ForestJenn

I wondered about this too. We have a tumbler that we haven't used yet, so I'm not super familiar with the process. But I thought there was a "polishing" step at the end. The more I read, the more it appears that polishing is just a final tumble with a very fine grit. One thing I would check is to make sure that there is not a chemical polish or lacquer, but even then it appears that washing in hot water might take care of that. Hmmm, a new rabbit hole to delve!

I almost had a tank overflow during a water change today. A timer would have helped. It's especially embarrassing because I was sitting right there watching the tank when it happened. I was a little to absorbed I guess. It was a close call! When I reestablished my main tank recently, I went with a light that included a programmable timer. I love it!

I think it depends on the fish you have. All of our tetras go nuts for the Xtreme Krill flakes and the ingredient list makes me happy. But the bristlenose and corydoras won't touch the Xtreme Sinking Wafer. So we feed the bristlenose the Hikari Algae wafer. The corys will munch on that too, but I usually feed them on the side of the tank opposite from the tetras so they get their share of flakes, bloodworms, freeze dried brine shrimp. The corys and the bristlenose get fresh veggies every week too, but you're asking about dried food. The bettas like the Xtreme flakes too, but we typically feed them the Hikari Bio-Gold betta pellets. I'm not a fan of the little screw spout on the bags we bought, but I bet they are there to help avoid food contamination. The bettas always go for it, and my little guy seems to have an easier time with them than the larger betta pellets we used initially. (Tetra I think?)

I thought this was super helpful too! The graduated markings on the side are a good idea! When I watched the video, I wondered how she went about making those marks. The easiest thing I could think of was just adding a gallon of water at a time and making the mark. We have limited space, so I love the idea of a tub that can hold all of the supplies in between uses.

I know lab glassware can be expensive but when I looked up the price I was shocked! I know that they're expensive because the graduations have to be precise but I saw some 2pk borosilicate glass sets for close to $1000. I did find some that were as cheap as $34 a piece for anyone who wants to try them (not sure about the glass type), but the Ziss Hatchery has to be more bang for your buck if you don't happen to have some on hand. @Daniel is a very nice guy! By the way, now you have me curious, where does one shop for surplus lab glassware?

The administrators will have to provide you with their call on this, but maybe the messaging functionality is an option? I haven't used it, but clicking on the button provides you with the space to add a single member's ID. I took a couple screenshots that might help.

Some of it he'd heard before because I told him my concerns about the whole species / variety thing. But he's a great kid. It's a lot of fun to watch him learn. And like most pre-teens, he's much likelier to listen if the new information isn't coming from Mom.

This gets my vote! I've been reading about this species for for a bit and I may add some to my 40 gallon down the road. They seem like great little fish! I used to keep a pair of Keyhole cichlids in a 29 gallon and they were so much fun! They are in the same Tribe as this fish so I'm guessing that their behavior is very similar.

We were keeping earthworms in the fridge and the lid must have been loose. We had earthworms all over the inside of our fridge door. My husband found me cleaning them up, sighed and walked away. I never thought to ask him if it was ok to store them in the fridge. He's used to my foibles.

So how are they introduced to the tank? Are they coming in on plants? Are eggs common in certain (or all) substrates and then overfeeding leads to conditions where the population is noticeable?

Do the winglets help? Or are they like the spoilers on an economy sport car? I wonder if the fan has to be over a certain size in order for there to be an impact? Is it supposed to be more efficient or move more air? I wonder if Google knows? Off to check. I'm learning all sorts of new things today!

I've mentioned elsewhere on the forum that my 11 year old son is interested in breeding Bristlenose. After a lot of research, he wanted a male long fin green dragon and two super red females. (I think he was hoping to get long fin super reds out of the mix.) I hemmed and hawed because I wasn't certain if he'd be raising cross-beeds or hybrids. Plus I had this nightmare vision of producing hundreds of fish that no one else would want because they weren't one thing or the other. We stopped by Aquarium Co-op today to see the long fin green dragons and my son had lots of questions. Over the course of the conversation, he (we) learned a lot. The staff members confirmed that the long fin green dragon and the super red are the same species. BUT! They also confirmed my concern that he'd be producing mutt fish and that getting a store to take them might be more difficult. They talked about breeding ages, sex determination and gave him encouragement. By the time we left the store he had decided: 1. That he would stick with one variety for now 2. That he can be patient and wait for the two young fish we picked up today mature. 3. That he can maybe start a different breeding project in the interim. Maybe Endlers? All of this happened because the staff at the store took him seriously, were knowledgeable and were willing to share that knowledge. One short visit ended up being a super positive experience and a bit of an adventure (which is exactly what he needs right now!) They also saved us some potential heartache and frustration down the road. (They also sold us two instead of the one I promised my son. What can I say? I was happy, the price was right and the fish are cool!)

The list works. We had no plans to visit the store this week but plans change. We were just there to pick up a couple of the Long Fin Green Dragon Bristlenose. Tiny and lovely!

Anything that keeps you in the moment is going to be beneficial I think. I know it's helping me right now. Not only does it give me something to focus on make plans around, but it provides the opportunity to just sit and be still sometimes. I'm not recovering from any specific injury but do deal with bouts of depression. I can see the aquariums being another tool in the toolbox. One of the big reasons I'm getting back to keeping fish right now is my son. With no school and no access to his friends, we needed a project. We've spent weeks reading, watching videos, planning and talking. I know his anxiety and stress levels have come down as well. He's sleeping a bit better. He's already got a healthy interest in the life sciences, but I can't help patting myself on the back for finding another opportunity to sneak in some education as well.

Hi all! This is exciting. I haven't posted to a forum in years! I live in a suburb of Seattle (Not far from Aquarium Co-op). Despite a Biology degree and a childhood desire to be a marine biologist, I didn't get into fish keeping until my husband gifted me with a 29 gallon tank for my birthday many years ago. I happily kept a variety of freshwater fish for the next 5 or so years. But then we moved and I had a baby so got out of the hobby. I've dabbled via my son's 10 gallon betta tank and seriously got back into it a couple years ago with a 40 gallon tank when a friend of mine gifted me some fish when he had to move. Unfortunately, while the 10 gallon survived an extended power outage, the 40 gallon tank didn't. Now that the baby is 11 and has his own dreams of becoming a biologist we've had a lot of fun collaborating on resurrecting the 40 gallon. He has plans for his own bristlenose breeding project that we should be starting early next month. It's been a lot of fun watching him research and discussing various aspects of fish keeping with him. We've spent hours watching Aquarium Co-op videos (he's a big fan of Girl Talks Fish too!) I don't have any great pictures of the tank. This one is pretty terrible. The tank is still very new. Those plants have been in there less than a week. I'll try to post something better later.

Despite being very food motivated, our two cats seem not to notice the snack size fish swimming around in the glass boxes scattered around the house.