Baby Mollies Too!

 

Now I have a batch of 25 Mollies! These will end up being food for my ACF. My Bristlenose babies are almost big enough to give away to the pet store.

Recount! Plecostumos Invasion

This morning I did a new count of baby plecos and came out well over 80! Here are some pictures:

Review: Wardley Premium Algae Discs

Ingredients:

algae meal, corn gluten feed, corn gluten meal, corn distillers dried grains, wheat flour, wheat germ meal, wheat gluten, wheat middlings, linseed meal, canola meal, dehulled soybean meal, soy protein concentrate, pea protein, brewers dried yeast, corn flour, rice flour, dehydrated alfalfa meal, soy protein isolate, ground barley, calcium carbonate, soybean oil, dried spinach, dried lecithin, l-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin c), dicalcium phosphate, choline chloride, vitamib a acetate, vitamin e supplement, vitamin d3 supplement, calcium pantothenate, biotin, pyridoxine hydrochloride, ethoxyquin (preservative), thiamine mononitrate, folic acid, riboflavin, Vitamin b12 supplement, manganous oxide, zinc oxide, ferrous carbonate, copper sulfate, zinc sulfate, calcium lodate, cobalt carbonate, sodium selenite

 

Characteristics: 10mm, fast sinking

 

The Good:

Algae Meal Is First Ingredient

Contains Only Vegetables

Plecostomus Love These

Breaks Down Slowly

The Bad:

Not The Cheapest Wafers

 

Experience:

 

Tetra veggie algae wafers were my perfered choice, but I decided to try something new. I got the Wardley wafers from Amazon on sale for $9.99. My Bristlenose Plecostomus actually didn't touch these the first few times I dropped them in. The other fish went for them though so it was only a matter of time before my pleco figured it out. She now runs off anyone going after her wafers.

 

Should You Buy It?

 

Get these if you want a staple for your plecostumus and other bottom feeders.

 

Buy On Amazon

 

Review: Hikari Frozen Blood Worms

 

Ingredients:

blood worms, water, vitamin b12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, l-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (stabilized vitamin c), carotene, riboflavin (vitamin b2), thiamine mononitrate, biotin, choline chloride, folic acid, calcium pantothenate, inositol, niacin

Characteristics: Frozen Sheet / Break To Any Size, Floats When Frozen & Sinks Slowly As It Thaws

The Good:

Parasite Free

Heather Than Freeze Dried

Fish Go Nuts Over These

The Bad:

More Expensive Than Other Frozen Bloodworms

Experience:

I bought these to feed to my newest baby African Clawed Frog (ACF). I normally feed my frogs Reptomin Floating Sticks or earthworms, but baby ACF have trouble with both. I think it just from the way they are fed at the pet store. My frog has since moved on from these to their adult diet, but my fish enjoy these as a treat once a week.

Don't worry too much about thawing these out before putting them in the tank. A normal feeding size portion will thaw In seconds. My fish seem to really love when it starts 'raining' tiny worms. Avoid breaking off too large of chunks though because it could cause bloat if one fish got the whole thing.

Should You Buy It?

Think of these as your 'dog treats' for your fish. Buy these if you want to spoil your fish or feed some baby ACF's.

Review: Meijer Frozen Green Peas

 

Ingredients:

Peas

 

Characteristics: 5mm - 9mm, fast sinking

 

The Good:

• Helps Clear Out Digestive Systems
• Extremely Cheap
• Only Ingredient Is Peas

The Bad:

• Only A Diet Supplement
• Terrible Smell When Boiled

 

Experience:

 

Yes these are the plain old peas that you buy in the frozen food aisle. They are an amazing addition to almost every fish's diet. I bought a bag of them when my parents were having a bloat problem with their goldfish. The goldfish happily gobbled them down and now get their weekly dose of peas. I love the fact that they are only 88 cents a bag on sale.

The peas are very easy to prepare for your fish. First pour the needed amount of peas into a clean uncontaminated container that is microwave safe. When I say uncontaminated I mean one that soap or other chemicals have never touched. Fill tap water slighly above peas and microwave for one minute. Let them sit for another minute before draining. Add some cool tap water to peas and drain until cooled. Pop the peas out of their shells and then feed to your fish.

Make sure you don't drop any shells into the tank because your fish could choke on them. The peas are safe to keep in the tank for a few hours if not consumed. Don't worry about the tap water from boiling. Make sure to avoid peas with salt listed in the ingredents. Mashed peas also make a great food for fry.

Should You Buy It?

Buy these to add something fresh to your fish's diet and to keep them regular.

Review: API Bottom Feeder Shrimp Pellets

 

Ingredients:

 

wheat flour, shrimp meal, pea protein, condensed fish protein digest, squid meal, dried seaweed meal (fucaceae), beet powder, mussel meal, brewers dried yeast, fish oil, cockles, earthworm meal, 

dried tomato pomace, garlic powder, polychaete worms, dried waterflies, lecithin, choline chloride, tagetes extract, honey, hydrolyzed yeast, calcium l-ascorbyl-2-monophosphate, a-tocopheral acetate, inositol, propyl gallate (preservative), citric acid (preservstive), calcium pantothenate, riboflavin, bht (preservative), thiamine mononitrate, vitamin a acetate, folic acid, copper sulfate, biotin, vitamin d3 supplement

Characteristics: 4mm size, fast sinking

 

The Good:

• Won't Fall Apart In Water
• Fish Seem To Like Them
• Container Seals Really Well

The Bad:

• First Ingredient Is Wheat Flour
• More Expensive Than Other Shrimp Pellets

 

 

Experience: 

 

I bought this from Petsmart for about $5 a few months back for my Cory Cats. They were always fighting for flakes from my Mollies so I figured I would throw a few of these in during feeding time. The Cories do really like these, but my Mollies like them just as much. Unfortunately, The Mollies would go straight for these and still get the flakes.

These are best shrimp pellets I have tried so far. They live up to their description and sink like stones. My favorite thing about is that they don't break apart at all. I've even had a few sit in the tank for hours with no deterioration. I don't think these are my fish's favorite food, but everyone will eat them.

The only concern I had with these was that the first ingredient was not shrimp. I guess it wasn't important because all my fish are still happy and healthy after months of eating them. 

 

Should You Buy It?

 

These are a great option for bottom feeders or a good choice to add variety.

 

Buy On Amazon

Review: Lee's Three-Way Breeder

Features:

• Grate Allows You To Isolate Eggs & Fry
• Divider Allows Seperate Two Fish
• Floats
• Slots To Let Air In

The Good:

• Can Isolate Injured Or Aggressive Fish Without A Hospital Tank
• Fry & Eggs Will Be Safe Under the Bottom Grid
• Can Hold Two Smaller Fish Simultaneously

The Bad:

• Can't Safely Hold Larger Fish
• You Need To Separately Feed The Fish In It
• Slots On The Sides Can Let Fry Out

Experience:

 

I originally bought the Three-Way Breeder to separate a pregnant Platy from the rest of my fish, but I ended up just letting her have her babies in the open tank. Most of them survived just fine in my tank. I can't tell you from experience that this works for isolating babies, but it does look like it would work. The protection grid fits perfectly at the bottom and the slots should be just the right size for babies to go through. Just make sure you move the pregnant fish once she has done her business.

I put this away for a few months and didn't bother with it until I had a fighting issue with my Mollies. A male Molly had decided to terrorize the whole tank and wouldn't give anyone a rest. I decided to put the breeder in the tank to isolate the jerk. He tried to ram the sides a few times but gave up when he figured out there was no escape. After a week in 'jail', he had calmed down. He was very happy when I put him back with the other fish. I haven't had any more troubles with that Molly so far.

The Three-Way Breeder also works well on injured fish. One of my White Clouds had been beaten up by someone and really needed a break. I put them in the breeder for two weeks with a dose of Melafix in the tank. They ended up healing up really well and are still kicking today. You could easily fit two neon tetra or white cloud size fish in it, but I wouldn't put in anything bigger.

 

Should You Buy It?

 

If you are expecting fry and have a hungry gang then this is a good option. It is also worth it if you don't have the room to set up a hospital tank.

 

Buy On Amazon