L.W. Wetarm

The second dose of Chemiclean eradicated the black moldy stuff...for now. Reviewers on Amazon report that monthly doses are sometimes necessary.

Thanks for the tip! I just scored a 29 gallon and the glass lid AND the sales tax all for less than the regular price of the tank alone. Sweet! This is going to be my first attempt at a true planted tank and a sanctuary for my bullied outcasts from the Brichardi colony.

The Brichardi colony is growing fast! I spotted a bunch more yesterday out of the same nest as the first four that I posted last week. Plus today I see about 20 to 25 more from a different couple.

I had one of those back in the early 70’s. High dollar equipment for a struggling college student. I bought it second hand from a guy that worked at one LFS. I ran it up into the 80’s when it was replaced with a Penguin Bio-wheel. I remember that it was tricky to get started. I had the stick gadget but like Paul said, it was a bigger PIA to use so I just wet-handed it. It originally had two intake tubes but one was broken along the way. It worked fine with just the one. The filter had an interesting drive system that I’m surprised isn’t still used. The motor clipped on the bottom of the filter tank. The motor had a magnet wheel that spun ant turned the impeller which was encased up in the bottom of the filter so there was no chance of a leak. The impeller was sensitive about being clean...once it got gunked up, everything stopped...usually in the middle of the night or when you were away for the weekend.

I just divide by skinny 4 and call it good 😉

I do water changes at least weekly if not more often. I’ve been under the impression that I have high nitrates but now I’m not so sure. The one test I was using showed solid orange 40 ppm but two other brands of tests tell me that I’m actually closer to 10 or 15 ppm. Who to believe?🤷‍♂️ I think the Cyanobacteria bacteria diagnosis is correct. I did a little more looking around the tank and found a couple of dark red patches on the back glass. I have seen the red slime in this tank before on a rock. At that time I gave all the rocks a good scrub in a hydrogen peroxide bath. I’ve also scrubbed off black crud off of a driftwood ornament. I’m guessing that this came to the tank from my daughter. This was her tank...a gift that I gave her 4 or 5 Christmas’s ago. I got it back when she moved out in the country and started raising fancy chickens...in addition to two rowdy boys and demanding job. She had it as a heavily planted tank. When I got it she had sold her fish and plants but the tank was pretty neglected. I got it cleaned throughly but I suspect that something entered on a decoration...probably the driftwood. BTW, the driftwood was a store bought piece and not something found. I checked out the ingredients of Chemiclean and it is erythromycin, just a different form than the API brand. I have no idea what the difference is. I’m going do a good water change today, remove as much of the black stuff as possible and add the Chemiclean. 🤞

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XTQF6G6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1 I also added a portable GFCI plug in outlet. There's just something about reaching into 60 gallons of water with 2 or 3 120 volt 60 cycle AC cords running down into it. ⚡🤯

Hello... I'm looking for some advice on the best way to re-introduce a bullied fish back to the general population. We're talking about a 60 gallon tank with a starter colony of 8 N. Brichardi about 1 to 1.5 inches long I'm guessing when introduced 8/28/20. Most of the fish have coupled up or at least found their territory in the tank...except for one little guy. The only one of them with a name, Pokey. He was the fish that didn't want to come out of the bag when I brought them home. Has always hung around at the top of the water right up against the front glass. He will eat but only what is floating right at his nose and not aggressive about going after it. I was always especially trying to get what ever was on the menu right in front of him...probably one reason for my high nitrates. For most of the 5 or 6 weeks the fish have been in the tank he was mostly ignored and would either fight off or escape any attacks. One day I look and poor Pokey is getting ganged up on by two or three of the other inhabitants. It was so bad that he was having trouble swimming upright and was sliding backwards. I got Pokey out and put him a 10 gallon hospital tank with a couple of teaspoons of salt and a little extra Prime. He had some fin damage and some hurt feelings so he sulked behind the sponge filter mostly. He's been separated for about 10 days now. He's eating and swimming around now after sulking for about a week. I only have the one main aquarium so it's either back to gen pop or I'm going to have to turn the hospital into a sanitarium. I was thinking about moving him after the lights go out and everyone is dormant. I have added some Java Fern in a couple of places while he was away so I'm hoping that he might find some refuge in one of those. On the other hand; one of the pairs has 4 new babies (first brood) so they are hyper attentive. Any tips on how to get Pokey back home with as little drama as possible?

I use the bathtub faucet. I removed the typical chrome tub spout to reveal the iron pipe nipple. It wasn’t long enough for the Python gizmo to work so off to the hardware store for a Frankenstein fix. I really like using the bathtub. It’s in the hall bathroom that neither of us use and with the pandemic nobody comes to see us... indoors anyway. So, I just leave the hose coiled up and hanging on the plumbing mod. Easy to grab and run it down the hall and into the living room where my only tank is. If we should have guests, it would be easy to pull the Python hose and the Frankenstein spout and go back to normal.

I’ve been using it for about 6 or 7 months now. It works great. I have it mounted on the up high on the back panel of the cabinet. I wasn’t really thinking about how I would have to practically lay down on the floor to see which switch I was switching. Consequently, I have become skilled at blindly feeling my way over from left to right. First three are what needs to be turned off for water change; canister, HOB, and heater. The other switches for air stones, light, and media reactor pump stay on.

Thanks for the quick replies. 😎 I’ve got new babies and another pair that look like they’re planning a family. Don’t want to do anything to upset that. Is erythromycin safe in this situation? Would it hurt to try the Chemiclean once more since I already have it?

I have a reoccurring issue with a black moldy looking crud that continues to show up on my white sand. At first, back in April, I blamed it on some API root tabs that I used on some Vallisneria that I had just planted. Now, I’m not sure if it was the cause or not. The picture doesn’t really show it as vividly as live. I starts out looking like maybe some charcoal dust got sprinkled around. After a week or so, it will form patches that when vacuumed up look like a loose film that only breaks apart in pieces. I started this tank back in March and because of COVID didn’t get fish until August. Before adding the fish I did treat the tank with Chemiclean with no positive results. Vacuuming it seems to be the only cure (haven’t tried anything else). It always comes back after a few weeks. This is a fully cycled 60 Gal tank with more than enough filter for the 7 small Brichardi and 6 mystery snails that inhabit it. All perimeters are 0 except Nitrates which stay around 20ppm.

I just discovered these 4 babies. Hard to see in front of the cave that daddy dug out. My first for this Brichardi colony I just started 8/28.

Awww great! I just had a bottle of Easy Carbon delivered yesterday to help me clear the hair algae from my beautiful billowing jungle of Jungle Val. 🤦‍♂️ I'm sorry for the double post. I noticed that I had mistakingly wrote Easy Green instead of Easy Carbon. I'm still trying to get used to a new message board system.

Awww great! I just had a bottle of Easy Green delivered yesterday to help me clear the hair algae from my beautiful billowing jungle of Jungle Val. 🤦‍♂️

I use the exact same power strip and have it plugged into a individual GFCI plug in adapter. It’s nice when you’re doing a water change to be able to turn off the heater, canister and HOB, while leaving the light and air stones working.

Thanks! I do go in there some.😄Steve’s in Norman is worth the drive. Probably the nicest LFS I’ve ever seen in the OKC area. 👍🏼👍🏼

🙋‍♂️ Hello from Edmond Oklahoma. Like a lot of people, it seems, I am getting back in aquariums and fish keeping. I started a long time ago in the old metal frame tank days("frameless" tanks were too new and fancy for us poor students) when I was in college and dropped out of the hobby in the 90's when two teenagers and a heavy work load took precedence. My main interests are bass fishing and boating and Sooner football and Thunder basketball...and now this. This past January, I inherited my daughter's 60 gallon tanks and whole 9 yards when she got too much going on. I decided to retire in March when the pandemic struck. The aquarium has been a good source of activity ever since. While quarantined, I cycled the tank and kept it cycled with Dr. Tims, with Amazon being my main source of supplies. Along the way I acquired some Vallisneria and some snails to help with the new tank Diatom bloom. Still no fish until late August when, after watching every fish profile on You Tube, I decided on starting a N. Brichardi colony. I ordered 8 juvies from a LFS in Norman and all but one or maybe two are doing great. I have also started a Winlove Java Fern that I got from the Co Op here and have another order of Java Fern and other stuff on it's way now. I look forward to getting to know everyone, I have many questions that I am anxious to post..................So YEAH. 😃