Doug_E

I have one CPD with a white bump on its side. It acts normally and feeds and swims just fine. I noticed it yesterday but thought it was just the light and a full belly. i have a 5 or 10 gallon I can quarantine and treat with Maracyran. Or should I monitor it? It may just be a wound from another male…maybe? tank is a 40b with 12 CPDs, 8 white clouds and some amano shrimp. Nothing aggressive. water is: 0 nitrites 0 amonia 40 nitrates (water change pending) 68-70F (unheated) pH 8.2 hardness 12+

Temp is 68F Tank is 6 months old Plants were transplanted from a 20L that was about 5 months old, also at 66-68F. 4 pumps of liquid a week. New root tabs every 3 months.

My Java Fern, anubias, and crypts(?) are all doing great. My other plants that are rooted (water sprite, val, and the foreground plant I can't ever remember) are not. I use Aquarium Co-op root tabs and liquid as directed. The rooted plants were doing great for a while. However not too long ago they just stopped growing as fast. The water sprite used to be so thick I had to trim it. The val was similarly fast growing with several shoots. Now the val has one small (3" tall) shoot left. The foreground plant is yellowish and has holes in the leaves. Even my dwarf water lettuce isn't doing as good as it used to. Is it some kind of mineral deficiency? SHould I use more root tabs and liquid? My nitrate levels are 20-50 based on water changes. I have hard water (12) and pH8. The light is on 10 hours a day (fluval Plant at 30%). Substrate is Eco+ with Flourite black sand on top. Fish snails and shrimp are all doing well.

It’s amazing. soooo much easier to get in the tank now. No longer do I need to move the light and then flip the lid back (or hold it open with one hand). it also allows more light. Photos taken were 83 (out of 255) vs 76 for glass for the average L value. I used tile corner molding for the sides and handle. The handle being full length helps keep the panel from drooping too much. total cost, $3. to get the diffuser panel you need look for edge lit TVs. Full or zone lit don’t use the clear panel like this.

I was looking for some good DIY panel lights. I found this YouTube video and its perfect for my light idea. However, it may also be a great DIY aquarium lid. It is made to diffuse light evenly, seems strong enough if given some reinforcement on longer spans, and is free if you can find the right TV. I got a free broken Samsung LED TV off facebook marketplace and will pick up a second tomorrow. I've also called the local TV repair guy who is happy to let me know when he has anything broken he is sending off to recycling. I'll let you know how it goes.

I read through that one (well, scanned much of it) and it helped get me started. After a few months I'm wondering if I need to adjust my lighting and curious what would happen if I increased the brightness but reduced the time. I don't think that thread has anything that directly addresses this.

What effect would increasing brightness and reducing time on have for plants and algae? I have a Plant 3.0 that I keep on about 12 hours a day. I have it ramp up slowly and down slowly to start/end the day. It is on at the highest brightness (40%) for about 10 hours. How would the plant and algae growth be affected if I were to have it on for less time (6-8 hours?) but brighter? Plants are: Jungle Val Dwarf Sagiterius Anubis's Nana Anubias Nana Petite Java fern Water Sprite Staurogyne Repens Monte Carlo (hoping soon) My tank is a 40 breeder so it is only 16" tall.

In my case they climbed in the outflow part. Have you taken it all apart and checked in and around media? I found one dried up on the floor but never found a second. So 7 of the 9 are happily living in the 40g I moved to.

I just moved from a 20 to 40. See my post here on the forum. It was not instant, took a week and then needed prime and I also added safe start the first few days after adding the fish.

The tidal design also allows amano shrimp to climb into the media basket and hide there indefinitely. I thought I lost all mine and found them in the bottom of the filter when I cleaned it.

Now to find the stuff. Home Depot is sold out.

No, thank you. I can see how you did it. I'm looking for an inline pump like that. I assume you need to prime it (the blue bulb thingy)?

What pump is that?

Glass is 83% light transmission while these are 86-88%. Polycarbonate difuses the light which is actually better for plants. https://greenhouseemporium.com/blogs/greenhouse-gardening/glass-vs-polycarbonate-greenhouse/ No someone get Cory some safety glasses. At first I thought that video was, "how not to use a table saw".

I use a 3mL disposable pipette for weeks at at time. I'm only using it to draw test water and not anything else. It isn't nearly the same as lab conditions where you have to assume anything left out is contaminated and will spoil your results. Another tip to help reading the lower volume... Put the test chart on a table in a well lit area (daylight or a 5000K lightbulb is best) take the cap off the vial when it is time to read the result place the vial on the chart starting at 0ppm look down through the vial and move it along the results until the colors match. I find this MUCH easier, even with the full 5mL. It avoid the various lighting effects you get from a round glass tube and makes it much easier to see the colors side by side.

Well I feel like a moron. I used to work in a lab, have a bio/chem degree, and am a cheapskate...but never thought to do this!

Thanks, those pumps are not inline, right? I'd prefer one that can be inline so it is a bit more flexible in how/where I use it. And not having to put it in the tank or bucket is a good plus.

Follow up for anyone who wants to learn... I've been checking the Ammonia and Nitrites for the last few days every 4 hours. 30% water changes daily. Ammonia never rose higher than 0.25ppm, nitrite hit 0.5ppm one test (about 30 hours after stocking the tank). I added a bit more Prime and 12 hours later I added 3-4oz of Tetra Safe Start I had in an open bottle from the fall. I figured it can't hurt anything. Readings were 0.25 for both ammonia and nitrite, did a second 30% water change last night (two 30% changes yesterday) dosing Prime at the standard water change level. This morning readings were 0 for ammonia and 0.25 for nitrite. Water is pretty clear, fish are active, colored up nicely, and looking good. Giving the tank and filter time to cycle would have been much easier. However, the fish look much healthier in the new tank vs the old. For some reason when I removed the rock and half the plants they spent most of their time hiding in the remaining plants and were quite pale. I don't like seeing anything but 0 for ammonia and nitrite, but for the short time those non-toxic levels seemed to not bother them and they were much less stressed. I will still monitor parameters and do water changes, but so far so good.

Another option for now...I have a Fluval 207 I am not using. I could use that until I decide what to do with it. I’ll test that for my next water change and see how it goes. I’d just have to put the bucket with fresh water on another bucket to get the height it needs for the gravity fill of the canister.

Thanks. The Danners look good. I like the threaded fittings and the 10’ cord. The $25 cheapies have 5-6’ cords which won’t be long enough and the fittings are a bit funky from the reviews.

I'd like to get a pump to help with water changes. I will still use buckets to hold the water, but this will at least speed it up, save my back, and keep my plants in the substrate vs dumping the buckets into the tank. Pythons are nice, but with my tank location (basement) and distance to the sink...not an option. Rim is 4 feet off the floor. So lift needs to be 5-6 feet at least to have decent flow rate. Amazon has some $20-30 ones, but maybe there is a tried and true option you'd recommend.

I don’t mess with pH so it’s been pretty much 8.2, or a bit lower after water change. Tap is 7.8-8.0 for now. We may get a water softener.

Yes, Already on the list and I have 8. Hoping for something else in addition to more white clouds. leaning towards CPDs to contrast with the WC.

I prefer quick sleeker athletic looking fish to “flowy” floaty fish if that makes any sense. Guppies just look funny to me and I have an irrational bias against them. Endlers look different enough but are a bit on the “flowy” side. Looking into them More I’d say they are off the list.

Thanks, I was looking at those and forgot to list them. Why Male? I wouldn't mind some breeding, unless females make the males aggressive toward others.