u/SoulSeekersAnon

Miss Mystique is too smart for her own good, like most bettas. She was introduced to some baby corys recently to see how she'd do in a large community tank in the future. Depending on how she does will determine the size of the permanent home. Either a 20 gal long up to a 55 gal sitting empty and beckoning. But here's the problem... I tried to feed the corys at night while she was asleep. But I messed up and gave them a small wafer they didn't have finished off into the next day so she chowed down and was a partly green guppy for a full day and change. I let her burn it off and decided to go with the sinking pellets that are smaller from my Micro Mix.

So, I wait until she's asleep and feed them and it works for a few days. Then one night, she wakes up while I'm doing it. And now? 😮‍💨 She won't go to sleep until I'm in bed asleep. Two observations was all it took for her to understand the routine, little genius.

I tried waiting her out a few times but she just won't go to bed because she knows what I'm doing. If I'm up, she's up. So, I tried blacking out the room and sneaking in when she finally appeared to be asleep. It was after 1am. (I'm over here doing the toddler room crawl... if ya know ya know.) She appeared to be, so I snuck close and dropped 2 instead of 3 just incase. Girl popped to life and came right over! She knew I was coming and was on screensaver mode. The corys were going to town then she shows up and crashes the party. Even when they're on opposite sides she'll go to whatever one they're eating. She doesn't follow the food. She follows them. So I removed one since they would just go back and forth and went to grab the other but the ramshorn had it.

Unless I'm in bed with my eyes closed, she isn't going down. If I move, she's up. 😂 She digests the balls much faster. I imagine there's less fiber in them. This video was her at 2am. I'll post a pic in the comments of what she looks like right now in all her glory. 🙄 Sorry, I talk to my fish like they're dogs so don't mind me... lmao

Recommendations from cohabers please?

I often tong feed my shrimp and snails for fun. The male shrimp especially will swim right up. You can see the blue rili looking on. The snails will come to the top of the tank to see if they can get something. The one tucked it into their foot then when snailing away behind the lava rock wall. Her sibling did the same but landed out in the open right on top of a bladder snail right under her "chin." Poor snail is stuck under a hungry hippo. Little beggers. 💚

So, I have wanted eel loaches for so long. It's been a journey. I read and read about their keeping and finally went to my local aquarium shop (to avoid Petco) and they had them. The guy working sold me some but totally lied to me about their fam. They had Pangio semicincta and Pangio oblonga (as far as I can tell now) in the same tank. When I asked about them, he told me they were the same species. When I asked if he was sure, he said absolutely that there where black Pangio semicincta. When I asked if it was safe for them to be on aquarium sand, yes. When I asked if they were safe with Neocaridina davidi, yes. Will they be okay, just the two of them until I'm back? Yep. So I bought what they had intended on coming back for more when they got them in in a few days. A black and a banded. Sad now that I know better.

I'm home and the banded loach (who knows which) wasn't doing well. When I went to trouble shoot, I read "Since 90% of Pangio loaches are wild caught..." 😶 I read so much and it didn't give me anything but care info and what their natural environment is. Now, I'm not here to crap on anyone for buying wild fish, but I wish I'd known that so I could have made sure they were tank bred. Hindsight and all that.

This is when I discover, no, dude straight up lied. There are no black Pangio semicincta. Although I'm still confused about how we tell who's who besides the black Pangio oblonga. The banded are hard to tell apart at least for me. I wish there was more information and AI wasn't running Google. Even if the info has always carried a risk, it's so much worse now. So! I'm here where the experts reside.

The banded loach unfortunately died. Who's to say why. I was really sad as I'm totally in love with the banded loach. I've learned I'll have to settle here but that's okay. I love all eel fish. 😊 The water parameters where totally perfect. Could have been stress. Could have been the aquarium gravel being too coarse since I was told it was fine and what they had them on. I took the single black kuhli out and put him in a 12 qt bin with nothing but boiled oak leaves and a heater, filter, and got to work finding him a fam. I ordered 4 more from someone who said they tank raised them and they're all healthy but look suspiciously wild to me based on their shape and sizes. But hey, I've never bred a black loach so what do I know? They went into the quiet bin with him.

I gradually exposed them to more and more light over the next wk and did frequent water changes. Today, they got moved into a 10 gal. It does still have aquarium gravel, but everything I've read said this is totally fine for the black loach but it will be appropriate sand like pool filter sand in the upcoming 40 gal Walstad tank. But now that I've seen someone breeding them on here, they might get their own 55 gal! 😂 It's not perfectly cycled, but their filter and leaves went with them. I'll be monitoring it closely. Eventually, they're going in a 40 gallon community tank with some peaceful friends so this will all change.

Now to the rock pile in the corner. I thought these river stones would be fun for them. But now I'm wondering if it's not safe, like they could get stuck. They seem to be having a blast with it so far. Noodling in and out. I figured I left it a little high, so ended up lowering it. I can remove it entirely or spread it out if need be. What do the eel fish peeps have to say? 😊

who knows what day I'm actually on here. Lol We're getting there! My mom said the green beans are full of baby frogs springing everywhere! So they're sticking close to the house still. I just hope I'm not pulling some of the same froglets repeatedly. 😂 What a nightmare. Thank you frog Redditors for the kind and supportive comments. It is greatly appreciated and much needed. It has helped me to feel so much better and has helped me to get back out there many times. I can't tell you how nice that was. 💚

There are two adult wood frogs in there as well who were hidden really well. Though I don't see how they would be stuck. They can climb much better than the froglets. I also rounded up this toad that looks like it may have had a fractured front left arm that healed. My dyslexia really got the better of me in the toad post I made about it. Lmao! 🤣 I couldn't make out left from right especially since the pics posted backwards in order for some reason.

I hope it shouldn't be flagged as NSFW because there's no injury just healing (I'm totally guessing, it could've been born this way) and I don't find that graphic, but it doesn't mean someone else might not see it that way. It got a good dechlorinated soak like all the froglets then released after dark. It's nice to see this finally see the light at the end even though there are so many to go. Not nearly what there were though. More out than in thankfully. 😮‍💨🫪 I personally rounded up and released well over 100 yesterday. I lost count. Probably who is in the beans today. 😂

That toad was so chill I hope it's okay. It seemed to spunk up a bit after a soak and the sun went down but not much. It crawled out of the bin then just turned and looked at me. So I talked to it for 30 mins before just leaving. Hope it's alright. 🤞

So, I'm having a wood frog catastrophe over on r frogs and fished a toad out of the decommissioned pool about 30 mins ago. Once these babies are out, the liners getting cut out. I fished this toad out while trying to catch more wood froglets today. Well, more like it waddled to me. It doesn't seem to be able to hop well even though the back legs seem fine. I know toads don't hope as much as army crawl but this one seems clumpsier than usual. I gave a dechlorinated soak and was going to release when I noticed this oddity. What are your opinions between the front legs. The left looks as if it was broken above the wrist, but I'm not a vet. First two pics of the left front that is wonky and two of the right following. It's very docile and lethargic and it worries me. Last two are the froglets for fun. 😄 Thanks in advance for any help!

The tadpole army that was birthed in the decommissioned pool that's going to get turned into a wildlife pond. I figured they would be but wasn't sure if they were wood frogs. Unfortunately, they are. These little dudes transformed nearly over night. They didn't even have back legs the other day. Warm water will do that.

So I'm out there, with major nerve dysfunction at 3pm dripping sweat trying to catch as many as I can as they're getting baked. I would have have this thing torn down already, but have two big projects going already and am running on little sanity. I can't afford another vagus melt down.

I caught 20 before I had to give up and go lay down. There are hundreds more for which I added a ramp and just now 3 beach towels. It's working! I hope they're all out my morning (that's unlikely but I can hope) so I can go rip that liner out before anyone else comes to lay eggs.

The Cope's or gray tree frogs are all around trilling. The 20 babies were released. I felt terrible about them being stuck in the hot weather. Some have died in there. I cried a good part of the day and felt like a failure as a human being. I'm glad to see them using the towels so quickly. 😮‍💨 Long day...

They were very focused on this dead pothos stem until the dinner bell. I love the ones who grabbed their piece then planted themselves on the glass. 😂 I love that they love this food so much. 💚

I was told my betta has the marble gene based on how her coloration was coming in from the very edges inward. That it's called the "butterfly" effect (?) when rimmed in black. Either way, it's really amazing to see how quickly she changes. I was really excited about all the color she gained and so quickly! You could see a difference from just morning to night. Then baffled to see it disappear. Then remembered, the marble gene does that too. It's amazing that she may not ever settle on a permanent color or pattern. I also got to learn about the man who found the gene, Orville Gulley. Pretty interesting they were bred in a peanut butter jar in a prison. 😂 It appears I chose the perfect name for her after all. I ended up going with Mystique because she's awesome and my kid's favorite X-Men character. Very fitting it turns out. 💚 First pic is from her last post, second is from last night. It will be interesting to see what she does next.

Dead malls are so damn creepy. Even small ones like this. I love the sign reminding everyone not to smoke indoors. They're like "We are still operational. This doesn't count as "outside" guys..." 😂 I get fish supplies here. But the operational nail salon across the hall with the chairs pouring out the door is a good look.

We're mid tranformation, she's changing so fast it's amazing. I get to compare pics from the morning to evening and there's a huge difference. Compared to yesterday's post, it's insane. Do they always change color this fast? Does anyone think she is a marble pattern morph? 🤞 I'll stop posting every day... I'm just stunned, sorry. 😂

I wasn't able to get very good pics before she hid. But we have a berried shrimp! These are my first shrimp so it's exciting. Hoping to make some of you nostalgic. 😂 This happened last night after bed. Gotta wait for the lights to go out in the "city."

This is yesterday and today only. The first 5 are yesterday, the second 5 today. She's changing really fast. I'm seeing blues. 💙 Thinking of the name Plakat. It means "biting fish," what they're called in Thailand where they originate. It's not the most delicate sounding name, but they aren't exactly delicate fish. 😂

The homophobic Prince Hellel Lior Shtein the II (the second for some unknown reason. My kiddo slapped it on there because she finds it, and long names in general, hilarious. 😂) Aka Principus. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against "principuses" in this house. It's often sang in this style: https://youtu.be/gkBt7yLXyDk?si=cZKr86e7ZrvVA3wi

He was quite ill and tiny when I got him, almost emergency level kitten flea anemia. A dirty lil bag of bones. But he's a big beautiful boy now. 💙💚 He also is polydactyl and plotting world domination with his thumbs and his gal Nyx. I worship this cat. Nice to know there's another cat reddit page I can pay homage to his grace. He owns everyone in this house. 😂

I had to separate Minthe from his brother early in the winter because Orphne is a bully. He's still adorable however. So I had gone to our nearby nursery. In the winter, the only thing they had that would hold him was a Tineke variegated rubber tree. I took it home and he's absolutely loved it. It didn't grow all winter which was perfect. He slept on it pretty much every night.

But since the warm weather arrived it grew a new leaf and it was time to replace it and give it a proper spot in the house. So it was replaced with Philodendron erubescens and a bird's nest fern. I'm hoping they both do well. Sometimes it's hit or miss unfortunately.

I loved his face though. He stared for a long time. 😂💚 Last two are his brother Orphne's home. He just keeps growing more spots and looking even less impressed. I didn't know that was possible.

Fish doesn't have a name yet. And yes, fish is a Petco "baby boy" purchase. I was there for a rare cricket grab and was already looking for a predatory fish. We made eye contact and "he" said "See me." Lol So now fish is here. I have many aquatic setups in my home already. I did reading. And crazy story, believe it or not, the internet has changed some info in a short time period. *Gasp* 😱

Now it says "That fish will bloat and die from eating bladder snails." Whaaaa!? They eat them in the wild it says... This tank is entirely temporary in the first place because it's small (3.5 gal) so if he has to move so soon so be it. He can go in with my shrimp and juvenile mystery snails until I set him up a 10 gal tomorrow with already cycled water and plants. He hasn't gone crazy or anything, just ate one or two once he noticed them but he's been fighting with plant roots and a leaf stem for a good 3 mins. So he's laying down the law for sure.

There's a lot of conflicting info. I just wanted to cut down my bladder snail numbers and make a new friend, but I want to be a good friend. Assassin snails seemed extreme and I have mystery snails. I don't want any accidental cross contamination with that. I'm careful, but we can all make mistakes. As you can see, there are many baby snails. This tank is usually just for the snails and propogating new plants. Help? 😬💚 I promise I did research on this and have had aquariums with fish before. 😂 Betta just usually aren't my guys because I love community tanks. But this guy... I mean look at that pink ass fish. It will be interesting to see what they become with time and love.

These gals have a long story. 😂 I got their ancestors online a few years ago, sometime in 2022 I think. They have been homed in many tanks throughout the house. 8 current tanks with other inhabitants. Homed even in my house plants/terrariums. This group in the jar alone has been seperated and reunited many times. I'm thinking of making them another planted terrarium for just them. Opinions on designs? 😏 If I keep it humid enough, like this jar, they will hang out above ground a little more. The mancae are usually out in the open anyway, you can see them everywhere.

I missed such a cool pic from it the other day. It had a huge mold bloom and the babies were all over the glass cleaning it up. Thousands. But I was already busy and forgot to come back to it. I do think seeing them like this is cool though. It's like an ant farm but a dwarf white farm. Surprisingly, they make it all the way to the bottom and back again. I figured they would stay mostly in the upper half but they use the entire thing. It's cool to see their trails everywhere and how they change. 💚 DW aren't very exciting, but thought I'd share the jar. 😂 There are so many DWs in my house I try to give them away by the handful, but no one is interested in dwarf whites. Lol

I had no idea this place existed, like a lot of reddit gems. 😂 Here's my late submission. Prince (white) and Nyx (Tabby).

Prince _loves door._ And rug. Oh he loves rug. He flattens out like a pancake and rubs his chin all over it. Must be the texture, because our female cat Nyx doesn't like it at all and won't stand on it. 😂 I love when he cracks his eyes and sees me taking tons of pics and goes right back to sleep with a smile. Like "Yes... worship me human." 💚 I do buddy.

This is Lizzie. I've posted her before. I adopted her last year from a family. She belonged to one of their middle school aged kids. Lizzie had been with another family prior to them, but I remember her saying that they estimated she was around 4. But my memory could be totally making that up. 😂 I've been through chemo and rad, so my memory can be funny like that. I have tons of experience with reptiles, but Lizzie is the first leopard gecko I have had personally. I've been around quite a few though.

She came in a 10 gal with paper towels. Got moved to a temp 20 gal long. Now she's in a 50 gal. She has been getting a lot more exercise than she was in her prior years even though she bedded down for the winter pretty good. They didn't say how often they were feeding her (that I can remember, again lol to that), so we started with 2 feedings a wk, 2-3 crickets based on their size. 2 large or 3 smaller ones. So she got Uber delivery straight to her mouth (tong fed), not just her door, all winter. She's now deciding she doesn't want to be tong fed because she's so "wild." 🤭 God's I adore this lizard.

I felt she'd gotten a little too fluffy during this weird brumation and cut her back to once a wk. Always dusted. I alternate between calcium and calcium with D3 and a multivitamin. She always has calcium available. All her conditions are on point so that's not an issue. I am ordering new lighting so we don't have this cord disaster going on, but I'll be painting the room as well before this is all finished.

Anyway! What I'm curious about is her size. I'm familiar with the chart. Very. She has changed in shape and build exponentially. She looks like a "pitsenbulses" (pitbull 😂). Look at that head! Her neck is huge. Soooo, wtf over? Any input? Sorry for the rambling, but I'm not even sure what to ask here. She could maybe shed a little weight, but she's built like a trash compactor. Any thoughts about her true age, etc? I even thought maybe she could be a he, but nope. She's not a "giant" that I'm aware of and certainly doesn't look big enough to be one length wise. So, just really curious about her changes. If it could be mostly muscle due to changing her environment? There's a really big difference in how much exercise she was getting.

Anyone with any helpful input would be appreciated. Please don't come and be rude or just say "that gecko is obese." Really look at her neck and tail, etc and give me an honest and kind opinion. I'm looking for the pros. 😂 Even if it is that she's "just fat." 😄 She's already on a "diet." I'm honestly a little nervous to post this and thought of going to FB of all places first instead... Lol

Pictures 1-12 are of Lizzie last year when I got her and put her in the 20 gal long. 13-20 are her now in her 50 gal. I'll be posting more pics in the comments. Thx in advance for any opinions you may have. 💚

Prince, my white kitten is 8 months old and his new friend Nyx we have no idea. The vet said they think she's under 2. We fed her outside as a total cryptid for 8 months. I wouldn't have believed she existed if it weren't for her tiny tracks in the snow, the food gone, the warm house in the garage slept in. I saw a black shadow run away twice in 8 months. Hence the overly used name, Nyx. But it's too fitting.

She finally came to the backdoor 2 months ago. We spent over a wk with the sliding glass door hanging open for a half an hr to an hr at a time just letting her look in, run in, then out again. 😂 I think she was attracted to Prince even though she's fixed. I call her a "rattle cat" because she rattles the tip of her tail extremely fast. It made me think she was in tact and or marking, but she's not. She was especially drawn to my mom's female puppy though for some reason.

We ended up finding her old owner after she took over our basement for a month and it turned out to be a family friend's niece. 😂 Small world sometimes. He'd been here nearly daily helping remodel the house so it's even funnier he didn't realize it was her cat. But not too surprising I guess since he never met her (the cat.) But c'mon... Your niece lost a female cat nearly a year ago, 5 miles away. It's worth checking dude... lol Turns out she adopted her last year, took her home, let her out, the cat got out of the room and into the wall in the basement, then got outside somehow from there never to be seen again... until now. This poor girl. Both of them! 🥹

The cat's previous name was April. The month of my birthday. She doesn't respond to it but she certainly does Nyx. 😂 Mutter it and there she is like a shadow that just appeared in true Nyx fashion. Her adoption paperwork said she was a stray intake and that she was born (an estimate most likely) 10-08-2024. Making her a year and 7 months. But, she does have a chip. And the last recorded update before we changed her records according to the vet that checked was 1-24-23, making her at least 3 yrs old. But if I search the chip myself, it only shows 4-11-25 being the first (her adoption date from the humane society by this girl before me) and 4/24/26... huge theme of April in this cat's life even after she got the name. 😂 So the mystery continues. I imagine the 1-24-23 was an error, but we shall see what the humane society says when I call them. It's fascinating to try and find out her history.

But this is her now. After we got her in far enough and shut the door, she bolted to the basement and lived there seperated by tall window screen so they couldn't lick one another. 😂 I think they feel it was worth all the effort. Even if Prince did lose his little balls over it. Anyways, thought I'd share her intense journey with this goofy pic. She had a big bald spot under her entire jaw and two marble sizes ones behind her ears from nervous scratching that got way worse after we caught her. But it's now growing back beautifully. I can't imagine being that stressed. Well, I can, I just didn't lose my hair from the stress. It was more the chemicals of chemo. Lol But I imagine the stress levels are similar. Maybe that's why the cat distribution system led her to me/us. I'm so glad to see her sleep in the open with her best friends. 💚 Even Prince came here very ill with kitten flea anemia. I'm so grateful for them both.