Flaming horse-poop!

Fire hazard?

No, someone did not feed old Dobbin jalapeños. But New York City is now known as a place where horse manure spontaneously combusts:

Environmental authorities in New York state hot and dry weather conditions caused a large pile of horse poop to spontaneously burst into flames.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation said an officer responded to the town of Throop on July 5 to investigate complaints about a foul odor and smell coming from a large pile of burning horse manure.

The officer discovered the owners of a stable had been storing the horse feces in large piles. The owners said the piles had spontaneously combusted before, but previously the smells and smoke had been carried away from nearby residences by the wind.

Talk about a crappy neighborhood…

Aquarium update: Platys! Platys everywhere!

Not my tank, but you get the idea.

It’s been a little while since I’ve done an update, and that’s for a good reason: things are going swimmingly (ahem) with JJ&J’s Seafood Buffet. But I thought I’d post a couple of recent pictures.

The first is a full-tank shot. I’d done a major trimming of the Ludwigia Repens at the right rear: it had grown across the top almost to the front of the tank throwing shade. That was a couple of weeks ago, and I think it’s growing back quite nicely.

Here’s the left end. The Cardamine grows like a weed, always threatening to overshadow the Hygrophila Stricta:

And here’s the right. I think the amano shrimp like to molt within it, since I occasionally find castoff shells in front of it. You’ll also see one my (many) platy fry at the lower right:

I think I’m happiest over two things: the general health of the fish and plants, and the success I’ve had at developing the red in the alternanthera grove in the middle. Of the first part, I was afraid I’d make serious mistakes coming back to the hobby after several years away, but I seem to have avoided most. Even algae hasn’t been a major problem.

The success with the alternanthera I attribute to higher lighting thanks to the Finnex Planted+ and regular dosing with Seachem Iron. I think the only way I could do better would be to start injecting CO2.

Of the two mistakes I’ve made (that I know of), one is minor and the other is potentially serious.

The minor mistake was planting the Hygrophila in the back. I thought it would grow an inch or two higher. It’s fairly hidden where it is. I perhaps not have ordered it and just filled that whole back corner with Cardamine. Live and learn.

Potentially more serious is a decision that’s coming back to bite me: when I bought the five platys, I said “four females and one male.” Trust me, that one fry in the photo is not the only one in there. Intellectually I knew I’d get fry, but I didn’t realize just what a potential problem they’d become in a 20-gallon tank.

Oops.

So, since catching fry in a heavily planted tank is impossible without destroying the place, I’ve decided I have to give away the adult platys. I can raise the fry and remove any males that develop. Now I just have to find a local aquarist or store willing to take them. It’s a shame there isn’t an aquarium club in West Los Angeles (that I know of), since it would be nice to offer them to other members. Something has to be done soon, though.

That’s all for now!

Crushing Barbie in a hydraulic press

Because… why not?

SCIENCE!!

Shrimp, but not on the barbie

Haven’t updated this in a while, because, really, there’s not been much to say: all the fish have been happy and eating like little pigs, and no more neons have died. Plants are growing well, too, though I do want to get around to setting up DIY CO2, soon.

Green hair algae is threatening to become a problem. It’s appearing in clumps on the driftwood. In small amounts, it’s actually pleasing, but I can see where it will get out of hand. It’s even sprouting from the gravel. I’ve been testing Nualgi to see how it does at algae control, but, so far (3-4 weeks) I’m not seeing much effect. Others rave about it, though.

Also started running Purigen in the AC50. My goodness, what a difference that has made in the water clarity!

So, anyway, I picked up four more neons from the same store to bring my school to 11, plus five amano shrimps, all from nature Aquarium in Santa Monica. They have great fish and plants there. My new fish are currently in their bags acclimating. (After floating the bags to let the temperature equalize, I’m adding 10ml of tank water to the bags every five minutes for an hour before releasing them.) I can’t wait to try to get the shrimps out. (That was sarcasm, folks) I suspect it will be the “pour into a net” method.

Anyway, here’s a pic of my new aquatic cockroaches waiting patiently:

Bugs, Mr, Rico! Five of them!!

Also, a full tank shot from this morning. The plants are going to get a trimming this weekend or next:

Needs a trim.

The last acquisition for the tank will be a small shoal (5-6) of corydoras habrosus, if I can find any around here. Haven’t seen them yet.

Still have to figure out where the next aquarium goes. Oh yes, there’s always a next one.😀

New Neon Tetras, part deux

I had a day off from work today, so I decided to catch a Lyft to Nature Aquarium in Santa Monica. Best selection of fish and plants on the West Side, with some species you never see in the big-box stores.

Anyway, I wanted to get some neon tetras to replace those that died (six out of seven within the first week!) from the batch I bought at Petco a few weeks ago. The one lone survivor looked lonely, and neons are a species that likes to be in schools of at least five.

So, I bought them and, after some initial confusion as the Lyft driver tried to find me (your GPS needs work, guys), I brought them home. After an hour of floating in the tank in their bag and then gradually adding tank water to the bag to acclimatize them, out they went into their new home. Amusing moment: checking on the new arrivals as they waited in their bag, I noticed the one neon in the tank was hanging around, trying to school with them.🙂

Here’s some video of them all hanging out:

 

And, let me tell you, trying to net from a plastic bag half-inch fish who are scrambling to avoid the EVIL NET THING(tm) is not fun. I think I was as stressed by it as they.

But, they’re now in their new home exploring happily. Fingers crossed these last longer than the last bunch.

I’m a fishy grandpa

One more!

I was just thinking I hadn’t done an aquarium update in a while, and then that there really wasn’t much new news, when I found this little guy dashing out for food this evening as I fed my fish:

Sorry the video is so weak, but he spends most of his time hiding from the “big fish” in amongst the plants. I don’t think he realizes he’s too big too eat, now. (And, since he’s the only young’un, I suspect there were others that were eaten. So, hiding can be a Good Thing(tm).

From his size, I’d say he was born a few days ago and has been surviving eating algae and other bits. I think he has a good chance of making it to full size, since the tank it way under-stocked right now, and conditions are good.

While getting livebearers to breed is no great accomplishment (there are never just two guppies…), this still makes me feel good. I must be doing something right.😀

Neon tetras can be delicate little creatures

Well, shoot. Since bringing my new seven new neons home on the first, three of them have died. One I never found, the other I found the remains of (ew…), and one I found floating right after I got home tonight.

Granted they’re only fish less than an inch long, but it’s still a bit distressing. First, of course, because aquarium keepers pride themselves on taking care of their pets, and I’ve had these for less than a week. Secondly, it’s annoying because I bought these at Petco for $1.49 apiece, when they were cheaper at a nearby dedicated fish store. Also, the Petco tank had several dead tetras in it when I bought them, and I never buy fish from a tank with more than one dead fish in it. But, they were larger than the ones at the Local Fish Store (LFS), and I got points for the purchase… sigh.

I broke my own rule and got punished for it. Never again.

Overall, this Petco (and the other nearby one on Westwood) have good fish sections, so I’m not really blaming them. Perhaps they got a bad batch. But the multiple deaths should have been a red flag that something was wrong in that tank.

Meanwhile, the other four seem to be fine, and the platys that I got from that same Petco are hale and hearty.

In case your curious, I tested my water and it’s fine: no ammonia, no nitrites, and minimal nitrates. I’ve heard neons can be delicate when first introduced to a tank, so I’m putting the deaths down to that. Hopefully, the other four survive. I plan to get some more (from a different store!) this weekend: I still want a school of seven to nine. With that many, they instinctively school. It’s a pretty sight.