Need help finding a friend for Gus :)

[ChoclateBetta]

Carter gets about 5 bloodworms weekly. Just started New life spectrum too.

[DragonFyre14]

Haha yeah Raphael was really hungry the other day... ended up putting away about 6 pellets. Usually he'll spit them out and swim away after 2 or 3.

[ChoclateBetta]

Fish will eat themselves to death they do not know too much food.

[Bluewind]

Well Gus is not bloated and eats all 8 pellets quickly and easily. I might trim him back to 6 just to be on the safe side...

He does spit out bloodworms when he gets them on Sunday, but that's more like he's chewing them. He spits them out and then scarfs them back up. He does it several times before swallowing them. After 3, he's finished with them.

Also, had to change out my sinking pellets. I noticed at feeding time, the shrimp and snail didn't really want to eat. This started only 2 days after beginning feeding them with Wardley Shrimp Pellets. They were even trying to snag Gus' food! The Julii ate it just fine, but not all the inverts. Then, I discovered 2 dead shrimp. Temp, pH, and Amonia were all fine. I did some digging and found out that Wardley Shrimp Pellets contain Copper Sulfate which is bad for inverts. Some say that copper in that form is not deadly, but others blame it for the gradule deaths of their shrimp. I worry about Magic (snail). She's not as active as she was. (->)

[Bluewind]

(->)
I wont be able to get to the pet store for weeks and the only thing I found that was safe at my little WalMart was TetraVeggie Tropical Algae Waffers. They really went crazy over it! It will just have to do until I can get them some safe sinking food that's got everything they need in it and nothing they don't.

Update: I just checked on everyone. The shrimp are much more active then they have been. Magic is cuddlled up next to the heater. She has very small rice-shaped items on her shell that look like eggs. She put them on the side of the tank just below the water line and I see more on her shell. Should I be worried?

[MaisyDawgThirteen]

Sounds like an egg clutch. That is where mystery/apple snails keep their eggs. o.o

[DragonFyre14]

I have heard that copper isn't very good for invertebrates, but I didn't know that the food could contain enough copper to be a problem... but I guess if it's building up perhaps.

I don't know much about snails (never really wanted deal with the possibility of them taking over the tank, since I hear some species are really hard to get rid of once they have been introduced...) but that definitely sounds like she laid eggs. I wouldn't worry about it unless you really don't want more snails in the tank.

[Bluewind]

Well, looks like I wont have a chance to decide as SOMEBODY decided they were a snack!

Anyway, Mystory Snails aren't unisex, so unless you have both or buy a pregnant female, they can't multiply. Unless the few eggs that are still on her are laid where I can scrape them off and put them somewhere, I will only ever have the 1. She is a PAIN to take care of, but cute. And 2 wouldn't require more care than 1. I was thinking of moving her to my old 1.8 if she had someone to go with, but it aint happening. I don't even know if everyone will survive the pellet incident yet! God help my poor babies for getting stuck with me :(

By the way, I know yall were a tad harsh on this newbie, but nice and helpful. Really great at helping me along. I went over to another forum (the one from aquarium link) and they were... not so much.

On topic: Gus wants them to play and is mad because Todo swims away too fast XD
Also, Ghost Shrimp swimming in the water column? o_O

[DragonFyre14]

Yeah, sometimes people on here can be a bit harsh, but they mean well. Gus sounds like a good fish. really playful. I have heard that ghost shrimp can be pretty playful. They seem to like to sit near where the water comes out of the filter and grab bits of food and such that are in the water.

[Bluewind]

They are a hoot! They do this little leapfrog thing where they jump over each other. They pat my fingers with their little feelers. Sometimes, they swim in the water column. Gus and them have fun together. :)

Yeah. I know. I'm doing my best with him. And yall really have been nice. You obviously care about your fish and after a scolding on what I'm doing wrong, yall always try to help. The other forum's members were kind of condecending. Also had someone insist that I add AT LEAST 5 more Juliis to my tank with Gus, Todo, Magic, and 9 (now 6) Ghost Shrimp. According to my bioload, I can handle 2, maybe 3 more Julii Cory Cats in my tank. That's it! Another told me Todo (my Julii) would die. Another? How cruel fish-in cycling is. Lots of negative. Barely any positive. A few low blows. Needless to say, I think I will ask yall my questions from now on ;)