Leaderboard

Ohhhh those are all wonderful ideas It's exciting to get so much input on this I can't wait to show everyone what ends up becoming of this tank. I picked it up tonight. Came with a ton of chemicals, 2 heaters , 2 powerheads and the stand and tank top and some driftwood. It also came with 2 hob filters and 2 canister filters (I may get rid of these and just buy new canister filters as these seem to just be cheap Amazon ones) so if anyone in ct is interested in some filters feel free to contact me about it.

Heyo! This is my aquarium - going to rescape it soon! Here is before: I don't know how I will rescape it, but I want to do so before adding raspboras and gouramis. So... yea! 😄

frozen Cyclops has worked well for me when feeding small sick fish that were struggling to feed @Chick-In-Of-TheSea

My first thoughts. It sounds like you’re a basic beginner, we all have made many mistakes at this point. Please don’t beat yourself up. I know it’s completely discouraging to lose animals. But there is a learning curve to this. We screw things up, we learn. We do better next time. It’s how this works. I completely understand. I did the exact same thing. Stay here, ask questions. We all like to help. For some of us, this hobby is relatively new. It’s not been that long ago we lost our own animals. We absolutely know that frustration. Trust me, it gets better. a few more things. Neon tetras and bettas are some of the hardest fish to keep alive for very long. They both have become way too fragile genetically from overbreeding. Neons are lucky to make it a couple of months (if they make it 3 months they’re generally fine). Bettas can last anywhere from 3 months to 3 years depending on the animal. They have a tough existence until you bring them home. You could easily have lost the majority of your fish and done everything perfectly. you tried live plants for the first time. That’s great. They didn’t make it, but you learned. You’ll do better next time. as an aside, ph is generally not a factor in if you can keep fish alive at all. There some species that are sensitive to ph but most will be okay in a decent range usually from 6 to 8. Of course there are exceptions. Usually wild caught animals need to be matched to their home habitats. Most places have harder water. 85% of the US has hard water. We keep fish just fine. More important are the values of ammonia, nitrites and nitrates for fish health. That’s why we constantly watch them. Ph kh gh are relatively constant numbers and are based on where your water originated. We usually don’t mess with them because it makes everything harder. Unless you really want a specific fish, then there are strategies to change the water. I know you’re completely discouraged right now, but it will get better. So if you need to, take some time. You can absolutely do this.

Just so you know, typically kit lights, especially the petco/petsmart ones are way underpowered and wouldn’t be considered high light. What kinds of filtration do you have? I tried floating plants (duckweed, RRF, DWL,) but they died, and I think it was because they were always getting stuck under the Hob and getting showered.

Thanks will look into both, thanks for the quick response @Yoshi! Btw like your logo, I am a big Nintendo fan!

I've had good luck with red root floaters in my 5gallon betta tank. I also have a free floating water sprite that has absolutely taken off growth wise since I added it about a month ago.

Ow, that looks like it hurt, @lighting13, I see artificial plants in the tank, are there any sharp pieces of decor/plant in the tank, might be he just got injured from something sharp.

Hi @Whitecloud09 I feed them one time per day and when the lights turn off as I have seeing they don’t come to eat when the light is on. One time per week with bloodworms and the other days with tetra flocks. I have 7 of them and only one seems sick.

15 gallons is a great tank for guppies a starter colony. The tank it is similar to a 20L. 6 is plenty, and remember guppies love plants.

Well, everything seems to be going well. Got some growing pains happening, but I expected that. Water gets cloudy, then clear, then cloudy… I suspect I am over feeding (trying to make sure everyone gets some food) so I’ve reduced the amount I give at feedings. Probably need to add quite a few more plants to help with water quality. I keep testing every other day just to make sure everything is good. Did have a Congo Tetra that developed some white fuzzy growth on his/her body at the base of the dorsal fin and at the tail. Netted him/her out (that was a joy - not) and into a hospital tank with low dose of aquarium salt for 5 days. Fuzzies seem to be fine. Did a 30% water change and am now waiting the 7 days before I do another to see if comes back. So far, everyone else in the big tank seem to be doing well- no fuzzies. I’ve never had this many fish at once, so figuring out how much to feed is brand new territory. The Tetras are eating machines. They swarm the top of the tank anytime I walk by. The Rummynose Rasbora aren’t as eager and tend to hang towards the back, unwilling to participate in the feeding frenzy. They are the reason I think I may be over feeding as I’m so afraid they won’t get to the food. I really need to dial it in though. They are beautiful though and now I want an entire tank full of them. I’m surprised I don’t see more of them in the hobby. Those colors are stunning. Corys and Kuhli do their thing… always busy. Mango, the Lemon Blue Eye BN Pleco is steadily growing… I am now more certain that Mango is female- not a bristle in sight. added a 2nd Aquasky to the tank (Amazon lost the original order, sent a replacement, then the “lost” one showed up- score) so, since one light didn’t seem to be really lighting both front and back of the tank, I solved that issue… now all the tanks imperfections are illuminated for the world to see. Brilliant. The Vallisneria has FINALLY started to grow upwards. Man, do I struggle with that dang plant. Seems everyone else thinks it’s an easy plant, but then again, I seem to be able to grow Crypts without issue and haven’t had one really melt yet. Go figure. The Buce is… bucing, the Java Fern stopped making babies. Thinking about adding some taller stem plants but not sure which ones just yet. I did add an Aponogeton Ulvaceus that did nothing for almost 2 weeks but, now seems to be shooting up a new leaf every other day. Looking forward to seeing how it grows out.

@Flipper. Ha Ha You are the first one to notice that! For the last few years we've had a Mother skunk show up every year with her new kits! It's sooo neat the way they stick with her every move! I've learned, that if you don't harass or threaten them, they just go about their business looking for insects and grubs. When I go out in the yard at night, I bring a flashlight! They are not the kind of critter you want to sneak up behind and yell, " SURPRISE!!"

@nabokovfan87 @Supermassive Update to this thread.....so overtime with water changes and more plant growth in my 20L i have Nitrates down to 40 (confirmed with an API test using 25%/75% tank/tap combo at about 10ppm, so therefore its 40). That's an improvement from the 60-80+ we were seeing about 6 weeks ago. My quarantine tank with floating plants became available so I just bought 8 medium size Amanos from my LFS. This QT has only 20ppm nitrates and is well cycled and established. There are also 3 old guppies, 1 old lemon tetra and 2 mystery snails in here as well. This will be my test. The tank has established algae and I will supplement feed too. If the Amanos do well here for a month or so, I will test them in the 20L (providing I have nitrates there 40 or less). This will confirm that my issue was nitrates all a long. If they don't do well in the QT, that it's my tap water and/or water softener combo and RODI would be needed for shrimp. Will report back when I know more.

Since arriving in 2022 to the Greater Seattle area I’m always overjoyed to attend our auction. I listened to some other members on YouTube this last week and thought I’d share my experience as this is now my 3rd big auction since arriving. Firstly I got there late due to my guest - Big D my 6 year old. He came to our Christmas party and had been begging to come again. He also decided he was done with African Dwarf Frogs, that it was cool that he could sell them and buy more fish that he could breed and sell again. He got $10 for his 2 remaining frogs and used that to buy a pair of Panda Guppies. He then turned around and begged for baby CPDs which I couldn’t resist so he’s got quite a new setup going. His brother is not as keen on fish keeping but he loves wheeling and dealing- he wants to be a lawyer, god help us all! So he asked me what could we get for his Variatus Platys and I said well I think at least $10 maybe $20, he got $24. He then said he missed Endlers/guppies so we got him some El Tigre Endlers. For Dad well I got a group of L519 plecos to add to my 5 I had I grabbed 2 Big bags 1 of Livebearers- Mixed Endlers and Variatus Platys + 2 a bag of Coryadoras similis. I love our club and have fun everyone!!

Something like dandelions and deadnettles aren't "invasive", just non-native. They're widespread weeds that don't threaten native species, which is why they aren't our priority. That being said, both come from Eurasia, not the Americas, so we will pull them up if we see them. They do have benefits to wildlife; purple deadnettle is a plant that honeybees adore! Same with flowering dandelions. But... native plants have more benefits to wildlife. They aren't a species of worry at all. The reason the forestry project wants them gone is simply so they do not outcompete native wildflowers in our meadow (which is honestly quite unlikely). They will always grow in the Americas whether you remove them or not; invasive ≠ non-native. Certain weeds aren't a threat and are also so widespread, calling them invasive is kinda a waste of time in a sense. You do not need to worry about these species at all. Remove them if you'd like, but they're not real problems 🙂 I'd say put that energy into your state's noxious weeds! ALSO thank you so much for caring about invasives!!!!

The co op algae sponges have always gotten stubborn GSA off my glass. Just put in a little elbow grease and you’re good to go, and you know they won’t scratch your tank 🙂

I love Anubias Minima Dragon Claw. I always get it as a Tissue culture so no worries about tiny livestock. It is a small plant 2-3" and great for spot planting. By that I mean you can stick it in a small area and it will not overwhelm anything. One of the things I like about it is that you can purchase several, add them one at a time and make changes a little bit at a time. The picture shows 3 plants in a 4x4 sq inch area. "Minima Dragon Claw is epiphytic and can be attached to aquarium driftwood or placed in between the cracks of an aquascape layout. Over time, its roots will self-attach and allow the plant to establish in the desired setting. One caveat may be its slow growth as this makes Anubias leaves more susceptible to algae growth if placed under high lighting."

the brownish water is tannins from the piece of wood. over time with water changes, it will clear up.

Once it’s setup you really can’t because if you uproot plants you pull the soil up into the water column. The sand layer is meant to lock the soil in place to keep balance. Me too! I knew I couldn’t throw him in a drawer to collect dust. The bamboo is gonna be perfect, and I added some aquarium gravel. So the plant is called drosera sundew and this is how it eats. Makes me feel squeamish, yet, fascinated? It can have all the mosquitos. FL is mosquito capital of the US. 🙄

Very correct, my advice was based solely on new fish purchase. Had actually not thought about an isolation period as I generally treat the whole tank. Can be expensive that way, but it eliminates the issue that others might have but are not showing.

It depends on what your goal is when you isolate the fish. I am not sure, but people will probably quarantine their fish sometimes when they are too weak or can't get enough food, so the fish can eat or get food easier. However, for people who are looking to treat disease like I am right now in This post, it is probably better to fast the fish. There is an article explaining how to do this method for guppies. https://www.aquariumnexus.com/natural-method-cure-almost-any-guppy-disease/

Do you think you'll ever swap it out for a shallow rimless? I just realized I have a pretty big size glass jar I can commandeer one day. 🤔 Aw.... I love this.

I was having a similar problem. I got this little plant coral on amazon for like $7 that lowers and raises with the water level when I'm doing water changes. Since then the RRFs have filled it up and actually are starting to grow out of it, so I trim the bunch back once every week or two.

6 is better than 5

Interesting, I have no idea how or why he’s skinny @Marcelo, maybe he doesn’t get fed as much because they are bullying him possibly? I am kinda clueless……

Same to EricksonAquatics. The ACO sponges are mircale workers. So much better than any algae scraper out there, imo. I was hesitant to get one - but so happy I eventually took the plunge.

@Cjbear087 don’t overthink it, you’ve got solid advice here.

The nitrite is almost 0 u say, is it like maybe less than .25, because any present nitrite can be harmful, but anyway, that is probably not the problem, how much do u feed them @Marcelo?

This is how i hatch my corydora eggs, if you leave them in the tank with all the other fish they make good snacks.

I have several different Crypts in both tanks but my fav by far is Crypt “Tropica”. It’s just beautiful. The jagged looking rocks in the 75g were purchased at Petsmart in a bag and called “Mountain Stone”. The smooth ones are “Mexican Beach Pebbles” and were purchased at Home Depot. I was originally going to use them in my garden, but decided I needed more rocks in my aquarium 😁 the wood is 3 separate pieces- the light colored center one is actually fake ( I didn’t think about how it wouldn’t change color over time like real wood does). I purchased it at PetSmart because I could not find a real one tall enough. The ones on either side are real Spider Wood, also purchased from PetSmart the small plant you zoomed in on is Buce. I think it’s “Brownie”, but not entirely sure

How that it was a journey, of spending tons of money for just a 10g, but I think it was worth the money. From cycling it to now having awesome fish, white clouds. But my favorite part is the plants, and the cave look in it, I love cave hides for tanks and I also of course love my fish!! Here is some pics, I love how it turned out, hope you do to! I have a 5g too, but it’s empty right now. 🙂

Just thought everyone who chimed in might get a kick out of this. The "worm thing" turned out to be a sloppy silicone job from the manufacturer 🤦‍♀️ After it didn't move for a few days it was scraped off. Thanks to all who chimed in!

It sounds like it just lost an eye and otherwise acting healthy and okay, just stressed. Why to euthanise a fish that just lost an eye but otherwise healthy? Sometimes fish make it through horrible conditions. I would say no to euthanize in this scenaria considering everything is fine except the missing eye. It did not even get infected? Also better try finding a permanent solution about dojos sucking eyes or not, if thats a thing

Currently I have 6 each panda cories, oto cats, kulhi loaches. Planning on a school of tiger barbs. The stems are all doing fabulous I will send you a list and where each came from if known.

You could get a strong river current going with some vals in the back and boesemani rainbows.

I was going to say congo tetras, but I do love me some diamond tetras.

Tadpole>>>>Frog. 🐸 Is this a large enough pond for a gator?

Come out at 3 in the morning and stay at least 8 feet away from the tank and just watch.

The fast then peas might be worth trying but I’m not convinced this is only a swim bladder issue. It looks like more of a spinal injury to me. They can have both, because if there is spinal damage they may not be able to regulate their swim bladder appropriately. Tough situation, but keep on with your plan and see how they do.

Finally! I saw 2 or 3 shrimplets today while the adults were tearing up calcium chips and making a bunch of dust. The little ones were nearby trying to eat some of it, I think. This is a good sign!

Entry Eleven - April 25th, 2024 I am a forestry intern now!! I received an unpaid forestry internship and am now working to restore native habitat at a small local park. For reference, the park is 3 acres, which is pretty small for a habitat rehabilitation project. Regardless, I am super excited to help out!!! I do not plan on going into forestry as of right now, but it is seeming more and more tempting, so this will give me insight on if I would like to pursue it! Gosh I am so excited...! Here is a quick mimic map of the park and the zones. I was assigned for surveying and invasive species removal. I am surveying two zones and removing invasive species in three zones. For surveying, I will be working in zone 2 and zone 5. For invasive species removal, I am working in 3a, 3b, and zone 4. This poor forest is covered in invasives. Here are our "focus" species or species we are working to eradicate first: English Ivy (hedera helix) - chokes out trees and creates a dominant ground cover, preventing native wildflowers from growing. Himalayan Blackberry (rubus armeniacus) - extremely painful and invasive. It forms thickets that are impassable and spreads via cuttings, runners, and seed; meaning if you don't remove all the roots, it doesn't go away. Scotch Broom (Cytisus scoparius) - chokes out native vegetation and reduces habitat and food sources for wildlife. Meadow Buttercup (Ranunculus acris) - spreads by runners and has a powerful root system that makes it hard to remove. Additionally, buttercups in the ranunculus genus have a skin irritant compound, making them unpleasant to remove. Creeping Charlie [Ground-Ivy] (Glechoma hederacea) - a menace. Smells lovely, has great flowers, but is extremely invasive. Thrives in shade, meaning it loves the forest understory. Non-priority / Secondary species (species that we would like to remove, but are not as important as the priority species) Dandelions (Taraxacum spp.) - non-native and weedy; removes growing space for native plants. Yellow-flag (iris pseudacorus) - only one specimen was present, immediately removed. We will be keeping a lookout for more. Purple dead-nettle (Lamium purpureum) - common weed in the Pacific Northwest... yet, it is still non-native, so it's gotta go! Chickweed (Stellaria media) - common weed, but we still want it gone. My first day was yesterday (Wednesday the 24th!). I mainly removed meadow buttercups and creeping charlie in zone 3a. I cleared a large plot and as the sun was directly on me and it was 80 degrees, I then moved into the shady area of zone 3b and started removing Himalayan blackberry. What a chore... ouch! I barely made a dent in that stuff. I ate my lunch by the stream, which was very peaceful. I also heard a very angry Douglas-squirrel who was screaming his angry wrath of blood... also known as defending his territory. Sitting by the stream was amazing. It was shady and misty which was very refreshing, and across the stream in zones 1a and 1b, there were many skunk cabbage plants!!! Skunk cabbage is my FAVORITE plant EVER! So that made me super happy. I finished lunch early, so the head ranger had me begin surveying. I started in zone 2, since that is where I ate my lunch. For surveying, she had me note what plants I saw, their habits, their size, presence of flowers or fruits, and any additional notes. The plants I noted were: Deer fern Skunk-cabbage Redwood sorrel Maidenhair fern False solomon's-seal Siberian Miner's lettuce Western bittercress Lady fern Trillium [wake-robin] (only two plants) Common water-moss Wet rock moss Various sphagnums Some rushes/grasses ; I am not skilled enough to Identify these Nootka cedar English Ivy Of course my notes were more in-depth than that, but you get my point! I also surveyed for any birds or insects that I spotted. Nothing to report there. Anyway, that ended my day! This will begin to be a biweekly internship, so you will receive many updates on it!!! I am really excited about this!

I think what you just described your tank as is what i am going to go for. That sounds like enough good size fish that i bet i could sit there for hours and just watch the tank.

I got the confirmation email. The new fish and plants should be arriving Thursday and I'm very excited!

Let the eviction begin!

Quick update I got my QT setup because I ordered some new fish yesterday 8x Inpaichthys kerri, AKA Blue Emperor/Royal/Kerri Tetra and 2x Reticulated Hill-stream Loach They will both go in 10 gallon QT but longterm the Kerri tetra will go in the cube and the loaches will probably end up in the 20 high. The 20 high actually has an Aquaclear 30 HOB, fluval 107, and sponge filter so there is a decent amount of flow. I also ordered some plants which were Red flame sword, red melon sword, crypt spiralis, and anubias something or other Can anyone who has hillstream loaches comment on what they eat? Right now I have repashy soilent green and lots of algae. The loaches will be having a shorter QT because I want to get them into the algae tank quickly.

I was on my way home from my parents’ house and figured, why not stop at Sea World to try out their new pipeline coaster. Whoa! So it’s a standing coaster (cars are surfboards) and the harnesses are on up & down hydraulics. Whenever it catches G’s you like, “float up” and your feet leave the surfboard. Omg was epic! Pic of coaster: And then look at this guy, so tired… until people showed up with sardines. Instantly woke up and… Random photo dump of other things; went on sky tower for the first time and got some aerial shots. Fave ride Mako, got to ride it twice due to 5 min wait. Hill for Mako. It has a 200’ drop. I think this is a wood stork. White coaster is a new one, under construction. Antarctica/Penguin theme Mako: Flamingo paddle boats

I just bought this and assembly was pretty easy except that I can’t figure out how to install the door, how did yall get it done? Thanks!

Browsing through Pet Bazaar. Mom & pop shop. Many snakes! And amphibians. Snowball pleco Tigerhead pleco Peppermint? Camo Pacman Frog

I really like this crypt nurii "luminous green", so I wanted to feature it more. It's less brown then the crypt jacobsenii, which I thought was maybe clashing with all the other reds. I also had to replant the lobelia cardinalis street, which is just something that has to be done every once in a while. It doesn't take long to recover. Finally, I got some myriophyllum Guyana to act as a taller midground plant. All the midground was a similar height so I want to break it up a little

Rainbow Shiners and blue shrimp didn't show today. Hoping they're doing okay in the mail. Here's a quick video tour of the tank as they sit tonight. Nothing special, just things settling in.