Tanked

Long before Bob Ross tried to teach us how to paint on television, Jon Gnagy tried to teach us how to draw. My sketch pads accompany me on long flights and camping trips. I took technical drawing in HS, so I can draw a table, chair, or a house. They remain empty because I still can't draw a reasonable representation of a person or animal to save my life.

I stopped feeling guilty about those kind of things long ago. The LFS won't feel obligated to tell you that they overcharged for something. In the jerk's defense; If you aren't a dedicated plant person, you either go by what the vendor thought they sent, or what somebody else wrote on the front of the tank. If the jerk didn't want to be bothered, you just accept your gift with a smile and go. After a couple of reminders, my LFS relabeled the African Bolbitis Heudelotii as "Asian Water Fern" (Bolbitis heteroclita), and the price went up. I had previously purchased the cheaper plant as well as a "Crypt Large" and a "Crypt Bunch". The only reason I knew the difference was because of the folks here.

Reverse Respiration Peroxide dips Alum dips bleach dips Potassium permanganate ...will kill the snails and eggs. Reverse Respiration is the least damaging to the plants, but takes longer. The first two are the safest for the the plants and animals. Bleach is probably the most hazardous, and I've never tried Potassium.

Nerites like to explore, and can spend days above the waterline. Mine have been on the underside, and in the output of the HOB. While they haven't tried to escape, one did spend several days in the UGF. When I first got them, I was told to put a thin film of Vaseline on the underside of the rim to keep them in. Opinions differ as to how safe petroleum jelly is for snails. I used that method without problems, but eventually decided it wasn't needed.

I have a side mounted a HOB filter on my 29. It provides flow across the full length of the tank and back. It might be a little turbulent directly under the HOB for some of your fish. Unless you place the sponge filters in the dead zones, I don't think you will see a change in flow. I don't know about the others, but your picture is a blank square on my side.

I haven't been there in decades. I had been told that by an employee that the smaller aquariums were gone, but the zoo just confirmed that they were still there in the reptile house.

Hydrogen Sulfide accumulates in deep substrate and under hardscape, the anaerobic areas the others already mentioned. It is lethal to fish in concentration. I have read where bottom dwellers will be the first to go due to the higher concentration. Additional surface movement, aeration, and proper substrate cleaning can help. I believe it will subside as the cycle completes.

long ago, I was amazed when I saw my first local eagle resting on a branch alongside the expressway in another industrial zone. I had no idea they were in the area. Now, and definitely later when the eggs hatch, watching this nest might be difficult for the queasy.🤢

About 147 years ago they had whales in Cincinnati. It did not end well for the whales or the man who brought them. 'Neptunes revenge' took him down with the Titanic. More recently, The Cincinnati Zoo had a small fish exhibit, but I think they gave up on it with the opening of the Newport Aquarium across the river in Kentucky. It is a great place for the family, but as I remember it, the freshwater offerings are kind of sparse.

@govsfabshop @jwcarlson @Andy's Fish Den @Tony s @TOtrees The ODNR reports 3 nests in my local county, and 900+ in the state. This is up from 4 nests in 1979. I haven't found any other live cameras. There was a third egg last year, and one of the fledglings was blown out of the nest. but survived. If you watch the live feed, there can be a lot of movement on a windy day. I live in an older neighborhood, so while I will not likely see an eagle nest we have lots of squirrels, and a growing Red Tail population. I have a yearling raising hell around my bird feeders. Rather than staring at the screen hoping for something to happen, I often have just the audio feed running in the background. The Bortz preserve gives access to a local marina, next to an airport, across the river from a train crossing. Bonnie and Clyde aren't bothered too much by barge traffic, trains, plains, and the occasional hiker or construction equipment. Most of the time you only hear the wind, flocks of geese, song birds or the sound of a wingtip hitting the camera. On the other hand, I find the business jet taking offs to be very irritating.🤬 I originally mentioned that their behavior is interesting to watch. Their behavior often resembles human couples. Bonnie is constantly rearranging the furniture, and showed obvious irritation when Clyde hit her in the head with the latest stick he brought home.

I use the test strips. I believe that the API test can be more precise than test strips. I do not believe that most of us require that level of accuracy at the hobby level. I have a problem with the pH measurements. My test strips indicate 6.6 ppm, the API test indicates 7.2 ppm. The API kit won't expire for another month, and there is no way of determining when the test strips expire. The Coop sent me a replacement bottle, and I got the same results. It is possible that the API bottle has expired prematurely, or was misused. The other liquid tests that I have agree with the test strips, so I will continue to use them.

In my city I pay $3. for every $1. worth of water that I pour down the drain. So I am still using 5 gallon buckets to move the water in both directions. The rim of my 75 is 60" from the floor. An electric fountain pump allows me to refill the aquarium without lifting the bucket over my head. At only 130 gph. my fountain pump allows me to do other things while the pump is working, and it doesn't blow the substrate away even in the 29 gal. If you have the space, I would use a 30 gallon wheeled Rubbermaid garbage can. and the electric fountain pump, A DIY hooked pvc pipe and shutoff valve allows me to walk away. I don't use one, but a check valve wouldn't hurt. I already know that my 75 requires 3 gallons per inch, and the buckets are measured as well. I don't know how high powerheads will lift water, but they may pump the last inch or two of water that my pump leaves behind.

I didn't realize we were talking about anything that large😲. Now I know why you have 3 lights. It is easy to see the difference in the lights. My first DIY LED lights were two 4000K flood lights. Everything was brightly lit and very yellow. The Anubia, Elodea, Hornwort all grew. Later I added a 6000K bulb. The aquarium looked better, but the plants did not improve that much, and there was a lot more algae. As soon as the Coop plant light became available, I switched, and while I still have some algae issues, I am growing some plants that did not grow for me before. ...with less light, but better light. As your primary interest is illuminating the fish, plant bulbs and non-plant bulbs are pretty close to the same. A plant bulb might provide slightly better coloration and cost more. I like both of the setups. A lot of interesting ideas there. Were the 'sewage pipes' the entire filtration system? I've used them for pleco caves, but mine aren't tall enough to use as above water planters. The pieces of channel supporting the plants in the first picture are an idea that I might borrow. I have a Pothos floating on a raft. When the water level drops during water changes, the Pothos drifts to somewhere else in the aquarium, and usually flips over.

1) That everyone seems crazy about or is very popular that you actually DON’T like or feel indifferent about. - Betta 2) Name on fish that you are CRAZY about that no one else seems to get very excited about. - Siamese Algae Eaters 3 ) Name one fish you would LOVE to keep, but aren’t sure you are “knowledgeable/experienced/ready” to keep them. - Shrimp (I know they aren't fish) 4) Name one fish you feel is your “Bucket list” fish - Corydoras 5) Name one fish out of all the ones you currently keep that is your favorite (for any reason) - Red Tailed Tinfoil Barbs. Barbonymus Altus and lastly… 6) Name one fish you would NEVER consider keeping. - puffers

It would be less, but it will still grow less demanding plants and algae. Simply put, you are providing too much of a good thing. Plants, and most algae require sunlight for photosynthesis as well as nutrients. If you have a lot of light and nutrients, and have only a few slow growing plants, there isn't any competition for food. The algae will get it first. It sounds very much like you are providing a high light environment for a few plants that do well in low light. Your goal is to strike a balance. If you haven't yet, buy a timer. The purpose of the light is to make the aquarium appealing to you, and/or to grow plants. The fish don't require that much extra light. Set the timer for when you are most likely in the room with the fish. Start with 7 hours max. Timers with multiple settings allow you to turn the lights off when you are away. Elodia and Hornwort are fast growing, and will block some of the light as well as consume a lot of the Nitrates etc. produced by the goldfish. Other floating plants will help as well. I have no idea which plants are goldfish proof. Fish don't have to eat every day. Like most of us you might be over feeding, which means the fish are producing to much plant food. You can also skip a day occasionally. I hope some of this is helpful. Post a picture if you can. Some of us may have more ideas.

Looks like staghorn to me, start removing with a toothbrush or bottle brush. Spot treatments with Hydrogen peroxide will help kill it.

I vote trumpet. They don't have much volume control, and I used to play (with) I was never good.

A 4000K plant light produces light in wavelengths that closely mimics sunlight. For general lighting a plant light is not needed, and it may help with algae growth. I would start with @knee's suggestions. If you don't like the warm "terribly yellow" look, you need move up to 5000K-6000K , Bright- Daylight.

Ask her to pick the fish Offer the spouse the rest of the clothes closet Hint that you are getting bored with the 40 and were thinking about switching to either drums or model trains. Honestly if logic and reason doesn't work you are left with surrender or ransom. Good luck!

Welcome to the forum @Fishy_business. Googling common aquarium sizes will list multiple sites to help you identify your aquarium volume. If it is 4' long, 55 gallons might be correct. My approach to these situations is: everything in moderation. Not knowing the background information, I would change 5-10 gallons of water gradually more than you took out each time. There is no need to remove the fish. Your common pleco is nocturnal, and will appreciate a cave or some other place to think that he is hidden. A piece of pvc pipe or a tall rock pile, anything to hide behind. Considering his size, if you decide to keep him a 4"dia clay drain tile works well and looks better than the pvc. If room temp. is at least 70 degrees, that is good enough for now, but they prefer it a little warmer. Your pleco will eat algae, algae wafers, softened veggies and flake fish food, as well as wood. Wood should be a hardwood, and should NOT be any of the pine/evergreen varieties. Your fish will be eating the biofilm that grows on the wood as it decays. Your pleco can move a lot of water very fast when startled. A lid is a good idea. It also has spines on the pectoral fins so watch your hands. I see a lot of surface film in your picture. If your "bubbler" can be turned up, I would do so. You did not mention lighting. If your aquarium has a light, than I would limit it to no more than seven hours a day, and try to keep it out of direct sun, as that will increase the algae growth. Finally, later, when you get comfortable with you aquarium, add a few dither fish. Your pleco is fearless, but still appreciates other fish to reassure him that all is well.🐟

Meet Bonnie and Clyde. I have about 60 screen grabs from my newest online addiction: Bald Eagles! We switched from winter to summer for one day this week, so I finally made a day trip to try to find the nest, and some walking. Located in a private nature preserve; the eagles will continue to remodel the nest all season, and finding the giant nest is easier than finding the preserve itself. The preserve located in an industrial area on the Ohio-Kentucky border is open to the public and if the river isn’t up; it offers some easy hiking. I found the Cardinal Land Conservancy's site last year, and when I remembered to check the live cameras this year, it is probable that I was watching as the first egg was laid. Unfortunately it looks like there will be only two eggs this year. Their behavior and vocalization can be quite interesting if you have the patience to wait and watch. For some reason, the live cameras are not in sync. and there can be a lot of buffering.

Ok. Anyone who has heard this probably remembers the 1968 orchestral version with the trumpets, but solo guitar versions are equally good imob. First the vanilla version, and then one of many stepped up versions from decades later.

I struggle to grow Duckweed, so yeah, maybe actually trying to grow algae would be the way do be rid of it. It might be time for a Show Us Your Algae thread.

A good good rinse and scrub with vinegar should be enough. A liberal dosing with peroxide will also be helpful

Staghorn Algae? Do you dose extra iron?