My first O. Hummelincki

[skywindsurfer]

Ya I had three and was able to catch out two but that one is just too fast. I know what you're going to say, why didn't I take it out when I moved everything over. Well I don't have anywhere to put it, and it was kind of bicatch from one of my trips to Port A. that I forgot to put back. I don't even feed it but its always fat and happy stays clear away from Bubbles. I have no idea what its eating though.

 

[iAlex]

Haha, he's a survivor. Anyone that determined to live should be able to.

 

[skywindsurfer]

I keep telling my wife that I hope Bubbles grabs it, but it's just a little trooper. The other two went to my wife's office tank, but we wont be going back there until another week or so, so maybe if I can catch it out I'll take it up there.

 

[skywindsurfer]

Rearranging rocks right now. I'm trying to patch all of the holes so that you cannot see through the back of the tank.

 

[skywindsurfer]

Well I did about as much as I can for now. I'll have to wait until the tank clears again so that I can see if there are any holes that I missed. I'll post pictures soon.

 

[skywindsurfer]

Here's the new and improved, but not quit so final structure.

 

[skywindsurfer]

So my wife and I are just sitting on the couch when we hear a splat/thud from behind the tank. I quickly look behind the tank to see Bubbles sitting on top of the sump, and then slide down into the tank. Now she's trying to either crawl out of the sump or just exploring. I'm going to try and fish her out now. Then I have to better octopus proof the tank.

 

[iAlex]

Was her escape serious, or just a fun little tank-switch?

 

[skywindsurfer]

Well it gave us a good shock, but I'm pretty sure it was just a fun little field trip for her. It took me about five to ten minutes to get her into the pitcher so I could place her back into the tank. She didn't ink, flinch, or show any signs of stress the whole time. As soon as I got the pitcher up to the aquarium she crawled right out of the top and plopped into the tank. She crawled to the far right side of the tank, behind the rocks, and beneath the MaxiJet and is a sandy white color. So I think its safe to assume that she's a bit upset about having her trip cut short so quickly. I made a decent make-shift cover for the back of the hood that completely seals the gap that she climbed out of. So we'll just have to keep an eye on her to make sure she recovers and the cover holds.

 

[skywindsurfer]

Well last night Bubbles returned to her normal color and behavior and came out again about an hour or so after I placed her back into the tank. I fed her another shrimp which she took like normal. The water level was still not staying level, so I had to shut the pumps off to keep it from flooding while we were asleep. The powerheads are still running and turning the surface so I know there is still plenty of gas exchange, but Bubbles isn't looking so hot. I think it's just because the lights are off and everything, but she's pale again and her breathing has slowed a bit. I have a video of her last night eating the shrip I gave her while she sat in front of one of the MaxiJets. It's very funny. I'll have to post it later.

 

[skywindsurfer]

 

[skywindsurfer]

Since we were unable to syncronize the the return and syphon, we just took the sump off line. I kept the two MaxiJets for circulation and added an airstone for oxygenation to the main tank. The sump has a whisper filter designed for 40 gallons for filtration as well as an airstone for oxygenation. Bubbles is being extremely still today. My wife said she hasn't been very active and her breathing has been slow. I'm going to try and feed her now and see how she reacts.

 

[skywindsurfer]

She took the shrimp almost like normal. I think she's just recovering from her little outing yesterday. She ate the shrimp and colored up just fine. The make shift back panel for the hood is still in place, so she's trap in there with no escape channel. So no more worries about that happening again.

 

[skywindsurfer]

I have some bad news about Bubbles. I'll post the video and see what everyone has to say when it's done loading.

 

[skywindsurfer]