saminator0107

I have not removed the heater, and no there is not tingle from the water. Ottos have been eating fine, nothing out of the ordinary. Only reason i have the heater is for the shrimp and the ottos, because the room stays at about 68 F. Ive heard its better for the shrimp to have it around 75.

Not a tank thermometer, but i used one of the food thermometers that you use for meat, and it read 75. Unfortunately i woke up to another dead otto today. Not sure whats going on

Yeah it has a light when it comes on. Just never noticed it glow before, but then again you can only see that when the lights are off, and obviously i dont really look at it when the lights are off.

Hey all! So, long story short i saw my heater glowing red in my 15 gal. Earlier today my gf found 2 dead fish in the tank. Water parameters are fine, 0 Nitrate/Nitrite, PH 7.4, Ammonia is 0. Temp is set at 75. I HAD 6 medaka, 3 ottos and 5 ghost shrimp. 1 medaka died and an otto died. We also cannot find another medaka, i believe the shrimp got to it. We put the ottos in last week to help with algae. The tank has been going for nearly 3 months, so its been cycled. Im thinking the heater had something to do with it. Or maybe one of the ottos were sick and somehow it got the other fish sick? Its a 15G bowfront, so its not overstocked. Ive never run into this situation before. Im concered i will wake up tommrow with more dead fish. The other fish seem to be acting as they always have, nothing weird. I got the ottos from my trusted LFS where i get almost all my fish. We put the ottos in 6 days ago.

Looks amazing

Yes. free is awesome especially for a big tank. Also ive never bred shrimp but seems eaiser to keep the population under control.

Both are beautiful tanks guys, well done!! Makes my 75 look like a turd! LOL!

Sweet, ill keep that in mind. Didnt even think about using a powerhead until now.

Nice method you got there, and thanks for the info. Only thing id need is a basement, lol. Thats similar to the setup i was thinking of doing.

Thanks for all the good info. My 75 is set up as a native aquarium with some green sunfish, so temp isnt really a big issue as these guys are insanely hardy, probably even more than guppies. I tested the water from the creek i trapped them from. It had 2.0 PPM ammonia, and they breed and do just fine in there, and have been for years. Its actually one of my secret fishing spots. So with that being said, i dont think the temp dropping a few degrees will affect these guys much. They can put up with conditions that are 10x worse than my aquarium is. Also, i dont plan on keeping these fish in there forever. They will eventually outgrow the tank. I will release them back into the same creek. Within the next few months i will be ordering Warmouth Sunfish from a trusted NANFA breeder. His warmouth dont really get over 8", so i should be able to put 2-3 of them in there. This info was from the email i recieved from the breeder, his words, not mine lol. Thanks for the useful info. Hygger seems to be the route i will go if i end up doing a system like this, for the same reasons you stated. How long have you been using the hygger? Just wondering about long term usage and how it holds up to wear and tear over time. Thanks for the useful information. I might go this route if the previously stated hygger/python systems do not work for me. Thanks for the help. Luckily my 75G is a native aquarium, so i dont really need RO water. My house is single story, so i shouldnt need a massive pump, just one enough to keep the water moving at a decent rate. I have seen people use a big plastic tub, fill that with water then place a fountain/pond pump inside that tub to fill the tank. Ill probably extend the tube on my gravel vac to go out the window for draining the tank.

I love seeing big tanks! (Thats what he said, sorry too good not to 🤣) Post up pics of your 75G+ tanks! I want some inspiration. For starters, heres my low budget 75G i got for FREE off marketplace. Came with stand, filter, air pump, and nearly everything to get a tank running and cycling. The seams were also in great shape, and its a marineland tank. It currently is stocked with 4 green sunfish, but that is just temporary until i get the fish i want, which is warmouth. This will be a native aquarium, and it will be a planted tank when i get an adequate light. Some of the rocks were collected off of a local creek bed, while some where extras i had laying around that i bought from my LFS. The driftwood i also found free on marketplace! Only thing i paid for was the play sand i used as substrate. Some youtube videos of the tank:

Awesome! I will look into this. This might just work. And yes i will probably drain the water out of a window, im sure the grass will appreciate the nutrient rich water, lol.

Hey all, i have recently acquired a 75G tank. My 2 previous tanks were a 30 gal and then a 15. This was a big step up for me. I am still using the good ol gravel vac and 5 gal bucket method. Which is fine, but as we all know when you get into the bigger tanks this method becomes just terrible. I am 22 years old, so i CAN do this method without too much of an issue, buuut i also want to save my back for when i get older. This is the style of gravel vac i use for my 75: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005877534156.html?src=google&aff_fcid=257c96292f784693bc7e650af28c74a7-1709550502826-00326-UneMJZVf&aff_fsk=UneMJZVf&aff_platform=aaf&sk=UneMJZVf&aff_trace_key=257c96292f784693bc7e650af28c74a7-1709550502826-00326-UneMJZVf&terminal_id=24fac75329314a4c822929afd5d548a9&afSmartRedirect=y NOTE: This is NOT the exact one i have, i got mine for free with my 75. Its just the same exact design, with minor visual differences. I am thinking of buying a barbed fitting and attaching extra hose to the gavel vac and running it out of the window about 12 feet away. Only thing is, this will not work for filling the tank, obviously. My bathroom is down the hall (Roughly 25 feet or so) from the tank. Does anyone have any methods that they use to fill their big tanks? I don't really want to spend over 100$ if possible. I have watched a few Youtube videos of a few methods that people use but i figured id still ask here. I also don't mind getting a little creative and making my own device. I could use a water hose through the window. Only problem is that the closest hose connection is in the front yard. I would have to run the hose OVER my fence, and then OVER a small shed, and THEN into the backyard then through the window. This is actually the method i used to fill my 75 but that was a one time deal. I'm thinking of buying one of those double garden hose attachments and just having a hose from the for the front and backyard. The only problem would be when in inclimate weather conditions, granted it almost never rains where i am at let alone sleets/snows, but still. I don't think anyone wants to get soaked out in the cold trying to change water on a fish tank. This is what i am talking about: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Morvat-Brass-Garden-Hose-Splitter-Heavy-Duty-2-Way-Hose-Connector-Fitting-MOR-BCONNECTOR-2-A/316286197?source=shoppingads&locale=en-US&pla&mtc=SHOPPING-BF-CDP-GGL-D28I-028_010_WATERING-NA-NA-NA-PMAX-NA-NA-NA-NA-NBR-NA-NA-NA-PMAX&cm_mmc=SHOPPING-BF-CDP-GGL-D28I-028_010_WATERING-NA-NA-NA-PMAX-NA-NA-NA-NA-NBR-NA-NA-NA-PMAX-71700000104372722--&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiA_5WvBhBAEiwAZtCU77s-uNzhycZ3pcsFuMZ39szx0y_u02V2l5XQltjzHBpaNi8ohwSCXhoCTWYQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds So lets hear some water change set ups, shall we? Also, please feel free to share any insane or "automatic" water change setups you guys have. I find that kind of stuff very interesting, because I'm insane. (But aren't we all..?)

It seems your Ph is too high. 8.4 is a little high. Id try to lower the PH.

Nice score! I actually found my 75G on marketplace for free. Currently have it set up as a native tank. That should be perfect for some shrimp and maybe some snails if thats what your into.

I wouldn't worry too much about it. Thats actually a sign that your aquarium is healthy. If it starts to get outta control, maybe some ottos could help you out. I keep 3 ottos in my 15 gal with some medaka, and they do a good job to keep it at bay.

According to my local water supply's test results, on average my water is around 1.5 ppm chlorine. I just use some prime to be safe.

Yes they are very cool. I think im going to have to put the smallest one back, the bigger one is starting to bully him. It seems like a territorial response. My GF actually caught the big one with the little one in his mouth thrashing him around. I thought he would be big enough to not run into much of an issue, but it seems like i was wrong. Im about to head out to put him back, dont want him getting hurt from my mistake, just not fair to the little guy.

Just wanted to say the fish are doing awesome. 3 of them are still a little spooked by humans, but the big one out of the bunch has been eating worms and doesnt mind giving me a show. Its only been just over 3 days since they were added. https://youtube.com/shorts/dpJNLwFatzk?si=JN1JMunseo9emOTM

Thanks, im honestly surprised the fish survived, but glad they did. Well... nobody can say they aren't hardy! lol.

Hello all! Sorry for the delay. So, i ended up catching 4 green sunfish. They are temporarily in the tank for now, and yes they will get put back in the same water i got them from within a few months. I have contacted a breeder that has warmouth. He said the ones he breeds only get up to about 8 inches, which would be perfect for my 75. Also, your probably wondering about the picture i have included of the car. Long story short, me and the GF were on the way back home with the fish, and we were rear ended by a speeding drunk driver while stopped at a red light. Thankfully the bucket with the fish in it had a lid on it, and my girlfriend had the bucket between her feet on the floorboard, which i think both things saved the fish. Me and her are not seriously hurt, just some whiplash and we are insanely sore, which is a given. Sadly, i think my brand new car is totaled. 2023 VW jetta, Manuals trans, 6k miles, just gone. The car has frame damage so im sure insurance will total it out. Sucks, but i have very good insurance and that will work itself out. Most importantly me, my girlfriend and the fishies are all okay. The fish are adjusting to the tank just fine, and all of them have already eaten some worms. I will end up ordering some warmouth and putting these guys back. These guys might be the first sunfish to survive getting hit by a drunkerd!! LOL! Feel like owe them a TON of worms for their troubles, lol. I have emailed the breeder and he said they will not be available to sell for another few months when it warms up in ohio, where he is located. This is the breeder if anyone is interested: http://www.zimmermansfish.com/Price.html

Okay, well, im about to go trapping. The tank has finished cycling. Ill post here if i end up getting any fish.

Pumpkinseed wouldnt be a bad idea, they are common here and native. Ive caught some warmouth before, usually by accident. Bantam sunfish are not local/native ASFAIK. Thanks for this. I took a measuring tape and set it to 11 in, and put in on the glass of my aquarium, yikes. 11 inches is more than i thought (lol). Now that i visualized it, yeah. Another persons comment said pumpkinseed, they get about 8 inches, so i might do those, or some long ear sunfish. Long ear get to about 7 inches.

Ah yes i've been on there before when seeing where to order some warmouth from. Sadly they don't have warmouth which is what i really am going for. I have also contacted my local game warden to be sure i can legally get them shipped to me and i can keep them. I was told "I don't see any reason why you wouldn't be able to" so i got the green light from the POPO, LOL!

Yeah, thats what i was thinking. 4 might be pushing it a little. I will end up getting 3 at most then. I plan to add plants when the tank is finished cycling. I have someone giving me some extra clippings they have this weekend. I will also be getting some root tabs since this is rinsed play sand. Also, can you provide a link to Jonah's aquarium?