MattyM

I am working on a quote for a custom tank, just over 100 gallons (I've never ran anything over 30g), and the rimmed lip will be around 1.5" - I don't know of a HOB that will fit that rim (I was hoping to use a couple AC 110s since mine are dead silent). BUT, they won't fit, and I think for a heavily planted tank of this size, a canister might be better (inline CO2, better flow, etc). After more research, it seems some canister clips might be a tight fit on that too. The one caveat is it has to be quiet, it won't be tucked into a cabinet or anything, and it's in my office where I work and do the occasional recording. I've been doing a lot of research, esp trying to find videos of canisters in use, and it seems the FX line can be pretty loud. I'm also frazzled at all the options, and just need some advise. Anyways, I'll tank any recommendations on not only brands/models, but sizes as well as how to place the in/out flows. Thank you!

Nah - the betta is staying in his tank, just moving to a different location where he'll get more attention 🙂

Thanks for the kind words! The bottom tanks just don't get much attention, except from my cat. The bottom right one has a beautiful Betta, and I want to see him more - so since I wrote this post I decided I'm going to move that tank to a better spot, probably next to my desk. The initial reasoning behind these 4 tanks was to try different things and learn - if you go way back in my posts you can see how horrid things started out 😅. But I still enjoyed it. Then sometime in a year or so, I was going to put a big tank upstairs. After discussing with the wife, we decided it would be much cooler down here, and I would love a tank that fills most of that wall space - that would look super cool, and since this is my home office/studio - I spend most of my hours down there.

That is crazy! My situation is more that the floor is bumpy. I’ve been perusing some metal stands that have adjustable feet on each corner and in the middle, and considering an acrylic tank bc they are lighter than glass. Lots to think about.

When you did this, were the tanks in the same location? Another thing I'm pondering is the process. I'd have to break down the 4 tanks into buckets and move them aside, setup the new tank/stand, scape it, and then fill - would have to really plan that so the fish aren't sitting in buckets too long. I'd save as much water as I could, but I'd still be adding quite a bit of fresh water. Fritzyme will be my friend here I think, tho I plan on tossing all my sponge and HOBs on the bigger tank to help the cycle along (or at least the media, need to think about filtration still) along with all my plants.

Thanks for the input! And yeah, I'm going to monitor the betta situation. I might keep him in his 9 gal and just move it 🤔 - but yeah, i'm so curious about how the fish would react in a larger home - as well as plant growth! Another reason I'm contemplating the upsize is some of my crypts are getting HUGE.

Brilliant! And thanks for the reply, and I'd be excited/nervous too about your new tank, that will look amazing! If I had a larger home that would be tempting.

Actually you may be the perfect person to ask about my cories! I have 6 pandas in one tank, and 3 larger pepper cories in another. From my research, I think they should all get along? The only other 2 that I'm sure about are my betta and male honey gourami. The gourami is def an alpha when in breeding mode. Tx for the input! I do have space for tanks in another room, which is where I have another 10g quarantine tank always running.

Hi all - I'm pondering taking my 20L, 20H, 10 and 9 gallon tanks into 1 larger tank - using the same space: Why? Primarily because the lower tanks don't get much attention (well, except from my cat). They are just harder to see unless you are on the floor. Also, having the 4 tanks has allowed me to try different substrates, plants, rocks, etc and I know what I like and what works best for me. So I'm ready to try something bigger with a little more confidence, and this is the space I have to use. I of course plan on re-using the plants and much of the hardscape. My main concern: The dang floor. I have no idea what's under it, but you can see all the leveling work I had to put into these stands. At least I know the floor can support this weight. I'm not sure what kind of stand would be best for a 75, 90 or even 125 (it's a tight 6 feet from the file cabinet to the wall's end). I know a good wood worker who has built our outdoor stairs (heck the guy has built houses), so would consider seeing if he would make me a stand and help level it. A 125 would be great, but would be a tight fit - and maybe a bit of a gamble on the weight and leveling. I suppose I can move the smaller file cabinet, that might be the way to go as that would still leave me access to my wall mounted power strips hiding behind it - but the weight, should I be concerned? A 75 might make more sense, as that's just a bit more gallons/weight than I have now - and maybe with the center brace I can use my two 24" fluval plant lights? But I would sure like to fill as much of the wall with tank space as I can - that's the dream at least. Anyways, would love to hear any thoughts on this!

As much as I love the ACO, I don't like their test strips and prefer these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0053PQWEU/ - they use darker colors so they are easier to read. Also, maybe a liquid test kit might help.

I have one that looks exactly like this. I've had them for months, with no recent additions to the tank. Behaves normal. I did see a male kind of zig-zagging around, which I've read is a breeding pattern for these fish - so hopping she's just egg laden.

Mine got to the same point, the stems were long with just leaves towards the top and it looked kinda weird. I pulled them up, trimmed the roots and left a good amount of stem to replant. I quickly learned to plant at an angle, to help keep them from floating up (this tank has sand). Interestingly, the ones that I clipped and were floating had fresh roots in about a week - much better for planting. So I think next time I might tend a section at a time and float the clippings before planting so they are planted with some starter roots.

FWIW in my experience the bacteria that get rid of nitrItes take the longest to build up - the reading will hover around .25, just like yours. Then when I get it down to zero and gradually add fish, it might go up to .25 again as the tank balances to the new bioload. I do a water change, add Fritzyme 7, and monitor. This level isn't really harmful, at least from what I've seen in my tanks. I just make sure it doesn't go above that and within a couple weeks everything balances out again. Do you have anything from your established tank that you can add to the new tank? Rocks, plants, filter media, etc will all help that tank cycle.

I've done both and prefer sand - it just seems to break down detritus more than gravel (I also have MTS and they churn the sand pretty good). Also, no worries with cories or other bottom feeders. Either way I like to keep a nice deep layer, at least 3 inches.

Unless the dominant male has a female in the tank, and kicks into breeding mode. I had a trio, which I eventually discovered was 2 males and a female. I feed quite a bit of live/frozen food. Once they settled into my tank (also a 20g long, which neon tetras, platys), the dominant male started building nests and really flared up - I was like "wow cool" - but then the other male got sick and died (prob from stress), and the dom male just started attacking anything near him. He would be chilling in the plants, and then come out and just start harassing whoever was near, pause to flex a bit, and go back to his spot. I separated him into another tank where he's the only gourami - and all good since then. That's just my experience - but thought I'd chime in.

As others have said, it just appeared in my tank one day, and then spread to others - despite my efforts. It really sticks to your hands/arms so it's just a matter of time unless you wash your hands like a surgeon before touching another tank. However - it does not do so well in my lower light tanks, I never have to clean it out whereas in my higher light tanks I need to whip out my duckweed comb every couple weeks. It does shade the tank nicely, and helps remove nitrates which can help with algae - but I would rather just grow some pothos. Actually since I've added pothos to those tanks, the duckweed doesn't seem to grow as fast anymore. If you did want to introduce duckweed, I would try "giant" duckweed, it's more manageable.

I like using Purigen in my HOBs - great stuff. Just rinse it very well before use - I usually put it in a bowl or something and let water run over it for a few minutes to get the dust/finer particles out. Then I put it in the very top of my HOB, so it's the last thing the water passes through. Whenever I service my HOB I also rinse the Purigen bag in tank water. I don't bother regenerating it - they last long enough (months in my case - I use until they are almost black) that I just buy new and save the hassle/worry. Also, I think that you're supposed to store them damp/wet after you regenerate. The directions on the SeaChem site also say to soak in a buffer, but I don't know if that's necessary or not - another reason I don't bother.

Thanks @Colu - always appreciate your insight and quick feedback!

Thanks @Colu - hopefully these are a little better:

Hi all - I recently got back from 2 weeks away, we had a house sitter feeding the fish tanks at least 1x a day. After cleaning the tanks, I noticed the next morning that one of my most active/hyper eaters was absent. I found her hiding, and netted her out into my holding/hospital tank. I don't think she's eaten in awhile as she's lethargic, and shows no interest in food. I added 1 tablespoon of salt to the 10g holding tank, and snapped these pics. I looks like she's missing the part of the top of her mouth, but I couldn't see any white fuzzy stuff. Would it be worth running a course of Maracyn? From my initial research it seems doubtful this will grow back. Other fish in the tank seem just fine.

That's what happened to me! I think it snuck in from my LFS.

It could be a potassium deficiency: https://www.aquariumcoop.com/blogs/aquarium/plant-nutrient-deficiencies But if it's outdoors - I wonder if this is something bugs can do? A pic would help.

Oh yeah - they might too! Another thing I do that helps is kind of lightly beat/shake the plants (I use some planting tweezers) every few days to get any food/etc off the leaves, and when I water change I do that and suck up whatever falls off them. This seems to help with algae as well.

A fine comb or the "Duckweed Destroyer" on Etsy work much better for me than a net. I get much more out so I only have to do it every couple weeks.

I think Ottos and Flagfish are the only ones that can stomach Staghorn. Dimming the lights and practically eliminating blue light got mine under control - tho it still pops up here and there.