wes.crockett

Was using Fritz Maracyn to treat the tank. Another fish looks weak and was swimming poorly.so.i quarantined him too. A glowlight tetra. Here are my readings:

Yeah, looks like a little bloating. It's really hard to see given that he is always on the very bottom of the tank. He did live through the night and I put about 1/2 tablespoon of aquarium salt in the tank last night.

Hey all. Looks like our Betta is sick. Been lethargic for a bit and sleeping at weird angles... Read that I shouldn't be too concerned, but now it looks to be having a hard time breathing. I just took it out and quarantined it (granted, I had to set up the quarantine and use quick start... That will probably kill it if whatever it has doesn't...) Anyways, I also noticed discoloration on its bottom side. The tetras and otos in the tank seem to all be doing great. Only new thing is that I'm treating the tank for blue green algae.

I saw the Aquarium Coop one this morning and ordered it. Thanks so much, again.

This will do it? https://www.amazon.com/Fritz-Aquatics-Mardel-Maracyn-16-Ounce/dp/B00OTH66GW/ref=sr_1_17_sspa?crid=19Z5I360AUY6L&keywords=Mardel+Maracyn+2&qid=1663654905&sprefix=mardel+maracyn+2%2Caps%2C112&sr=8-17-spons&psc=1&smid=A26YHQTHC323GD

Yup. I looked it up and that seems to be exactly what it is... Looks like I need to do a deep clean and reduce light.

Hey all, I'm getting this smooth, and deep green, algae on some plants and on some substrate as well as on the motor housing of my HOB filter. I'm not sure if it's dangerous or not or if i should simply cut it out of the plants. I should also say, I haven't had nearly any plant growth in the tank in the 3 months that it's been live... plants are still green, just not growing. I'll add a photo of them tomorrow (kid is asleep in the room with the tank.) Any ideas?

Heard loud and clear 😄 I'll stop using Quick Start at every change and just continue with the tap-water conditioner. When I do it, should I only dose for the amount of water being changed or for the full volume of the tank?

Hey all, I have a 10g tank with a betta, 4 tetras, 2 ottos, 2 shrimp, and 1 assassin snail... For weekly water changes, I dose with API's Quick Start and API's Tap Water Conditioner. What route would you recommend to up the tank health? I keep one Indian Almond Leaf in the tank at all times (change it every three weeks or so). Wondering if there are objectively superior chemicals for weekly treatment. To answer the question of 'what do I think i'm lacking'... I don't think I am handing any protective coat... I know some products have aloe in them to help with the beneficial 'slime' layer. As far as food, I generally just use flake food, i'm using Fluval Bug Bites... not sure if there are better, all around, foods to use. I do feed the Betta an occasional blood worm and Fluval, non-flake, bug bites.

Looks great until I need to spend $500 on lighting for my 75 gallon tanks 😄 The Fluval 3.0 is AWESOME for sure. KGTropicals really likes this Hygger one for about 1/4 the price though: https://www.amazon.com/Aquarium-Extendable-Dimmable-Spectrum-Freshwater/dp/B0896Y818P

' jk... Figure out how to clean it thoroughly Build YouTube-Special 2x4 stand See if I have the adequate skills to make the stand look like furniture Funnel money from joint bank account to off-shore account I would like to incorporate copper or steel pipes, coming up from the back, to hold the light above the tank and I would like (the below) as an accent around the bottom of the stand: https://www.homedepot.com/p/GenStone-Stacked-Stone-Desert-Sunrise-12-in-x-42-in-Faux-Stone-Siding-Panel-G2SSDSHP/309651076 I think I will end up going canister filter as I want to have the LEAST AMOUNT of 'stuff' on the back of the tank as possible. Thinking Lilly Pipes too...

Took a 45 minute drive to buy this from someone on Facebook Marketplace. Price was $150 for everything. Top Fin 75 gallon aquarium Glass tops (broken and corroded... threw away and will repurchase) LED light bar (2) Plastic hoods with lights (not sure why... they don't fit the tank and they already had glass lids) (2) Top Fin Silent Stream Power Filter (look to be in OK condition but not 100% sure if I plan to use them... I may buy a canister instead) AQQA heater. (stated to be 200w, but I haven't confirmed that yet) Water circulation pump (not sure on brand) I took it all home and took the hose to them with a magic eraser just to clean them all up. Ultimately, they are going to sit in my garage for a bit while I figure out (build) the stand for it. How do you clean tanks and supplies when getting them second hand? I am (you know, until I change my mind, of course) planning on an African Cichlid tank... White sand substrate, faux stone background, stone structures and maybe a few floating plants until they get destroyed by the fish... I am planning on doing the standard 2x4 stand YouTube-Special, but using a cabinetry plywood to wrap it, stain it, and add a fake stone façade of some sort. to part of it as an accent.

I looked up the companies page on Amazon... 100% Would Not Trust long term... they make everything from wicker furniture, to dog grooming tables... lol

Coincidentally, I am looking at a used tank setup that may come with one. I'd be curious to hear your overall impressions of the unit.

Ah! Yeah, that's the one.

For sure... yeah, the stands are really the thing that makes it a great deal. It looks like a TV stand, not really a tank-specific stand, but it should be OK. Usually they are in fairly bad condition. Any idea what filters those are?

Found this deal, locally, and am thinking about snagging it. My questions are: For $150, seems like a killer deal since the stand looks to be in great condition... Am I missing something? Any ideas what filters those are? Are they worth keeping or should I just replace them with a canister? One of two stocking ideas: African Cichlid (seem to be robust and on the easier side in terms of care... also very beautiful at distance) Pea Puffer colony tank (much more work and less interesting from far away, but super cute and enjoyable up close) I wouldn't use any of the décor and, most likely, none of the gravel from this. The LED isn't fitted to the width of the tank and that annoys me so I would likely replace it too... Based on an email to the seller $150 for: 55gal tank stand 2 HOB filters Air Pump LED Gravel Décor more?

I'm not sure if you can with the livestock you have, but I have read that, gradually, raising the water temp to about 82 degrees and dosing with aquarium salt is an effective method. Know that the ick medication can kill any snails you have in the tank. Based on what I read when I was dealing with it, the ick lifespan (because it is a parasite) is directly correlated to temperature and, at 82 degrees, it's about 1/2 of what it is at 75 degrees. So, if you can stop the spread (I believe that's where salt comes in), and shorten the lifespan, that is the non-medicated method. If you add medication, remove any carbon media you have in the filter as it will catch it all and render the treatment ineffective. Also, know that ick medicine may dye any airline tubing in your tank. The API treatment I used turned any clear rubber in to a sky blue color...

Thanks. It's $100 (if still available) for the tank and stand. Assuming refinishing is a light sanding and repaint, I am 100% OK with that... If it requires replacing paneling entirely, that's probably too far gone for me. As far as size, this meets my goals (55-65 gallons) pretty spot on. Ultimately, I want as big as I can in the narrow space I have (45" wide space) without looking too massive in the small-ish room. As far as filtration, I don't really want to use a sump for this tank... I figure it's a bit small to require one too. I was thinking a canister. I read that the main problem with canister would be water level drop due to evaporation, but I do see slits in the overflow weir down low which would seem to indicate this not being an issue. As far as pluming, one hole is intake, one is return, I just wouldn't be sure what is required behind the weir in terms of plumbing... Can the intake just be low in the tank and I build a PVC pipe for the return going up to near the top of the weir??

Can you use a canister filter with an overflow box? seeing mixed things online. I would be doing a freshwater and don't really want to deal with a sump.

Yeah, the bottom of it looks ROUGH. Not sure if it's just surface or not.

This is on FB Marketplace at a LFS (a lot of people dumb their equipment on them)

Hey all, Last time, I posted about a 60 gallon cube that was used... sadly, by the time I made it to the shop, it was sold... They now look to have the below tank: I believe it's 65 gallons but they didn't post much information about it. This one is $200. Does it look worth the price? The stand needs to be sanded and re-painted but I have no idea if these stands are really high enough quality that they even can be sanded down and re-painted. I dont recognize this setup, so I am having a hard time nailing down the brand. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

In the news today: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2022/08/15/dead-fish-uc-davis-california/10328794002/] But, at least, 100 fish survived... so there's that.

Thanks. Yeah, not medicating. I put 1/4 a algae tab in the tank when I put him in.