Tuesday…again!

[Ron Sower]

Hello all!...

Yesterday was another disaster right on top of Monday...I put the "healed" fish back in the main tank in the morning...water was just a touch cloudy...an hour or so after it was a bit more cloudy...bacterial bloom!...a couple hours later I was back in there and many fish that were left were dead and dying, except the Cories...I pulled out the 2 Congo tetras and 2 Kribs that were left alive...did another WC and added charcoal to the HOB filter, and waited til this morning....water is now back to crystal clear and no dead fish in the tank...!!!...Now I need to determine the cause of the initial problem which was the pH drop...I'm estimating total retail fish loss @ about $500-$600...only 2 Congo tetras left, no yo-yo loaches, no SAEs.. ...I'm going to just leave the surviving fish and add no more for awhile...

All I can figure on this second loss is that the bacterial bloom depleted the O2 and the fish suffocated...the Cories survived because they went up to the surface way more frequently than normal for atmospheric air...there was no slime coating on the sick and dead fish, probably because of raising the pH the day before...

Weather is still nice here...temps dropping to 74 today with sunny skies...influenced by storms coming from the west coast...

We're going to the clubhouse to have cheesy baked potato soup for lunch today...our friend Barb makes a soup and salad or soup and sandwich about twice a month for those that sign up for it...it's always a good meal...we pay $5 for it...

Weddin' Willie, are you back yet?...I hope it was a good time...

Happy aquariuming guys and gals...

[LizStreithorst]

Ron, disaster upon disaster.  I know how it hurts.  All I know about a drop in pH, other that something with your tap water has changed, is that pH will drop if water changes are not done enough to keep the organic build up under control.  But since I know you take care of your fish, it wouldn't be that.  All I can say is I'm sorry.

I started off the day with great news.  Now that foreign nationals are allowed to visit the United States with proof of vaccination my SIL Martha is planning a visit!  She wants to fly to NY where her son and family will be all together for Christmas then fly here and visit me for 9 days.  I do hope it works out.  She will be lucky if she can even find a seat on a plane from Brazil to NY at Christmas and very expensive but she wants to visit when the family is all together and off work.

I got some bills paid.  It's a chore but I feel clean when everything is paid off.

I'm about to run to the Dollar Store for the cheap $1.00 hot dogs they sell and a jar of Nutella to make brownies.  I would never eat those crap hot dogs, but Tink likes her heart meds hidden them.  I'll make the Brownies in my stove top oven again.  God I love that thing.  I made a couple of baked catfish filets crusted in herbs and baked in garlic butter, along with roasted green beans with similar seasonings beside it.  It was perfection.

Other than that, I'll probably just futz around.  I'll be playing in the fish room potting up some Amazon Swords and other plants so I can take them to Ken and Twee.  I want to hang around the fish room because my Discus pair are pecking a the cone again and I want to cage their eggs once they spawn.

Have a fun day my friends.

[LizStreithorst]

Hey Mugcateers, I forgot to tell you the second most exciting which feels like the most important thing because it is for sure and will happen sooner!  When Barb asked a few days ago when I planed on more chicks I had planned for late winter to early Spring.  Fragile chicks and cold weather don't work well together.  But still, it got me thinking.  Day old chicks are costly for me.  Fertile Bielefelder eggs even sell for a pretty penny.  But I checked the auctions on E-Bay and I found a Bielefelder breeder selling fertile eggs for 18 eggs for $5.00 with shipping costing the normal $30. Express shipping.  This was a "knock me off my feet" price.  I bid $5.00 before bed last night, nobody had out bid me, and woke up this morning to discover that I'd won!!!

Now, I've had very very poor luck hatching eggs in the incubator my neighbor April gave me.  I've tried several times.  At first I thought that the hygrometer was wrong so the next time I put in another.  Still, the few eggs that hatched hatched several days late.  It just occurred to me that it wasn't the humidity that was off...It was the temperature reading that was wrong.  I'm going to plug the thing in now and check the temp with a better quality thermometer.  I am determined to succeed this time.

2 dang Dollar store when I'm trying not to have to buy gas and no Nutella.  I wish the supply chain could get it's arse back in geer.

[Barb]

Hi Ron and Liz.  It's been a busy day for me but just here to check in and say hello.  Good chick news Liz and Ron sorry again about more fish losses.  Hope for no more.  Nice weather here but rain is coming back later this week.  Thurs-Sat. eve here is Ghost Walk, I am a volunteer and my son will be here to visit.  If you want to, look up Ghost Walk in New Bern NC to see what I am referring to.  Fun always.
Barb

[Ron Sower]

So I looked it up, Barb...Looks really cool. Then I looked up Jerome, Az which is a ghost town - tourist focused - they have them too...Maybe I can see if Lucy wants to take another trip to Sedona and we go over there...It's about a half hour drive from Sedona...

[wsantia1]

Ron. I got back yesterday afternoon. So sorry to hear about your losses.

Liz, I sure hope you can get the eggs to hatch this time.

Barb, I drove home though the Nor'easter but when I got home I was told that we got very little rain. It was enough to water my mums though.