I know I should test my water more in all my tanks, but it's so hot, I don't feel like doing anything. Today I put some dechlorinated ice in the goldfish tank and went to see a movie about a melting ice age. We stopped for blizzards on the way home and when we got home, I ran throught the sprinkler a couple of times, and even tried it again while holding my big black and white Norwegian Forrest cat. She told me she wanted to go in "NOW!", and I might have a hole in my shirt that wasn't there before she hugged my really tight with unretracted claws. Then I fed the down stairs fishies and went up to check on the goldies. There was no ice left, of course, and their thermometer said about 86f. The one on the 10g next door is 1 of those digital deals that has some sort of chenical that shows up in color 1 temp at a time. The highest number is 86, and none of the numbers were showing today. I think it was at least 109f outside. My 3 Ivory Apple snails are temporarily in a very small plastic critter keeper, and half of their water evaporated while I was in Yuba City for 2 days.
But lets see, ....what were the questions?
They do have a filter it's awhisper brand external filter rated for up to 40 gallons mounted on the back corner, and it does have enough of a waterfall to splash a little (an inch or 2 when it hasn't evaporated too far), and it hasn't been real long since I've changed the cartridge, and I did change about a quarter of the water less than a week ago. They also have a bubble wand mounted along most of the back wall with suction cups near the bottom, a clam shell that pops open and closed with bubbles, and a 2 inch long green bubble stone. They get fed mostly goldfish flakes and pellets, with some "crisps" and blocks of tubilfex worms and algae wafers, and sometimes a little bit of other stuff. They are usually fed once or twice a day. If it is tubiflex blocks or algae wafers I give them about 1 per fish, and other stuff would probably measure out to a similar volume. I also give them extra snails when they try to take over my other tanks, and if they think they aren't getting enough to eat , besides wiggling vigorously and shouting and spitting rocks at me whenever they see me, they will suck several inches of plant stem into their mouths at a time and spit the stems back out minus the leaves.
I guestimate that creamscicle and Puppy are around 6 inches long not counting tails, and Cracker about an inch longer if you don't count tails, but about 2 inches shorter than the others if you do count tails, which I guesse would make him about 8 inches with the tail. He is a big fish, but probably really closer to 7 than 8 inches, so i might need to actually measure them to be more precise. They really need a pond Pretty soon I might even get so I'd rather sell them than continue to keep them in a 20g tank, but I'm still hoping for a large tank or pond where I can maybe teach them tricks. They do like to suck on tubiflex blocks that I hold in my fingers, but we don't practice consistently, because it's easier to just toss in about a half teaspoon or so of pellets or 3 or 4 algae wafers than to rinse lotion and soap and stuff of my hands.
I haven't noticed any aggresion, but they seemed to be chasing each other around a little more than usual a few weeks ago. For them chasing is usually around the tank a couple of times and then a few seconds rest before they follow eacch other around again. They are more likely to accidentally bump into each other while begging than to peck at each other deliberately. I'm trying to remember which 1 the other 2 seemed more interested in chasing recently. they swith around a lot, but I think it might have been Creamscicle who the others seemed to be picking on a little. he's usually the most aggressive and greedy, but Cracker is big enough to push him around now. Creamsicle is also the one who swims in and out of their jar most often. Cracker might be a little big to turn around comfortably inside. Scales look fine, unless it's bad for Cracker to have a few random lighter colored scales. i think at worst he might have lost some and grew them back, but I ton't think there are any actually missing, and they never stick out on any of my goldies. i have lost guppies to dropsy though, so I've seen pinecone scales on littler fish.
Maybe I should see if I can find a working camera and figure out how to transfer pics, and consider playing chemist. I need to do that anyway to find a more permanent place for the apple snails. They might go into the tank next to the goldies, which I recently moved my frog, betta, and loaches out of. i have noticed that snails grow faster upstairs, but they might have shorter lives too if it's warmer. I have the test strips, because I got them for pretty cheep, but it's still almost easier to colect samples and let a petstore test for me. They do it for free. B)
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