AllFishNoBrakes

@Rube_Goldfish I believe I’ve heard Cory talk about having a 1 gallon bottle back in the day, but they were constantly breaking in shipping regardless of what they did to try to stop it, so they discontinued that big of a bottle.

Yup, 1 pump is 1ml. I hate to say it because it feels wasteful, but every Easy Green bottle I buy the pump head gets thrown away. Instead, I put my Easy Green in a shot glass and use a pipette to dose my tanks at 1ml/10 gallons. Pump heads are inconsistent as the salts crystallize in the pump head.

Do you have an API liquid test kit to test it against? Honestly, I prefer the liquid test and I personally believe it to be more accurate. The strips are a nice way to get a quick reading, but the liquid test takes more effort and time. Totally could be a bad batch, or could be that you don’t have any ammonia (in a tank that you haven’t added an ammonia source to, and one that’s been established for 3 years that shouldn’t have any ammonia) 🤷‍♂️

I wouldn’t even stress it. Your tank is obviously converting the ammonia. Throw that Oscar in there, and bust out the Camaro from the garage and put it in the driveway 😎 I’ve tested gH and kH literally once with a test kit. Multi test strips get used every once in a blue moon just to make sure we’re on track. Instead of chasing numbers, I just keep everything consistent. Especially since my water is super soft.

Second the question of dechlorinator. Also, what’s the temp coming out of the hose vs the tank? It’s possible the water out of the hose is super cold and that’s shocking your fish.

Test strips can’t detect ammonia if there is no ammonia. Based on the bacteria from the filters you squeezed in there, you should add an ammonia source, and then see how long the bacteria takes to fully convert that ammonia. Also, that bacteria will need to eat (ammonia and nitrite), so you’ll need some form of ammonia. Either from fish, adding ammonia from a bottle, ammonia from rotting fish food, etc.

Have you added an ammonia source?

The only snail I can think of that hasn’t already been mentioned are Ramshorn snails.

Agreed with @Rube_Goldfish. If it was my tank I wouldn’t worry at all.

@Colu ^^^

For sure. Keep in mind I’ve been nurturing those relationships the last 4 years. Definitely didn’t happen overnight!

@Colu

Yes, ACO is known for their plants. They will arrive alive and healthy. Remember though, all plants will need to convert to your water, and there’s no guarantee they will in fact convert to your water. You are essentially buying the roots, and you remain hopeful that the plants like your water. That’s why someone mentioned above to try a bunch of different species and see what plants thrive in your water.

I guess I’m pretty lucky to have 2 LFS’s within like 30-45 minute drives that are super cool. At the one I work with most, I know a lot of the team by name and they know me. They even hit me up this week to help them out of a jam and I was happy to do it for them. The other one they recognize me, and we chat, but we’re not on a first name basis. Hopefully you have another option nearby!

5 gallon bucket with a lid and an air pump is the ultimate set up. That being said, fish bags will work just as well for a 20 minute drive. Fish are shipped all over the world in fish bags, it’s how you bring your fish home, and it’s how I bring my fish back to the LFS to sell them. Dealers choice. Depends on how fancy you wanna be, and how quickly you take corners in your vehicle 😂 Also, from your handle I assume we’re in the same area. Always good to see another hobbyist in the area!

Agreed that a linear piston pump is way overkill for your current set up. I really like the Tetra Whisper 150. I too have a Tetra 60, and in my opinion and to my ear, the 150 is much quieter. Also, setting your pump on a folded up rag can really dampen the noise. I do that with all my air pumps. Either way, the 150 is much quieter than the 60 to my ear. They also work super well for the Easy Flow kits. I agree with you that the ACO pump doesn’t output the amount of air I’m looking for. But the 150 does. I’ve done a single 150 for up to 4 lines with a 4 way metal gang valve and it worked well. However, I knew from the ones I had running just 2 lines, that was really the amount of air that I was looking for. I now have: -(1) Tetra 150 that runs 2 Easy Flow kits. Both sponges in a 55 gallon -(1) Tetra 150 that runs 1 Easy Flow kit, and a second small sponge filter with the air collar. Easy flow in a 29 gallon, and small sponge filter in a 10 gallon next to the 29 -(1) Tetra 150 that runs 2 Easy Flow Kits. 55 gallon tank up top, and a 29 gallon tank on the same shelf as the pump. Going up probably 4’ or so, and then down to the sponge on the 55 -(1) Tetra 150 that runs 3 small sponge filters with a 4 way metal gang valve. It used to run 4 small sponge filters with that air pump, but I put my girlfriends shrimp tank on a single outlet ACO pump that I had in storage and shut one of the valves on the gang valve to pump more air to the other 3 sponges with the air collars -(1) Tetra 60 that runs 1 Easy Flow kit and a second small sponge filter with the air collar. Easy flow in a 20 high on the top shelf, and small sponge filter in a 20 long. Just like the 55 mentioned above, the line that runs up is about 4’ up to the tank rim, and then back down to the bottom of the 20 high tank I can’t recommend the 150 enough. I love it. Some of those lines I mentioned above run about 6’ total from the pump and I still have great flow. Maybe one day I’ll have a fish room where everything is in the same place and a linear piston pump makes sense. For now, my tanks are spread around the house and I use a bunch of the 150’s. If you’re really trying to get wild, they do make a Tetra Whisper 300 (dual outlet). If it’s truly like having (2) 150’s, with basically a 150 to each outlet, you could put a 4 way gang valve on each outlet and have up to 8 lines with enough flow to get it all done. That being said, I would get tired of constantly balancing the valves and sponge filters every time you add or delete accessories and lines like the brine shrimp hatchery or your diy moving bed filter you’re playing with.

Agreed with this. My shrimp tanks are my only tanks that don’t have a heater and sit between 70 & 72. Never had an issue with it. That being said, I have shrimp in like all of my tanks, and they thrive in the 78° tanks, too. But, if it’s just shrimp then I don’t personally run a heater.

Agreed that they didn’t sell you RO water. If you’re able to, buy shrimp that were bred locally. I started my cherry shrimp colony with 15 shrimp I bought on Craiglist and have made and sold hundreds of them. They didn’t have to adapt to my water since they were born and raised in my water already. Makes a world of difference. Personally, I wouldn’t continue giving my hard earned dollars to a store that doesn’t listen, sells you something it’s not, and then hangs up on you when you call to inquire about it. Maybe they need to change their filters or have other issues with their RO system. A reputable business should’ve went “oh no, sorry that happened and thanks for letting us know. We’ll check our system and ensure it’s running correctly. Again, thanks for letting us know and we’ll take care of you for the inconvenience”. Instead, they hung up on you.

Plants have a tendency to melt. Even when I take a plant from the tank it’s thriving in, and put it in the tank next to it, they tend to melt and have to “convert” to the new tank. Give it some time, give them food, and you should be good!

Agreed that you shouldn’t chase pH. If the fish are doing well, let them. No point in stressing everyone out, yourself included, chasing a number that doesn’t matter most of the time. I’ve had 14 tanks for almost 4 years, and I’ve tested pH maybe 3 times. Focus on consistency and you’ll be good.

In addition to what @Tlindsey said, they should basically be together the majority of the time. Should be pretty easy to pick the pair(s) out from the rest of the group.

Mystery snail clutch for sure.

Comin’ at ya on a Tuesday as my work week is all jacked up this week. Simply water changed everything today. Didn’t mess with any air collars, didn’t swap any air filters, just good old fashioned water changes. I did gravel vac the 10 in my room a bit, but other than that it was just water out and water in. Biggest news is really 2 things. Dealing with green water on the cube again since the trim. I turned the light down by about 20%, so we’ll see if that helps. I really didn’t want to do that, but I’m just tired of messing with the green water every time I trim the thing. I’m hoping turning down the light, and the little bit of Salvinia I threw in there last week does the trick. Only time will tell. I had the LFS hit me up yesterday. Unfortunately, my Pandas are dealing with some fin rot, and they sold a couple (as they ship) before they noticed. They were hoping I had a couple more ready to go for them so they could still fulfill that order. After some emails back and forth, and then telling me a smaller size was okay, I bagged up 5 of the biggest I had and brought them up. They seemed super thankful that I was able to help them out, and I was happy to do it. I told them I’d do it for free just to help them out, but they weren’t having it. The manager told me to find something I wanted and it was on the house. I took a lap, but didn’t find anything I needed, so I just settled for some store credit. Super unfortunate that they’re dealing with the fin rot, and I’m glad that we have the relationship we do. They were very clear that the fin rot wasn’t from me, and I’m glad I could help them out of the jam they were in. Build relationships with your LFS, my friends. You never know when they might need your help, just like they tend to help out all the local hobbyists!

It can, but I really recommend some kind of filtration that is going to keep the bubbles in suspension longer. I did a sponge filter and the CO2 diffuser for a long time. Upgrading to an additional internal filter to suspend the bubbles longer and circulate them around the tank more was a game changer.

Agreed. My 29’s are about 2 bubbles per second. Maaaaaybe just a tad more, but not 3. That’s where the drop checker is really handy. I’m not going for 30ppm, just a nice extra boost to help out the plants and ward off algae.