reefhugger

I've found plumbing supply stores have a good variety of adapters; I found one that combined a change in both size and thread. If you can figure out the sizes you need a local plumbing supply is a good source. I even found one in a big box store but those tend to be hit or miss.

Another vote for Repashy foods. I use both the Community Plus and the Soilent Green, but they have other mixes. It's easy to prepare and feed. My corys and the other fish love it!

Your tanks are amazing! Your comment about never being able to starve algae by removing nutrients is logical. I'm curious though...I use well water that, out ot the tap, is north of 10.0 ppm. I'm using the API test, and 10.0 ppm is as high as it measures. I've got good plant growth but always lots of algae of various types. I do weekly water changes with vacuuming detritis. I do need to be more regular about fertilizer. Is my attempt to remove some of the phosphate unreasonable since its native to the water itself? Any advise on how to deal with this is gratefully requested.

This is interesting. I've been plagued with varius types of algae since I started aquariums several years agao. My tap water is sky high in phosphates so I started using Phosguard to lower the levels several weeks ago and it seems the grow back levels are lower. I'm interested in feedback from other forum members on this.

This is a good question....how close were the water temperatures do you think?

Oh my stars what a project. You've got fantastic assistance and a good place to convert to a fish room dispite the challanges. The pothos and tanks against that beautiful color will be so beautifull. I'd love to have a utility sink like that. Mostly dragging tank items out to the hose on the lawn to clean. Props to hubby for the lovely and useful cabinet.

I looked at you photos this morning on my desktop instead of peering at my phone's screen. Your tank looks so good. It will get even better as the plants fill out.

You got your new fin babies Fantastic! And yes getting photos is frustrating.

Looking forward to photos of new fishes.

Wonderful! I hope your daughter err wife enjoys the hobby too.

Welcome to the forum....and thank you for giving me a facinating little rabbit hole to explore with my morning coffee. Very interesting! This forum is filled with interesting people and ideas. And kindness. Enjoy.

Lol...yes I have to make use of a small foot stool. Can't count the number of times I've almost crashed.

Seriously!!! That is incredibly cool.

What a nice sturdy base! That's something you know is going to work instead of those scary commercial ones. Love it. Did you add the trim at the top of the tank? I like how it looks. I love the top...is that the double (don't know the right term for sure) wall? And where did you find clear hinges...they blend well on the top. I'll take your advice about sanding them...thanks. Your tank looks good. Is the wood local? I often find nice pieces of oak in our woods and have used some smaller pieces in tanks after boiling. This is a fun jouney to see its progress. Thanks for sending me the link.

You can try lifting out the media inside the filter and giving it a gentle rinse to remove the debris it's filtered out of the tank. There is good bacteria in the media you'll want to maintain so a gentle rinse to remove the free debris is good. If there is debris in the tank hold, a turkey baster is ideal for pulling it out.

I was interested in your post about lids as I recently cut the daylights out of my wrist wrestling a heavy glass lid off a tank. 😬 Good information here.

This lead me to a website on aquarium science; what an eye opener it has been for me on maintenence. Thank you. This is a humbling hobby isn't it? Always so much more to learn.

Welcome. This is a source of good information from people with experience. There are photos on the forum of tanks using house plants like pothos for filtration in tanks. The setups are quite lovely.

Surprise babies are the best!

I had an ammonia spike caused by a fish that had died hidden inside a hollow decorative log. The hollow log was turned so I couldn't easily see inside it.

That was my experience as well. A clerk in a local welding shop was fantastically helpful. Swapping out tanks takes just minutes.

I really like the arrangement of driftwood. It adds nice structure to the design.

Your pictures are very clear and focus is perfect. I'm curious about the plants and cichlids; I was under the impression cichlids like to dig them up. Your tanks say otherwise. I like plants so much I avoided cichlids despite appreciating how attractive they are.

Thanks for the replies. I do know what you mean about her scales and size. And yes, she's always looked like she's looked like a tub for a long time...in terms of years. But I'll watch her closely. The only real change to her is the white. That's what has be worried. I'll put her in a tank and add some salt I think.

I love Hillstream Loaches. Cute as can be and its fun to watch them interact. I also am fond of a koi Angelfish named Spot I've had for years. His wife Goldie died recently...I think he's kind of happy about that as she was a bit of a bully.