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quikv6

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Everything posted by quikv6

  1. I am assuming you are turning it off during a water change. Perhaps you turn it back on too soon, before the water level is up to the skimmer. If so, that terrible noise will be the filter trying to pull in water (but just sucking in air) from the skimmer.
  2. Oscars are traditionally soft water fish, though many have been bred for the aquarium trade in all sorts of water. They can be (not necessarily will be) more susceptible to HITH (hole-in-the-head) with harder water w/more mineral content. HITH can also show up with moderate nitrates. I like to keep my nitrates below 10 in my Oscar tank at all times.
  3. You should definitely follow Colu's advice. Only thing I'd like to add is that ammonia and nitrite have to be zero. You can do this through consistant water changes, and don't need to necessarily rely on a seasoned filter (though that would only help out the situation.) Any issues with the fish can easily be exacerbated with the presence of any degree of ammonia or nitrite. Also, keeping lights off and allowing the most stress-free environment can help.
  4. Hey Greg, I have generally seen livebearers shimmy when there water is too soft for their liking. I know you said it's hard, but do you know what the GH/KH/PH are specifically? Perhaps they came from source water that was quite a bit different than yours? In addition, meds can be hard on a fish (especially 4 straight days of 3 meds all at once). I'd keep them out of the main tank for at least multiple small waterchanges, to ensure they become comfortable with the source water, and exhibit no illness signs in that time....including no shimmying.
  5. That should be plenty of wattage. I have been using 2 -100Watt heaters on my 180 gallon, and it has no trouble maintaining 78 with a room temp of 67. The only issue I have is that if I do an 80% change, I actually run out of hot water in my hot water heater, and then it will take a long time to bring it back up to temp. But on a 75, that shouldn't be an issue at all, unless you are doing large, cold water changes from an outdoor tap.
  6. I allow the heaters thermostat to do the work, and set the Inkbird as a failsafe, a few degrees higher than where the heaters are set. I run 2 heaters on one Inkbird, and set one heater lower than the other, so a single heater does the work. The Inkbird is a failsafe if a heater thermostat sticks on, and the second heater is a failsafe if one heater fails in the off position. The exception is one tank where I have a single Co-op heater (50w). I run that heater very high, and let the inkbird control the on/off cycles....but it is due to extreme inconsistency with the heater....as it reads anywhere from 4-8 degrees higher than actual temp. It heats fine, but just doesn't read correctly. The Inkbird allows me to use it with consistency.
  7. My LFS recently got in an iridescent shark donation. I felt bad. He is around 16 inches now, and sadly, in the biggest tank they have at the store, which is only a 90 gallon. They just want to find him a home, and would give him away. I only have a 180, and already that is too small for him, though it did go through my head: "Welp, it's better than a 90." But I am not really solving the problem that way, and I'd be taking the opportunity away for someone who may have a suitable tank/pond from taking him. It wasn't easy to walk away.
  8. I have a 180. I recently just moved it, shimmed the stand (a 2x6 wood stand), and moved my inhabitants from my 125 into it. I know you are thinking along these lines anyway....but man....everything about it was heavy, and brought difficulty. just getting it from the floor dollies onto the stand was very taxing. And shimming the stand to get it as perfect as possible required patience and strength....as my tank sits in a nook between 2 walls with 75 inches of space total. The tank itself is probably close to 400 lbs dry. Anyway....I would really think the about a dedicated-well built stand for it. It is HEAVY!
  9. Thanks Tlindsay. I appreciate it. Just curious...is the "softwood" bad simply because it will break apart/decay faster? Or is there some sort of other issue with things that can be released from softwood?
  10. Hello all, I found two lovely large pieces of wood while walking the beach. Both look to be very weathered. I'm less concerned with how to clean/sterilize like most threads cover. I am concerned with the types of wood, and if they are safe for an aquarium. Any help is appreciated. Thank you.
  11. I have both, and I would vote AquaClear every day of the week. Many reasons were discussed in "Ted Talk".......but I would also add a couple of points: 1) Media/Space: The Aquaclear has a much more straightforward rectangular area, which makes it easier to cut customized media. I also feel there is just more space in the basket. (The Tidal always has bypass issues for me.) 2) Noise: At a lower water level, the Aquaclear remains quiet. Overall, the tidal is a tad quieter, but if you drop the water level even a small amount, the intake (all skimmer, really) noise increases SIGNIFICANTLY. Plus, much of the noise folks complain about with the Aquaclear can be traced to the lid rattling. Putting some weight on it, or wrapping a rubberband around it fixes that small issue easily.
  12. I had bought a 125 from Petsmart immediately after they used Aqueon tanks, but before the tanks were branded as TopFin. The tank was branded as North American Aquatics, which falls under North American Pet Products. Perhaps the TopFin brand was manufactured by them as well??? I had an issue with the lid hinges, and called them (NAPP) directly. They sent me new hinges directly with minimal hassle, and I did not have to go through Petsmart.
  13. Seapora / Deep Blue would be a good "mid-tier" brand. The build quality and fit an finish is significantly better than Aqueon , Marineland, or Top Fin. I have never had a high-end tank, so I can't compare it to those.
  14. Hey JohnNYC, I am assuming you are on NYC water, as am I. I decided to keep livebearers in one tank (plus a quarantine/hospital tank), so I use crushed coral in the main tank. Anyways, here is my suggestion: Get a stable, target KH/PH/GH with an amount of crushed coral. Consider the fish you are keeping, obviously. When you get it where you want, and stable......try to replicate that in the hospital tank. I do it with baking soda and Seachem Replenish (similar to Equilibrium, but with salts). In order to know how much backing soda you need to hit your target, just do a test with a given amount of baking soda in a given amount of water. (Example: see what 1 teaspoon does to a 5 gallon bucket, as far as PH/GH/KH). Then, you can accurately calculate, and get your quarantine tank the same as your main tank with the crushed coral.
  15. Cutting back on feeding is the #1 evident thing to me that would help, but that has been mentioned many times here. You mentioned you had a friend with an established tank. My suggestion would be to take some wet media from his filter and use it in yours. If you cant do that, you can simply squeeze out the wet media into your filter/tank. Yes, the tank may get cloudy, but that brown mulm is loaded with beneficial bacteria, and will be an instant boost to speed up your cycle.
  16. You should be okay with a 50w. I have one in a 20L and it can maintain 10-12 degrees above room temp rather easily. I also have 2-100W heaters in my 125, which does just fine as well. Being watt per gallon ratio is almost the same as yours would be with a 50W, you should be just fine.
  17. If I may ask, why would the heaters be discontinued? On the whole, I thought they were relatively solid. I converted a few tanks as well. I don't have another recommendation other that the older style blue-know Aqueon Pro heaters. I had used quite a few of them previously, and they were (and still are) excellent. The newer style you can buy in stores nowadays are not the same, unfortunately.
  18. ....or remove the lift tube altogether. You may find a negligible difference, and might even like it better......such as continuous uninterrupted aeration during water changes.
  19. I have found to the Tetra multi-strips to be the most accurate. "Accurate" = Closest to API liquid master kit used properly The Co-op strips are fine, and pretty consistent when you need a quick check to make sure there are no outliers. I do find them a bit off from the Tetra strips, and liquid kit. The API strips have been the worst for me, to be honest. Anything is better than nothing when it comes to the ability to test if needed.
  20. I see that you already did this, but just an fyi....there really isn't a hard and fast answer to this. It depends on what the KH/PH of your source water is in the first place. A teaspoon may have different end results in PH/KH.....depending on one's original start. A great way to test is to know the value of your source water, and add and mix in a given amount (say a teaspoon) to a 5 gallon bucket; wait a bit, and then retest. Then, you can determine what that given amount does to your water specifically. In short, I have found a cycle will complete faster at a non-acidic PH. Just keep in mind when you add fish, you generally want them to see the source water perameters, and not a doctored value. (Unless you plan to consistantely doctor the water)
  21. I also have a 50 watt heater in a 5 gallon, and it stays dead-on consistant, and even though 50 watts is overkill for a 5 gallon, it has worked very well for me. Options for heaters are more limited (like pre-set, which I wouldn't want) in the lower watages. I do think you have a bad heater. The 50 watt heater I have is the older Aqueon pro, turned horizontally. It doesn't look or feel to bulky in the tank. I love the coop heaters too, but I think the box-style would just feel bulky in a small 5 gallon tank.
  22. I agree with Miranda. In the same respect, those same things (food/poop) will also help/cause your biological filter to grow and catch up. It is a delicate balance, but in a case with significant elevated nitrite (any level can be potentially be significant) and perhaps some elevated ammonia levels as well.....I think its best to minimize the short-term risk by feeding lightly if at all, and have a product like Prime on hand to supposedly detox some of those harmful levels.
  23. If this Pleco is in the same tank as the one with very elevated Nitrite from your other thread.....I would really hold off on feeding until that nitrite is under control. If you do feed....very, very minimally.
  24. I use small USB desk fans on my axolotl tank. It has a mesh lid, so I just let the small fans sit on top and angle at the waters surface. In the summer, I use up to 3 small fans at one time. At other times, only one is needed. I keep the water temp between 60-64 degrees F. Another reasonable good way to regulate the fan is with an Inkbird. There is an Inkbird model that does heating and cooling. You just need a small old style switch fan that will turn on automatically when plugged in if the switch is on a speed. (The USB fans require plug-in AND the press of a power button.) Simply plug the fan into the cooling plug, leave the switch on, and set the Inkbird to activate that plug at a desired time, and turn it off at a desired temp.
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