Food, Cleaning, and a natural set-up :)

[Jess]

I already spent, like, 20 minutes typing this once, and then my glorious computer decided there was some kind of data base problem and deleted it all... *sigh* So I'll make this quicker I guess.


I happen to be blessed with one of the only picky ACFs on the planet. Squishy won't touch brine shrimp, krill, turtle pellets, or red wiggler worms. He used to like the pellets and worms, but he just decided that he doesn't any more. All he will eat is blood worms and wax worms. He will eat crickets still I think, but it doesn't make sense for me to buy them since they don't live more than a few days for me, and Dudley won't eat them. I'm thinking of adopting a gecko in the spring/summer, so if I do that then I can get some Phoenix worms for it and Squishy. PWs are a little pricey, so it wouldn't be very economical for me to order them for just Squishy, because he couldn't eat them fast enough.
Any ideas? Foods I haven't tried that I can get at a pet shop?


And I think I'm finally going to get a Gravel Python syphon this weekend. Since I fell off a horse I'm much too sore to lift 20-some pound buckets, so this would be a good time LOL. How do you like them? Does it help you hate aquarium cleaning a little less? And is $30-$35 a good price for one, or can I get it online for cheaper?


I'd like to get Squishy a more natural looking set up too. I was thinking a flower pot turned on its side for a cave, a larger rock (Lava rock maybe? Still haven't decided what kind) a piece of drift wood, and hopefully some live plants. Squishy has never paid any attention to his fake plants, so I don't think he would murder them... But I might, LOL! I'm a notorious aquatic plant killer, so IO would need some hardy ones. I read in another post that some will attach to drift wood, so that would be good. And I can put my light on Dudley's timer if they need a light cycle.
With the wood and clay pot, is there anything I should avoid buying, or anything I should do to them before putting them in my tank?
Once it's all set up, I think it would be neat to add some feeder guppies and ghost shrimp too. That way my tank is more interesting to look at, and Squish can have access to food 24/7.

Thanks in advance!

[Sasami]

Try live blackworms (I've yet to have any animal reject those), frozen mysis shrimp (Piscine Energetics is a good brand of freshwater mysis), and live silk worms.

That's a normal price, I think. Online might be cheaper but shipping would probably even it out.

Avoid crumbly rocks and rocks with sharp edges. With driftwood, buy pre-cured wood if you can (especially if it says it'll sink immediately). Otherwise you'll have to cure it yourself and deal with it leaching tannins (which discolor the water).

I would do some tests to make sure that Squishy's tank always has 0 ammonia and 0 nitrite. If you don't have good filtration (or just because of him being messy), you might be getting the occasional ammonia spike. A spike like that won't necessarily harm him (they're hardy) but will kill fish and shrimp. So definitely get your water tested before buying a bunch of feeders .

[Sasami]

Oh, and as for hardy live plants that attach to driftwood and rocks, try:

Anubias (there are multiple species, all are pretty hardy)
Java fern
Java moss
Flame moss

And if you want to throw in a floating plant too, try water sprite. It's almost impossible to kill and can be left floating or planted.

[Jess]

Thanks so much for the help!


Would Petco, Petsmart, or Pet Supplies Plus have blackworms? There are 2 fish specialty stores here too, but they are aways away. I will look for the Mysis shrimp!
What about frozen beef heart? It sounds nasty, but I see it at a lot of pet stores.


And how do you know if wood is cured? Will it say it on the tag? I didn't know about that LOL.


Do I need special lighting for the plants, or to keep my light on during the day?


Sorry for all the questions, LOL!

[Sasami]

I'm not sure, it depends on your area. Blackworms tend to disappear from stores from time to time. It's usually easier to order them/get them online.

I don't like the idea of feeding beef heart to frogs. It just seems extremely unnatural. You could try it and many people do feed it, that's just my two cents .

It should say somewhere, yeah. It's not the end of the world if you get uncured wood, it just takes extra work. Google something like "curing driftwood for aquarium". Avoid grape vine driftwood. It tends to grow fungus, fall apart, leach tannins, etc. I tried it once against better judgment--terrible idea.

The plants I listed are fine under low-lighting so the stock lights should be enough. You would want the lights on during the day but even 5 or 6 hours of light would be enough for those plants. I've kept them without any supplemental lighting at all (but they'll grow better with some light).

[Jess]

Yeah, you're right, I guess it would be rather unnatural. I'll try for the Mysis shrimp or blackworms then.
I'll look into those plants too. Would I just rubberband them to the drift wood until they take root?


So then would a plain clay pot from a craft store be safe to just put right in my tank?


Thanks so much for all the help! I'll take pics if/when I re-do his tank. Hopefully this weekend!

[Sasami]

Quote: Originally Posted by Jess Yeah, you're right, I guess it would be rather unnatural. I'll try for the Mysis shrimp or blackworms then. I'll look into those plants too. Would I just rubberband them to the drift wood until they take root? So then would a plain clay pot from a craft store be safe to just put right in my tank? Thanks so much for all the help! I'll take pics if/when I re-do his tank. Hopefully this weekend!

Yup, you can use a rubberband or a piece of string. Or even just wedge them in, depending on the shape of the driftwood.

A clay pot would be fine. Just check the bottom of the pot, they usually have a hole and you need to make sure he couldn't get stuck.

[Dragonrain]

I use clay pots for my froggy girls. They love them

Good luck with setting up the tank. I always have a lot of fun setting up the tank for my frogs. It's crazy how picky Squishy is, I swear my girls would eat just about anything...including trying to eat my fingers lol.

You should post pictures after you redo the tank!

Oh, and I think you'll love the Python syphon. It makes cleaning the tanks SO much easier!

[Jess]

Thanks! I'm excited to get the Python
I'm going to see if the fish specialty store I adopted Squishy from is still open- they have a lot of frozen food and stuff. If they aren't I know of one more I can go to.
Hopefully my natural set-up will actually works, LOL! I've never tried to do that before, so we'll see how this turns out XD


Oh, and I still have a ton of frozen krill that Squishy refuses to eat. Do you think I could thaw it in a little dish for my hermit crabs? I don't want it to go to waste. It is the kind that is chopped up in little cubes.

[Sasami]

Quote: Originally Posted by Jess Thanks! I'm excited to get the Python I'm going to see if the fish specialty store I adopted Squishy from is still open- they have a lot of frozen food and stuff. If they aren't I know of one more I can go to. Hopefully my natural set-up will actually works, LOL! I've never tried to do that before, so we'll see how this turns out XD Oh, and I still have a ton of frozen krill that Squishy refuses to eat. Do you think I could thaw it in a little dish for my hermit crabs? I don't want it to go to waste. It is the kind that is chopped up in little cubes.

The hermits would probably love it, I'm sure it's close to what they eat in the wild .

[Jess]

Awesome, thanks! I'll give them some tonight

[Jess]

Well, I just went to the pet store and it is $40 for a 25 ft. Python. Apparently I'm insane for wanting to spend that much on a $5 frog, so I didn't end up getting it. And I was pressed for time, so I didn't get my wood or plants either.
They had Malaysian drift wood, and the label said if was safe for aquaruim use, but it didn't say anything about curing it and no one at the pet store had heard about curing either... They said to soak it in a bucket for 24 hrs before putting it in my tank? IDK, I've had a stressful/crappy day.


I found this online though. It's a DIY Gravel Python for under $20, so I'll just do that unless I find one online or one CL for cheap.
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/diy_python.php


My hermit crabs devoured the krill though, so at least someone likes it.

[Jess]

OK, so I found a syphon on Amazon for $28 with free shipping, so I am going to order that. Yay!!
And I braved a snowstorm to go back to the pet store to get my wood LOL. Before I thought curing it involved using some kinda chemicals in it (I'm not exactly the sharpest crayon in the box XD ) but I looked it up, and it involves a lot of boiling and soaking of the wood, so if it isn't cured I'll just try to do it myself. I don't really care much about the tannins anyways, and lowering the pH wouldn't be bad for my tank either.
I'll have to go to a specialty fish store for those plants though, cause none of the 3 pet stores I went to had them.

[Dragonrain]

Yaya Amazon! That's where I got my syphon too.