[What did you get done today?]

Committed Snowplow to the garden.

I'm not sure which ticks me off more: the sudden unexpected passing of the most active algae eating Plecos ever, or as a final act of defiance, dying in the middle of the Anacharis cloud, requiring me to uproot all of it to extract the body.😖

[alternative or DIY tank stands?]

17 hours ago, Sal said:

 

projects are fun!

 

Looking at the before picture, my brother would likely quip: "how 1960 can you get"

You've done a really good job on the transformation.

[What’s your dream mutation of a fish that doesn’t except]

15 hours ago, Kirsten said:

A dwarf ghost knifefish that schools would look so cool with angels

But I'd also accept a Giant Endler that got 4" long

A school of dwarf Black Ghosts would be impressive

A bit of serendipity here.

I was researching Endlers yesterday before responding to @Tory's shrimp vs Endler vs Guppy purchase poll/topic.  A knife fish was included in the search  results for Endlers.  It occurred to me that I haven't seen a knife fish in years, and forgotten all about them.  Now I've seen them together twice in two days.

[What’s your dream mutation of a fish that doesn’t except]

A cross between a fish and a Roomba with an appetite for beer cans, bottles, KFC buckets, tires... and other wrongscapes.

[Help me decide my next fish purchase :)]

If three is good, than six or more is better.  You already have 20 shrimp so given the choices I would go with the Endlers.

[Noticed something kina cool at my LFS]

19 hours ago, Sandra the fish rookie said:

What kind of background would you all pick? I personally like the black, because it shows the plants and wood really well..

I agree with the black.  It does help to hide some of the plumbing and make everything else pop.  When I go to the LFS, I tend to see the background first. The background is not supposed to be a distraction. That being said, I have seen some great backlit  aquascapes, and  one of my experimental tanks has a dark red, (oxblood/burgundy) background.  which seems to compliment  the hardscape and plants.

[Plant in shipment]

Lefty and Brian already said it:  There are too many variables to answer your question.  Have sensitive items shipped to where you work, or a friend's house who will take them in.  Find anther vendor.  Frozen = dead.  Your plants may already be dead or damaged before they are delivered to you.

[Black Beard Algae or BBA]

I went with the H2O2 treatment.  It is super cheap, and mostly harmless if you are careful.  Treat what you can out of the tank. You can spot treat with a syringe or spray bottle.  Spot treating submerged BBA may need to be done several times a week.   If you are using a spray bottle in the aquarium, it is best to drill a hole in the plastic nozzle and insert a piece of airline tubing.  Submerging the spray bottle under water dilutes the H2O2.  Each pump puts out about 1ml.  For better results: Turn off all pumps/filters and treat just before the lights go out.  You can startup everything in the morning.  Adding a cleanup crew and cutting back on food and fertilizer will help get the BBA under control.

[Mars Lander Perseverance]

Honestly, I did not know about Perseverance or the helicopter until today. I just watched a YT video about the drone.  I'm not sure what they can learn with a 90 second flight time, but it sounds like fun.

Its good to know that I can send and receive a signal from the drone on Mars in less tine than it took AAA to answer the phone on earth..

[Whos ready for outdoor tubbing season?!?!?!?]

On 2/16/2021 at 6:01 AM, FishyJames said:

I wish I could tub.  I'm in Phoenix and it gets way too hot.

Trade ya!

 

[Have You Ever Noticed...]

11 hours ago, Taco Playz said:

I've never heard that well time to stick my head in my tanks and start smelling. 😆😆

My whitewater rafting guide said "If you don't remember anything else I said today, remember this: drink water, breath air, don't get them confused!" 

It may apply here🙃.

[Have You Ever Noticed...]

Now I'm curious!  What does Duckweed taste/smell like?  and, can it out run the Barbs?  They love a good salad.

[What's your dream aquarium product that doesn’t exist?]

An invisible fence for fish.  ...inside the tank

[Fish Naming Thread]

My fish usually have to somehow earn their names, so most are nameless.  My first common Pleco was Leviathan.  At 16" it would  cast a shadow as it swam across the tank.  The oldest and largest of the Barbs are 3 of 9 and 6 of 9.  Trekkies will understand that thought process.  The cleanup crew is known collectively as the 3 SAEsons.  I can't tell them apart.

[Short circuited brain]

14 hours ago, Bethily777 said:

Problem is that my Asperger, OCD, seasonal affective disorder brain decided getting into plants was necessary. What.A.Nightmare.  I have no idea what I’m doing, I’m in too deep to stop, and now I find out there is no rule book.  My brain is short circuiting.

 

15 hours ago, Bethily777 said:

 So I shoved it all to one end of the tank and laid eco complete down.  Then I covered it all with big pebbles cuz why not.  I like the hill it made. Now I don’t know if that was wrong too.

 

There is a rule book, but there is no owner's manual.  Each aquarium is different and your owner's manual only applies to your aquarium. It sounds like you are attempting to do too much too fast.  Planted aquariums are only fast on planting day.  Stop buying things until your plants begin to tell you what they need.  The people here will be glad to help with those problems if they arise.

As far as beauty is concerned, make the tank yours. watch the videos, write down what make you happy, and take it from there.  There is nothing wrong with your gravel mountain, you already said you like it. The Anubia will definitely like it, build from there.

Good Luck

 

[Question about Nitrates]

I would also go with picture #1. Readings taken flat against the white background will be more accurate (consistant) for color rendering.

[Re-homing a large fish]

53 minutes ago, Rhonda said:

So now at 9 inches long in a 45 gallon tank,  I think he's killing my other fish.  He's not eating them, but by the amount of waste he produces.  Is there a large fish rescue that anyone is aware of that can help? 

My 4-5" pleco became a 16" pleco in a 29 gallon for most of it's life, and later moved to a 75.  I don't think they ever bother the other fish except when they vacuum all of the food from the water surface at feeding time. That coil of rope from the aft compartment can be disturbing.  There is at least one fish rescue video on YT.  I believe they are in Ohio.  They might be able to point you in the right direction.  The Craigslist and LFS mentioned above are better ideas

[Tiger barbs and green tiger barbs]

I don't have a precise answer for you, but my guess would be that they will school together, when they are of a mind to. All of my adopted fish seem to seek out others of the same size, speed and temperament when they don't have others of their own kind. 

As I am typing this, my lone tiger barb is swimming with the ember tetras.  

[What fish do you just not get?]

Bettas. 

When I see the Bettas lined up on shelves like a vending machine at the LFS, I have to wonder why you would want a fish that can't stand to be around it's own kind. 

I can understand why people like the colors and variations, but I haven't seen one yet that looked good in those baseball sized prisons.

[If you had to start over...]

If I could go back to the my initial attempts at aquariums I would have skipped the 10 gallon tank and thorough cleaning and water change every week. The 29gl. and better filtration was a game changer.  If I could start over today,  I would have a fish room of sorts, matching tank sizes, and more plant friendly fish.

[Lid options]

A rimless tank is going to make it tough.  There are rimless lids available.  Some of the posters here talk about flat corrugated polycarbonate panels if you can find them.

If you aren't concerned about evaporation, a piece of egg crate used for light and ceiling panels combined with rimless tank clips from Amazon can be had for <$30. 

[What did you get done today?]

Shut down my 3 month old no effort/no tech project tank to make room for a similar but larger project.

[10-Gallon Tank Ideas]

I vote for all three.  My ten gallon has always been my project tank. A 10 gallon bad idea is a lot easier to fix than a 75 gallon failure.  It is currently a no tech/effort planted tank.  The next project however, is likely to be a breeder

[Growing Lights and Height's]

Interesting experiment.

If everything else is equal, I would guess that the plants on the bottom of the 17 will always be a little less developed than the others. There is less light available.  It will be interesting to see how the plants on wood develop.

[dream tank]

11 hours ago, Ken said:

Mine was going to be built into an embankment with a glass front so you could look at it from above or below the water like the penguin enclosure at the zoo.

One of my dream aquariums would be one I can swim in.  Decades ago I passed through a small Indiana town where the city pool was as you described. Theirs had short flight of stairs into a cave-like tunnel alongside the pool. It would have been so much better as an aquarium