KaitieG
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Posts posted by KaitieG
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I think you'd be totally good to do this either way then--I'd say whenever you'd have the most fun/time to work on it (before vs. after the move), go for it!
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I have 8.2 ph and very hard water and have had very good success with
- val
- dwarf sag
- red flame sword
- green amazon sword
- anubias
- hygrophila angustifolia
- a variety of crypts
Not good success:
- Java fern
- Brazilian Pennywort
- many floaters
Somewhere in the middle--they don't die but don't do awesome for me:
- hornwort
- guppy grass
- tiger lotus
- dwarf aquarium lily
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On 5/10/2021 at 8:53 PM, Liquidreel said:
Hello!
i am moving soon and need to tear down my 16 gallon. Since I will only be able to keep my two 5 gallon tanks. I want to use this as an opportunity to rescape since I will be using some plants from my 16 gallon and want to change gravel. Should I do this before the move so I don’t have to save plants in a bucket while I move? Or would it be better to wait?
Are you planning to keep your 5 gallons intact while you move? Or will you need to break those down for the move anyway?
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This sounds like a lot of fish for that size tank to me, but lots of cool fish in your list 🙂 A few thing's I'd consider:
1. Angelfish get really large, so if you did a single angelfish as a centerpiece it would make more room for the other varieties of fish you're interested in
2. You have a lot of catfish/bottom dweller varieties. Any chance you can prioritize your favorites and choose maybe your top 2 or 3 bottom dwellers?
3. You have a combo of fish that really prefer softer water (angels, kuhlis, corys, cardinals, etc) and fish that need harder water (swordtails, platys, guppies). Not sure what your water is like, but that might help you narrow down some of the better fits for your tank.
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54 minutes ago, RyanU said:
I do not have a picture of the tank with me. I can get one tonight when I get home. How long can I expect tannins to be released from the wood.
I'd agree with the "about forever" estimate for a lot of woods...I soaked mine in boiling water with lots of rounds of water changes for weeks before adding it to the tank and it leaches a LOT of tannins still after months of being in the tank. A smaller piece that I boiled for over 4 hours turned my son's smaller tank brown in a matter of hours after each water change. Some of them just have a lot of color to leach out.
The best remedy (the only one I know of besides super frequent water changes or removing the wood) I've used is Purigen. I have 2 of the bags rated for up to 100 gallons in my HOB for my 95 gallon and they last about a week and a half before they're super brown. They do keep the water very clear until they start to get saturated, and then when I replace them with the newly regenerated bags, we all go "Ohhhh the water looks so GOOD" for about about 5 days and then they slowly absorb less and less as time goes on. There are enough tannins that my blue background looks greenish by the end of two weeks--and it's not algae...it's just the water color.
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One thing I learned from a person who was new to construction recently is that if you're setting a price, be sure to include "cost of materials may be adjusted and increase price" or some other such wording--this guy bid a garage roof then the prices of supplies skyrocketed due to COVID supply issues, and he ended up losing money on that job--he had to PAY to do the work. You don't want to be in that situation 🙂
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8 minutes ago, TheDukeAnumber1 said:
I love them too but also have had one or two die around a year of use, and a couple random ebay ones die even sooner.
By design they will not last as long as diaphragm pumps. They use DC brushed motors which wear quicker and can have life spans in the ballpark of hundreds to a few thousand hours. I don't know the motor specs but getting a years our a little less out of one isn't surprising.
I can manage with a year...10 or 11 weeks doesn't seem as reasonable to me, so that's leading me to wonder if I got these from a bad batch and should just order some new ones or if I need a totally different option. I haven't been using air valves or anything to restrict flow, they don't get overly warm when they run, and I have a couple still running that are over a year old. These newer ones just didn't seem to last. 😕
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I LOVE how quiet the nano airpumps are and get good flow through my filters with them. That said, I've had two pumps from the coop that I've used less than 3 months die recently. The second one was just this morning and I'll need to replace it ASAP. Anyone else had this issue with longevity? The pumps aren't expensive, but if I'm replacing them every couple months, that sure adds up fast!
The noise of other airpumps drives me NUTS, so if the nanos have longevity issues, what are your recommendations for one that might be more durable that either comes quiet or is easy to make quiet?
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I think a 20 gallon is slightly too small for a group of Dwarf Chain Loaches, but mine have basically eliminated my bladder snails in my larger tank. I've seen ONE living bladder snail in the last few weeks. If you get a 30+ gallon they'd be a really good option for you! They're super speedy and very attractive fish in my opinion. I call them "the wolf pack" because that's what they remind me of. Got them because I also am not a bladder/pond snails fan (I do like mystery and nerites) and have been very happy. If you're looking for an excuse for a bigger tank, here it is 😉
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30 minutes ago, Phantazmic said:
Max width I can have is around 240cm (7, 8 ft) and depht 80cm (2,6 ft) and was thinking about 70-75cm (2.2-2.4 ft) high. But maybe it's better to lower the hight to around 60cm (2 ft).
This sounds like a really fun tank! I recently set up a 95 gallon after having only a 20 and 10, and it's so much fun to have a larger tank to play with (though it's small compared to yours!). I think the other advice you've gotten is really good--making sure it's cycled, getting plenty of plants growing, etc..
One thing I'd say about my tank is that it's about 26 inches high--so just over 2 feet. It's about the max I can reach into and get to the bottom comfortably--I always end up with floating plants in my armpits 😆. I don't regret the tank, and I like the proportions, etc.--but maybe measure your arms and make sure they're at least as long as the tank is tall.
Then the other thing for stocking recommendations is that it would be interesting to know what your water parameters are from whatever water source you plan to use. Do you know the Ph, hardness, etc.? That could give a really good place to start with recommendations!
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I use Purigen as my top layer in a HOB filter, too. Why? I personally prefer the look of clear water, and I have large pieces of driftwood that leach tannins. It makes a huge difference in the color of the water in my tank.
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5 minutes ago, Chlo said:
Yeah, that sounds good! The only thing I'm worried about is that platies are supposed to breed every month! I was thinking about getting a bigger group of them, but then I wouldn't be able to tell them apart and name them... LOL😂
You can always add more later if you decide you want to! The platies and corys will make for a fun start!
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4 minutes ago, Chlo said:
I WAS going to have a school of neon tetras, but now I am probably going to do 2-3 mickey mouse platies. I just think they have more personality, are hardier, and I like that they can live in hard water. If I can do two platies I would do two females but I might do three and have two females and one male. If I can't fit two schools of corys, that would be okay. It would be cool to have two schools but then I probably wouldn't be able to add other fish besides the platies.
If you get the platies, they'll probably breed and you'll have PLENTY in your tank soon! Livebearers are very fun. I'd personally recommend starting with 1 school of cories and the platies and then just wait and see what you want to do from there! I've been loving mystery snails lately myself--they have such fun colors and I have a couple that have gotten HUGE!
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1 hour ago, Chlo said:
Yeah, I'm definitely going to be getting some! How many do you think I can fit in my tank? I'm planning on getting 6 panda corys, and if it is possible, I also want to get a school of julii or three stripe corydoras (Aqadvisor says I could, but I'm not sure).
It looks like your tank's a 20 gallon...what else are you thinking of putting in there with them? I'd tend to stick with 1 school in a 20 gallon myself--whatever your favorites are--but that's not not an absolute. You'd just have lots of room to play with other things if you stick to 1 school of corys 🙂
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17 minutes ago, Chlo said:
Right now I have anubias in my betta tanks and java fern in my 20 gallon. I'm not sure about the java fern because when it came it was already pretty brown and dying, but we'll see how it does. Yeah, I really love corydoras! I'm obsessed with them even though I haven't had any yet...
If you really love corydoras, I'd say GO FOR IT! 😃 Mine have even bred in my super hard water! They are fun fish and seen relatively hardy in my experience!
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I ordered a lotus bulb that rotted after I gave it over a month of doing nothing. They refunded me for that purchase. I also lost java fern after about a year--At that point it's my fault (my water just won't grow Java Fern) and would never consider asking the coop to replace something like that!
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I agree that you should be able to keep a lot of fish with your water parameters. I have PH 8.0-8.2, 300+Gh, and 200 Kh, and I've successfully kept a betta for well over a year and corydoras for 3 years with no losses. I've even kept neons, though they are sensitive if anything else gets whacky (like when I moved the tank--I had 2 losses from that experience). Any of the livebearers like platies, mollies, swordtails, guppies, etc. do well with hard water, and I have a fun mix in a tank right now.
For plants, I've had good luck with anubias, val, swords (but yep to root tabs for those), hornwort, and crypts. I've had BAD luck with java fern and floaters in general. You may have a different experience, but maybe this will help since we have similar parameters. If you're in love with corydoras, I don't think there's anything really stopping you from giving them a try! They are some of my favorite fish to watch!
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I wouldn't know either except that my husband plumbed our softener himself and we had the discussion about what should/shouldn't be softened. He would've left all the cold water hard, but I vetoed that for laundry and showers. I hate trying to rinse off soap in hard water!
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In regards to having softened water everywhere but the kitchen tap, that's actually a really common way to plumb softener systems. Many people prefer to avoid drinking softened water due to sodium and taste preferences. At our house all hot water is softened, and so is cold water everywhere but the kitchen sink. My parents, on the other hand, soften everything. I grew up drinking softened water and never noticed, but now that I usually drink unsoftened water I can taste the slight saltiness at their house. Impressive that you figured out what was going on without prior knowledge about your plumbing system!
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Looking at your picture it could also be a ramshorn snail, as it looks more like the "traditional" snail shape to me--bladder and pond snails sort of have the swirl on the back end, which is pointy. Ramshorns look just like a ram's horn--like a round spiral. I have some that are that color--I think they're called leopards. Either way, the same info applies that was shared before. Yes, they reproduce. Yes, overall they're pretty good for your tank unless the look of them drives you nuts. I personally think ramshorns are kind of pretty. Bladder/pond snails and ramshorns are both known for hitchhiking on plants.
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I believe dechlorinator comes first--at least if you have much chlorine/chloramine in your tap water. I know on a recent livestream Tazawa Tanks mentioned that their fish would be visibly affected if he added dechlorinator post-water change rather than before/during.
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Well, yes, I did--but only because my son knocked it out of the cupboard and it broke when it hit the floor 🙂
I THINK these are just standard size soap pump heads (maybe someone will know differently) and you can buy replacements on amazon https://www.amazon.com/White-Lotion-Castile-Bottles-Dispensed/dp/B08DG5K9B3/ref=sr_1_18?dchild=1&keywords=soap+pump+head&qid=1619271078&sr=8-18. Haven't tried it yet though!
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If it helps at all, we have a whole house softener (super hard water), but only our hot water is softened in the kitchen. That way we're not drinking softened water, and that's where I fill my tank. I do mix some hot water into the cold, but the ratio is mostly cold (doesn't take much hot water to warm up to 78 degrees), so I think the sodium is negligible, and the water is going into the tanks is still at least 300 ppm GH. Haven't had any issues in the few years I've used this system.
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Aqua huna does a great job! If you're already planning to order other fish from there, I'd go ahead and get the neons there too. I had a shipment from them that got delayed by USPS, and the fish were in the mail 9 days--all but 1 bag survived. That should give some idea of how healthy their fish are and how well they pack and ship them!
Help with my new fish that's too large
in General Discussion
Posted
I'm so sorry this happened--it's so hard to lose pets! Your tanks are beautiful, and they look like great places for your fish to live. I'm so sorry for the two losses...sometimes mistakes/accidents happen, but knowing that doesn't really make it any easier 😞