Mark C.

Would I need the alkalinity buffer in my water going into the tank, the freshwater? My pH out of the tap is almost 8 but the KH brings it way down. I wouldn’t think I’d want to raise the pH I just need to raise the KH and that should bring it up together, I would think?

Yeah I’m not dosing anything in the tank at all really. And I haven’t done a water change in the tank in roughly 2 weeks or so. So I feel like the tank is pretty stable that’s why it doesn’t make sense. However I see that my PH has drop some so maybe it is the crushed coral. I guess it can’t hurt anything to replace the crushed coral and see if it helps in the next few days I haven’t had any ammonia issues or anything in a little while. So I haven’t been putting any chemicals in

I have not made any mods to my basket yet. I have watched your videos and stuff about the changes but haven’t done any of them yet. Hopefully someone else can tell me about the crushed coral, how to know when it needs to be changed! Maybe a BN would actually make it? I just don’t know man. This is all stuff that you should really figure out a lot earlier than I did lol

The Rubber lip shows now signs of sickness at all. He looks good. Just tested my KH and PH. My KH turns from blue to yellow after one extra drop. So I guess that is 2 degrees of KH which I think is somewhere in the 30 something range of ppm. I have a hard time figuring out exactly what some of the parameters are because they colors are so close to each other. It looks like my PH has dropped some to around 6.6. It may be time to change the coral out maybe? It has been a little higher. The coral has been in there about a month. The other fish in the tank are doing great. The angelfish I have had about 3 weeks or so now and she is doing awesome. And except for those two rasboras that I cooked on a water change the others are thriving as well. Plants are thriving and growing like crazy. I had to cut the runner off the Amazon sword because it was growing out of the water. There is now some algae starting to build up on the glass surfaces. But overall it seems like the rest of the tank is doing pretty well.

Yep, he gone! He wedged himself up in the piece of driftwood and died. I couldn’t hardly get him out of there. I just don’t get it. Maybe I should just try to get a few Otos instead of another Pleco?

Well I guess I will see in the morning.

He was stuck to the front of the tank down near the bottom then he just laid over. He laid upside down for a few minutes. Then did like a barrel roll and now is just laying there. He is upright at this moment.

So now the Rubberlip is dying. I just don’t understand why I can’t keep plecos at all. I have about 30 to 40 ppm of Trates and zero Ammonia and Trites. I just don’t understand it. I’ve put a few algae wafers in there and I know there has been some leftover Vibra Bites and Flakes in there that he could have gotten. I’m just at a loss.

Hey, it’s a 29 Gallon tank. It’s fairly planted with about 6 plants in it. Tidal 55 filter and an air stone. We have one Angel, 6 cardinal tetras, 4 Harlequin Rasboras, 4 male guppies, a Rubberlip Pleco and two mystery snails. If she is playing she seems to be playing a little rough lol. Their feelers haven’t grown back as of yet but I have noticed the snails themselves are getting bigger.

I really don't have the time to change that 25% twice a day, unless I can do both in the evening but then it would be the same thing as a 50% probably. I have been out of work because I had knee surgery but now I'm back working my normal 12 hour schedule so my time is much more full!

In my 29 I have a Tidal 55 and an Air Stone. I only have a Sponge Filter in the 10 Gallon. But the 10 Gallon has black sand substrate.

No I sure don't. I cleaned the sponge filter probably a week ago and there wasn't that much in it. Cleaned it the way Cory said to with a bag and all.

Just an Aquarium Coop medium sponge filter. It has been pretty good up until the last week or so.

I haven't mentioned it on here since this has mainly been about my 29 Gallon tank but I have been having issues with our 10 Gallon tank for the last few days. I had an ammonia spike so I dosed Prime and started doing like 50% water changes for a few days. I still can't get rid of all the Ammonia in the tank. I suspected it may have been overfeeding so I have slowed down with that but it hasn't helped. I don't know what else it could be. All the fish in that tank are accounted for and are acting fairly normal. I just have a female Betta and a few Cherry Barbs and Glowlight Tetras in that tank. Trites are zero and Trates are around 10 ppm now. This tank has been running for 2 months or so now, if not longer.

How do y’all get the temp close when you do water changes? Is it better to go more cold than warm?

Between 77 and 78.

Did about a 20% water change yesterday and today we woke up to two of our Harlequin Rasboras dead. I really hope I don’t have to start prepping my water for water changes. The rest of the fish seem to be doing fine. I did notice when I put the water in yesterday it was warmer than I thought at like 82 or so, didn’t mean for it to be that warm. I didn’t know until I saw the temp on the aquarium after I put it in. Wonder if I just cooked them??

I’m having this issue with my angelfish and two mystery snails. She has bitten off the feelers, whatever they are called, on both snails. She still seems to pick at the blue one from time to time. The Angel doesn’t bother anything else in the tank but she sure isn’t an Angel with the snails.

@nabokovfan87so I found my Hillstream Loach dead today. We have had him right at two weeks. No idea about that one. Took it back to Petco and swapped it for a Rubberlip Pleco, I like the name Bulldog Pleco better lol. Just hoping he works out for us.

Here’s the issue with a BN. I would want a male with the “bristles” on his nose instead of a female without them. However, I’d be concerned that our angelfish might bit them off like she did the feelers of the mystery snails.

Hmmm. I keep my tank around 78. Not sure if I should drop it down that low for my Angel?

@nabokovfan87yeah I saw a Rubberlip at Petco today actually. Are they good for other than just the glass? I just don’t want to over load it and then have nothing to eat and then I’m having to throw algae wafers in there everyday. If I have that Hillstream Loach and I pick up a Rubbernose, could I still get some Otos?

All the Amanos I have seen around here are super tiny and I think my Angel would eat them. They are too expensive for that to happen. I picked up a Hillstream Loach, mainly because they are cool, but they are supposed to do great with the surfaces. But I want something to help with the other surfaces and driftwood and stuff. Not sure how long the mystery snails will live after the angel bit off their long feelers. We have had some ghost shrimp in there but they didn’t seem to do a great job. Maybe I didn’t have enough of them? They are just so cheap, so that’s appealing. Yeah I looked into the online places but dang, $30 for shipping? I totally understand the costs but geez. But like I told my wife, we may have to go that route to get what we want or need.

I wish we had a local fish club or buddies that are into fish. We are a pretty big city but there isn’t a lot of fish scene around here. No other fish stores except Petco, PetsMart and Pet Supermarket. But yes, I will just have to try and hold off on some things and then when I do place an order just throw in a few things I may want to have extra on hand of.

@nabokovfan87well a bunch has changed in a few days lol. The guppy that I thought was about to have babies ended up dying. Water parameters are great. Zero ammonia and Trites and about 20 ppm Trates. We have two mystery snails and our angel fish has bit the little feelers off of both of them. I guess she thought they were bloodworms because when I put some of those in there she goes nuts. Looking for something else to help with algae buildup. You had any experience with Otocinclus? Thinking about getting a couple for the 29 gallon but I hear they are very sensitive. Or should I just get a bristlenose?