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StephenP2003

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Everything posted by StephenP2003

  1. StephenP2003
    Have any of you witnessed your lily or lotus go through a die-back period like a perennial? I've had some do it and some don't. The one that died back has recovered well: And then there's these two red tiger lotus bulbs I got from the same source (not co-op). Right next to each other, one is giving me super red leaves, and the other one on the left -- while I still like the look -- is just way different.
  2. StephenP2003
    Now that it's established and showing good growth, it's really going to take off! I have a jungle of water wisteria in my son's tank, super dim light, barely any ferts.
  3. StephenP2003
    How hard is your water? I add minerals to my water that keeps the dGH somewhere between 6 and 10, and my otos have no problem with it. For otos, the biggest thing is feeding. Sounds like you have a food source for them though.
  4. StephenP2003
    Panacur c wiped them out in my quarantine tank with just one dose. Didn't affect the rcs, pygmy cories, or otos currently living in there.
  5. StephenP2003
    I have a 20 tall that's been breeding RCS, BN plecos, and endlers for the past year. The pleco breeding worked out too well, so I had to move that all to a 29 gallon to grow out the 150+ babies in there. My LFS wants to buy them only when they're 3 inches, so I may end up having to sell some of them elsewhere before that. I can't imagine growing out that many BN plecos in a 20 tall along with the endlers, but maybe if I had an auto water-change system. The RCS colony hasn't exploded, but they're breeding quite a bit. I am guessing the swarm of endlers in there now are keeping the shrimplet population down.
  6. StephenP2003
    Building/fixing PCs and electronics, playing video games, woodworking, playing trombone, and oil painting. Not all at the same time.
  7. StephenP2003
    Yeah, I have heard of pairs sparring, though this doesn't seem to be a breeding pair. The only way I know how to definitively sex angels is from their breeding tubes, which I've never seen emerge from these two.
  8. StephenP2003
    Unsure about thickness, but you waterproof it with tons of 2-part epoxy/sealant.
  9. StephenP2003
    Absolutely. I kept it outside on the stand I built for almost 2 months, full of water, to make sure it would hold up. It's now been in my bedroom for 10 months with no issues. I still wonder on a regular basis if I'm "out of the woods" in terms of early failure. This is my first DIY tank, so if this one holds up for some amount of time, maybe 2 years?, then I'll have a lot more confidence in my abilities. It weighs about 200 pounds when empty. I imagine I'll have to move it out the same way I moved it in: with medium difficulty and a whole lot of trepidation.
  10. StephenP2003
    Where I live, at least from the glass companies I've called, it really doesn't seem to be cheaper to build my own. For me, there were only two pros to building my own 90-gallon aquarium: 1) It was the only way to get a tank bigger than 75 without leaving town, and 2) I could make it a nonstandard size that perfectly fit the space it was going in. So to build this 55 x 17 x 24" aquarium, I spent a little over $600 on half-inch glass. I might've been able to go 3/8" glass and save some money, but a 75G aqueon tank during a Petco sale is a hundred bucks. And the cost of my glass would get you a full 125G kit with stand from Petsmart. Is it as easy as people like Joey make it look? Probably not on your first try, but it's also not a total nightmare even for a large tank -- I'd imagine it's a cinch if you have one or two helpers.
  11. StephenP2003
    In this hobby it's not the main draw for me, but I've got to admit I really like gadgets. I have a tech background (building, selling, repairing PCs and other electronics, gaming and workstation focus), so I'm a sucker for shiny new toys that promise to be faster/better/smarter than yesterday's batch. But obviously they have to bring some value to the hobby, and preferably marketed correctly (like, fluval 3.0s aren't the only way to grow plants, but app-controlled lights are more than just a gimmick IMO). There can be a lot of noise to cut through, like any other market, because a lot of "innovative" products are just new ways of presenting an old idea. As for it being a barrier into the hobby? I don't think it is, at least not yet. The most prominent beginner guides/articles still stick to the tried-and-true basics, and your average beginner is grabbing an aquarium kit where the most high-tech thing is a row of white LEDs.
  12. StephenP2003
    I've had two angelfish in a 40 breeder for a little over a year, purchased as juveniles. They've been inseparable all this time, and even now they are always together. However, I am guessing I have two males, as I've never seen any breeding tubes, and in the past several months they've started sparring quite a bit. I captured a little skirmish on video back in July and converted it to gif (see below). The fighting isn't constant, but does occur multiple times a day, and even still, they are rarely apart. There had not been any injuries either, until I recently discovered a small lesion at the base of a pectoral fin on the black angelfish. He's still acting normal, eating, sparring with the other angel, and still hanging out together. Am I seeing normal (or rather, unconcerning) behavior here, or should I separate them? I can move one to my 90-gallon no problem, so the only reason I ask first is because they hang out all the time -- don't want to cause fish depression and such.
  13. StephenP2003
    I use the medium size intake on AquaClear 50s and 30s; I think the large for 70s and up. Man, the large version is just... Large. It's perfect for my canister intake, but I can't see using it on my aquaclear 70s or 110s. Anyone else doing this and care to post pics? I just use the mediums.
  14. StephenP2003
    So the corners of the tanks don't have any vertical boards underneath them? Seems like it's relying just on the horizontal boards and whatever is being used to attach them. But I'm not a structural engineer or anything of the sort, so I don't know if that's an issue or not. EDIT: Smarter posts start below. ⬇️
  15. StephenP2003
    Consider renting some suction cups meant for handling glass, get at least 1 other person to help, and it should be fairly easy. I bought some suction cup movers for 20 bucks a pair on Amazon last year to transport my 90-gallon, which had half-inch glass and probably weighed at least 200lbs dry. Worked perfectly without fail.
  16. StephenP2003
    How long does it last before you have to refill? And what is your bubble/sec rate? I'm using a regular 5lb cylinder with 5 bps in my 40 breeder. Have yet to refill it, but it's only been 4 weeks. There's a fire extinguisher shop 20 minutes from my house that refills the tanks and doesn't force you to exchange your tank. But, it's only open Mon-Thurs and closes at 4:30pm.😒
  17. StephenP2003
    Outside of sponge filters, I haven't found anything yet that beats the simplicity yet versatility of an Aquaclear. This is of course assuming you aren't trying to do flow-sensitive floating plants, in which case no HOB would be recommended.
  18. StephenP2003
    I haven't tried carrots, just stuck to green vegetables so far based on what others deem tried and true. With the zucchini, how much are you putting in there? I slice mine up, blanch it, then freeze it for longer term storage. Every day, I thaw some out with hot water and put 3 to 4 slices on a skewer, along with broccoli and repashy. The green beans don't stay on the skewer so I just throw them in there. From my observations, the vegetables get eaten within 24 hours. I don't have substrate in my growout tank, so I can sort of monitor the waste in the tank. I find the only thing I have to vacuum out of there is green bean skins and nondescript sludge (poop and perhaps broken down repashy/wafers).
  19. StephenP2003
    I have like 140 of them in a 29 gallon right now - two spawns of them 4 weeks apart, so the larger ones are about 1.5 to 2 inches long. I feed repashy, zucchini, broccoli, green beans, and bug bites. I'm still working on how often to feed, but right now it's basically every day. They never stop eating, but they seem to be growing fast. Problem is, my LFS only wants them when they're approaching 3 inches or larger, so I've got a few months of heavy water changes ahead of me, I think.
  20. StephenP2003
    I really like the schooling behavior of rummynose, but I've definitely had to buy more than I intended to keep, just so I'd get enough survivors. My second choice would be Harlequin rasboras. Post pics when you're set up!
  21. StephenP2003
    Where'd you get those beauties? I'd love to introduce some new blood to my livebearer mosh pit.
  22. StephenP2003
    I just used the Wayback machine to revisit a forum that my close friends and I put together to communicate (the days before Facebook and unlimited texting). I found a collage I made of the fish I put in my very first tank, a 10 gallon. Can you identify these bad decisions (one is pretty blurry)?
  23. StephenP2003
    There are platies in there too. The hybrids can breed, as endlers are just guppy variants.
  24. StephenP2003
    40 breeder. I have only culled one crooked one, which lives in my son's 20 tall. I do trade in the grown ups at my LFS every now and then. Water changes are twice a week, but only to encourage growth. The nitrate buildup would probably necessitate weekly water changes. My favorites are the endler guppy hybrids!
  25. StephenP2003
    Bad fishkeeping with consequences. I was in a rush the other day and dumped my new corydoras in the quarantine tank with the water from the bag. And the LFS water came with free gifts:
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