Your tank looks great! I very very rarely see fully grown goldfish. Can't wait to see pics of the baby fish!
Goldfish laid eggs - with photos, etc.
- Thread starter Flaringshutter
- Start date
Hey, this is off topic but Im wondering what do you do to take care of your apple snails? I was thinking about getting a few of them for my goldfish tank, do they eat algae wafers? How do they get to it because the goldfish go nuts over them too. Any info would be goood :]
beautiful fish!
beautiful fish!
news!
if yesterday they were unsure about the few baby brine shrimp i fed them, today they were decidedly ravenous. they gobbled up nearly the whole hatch as soon as i dropped them in. now they're grouped near the filter sponge, swimming contentedly with engorged bellies and giant orange turds hanging from their little fishy bottoms.
i'm planning on feeding only baby brine shrimp now, until they're big enough to take crushed pellets. the liquid food was making such a mess and they're really too big for it now.
i am seeing a difference in fry size today - there are definitely a few fry that are much more developed than their brothers and sisters.
i have spotted two fry with crooked spines, and i'll probably euthanize these guys soon.
other than that everything looks good! except that they're terribly difficult to photograph now. bother.
and look at this little charmer! what a face. he's a baby brig, about two weeks old.
and firebelly, the snails are really easy to care for. they just need fresh veggies and some calcium for the water. i have crushed coral substrate to harden the water, i add liquid calcium every other day, and i feed them parsley and collard greens, as well as the occasional algae wafer. i don't like to feed wafers much because they're messy, but when i do i feed the fish at the same time or just before. that way they leave the wafers to the snails.
head over to applesnail.net for total care info on the snails. they're really easy and lots of fun.
if yesterday they were unsure about the few baby brine shrimp i fed them, today they were decidedly ravenous. they gobbled up nearly the whole hatch as soon as i dropped them in. now they're grouped near the filter sponge, swimming contentedly with engorged bellies and giant orange turds hanging from their little fishy bottoms.
i'm planning on feeding only baby brine shrimp now, until they're big enough to take crushed pellets. the liquid food was making such a mess and they're really too big for it now.
i am seeing a difference in fry size today - there are definitely a few fry that are much more developed than their brothers and sisters.
i have spotted two fry with crooked spines, and i'll probably euthanize these guys soon.
other than that everything looks good! except that they're terribly difficult to photograph now. bother.
and look at this little charmer! what a face. he's a baby brig, about two weeks old.
and firebelly, the snails are really easy to care for. they just need fresh veggies and some calcium for the water. i have crushed coral substrate to harden the water, i add liquid calcium every other day, and i feed them parsley and collard greens, as well as the occasional algae wafer. i don't like to feed wafers much because they're messy, but when i do i feed the fish at the same time or just before. that way they leave the wafers to the snails.
head over to applesnail.net for total care info on the snails. they're really easy and lots of fun.
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All that calcium in the water is ok for the goldfish though too? Could I just put some crushed coral in the filter where the pad is or do they need more than a handful or two?
oh yes, the goldfish don't mind at all. the amount of calcium you'll need depends on the number of snails you'll be keeping.
i don't think a handful of crushed coral in the filter would really be adequate - it doesn't really disperse calcium at a steady rate, and you never really know if it's giving your snails enough. if you're keeping just one or two snails your dosage of liquid calcium will be quite low, perhaps a quarter capful every other day, and the goldfish won't even notice.
i don't think a handful of crushed coral in the filter would really be adequate - it doesn't really disperse calcium at a steady rate, and you never really know if it's giving your snails enough. if you're keeping just one or two snails your dosage of liquid calcium will be quite low, perhaps a quarter capful every other day, and the goldfish won't even notice.
I'm having great luck with the baby brine shrimp so far. I've found that I can get multiple "servings" by replacing the collection cup on top of the shrimpery. I'm using San Francisco Bay Brand, and it's unbelievably easy to use. I'm up to four servings per batch of eggs! Just keep refilling the collection cup with cold water and putting it back on top. I don't think I'll ever feed babies anything else, at least not until they're large enough to eat adult brine shrimp or pellets.
I'm still using airline tubing to clean the bottom of the tank, and my Elite Mini filter is working great. Highly recommend this filter. I've wrapped micro-filtration pads around it and secured them with thread, which slows the flow enough not to bother the babies at all. They're large enough now (about 1 cm long) that I may switch it out for larger cell filter pads, so the filter can clean the tank of debris better.
Their sides are still clear, so I can see the darker red shrimp they ate yesterday move to the end of the intestine as they eat today. They're very cute, with bright orange bellies and dark red poo.
Some of the fry are starting to show dorsal fins, and I can definitely see side fins flapping around when I look from above. Caudal fins are well-developed by this point.
I have twenty-five fry today. I think this is an accurate count.
I'm still using airline tubing to clean the bottom of the tank, and my Elite Mini filter is working great. Highly recommend this filter. I've wrapped micro-filtration pads around it and secured them with thread, which slows the flow enough not to bother the babies at all. They're large enough now (about 1 cm long) that I may switch it out for larger cell filter pads, so the filter can clean the tank of debris better.
Their sides are still clear, so I can see the darker red shrimp they ate yesterday move to the end of the intestine as they eat today. They're very cute, with bright orange bellies and dark red poo.
Some of the fry are starting to show dorsal fins, and I can definitely see side fins flapping around when I look from above. Caudal fins are well-developed by this point.
I have twenty-five fry today. I think this is an accurate count.
it's been a while since i updated! geez, i'm a slacker.
anyway! the little guys are 21 days old today, and eating like (very small) pigs. i've been feeding baby brine shrimp once a day. every day they get bigger. their growth rate is incredible.
at this point, all their fins are developed, and now they are beginning to develop some color. i have definite gold babies, some white, some with the beginnings of dark patches. their gill plates are becoming opaque now, and their tummies as well. they are about 1/2 in. long now. incredibly active.
i'm seeing adult behavior - some schooling, lots of picking around on the bottom, darting and zooming around. i have added a handful of Salvinia cucullata from the LFS, which they love.
they're big enough and have enough difference in size and color that i can identify individuals. very cute!
they're so hard to photograph. i may rent a macro so i can have a little more DOF.
tail development.
beginning to see some metallic scales on the gill plate here.
the start of a dark patch on this one's head.
this little guy looks like he'll be white with dark patches. i'm hoping daddy was Sakura, my shubunkin.
the baby brigs are doing well too!
anyway! the little guys are 21 days old today, and eating like (very small) pigs. i've been feeding baby brine shrimp once a day. every day they get bigger. their growth rate is incredible.
at this point, all their fins are developed, and now they are beginning to develop some color. i have definite gold babies, some white, some with the beginnings of dark patches. their gill plates are becoming opaque now, and their tummies as well. they are about 1/2 in. long now. incredibly active.
i'm seeing adult behavior - some schooling, lots of picking around on the bottom, darting and zooming around. i have added a handful of Salvinia cucullata from the LFS, which they love.
they're big enough and have enough difference in size and color that i can identify individuals. very cute!
they're so hard to photograph. i may rent a macro so i can have a little more DOF.
tail development.
beginning to see some metallic scales on the gill plate here.
the start of a dark patch on this one's head.
this little guy looks like he'll be white with dark patches. i'm hoping daddy was Sakura, my shubunkin.
the baby brigs are doing well too!
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everyone is doing very well. i bought a turkey baster finally, and it's making water changes a snap. i don't have to fuss with the airline tubing now, and since it's so much easier, i'm much more likely to clean the bottom as frequently as i should.
the babies are growing rapidly. soon i may be able to feed adult brine shrimp. their little mouths aren't so little anymore.
although it isn't as though they are cramped in the 2.5 gallon right now, i'm thinking about upgrading them to the 10 gallon soon. i know from experience that the more room they have, the faster they grow and the healthier they are. i want to be sure my babies have optimal conditions.
they're so much fun. they love the salvinia (and unlike their parents, they haven't decimated it yet). when i come over they do the wiggle dance. adorable.
the babies are growing rapidly. soon i may be able to feed adult brine shrimp. their little mouths aren't so little anymore.
although it isn't as though they are cramped in the 2.5 gallon right now, i'm thinking about upgrading them to the 10 gallon soon. i know from experience that the more room they have, the faster they grow and the healthier they are. i want to be sure my babies have optimal conditions.
they're so much fun. they love the salvinia (and unlike their parents, they haven't decimated it yet). when i come over they do the wiggle dance. adorable.
