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Everything posted by _Eric_
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I’ve done 3 or 4 weeks.
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test kit for kh that is more sensitive than api ?
_Eric_ replied to anewbie's topic in General Discussion
I wouldn’t count on deals at aquashella unless you are around close to closing and folks are wanting to sell things rather than pack them. I have seen some good deals at shows but folks still have to cover the costs of the shows and I would guess Aquashella isn’t the cheapest. -
Discus can be a challenge for plants but temp doesn’t seem to be a deal breaker in my limited experience. Lots of other things that go with discus like extra soft water and low flow can be a problem. Easy green has been great as always.
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Those should all do fine. I have Anubis, crypts, and Amazon sword in my discus tank that I keep at 86.
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I have some corkscrew Val in my 29 gal. It doesn't get as tall as the jungle Val and I like the look of the twist. Spreads very fast once it starts going and gets really thick. I have to thin it out from time to time and keep it hemmed in with some rocks.
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I got a cheap 3D printed diffuser off Etsy
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dr Tim’s will work fine for an ammonia source. Algae is normal for a new setup as you balance things. Some algae eaters like nerite snails or otocinclus can help once filter is cycled but you can reduce lighting some until you get there.
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I think Angels would be great - go for it!
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I am not sure 6 inches would be enough to cause an issue so I’d keep an eye on it still. May have a bad sensor.
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do you have both probes close to each other? They should be as close as you make them. If you do, sounds like you have a faulty temp probe.
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I haven’t ever had an issue with my ink birds after a power outage. What type do you have?
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I wouldn’t worry about the optimum amount of ammonia. You are doing fine. Once you get zero ammonia / nitrite with an ammonia source of some kind, water change your nitrates down to a decent level and start stocking slowly. Monitor levels to make sure you don’t stock too fast and if you do, just water change to keep levels as low as you can. The bacteria reproduce pretty quickly once they are in there.
- 5 replies
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- 3
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- cycle
- planted tank
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If it were me, I’d either do a planted angelfish community tank or do a saulosi cichlid tank. A pearl gourami tank would be an easier route - I really like those fish too.
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I don’t think matrix makes a significant difference. I’ve used it but didn’t notice any difference in nitrates. Fast growing plants are the best way to knock down nitrates in my experience- do you have ability to add any?
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I like the title. Nitrifying bacteria is a bit of a mystery. We don’t really know what types we have exactly we just observe the outputs. Room temp bacteria in a bottle are spores that are supposed to activate when you put in the tank. Turbostart has to be refrigerated because it is live bacteria but its activity is slowed down by cold temps. If you let it warm up the bacteria will act normally and run out of food / O2 quickly and die. Even at low temps there is an expiration date for when it will run out of nutrients.
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I’ve used the black and white Imagitarium sand at Petco on my smaller tanks. I’ve had good results for plants, corys, and apistos that like sifting. Here’s a link: Imagitarium Sand Pool filter sand can be a good option if you need to buy a lot since it is cheaper. Most pool filter sand is tan but you can find white ones. I am getting ready to go this route for my larger tank but haven’t used personally yet.
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Actually, I haven't had a very bad situation. I was trying to encourage you in that my discus are eating the pellets, etc. now. I don't know if I would try to get them on fully transitioned to repashy soilent green since this is your first go with discus. At least that is my thought process for my own fish. However, that it what is great about this hobby- trying new things and comparing and refining results. I'm going to stick with feeding mine twice a day - beefheart once a day and pellet/Vibra bites/flakes/etc for the other feeding. If you do decide to have 100% soilent green as your end goal, you may want to get them on some repashy community plus at first (since it has more meat) and then start mixing in soilent green and increasing hte proportion of it until you are 100% SG. Not a route I'm going to go down but that would be my advice on getting them transitioned. Actually, I haven't had a very bad situation. I was trying to encourage you in that my discus are eating the pellets, etc. now. I don't know if I would try to get them on fully transitioned to repashy soilent green since this is your first go with discus. At least that is my thought process for my own fish. However, that it what is great about this hobby- trying new things and comparing and refining results. I'm going to stick with feeding mine twice a day - beefheart once a day and pellet/Vibra bites/flakes/etc for the other feeding. If you do decide to have 100% soilent green as your end goal, you may want to get them on some repashy community plus at first (since it has more meat) and then start mixing in soilent green and increasing hte proportion of it until you are 100% SG. Not a route I'm going to go down but that would be my advice on getting them transitioned.
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Looking for a nano tank self-priming, quiet HOB filter
_Eric_ replied to HoosierJeff's topic in General Discussion
Thanks so much for following up! that magnet idea is pretty ingenious. I think I may go with a 25 on the 6 gallon I have as i think it will just be shrimp and plants in there. I have a 10 gallon in the "to do" line and think a 50 would be perfect for that. Will have to post when I get that done. -
Welcome to the discus club. I'm a newbie as well as I bought an existing discus setup about a month ago. The prior owner was feeding 100% beef heart three times a day so I think it is similar to where you are at. They guy I bought from was nice enough to give me his remaining beef heart supply. I feed that once a day, but I started working in sinking pellets, etc. on my second feeding. There are some other fish in there that get flakes and other food as well. The discus were a little stressed after the move and weren't exactly attacking the beef heart when I first had them but they liked it a lot more than the pellets I was trying to get them on. I just left it in there and eventually they would pick at it. I think leaving pellets in for a few hours is ok and they would eventually eat it all. I see them start to eat the sinking pellets a lot more quickly now than when I first got them and they are always gone after a few hours. I think it just takes a little bit for them to warm up to the new food but then they get on it just fine after a while. D-50 granules seem to be highly thought of so I wouldn't worry about trying to many other dry foods. Since they have been on frozen food, I'd keep some of that or fresh food in the mix at least for now. I have heard to stay away from blood worms - seems to be the conventional discus wisdom. I'm not sure it is fact, but there are a lot of other options available so I think that there is no need to test the theory with my fish. Im planning to make my own beef heart mix once I run out of the stuff I have. There seem to be a lot of recipes online so you may want to think about that. Much cheaper than buying the frozen stuff in the store. I think "discus culture" can be a little extreme with the huge water changes, precise water conditions, and heavy feedings multiple times a day. The fish can be a little sensitive and they are expensive so it makes sense that the conventional wisdom is a little more extreme (bare bottom only, 100% water changes daily, etc, etc) They can handle all the protein of a lot of frozen beef heart without bloating up and dying. And since they can handle it, the meaty diet can help them grow larger than they would on a more typical diet during grow up (or at least give them a better opportunity to big). Breeders obviously would like to grow discus as large and as fast as possible (see prices online of a 2" vs 4" vs 5"). Also, die-hard discus folks love to strive for dinner plate size discus and feel like they've failed if they have a sub 6" fish. So it also makes sense why it is commonplace for discus to feed heavy protein diets. The breeders people buy from are probably feeding them that and the discus forums are full of folks advocating it. However, if you can get them to eat a good pellet or flake you can phase out the frozen entirely in my opinion. They are likely done growing for the most part at 2.5 years. If they are really large they may need like more protein than a smaller fish but I wouldn't stress about it too much. Some of mine are young and I'd like to get some of the extra protein in them while they grow. Also, I like the idea of making my own fish food that I can play with the formula on. We'll see if I feel the same way after I make it a few times 🙂
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A couple of thoughts: 1. I’d put down below tank (even if a couple inches out of spec) rather than behind tank. Not sure if there would be enough back pressure for pump to work properly. Or at least don’t cut the tubing until it’s been running for a bit without issue. 2. I’d use poly fil in the last tray. That is what I do in my 207. I just swap when I clean the filter every 3 weeks +\-. The sponges and polishing pad that are standard gets a lot out so I don’t find it clogs between cleanings. You do have to replace the polishing pads after a few cleanings but that aren’t that expensive. Could cut some out of a roll of floss but I’ve just used the Fluval ones.
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I’d get a canister.
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I recently bought an existing setup, including fish. There is a pleco that I can’t identify and wanted to see if anyone here knew what it was - pics below. Thanks for any help!
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I second the angelfish tank.
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- 65 gallon
- plantedtank
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Depends - do you have an established QT tank or setting up new? If setting up new, even with a seeded sponge filter, there is a risk of having ammonia spikes etc. if you have an established qt tank for them to go into, I don’t see a reason not to put them in. if you don’t have an established qt tank, then you have to make a judgement call. higher risk of losing some of the new otos with a new qt tank and higher risk of losing some of your existing fish if you don’t QT. Can be a tough call sometimes. But if you test the qt tank for ammonia / nitrites and change water if needed that is probably the safest.