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tolstoy21

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Everything posted by tolstoy21

  1. tolstoy21
    Yeah, nothing stays put in Flourite sand without hassle. Tweezers in sand never work because as you try to release anything, you inadvertently move the sand aside as the tweezers expand and create a path for a stem plant or a root tab to escape upwards. The angled tweezers work better. But in both cases, it's easy to crush the tabs. In the end, there is no tool engineered with more sophistication, control and tactile feedback that ones own fingers. If I just go that old-fashioned route, I never have problems with root tabs that like to float.
  2. tolstoy21
    Can anyone suggest an adjustable heater that fits well in the Ziss artemia blender?
  3. tolstoy21
    I found that too, so I just use my fingers.
  4. tolstoy21
    Hmmm. Yeah I was sticking to the three month schedule. I'll monitor their growth and adjust if needed. I do appreciate the fantastic growth, but on the other hand, when plants grow too fast, I gotta get in there and do some maint and thin them out.
  5. tolstoy21
    If you think you're going to be adding more tanks in the near-ish future, it could be worth the investment. However, if you're not expanding anytime soon, or just don't have the money to justify an expensive air pump at this juncture, you could probably get by with a couple inexpensive Tetra Whisper pumps. As en example, I use a Whisper 100 to power 2 sponge filters in two separate 29 gallons. It's more than enough air for that. These run like $15 each. If you're not pushing much air to your tanks, then you might be able to split that across a few more tanks, but your mileage may vary and this depends on tank size and how much flow/filtration you need. Really the decision comes down to what your tank sizes are, how many sponger filters you'll have in all of them cumulatively, and if it's worth the cost savings if you'll be adding more to that soon and find yourself adding more individual air pumps. This is a stop gap measure until you start expanding, and if you don't expand, its a waaaay lower-cost, plug-n-play solution. Now if you're doubling the amount of tanks you're running anytime soon, then yeah maybe thing about the expense of a linear piston pump, plus the cost and time of installing a PVC loop. I'm sure there are other solutions available, but my personal path ran through the Tetra Whispers, so I can speak to that experience.
  6. tolstoy21
    I have been using the black, blocky, slab-of-chalk-looking root tabs for a few years now (trying not to mention a brand name) and I recently switched to the Aquarium Co-Op ones simply because they were less expensive. That was literally my only motive. I thought, hmm these are less expensive, I hope they work. However, after about a month+ of planting the tabs in the substrate, my crypts and swords have exploded in size and growth rate. My Wendtii Red are easily 12" high. Lot of little ones popping up through the substrate that I can now propagate to other tanks. Maybe something else is going on and I'm falsely attributing this growth to the Co-Op's tabs, but this is literally the only change (I haven't changed other ferts and don't use EasyGreen liquid). This is a very low-tech planted setup. Anyway, wanted to share my experience as I really like what I'm seeing after switching from the the more expensive slabs of black chalk offered by a larger company.
  7. tolstoy21
    I think the Angels are less likely to snack on the rummynose than they are neons. I'm also partial to rummynose.
  8. tolstoy21
    I just set up a Ziss hatchery last night and put in two kind-of heaping tablespoons if solar salt. The Ziss holds 2L of water. I checked the salinity this morning and it's at 40ppt, which is the upper range of what Brine Shrimp Direct recommends for salinity for brine shrimp (I'm using their eggs). My temp is about 78F. So maybe cut your salt in half? I'm certainly not en expert on this subject by any means. But I have living BBS in my hatchery this morning using the formula of 1 TBS of salt and 1/4 tsp baking soda per liter of water. Note: I've hatched shrimp many times before, but last night was my first time trying the Ziss hatchery and trying solar salt + baking soda with measuring spoons, instead of pre-mixing Instant Ocean to the desired salinity in a bucket.
  9. tolstoy21
    I just imagined they said that because it's more expensive to feed it more often than other food varieties. I find some fish will overeat frozen food before they overeat flake food. (Just like my kid will overeat pizza and not broccoli). If I go heavy on frozen brine the fish ravenously gobble up every last bit and all look like they are pregnant. If I go heavy on flake food, they just let the excess settle to the bottom. But this is variable, for instance, my Odessa Barbs will eat beyond capacity anything that hits the water.
  10. tolstoy21
    I wouldn't worry about doing that unless you have a way to automate those small daily changes. Otherwise, it sounds like daily work with no benefit. People have been doing weekly or longer period water changes for a long time now with success, so I don't know the benefit in splitting that volume up into smaller portions over a course of many days, unless there is something very specific you're trying to address/accomplish. If so, maybe share that as well. That being said, doing daily small changes won't hurt anything. It's just a cost/benefit kind of thing -- the cost being an ongoing daily chore if this is not automated, the benefit being mostly negligible.
  11. tolstoy21
    Equilibrium will raise GH but not KH. So if you think you're good as far as GH levels, I'd hold off on adding that. Also, my years spent debugging computer systems and code have taught me to change one aspect of any system at a time and then wait to see those results before introducing a second change. Otherwise it's impossible to know what affected the outcome without just repeating all your steps/changes forever forward, replicating and codifying into procedure the unneeded ones.
  12. tolstoy21
    I have a similar tap water scenario and I used crushed coral in my sump in a media bag. Sometimes in use it in box filters instead of bio rings, and sometimes just mixed in the substrate. Keeps the water 7.4-ish fine and I don't have to replace it much (or ever in some use-cases). Personally, I'd replace the bio rings with a similar sized bag of coral (but rinse it first). Baking soda will, I believe, move the KH much faster than crushed coral, and will need to be replenished after water changes. In my opinion, crushed coral is the easiest solution that requires the least effort. The coral will dissolve as it needs to and reach a point of stabilization, so any amount will work, but the less you put in, the sooner you might have to replace it, but it lasts a good long while. I put about 2 lb in a media bag in a sump in a 150 gallon and it's barely reduced that amount in any way I can see visually after maybe 3 or 4 months. The water has been rock solid in terms of PH/KH. I have a similar amount in a 40-gallon water changing vessel where I pre-make water, and that's been the same. Buffers water by adding KH, reduces slowly. Now, the PH could drop a tad when you do a water change if you don't buffer your change water, but depending on how much new water you put in, that could be negligible. I would test that just to see what you're working with and go from there (if you decide to use coral). Just as an aside, crushed coral with aragonite in it will give you a higher PH that plain old crushed coral (around 8.0 in my experience). So depending on what you're shooting for, just know that aspect and difference. Ive done fine with TopFin coral from Pet Smart. Coral is a slower to raise the KH/PH than other products and methods, but I think this is more a benefit than a problem.
  13. tolstoy21
    Made a rack for my $1 a gallon sale tanks. Still quite a few steps left to go (lights, plumbing, air, etc.) before I have water and fish in these. Next $1 sale will fill out the bottom! Still deliberating if I should paint the stand black. I decided to use my mitre saw to notch out the uprights for better overall weight support. (I also just built that fence in the pic to the right the other week, which got me enough family credits to spend this weekend building fish-related items!)
  14. tolstoy21
    Yeah, my kid either calls them 'Santa shrimp, or 'candy cane shrimp'. I absolutely love the look of crystal reds, especially against the green. It's what drew me to them. I keep this tank next to a recliner I relax in at the end of the day, and it's a nice peaceful thing to look at. But if I had to do it over again, I'd go neocaradina -- cherry or blue dream -- and not cause they are easier, but because I could thin the herd by moving excess adult shrimp to other tanks. The caradina are so specialized in terms of parameters, that I have no where to move the crowd now that it's getting to the point at which it needs to be thinned. I guess I could make a soft-water tank with some tetras etc. and try them there, but I'd just like to be able transfer them to something existing without needing to set up another specialized environment. I think in a few months I might see if I can offer some these up on CL locally. I don't see many LFS's near me carrying these, so I don't imagine they sell them (or want to trade for some). All I see in stores is neo's, but that's probably because they are more bullet proof for the average shopper.
  15. tolstoy21
    Breakfast time! I posted these shrimpies a few times, but really, it's the only interesting thing I got going on crustacean-wise. I really admire everyone else's great macro shots. Alas, photography has never been one of my talents.
  16. tolstoy21
    Unless the sand's composition itself if not amenable to plant roots, you can always try putting root tabs under the rooted plants to feed them and not worry about adding a planted substrate into the tank. Give that some time and see how that works, and if that's not getting the results you want, then try adding in a different substrate. If you like the look of black sand, I'm partial to Fluorite Black Sand as my planted substrate of choice. But it does have some drawbacks, like its hard to get stem plants to stay put in it at first, and its very dusty and needs to be super-washed or else it clouds your tank unbelievably. I would imagine that if you want the full benefits of a planted substrate, it's going to have to be mixed into the existing substrate when you add it.
  17. tolstoy21
    Fry are active and eating. They are the sole occupants of the tank, but the parents were in there originally. They appear otherwise healthy. Don’t know if I lost any but doesn’t seem like it so far. Too much cover and too many fry. If some passed, I’d really have to search for them. Also, while the poop is super long, it also takes on the color of the food. So it’s white after a feeding of micro worms. And it’s red after a feeding of brine shrimp. It looks like their making sausage links of the food they just ate. Never having raised fry and not regularly seeing it in the adults, it had me wondering if it’s normal.
  18. tolstoy21
    This is my first foray into intentionally breeding fish, so I'm not super familiar with what to expect and look for when raising fry. But, I've been noticing lately that a lot of my Apisto fry have stringy poop (see in the picture). Is this normal, of concern? I feed them three times a day, microwroms in the morning and baby brine at the other two feedings. Any thoughts or advice?
  19. tolstoy21
    I have erythromycin on hand, so was going to start with that and salt.
  20. tolstoy21
    Popeye, right? Eyes seems kinda bulgy to me. Also, they are ringed with that milky white coloration that I don't recall seeing on this fish in the past. Most pics I see on the internet for diagnosis show extreme full-blown cases, so it's a little hard for me to judge based on those. I haven't had these apistos super long, so I'm not familiar with the characteristics of this species in terms of what's normal looking and what's an indication of a health issue. This fish was in a community tank for a few weeks (its now isolated in a smaller tank), and I see no health issues with the other fish, nor water quality issues in the community aquarium. I lost the female apisto due to internal issues a few weeks back. She's always been in a separate aquarium and was never introduced to the community tank. Opinions? Advice?
  21. tolstoy21
    Could be condensation if there was moisture trapped in an air pocket air in the seam when it was sealed. If you added cold water to the tank when you filled it, this might have caused that. I’ve seen that with a bottom cross brace when leak testing a tank. Air trapped in the groove in the cross brace (which was pressed firm to the glass after filling) had beaded up on the bottom glass. Had me second guessing the tank for a week. Just leak test it longer to feel more sure. Test the corners by wiping gently with a paper towel once a day or so. That should give you an indication if it’s leaking. I’d do that for piece of mind before stocking it.
  22. tolstoy21
    I recently ordered some from Wet Spot.
  23. tolstoy21
    I use gorilla glue all the time, wet or dry.
  24. tolstoy21
    Hmmm, not sure about a kit but . . . I'd search Amazon for CO2 regulators for aquariums. These should all come with a built in solenoid valve, check valve and bubble counter. Find one that can hook up to a 20oz paintball canister. Then find nearby a sporting good store that sells and refills paintball canisters with CO2. I've use Dick's Sporting Goods n the past. Other than that you'll need a few other things that can be easily acquired online or elsewhere -- 1/4 tubing rated for CO2 to hook up the diffuser, a simple plug-in timer to turn the regulator on and off on schedule, and an in-tank CO2 drop checker. I think that's all you'll need to assemble your own kit. As far as price price for all this -- that widely varies depending on whether or not you buy a 'high end' regulator. Lots of good reviews online for more budget friendly stuff. If you want to spend more, look at online seller like Green Leaf Aquariums. Ohhhhh wait . . . Fluval makes a small kit, but I'd see some reviewers and opinions on that before buying. I believe (but could be wrong) that it's manual operation, and they make their money selling the refill canisters, which are on the small side.
  25. tolstoy21
    I started going so I could add to my life list, but then I found I just enjoyed being waaaaaaay out, away from the world for a few days. Kind of gives you a nice reset after being embroiled in the rat race week after week. I grew up around boats so being on the ocean kind of spoke to my core. This would have been my fourth year going, had three trips lined up for last winter/spring, then COVID happened. Not much of a lister or counter (other than a simple life list). Really, birding has always been for me a way to tune out everything else for a short time. Just standing in the middle of some piece of nature, intently listening and watching. You become so hyper-focused on the paying attention to nuances of bird behavior and habitat that you forget all the other BS that was irking you. It's my happy place. I guess that's what hobbies are for.
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