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clownbaby

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Everything posted by clownbaby

  1. clownbaby
    I disagree. I do not think overstocked tanks would ever be the happiest. Typically I agree with the fact that streamlined longer tanks are preferable, but it depends on the set-up and the needs of the fish. Many freshwater fish do live in environments with deep water ; this must also be kept in mind. Kuhli loaches are naturally found in slow-moving streams & rivers in Borneo. While they spawn in shallow streams, they live in deeper waters (at least 0.5 meters deep, but usually deeper). Naturally, a shallow stream will be clearer, meaning any movement could be seen from above. Then they are subject to hunting from predators. It makes sense that with their cautious nature and bottom dwelling habit they would be more comfortable with even more space above them. This makes them more hidden, which they (and many other species) thrive like this. You could argue that all tanks should be substantially tall and wide for optimal care... that, I am fine with. But claiming that wide overstocked tanks are the happiest is misleading to newcomers in the hobby, and I would personally feel it is misleading to intermediate and experienced fishkeepers as well. I will say however, it is dependent on the species. But in general, having lots of space above would be reasonably comfortable for all fish (just some more than others.)
  2. clownbaby
    Wow, this is so pretty! I am so excited to follow this journal... keep it up!!!!!!!
  3. clownbaby
    What weird, uncommon, or controversial technique has worked for you? Whether it be for plants, fish, breeding, aquascaping, or something else! What is something that you don't see other people doing but is super helpful and effective? I am really curious to see everyone's answers!
  4. clownbaby
    You do not "need" snails, but you can have them for certain. Most snails are hermaphrodites, meaning they have both male and female reproductive parts. That means any two snails that are hermaphrodites can breed and produce more snails. Snails such as ramshorn and bladder snails are hermaphrodites. Malaysian trumpet snails are not, but the females can produce clones of themselves. Other snails that have a slower breeding rate are rabbit snails, nerite snails, and mystery snails. However, nerites and mystery snails are too big for a 4 gallon and you should not add these snails. So, you can't really have a "few" ramshorn snails. If you have a "few", they'll breed and produce more. You can have many or zero, really. This is your choice! I love snails, but some people don't. Your best bet is to manually remove them until they disappear. Most of the time snails end up in tanks because they lay eggs on the leaves of plants. To prevent unwanted snails showing up in your tank, inspect & rinse your plants well before adding them to your tank, or, better yet, quarantine them for a week or so. The one pro of ramshorn snails is they do eat algae and detritus, but they also produce a bit of waste. It is your choice on whether or not you keep them or not! the benefit? they're cute 🥺 /lh
  5. clownbaby
    I've gotten mixed results from my internet research, and some people say certain brands are safe while other brands are not. I'd like to do a 3d background with spray foam on my new ten gallon tank but I obviously do not want it to poison fish ... is spray foam safe? If so, which brand works best? Thanks for the help!!!
  6. clownbaby
    Yep! I pulled the image of frogbit from the internet so @Jerr could compare in-person, but I personally do not think there is any frogbit in the mix of those floaters... The textured ones (fuzzy / hairy looking leaves) definitely seem like salvinia minima, but there are so many salvinia species... who knows haha !!! And thank you for clarifying on the duckweed! It is hard for me to personally distinguish between different duckweed species, but I will say it seems like you are right and know your stuff :]
  7. clownbaby
    Yes, this is true! Bleach is a great multi-purpose cleaner. Before you use any bleach solution, rinse and scrub the tank with hot water and allow it to air dry. Try to scrub off any fish poop, dirt, dust, etc before using bleach. If it isn't coming off easily with warm water, you can use a light soap or vinegar to help out. If there are some stains, that is okay though... no need to be perfect. [If you do use a light soap or vinegar, make sure you rinse it off fully before using bleach!) 🙂 🙂 Using standard bleach (4% to 8% concentration ... this is standard for most bleach - check the back to see if they note the concentration), make a bleach solution with 1/2 to 1 tablespoons of bleach to every gallon of water or so. Use hot water. Using a clean rag or sponge, scrub the tank. Allow it to partially air-dry, and then rinse completely with hot water. Allow it to air dry after rinsing. If you'd like, you can repeat this. Finally, once you're finished using any bleach, rinse your tank multiple times with water. I would personally recommend rinsing it at least five times. After all of that, you can also dab a little dechlorinator on a wet rag and wipe down the tank - this will neutralize any leftover bleach residue. I hope this helps!
  8. clownbaby
    I can say surely there is duckweed (lemna minor) and salvinia (salvinia minima). Duckweed is the tiny greenish-limey colored star-shaped plant. It is a great floater, but keep in mind it spreads super fast. Salvinia is amazing! It spreads moderately but doesn't take over as quickly as duckweed. Salvinia is the plant with hairy/fuzzy spores on top. Salvinia plants are also called "floating ferns" or "water-spangles." 🙂 I can't tell based on the picture entirely, but there may also be amazon frogbit (limnobium laevigatum) in there. Here is a pic of frogbit for you to compare on your own. Hope this helps!
  9. clownbaby
    Welcome to the forum!!! It is always so impressive to me when people can manage both freshwater and saltwater... way to go!!! It is also so cool hearing about pre-2010s/pre-internet fishkeeping. I have a handful of books from the 70s to 90s about fishkeeping, and it's fun to compare and contrast techniques and common knowledge from then to now. For example, one of my books encourages the growth of pondweeds and water-starworts, saying it provides food for your fish. I did take the advice (with lovely results), but it's funny how these things aren't recommended nowadays. Plus, if you wanted to know about proper fishkeeping pre-internet, you either had to find a mentor or go to a library and READ 🫣😱😰😱😰... oh well! I love reading but also love the easy access advice from the internet. Pros and cons, different eras! Anyway, it is cool to hear your generations(?) of experience!! Welcome, you are awesome!
  10. clownbaby
    "Ugly display" yeah right! Your tank is amazing!!! Way to go! This is so incredibly impressive.
  11. clownbaby
    YES! Elodea canadensis grows near me and it grows well in tanks... TOO WELL!!! If you want a quick growing plant that spreads, this is the plant for you. This thing got huge and started growing like crazy within two weeks, I had to remove it LOL. It definitely is a "weed"!! Pondweeds are good choices too. I have richardson's pondweed (Potamogeton richardsonii) in my tank and it is super cute. It is native too so I got it from a local stream. It grows well as a midground plant. Check out what pondweeds grow near you... there are many good options!
  12. clownbaby
    Yes!! I have heard this stuff works great as an aquarium plant as long as it stays in shallow water... so keeping it as a floating plant sounds great!!!! Plus it looks so cute 🥺
  13. clownbaby
    Haha! If you want to see fish tank exclusive stuff, maybe switch over and check out my 30 gallon aquarium journal. That focuses on aquariums... this focuses on forestry & conservation. For Yom Hashoah I was gifted a 10 gallon aquarium! But I am not sure what I will be doing with it yet. For now, I plan to use it as a quarantine tank for my new fishes (that will eventually go to my 30 gallon.) But after that, who knows... Here are some pictures of my 30gal!
  14. clownbaby
    So sorry for your Endler's. Your tanks seem to be so well cared for, hopefully they recover easily and peacefully soon! I trust you will do a good job caring for them.
  15. clownbaby
    Entry Twelve - May 5th, 2024 Rain It is a quick entry - to say it rains in Washington and British Columbia so much because IT IS A RAINFOREST, of course it rains so much here 😂 that is what makes it beautiful !!
  16. clownbaby
    I can definitely be convinced 😂 I'll think about it haha
  17. clownbaby
    I was gifted a ten gallon aquarium today! (oh gosh, this might be a problem - watch out mom and dad! the fish obsession has been fueled EVEN BIGGER!) Obviously ten gallons is a bit small for any big fish. But I would like to have some "oddball" stocking in there. I was thinking African dwarf frogs, but I personally feel it's a little small for them. So any nano stocking recommendations? I wouldn't mind a species tank either. I also wouldn't mind paludarium / vivarium either (I would actually prefer this, but again, an aquarium is good too :3 ) !!! My domestic water supply has the water parameters of 6.8 - 7.4 || dGH 8 || dKH 6 ... I do not have the means to change these substantially, but ofc I could raise the pH with crushed coral. Thanks for helping!
  18. clownbaby
  19. clownbaby
    🐟 AQUARIUM RESCAPE PHOTOS! SCROLL DOWN 👇 FOR MORE INFO & THE BEFORE PICTURES 🌱🌿📷 ---------------------- THE BEFORE This was my first attempt ever at a planted aquarium, or an aquarium over 10 gallons. I had no idea what I was doing, which can show. This aquascape wasn't bad! But... I did not like it. Here were the major things I disliked: the grow light being oddly attached the fact that the wood pieces all blended in really well lack of rocks in the hardscape - just pebbles pebbles ended up covering a lot of the substrate nothing in the corners made it feel unbalanced, and since it wasn't really an island scape, it was just meh So, I did try to balance it out by moving more substrate in, and adding in some corner plants: And eventually I replaced the light with an LED grow light that doesn't just clip on and bend all weird, and I was happier. But I wasn't happy with it. So, when I was visiting some of my family members (who own land on a major river), I picked up some really pretty and angular rocks. When I got home, I sanded the corners down to be less sharp and boiled them. I found all the wood pieces in the scape in my own backyard wetland, and processed them myself too. During the rescape a lot of the dirt got kicked up (as my tank is a dirted tank), and so I ended up losing a bit of the upper-most substrate. (Miscommunication with parents - but oh well.) So I am heading to a local stream to get some river sand on Saturday, since the weather will be nice! So, I will update on my 30 gallon aquarium journal when I add in the sand. I am really happy with the result, so please be nice! ⭐🍀❤️🌈🤩
  20. clownbaby
    okay thank u! I kinda figured but I wasn't sure. so thank you! also yes I do know the difference between the saltwater / freshwater snails !! just assassin snail is such a scary name and bumblebees are cute so ima call em bumblebee snails yay 😄 for reference i am referring to Anentome helena lol haha ^_^
  21. clownbaby
    Heyo! I have a 30gallon (about 110 liters) aquarium. It currently has mainly epiphyte and midground & background plants, but is definitely lacking foreground plants. Currently, here are the plants I am considering: monte carlo (micranthemum tweediei ‘Monte Carlo’) staurogyne repens water-clover (marsilea hirsuta) lobelia cardinalis cultivar dwarf species of crypts However, I am a bit of a newbie with plants, and was hoping someone could give me some advice on these or share their personal experience! I do really like crypts but I would want a smaller / dwarf variety. That being said there are so many species I don't know where to start haha 😄 I also do love water-clover but will it grow okay in an aquarium? If you have any recommendations other than the ones I listed, please let me know too! I'd appreciate it!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!! other potentially important info dirted tank, no liquid fertilizer no co2 30 gallons / 113 liters sponge filter 23 degrees C (74 degrees F) high light (8 hours a day) stocked with pygmy cories, adding harlequin rasboras & honey gourami within next few weeks pH 7.0 | dGH 8 | dKH 6 bowfront i like jungle / dutch style aquariums with lots of plants heheheheheheheh i am willing to have medium to high maintenance plants
  22. clownbaby
    ⚠️ OKAY! Dumb question alert!! ⚠️ I have got an infestation with pond snails and bladder snails. At first I was all good and I was allowing nature to take it's course, but it is genuinely becoming a problem now. The eggs are everywhere and the amount of baby snails on my glass is just irritating. Plus, I'm pretty sure they're the cause of the immense poop all over my substrate, not my four pygmy cories. That being said I also have a mystery snail named Leroy. AND I LOVE HIM to pieces, I would never want anything to hurt him ever. He is 100 percent spoiled by me, I spot feed him almost every other day and give him lots of treats. I adore this snail! So with that background info, I really want to get rid of all these bladder snails and pond snails. The trumpet snail population is also on the rise. Of course my initial thought was a bumblebee snail, since they eat other snails. But is this safe with Leroy being in there? I mean, Leroy is HUGE, a bit bigger than a golfball, and I know bumblebee snails are much smaller than that. But even if they wouldn't eat him, would they try to bite him or hurt him? Is it safe to have an adult mystery snail in a tank with bumblebee / assassin snails? This might be a really dumb question, but I am new to fishkeeping and especially snail-keeping, and I really love and care for Leroy and don't want him to be hurt. Thank you!
  23. clownbaby
    Heyo! I am getting ready to increase my stocking pretty soon, and since I am doing a rescape of my 30 gallon (110 liters or so) aquarium, I figured now would be a good time to mix in some new substrate. I've been reading up on honey gouramis and some sources say they will be super uncomfortable without a dark / black substrate, others say it doesn't matter as long as they are taken care of. So uh, which is it? Should I use dark substrate or does it not matter? Additionally, I have snails and pygmy corydoras. Currently I am using a mix of pea gravel and sand, with pebbles to accent. Is there a substrate that works best for gouramis (gravel, pea gravel, sand, etc)? Would this conflict with my cories & snails? My favorite type of substrate is what I have currently (sand and pea gravel / coarse sand), and I am good with replacing this to a different color but I would really prefer to keep the substrate sand or pea gravel. Is this okay? Thanks for helping!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  24. clownbaby
    Yes, everytime I plant something is a little bit painful for my eyeballs 😂 my mom and dad are convinced everytime I plant something that the water will forever be murky - I find it funny. They panic even though the dirt eventually settles after a bit. Good to know about fertilizer! I feel like my issue is the plants are growing but aren't super green like some people's tanks. The ludwigia and moneywort is just kinda lime-green. Really pretty, but I would like some variation. Perhaps what I need isn't fertilizer, but PATIENCE! I really appreciate the tip! You seem rather seasoned, could you give me any advice about how to keep wood from floating? I have this piece of alder hardwood that I am in love with (it also took me two weeks to process it fully, so... I'd better be in love with it.). It isn't driftwood and I've even glued weights down on it and it still floats. Do you have any advice? I would really appreciated it.
  25. clownbaby
    Yep, I gotta bowfront. And this makes it very hard for me to aquascape with it because of the dynamic viewing... any tips for aquascaping bowfront aquariums??? I SUCK at aquascaping, so any tips in general would be helpful. I don't know what this style is called, but it is my favorite ^_^ Basically I really like plants; don't get me wrong I love iwagumi style tanks but they're not what I want (as they don't match my house at all xD). I want it to be plants with the aquascape to accent them, not plants to accent an aquascape; but I don't know how to do that. HELP me please!!! 😂 Info that might be helpful 30 gallons, bowfront sponge filter heater set to 72 degrees but I could easily up that stocked with pygmy corydoras and snails - additional planned stocking is honey gouramis and harlequin rasboras high light (8 hours a day plus natural light from windows) currently not using liquid fertilizer but will be soon no co2 weekly water changes dirted tank
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