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JettsPapa

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Everything posted by JettsPapa

  1. A year or so I was at 360 Aquatic in Houston, and they had some leaffish (Monocirrhus polyacanthus). At the time I didn't have a good place for them, and still don't, but some day I hope to get some.
  2. I am also on a well, with hard high pH water, and that's all I use in my 10 tanks and 4 tubs. Instead of waiting for a water test I'd recommend changing at least 30% of the water daily until you get the test kit, then use the test results to determine when you need to change the water, and how much. Generally, you want to keep the combined ammonia and nitrites below 1.0 ppm, and please note that that's the combined values, not for either one. There is another potential factor here. Commercially raised guppies are notoriously fragile. While decades ago guppies were very hardy fish, unfortunately that isn't true for the ones that are farm raised. Guppies raised by hobbyists are generally stronger. When you get more fish I'd encourage you to go on Facebook Marketplace, or something similar, and see if you can find locally bred fish.
  3. That would probably be a good idea. While cartridge filters are what most fish keepers start with, me among them, many choose filters with larger and more varied media later on. I like the AquaClear hang-on-back filters, but there are other good brands. They typically come with a block of sponge, a bag of ceramic media, and a bag of carbon (which I never use), but they can be customized to meet your needs.
  4. I would recommend another 50% water change to get the nitrites down, and I'd suggest you stop adding chemicals to fix problems that are better fixed with clean water. Also, you mentioned in your original post that you replaced the filter cartridge. I know the instructions that came with the filter probably said to change it, but that's because they want to keep selling the cartridges to you so they can keep selling you replacements. In the future I'd recommend just rinsing it and putting it back, and don't replace it until it's falling apart. A good portion of your beneficial bacteria colony resides on the filter, so tossing it can cause issues. Rinse it in tank water first, but after your tank is well established (six months after the cycle has stabilized would be okay) you can rinse it under the faucet.
  5. Maybe better, but that doesn't mean they'll lay down and die in warmer water. Most of my tanks are unheated, but I have one at 75° and one at 78°, and plants seem to be doing just fine in them. I don't believe it would be too much. I have six of them in a 40 gallon breeder tank (36"L x 18"D x 17"T, roughly 915 x 460 x 430 mm) with 8 pristella tetras, 12 serpae tetras, one pea puffer, and 8 or so corys. That's the same temperature as the 40 gallon tank with pearl gouramis mentioned above.
  6. A 2 x 4 can hold a lot of weight if it's placed correctly, and deck screws are fairly strong, but under no circumstances would I trust them to support the weight of a fish tank full of water. They are not designed to withstand much of a load in shear. I don't care what youtubers do. I've been doing carpentry for longer than most of them have been alive. The 2 x 4's that are placed horizontally need to be directly supported all the way to the floor. That means either notching the leg so that the horizontal 2 x 4 rests in the notch, or screwing another 2 x 4 to the leg so the horizontal 2 x 4's are resting on it. That way the screws are only holding the boards together, and you aren't relying on them to support the weight.
  7. I'm a big fan of pearl gouramis, but I probably wouldn't recommend a pair (though it might work fine). I'd add one more female, at the very least, but you could also do a larger group, ideally still with females outnumbering males. I'd also suggest adding 15 more pygmy corys instead of 5. You probably already know this, but I wouldn't recommend adding the otos right away. I'd give the new tank a few months to build up aufwuchs and biofilm before moving them.
  8. I hope you don't mind me asking, but if you're going for low and simple maintenance why are you gravel vacuuming? If you have enough plants you won't need to. I haven't done it in years, even in the open spots. When doing water changes I just hang the intake tube in the tank and take the water from the top or middle of the tank and call it good. Gravel vacuuming might be good for new tanks, but for well established ones I don't see a reason. If mulm or other material builds up it breaks down to feed the plants.
  9. I could probably get away without the water changes, or at least do them less often, but I use that water to water plants.
  10. I didn't even think of that. I have four tubs outside (roughly 24" diameter and deep) with guppies and shrimp. None of them have any mechanical filtration or water movement either. I do water changes around 40% once a week or so, but I depend on plants the rest of the time. They all have guppy grass, anacharis, and/or hornwort (they don't have any substrate, other than whatever leaves fall into them and settle to the bottom). I take the guppies out when the night temperatures get down to the mid-50's, but the shrimp stay in them year-round, and they don't get any attention during the winter. They go months without water changes, but of course they get fresh water when it rains.
  11. The 5.5 gallon tank on my desk at work doesn't have any mechanical filtration or water movement. I decided to try it so I could keep power usage as low as possible, since I'm not paying for it. The only thing that uses electricity is the light (it's on a timer; 7:00 am - 3:00 pm). It's stocked with guppies, shrimp, snails, and a single dwarf crayfish. It's moderately to heavily planted, leaning more toward heavily, with mostly crypts, along with a few stems of bacopa and pearl weed , and dwarf water lettuce that I think when needed to keep it covering around 50% of the water surface. Oddly enough, plants like hornwort and pearl weed, that float in my other tanks, don't in this one. I assume it's because of the lack of water movement, but that's only my best guess.
  12. Welcome to the forum, and congratulations on your retirement. I'm not there yet but it's getting closer. If things go according to plan my last day will be May 31, 2028.
  13. For a little more information about the treated wood, if you decide to use it. Make sure it's absolutely bone dry before painting it. Due to the treating process it often has a higher moisture content when sold than untreated wood. It will also tend to warp more when it dries. If I was doing it I'd buy untreated lumber and paint it. That should be adequate to protect it from occasional spills or splashes. If the wood stays wet then I'd address the cause.
  14. I suspect your low pH and kH may be at least part of the problem. Also, you said you'd fed six pellets of shrimp food. That seems like a lot, unless you have many shrimp in the tank.
  15. I've been known to turn the TV to a station showing a golf tournament on Sunday afternoon. The announcers relatively low key commentary is nice background noise for naps.
  16. I absolutely don't mean this as criticism of people who enjoy futbol (or soccer, as we refer to it in the US), because I know not everyone enjoys baseball as much as I do, but when I hear it mentioned I'm often reminded of a comic strip I saw in the newspaper years ago during the World Cup. Two of the characters were sitting on the couch watching television when a third person walked in the room and asked what they were watching. One of them replied "The World Cup." "What's the score?" "It's tied at zero, but they've only been playing for six hours."
  17. Hello, I'm in southeast Texas, so I have a similar climate, and I have tubs outside that I fill from the hose. Initially the water coming from the hose is very warm this time of year, but if I let it run for a few minutes it will get noticeably cooler. Have you tried that?
  18. I get them at HEB (a grocery chain based in San Antonio; with most of their stores in the eastern half of Texas), but I'd think they'd be available in other places.
  19. They're a little harder to find, but I like tortillas made with a mix of flour and corn. Their flavor is similar to corn tortillas, but the consistency is more like flour tortillas (they don't break and tear as easily as corn tortillas).
  20. I've posted that video a number of times when people insisted that you can't rinse filter media in tap water. When I do I always point out that you should only rinse in tap water if it's a well established tank (I usually say it should have been stable and running for at least 6 months).
  21. I understand that not everyone would want to share that information, but if we had it available in our profiles then people could add whatever information they feel comfortable with there, and others wouldn't need to ask.
  22. I'm not a moderator, but I like the idea. Maybe it could be visible when we hover on a member's icon? I would also suggest we have the opportunity to enter that information in our user profile. That way if someone didn't want it displayed he or she could just choose not to enter it.
  23. I wouldn't trim them just because of bent stems. They will do that if the plant is floated at the top of a tank for a few days. It shouldn't take them long to straighten out after you put it in the substrate.
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