights of Tropica, and through them I was introduce to the wonders of Takashi Amano and I knew at once that I had found my one true love.

All the fish in the world were not ever going to satisfy me, because it wasn't the fish I loved, I just used them shamelessly. It was the plants! Duh, light bulb moment. Of course it was the plants because I am a gardener, living in a cold climate who has nothing green to look at bar a spruce tree for many months of the year.

So I became an aquatic gardener, where fish and plants live in harmony and all is well with the world.

 

[treefrog]

Wow, busy morning Kenny!

So much drama over there in shrimpville.

Your drama makes me wonder if there is such thing as a fish/aquatic psychologist. My goby used to hang out in the front of the aquarium and would not eat if I didn''t have something obscuring his burrow. I put the rock in front and he''ll man his burrow and will readily eat. Take the rock away... he''ll hang out in front, refuses to eat and lets me know he''s not happy. So much drama.

Can''t wait for episode 2 of "As the Prawn Turns"!

Treefrog

 

[kenny]

Gailey, very interesting.
I stared with guppies in a bowl when I was around 10.
I bookmarked (favorited) your links for later when I have time.

Val, I know there are parrot psychologists.
Owners fly them around the world.

 

[treefrog]

Date: 4/21/2010 12:40:04 PM
Author: Gailey
I''ll tell you the story of how I became an aquarium fanatic. OK I admit it, 13 tanks was a tad OTT but I''m in recovery now, I attend meetings.
.
.
.
But of course I was feckless, I was not true. In reality, Killer was not enough of a male guppy for me. Having had a taste for one fish, one was not enough and I became a fish whore. I admit it. Looking back, I am not proud of my adultery. Although I regularly visited ''Killer'' - several times a day in fact, I had to face the fact that he just wasn''t enough.

 

[kenny]

I''m wondering if the last remaining pegger is injured or just in labor.

Question for the moms here.

When giving birth did you act differently?
I mean did you show no interest in food, even in a big fat juicy brine shrimp that float by right past your bulging eyes?
Did your tentacles and your pinchers just lay limp in front of you?

 

[treefrog]

Date: 4/21/2010 1:33:46 PM
Author: kenny
I''m wondering if the last remaining pegger is injured or just in labor.

Question for the moms here.

When giving birth did you act differently?
I mean did you show no interest in food, even in a big fat juicy brine shrimp that float by right past your bulging eyes?
Did your tentacles and your pinchers just lay limp in front of you?

Now this sounds interesting. I''m getting some popcorn for these responses!

 

[kenny]

Okay, this is not pretty.
Our last mom here clearly was mortally wounded by that postpartum-depressed mother shrimp who attacked her a couple hours ago.

She has not been moving but has managed to remain upright and keep her swimmerets moving to oxygenate her eggs which look near hatching.

Now she can't even stand up but she's still trying to keep her babies oxygenated.
It won't be long now.

Is there a doctor in the house?

 

[lizzyann]

OH NO KENNY!!

 

[treefrog]

Hang in there mama shrimp... it's not over til it's over! Be strong... think of your children...

 

[lizzyann]

Kenny, I think we may need video of the saga!!!!

 

[kenny]

Mom's dead.
RIP, mommy shrimpie, savagely attacked by a postpartum-depressed psychoshrimp.

Perhaps there is a way to save the eggs.

 

[kenny]

Hey, there may be a way to save the eggs.

Dust please.

click

Maybe this should be called, "General Shrimp Hospital".

 

[kenny]

I've learned the eggs are external to her body so I assume they draw no sustenance from her.
I believe they just hatch when it is time.
She does nothing but hold them safely and oxygenate them.
Perhaps I can save them.

I just need to keep water (Oxygen) flowing over the eggs and keep the water quality up.
I figure since I'm already siphoning anything on the bottom of the tank twice daily and adding water her decomposing body will not affect the water much.
I think they will hatch today or tomorrow based on how the appearance of her carriage compared to the other two mamas that just dropped.

I used my stainless steel locking diamond tweezers to hold her tail and put her next to an air stone.
This provides strong water circulation over the eggs.
Now we just wait, and throw dust.

Look at those little eyes.
It looks like they know their mommy's dead and they are afraid.
How can you not try to save them?

 

[Diamond*Dana]

Kenny, awesome pictures! My 7 year old son was highly interested!