My 29 gallon tank with Angels, Neons, Glowlights and others.
Hello everyone. I’d like to tell you about the fish species and the fish tanks I have. MY experiences with them.
My plan is to post a new article every week or two. I’ll pick a fish and try to give you some interesting and helpful information about that fish. Maybe a page, maybe a paragraph, we’ll see. The fish I choose are fish that I have experience keeping.
Also, I’ll talk about aquatic plants and other topics.
I have one salt-water tank that I set up four years ago, and I have, let’s see, TEN freshwater tanks, some are just 10 gallons but it keeps me busy. So the topics will lean toward freshwater fishkeeping.
And if you like reptiles and amphibians, there will surely be some posts about my turtles and tortoises, salamanders, frogs, and one snake. BUT, I will mainly talk about fish. I named this A Practical Fishkeeping Blog so I had better try to stick to it.
We all know the horrible feeling of standing in the doorway, calling out the name of a lost pet. We may walk for miles, for hours, or drive around the neighborhood… searching. Sleepless nights, and tears.
Eventually, we must be resigned to hard facts. Your pet is gone. Forever.
At what point do you give up and simply hope that your dog or cat was found by a caring person? You can hope but you’ll never know.
This story is about persistence. Amanda lost Spot but she didn’t give up. It all began in New Zealand and ended in my backyard in Marion, Iowa.
Briefly, Amanda is a smart, successful young lady. A doctor. While living in New Zealand she adopted 3 cats, to go along with the two she already owned. Eventually, due mostly to medical necessity, Amanda and her young family moved back to the United States.
They flew into Los Angeles, but could not find a way to fly their pets to their new home in Appleton, Wisconsin. They rented an RV, a recreational vehicle. A camper. And proceeded to make their way across the United States from campground to campground.
Their last campground, before the final 5 hour drive to Appleton, was at Wanatee Park in Linn County, Iowa. The date was May 11, 2022.
During the night, a cat pushed against a loose screen window. Two cats jumped out. Spot and Cheeto. Thus began the searching.
They couldn’t stay at the park, or could they? Amanda’s husband and one child left for Appleton. Before they left, they went shopping. A rental car. A tent. Camping supplies. Food. Amanda and her teenage son stayed in the park, walking and calling. After 4 nights she found Cheeto with the help of borrowed thermal-imaging equipment.
Remember the reason they were moving? It was Amanda’s medical condition. Weak and underweight she hiked the park relentlessly. But no luck. Spot was gone.
After 6 days , Amanda rejoined her family in Appleton. There, she made calls to shelters, posted online, and called friends who might help. Her onslaught of online posting gained a following. People began to wonder about Spot. People who visited Wanatee Park searched. People went to Wanatee Park specifically to search.
Weeks passed. Months passed. Amanda’s family returned to Wanatee Park three times. That’s a 10-hour round trip. She put up fliers. And hiked. Wanatee is a hilly park (by Iowa standards). Maybe you try to get 10,000 steps in a day. One day, Amanda did 30,000 steps. Amanda knows Wanatee Park as well as the park rangers. Iowa is hot in the summer, and humid. Mosquitoes. Ticks.
Relentless calling. Some shelters cared, some didn’t. The online following, mostly on Facebook, grew. Over 1,000 people. Way over a thousand cared about Spot’s fate, but it was looking grim. Winter was approaching.
I live a mile from Wanatee Park. This past summer I was in the park with a friend and he mentioned to keep an eye out for this lost orange cat. I have to admit, I dismissed the idea.
One day, in November, an orange cat ( Amanda calls them ginger) bolted across our backyard as I stepped outside. A week later I saw it again, gone in a flash. The real cold of Winter arrived. Snowy days and nights. Below zero temperatures. In late December we began seeing pawprints in the backyard. They went under our deck, around the side of the house, but no cat.
My wife began putting out cat food. She also feeds the birds and we have a heated birdbath. The temperature plummeted. 10 below zero Fahrenheit. The food disappeared. I looked under the deck but no cat. We found a cardboard box and taped it up, cut a door into it, and put a blanket inside.
We didn’t see if the cat used the box, and wondered if it survived. Then he appeared. The sun warms our wooden deck, and there he was, nibbling on the dry food we had set out. The night before my wife had put out bacon and eggs!
I took a few pictures. This cat reminded me of our beloved Rex the cat, who had died at 19 years old in 2021.
I knew Craigslist has a “lost and found”, but it wasn’t helpful. I was thinking this cat belonged to a neighbor, but what kind of person leaves a cat out at 10 below zero? Then, the discovery of a local Facebook lost and found pets. Lots of lost cats. Several orange ones. Ooops, ginger ones.
I scrolled and eliminated a few, then found Amanda’s most recent entry. I grabbed a screenshot of her lost Spot and compared it to the photo I had taken. It was similar. Not exact, but close enough to ask Amanda. I sent her a message, and she answered with great interest. It might be!, she replied.
That night was another brutally cold one. 7 below zero. More worry about his survival but, once again, he showed up early and found food.
The cat was suspicious of any movement on our part. He would come onto the deck, but quickly leave. I put out a small bowl of tuna. He wolfed it down. I would open the sliding door a bit, but he was wary. With more encouragement from Amanda the goal became to capture the cat and take it to a veterinarian and have it scanned for a microchip number. She had a chip implanted in New Zealand and we had no idea if a scanner would even recognize it. But we were far from that point.
More tuna, in tiny bits. We wanted him to keep coming back. Amanda had a grand idea. She sent a voice recording of her calling Spot. I played the recording, he started meowing and stepped toward the door. I didn’t want to overplay it. It was another step closer.
He was still afraid. I laid on the floor and held my outstretched arm outside, with a bit of tuna of course. This process had begun early in the morning and now it’s nearly noon. If we scared him he might not return.
Our heated birdbath was one reason he came to our yard.
I really thought this was going to take another full day, and I was afraid that if we lost him we may not get another chance.
The breakthrough was when I reached out and touched him. He backed away, then stepped closer. I scratched his neck. He came closer, and closer. I was able to scratch his head and back. He obviously liked it.
Patience. Patience. I was trying to let Amanda know how it was going. Slow. Patience. It had to be torture for her. The cat stepped fully into the house but a sliding door doesn’t close quickly and I couldn’t risk it. More petting and gentle talking. Good kitty. Hey Spot. Even if it wasn’t Spot.
Then, into the house and past me. A hard push on the door and the cat leapt 6 feet into the air, crashing into the glass on the sliding door. He bolted across the room to our front door, then raced under the couch and stayed there. We had him! It was February 1st, 2023.
I was exhausted! We wanted to get that chip checked but we all needed a breather.
I ate some food, not tuna. Got cleaned up for the day. My wife, Margie, found our cat carrier and a towel. We moved the couch, slowly, and I was able to pick up the cat. I still called him “the cat”. Was it Spot? Amanda and I were about 95% sure. We wrapped him in the towel and helped him into the carrier. He was surprisingly quiet.
There is a vet clinic two blocks from our house. I drove down there, and I guarantee that I double-checked the zippers on the carrier.
More drama. The chip-reader at the vet clinic had a dead battery. They said it would take a few minutes to recharge. The cat was quiet. I sat back and sent Amanda a picture of the carrier and the charging chip-reading device.
While waiting, a very nice lady, who lives in a Marion senior apartment complex, came in and we chatted about our cats. Her cat needed some work on its ear. She loved hearing about this cat. The suspense was at its peak. A vet clinic employee asked the lady if she would like to go back to the exam room and wait for the veterinarian. She said No, I want to find out what happens with this cat!
I had been waiting about a half hour for the thing to charge. Poor Amanda! Finally, it was time. The bag was unzipped, the reader placed against the cat. A number appeared. I took a photo of it and sent it to Amanda.
“It’s him!”, she wrote back immediately. Such relief. I laughed and I got up to show the lady who wanted to know. As I walked toward her Amanda called. A video chat. She was crying, which did me in. I was crying.
Amanda sent a file which showed Spot’s vaccinations needed for travel and it showed his chip number. I didn’t even look at it until much later. I knew this was him.
We set Spot up in a bathroom. We have our own two cats and knew that Spot probably had picked up a few bugs outside. Fleas, worms. He had a litter box, a blanket, food and water. We visited him hourly. He became more affectionate with every visit.
Amanda didn’t waste any time. She was on the road as soon as she had completed some work appointments the next day. She arrived at our house at 5:30 pm on a Thursday night. They had a beautiful reunion. I don’t think there were any tears from any of us. We were all cried out.
Amanda and Spot spent the night in Marion and were home by 1 pm Friday.
Saturday was a vet appointment, and Spot is a healthy 10.4 pounds. He’s got worms but all-in-all his health is amazing.
One Facebook posting about Spot had 1,400 likes and nearly 400 comments. So many people had expressed interest in Spot’s story. I had no idea!!! I had a celebrity in my bathroom!
Spot is home in Wisconsin with a new tracking collar. Just in case.
Amanda’s 11-year-old daughter made a beautiful thank-you card for us.
You want to start raising Brine Shrimp to feed your fish.
You want to improve your current method of raising Brine Shrimp.
You want to see how 3D printed accessories can be used in the aquarium hobby.
My oldest son has a 3D printer. ( We all will, someday soon)
He printed these:
It cost him less than $1 each (US dollars).
It takes several parts to complete the hatchery. First, a bottle. Use a two-liter plastic bottle. Cut off the bottom.
You also need a plastic or rubber washer. Use the size that goes into the female end of a garden hose. See the picture below.
Screw the bottle into the hatchery base.
The final part of the system is the air valve and air lines.
For two bottles, I used a valve with four outlets. I capped off the two ends that are normally air inlets. Air comes in and can be controlled with a valve. In the picture above, the system is running normally. Air valve is open and air is going to both bottles.
I think I’ll make another post that shows, step-by-step, how I collect shrimp for feeding. It is so slick and easy. No mess. I shut off the air, the eggs float, the shrimp settles to the bottom. I take down the drain line and run it to a brine shrimp net. Open two valves. Tons of shrimp goes into the net. Close a valve, open another. Hey, I’m not really going into detail right now. It is soooooo smooth. Like I said, I’ll make another post that describes it step-by-step.
Also, very importantly, I had better find out where my son downloads the file that tells his printer how to make these. (UPDATE: See link in comments section. )
Having a convenient way to feed live shrimp to my fish has rekindled my interest in fishkeeping. My fish are healthier, and I believe some, such as my corydoras, are getting into breeding condition.
For many years, my turtles lived together peacefully. I would read about aggressive behavior and wonder what all the fuss was about. My turtles never hurt each other…
…until about 2 years ago. The first signs of it was in my outdoor pond. A big female Redear Slider began staying out of the water. All the time. Even on very hot, dry days. This wasn’t a turtle looking to lay eggs. I realized she was being harassed by the male Redear.
When I moved the turtles indoors for the winter, I kept the male separate, in his own 50 gallon tank.
Then, I acquired another male turtle. This one is a Cumberland Slider/ Yellow-Bellied Slider mix. He was vicious from day one! So he went into his own tank.
I had three female Sliders in a 100 gallon “horse trough”. I added a female Yellow-Bellied Slider. She is nasty! She attacked the biggest female Redear. I removed the big female Redear to her own 55 gallon tank.
Also, a smaller female Redear began behaving aggressively, biting at the others. I quickly made decisions, moving turtles around until relative peace was attained. My biggest “Slider”, is a Northern Red-Bellied Cooter. Nobody messes with her.
There are two physical signs of turtle aggression. One is their tails get bitten. You may see the tip of the tail is suddenly shorter. The other tell-tale sign is injuries around the neck. For some reason, they bite at their victims neck. One well-placed bite could kill. If you see whitish scrapes around the neck and head of your turtle, get it away from the situation. Put it alone where it can recuperate.
Other websites, including Youtube, will do a thorough job of teaching you how to install a central air system for multiple aquariums. I’ll keep this brief.
I bought my Jehmco air pump several years ago. I finally bought the PVC pipe and clamps, and I built the thing in 4 or 5 hours. Why did I wait so long? I ask myself the same question.
Place the pump above the water level of your aquariums.
I used one-inch PVC. It’s cheap and it’s easy to thread the air valves into it.
For anyone wondering, I can confirm for you, no PVC glue is needed. Just press the pieces together, it won’t leak air.
Important note: After cutting the PVC (I used a miter saw) brush away or vacuum the little plastic bits. You don’t want that in the airline where it will plug the valves. I would make a cut, then vacuum it right away.
The main idea is to have a “closed-loop system”. That simply means that you “T” the PVC line and run a “loop” around your fish room. By a loop, I don’t mean a circle. That way, you have equal pressure wherever you tap into it. Am I making any sense? Probably not. I’m just here to encourage you. A closed-loop system using a Jehmco pump is the greatest thing ever.
The cost? Not cheap, true. But worth it. My total was around $300. (pump, pvc, clamps, valves, extra air tubing)
The noise? None. I mean it. The pump makes no sound when the system is connected. You will hear lots of bubbling water. Your tanks will be cleaner. Your fish will be happier.
Lastly, in most cases you will have excess air. Most people buy a silencer that threads into a PVC fitting. I just happened to have a cheap water valve and a water filter that threaded onto that water valve. It was an experiment but it worked beautifully. I didn’t need to buy a silencer and I adjust the excess air with the water valve.
I have no affiliation with Jehmco. I’ve never corresponded with them. I bought one of their pumps. It’s a product that lives up to your expectations, a minor miracle these days.
We interrupt this happy little blog to warn of you of possible disaster.
I wanted to expand the diet of my Diamondback Terrapins. I went to a local Asian Market and bought a package of freshwater shrimp.
The turtles loved the shrimp. So did all of my fish.
I noticed, in some of my tanks, my fish were disappearing. Most of my tanks are heavily planted so I don’t see the fish at all times. In one tank I had 17 young angelfish that I had raised from babies. I noticed there seemed to be fewer and fewer. What was killing them? Who was to blame? A bigger, meaner Angelfish? A plecostomus? I knew that some plecos can injure wide-bodied fish, but all my plecos are small Bristle-nosed Plecos. They don’t wanna hurt nobody.
I kept feeding the shrimp to my fish and turtles. Why? ‘Cause I ain’t too bright, that’s why.
Fish were dying in all of my tanks. My big male Oscar started to show signs of disease. Ragged fins. It finally hit me. The fish were dying of fin rot. The turtles were unaffected. By the time I realized the shrimp was killing my fish, most of my fish were dead.
Here’s one way to decorate an Oscar tank. Throw in various pieces of driftwood. The Oscar will take it from there.
I should be clear. The shrimp were not killing the fish, a pathogen in the shrimp was killing them. I started treating some of the fish with medication (triple sulfa), but most were too far gone. Even my big Oscar died.
Looking back, if I had cooked the shrimp first, boiled them, this probably would not have happened. I have read that shrimp farming is done under crowded, disgusting conditions. A breeding ground for disease. Am I making you hungry? No raw shrimp for you!
The big turtle I got a couple years ago has baffled me. She’s so dark. She disappears in the pond and then rises out of the depths. I call her The Creature From The Black Lagoon.
I thought she was a Yellow Belly because she had a yellow belly, sorta.
This winter I have noticed the colors in her shell are changing. She has gotten lighter and I see red edges on the shell. The plastron (bottom) has become more orange or pink.
I wondered. Is she really a Yellow Belly? I posted that question online and got my answer in a matter of minutes. My Yellow-Bellied Slider is a Northern Red-Bellied River Cooter.
She is mainly vegetarian. Her favorite food is Guppy Grass (Naja guadalupensis). She is peaceful, graceful and still growing.
It makes me wonder…how did a Northern Red-Bellied River Cooter end up in an animal shelter in Eastern Iowa?
This picture of wild Red-bellied Cooters confirms the identification of my turtle.
A Practical Fishkeeping Blog 