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doktor zhivago

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Everything posted by doktor zhivago

  1. doktor zhivago
    The galvanization is a sacrificial anode. Once it's gone it doesn't protect the steel anymore
  2. doktor zhivago
    You want a cycled tank for shrimps. No ammonia or nitrites. As far as rodi I just plopped my shrimp into my tap water and there's a billion of them now. Java moss is a must for shrimps. They love it. Sometimes they swim up to the hornwort but usually they like to stay on the bottom.
  3. doktor zhivago
    The first instars are really tiny. They're also transparent and immobile. I didn't notice my babies until they were in the juvenile stage
  4. doktor zhivago
    Plants will remove ammonia directly as well as nitrates. They cannot really use nitrites so those tend to build up in an uncycled planted tank. The nitrite bacteria will take a while to build up... Water changes should take care of it tho
  5. doktor zhivago
    I think the Fowlr tanks tend to be larger but there are all in one kits that go down to 5 gallons so I'm sure it's possible
  6. doktor zhivago
    Get a larger sheet of sponge and cut it a little too big for the space and it shouldn't float. Eventually the water is gonna go to the overflow regardless of whether the sponges don't float or the biobag is on top as the media gets clogged
  7. doktor zhivago
    The filter will collect things and that will eventually make it start overflowing. You may want to try a coarser sponge but a hang on back will always require some sort of maintenance to keep it from flooding your house
  8. doktor zhivago
    I find hatching bbs in the Hobby Artemia hatchery to be effort free and super cheap and easy. Just 5 teaspoons of salt in a quart or water and a tiny scoop of eggs. No air or heat needed, just a light. I usually hatch once every week or two and feed for two days off the hatches. All my fish of all sizes love the little guys and spend all day hunting any stragglers that made it to the bottom. I know ac wants to sell the big ziss hatchery and more air pumps and bubblers but you really don't need all that if you only have a couple tanks and don't need to feed fry every day. All that stuff is excellent if you do need it though.
  9. doktor zhivago
    I think that's what grindal worms are but I've never cultured them. I don't see why they would be problematic
  10. doktor zhivago
    I've found my rooted pearl weed took a while to get established. I think it does better floating than planted. I never use root tabs on the pearlweed and it's plenty healthy.It's still not exactly a super fast grower, especially compared to hornwort. I think hornwort has been the most useful plant for me as far as limiting algae and taking up nitrates. It's grows inches a day and really removes nutrients from the water on a large noticeable scale. It's not the prettiest so I understand why people don't like it but it gets the job done
  11. doktor zhivago
    I really like my tall 37 gallon for this reason. I get layers of creatures and it seems like the vertical separation helps keep the inter fish aggression down too
  12. doktor zhivago
    I would add it last so less junk builds up on it. But it's probably not a huge difference
  13. doktor zhivago
    As long as it's breaking down and turning into mulm down in the lower substrate it's not a problem. But lots of detritus sitting on the surface is just rotting poop your fish are swimming in.
  14. doktor zhivago
    I was thinking actual egg packaging and I was so confused until the ceiling tiles got posted.....
  15. doktor zhivago
    I got a bunch of ramshorns. I also never have to clean the glass of algae. They're really helpful and good for the fish poop to plant nutrient cycle in a planted tank
  16. doktor zhivago
    Vinegar and hot water would probably do the job.
  17. doktor zhivago
    I just let the poop go into the gravel and the detritus worms and scuds and copepods and everything else goes to town on it. The surface gravel itself is clean from the snails and shrimps and pleco. I don't think I've gravel vacced since I started the tank.
  18. doktor zhivago
    If you buy aquarium coop plants you're gonna get ramshorns 😄
  19. doktor zhivago
    Yeah this is probably what's happening. I was thinking your ph was much lower than 7.2 and was falling into the 5s or 6s which would indeed cause a cycle crash as the enzymes in beneficial bacteria stop working efficiently at those levels. I think you're doing everything right just gotta wait on that filter to catch up. Studying how pH interacts with water chemistry and microorganism biochemistry is like communicating with a Cthulhian old one. Its so complicated it leads only to insanity. Every aspect of interacts with every other aspect of in this giant web of cause and effect. That's why I just go the easy way with pH adjustments and buffer buffer buffer.
  20. doktor zhivago
    OK I see now. I'm assuming the water is just very soft from the tap and the ph is crashing as the snails use up what little hardness there is. Maybe a buffer solution with aragonite or crushed coral would be more useful than chasing exact numbers? I just feel like that's a path to madness as raising pH naturally uses up alkalinity which lowers hardness which eventually lowers pH and the cycle continues forever...
  21. doktor zhivago
    2 things: First: I think your filter will catch up and you'll be fine soon just some water changes as noted above. Lower pH is actually good for ammonia toxicity as it gets protonated easier and forms less toxic ammonium salts. Second: Why is your ph dropping so much with a water change? What is the pH in your tank? What is the pH of your tap water? pH forms a complex with hardness and alkalinity. It's tough to move one without moving all the others. I would be very hesitant to try and chase ph around with baking soda without more context here.
  22. doktor zhivago
    I've had good luck floating pearlweed it sends roots out all over its stem. Not sure what you mean by messy tho? I've never had any issues with hornwort other than having to take out a couple handfuls every water change
  23. doktor zhivago
    It's more about variety than one particular food. Same as your own diet. If you just eat potato chips all day everyday it's not very healthy but eating a bag every now and then isn't really problematic
  24. doktor zhivago
    Fish will eat until they become constipated and sick, especially greedy pig betta fish. The digestive tract will become swollen and press on their swim bladder making it hard for them to stay properly oriented. Frozen brine shrimp are not particularly nutritious either. You want a wide variety of foods, some combination of flakes and pellets for the betta would be better than feeding the same thing every day. Frozen foods are a good treat once a week or so but not an every day food.
  25. doktor zhivago
    Java moss is very slow growing. It's not gonna do much for your nitrates. You really want fast growing floating plants for a refugium. The access to atmospheric co2 really speeds up growth and therefore nitrogen take up.
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