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Hi all: As I continue to work on my Six-Piece Nano-Ponds project, I wanted to try an alternative to the tried-and-true sponge filter: this 4" box filter from Jehmco: https://jehmco.com/html/box_filters.html (non-affiliate link) In the constant debate between sponge and box filters, the sponge filter usually wins for me, except for one big problem: that thing is a mess to clean, even using the baggie technique. So I thought I would see if I could get some nice layered sponge work going on in such a way as to make it easiest to clean and most efficient in polishing the water while I'm at it! The Jehmco box filter consists of three pieces. Water flow goes from top to bottom, and then bubbles back up through a tube in the center. So, rather than think of mechanical media and bio media as two distinct phases in filtration, I'm thinking of it more along the lines of a "gradation". Coarse particles get filtered out and removed first, and the fewest bacteria grow there, because that's cleaned and/or changed more often. At the end, I would have the most bacteria and the finest particles. And all the layers in-between would be a progression from one to the other. If I layer things right, the plan is to never change most of the media! So I went hunting on Amazon, and found this lovely pack of AquaNeat foam pads in various densities, designed for SunSun filters and others: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07VBQHKR1 (non-affiliate link) This selection provided me three pads of each kind, all for $13. It may seem like overkill, but I'm actually building SIX such filters, so it'll all get used! The pads are about 8-1/2" across, so I figured I could get 2-3 box filter pads from each one. I plan never to replace them. The replaceable part comes from this blue and white floss, $7 from PetSmart (sometimes discounted), and I think I should be able to get somewhere around 20 pads from this one piece! The final type of pad I wanted to employ here was also a piece of filter foam from Aquarium Co-Op, because it's so very coarse and a good first layer: https://www.aquariumcoop.com/collections/filter-media/products/sponge-pad-coarse After taking some measurements, I decided I needed four-inch circles, so I first cut a piece of cardboard to size, and I used that as a guide for cutting my pads. I punched each pad twice with a chopstick to make room for the filter tubes, and assembled my "Dagwood Sandwich" of a box filter! I ended up using TWO floss pads for the top, to help catch more detritus before it enters the pad assembly. Looks like the Aquarium Co-Op pad will catch a lot as well. One last bit of hot-rodding to do: The Jehmco Web site suggests that putting a real uplift tube on the filter will significantly increase the draw of water through it. So I purchased a 3-foot piece of 1/2" stiff tubing (also from Jehmco), cut it into six-inch lengths, and it fit quite snugly on my filter box: And that's it. I'm hoping that maintenance will pretty much consist of replacing the two floss pads, lightly rinsing the first couple layers of pads most often, rinsing the rest of the pads progressively less often. One souped-up, turbo-charged, hot-rodded box filter ready to go! I'll try to post a follow-up in coming months about how well this worked out. Thanks for reading! Bill

So you need to start a thread somewhere so mine will start with yesterdays happenings in the fishroom. Not that little water spills happen all the time in a fishroom. But generally floods don't happen much as you hopefully gain experience. I even know the various little tasks I can get done while draining the brine shrimp hatcher, so as to not create a smelly mess on the floor. So may as well start a fishroom thread with water on the floor. Yesterday I was slow filling a 5 gallon bucket with a 1/2" line from my water change system. This generally takes about 8 minutes so I go about lots of other stuff in the process. But. . . yesterday my phone rang right after I started the water. You already know the scenario, I had to leave the room to get the person some information, it all took longer than expected, get off the call, and BAM!, it hits me, I'm still filling that bucket. Run down the hall to find the fishroom floor flooded. Didn't think to snap a picture, next time I will, my whole thought process was to keep the water from hitting the carpet (it was literally inches away). Attached is my text conversation I had with Randy whom of course said "post it to the forum", well here you go.

I used this project to get rid of greenwater in my 2.5 gallon for cheap but this project can easily be scaled up to larger tanks. The price assumes you already have an air pump, airline, and air stone. The only tools required are a saw and drill. First you will need a UV bulb that you can get off ebay for $12 and a some pvc pipe, you can get a 2" diameter x 2' length at homedepot for under $3. -> UV light on ebay Cut the pvp so it's long enough to be pushed into the substrate and so the top is above the water line. Then drill holes around the pipe (see pictures) near the botton and near the top. Once that's done put the pipe in the tank vertically and place the UV bulb inside the pipe between the sets of drilled holes to keep your eyes safe from the UV light and put in an airstone near the bottom of the pipe. The air will create lift and pull water in the bottom holes and push it out the top holes. And that's it you're done, UV sterilizer for cheap. Also whenever the greenwater or pest ect are gone just remove the bulb and add bio balls to convert it to an oxygen rich bio reactor. Happy building ( ͡ᵔ ͜ʖ ͡ᵔ )

I didn't realize how cheap and easy live foods are until I did it. For about $30 I was able to get four cultures of Vinegar Eels and Microworms started. I got the cultures off Aquabid for $10 shipped. The four glass bottles are from Michael's craft store. I got them for $15 using a 20% off coupon. The plastic containers are from Dollar Tree, $1. The rest of the required items I had. Apple cider vinegar, an apple, and instant unflavored potatoes. If you're thinking about getting a breeding program going don't hesitate to get some live foods going before you have fry. Also it's like infinite free fish food for like ever, what's not awesome about that. Cory has two great videos on setting up these cultures, which I followed exactly. https://youtu.be/-kkQS6XgG00 https://youtu.be/AMrU6S3DZRQ

Hi all: Thought I'd share yesterday afternoon's quick project. My Easy Green doser is based on a glass Starbucks coffee bottle, a USB nano pump, and a few parts I had lying around the house. Here's what's involved: 1. Starbucks bottle ($3): Glass is necessary for this kind of approach, because it doses the fertilizer based on air pressure. Plastic bottles flex too much! 2. Digital timer ($7): Needs only to be accurate within one minute. 3. Airline adapters ($0.25): for joining multiple lengths or air tubing. 4. Airline adjuster valve ($2): Higher quality is somewhat important here; I recommend the Ziss valve. 5. USB nano air pump ($9) 6. Airline tubing ($1): I used three lengths, about 5 feet total. Total Cost: About $22-$23 After cleaning the bottle and removing the labels, I drilled two 3/16" holes in the metal lid. I glued the two airline adapters into the lid from the bottom using 5-minute epoxy. (Silicone would have been better, but I'm impatient!) Then, I attached a short length of tubing on the inside of one of the adapters, and two longer pieces on the outside. That's pretty much all the DIY work that's involved! As air is pumped into the bottle, the build-up of air pressure forces the Easy Green out. I installed the Ziss valve on the output end of the fertilizer, and cranked it down to almost closed. I tested this with water first. 😉 Knowing the following: - 20 drops = 1mL - The digital timer can only run in as little as 1-minute increments - It will continue to drip for a few seconds after the timer turns off ...I set my digital timer to one minute and plugged in the pump. I then turned the valve all the way down so that I was getting one drop about every two seconds. That works out to about 35-40 drops (about 2mL), which is a perfect one-time dose for my 20 gallons of water. Here's the whole rig ready to go: And here it is installed in my sump: There you go! It was less than $25 in parts, and less than an hour's worth of work. Thanks for reading! Bill

I have a whole pile of these from the 30's through the 50's. It's kind of interesting how some products have evolved and the basic principles of fish keeping have stayed the same.

Okay, this source of live foods is very easy and totally free. There's a ditch in front of my house that dries up from time to time, but when it has water in it, it has mosquito larva and Daphnia. Recently I've been keeping it from drying out by running a water hose into it. You can see from the video just what a couple swipes of the net produces. My fish love this stuff.

Many thanks to @J. Mantooth for locating, scanning, and then uploading to our forum the November 1936 issue of “The Aquarium” magazine. The November 1936 issue of “The Aquarium” magazine highlights three fish that are stalwarts of today's hobby. On the cover is the all-time favorite neon tetra and inside there are articles on both Japanese Rice Fish, and Oscars. The first imports of neon tetras into United States in the spring of 1936 were flown directly from Hamburg Germany to Lakehurst New Jersey aboard the very last flight of the airship Hindenburg (its next flight ended in a fiery catastrophe while trying to dock at Lakehurst). Interestingly, the pattern set by that first importation would continue even into this day, that is, five of the first six neons died shortly after arriving. If you think it’s disappointing your Petco neons died, imagine paying the equivalent of $10,000 in shipping and just getting one live fish. That one remaining fish ended up at the Shedd aquarium in Chicago and was referred to by the public as “the last of the Mohicans”. Eventually, Fred Cochu of Paramount Aquarium purchased the first large shipment of 4000 neons and was able to put them on sale for $10 a piece (big money in 1936). Fortunately the neons that had passed away still served good scientific use. The expired neons were sent to Dr. George S Myers at the National Museum in Washington DC for examination and he named the fish in honor of William T. Innes, Hyphessobrycon innesi. It would be like a new species puffer being named for @Cory, something like Tetraodon aquariumcoopi. In 1936 Japanese Rice Fish are referred to as Medakas The author of the article on Oscars generally refers to them by their scientific name of Astronotus ocellatus. But refers to his pair (which, by way of tribute German Aquarist) as Oscar and Lena. Could this be how they got the name Oscars? My favorite quote from about Oscars in the article is "God gave too many brains to the cichlids and didn't have enough left over to go around". Much of the aquarium equipment advertised in the November 1936 issue looks remarkably familiar. Even something that looks a sump or a proto-cannister filter If you haven't had a chance to download this file, I would highly recommend giving it a try. The advice in the articles holds up even 84 years later and the ads are a lot of fun.

I stand by the quarantine med trio and it has worked beautifully to treat issues for which it was designed. However, I have run into a couple of instances of fish ailments that weren't covered by the trio that didn't really show up during quarantine. (Usually 5 or 6 weeks, for me, give or take a day or two.) From my research (online and books), these don't seem like super everyday common issues and don't generally present symptoms right away or are harder to spot. So far, some of my fish have presented (after quarantine): Camallanus Worms - Treated with Safeguard Goat Drench (Fenbendazole) while waiting for Levamisole to arrive (3 weeks later). Now I am the crazy paranoid fish lady that periodically checks my fish's vents for worms. (Never thought that would be my jam. 🙂 Anchor Worms - Treated with Microbe-Lift Lice and Anchor Worm (Cyromazine) and Cyropro (different tanks, not at the same time). I finally received the Dimilin I ordered (one month later) so I am ready if it pops up again. No flashing for weeks, no lethargy, no nothing. All seemed well until an ulcer on one of my fish showed up. I assumed it had gotten into something and hurt itself. A couple of days later, all of the fish in the tank seemed to have a small ulcer and were flashing. Started general salt treatment (low level), until I could figure out what it actually was. The next day I could finally see the little buggers. Gross. As much fun as it was to treat each of my established tanks after I added in the fish that had "completed" quarantine, I would rather not play those games again. Given the overall world situation, I couldn't go to my LFS to inspect the fish before I received them. At this point, I don't even want to order fish online anymore, not that it would have mattered to see them first as I obviously would not have caught either of the two. I would like to know if anyone can add insight to the following questions so we can all learn something and maybe avoid these types of shenanigans in the future. My questions: 1. Are there any other not so obvious fish issues that can be hard to spot during a quarantine period? (i.e. Not the usual suspects like Ick, Velvet, Flukes, DOA, etc. Lol!) 2. If so, what are the tricks and tips to spot them early (if any)? 3. Are there any good treatments every fish keeper should probably have on hand as they are hard to come by or generally have longer shipping wait times? (i.e. Levamisole, Dimilin, Malachite Green, Potassium Permanganate, etc.)

Just wrap a couple rubber bands a few twists around the intake, and then you should be able to slide your medium pre-filter sponge on the end and it will stay. 🙂

Here's my other hack: I stole this idea from one of the hatcheries at Brine Shrimp Direct, and screwed some dowels into the stand so I could elevate it a bit:

Other than blackworms, the livefood most eagerly taken by my fish is whiteworms.

The Fluval Plant 3.0 lights are really nice, especially for the scheduling and light-level programming available thru the FluvalSmart app. I have ten of the Plant Nanos, several of the 15"-24" models, and one 24"-34" unit. I have spent a lot of time in the app to get things right for my tanks so that I can grow plants, keep algae under control, and get to enjoy my tanks when I am around. I will post my own details in a follow-up message, but I have some general tips to share before that. 1. Firmware Updates: When you do firmware updates, it might look like a two-step process, but you just have to be patient since the bootloader is updated first, and then the firmware, so don't interrupt the process or click what looks like an extra prompt. I have not done a firmware update for a while, so be aware that the user experience might change. If you mess up, or need to do the upgrade again, swipe left on your light in the FluvalSmart app for the option to Upgrade or Remove. 2. Copying Programs: You can copy programs between lights, but not between the Plant Nano and the larger models. So I can use the same program on various Nanos, but for my 15"-24" units, I have to create a new program, which I can then share between those units. The way to do this is to "Save as" your program on one configured light, and then go into the matching target light, and choose "Export", and pick the program. I would expect the option to be labelled "Import", but it is not at the time of this post. 3. Power and Timer: These lights do not seem to have any internal batteries to maintain the time. If you have a power outage or interruption, they will assume the power-on time is 00:00 (midnight), and count from there until you access the light via the FluvalSmart app, which will sync the time. 4. Naming and Password: When editing a light, you can use the three dots to Find, Rename, Set password, and Remove password. I recommend naming your lights, especially if you get more than one. You can even sort them by name or type in the light list, so think about the names in context with your room layout. Password might be useful with too-clever kids, or in a professional environment, like a retail store. 5. Modes: For each light, you have three modes, Manual, Automatic, and Professional. Manual gives you Off, or On, with a custom light level and no scheduling. This is the perfect mode to use for photography, showing your aquariums on off-hours, or if you need to make some darkness so you can sleep in, or film other tanks in the same room. Automatic is an easy scheduling mode with presets for Tropical River, Lake Malawi, and Planted, and you can modify or create your own. It only includes seven set points, so you get a ramp up, a sustained period, a ramp down, an evening low-light period (often just a little blue), and a full night period. Professional mode gives you ten set points, which allows you do do a lot more custom lighting choices, including simulating the sky of a certain region, running a siesta (low or no-light midday period, simulating cloud and tree cover), or even dual siestas, which is what I use. I will add more on this later, once I collect my app screenshots. 6. Plant Nano Tips: The mount only fits on rimless tanks without modification. The metal L-bracket can be used backwards for more height and less reach, which is great for emergent plants and hardscape. If you have an odd size tank, you can also add felt feet and run the Plant Nanos right on a clear hood or glass. I donated a Nano to someone to figure out a 3D-printed rimmed mount, and he designed an adapter. Here is the 3D print file from @AquariumThoughts for the rimmed mount for the Plant 3.0 Nano. You will also need an m8-1.25 nut. Fluval Nano Light Rimmed Tank Adapter by AquariumThouhhououghts - Thingiverse WWW.THINGIVERSE.COM More mounting options for the long version, thanks to @SpacedCadette: https://forum.aquariumcoop.com/topic/131-fluval-plant-30-scheduling-and-programming/?do=findComment&comment=215034 From @PlaneFishGuy: "Below is a quick cheat sheet I made for those just wanting to simply reduce the lighting intensity but keep the factory ratios in tact. I started with the factory "daylight setting" from the app when using the Fluval Plant Nano 3.0" More quotes are forthcoming. Please share your own Fluval Plant 3.0 programs. On iOS, the Overview tab shows the lighting program as a graph and a table. Our host, Aquarium Co-Op, carries these lights: Fluval Plant 3.0 LED NANO WWW.AQUARIUMCOOP.COM 3 Year Warranty Programmable App Highly Water Resistant The Fluval 3.0 is the best planted aquarium light on the market in regards to functionality to cost ratio. Not only does this perform well, but it's backed by a 3 year... Fluval Plant 3.0 LED Light WWW.AQUARIUMCOOP.COM 3 Year Warranty Programmable App Highly Water Resistant The Fluval 3.0 is the best planted aquarium light on the market in regards to functionality to cost ratio. Not only does this perform well, but it's backed by a 3 year...

(That's the constellation, not the automaker!) After reading @Sliceofnature's barrel/mini pond build and becoming extra jealous of his 3/4 wine barrel, I went online to see what I could come up with where I could maybe maximize my money and spend a bunch of hours on new fish projects to play with! With the wife and kids out of town for a week-and-a-half starting next week, Dad needs an all-consuming project! I apologize in advance to those folks with slow connections, but this build log is going to get into gory detail and have far too many pictures! 😐 By the way, I welcome any and all suggestions, ideas, warnings, etc.: WHAT WOULD YOU KEEP IN SIX 15-GALLON NANO PONDS? Thank you! Off we go! PLANTER SELECTION After MANY HOURS of searching and searching, I came upon these low-cost 22" planters on the Costco Web site: https://www.costco.com/.product.1253881.html (non-affiliate link) They're $25 each, sold in 2-packs. I started with a single 2-pack. When they arrived, I first wanted to see how they looked in the space I had in mind. I have a walkway in my back yard along my bedroom wall that I thought would be perfect for maybe six of these planters. It faces the northwest, and gets 2-3 hours of low, direct sunlight each afternoon, right before the sun drops behind a six-foot fence. Which means I get to see them in bright sunlight when I come home from work. I live in the San Diego area, so I don't expect any temperature extremes except for a little heat a couple days a year. I placed the first two planters to see how it would look: Oh yeah, I'm sold. Imagining a row of six such tubs right there! But first, I have some serious planning to do around wiring, weatherproofing, and equipment. I placed some cables and cords and boxes behind them and walked around, trying to see how hard it would be to hide things behind them and how visible everything will be: Yep, I can make this work. ASSESSING MY OPTIONS The first thing I did with the first pair of planters was take some measurements and do some testing. The planter measures 22" in diameter across the top, 12-1/2" in diameter across the bottom, and is 14-1/2" tall. Rather than trust to my math, I filled it with water and determined the capacity to be a little over 15 gallons to the rim. Since I won't be filling to the top of the rim, I'm assuming these will hold about 13 gallons for my purposes. The material is about 5/16" thick and the plastic is admittedly a little flimsy, but at this price I wouldn't expect otherwise. Certainly sturdy enough for this project. I also tested adhesives: can I mount anything to the outer surface? After trying different tapes, I think gaffer's tape works not too poorly. Duct tape was too weak and clear packing tape was a non-starter. But hot glue adheres to this planter so well that I couldn't get it off! Great, now I know how I can stick things to it! That is actually a HUGE plus. SOME PLANNING & PREPPING In San Diego, the weather never reaches freezing, and the coldest winter periods usually last only hours and rarely drop below 45 degrees. I want to be able to run a heater in each planter, so that I can actually keep virtually any tropical fish/critter I want. Between that, a USB nano pump, and a light, I'm looking at somewhere around 4-5 cords/tubes for each planter. And it all needs a low-cost makeshift "electrical box" of some kind for each one. Each planter has a removable plug in the bottom: Even though my test of filling it with water didn't result in any leaks, I decided not to take any chances; I siliconed the plug just to be sure! So that's as far as I've gotten for one day. Next post, I'll share what I've been learning about how I want to handle equipment and electrical stuff. Also going to hot rod a Jehmco box filter for minimal mess and maintenance (I hope)! Thanks for reading! Bill

I was out of the hobby for quite a while if you don’t include the 1000 gallon Koi pond I dug in the backyard of my old home. I keep Discus in a 120 community tank and I also have Kribs, Rams and Apistogramma nijsseni and cacatuoides in smaller tanks. I live in an area with1 LFS (and they do mostly marine) and a couple of chain stores so not much available outside of the run of the mill so I’ve been getting my fix on Aquabid and other online sources. I’m looking forward to some good discussions.

Decided to start keeping a record of the space that was formerly my basement and will soon be the new runner up in the First Annual "Why Do You Have So Many Tanks?" Competition. Currently waiting on my Waterbox 3620 to ship and thinking about what kind of load the tile floor will take before cracking...

I know! When I first moved her 20+ years ago from ND, I thought that Seattlites were crazy for building houses around mosquito factories. But that's not the case at all.

Hey there Dean, thanks for the chuckle! As for the "floor water alarms", they're here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00M30SNSQ (non-affiliate link) You just hang it low to the ground and let the wire dangle till it's touching the floor. Water completes the circuit and it sounds an alarm. I can speak from personal experience that these things are LOUDER THAN SMOKE DETECTORS! Prevented a 1-gallon spill from becoming something larger in my home office. 🙂 So yes, they work. Bill

Display at Bass Pro Shop, Harrisburg PA. Huge tank with Large Mouth Bass, Stripe Bass, Gar, Channel Catfish, and even a Sturgeon.

@Cory thinks these are for plants. Oh no. These are for my secret Pea Puffer breeding program. 🤓

I think they would just love daphnia. I have a culture in my flat. It's no the easiest live food to culture, since the population is prone to crashing, but it's not terribly hard either. All my fish go absolutely nuts for daphnia. They like it as much as live bloodworms, which sometimes appear in my daphnia culture. I'm 100% sure your pea puffers will love the daphnia as well

I feed them to my rats when they pass on. The rats are bred as pets and feeders for my snakes. Circle of life, I'm utilitarian, they served the purpose of bringing me happiness in life, they can now serve another purpose in death. I should hope that I am used with purpose when I pass as well.

Here in Louisiana, I think keeping mosquito larva intentionally is punishable by death 😄 Otherwise I'd definitely have unlimited fish food, more than I'd be able to feed before making more mosquitos.

I'm really liking it so far, even without fish. The bioflims and breaking down leaves create a wonderful natural look

Depends on stocking and feeding levels, so it will vary for everyone. I would expect to need to clean/change the floss every "x" weeks, then maybe rinsing the next layer every "2x" weeks, then the next layer every "4x" weeks, etc... But I will be probably making some form of light maintenance every week.

Whoa, super cool! Perfect for a sump. Need to come up with a way so that eyes are protected in that kind of environment. Thanks!

The price on the air pump and filter are similar to today's prices! Imagine how impossible that would be to afford then.

MOUNTING THE ELECTRICAL PARTS Time to get sticky. Shorter update this time! As planned, I hot glued my black box to the base of the planter. The glue is holding very tightly. From the underside, you can see the ventilation holes that will equalize the air temperature inside the box and hopefully prevent condensation. Next, I bunched up the cords for the air pump and the heater near the box, and secured them with zip ties. After that, it was time to hot glue the power cords. I used the fake "metal strap" as a guide under which I hot-glued the cords. It is holding really tightly as well! I stopped at about the halfway point of the barrel shape, on each side. From here, each cord will make a "leap" of 1-2 inches to the next planter. Although I had thought gaffer's tape would be a really good option, it's not very weatherproof. Aluminum foil tape, on the other hand, is made for sticking through all weather extremes! I covered all the cords with this tape, for extra protection. It holds VERY tightly. I also tucked the coils of cords for the heater and air pump under the loops of power cable. And on the inside, all we see is the heater and a tiny clip for the air pump. I do think I will have to switch from blue to black carabiners for those things. 🙂 Next post, I will work on a second planter, connect the two together, and see how it looks in place. That's gonna take a few days. 🙂 Thanks for reading! Bill

You can see him 24/7 on the live Murphy cam! 🐡 https://www.aquariumcoop.com/pages/murphy-camera

Gorgeous tanks Yarden! Very natural-looking. Cheers

@Daniel The Aquarium, Neon Tetra issue from November of 1936 is now in for your viewing pleasure. 🙂

I have not kept it, but the details of classifying it are interesting. From Wikipedia: Süsswassertang (German spelling: Süßwassertang; see ß) is a type of aquarium plant. It was long considered to be a liverwort, which it strongly resembles, but in 2009, a molecular phylogenetic study determined that it is, in fact, a fern gametophyte. Further, it is a species of Lomariopsis.[1] It is closest to Lomariopsis lineata, but may be a new, unnamed species. Many reference sources on the web describe it as L. lineata, but its inclusion in that species has not been validly determined. Efforts to induce the plant to form a sporophyte have failed, which may indicate status as a new species. This plant was first mis-identified as Pellia endiviifolia before the analysis that determined its true status.

I have the same method because if I have an empty cycled tank, I stock it, and it’s not a quarantine tank anymore. 😛

I keep a lot of snails in mine. 😊

@TheDojoMojo these numbers from Bob came from me, directly from the manufacturer. 😀 Sorry for the delayed response from being tagged, I'm not too active here yet, as emails and youtube consume much of my time.

@J. Mantooth Just downloaded your file for the 1917 edition of the book. This makes my day. I can't wait to see what pre-WWI fish keeping looks like. Thank you, thank you! I used my reactions for the day so this is all I got

On the unexpectedly non-aquatic side I woke up to find this this morning: Who knew Jungle Val was a jumper?

I jam an airline up the spout; it's a very tight fit, and it doesn't leak. When I'm ready to drain, I use a low flat tupperware-style container below the spout and pull the tubing out.

This is gonna be an epic thread i can tell already! 6 smaller tubs is a great idea. It gives you so many options for keeping different species out there and the plastic tubs should be much easier to maintain. Cant wait to see your progress!

My grandfather has a 30-gallon tank in his home office that's been set up for about 3 years. He has only ever kept neon tetras in it. Started with a dozen ot two, but within the last few months, all but one had died. On top of having just a single, solitary fish in a 30 gallon aquarium, there was also just 2 pieces of decoration, and AND, for the last eleven months, it has not even had a light!!! It had :: -2 decorarions -1neon tetra -a filter -heater And so just literally NOTHING going on. So on Tuesday when I was over, and sitting there lookin at this pitiful, but could-be-amazing tank..my mind just started SPINNING with ideas!!! And when he said he wouldn't be home the next day??? The idea gate swung wiiiide open!!! CUT TO NEXT DAY / "Day 1 of Revamping Gdads Tank" - First I tested his water - and it. Was. Almost. PERFECT! 😱 (8.2, 0, 0, 40) With all the ideas in my head, I had basically ended up bringing like everything you'd need to have for a tank...and then some! Haha I had a light bar I was no longer using (though it's a few inches longer than his tank, but IMO it's MUCH better than having no light at all!) So I brought that... Then, since at the beginning of the year I fully converted and planted my tank, I had like 4 big bins of "spare decore". So I picked my fave ones and packed them up to take. Took a few of my own live plants over with me too (just some small - medium sized water wisteria). Then, at the insistence of my all 3 of my kids, I also took and added 3 juvenile platys and an endler (more fishies to come/be added in the coming weeks). Here's the killer part that I discovered while decorating this tank. In the three years that he has had this tank up and running with fish, not once have you ever clean vacuumed the substrate! It was terrible! So that made my decision two yet again come back again the next day. On to the next day / "Day 2 of Ravamping G-Dads Tank" ... I - -gravel vac'd -took the filter and just swished it in some tank water ~ I will worry about CLEAN cleaning it later on -added a few more decorations -added a few more live plants -and added a second filter with cycled media from my own tank. SO HERE IT IS --- pics of the progression of the revamp! First pic - this is what I had started with - minus any light - started with a tank that originally had no light on it, only 2 decorations, and a single, solitary neon tetra (only one remaining out of original 2 or so dozen). So on day one - a light bar, a few pieces of decor, 2 or 3 small live plants, and 4 of my own fish. Second pic - after the first day of me foolin' with it Third pic - the second day and the end result! Fourth pic - the BEFORE before, and after / end result! I'm going to go back over on Monday, and am going to test the water. I think as long as it stays good when testing, which there's no reason it shouldn't I wouldn't think, then over the next 2 weeks, slowly start adding more neon tetras - so the lil lonesome fella that's in there has some buddies! What do ya think!?

Got a few more photos

More solar powered goodies arrived in the mail today. This solar air pump has an internal battery so that it can hopefully run 24/7. It has an intermittent setting as well as a setting that only runs it at night. I think the night setting may be handy in overcast weather where it will store energy during the day and only run the pump at night when its most needed. I used some spare sponge filter pad and a plastic bottle to make a filter also. I think its going to work pretty well actually. I just need to top it off with a few more bio rings.

Hello all, I have 2 active tanks. 75 gallon community tank with schools of black skirt tetra's, serpae tetra's, salt and pepper cory's, 2 rhino pleco's and rose line shark/barb. Also have a 20 gallon long with breeding albino bristlenose pleco's. I am currently working a 3rd tank, (30 gallon). By slow I mean at a snail's pace due to I built a stand but didn't level out the top correctly. Need to add spacers so the tank sits even. Been active fishkeeping for last 7 years but adding tanks the last 18 months. Hope to learn alot from the community on this thread and help with post from time to time. Hope you all have a great day and God bless.

Hi everyone! Here are some photos of some of my collection of fish! I am currently running 7 tanks and one pond! With one more 6ft tank almost ready! From Tamania, Australia where the fish keeping hobby appears to be much much smaller than that of the US. Not even sure there is a single store which only sells aquarium/fish stuff! I haven't been fishkeeping 'intensively' (of course this is relative) for very long, probably only 1 year since I have been running more than 1 tank - but have been keeping fish since I was about 10 (now 20). Very excited for this forum and to be able to interact with other fish hobbyists! I am currently studying at university and working part time at a cafe :). My 3ft - The silver dollar will be moved into my 5ft x 2ft x 2ft shortly! : My angel pair - have laid eggs a few times but never managed to raise them (I wonder whether my school of serpae tetras is the reason...): My 'nano' tank: My 5ft x 2ft x 2ft - the africans will be moving to the 6ft shortly to make room for the silver dollars and perhaps an oscar or two: My new 6ft with a few smaller 20litre tanks for fry underneath!: This is my full grown brown ghost knife! Cheers, Oli!

I’m Jon and I live just North of Dallas in Allen, TX. I have been in the hobby off and on for 20 plus years. We currently have (11) aquariums and a small pond that range from 200G pond to 10G aquarium. We enjoy keeping smaller fish and shrimp. We are in the process of turning one of our spare bedrooms into a fish room and look forward to sharing the build with everyone in the near future.

Hi All! Novice aquarist/horrible plant keeper! I haven't been in the hobby long, but I definitely suffer from MTS. I haven't been in the hobby long, but I definitely suffer from MTS. I started with the gateway fish...a handsome betta named Sir Jazmine and have added rasboras, corys, snails and plecos! Even my local Petsmart calls me the betta lady and gives me their sick bettas for free, all of which have survived! It has honestly been a livesaver to have a hobby that I can do while in lockdown and working from home and my tanks provide a relaxing peace in my room....even the air pumps provide a comforting white noise! I've even set-up a tank for my mom to give her something to look at that is serene since she just suffered her third stroke. I'm pretty sure my friends are tired of me talking about my fish all the time so it is great to be apart of this community! Thanks Cory for providing a caring environment to talk shop....or tank in this instance!

Almost forgot about the desk tanks too...

I just watched the Aquarium Co-op "Getting Started with Aquascaping [Live Stream]". It inspired me to see if I could create a planted tank with plants that grow in the soggy spot off of my driveway. I got a shovel and lifted out 2 pieces of boggy soil with plants. You can see the 2 bare spots inside the red circle where I dug. The sand is from my creek so the investment so far is just the fish tank, lights, and sponge filter. I've ID'd the plants and they all ought to grow fine underwater. The plants are Hydrocotyle sp. Eleocharis sp. Alternanthera polygonoides From start to adding water was about 15 minutes, so if this turns out not to work, I am not out much time or money. Can't wait to see what happens with this. Daniel