Masquerade Posted February 1, 2012 Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 (edited) Just settling down to bed after a long night of climbing, and falling off, his plastic fern. "What the? What the heck is that thing? Have you people no concept of privacy these days? I'm trying to get some sleep in here!" "Go on, shoo! Get of my gravel you damned paparazzi! A crayfish can never get any peace and quiet 'round here anymore, there are people constantly flashing their fancy cameras in your face and sloshing the gravel around and moving your plants when you've spent all night rearranging them! Bah, human's these days, who'd have em? Thing's weren't like this when I was a fry. If it weren't for the corn I would have climbed outta here a long time ago." "Look I can still see you out there! Would you mind putting the camera away? Or better yet, how about covering up this glass, hmmm? That way we could both get some privacy in here." That was disproportionately amusing to write, I really need to grow up sometimes This is my new Yabby, Darling. Unfortunately I don't have the best track record with pets, which is entirely my fault, so Mum put her foot down and said no more. Dad thought otherwise though and let me bring this guy home about two weeks ago, believing that mum wouldn't notice, but he accidentally told her about it three days later She seem's to have gotten over it though. Anyway, I have aspergers and as a consequence of that my attention span and motivation can be fickle. In the past my motivation issues really ruled my life, no matter how important something was, both to me and other people, or how much I would usually enjoy or love something I just lost the will to care about anything, and everything I did kinda suffered due to that. I think I've got a handle on my problem by this point in my life though, but just in case I thought I would try starting up a little photo diary here. Having other people aware of my enterprises and being able to see them progress helps my motivation trouble and after sifting through forums for a bit this seems like the best community for that sort of thing I don't think I'll be changing the setup much but like I said, this diary is really just designed to keep me on the straight and narrow where his care is concerned. Also, would you guys mind If I post a food diary here? I'm worried about feeding him too much and sometimes I forget what I feed him and when, but I don't want to spam the boards either. P.S. Sorry about the blurry photo's, I've fiddled with them in iphoto as much as I could to make the clarity better but this was the best I could do. My camera is water proof so I thought that putting the camera into the water would make the quality better. It turns out I took all these photo's with a bubble of air stuck on the lens! I'm definitely going to watch for that next time and I'll twiddle with my camera's options to see if I can get a better shot, but I think Darlings been freaked out enough for one day. Edited February 1, 2012 by Masquerade Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forever_and_a_day Posted February 1, 2012 Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 wow. he's a really nice blue. he reminds me of the one the bio department at my old highschool used to have. pretty entertaining to watch. loved your commentary, I'm pretty sure that's what your yabby and half the fish belonging to people on this board are always thinking XD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Masquerade Posted February 1, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 Thanks! The science department at my old high school had yabbies too. Our science teacher would feed them on nothing but frozen peas, carrot and corn which they seemed to do well enough on. I remember asking him if he brought them home during the holidays and he told me that he didn't, but he did come in and feed them once or twice a week. It made me chuckle at the time, not sure why, but I figure that if they could survive that then one should be able to survive me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Posted February 1, 2012 Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 Darling is a lovely colour! When I was a toddler we had an electric blue yabby, I faintly remember it. We had to take it back though as we put it in the community tank - and it ate everything and tore the plants up, etc (so destructive!). Definitely a lovely creature when kept in their own tank though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melbournebetta Posted February 1, 2012 Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 I'm loving the perspective Masq, Darling has a pretty distinct voice... and I'm sure as you get to know him/her, we'll hear more of it! You've done a great job with the photography too - you've probably worked out by now that we all LOVE photos, & the colour is amazing. I'm right behind the idea of animals and your responsibilities helping with your condition, you'll find lots of kind people here willing to not only help with your yabbie keeping but with an encouraging word as well. I can say I've used the discipline of caring for fry / feeding / water changes etc to keep my spirits up through tough times... sometimes it's nice to watch something thrive and grow even if you feel crap! Make sure you treat this thread like a record of your feeding and whatever else you need - I use my spawn logs to keep an eye on how I'm feeding and progressing too. (so I don't forget!) Can't wait to hear the next diary entry! -Ness Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Masquerade Posted February 1, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 Darling is a lovely colour! When I was a toddler we had an electric blue yabby, I faintly remember it. We had to take it back though as we put it in the community tank - and it ate everything and tore the plants up, etc (so destructive!). Definitely a lovely creature when kept in their own tank though! Now that I can believe, his tank was actually planted when I put him in it. Within two days he had either shredded of eaten everything he could get his pincers on. He particularly liked the taste of the anubias plants. I was kind of counting on that though, I'd been fighting a losing battle against red beard algae since it took hold during the HSC so it was destined for the compost bin. I've changed the gravel and the water since and treated it with a mild does of lgea killer so I'm hoping there wont be a relapse, but if there is I wouldn't put it past Darling to just eat it I'm loving the perspective Masq, Darling has a pretty distinct voice... and I'm sure as you get to know him/her, we'll hear more of it! You've done a great job with the photography too - you've probably worked out by now that we all LOVE photos, & the colour is amazing. I'm right behind the idea of animals and your responsibilities helping with your condition, you'll find lots of kind people here willing to not only help with your yabbie keeping but with an encouraging word as well. I can say I've used the discipline of caring for fry / feeding / water changes etc to keep my spirits up through tough times... sometimes it's nice to watch something thrive and grow even if you feel crap! Make sure you treat this thread like a record of your feeding and whatever else you need - I use my spawn logs to keep an eye on how I'm feeding and progressing too. (so I don't forget!) Can't wait to hear the next diary entry! -Ness Wow thanks for the support! I was kinda worried about sounding "emo" but you've really cleared that up for me. The main problem I have with my animals is that sometimes I just don't care for them consistently enough. Usually I keep pretty good care of them. But sometimes, for what ever reason, I put of a daily task until tomorrow, or a monthly task until next week end and I inevitably become distracted me and I never get it done, which really isn't good at all. So if you notice me slacking off or not posting when I say I'm going to post then by all means poke me until I do it/get back to you, otherwise I may slip of the radar and into the fishkeeping bad books again. And as for the diary, well I'm not sure how often to update it. I was thinking that updates once a week at minimum, but also posting whenever I get a good photo, or change something or he just does something cool. I'll definatly be posting an entry if I can snap a photo of him at the top of his fern. He climbs it all the time but whenever I go over to the tank to watch him he gets distracted and falls off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt_95 Posted February 1, 2012 Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 Some cherry shrimp would go well with him, he won't be able to eat them. They should go well with your current set up beautiful yabby. Absolutely stunning. Be careful with the algae killer. Most use copper as the active ingredient which is deadly to all inverts. Hope he does well for you, I'm sure he will. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Masquerade Posted February 1, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 (edited) Yikes! I did not know that. I've been using algae fix, which is APL brand, and only just now did I notice that "do not use with crustaceans" is written in the small print I only put about 1ml of the stuff in, and I've been changing 2 litres of the water every day since I got him. His behavior hasn't changed, but do you think I should do a 20% water change just in case, or even more? EDIT: ok, I've taken out 1/6 of the water, which the maximum amount of water as you can remove with the filter still running. The new water is airing now. I will do the same tomorrow as well. Does removing water in this way make water changes less effective? I was just wondering because by the time I do the change tomorrow the algaecide would have diffused through the new water, so removing the same amount of water remove a lesser amount of the chemical, but would that make a difference? I put something between 1-3mls of chemical in on the 22nd of January. (I doubt I put anything more than 2mls in, but I can't be sure) I've replaced approximately 22 litres of water (two litres each day) plus the 12 litres I'm in the process of changing today. Can someone who understands complex maths help me figure out how long it will take for the chemical to be compeletly gone? Edited February 1, 2012 by Masquerade Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neffy Posted February 1, 2012 Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 Eee not sure! but shouldnt it dilute to a point it wont be harmfull? and maybe adding charcoal to your filter if it doesnt have some might help filter it out? im not very sure about that tho hopefully matt will help! Im so happy your yabby got over its claustrophobia hehe XD food the solution to all problems! Its very cute seeing it in the pot :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Masquerade Posted February 1, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 (edited) Yeah, the camera flash has over taken the pot as his least favorite thing now As for the chemical I'm just not sure I haven't noticed him acting odd or sick at all, so I'm hoping that the concentration was too slight to make him sick in the first place, I just wish I'd read the stupid label more closely. I have charcoal in the compost from our wood fire, would it be safe to use if I break it up and rinse the heck out of it? We did the groceries yesterday so there isn't much of a chance of going to the shops and buying the commercial stuff any time soon. Edited February 1, 2012 by Masquerade Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neffy Posted February 1, 2012 Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 (edited) No garden stuff wont work it has to be treated specifically for aquariums called Activated carbon (i googled it just then lol) Edited February 1, 2012 by Neffy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt_95 Posted February 1, 2012 Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 I would do a water change around 50% and then continue as you have been. You shouldn't need charcoal, he obviously hasn't been affected yet. If you do use something curisorb is made to absorb copper I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Masquerade Posted February 1, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 (edited) Great, I'll do that then. How much does this curisorb stuff cost? I'm not sure if I can get it any time soon but knowing me this will not be the last bungle I make . Do you know of any types of algae killer which are safe to use with yabbies? Edited February 1, 2012 by Masquerade Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt_95 Posted February 1, 2012 Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 Not sure sorry and I don't thinks you will need it. Try spot dosing with 3% hydrogen peroxide from the chemist, around $5 per bottle, get 6% and you can dilute it for more bang for your buck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Masquerade Posted February 1, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2012 (edited) I think I'm homing in on my camera's butter zone when it comes to out-of-aquarium photography. It has a sport setting which allows you to lock the focus on a specific feature, but it locks onto the glass sometimes He REALLY hates the camera, he's been sulking in his pot ever since I stuck my arm in to take the earlier photos and he zips behind cover whenever he sees it, I had to bribe him out for these with extra pellets. I won't be taking photo's like that again, but I'm sure he'll forgive me in a few days. Now on with the pretty pictures, it's feeding time! "oh dammit, that red thing again! First it interrupts my sleep, now it interrupts my breakfast! If it comes within two paces of me then it's going to get a good scalping! Feh, who am I kidding? Maybe if I stay still it will get bored and go away." "Ah, screw it. I'm too damn hungry for this kinda waiting game. Take the damn pictures! There had better be corn in it for me." "Pellets? That's all I get? PELLETS? Uhg, it is impossible to get good housekeepers these days!" (I am so in love with this photo, you can even see the details in his eyes ) Okay, look lady, do you see this face? The one begrudgingly munching an axolotl pellet? This is the face of dissatisfaction. If I don't see at least five kernels of sweet corn on my gravel tomorrow night, then this will be the last motion blurred, washed out, over exposed picture you take of it. Now if you'll excuse me I need to return to my aquatic landscaping business." (sorry about the blur, he skittered off in a huff before I could snap a better one) Edited February 1, 2012 by Masquerade Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Posted February 2, 2012 Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 Great photos! He's lovely! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melbournebetta Posted February 2, 2012 Report Share Posted February 2, 2012 WOW - love that second last shot! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Masquerade Posted February 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2012 (edited) I finally got a snap of darling after he had managed to climb all the way up to the filter outlet, well sort of. He was so freaked out by the camera that tried to wave his claws at it which over balanced him and he fell right off. I'd do another caption, but I think the only thing going through his head right now would be "awww !" which wouldn't be entirely appropriate. But I did figure out why he kept climbing up there. It turns out the sinking blood worm pellets I bought don't actually sink, he was climbing up to try and snag them as they bobbed past. I can certainly admire his dedication! Edited February 4, 2012 by Masquerade Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah Posted February 4, 2012 Report Share Posted February 4, 2012 Smart Yabby! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Masquerade Posted February 6, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2012 (edited) Here's the first food diary entry, I only started it on Wednesday so it's incomplete but in future I'll be posting them of a Monday, for the next few weeks at least. the main point of these to keep track of things and so I can get your opinions of things, so feel free to critique me or make suggestions, I'm learning by feel here. Wed: pellets x 4 aprox 2cm3 of watermelon. (did not like) brussel sprout leaf x 1 (did not like) Thurs:aprox 1cm3 of watermelon (did not like) bloodworm pellets x 4 Garden pea x 2 Pellet x 2 Fri: Garden peas x 2 pellets x 2 grape, approx 1.2 cm Sat: peeled prawn x 1 (did not like) Sun: purge day Mon: chick peas x 2 pellets x 2 As a rule I remove left over food after about 12 hours, but I took the prawn out as soon as he let go of it, which was about an hour. Edited February 6, 2012 by Masquerade Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Masquerade Posted February 7, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2012 (edited) Well that algae killer is defiantly gone, how do I know? because there is beard algae growing on my glass! I must kill it, KILL IT WITH FIRE Well, kill it with an algae scrubber, but you understand the sentiment I'm sure. In other news, I found this video about the signs of moulting which is pretty informative and from the top of my head I think that Darling has been showing some of those signs, he has definately been sluggish and his joints aren't as vibrant as they used to be. I'll compare him again in the morning when the light is better, but for now I'm going to put a little bit of eggshell in his tank just in case. Edited February 7, 2012 by Masquerade Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Masquerade Posted February 14, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2012 Food diary again. This is mostly just being recorded for prosperity here but if you see me doing something wrong then please kick me through the internets! Otherwise feel free to just say hi. Tue: pellet x 2 Apple approx 3cm3 bean approx 3cm (did not like) Wed: chick pea x 1 Rosemary approx 6 leaves cucumber approx 3cm2 Pellet x 1 Thurs: chick pea x 1 strawberry approx 1.5cm diameter Fri: pellet x 1 chick pea x 1 Sat: garden pea x 1 prawn tails x 2 Sun: Strawberry approx 4cm3 spinach approx 6cm2 pellet x 1 Mon: chick pea x 1 pumpkin approx 2cm3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Masquerade Posted February 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2012 Woot, my order from Age of Aquariums arrived today. I put the new fake plants into the aquarium and its all looking nice, especially with the airstone going. Darlings been a chicken as always, and has been hiding in the corner or his pot from the minute that the tank hood went up, but I tempted him out again with some of the new algae wafers I got. Looking good If I do say so myself, I had to take the fern out because he kept pulling bits off and trying to eat them, which was a bit of a worry and the mess was annoying, hopefully the new water wonders I got are acceptable replacements. I've decided to trail the marine iodine for a while too, it came with a nice glass eyedropper so I measured out 2mls of water, added a drop of iodine and stirred it in. I then added a drop of that to the tank. I was thinking of doing this once every three days, does that sound acceptable? I also made a video. That's all for now folks, bye bye! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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