IMO how to set up a tank to be healthy and immune

[JohnA26]

Absolutely. A few minutes ago

You put it in whole? Should I stop chopping mine?

 

[exnisstech]

You put it in whole? Should I stop chopping mine?

Big ones I'll break up, small ones I drop in whole. More fish get some if you chop it up. My naso gets most when I put them in whole, she's a pig.

 

[MyFirstCar]

Feed them with the dirt and all.


They do , but he asked about "newly hatched" brine shrimp. After about 2 days they start to feed and they are filter feeders but I doubt you would get enough gut bacteria in them to be of any benefit for that purpose.

If you feed them dirt and all, make sure no one's spraying pesticides around. I've heard of a couple tanks crashing that way.

 

[Paul B]

I can feed fresh earthworms to my tangs?

I have always done that.

 

[smitten with ocean life]

this is fascinating and makes me want to redo my tank! but first im going to look for earthworms!

 

[Paul B]

Whenever it rains hard, I go on my morning walk with a tweezers and a plastic bag to put in the earthworms I collect. Do I look weird? I certainly do so I pull a hood over my head so no one recognizes me.

Skinny earthworms that wriggle in the water are probably the best food you can give them especially for the gut bacteria. Now as I said at the very beginning of this thread I am an electrician and not a bacteria God so I am not sure what is the best bacteria for fish.

I do feed them with all the dirt on them that I collected them in. I have been doing this since I looked like this.



And so far I have no problems.......No fish problems anyway. I also don't have the heartbreak of psoriasis.

I started my tank by adding garden soil and I still do that occasionally because dirt and associated bacteria is a good thing.

In an aged, healthy tank you should see the beginning of the food chain. I have my pumps off now because I like to see the life that rises to the surface. Some of this living stuff is pods and some is the progeny of worms, shrimp and crabs. We can't easily see it but hermit crabs and all crustaceans spawn all the time. These creatures won't grow to adulthood in our tanks because we don't have the natural sunlight and microscope foods these creatures need to eat.

Right now my mandarin is at the surface trying to eat these things from the surface tension of the water.

Seeing this microscope life is essential to a tank and all healthy, old tanks would have it. If the microscope creatures are doing well, the rest of the creatures we spent a lot of money on should also do well.

Of course any medications would kill these things, especially copper as they are invertebrates.

 

[Nano_Man]

Whenever it rains hard, I go on my morning walk with a tweezers and a plastic bag to put in the earthworms I collect. Do I look weird? I certainly do so I pull a hood over my head so no one recognizes me.

Skinny earthworms that wriggle in the water are probably the best food you can give them especially for the gut bacteria. Now as I said at the very beginning of this thread I am an electrician and not a bacteria God so I am not sure what is the best bacteria for fish.

I do feed them with all the dirt on them that I collected them in. I have been doing this since I looked like this.



And so far I have no problems.......No fish problems anyway. I also don't have the heartbreak of psoriasis.

I started my tank by adding garden soil and I still do that occasionally because dirt and associated bacteria is a good thing.

In an aged, healthy tank you should see the beginning of the food chain. I have my pumps off now because I like to see the life that rises to the surface. Some of this living stuff is pods and some is the progeny of worms, shrimp and crabs. We can't easily see it but hermit crabs and all crustaceans spawn all the time. These creatures won't grow to adulthood in our tanks because we don't have the natural sunlight and microscope foods these creatures need to eat.

Right now my mandarin is at the surface trying to eat these things from the surface tension of the water.

Seeing this microscope life is essential to a tank and all healthy, old tanks would have it. If the microscope creatures are doing well, the rest of the creatures we spent a lot of money on should also do well.

Of course any medications would kill these things, especially copper as they are invertebrates.

Great write up Paul

 

[mythesis]

This is incredibly fascinating, thanks!

We actually have a bin of red wigglers for composting purposes....I never considered tossing one or two in as a tasty treat for the fish. I assume the fish would love them?