GisheryGoodness

Thank you. Sorry, for late reply, it's been a busy week. I'm back to work after bring off for surgery. The only stand I found within my price range that I trusted was supposed to be shipped today, it still hasn't arrived. We lowered the water below the crack so I don't have to move the fish until the other tank is semi ready, like the same day. Two questions my heater is a 300 watt is that going to be adequate? And also lighting? I'll have a glass top on the aqueon brand tank, the 55 I have currently cane with lights so definitely gonna need a different one but not sure how to find one for such a large tank without breaking my wallet, lol.

So my 55 gallon tank has a crack, it isn't leaking yet but I'd prefer to avert disaster if possible so I've purchased a new tank, a 75, cause why not, lol, and am getting an actual tank stand instead of the dresser it's on (I'm a bit worried the cracks are from stress) Everything should be in by Friday so I can get the new tank set up but I'm too wary of leaving the tank with water in it. I have extra tanks because if a fairly recent upgrade for other tanks and the tank is semi understocked anyway so most of the fish will be fine. My main concerns are the bn pleco and the angel. Will they be ok in a 10 gallon for just a few days? It would be just them, the others would be elsewhere. I have a 29 gallon tank but it's got a bunch of platy babies currently and is decently planted so I don't think I'd be able to get the babies out. Well technically their like 6 months but still small enough to be eaten by angel. Also advice on moving to the 75 without killing the cycle?

In the tanks that are established I have fluval stratum, I switched substrates from gravel to planted less than a year ago but was able to keep the BB going with the filters and a bit of substrate under the new. Here are pics of what it looks like currently. Fergus wanted to be a show off, lol.

I'm looking to upgrade two tanks from a 6.5 and a 5.5 to 10 gallons. I can put the current occupants in my quarantine tank while upgrading, my question is can I use the substrate/soil from the tanks or should I just get new, I know I'll need more anyway because they're bigger tanks, idk if it's worth transferring or not.

Thank ypu, I have done the kanaplex and salt for the one in quarantine, whatever it is on her keeps falling off and regrowing? Almost like little fuzzy spores. I tried to get a picture of one that had fallen the floor of the tank but couldn't it just wouldn't focus right. Thankfully as of now all of my other fish are good. She's mostly hanging out at the top of the tank. This is her today.

Noticed this yesterday and immediately moved her to quarantine tank. She spent yesterday hiding in a rock cave but hadn't been acting weird before that, or at least I hadn't noticed it. I spent over 30 minutes watching the rest of the tank and no one else is showing signs of illness yet. Best treatment and also am I going to need to treat the whole tank? Parameters for 29gal tank are Ammonia-0 NitrIte- 0 Ph 7.6 NitrAte - 20 Temp 78 Gh 6 Kh 5 Stocking 4 adult platys and around 15 probably more babies ( one adult is the one moved to qt) 4 Albino Corys 5 mystery snails 1 bristlenose pleco Qt is a 10 gallon

Awesome. Thank you all for replying. I was pretty sure it wasn't something that should have soap on it being something that deals with the aquariums but thought maybe I should double check it in case I was wrong

So I have the api test kit and several glass tubes, I've just been rinsing them really well with hot water but now I'm wondering am I supposed to be cleaning them with soap? Because I've had a couple get not sticky exactly but not feel clean either. Sorry if this is just like common sense and kinda dumb to be asking

Sorry that I'm just now getting back to this. I did end up moving the bully fish and added some more hiding spots but it didn't seem to do any good, she died a couple days later. I guess the stress had just already built up too much for her. I feel like it was my fault somehow.

I do have a breeder box, will that be less or more stressful for her, it's just a cheap small mesh one.

One of my black mollies is pregnant for the second time. I'm fairly certain she's ready to give birth but won't and I think the one male is stressing her out and will not leave her alone even with multiple spots to hide he relentlessly follows her. Now she's starting to swim kinda vertically like with her head down tail up, not constantly yet but I'm very worried. My quarantine tank is sort of occupied with baby platys and accidental snails that I missed a clutch until they're big enough to go to lfs so I don't have a spare tank. I do have my 29 gallon tank with platys and a female betta that has same parameters but live plants. would it stress her out more to move her there with maybe more hiding places and no one following her or maybe move the boy out instead? Or is there something else to do I'm a bit freaked that she's going to die or something. Tank is 55 gallon Parameters Ph 7.6 Ammonia - 0 NitrIte - 0 NitrAte - 30? btw 20 and 40 Gh - 6 Kh - 5 Temp 78 Stocking 5 serpae tetra 6 black skirt tetras 4 julii corys 1 angelfish 4 mollies 3f 1m 1 bristlenose pleco

So I've managed to save some platy babies one is a quite a bit bigger and was originally all I was planning on keeping but then they all kept hiding by the breeding box and I couldn't just leave them so now I'm raising about 15 of them. One is over a month older, I have a plan set for once they are big enough to go to a lfs. But my question now is do I keep them in the breeder box or should I try to set them up in another tank? I have a quarantine tank that is set up and running at all times just in case and have extra filter media if the tank needs it. Also will the bigger one eat the smaller ones. It's still way too small to put with the rest of the tank but bigger than all the others, more fish shaped I guess if that makes any sense. Oh also I took my hob filter out a while back because it was the second one I'd bought that broke and just switched to all sponge filters but now there's a hole in the lid where it should be. I've been keeping it covered with a cloth but if anyone has ideas on a fix for it I'd be grateful

From what I've read after finding these mystery snails can lay unfertilized eggs when they have no mate. Interesting thing is I thought I had a male. Though I didn't really get how to tell the difference anyway so I just chose for myself I guess. So now 'her' name is Rufus. Just to double check that is what these are right, snail eggs or something else.

Thank you, can sponge filters be boiled? Like the actual sponge part or do I need to do something else for that part? Also sorry if it sounded like I was saying dropsy was the disease, I didn't mean to, I know it's a symptom but a fairly bad one. But also makes it kinda difficult to know what exactly he had so definitely don't want any future fishies to get whatever infection caused the dropsy so a bit paranoid about sanitizing. Can't afford to toss any equipment or I honestly would.

Gabriel died late last night or early this morning. My heart hurts and I feel like I should have done more though I don't know what. My question now is do I need to sanitize his tank, like filter and stuff too. I was planning on upgrading him to planted tank anyway. But idk what all I need to do after an illness especially since I'm not sure what he may have had.

Thank you guys. I had to order the metroplex so hopefully it'll be here soon but have the kanaplex. I will see if he will eat. I didn't mention before that I moved him to the quarantine tank when I noticed the bloating starting two days ago because it's easier if it had been bloating to treat rather than his tank but made sure all parameters were the same and no sick fish have been in it. But idk I'm just trying to figure it all out. I've been checking his water twice a week since he got fin rot and it's never been off, do water changes once a week. I don't see how the water quality could have been poor enough to lower his immune system for whatever infection is causing the dropsy. I know sometimes fish have weaknesses but I still just am scrounging for anything I could have done wrong

Gabriel was doing so well, at least I thought he was. His fins were slowly growing back from fin rot at the end of August and possibly coming in another color but two days ago I noticed he looked bloated so I stopped feeding and have been watching closely he just got more lethargic and has clamped his fins and now I think it looks pinecone-y today. Everything I've read says dropsy is a death sentence and I'm feeling devastated but also wondering if maybe there's always been something wrong with him. I got him at the end of May this year. He was very picky about food at first, has gotten better but then got fin rot, seemed to have gotten better, at least I thought he was. He was happy, swimming around jumping up when I brought him food, ect. And now this. I've been meticulous with his tank so I'm pretty sure it's not a water issue. Anyway I've put salt in the tank for now but if there's any other advice I'll take it or either confirming I'm right or wrong. Tank 10 gallon Ammonia and nitrIte- 0 NitrAte - 10ish Ph 7.4 Gh and Kh both 4 Temp 79 I'm holding onto a bit of hope that I might be able to save him.

Lol, well I feel better knowing someone else thinks so too. Cause that's what I was thinking too, looks like both depending on how I see it. Thank you. That's good to know, the smallest fishy friends are some mollies they should be alright? I will look into the blushing gene, sounds interesting. Lol, well I feel better knowing someone else thinks so too. Cause that's what I was thinking too, looks like both depending on how I see it. Thank you. That's good to know, the smallest fishy friends are some mollies they should be alright? I will look into the blushing gene, sounds interesting.

Sorry wasn't very clear on that I just wanted to know so I could give a name. It's actually just one angelfish, my centerpiece for the 55, I was advised to just get one because they can get aggressive if it's not a pair and as you said it hard to tell if they're male/female as juvenile.

Sorry if this goes in a different category I wasn't quite sure. I've looked at all the ways to tell a male and female angelfish apart and I'm still unsure. Do they have to be older to be sure, I can't see the breeding tube so I'm guessing too young and the other qualifiers like forehead bump and body size I'm just not sure. I've had them over a month and they are now in their permanent tank so I want to give them a name if possible. Best pics I could get I can try again later though if needed.

Thank you all for your replies. I've used fluval stratum in my other planted tanks and it's kinda been a toss - up one ots done well and not stirred anything uo during water changes the others do, but that one also has a thin layer of black sand that I can't remember the name of. Plants seem to do well in it though and I do still have enough to do this tank but I will take in the advice here too. Either way it will be a bit before I can do much, a bit broke at the moment. *gasp* shocking in this hobby right, lol. Thank you all for your replies. I've used fluval stratum in my other planted tanks and it's kinda been a toss - up one ots done well and not stirred anything uo during water changes the others do, but that one also has a thin layer of black sand that I can't remember the name of. Plants seem to do well in it though and I do still have enough to do this tank but I will take in the advice here too. Either way it will be a bit before I can do much, a bit broke at the moment. *gasp* shocking in this hobby right, lol.

I have fallen in love with planted tanks and would like to switch my 6.5 gallon to planted but don't want to destroy the cycle or anything. Will changing out all the gravel, giving it a rinse and putting in some fluval stratum plus plants be ok if I keep the same sponge filter, keeping it in some old aquarium water or is there a process to this? I've tried looking but can't really seem to find any good info on changing out an established tank. I have a separate tank my betta can go into while I'm doing this.

Sorry for the late reply, life has been crazy busy lately. My little Gabriel seems to be doing quite well, his tail isn't fully grown back but it's getting there I think. He's a happy boy, swimming to greet me and trying to launch out amd grab food out of my hand and dinner time, lol. He's quite the character.

Thank you! That makes me feel better. She just seemed so much bigger than the other two that I've had give birth so I wasn't sure.

I'm going to take a guess that she dropped some fry though I haven't found any yet. May not find any with the other greedy platys and a betta but this is her now. Still a bit larger than usual though.