RovingGinger

Hi all, I have planted tanks and mostly sponge filters and extra bubblers in most of them. I do not run co2 and I have very hard, high PH (8+) well water. I recently picked up this book: Sunken Gardens: A Step-by-Step Guide to Planting Freshwater Aquariums and it made it sound like you can't have a sponge filter and plants that grow. This is observably false, but now I am questioning the "more bubbles!" approach I've taken (guppies like the bubbles). At the same time I'm pretty sure I've seen minor pearling in some of my tanks (probably from algae but let's not get too picky). What're the balancing factors to keep in mind with this stuff?

If we look back further, altering nature has always been a part of what we do. Landscapes, agriculture, corn, bonsai trees, potted plants, aquariums, animal domestication, pest control... all starting at least a few hundred years ago. Most of those were low-or-no tech changes (wiring a tree, moving trees and boulders, rotating crops, breeding corn, etc) but some have still been disastrous (introducing wildlife to Australia or Hawaii). I don't have a real moral line in the sand here myself but I think it's interesting that it seems to be in our nature to mess with nature. 🤷‍♀️

I’ve had some unexpected aquatic plant successes and wondered what you all have seen. I was propagating some pothos in a tank and got lazy and it fell fully in and I left it because who doesn’t want to feed snails? Lo and behold it started sprouting smaller, slightly differently shaped leaves fully submerged. I have started throwing it into my outdoor tubs and the loose floating/submerged stems don’t rot. I guess pothos truly never dies. Similarly, I took cuttings of a raspberry bush in my yard and put them in a foam holder/aquaponics cup suspended in my pond. They grew great roots but also have fully submerged leaf growth that looks very healthy. Now to get not-lazy and actually plant them somewhere. What pleasant surprises or failed experiments have you had?

Would you ever want to do one of those home swap shows and try out Minnesota? 😂 Having that much life outdoors year round must be magical.

I equate it to plants, and am fine with hybrids, crazy variants, etc, unless it negatively impacts the life of the fish, results in a high deformity rate or involves physical mutilation (I also don’t like dyed flowers, agates, or fish - but ymmv). Granted we aren’t grafting fish like little cacti, I would probably draw the line there too. I wasn’t sure how I felt about blood parrots until I picked one up on impulse from our local petco and now I’ll admit to being fully in love. I also have a soft spot for fat goldfish with ridiculously fancy fins, so I am biased in favor of man-made overall.

I bought 4 more used tanks (2 10 gal, 2 20) for my wall of guppies. Almost got a coworker talked into taking the 20 gallon I don't want (Aqueon Ascent, doesn't fit the aesthetics of the other tanks) so that her kids could have some baby guppies 😉 Spreading the addiction!

How does pool filter sand do with a planted tank? I have heard mixed opinions.

I put small heaters in my tanks to get them just a little hotter (MN summer) and more consistent. Seems to have worked well.

I have a healthy dose of green hair algae in my outdoor tank. Lots of guppy fry, who seem to like it, and honestly it blends into the massive mix of guppy grass, java moss, and pothos and I kind of think it looks fine? Is there any reason it would be detrimental to the fish?

Share your goofy fish videos. YouTube, TikTok, Instagram... we all likely have videos our friends just don’t seem to appreciate at the right level. https://vm.tiktok.com/JYk7Q2Q/ - Onip slow mo https://vm.tiktok.com/JYBeksb/ - ramshorn snails + the Bieber https://vm.tiktok.com/JYBFQ1m/ - adorable yet murderous puffer https://vm.tiktok.com/JYkthYW/ - bonus kitten Let’s see some fish videos!

I have ramshorn, MTS, one mystery snail, and bladder snails. The bladder snails are puffer food due to their reckless procreation habits and the others are just cute helpers. I had two mystery snails, but one was just laying half out of its shell and the next day I found an empty snail and a partially eaten naked snail body. Really gross at that size. Old age? I didn’t see fish picking on it while alive and nothing else has died in the aquarium....

“If you’re on the beta test of a community fish forum based on a YouTube fish channel subscription, you might be a fish nerd.” I need friends like you have!

Same. The variety you get is awesome and they just always seem so active and happy.

Your guppies are goals. Phenomenal.

I bought a goldfish bowl on a garage sale and got a feeder goldfish for it. It died after one day and I was heartbroken - I remember crying my eyes out as a new neighbor introduced himself. In hindsight, 7 year old me did everything wrong including frequently petting said fish. To console me my mom bought a ninja turtles acrylic aquarium and 3 guppies. We eventually graduated to multiple tanks and one 75 gallon filled with a variety of fun fish as my mom was a real animal lover. Eventually she rehomed the collection after my beloved calico fancy goldfish (kept in a tank far too small) died. I tried fish again a few years ago, falling prey to the classic Sad Betta syndrome and buying the betta and kit in one go. Bad go. Didn’t know anything about the nitrogen cycle. Dead fish, repeat, gave up because I thought I couldn’t keep them. COVID hit and I was stuck at home and needed more life around. Considered reptiles but my cats would be too determined to kill them. Found a 20 gallon with 9 fish for $50 on Craigslist. Now at 130+ gallons and who knows how many guppies. it escalated quickly.

I like my rimless 6 gallon but can’t swallow the price difference for the larger tanks. I like lidless though - I do a lot of plants that emerge above the rim or float, and the evaporation means less of a water change which means a less heavy bucket. No jumpers so far...

Is there a video tutorial or anything out there on something like this? I’d like to start playing with period co2 and have a soda stream. I also have more small tanks and no large tanks so this seems like a better system for that?

No - the goldens would be in a single species tank (40 breeder) with hopefully 1-2 mystery snails. Only the naughty guppies would ever join them.

I have a bunch of guppies and tetras but am considering something larger and maybe with bigger personality? Thinking telescope eye/black moor or fantail/veiltail, something that is in the 6-8' range and ridiculously pretty. I have heard anywhere from 1-3 in a 40 gallon breeder, what type of filtration and setup would make 2 + a mystery snail or 2 a comfortable home? Would a sponge filter work for a little while at least with frequent cleaning? Thinking pool filter sand and largely floating plants. I have hard well water. What is your experience with goldfish? Photos always appreciated 🙂

So this is a case where the kindle version is different enough in price I start to waver. Are the photos in it worth the $$ difference or is it mostly text?

I still like a traditional hard cover book with good photos. Any recommendations for aquarium books, fish guides, etc? I have bought a few so far including: - The Manual of Fish Health - Dr. Axelrod’s Mini Atlas (not yet delivered) - Encyclopedia of Aquarium & Pond Fish (also not yet delivered) Hate how long it takes used books to arrive, love the low risk of DOA. I am interested in learning more about guppies, goldfish, aquatic plants, aquascaping, and realistically anything else. Any classics or resources you swear by?

I am not sure if hydra qualifies as general discussion or a disease? I found a small population of water hydra in my guppy fry tank. For a while I was taking them out on the rock they were attached to and seeing if the pea puffer was interested (no). From observing, I never saw a fry get caught or close to caught by one. The fry eat floating detritus worms and they sniff at any floating hydra but then go ew and swim away. I know they’re a sign of over feeding, but I’m worried about balancing that against accidentally starving fry. Are they something to be legit worried about or do I just run some mollies through the tank once the fry are out or what?

Would either this one https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-72-in-H-x-36-in-W-x-18-in-D-4-Shelf-Steel-Unit-in-Silver-MR361872W4/205182073 or this one https://www.homedepot.com/p/Muscle-Rack-72-in-H-x-36-in-W-x-18-in-D-5-Shelf-Z-Beam-Boltless-Steel-Shelving-Unit-in-SilverVein-UR361872PB5P-SV/300097687 work for a 40 breeder + some smaller tanks? Just picked up a 40 breeder on the dollar per gallon sale, didn't quite figure out the stand situation yet.

Hi all, I am a newcomer to the fish hobby as of COVID. I had some fish as a child, we went through a phase where we had a 75 gallon and various other tanks with guppies and other common tropical fish in them, up until Mom got sick of the maintenance and rehomed. I tried again a few years ago with the classic Sad Betta in a Cup, failed horribly due to complete unawareness of this nitrogen cycle thing (definitely NOT in my child's guide to guppies). COVID hit and I wasn't sure if I wanted a lizard, fish, another dog, or what but I knew my office needed some companionship. I watched most of Clint's Reptiles and moved onto Aquarium Coop and decided since I had cats, fish were the safer choice. I bought a used 20 gallon for $50 and it came with 2 angels, 1 CAE, and 2 each of 3 kinds of tetras (red eye, black skirt, serpae). Rehomed the angels for guppies, got a pea puffer in a nano tank, and graduated up to uuh, let's say many more tanks and growing. We also ended up with an extra kitten and puppy so... more life, more fun! Other hobbies include keeping plants alive and laser-cutting. Trying to work at some collaboration between the three, currently experimenting with hydroponic trays that sit over aquariums. In my bill-paying life I work at a digital marketing agency. My history is in web design/web project management, my current role is finance/tech/strategy/fix things that break. Happy to help if anyone happens to need advice in that realm, I've seen most of the ways your Google My Business listing can go wrong and I've even solved a few of them.

Maybe state-specific (or smaller, if you’re CA/TX) forum threads of hobbyists and local resources/shops that don’t ship would be a good fit. I’m a newcomer to the hobby as of COVID and I can source plants, equipment, food, etc. but I can’t find a local guppy expert. A database of any kind would be a nightmare due to how fast the information would be outdated. Most of the good shops I’ve found in MN don’t even have websites so it is hard to get connected.