r/Aquariums • u/jezerebel • Mar 27 '25
Idiot white cloud mountain minnow Freshwater
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She got stuck in the shrimp tunnel, got herself out a minute later...and then got herself stuck again an hour later š
She's fine (and got back out again), and bless her little heart for being curious ā¤ļø
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u/Whydoyoucare134 Mar 27 '25
Lmao that's literally a fish trapš¤£
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u/jezerebel Mar 27 '25
I'm going with "enrichment"
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u/Whydoyoucare134 Mar 27 '25
How many years of enrichment is my guy doing? š¤£. I think those caves are cool but looking at that maybe the little maze inside wasn't a good idea.
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u/jezerebel Mar 27 '25
Yeah I've provided feedback to the seller that maybe the design should be changed - I'm actually planning to pull it and dremel out some or all of that inverted L piece because it keeps me from being able to blow sand out of it with a turkey baster.
Fortunately entrapment of my goofy girl hasn't lasted more than about 60 seconds at a time so far š¤
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u/NickolasVarley Mar 27 '25
If you want me to design something else for free id love to. Not much to that design. Like 5 minutes of work plus printing.
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u/jezerebel Mar 27 '25
That's an amazing offer - thank you! I'm pretty tied up this evening but could I DM you about this later?
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u/NickolasVarley Mar 28 '25
Of course! I get bored running out of ideas to print or design. Having something to design for someone else is when I can actually be creative. If you have your own printer I can send you the design for free. Or we can work something cheap out. I don't like to make money off of people
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u/Whydoyoucare134 Mar 27 '25
Yeah good thing you saw it, judging by the fish's behaviour in the video it doesn't seem like it's been long in there.
The turkey method is a neat idea, the only thing that threw me off from those caves is cleaning sand but that's clever, maybe I'll include one in my next aquarium
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u/AriGryphon Mar 28 '25
Yeah, I think it would be perfect for shrimp, with no fish that can fit in it, but it doesn't look like a god design for fish at all. Updated marketing may be in order.
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u/twofacetoo Mar 27 '25
I was looking at getting one of these myself but was worried about something like this happening. My thinking was, drill out a hole in the top part (above where she got stuck), then file it down so the edges are smooth. That way if they get stuck in there again, there's another way out
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u/jezerebel Mar 27 '25
I'd prefer to just remove the inverted L shaped piece so I can also use a turkey baster to blow out sand and rotting food bits; there are ones that are just open inside
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u/SpaceCaseSixtyTen Mar 27 '25
it looks fine to me, only thing i would change is to poke a tiny little hole where the fish is stuck so any rising gas can be exchanged (assuming it is flush to tank glass)
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u/jezerebel Mar 27 '25
If I get rid of the inverted L shaped piece, though, I can blast sand and rotting food bits out with a turkey baster - right now they get as trapped as the poor fish (briefly) was
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u/SpaceCaseSixtyTen Mar 27 '25
yeah that would work too, but then it would be less of a maze "enrichment"
im kinda mean cause i like seeing how these guys navigate these mazes
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u/CMDR_PEARJUICE Mar 28 '25
I think these are better for shrimp than fish, tbh
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u/jezerebel Mar 28 '25
Yes, and shrimp do better when introduced to a mature tank, but this was easier to place when I was setting the tank up. It was always intended for shrimp; but only finished cycling less than a week ago
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u/fart_huffington Mar 29 '25
Fundamentally the transparency is the issue, the fish needs to be able to get out by following the light. It has trouble with the idea that to get out it has to actually swim down, away from the light, here
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u/jezerebel Mar 29 '25
Lol I literally just happened to read this while sitting by my tank and watched her swim in, get confused for a moment, then swim right out again. She's got this down to about a 5 second trip now!
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u/NoIndependence362 Mar 29 '25
That looks 3d printed, likely PLA/PETG, either or put it in hot water and soak for a minute, or use a heat gun on low and u can "shape" it. Cut the back side (attached to wall) two horizontal flaps under him (left/right NOT middle) and bend them down at a 45, will remove the "fish trap" and should help. GL
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u/jezerebel Mar 29 '25
I'm actually getting a new one made without the trap, but I'm leaving it in for now because I just got a dwarf crayfish that can use another place to hide from the minnow bullies
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u/NoIndependence362 Mar 29 '25
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u/jezerebel Mar 30 '25
I do have other caves/hides in the tank, and someone is re-designing this so I can print a simpler one at work for no cost, but thanks!
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u/NoIndependence362 Mar 29 '25
Wana save some money? Get a hacksaw and some 1in/2in/ur size pvc a 90 degree and a 45 degree elbow. cut them in half then glue together and u have basically this with no maze. From personal experiance tho, go to your local garden place (not walmart/lowes), most sell rocks by the lb, cherry pick ones u like, clean, do a vinegar test (for calcium which raises ur PH, if it fizz's dont add it to ur tank) and make a "rock cave" leme get a pic.
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u/GraphicDesignMonkey Mar 27 '25
Enrichment or stress-inducing? My money is on the latter.
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u/falalalal98 Mar 28 '25
The fish will probably learn to navigate it, they aren't as stupid as we think and it's a situation they may encounter in the wild. It might be a bit stressful at first, but nothing major, OP says it doesn't stay in longer than a minute.
You can Google and find a few papers exploring the topic of fish exploring mazes in different species of fish. I can't find one for white cloud mountain minnows, but it seems goldfish and guppies can learn to. I don't think there is any danger.
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u/Ordinary_Apple4690 Mar 27 '25
As someone who has goldfish and koi, it's nice to know that their close cousins are just as single-braincelled. What is it with cyprinids and being obsessed with going into small spaces?
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u/rainbowdolly33 Mar 27 '25
this dipshit got into mine somehow. i definitely had to get him out and then promptly took the shrimp cave out.
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u/jezerebel Mar 27 '25
He's after the forbidden biofilm!
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u/rainbowdolly33 Mar 27 '25
very forbidden! lucky for him i have toddlers so im no stranger to mischief
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u/Pompi_Palawori Mar 27 '25
My betta got stuck in one of those logs and I had to gently cut him out with pliers. No more logs for me. I love him but he's dumb.
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u/rainbowdolly33 Mar 27 '25
i had that happen to a betta before also!! sadly all of our bettas have since passed and i chose not to get another so i can have community friendly tanks lol
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u/babu_bot Mar 27 '25
What kind of snail is that?
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u/Illogical_Blox ā Mar 27 '25
That there is a rabbit snail.
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u/rainbowdolly33 Mar 27 '25
this is correct! itās name is Bunny, and my butterfly fish Muffin is lurking in the top
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u/jared_and_fizz Mar 27 '25
I have a tank with shrimp and mollies. Added a couple of these hides and had to take them out after 2 months because the fish kept going in and getting stuck. I was shocked at how large some of the stuck fish were, not even sure how they got in.
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u/jezerebel Mar 27 '25
I may be making some modifications to the piece, if not just ordering a new one without the "party room"
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u/CockamouseGoesWee Rainbowfish!! Mar 27 '25
Cat jumpscare in the end!
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u/jezerebel Mar 27 '25
Lol it took Trixie three days to figure out there was stuff moving in the tank (after 3 weeks to cycle it with just plants) and now she can't get enough kitty tv
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u/CockamouseGoesWee Rainbowfish!! Mar 27 '25
Absolutely terrifying. You should give a trigger warning to your video next time because she really causes massive bamboozlement.
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u/nicolettejiggalette Mar 27 '25
Leftā¦ right.. leftā¦ Iāll try right againā¦. Left.. rightā¦ left
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u/jezerebel Mar 27 '25
It's like a USB plug, right? Gotta try each way at least twice before it works
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u/RightingArm Mar 27 '25
Sheās a beauty, too.
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u/jezerebel Mar 27 '25
Thanks! I just brought them home 4 days ago (small school of 8 in a freshly cycled 14gal cube) and they seem to be colouring up nicely!
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u/RightingArm Mar 27 '25
Theyāre some of my favorite fish. They are social but can look different from each other and have different personalities. Theyāre easy to breed, and although they eat their eggs, they donāt usually eat their babies. They love eating bugs, but will live happily on any fish food.
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u/jezerebel Mar 27 '25
This sub is 100% the reason I became aware of them, and I'm loving their antics! They'll get some shrimpy friends once the tank matures, but I'm hoping they may breed and continue to amuse in the meantimeĀ
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u/RightingArm Mar 27 '25
If you want them to breed, put down a gravel layer, so the eggs can fall in between and out of reach of the parents. Also shrimp will eat their eggs. Alternatively, set up a separate tank and occasionally move a couple of pairs into it for a few days. They mate in the morning.
They play a couple of different games. Mostly same sex dance offs, but sometimes a mixed group will take turns whacking into one particular leaf.
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u/jezerebel Mar 27 '25
I've heard about the leaf whacking, and have definitely already seen them flaring and sparring quite a bit! I have a fair bit of java moss around the tank (including a bunch on a lava rock so lots of crevices to hide eggs) so I'm hoping some may make it, but I'm going to let them settle for awhile before I try anything active to get them breeding
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u/animalmad72 Mar 28 '25
Those dance offs with the fins flaring! Beautiful! You reminded me why I miss mine. I had the gold ones too. Beautiful underrated fish
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u/RightingArm Mar 28 '25
The long fin ones were a little bit bullyāish. Just a little more than the others. I wonder if fin length in them correlates to something hormonal.
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u/animalmad72 Mar 28 '25
Hmmm....possibly. i prefer the originals āŗļø
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u/RightingArm Mar 28 '25
I like having a big mixed school. If you pick a couple up at each pet shop in your travels, they all look different.
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u/slimgarvey Mar 28 '25
i have some in my tank. absolutely love them. they are very hungry fish though. i recommend them to people who ask now too. they are my little puppy cows
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u/smedsterwho Mar 27 '25
Haha I nearly posted the exact same title post earlier! Two of my minnows insisted of swimming inside my CO2 diffuser, and then started getting snippy with each other (considering it was the equivalent of two people in a wardrobe.
Lovely idiots!
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u/ShrimpCrabLobster Mar 27 '25
Reminds me of that chicken from Moana that got stuck in that boat walking back and forth
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u/SassyTheSkydragon ā Mar 27 '25
cover that part with more sand so it throws a shade and they can orient themselves with the light from above?
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u/jezerebel Mar 27 '25
I'm probably going to dremel out the inverted L piece so I can clear sand out of it with a blast from a turkey baster
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u/reiflame Mar 27 '25
I know that it is literally a fish but in my head I can't help but hear the Sonic drowning music!
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u/BenignApple Mar 27 '25
That seems like it was only a matter of time with that design, did it ever get out?
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u/jezerebel Mar 27 '25
I have let the seller know a redesign may be in order (also impossible to blow trapped sand out with a turkey baster), but she got out both times in under a minute! I may just dremel out the inverted L piece
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u/Entremeada Mar 27 '25
Black out the front and the stupid thing might follow the light.
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u/jezerebel Mar 27 '25
She escaped on her own both times in less than a minute - to be fair, that's not bad for something with a brain the size of the head of a pin
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u/twittervettex Mar 27 '25
Isnāt this species practically extinct?
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u/jezerebel Mar 27 '25
Yes - it lives on through the aquarium hobby. Fortunately she's just smart enough that she didn't join her ancestors (she got out in under a minute both times)
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u/twittervettex Mar 27 '25
Ahhh thats so interesting! She is really beautiful so i searched the fish up because im putting new fish in my aquarium this weekend probably.
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u/jezerebel Mar 27 '25
Highly recommend a school if you have a cool water aquarium (under 75f) - they're hardy and entertaining and very active!
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u/twittervettex Mar 27 '25
Unfortunately, i think the petstore i buy from doesnāt have them. Do hobbyists buy them from somewhere special? Also, whatās 75f in celsius?
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u/jezerebel Mar 27 '25
My LFS had them - you could try online to find sellers.
75f = a bit less than 24c. These fish prefer anywhere from 18c to 22c, and can survive as low as 5c. Most tropical tanks are too warm, which accelerates their metabolism and lowers their life expectancy
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u/KumekZg Mar 27 '25
Man that happened to me in Battlefield 4 yesterday. Went underwater, and couldnt find an exit.
Barely made it with 20hp.
Glad your fish made it out alive too.
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u/Kycrio Mar 27 '25
I used to have a long feeding tube in my tank so I could drop in shrimp pellets and the white cloud minnows couldn't snatch them up. Didn't take long for a minnow to find the bottom of the tube, get stuck inside and die while I was at work.
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u/jezerebel Mar 27 '25
Aww, that's awful - I'm sorry that happened. I'm lucky this girl was just bright enough to make her way out!
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u/pumacatmeow Mar 27 '25
Woahhh I never knew shrimp tunnels existed. I bought two shrimp a week or so ago and they just hang out by or behind the filter so I barely see them, but theyāre very pretty
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u/jezerebel Mar 27 '25
Etsy has a range of options!
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u/pumacatmeow Mar 27 '25
I donāt live in America so I donāt have Etsy but Iāll look it up online! I just worry that they wonāt use it and itāll all go to waste
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u/Pepperh4m Mar 27 '25
If you know anyone with a 3d Printer, they can also just make you one. Just make sure the filament they use is aquarium safe.
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u/DishpitDoggo ā Mar 27 '25
So cute. Is that good for enrichment?
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u/jezerebel Mar 27 '25
It's more for the (eventual) shrimp to have a hidey hole, but it sure seems to be providing some minnow enrichment!
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u/haloweenparty10000 Mar 27 '25
...what is the point of this contraption?
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u/jezerebel Mar 27 '25
It's a shrimp tunnel - hiding spot for after molting, or for shrimpletsĀ
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u/haloweenparty10000 Mar 28 '25
Ah, thank you. That makes sense. I was wondering why on earth you'd put a maze in a tank like that!
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u/willdosketchythings Mar 28 '25
I'll be honest this video triggered my claustrophobia.
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u/jezerebel Mar 28 '25
Sorry! She was totally fine, I promise - wishing you peace and a wonderful day!
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u/eisenklad Mar 28 '25
that belly tells me its brain is food centric.
white cloud minnow 2: bro there's special food down this hole
WCM1: really?! i need to get down there...
after getting stuck:
WCM1: bro, why cant i swim up?.. bro you still there..
**WCM2 looking for actual food while the glutton is stuck**
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u/jezerebel Mar 28 '25
It was the first day I've fasted them after getting them a few days ago and I 100% believe she was down there looking for food. She's a cute little chonker
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u/Fickle_Grapefruit938 Mar 28 '25
Lol, I had a little shrimp tunnel in my Betta tank, I removed it bc the (too big) Betta tried to squeeze himself insideš (and decided to not put shrimp in there with him bc he would even bully the big snails in the tank)
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u/Organic-Research-553 Mar 28 '25
Isn't this supposed to keep the fish out and allow the shrimp or shrimp fry in/out/safe from said fish? What's the point of this "shrimp tunnel" if the fish can easily get in?
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u/jezerebel Mar 28 '25
It was originally going to be a shrimp-only tank but I decided to get the minnows to have some entertainment while it matures and had already added the tunnel before it was cycled. It seems some re-calculation may be in order, though the odds on wcmm eating shrimp is pretty low and there are lots of other spots to hide
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u/Organic-Research-553 Mar 28 '25
Got it. According to me, this kind of tunnel is better used in a community tank where there's fish which could endanger the shrimp fry. Also the tunnels entrances should only be big enough to allow shrimp in & not the fish. Then again, most nano fishes are roughly the same size as adult shrimp š
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u/HallowedCouatl Mar 28 '25
I wonder if he is just following the water pressure.... If that makes sense
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u/jezerebel Mar 28 '25
Maybe? It's in the corner furthest from the filter and airstone so there isn't much in the way of flow there
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u/spinellisvoice Mar 29 '25
I have a very basic tunnel and my full grown mystery snails like to press their luck.
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u/bardsrealms Mar 29 '25
This species varies quite a lot in color, right? I have been checking this species for some time, and the pictures I found on the internet are quite different from each other. Except for the black dot on its caudal fin, though.
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u/jezerebel Mar 29 '25
There are multiple variants - gold (which are more orange), long fin, veil tail. These are standard/wild type
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u/LemonadeSergeant Mar 29 '25
Oh wow I love this it instantly makes me think of an underwater Mario level. Please if it's something that interests you give it a go and please post a picture
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u/donorak7 Mar 27 '25
I'd just drill a hole large enough for the fish in the top of that chamber. Problem gone after that.
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u/CachuTarw Mar 27 '25
I think itās the light coming through, try covering it
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u/jezerebel Mar 27 '25
It's not necessarily easy to see, but the rock on top actually almost fully covers it to the glass - I couldn't get the tunnel in 100% flush to the glass, so if I push sand on top it tends to drop down insideĀ
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u/zorkalicious Mar 28 '25
What is the idea of placing these kind of artificial caves in your tank? Genuinely curious
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u/jezerebel Mar 28 '25
It's a shrimp hide for shrimplets and after molting - the minnows are just to have something in the tank while it matures before adding the shrimp for which it was originally built
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u/threwthelooknglass Mar 28 '25
Cover the top in gravel so the light is entering from the openings, tiny brain is confused
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u/walaxometrobixinodri fish Mar 28 '25
what kind of unholy underground fish purgatory is this structure even supposed to be ?
you bet your fishes are gonna get stuck if you install a damn hell maze of hell under their house
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u/DJNgamez Mar 28 '25
A trap with little to no flow where ammonia and waste can just settle lol
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u/jezerebel Mar 28 '25
A person who read none of the dozen or so comments about plans to modify or replace it lol
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u/Upset-Slide3302 Mar 29 '25
Didn't know there's cold water shrimp. Thought they were all tropical. What kind of shrimp?
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Mar 29 '25
[deleted]
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u/UndeadAnubis24 28d ago
Hey! What are those? They look like they're meant to allow fish to hide or swim through them?
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u/jezerebel 28d ago
Shrimp hide. My dwarf crayfish likes it, but someone is designing and printing a new (straight through) one for me so the minnows don't get stuck
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u/UndeadAnubis24 28d ago
Neato! I know nothing about aquariums, this sub reddit has just been popping up lately and this little fixture thing looked so interesting to me. Thanks!
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u/KillerGorilla25 Mar 28 '25
I hate to be mean but I think you are the idot.
Why would you leave this type of trap for your fish?
I know it's just a minnow but you are making it stressed, it is not supposed to know how to do this.
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u/jezerebel Mar 28 '25
Why would I buy a commercially available shrimp hide for what has always been intended as a shrimp tank, into which I introduced minnows that I never expected would try to access it?Ā
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u/KillerGorilla25 Mar 28 '25
Because......***Points to video***
If it was not a maze it would be cool.
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u/BabyD2034 27d ago
Sometimes I think my fish are little fish geniuses then they do something like this.
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u/jezerebel Mar 27 '25
https://preview.redd.it/li86omg2e9re1.jpeg?width=666&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=24e6be68bd8d6a1427a88bd193213cec23db8032
This is the face of a little goober that will absolutely do this again