Think Fish Keepers Daily News. [2016-2019]

"Enjoyed" reading these last few posts - thought it was just me like this. Glad all inhabitants seemed to be unscathed. 

I did something silly today. Then I measured out the food for the main tank - sinking pellets, flake and crushed algae wafers - into a small pot. And then emptied the pot into the betta's tank 

These things always happen when in a rush too.

I have the sort of brain that remembers all sorts of tiny bits of info but forgets big things like turning the oven on to cook dinner

Ditto!

I do empathise with you, @Matt - your harlequins are the same age as my own and my x-ray tetras, give or take a few months on either side, so a similar stage in life.  The ulcer wound with secondary fungus growth is something that one of my female x-ray tetras had and one of my harlequins has intermittently, but, in your case, it's more widespread/extensive and the fish has additional difficulties post-eating. All the very best for when the inevitable happens, whether that's through nature taking its course or you providing a helping hand when the time dictates.

Sorry to read about the end of the era. Good luck with the breeding pair and non-invasive water changes.

The big, bold neon green rasbora that intermittently terrorises the tank and has ended up in brawls (bodies inter-twisted!) with a harlequin and an x-ray, was fighting ferociously with her own reflection this morning - not playing but almost going berserk with anger as though someone were challenging her.  I had only opened one window blind, and was awaiting assistance with the other, but this must have created a bigger reflection than usual.  Once both blinds were open, the fish calmed down immediately but then kept zooming back in a menacing manner to ensure that her rival was staying away.  Quite amusing to witness.

I would love to know what goes on in the mind of a nerite snail.

Generally, they do their own thing, the male being much more purposeful (laps of the tank, grazing away on the glass with seeming intention/direction, deserving the food from the foodpot as a reward) than the female (occasional grazing, mainly on the wood, but otherwise a lot of time consuming the food in the foodpot).

If one snail has occupied the foodpot for hours on end, then eventually decides to climb out for pastures new, it does a u-turn back into the foodpot only if it spots the other snail heading in the foodpot's direction - otherwise, it continues merrily on its way. Also, if one snail is heading in the direction of the foodpot, spots/detects the other snail in it, it will generally lie in wait nearby until the foodpot eventually becomes unoccupied, then makes a beeline for it.

Occasionally, they do occupy the foodpot together, which is generally a messy affair, with each covered in snailfood. Last week, both were lying upside down with their innards completely out - after numerous attempts to get them upright only for them to topple upside down, this only became achievable by emptying them onto the sand. I've no idea what caused/causes his, unless they had 'sucked' each others' insides to the extent that these couldn't be retracted. 

I've not seen that type of behaviour, but then I usually have only one snail of any species at any given time. I did once have two of the same species and the tank was covered in eggs - the glass, filter, wood etc - but they must have mated where I couldn't see them. Once I discovered all those eggs, I separated them, one in the main tank and one in the betta's tank.

Looking back through previous posts, it seems that I got the female nerite in July 2018 and first noticed and became aware (thanks to Sue clarifying this) two months later that the sesame seeds which had been appearing over the wood, filter, stones and glass were not the white grains of sand which had coincidentally got stuck in numerous locations but were in fact snail eggs.

I'm beginning to think that, with all this activity going on, I might as well move some of the egg-covered stones into a container with some salt and see if I can have a go at breeding some mini nerites which will be an interesting mix of orang tiger and red vittina waigiensis. I wonder how much salt to put in... 

Water change day - and the betta's tank water felt cold. The thermometer said 22 deg C when it should be 26. The heater light was on but when I carefully felt the bottom of the heater (after unplugging it) it was not even warm. Luckily I have a spare heater in the cupboard - a 125w heater from when I had the 125 litre tank. It's enormous, it won't fit vertically, but at least it works while the replacement is in the post.

I'd wondered why the betta was behaving sluggishly.

Because this tank has an air powered sponge filter the water flow is from the middle outwards. The sucker on the thermometer stopped working ages ago so it floats freely and the water flow pushes it into a corner. Unfortunately, this time it ended up in the back corner with the scale facing the wall so i couldn't see it even if I'd thought to look at it. I currently have it wedged with a plant leaf so it's facing outwards to make sure that the heater is set right for such a small tank.


You could always try a digital thermometer, but I have no idea how the probe attaches to the inside of the tank. if it's with suckers, the same problem would arise after a while....

Probes for digital thermometers also have suction cups. Some of the suckers on mine don't work well, but at least they stay in the water, even when they come unstuck. Sometimes I just push them under/into the leaves of plants.
I'm going to try boiling water, as Matt has suggested.

I hope that your betta has perked up now that he has some warm water @Sue 

A word of caution over the boiling water option, @Sue and @Littlefish - I tried that with the suckers on my filter a while back, and found that it distorted their shape and caused a peeling sensation as though part of the rubber was coming off / could be scraped off with a fingernail. I actually found that cleaning the walls' surface and the suckers with a toothbrush was more effective.

Glad that your betta has perked up, Sue.