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Received my C.A.R.E. package today. A lot of very nice products. Greatly appreciated.

Its not pretty ik😂 but it fits the theme lol, and really makes me wonder what else I could use legos for in this hobby

I'm sorry...

I don't think I have ever learned as much about keeping tropical fish in planted community aquariums as I have during the last 100 days. I am really glad to have found this forum back on July 14, 2020. The people here have been so helpful and interesting. So many different skills from plumbers, engineers, waster water treatment, ceramics, technology, media, science and many more. Happy 100th day forum!

I wanted to share with you my first steps into the wonderful world of aquariums. I'm not sure if this will be useful to anyone in the future, or if I'm just preserving and sharing the experience for posterity. I must say, I enjoyed the entire experience immensely, and I'm looking around at where I can fit more tanks. I started with three little tanks. 2x 10lt (2.65 us gallon) and 1x 15lt (4 us gallons) and a love of Marimo moss balls 😃 I knew I wanted it to be heavily planted but knew nothing about aquatic plants... so I read, joined the forum and watched youtube. I was imagining the tanks as being just plants, but i soon realised that to have my little worlds work properly I needed to balance it. That's when I fell in love with shrimp. I had no idea there were so many different types and colours, I'd have a few snails to keep things clean and it seemed a Betta would complete my setup. Again, I had no idea they could be so fancy and beautiful. I also decided that I wanted the plants to be my filters.. so I'm going without for now, if I need to I will add them later. I want to keep my bioload low. I'm going to wait until I see some good plant growth before I even think about adding my fish and then shrimp. I really don't want to kill anything, especially by rushing things. I made my shopping list and started gathering all the bits and bobs I would need. 3x 25w heaters Driftwood, to get biofilm on and tannins for my shrimp 3.5lt Tropica Plant growth substrate (1cm 1/2" all over) 10kg (22lb) Black limpopo course sand Stones Fertiliser Root tabs When it came to the light I did struggle a little, I didn't want to spend tooooo much. I wondered if I could uses a plant grow light, that wasn't specifically for aquariums. I found a lamp that would be perfect, with 144 full spectrum LED's on 3 goose necks. this had a timer for 3, 6 and 12 hrs. 10x dimmable and was only 29.99 gbp. @Jessica. showed me that she used that kind of bulb in a super cool antique lamp she'd made so I decided to try it. When it arrived the build quality was actually much better than expected. I tested it on some herb pots that were struggling in the kitchen with the lack of sunlight. within a couple of hours my limp horizontal parsley had stood up and was leaning towards the light, I turned it.. it leaned back. I was so happy! I ordered my plants, waited (somewhat) patiently, and then set to putting it all together. Just to namecheck.. I have been really inspired by @Streetwise nano tanks and just about everything @Daniel does! The plants I chose were Salviania Naturns (Water spangles. floater) Elodia Densa (anacharis) Bacopa Caroroliniana Water Wisteria Myacca Fluvitalis Java fern Hair grass Liliopensis Brasiliensis (micro sword) Amazon Swords Jungle Vallis Echinodrorus Harbii (Oval leaf amazon sword type plant) oh.. and 10 Marimo Mossballs

This happened to mine too. If there is no cover on 3 or 4 sides of the tank they will feel very exposed. I have begun adding some significant decorations to my quarantine tank so they can feel some security. I think low light is good too, other tank mates would help but that's not realistic for a quarantine tank. I found these cheap giant mats of plastic plants that they can hide under and can be easily moved when its time to transfer. Maybe you could even put some backing on 3 sides. They are a skittish fish in general, so they might take weeks to be comfortable with you. Mine are now in my 55g community tank and are out and about with all the other fish, They don't hide when I approach and they have even bred.

Memorable posts @Bill Smith always has very thoroughly documented posts, the PEX PILLAR solved a real problem for under $10!

My "Guppy Hut" a 29 gallon tank has (at any given time) nearly 300 fish (including fry). Also has a load of red cherry shrimp, snails, 5 aldofoi cory cats, and 1 albino bristlenose pleco. #1 is a safe number for someone new to the hobby, as they grow in the hobby the will discover it is not etched in stone.

Here are a couple of our smaller tanks. The first is a 5 gallon tank that my son has done. It currently has some Barbs, a few blue velvet shrimp, & snails. We had some neons, but they have recently left for the other side. He is just 8, so I think it has been a fun tank for him to get started with. Next is a 13(?) gallon cylinder tank. It has some Danios, Rasboras, Hillstream Loaches, snails, and a bunch of Firered Cherry shrimp. It is still a pretty young tank, so I am still trying to get the plant the way I would like them. I really like this tank, but I don't think I will ever do a cylinder tank like this again.

I’ve kept and spawned 4-5 killifish Species using both peat incubation and just Letting the fry hatch in the tank with the adults. I’ve actually hatched blue gularis loe eggs that I got off aqua bid. And got them to adults and spawned that group. I used spawning mops on the bottom. Then I pulled the eggs and incubated on Peat or coconut fiber. Removing the bad eggs daily. Hatching them is kind a trial and error by wetting the eggs at 3-6 weeks depending on Temp and how they looked. You’ll see What killifish breeders call eggs being eyed up. You’ll see little fish eyes in the eggs, that’s when you wet the eggs. if they are ready they’ll hatch. If they don’t Hatch just put them back on the peat and wait and try again at a later date(trial and error). The fry will take bbs right away. but I also feed vinegar Ells the first week or so till I’m sure they are taking the bbs. The other way is much less work. The fish will spawn, you provide Bbs and plant cover. java moss works well I also used riccia. The adults will eat the fry so as soon as I spot fry I’d collect and move. The peat method advantage is you’ll get a group of fry around the same size. Any questions feel free to message me.A Picture of one of my males.

The elodea in my pond flowered 🙂

The kick in the butt was the upcoming holidays and no sensible gift ideas for my daughter of eleven. We've been talking in passing about fish and aquariums. So, I looked into it and decided to go for it. (And who can honestly wait for Christmas!) Anyhow, while I hope she will have ideas and so on, it's pretty much, in effect, my tank and responsibility for now. I found a used 220 liter (yes, I'm with metric, I'll convert sometimes, not always folks) tank and an affordable fluval external filter.

That is something that has always impressed me with all the fishy channels. It is not uncommon to see them plug each other's products and wearing each other's clothing line!

The content on here is from a variety of people with differing skill levels and a full range of interests in the hobby. The comfort that comes with getting answers and replies from people that range from "in my experience" to full on topic breakdowns with sources provided is invaluable. I also enjoy that is a space where people can create and share content that they might not otherwise. @Cory what do you think of your contribution of this forum to the community? Is it what you expected? How has it surprised you so far? We're 100 days in, where do you see it going from here? And thank you @Daniel. You are a pillar in this community. You not only provide interesting content, but I always see you offering help and insight where ever you can.

My favorite!

My C. Nurii var. Rosen Maiden flowered underwater today! Love this plant.

Finally remembered to get on this forum! Looking for people's experiences on keeping are breeding Blue gularis killi. Not many mentions on here about them, which is surprising. I have been trying to get them FOREVER and finally landed a pair at a fish swap last week. They're even better in person! I'm baffled that they aren't the most popular fish ever. Great color, patterns, personality and size. Everything i ever wanted. My plan is to breed these guys I'm curious what other people's experience has been with them. Thanks in advance, and stoked to be here. Jason

It is often surprising to realize just how many of our aquarium plants are native to the United States and especially the Southeastern US. One of those exotic looking yet home grown plants is the lovely banana plant, Nymphoides aquatica. Found from New Jersey to Florida in ditches, still waters, and ponds it is one of my all time favorites. My first task was to locate where it could be found in North Carolina. I used my Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas to narrow the search down to specific counties. Craven County had a dot, and so was added to my itinerary for my aquatic plant collecting road trip. I thought surely I could not mistake banana plants for anything else, but you can never be too careful, so I brought my trusty, Godfrey and Wooten, Aquatic Plants of the Southeastern United States just to be sure. After several productive but non banana plant ditches I hit upon this site. Shazaam! Banana plants galore! Checking my Godfrey and Wooten for confirmation against what I was collecting I was sure I had success! Even a few baby banana plants. The eternal question always is: What do plants want? Knowing where and how they grow natively in the wild would go a long way towards answering this question, so I was determined to make observations and take measurements. Here was the temperature This is the water chemistry No nitrates, no GH, no KH and a very low pH. Surprisingly there seems to be a bit chlorine, but whatever the source, I guarantee it did not come from a water treatment plant as I was in a very remote unspoiled location. The substrate was 3 inches of mulm, over a couple inches of mud, over a sandy bottom. Most plants were firmly rooted all the way into the sand in about 1 to 3 feet of water. Some plants had lily pads nearly the size of my hand. Smaller plants on runners or nearer shore had more bananas. Some plants were flowering with delicate white flowers floating just above the surface of the water. I collected a handful of plants and headed quickly home to the 1930s Historically Accurate Planted Aquarium as these would be a very authentic addition!

I am not associated with this company other than using some of their products. Wastewater Treatment Strategies for Biological Nutrient Removal of Nitrogen WWW.YSI.COM Biological nutrient removal (BNR) is the new standard for wastewater secondary treatment strategies. BNR involves the recruitment and growth of specific microorganisms that either convert or remove nutrients like...

Please share what you consider a Heavily Planted Tank or Moderately Planted Tank or Lightly Planted Tank. Here are a few from my fishroom.

Ghost shrimp are adorable and certainly have personalities of their own. In several tanks of mine they have totally lost all fear of me and now any time I stick my hand in the tank they clamber over through the plants to come ride around on my hand and groom me. They seem to enjoy taking a 'ride' around in my cupped hand and there's often squabbles about which shrimp gets to claim my hand (some of the big mommas don't want to share). And they do indeed breed in fresh water. Just needs to be decently hard water (Florida liquid rock water works great) as they need that calcium and they need to have plenty of food available for the fry (green water, and plenty of plants so they can go after biofilm) and not have fish that eat them. Or, just have enough plants that some of the babies can hide and live to outgrow the fish mouths. That's how I've let them do it.

Great advice. If moving is in your future, I would recommend 20 gallons max.

As @DaveSamsell it depends on what you want to do. I might suggest a few other things to consider. How long do you plan on staying where you are currently living? If you will only be there through the end of your lease then a big tank makes less sense. If your life is more settled, then a big tank is a better choice. What does the floor under that tank support? If your location is not near a load bearing wall, then you should look into reinforcing the floor before you install the tank. I did this with my tank by installing a column in the basement under the tank. Water is 8.3 lbs per gallon. Which means a 55g tank weighs 456.5 lbs of the water alone! Add tank, decor, filtration, stand... you are well over 500 lbs in a very localized spot. Is the tank near a doorway where the outside temp will make temp regulation in the tank challenging? is the tank getting alot of outside sunlight? This may cause high algae growth. Do you have any pets and or children who could potentially pull the tank over due to 'energetic play'? In general you want a nice stable calm supportive spot for your tank which will be good for the fish and you! Good luck!

I agree to try to figure out what you want to keep first. But, if you have my problem when you see everything that's out there, you'll decide you need about 12 more aquariums.

@sushi, I think @Ken Burkebrought up great points with his post. What do you plan on accomplishing with a larger aquarium? What types of fish, plants or whatever do you have in mind, etc? For me, picking out a new aquarium is part of the fun. So many choices & possibilities. 😊 Take your time & do some research as well. Since you already had a 15 gallon aquarium, you have experience with smaller tanks, so that's a plus. The type of aquatic life will have a strong bearing on the tank size. Keep us posted. 😉

I think this post is awesome. Not every hobby seems to bring families closer together, but sharing an aquarium & learning together about fish, plants, water chemistry, etc. lends itself to good family time. In this stressful world today, aquariums are indeed bringing folks closer together, one gallon\liter, at a time. Welcome to the Forum & fish-keeping...😎

As you can see from @Streetwise 's graph above the pH is lowest in the early morning every day. This is because during the nighttime photosynthesis runs in reverse and plants take in oxygen and give off carbon dioxide with the peak build up of CO2 being in the early morning thereby lowering the pH. Once the lights are on the plants begin to photosynthesize and thus begin to consume carbon dioxide and release O2 again. It is one thing to read about it in books, but to measure it in your own aquarium and see that it not only works in general, but also to confirm that even the triple peaks of the lighting match the triple peaks of the pH is really educational. That alone just about justifies getting the Apex.

I love the Ranchu and Guppy sticker my 2 favs so far!

Ahah! @akconklin - that gets my gears turning. I will call him Azula. Other pets in the house include Momo, Pabu, and Asami.... so it fits in great. Anyone who can name the references gets on my good list 😉

If you need simple upgrades for a smart phone, but lets be honest most phones now do not need upgrades. Saying that check out the company, Moment. They are a company based around simple and budget upgrades for video quality. That is how I started my channel was with their wide lens and my phone. Increased my video quality dramatically, but that was 3 years ago before phones with three cameras.

Memorable Posts @Streetwise on day 1, July 14, 2020 posted: It put @Streetwise on the map for me! This is a post that is the gift that keeps on giving as this question never gets old.

The weather in the Midwest hasn't been my friend this week but I finally got the tank cleaned for the most part so I can hopefully silicone Saturday morning and fill test next week! Will post pictures soon!

Hmmmm . . . hard to pin down. There a few aspects about this hobby that fit my personality well and that I enjoy. 1) Its very relaxing and peaceful to watch colorful fish that you care for and raise, swimming in an ecosystem you created. It's fulfilling on many levels. 2) In general, every hobby I have--or had in the past--is nature-themed. Current other lifelong hobbies include birdwatching and rose gardening (been doing both of those for a few decades time). I've had fish and reptiles my entire life, on and off, depending on where I was in life, but it's not until the past 4 years that I dove into this hobby with both feet. 3) Unlike the above, which are either seasonal or occur outside my home, I can enjoy the aquarium hobby every single day without needing to go anywhere or without being affected by it being winter and the garden being dormant. Or the middle of summer and the bird activity somewhat subdued and predictable. Aquariums are always there, exactly where I also happen to be most of the time. My house! 4) I've always loved growing plants, roses specifically (such a rewarding thing!). There is nothing more amazing and fulfilling than planning a garden scape (outside, or in an aquarium) -- picking and planting the plants, arranging their layout even when they're small and there's nothing but your imagination and experience to guide you, caring for the plants over time, and then, with lots of patients and discipline, seeing the fruits of what existed only inside your mind as a vision slowly grow into reality. 5) I love to tinker, test and build things, and improve upon processes. In the aquarium hobby, as opposed to something like birding, there's a lot of opportunity to build things, or experiment with things in my basement. (Yes, I've become that older, cliche guy who hides away, tinkering in his basement). I always need a project to think about and work on. If I don't have a problem or idea for my mind to chew on, I'm not happy. Plenty of projects in this hobby, if that tickles your fancy. That, I think, sums up the major points of what i enjoy about this hobby. It's really the combination of those aspects, and not one thing in specific.

Let me try to follow up with a little more information. I think my schedules have helped with algae balance, but I was tweaking power levels at the same time that I was working on the timing. I did most of this when I had just one tank, so all the subsequent tanks have run the same same schedule from day zero, with power scaled up or down, and they have avoided algae issues that I had to work thru on my first tank. The one exception is the tank in my kitchen/dining room which gets way too much window light, even with blinds and drapes. Most of my tanks are in my bedroom, and during the months of working at home, it was really nice to be able to wake up with my tanks, and get to enjoy them at night. The nice side-effect is seeing more of my loaches and Otos during the siestas.

I love the relaxation I get from watching the plants grow and the fish swimming peacefully. Also thinking about the next upgrade or thinking about how I can improve on my current set ups is something I enjoy. For some reason, I also like doing maintenance for example, scrubbing algae off of the glass and cleaning the filter pipes 😅And finally, the community. Sharing my tanks with others and learning more about the hobby from people all over the world.

This is an amazing job. I am super impressed and wish I had done more reading on the current state of the aquarium hobby before input together my new aquarium build. Oh we'll just means at some point I'll be able to redo it 🙂

In heavily planted large community tanks I have had all kinds of fry and shrimp survive to adulthood even though there were dozens of 3 to 4 inch angelfish in the tank. But this is the exception to the rule. The shrimp invented their own work around. The shrimp stopped coming out in the daytime and I would only see them at nighttime. But the cherry shrimp continued to breed and make more shrimp that grew to adults. I am sure large numbers were eaten too. Endlers in this tank reached an equilibrium between angelfish predation and the enormous capacity of females Endlers to pump out fry. Even when I tried myself to rid the tank of Endlers, I couldn't catch them all. Eventually I had to resort to traps. New Corydoras would pop up from time to time even though I never noticed any fry. But again, none of this would have happened in a 29 gallon tank. The key was lots and plants and lots of levels and zones for all the different kinds of fish. So yes, your angelfish (and swordtail) will chow down heartily on almost everything that looks eatable, the question is, can they eat their tank mates faster than the tank mates reproduce?

You will have more fry survive on live food. Bbs is key but you can use frozen bbs. The key is that they are the baby brine and not the frozen adults. You will still get fry off off flakes but much better results off the live/frozen bbs. In a pinch the instant ocean bbs will work but it has a short shelf life of two weeks from opening. ThatS why I always keep frozen bbs on hand . Also live plants will have some forms of live food. But apisto fry will stay on the bottom so you’ll need the plants to be on the bottom . Java moss works well for this . Best of luck

So just a guess, but you might be having issues with nitrate levels in your tap if you live near farmland ("dead in the middle of the country") and any ferts run off into your well water. Not sure what is grown near you but Im assuming SOMETHING is; even runoff from cattle could cause some alterations in your well water. If you know what crop it is you might be able to predict when the ferts are going to be added and start testing your tap water before water changes. Regarding above: you have a water softener, it still tends to be hard water. Just slightly less hard (hence water *softener*) As always, still requires testing.

@Jessica. When this forum was created, I made an effort to create some FAQ threads that would be useful and avoid drama. I appreciate your reply. I have been running my dual siesta schedule for about a year. I have achieved stability. I don't think siestas or dual siestas provide amazing gains, but they don't have any down-sides.