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#amateuraquarist

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Daniel Colquitt<p>So … it’s aquarium maintenance day and I’m ashamed to say that I messed up my calculations meaning that I increased my water hardness to 3 times the intended amount, which necessitated an emergency water change. Lugging 120 litres of water around the house in 30°C weather was … unpleasant. <a href="https://colquitt.xyz/tags/AmateurAquarist" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>AmateurAquarist</span></a> <a href="https://colquitt.xyz/tags/fish" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>fish</span></a> <a href="https://colquitt.xyz/tags/petsofmastodon" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>petsofmastodon</span></a></p>
Daniel Colquitt<p>I was skeptical at first, but a UV-C clarifier makes a world of difference. The bacterial bloom soon turned into an algae bloom, which transformed the tank into pea soup. The clarifier cleared it up in a couple of days and the tank is looking crystal clear (the picture doesn’t do it justice). <a href="https://colquitt.xyz/tags/AmateurAquarist" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>AmateurAquarist</span></a> <a href="https://colquitt.xyz/tags/Aquarium" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Aquarium</span></a> <a href="https://colquitt.xyz/tags/petsofmastodon" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>petsofmastodon</span></a> <a href="https://colquitt.xyz/tags/fish" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>fish</span></a> :seas: :jow: 🐟🐠🦐<br><a href="https://colquitt.xyz/@daniel/114575154713655175" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">colquitt.xyz/@daniel/114575154</span><span class="invisible">713655175</span></a></p>
Daniel Colquitt<p>Finally fully cycled and fully stocked! 🐠 🐟 🦐🫧 :jow: :seas: <a href="https://colquitt.xyz/tags/AmateurAquarist" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>AmateurAquarist</span></a> <a href="https://colquitt.xyz/tags/aquarium" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>aquarium</span></a> <a href="https://colquitt.xyz/tags/fish" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>fish</span></a> <a href="https://colquitt.xyz/tags/petsofmastodon" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>petsofmastodon</span></a> <a href="https://colquitt.xyz/tags/fishofmastodon" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>fishofmastodon</span></a></p>
Daniel Colquitt<p>The bacterial bloom has been replaced by an algae bloom … but the ammonia levels are going in the right direction!</p><p>:jow: :seas:</p><p><a href="https://colquitt.xyz/tags/AmateurAquarist" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>AmateurAquarist</span></a> <a href="https://colquitt.xyz/tags/aquarium" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>aquarium</span></a> <a href="https://colquitt.xyz/tags/NitrogenCycle" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>NitrogenCycle</span></a> <a href="https://colquitt.xyz/tags/fish" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>fish</span></a></p>
Daniel Colquitt<p>Still cycling … :seas: 🐠 🦐 :jow: <a href="https://colquitt.xyz/tags/AmateurAquarist" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>AmateurAquarist</span></a> <a href="https://colquitt.xyz/tags/aquarium" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>aquarium</span></a> <a href="https://colquitt.xyz/tags/NitrogenCycle" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>NitrogenCycle</span></a> <a href="https://colquitt.xyz/tags/fish" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>fish</span></a></p>
Daniel Colquitt<p>We’re getting there… <a href="https://colquitt.xyz/tags/AmateurAquarist" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>AmateurAquarist</span></a> <a href="https://colquitt.xyz/tags/aquarium" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>aquarium</span></a> <a href="https://colquitt.xyz/tags/NitrogenCycle" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>NitrogenCycle</span></a> <a href="https://colquitt.xyz/tags/fish" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>fish</span></a><br>:seas: 🐠 🦐 :jow:</p>
Daniel Colquitt<p>A serious case of bacterial bloom 😢<a href="https://colquitt.xyz/tags/AmateurAquarist" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>AmateurAquarist</span></a> <a href="https://colquitt.xyz/tags/aquarium" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>aquarium</span></a> <a href="https://colquitt.xyz/tags/fish" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>fish</span></a> <a href="https://colquitt.xyz/tags/petsofmastodon" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>petsofmastodon</span></a> :seas: :jow: 🐠🦐</p>
Daniel Colquitt<p>Well, it looks like we’ve lost one of our platy. Sadly, Fishstick is no more. There were no obvious signs of injury or illness and the water parameters are all fine, so it’s a mystery for now. On a positive note, the kids took the loss rather well: “Does this mean that we can get another fish?”<br><a href="https://colquitt.xyz/tags/AmateurAquarist" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>AmateurAquarist</span></a> :seas:</p>
Daniel Colquitt<p>The kids were fascinated by the shrimp moult this morning. <a href="https://colquitt.xyz/tags/fishofmastodon" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>fishofmastodon</span></a> <a href="https://colquitt.xyz/tags/petsofmastodon" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>petsofmastodon</span></a> <a href="https://colquitt.xyz/tags/AmateurAquarist" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>AmateurAquarist</span></a></p>
Daniel Colquitt<p>Tonight was water test &amp; change night for my <a href="https://colquitt.xyz/tags/aquarium" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>aquarium</span></a> :seas: and there’s something not quite right. After several weeks of being rock-solid stable, the water parameters are off. Small amounts of ammonia, pH 8.0, nitrites 1ppm, &amp; nitrates at 40ppm. Nothing has changed as far as I can see. Fish seem happy enough, but there’s lots of algae and diatoms.</p><p>Anyway, I did a 50% water change and will retest in a week. Let’s see what happens.</p><p><a href="https://colquitt.xyz/tags/AmateurAquarist" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>AmateurAquarist</span></a> <a href="https://colquitt.xyz/tags/fishofmastodon" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>fishofmastodon</span></a> <a href="https://colquitt.xyz/tags/fishtank" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>fishtank</span></a> <a href="https://colquitt.xyz/tags/fish" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>fish</span></a></p>
Daniel Colquitt<p><span class="h-card" translate="no"><a href="https://masto.ai/@GhostOnTheHalfShell" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">@<span>GhostOnTheHalfShell</span></a></span><br>Water parameters weren’t massively concerning — Nitrite was at 2ppm, but my pH is 7.6, so it’s just about tolerable. Nitrates were on the high-side though at 80ppm. Ammonia was undetectable. Slime mould has dissipated. <a href="https://colquitt.xyz/tags/AmateurAquarist" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>AmateurAquarist</span></a> <a href="https://colquitt.xyz/tags/fish" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>fish</span></a> <a href="https://colquitt.xyz/tags/shrimp" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>shrimp</span></a></p>
Daniel Colquitt<p>However, my last water parameter test was fine &amp; the consensus seems to be that its presence does not indicate a problem. In any case, slime moulds are not harmful to aquatic life &amp;, I believe that, shrimp like to eat them, so I think that I’ll just leave it be.</p><p><a href="https://aquariumscience.org/index.php/16-11-slime-mold/" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">aquariumscience.org/index.php/</span><span class="invisible">16-11-slime-mold/</span></a></p><p><a href="https://colquitt.xyz/tags/shrimp" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>shrimp</span></a> <a href="https://colquitt.xyz/tags/AmateurAquarist" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>AmateurAquarist</span></a> <a href="https://colquitt.xyz/tags/pets" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>pets</span></a> <a href="https://colquitt.xyz/tags/petsofmastodon" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>petsofmastodon</span></a> <a href="https://colquitt.xyz/tags/fish" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>fish</span></a></p>
Daniel Colquitt<p>Myxogastria feed on bacteria, moulds, fungi, &amp; particles of organic matter. I’m in the process of trying to establish a <a href="https://colquitt.xyz/tags/shrimp" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>shrimp</span></a> colony &amp; my guess is that it either came in with the shrimp &amp;/or was already present in its mononuclear/spore phase &amp; developed after one of the shrimp died.</p><p>There seems to be some debate as to whether the presence of slime mould in an aquarium indicates that there is something wrong.</p><p><a href="https://colquitt.xyz/tags/AmateurAquarist" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>AmateurAquarist</span></a> <a href="https://colquitt.xyz/tags/pets" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>pets</span></a> <a href="https://colquitt.xyz/tags/petsofmastodon" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>petsofmastodon</span></a> <a href="https://colquitt.xyz/tags/fish" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>fish</span></a></p>
Daniel Colquitt<p>Today on <a href="https://colquitt.xyz/tags/AmateurAquarist" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>AmateurAquarist</span></a>, I found this weird thing. It’s kinda hard to see, so you’ll have to zoom in. At first I thought it was fungi, but it’s actually Myxogastria (slime mould). These are fascinating organisms can exist as individual cells with single nuclei, or band together in a plasmodium (still a single cell, but multiple nuclei). They can even move towards food &amp; produce fruiting bodies (like fungi) <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myxogastria" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://</span><span class="ellipsis">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myxogast</span><span class="invisible">ria</span></a>. <br><a href="https://colquitt.xyz/tags/pets" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>pets</span></a> <a href="https://colquitt.xyz/tags/petsofmastodon" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>petsofmastodon</span></a> <a href="https://colquitt.xyz/tags/fish" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>fish</span></a></p>