[Puget Sound Biotope]

Thank you so much for sharing your project! Fascinating!

[55 gallon cycled for 18 months - but something is killing my fish]

You may want to check if the medicines are safe for plants. Some meds are not and you may want to move the fish or plants out to quarantine.

[With Respect, What Fish Don't You Like?]

I'm not big on bubble eye goldfish.  The bubble eyes look like water blisters to me. Also I don't like Glofish at all because they look unnatural and I don't know how they were "created" (?)  I felt the same about another fish that looked like it had fluorescent paint on its top fin. I think it used to be called an Indian glass fish, although I don't know if they are still around or have the same name.  Anyway - that can't be natural either. Right?

I recently learned that pufferfish teeth have to be trimmed, but I can't bear to watch any video on it, nor could I ever picture myself doing that. Trimming a tooth would be like nails on a chalkboard to me. No way Jose!

[Stuff you bought from a physical Mom and Pop store today thread.]

I bought live brine shrimp. They sell it in bags at the register. How convenient is that for those of us without a hatchery?  My tetras were so excited to have a live treat.

Also bought spiderwood.

On 5/14/2022 at 3:23 AM, MAC said:

The other day I went in for frozen foods and some homemade algae wafers and came home with a special order of something I'd been on the lookout for. 

Just picked up a group and they are starting to get settled.

What type of fish is it?  Looks betta-ish?

[What is this??]

On 5/13/2022 at 9:18 AM, Guppysnail said:

I’m so jealous. That is a fantastic Bryozoa colony!  @Biotope Biologist actually posted the specific type on another thread but I could not find it. 

Neat 🙂

[Snail Feeding?]

They need some calcium for their shells. Look for "Snello" recipes online for DIY ideas. Some people powder eggshells (bake them first) to put in the tank, but I have found that to be too messy, and it's hard to get the shells into a powder. You want a powder so that the snails don't cut themselves on sharp edges. It is easier to drop a piece of unflavored cuttlebone (sold in the bird section) into the tank for them, but you may have to weigh it down with a rock if it wants to float.  I also give my snails algae wafers or vegetables. The mystery snail likes zucchini, squash, carrot, red cabbage, green beans (canned, no salt, organic if you can find it). Any fresh vegetables will need to be boiled 15-20 minutes because they need to be very soft for the snail to eat.

This is the only time I ever saw the nerite eat anything besides algae or glass slime (he is eating zucchini).