Emika_B

In no particular order: API Master Kit vs Tetra Test Strips How to Care For (insert fish name) Fish How to Care For (insert plant name) The Aquarium Nitrogen Cycle Aquarium Ammonia Spike Of course, there are also the livestreams that can be watched again and again. The topics care so varied I’d be hard-pressed to pick a favorite. Anything with guppies I suppose.

Did an emergency full water change on my quarantine tank using tested water from the big tank. I’d lost all but 4 of the 15 rummy nose tetras I’d picked up Wednesday. Wasn’t sure if it was a bad batch of fish (there were some questionable fish in the tank at the store) or an ammonia spike in the quarantine tank. The other quarantine residents were fine, so I think it was the fish but figured it’s better safe than sorry. Couldn’t rely on water test because it was medicated. And added water to the big tank to replace the water put into the quarantine tank.

mgudyka - I had similar tiny white filament-looking critters on my glass, too. I'm guessing they're a kind of detritus worm because they disappeared after I stopped feeding the tank. There were no fish at the time, just a zillion snails. I wanted to slow the snail breeding down so I stopped feeding them. Either the worm things went away because of this or the snails ate them because they were hungry.

Kirsten - Thanks! I'm really looking forward to having the shrimp. They're so much fun to watch as they scurry about. I was at a fish store the other day and they had captive bred shrimp - not too much color but they sure are active little guys! I'm glad to know that your tank is doing well without filter or airstone. I know it's the rule of thumb for this kind of tank, it just feels so weird not to have at least an airstone. I'll post pics once there are shrimp in hale o ahi (house of fire if I'm translating that correctly).

There are now 5 dwarf neon rainbows and 2 male guppies living in the big tank. Well, that's not entirely true. There are 3 female and 2 male dwarf neon rainbows and the two males just can't seem to leave each other alone. So now one lives in the quarantine tank. The guppies, I'd started with 9 but only 2 survived quarantine. Unfortunately, these two pester each other, so 1 lives in the quarantine tank. My current quarantine tank is a bit of a sad story. I'd picked up 15 rummy nose tetras and 5 more dwarf neon rainbows. The neon rainbows are just fine and look healthy. Of the 15 rummies, only 4 are still alive. So this morning I did a complete water change and used water from the big tank (tested the parameters first) just in case it was an ammonia issue. I couldn't rely on testing the quarantine water as I'd started the med trio the day before and that makes the readings unreliable. I'll give it a few days, test again, then start the med trio. There are two things I wouldn't do again - buy rummy nose tetras from that shop (there were a few not-so-good-looking ones in the tank) and test the water before starting the med trio. I guess I'll see if any of the rummies survive quarantine and if they do I'll see if any other shops have them so I can have a nice big school.

Well, the algae soup cleared up nicely. I'd intended to take daily pictures but was distracted with my dog (he's fine - recovering from torn ACL surgery). I'd say the first two days there wasn't much change, but from then on each day was clearer. Took probably one week to fully clear, running the UV sterilizer 8 hours per day. Here's the tank about 12 days after starting the UV treatment.

Well, the tank's been set up and settling in. It feels very strange not using an airstone or filter. The tank's lid has a large opening, so I'm not worried about gas exchange. It just feels wrong somehow. I know their natural habitat doesn't have much water movement, though I'm sure there are some tidal effects. I did order a nano sized sponge filter from the Co-op and I have a Ziss Never-Clog airstone just in case I do need something to move the water. Now it's the waiting game to let algae grow. There's one site that is referenced by many who grow these shrimp as having the only plants that are truly brackish-water friendly. I may order some shortly. The substrate is Caribsea aragonite and black cinder for gardening from a local company. Both were thoroughly rinsed in distilled water. The large rock is an aggregate lava rock from a local fish store. I had hoped to break it up into smaller pieces so I could stack them but that didn't work. So I used a masonry drill bit, a flat head screwdriver and a rubber mallet to make the rock more interesting. I'm mostly happy with the results. I am happy with the rock wall I was able to make on two of the three sides with the 'mesh' where the filter used to be. I spread black aquarium sealant fairly thick and pressed black cinder into it. I was going to do all three sides but it was a bit too dark on the front panel so I decided against it. The two sides with the rocks make it dark enough that the 'mesh' doesn't really show too much. The salt is Instant Ocean brand, a little less than 1/4 C per gallon of distilled water.

I'm using a Hygger 12V DC Powered Electric Aquarium Gravel Vacuum Cleaner Kit Sand Washer Gravel Cleaning Tools Water Change for Fish Tank (got it on Amazon). I don't use the vacuum attachment, mostly it's just to suck out water from the tank or from a bucket to refill the tank. I'm hoping that I can fit it with a different hose so I can run it from a sink to the tank (about 20 feet away) so I can stop lugging buckets to refill the tank. Not sure if the pump will be strong enough to pump that far; we'll see. I used to use the Python system that you hook up to a faucet but I always felt bad about the water wasted on the removal process. It's a lifesaver for refilling, though.

Alesha - Your garden looks great! I had done something similar in my old aquaponic setup. Aren't those buckets wonderful? And congrats on the plumbing working right the first time! It really does feel good when something with that many moving parts (or holes in this case) works the way you want it to.

OceanTruth - Thanks! It's funny - when I asked about stocking ideas for this tank I was thinking neocaridina shrimp and someone said opae ula. I live in Hawaii - why wasn't that the first thing that popped into my mind? I'm looking forward to this one. When I was a kid we had a big salt water tank that I loved. I had a pet lobster named Lawrence, so maybe I'll name this tank in honor of him.

OceanTruth - Thanks! I had been debating on keeping just guppies - they're colorful, very active and just plain old fun. I look forward to the challenges this tank brings. I've never kept dwarf neon rainbows, never had algae water and never done fluidized filters.

Aloha all! I had a 5 gallon tank sitting around and after asking the Forum what I should do with it I was inspired to do ʻōpae ʻula, or Supershrimp. This will be a whole new experience for me, as they're brackish shrimp. I am intrigued by the simplicity of their tank habitat - no filter, no air bubbler, not much lighting and hardly any feeding. The lack of plants will also be strange, though I have read of a macro algae that can be used. The cycling takes quite a while - 4-6 weeks from what I've been reading. However, once it's up and running it's pretty much just watch the little guys swim about and pick at the rocks. I need to pick up a few more rocks (or break up the one I have since it is rather large), but this is pretty much all it will take. As you can see in the photo there's a 'mesh' on the left of the tank. This is a Fluval Spec (I believe) that I removed the false wall and filter from; the 'mesh' is to help disguise the filter. I'll probably stick lava rocks to the wall in that area just to help disguise it. It doesn't bother me that much, so we'll see if I just lazy out and leave it alone.

Day 49 and I have algae soup. I've kept a number of tanks over the years and never had algae soup before. Kinda neat, actually. Not pretty, but neat. I got a UV sterilizer on Amazon so we'll see what that does. The instructions say 4 - 8 hours per day, so I'll probably do 8 hours for a couple of days and ramp down until the water's clear. I'm also going to set my lights to 'cloudy day' and see if that helps. The fish have 1 more week of non-meds then 1 week of ParaCleanse. Then it's into the big tank. I've been alternating feeding them Repashy, Easy Fry food and frozen brine shrimp. They greet me at the front of the tank every morning, such little pigs they are. I've lost 3 of the guppies, but not sure to what. No white spots, fungus, red gills or overly round bellies. I'm not seeing any white poos so I'm pretty sure it's not a parasite. Could just be 'weak' fish. But that's what quarantine's for right - to make sure only healthy fish get into the big tank. Here are a couple of pics of my finned friends in quarantine, algae soup and the sterilizer.

Phinny - I, too, had difficulty with the water sprite. Mine never quite rooted so I tried the floating method. Didn’t really do any better. I finally gave up on it. Might just not be a plant that likes my water. Fortunately, all the other plants are doing just fine.

Jess - thanks for the info. I hadn’t planned on ‘chasing parameters’ but ended up doing it anyway. It was tiring. After a while I said, ‘eh, let it do what it will.’ The water seems to be in good condition, safe for fish, and that’s what really matters. My finned friends still have a bit longer for quarantine and I’m dealing with a bit of an algae bloom. But as soon as they’re in their new home, there will be photos. Then it’s on to getting the next batch of fish, probably a few more dwarf neon rainbows and 10 or so rummy nose tetras. That’ll give me three schools - male guppies, dwarf neon rainbows and rummy noses. I’ll probably add dwarf cories after that and either a pleco or a bunch of Otos. While I wait for all of that, now I’m researching doing a 5 gallon opae ula shrimp tank. Fun!

Jess - I’ve tested my tap and it’s maybe 2 degrees for KH using the API liquid tests. The tank’s about 3 degrees KH now and though I’d prefer a bit more I’ll run with it. I’m not sure if Fluval Stratum is a buffering substrate but their website says it, “supports slightly acidic pH and enhances water clarity.” I chose it because it’s lightweight and dark in color. Admittedly, I never paid much attention to GH and KH in my previous tanks but I also didn’t have any major issues. We’ll see how this one goes. The fish in the quarantine tank seem happy enough; I’ve been using the main tank water so they’d be used to it when the time comes to move them over. Not sure I’ll do it that way for the next batch of fish, though. They might just get tap water.

OceanTruth - Thanks! One of the flats of java moss is really getting fluffy. The snails seem to enjoy it.

Kirsten - You’re brilliant! Living in Hawaii, I don’t know why I didn’t think of opae ula shrimp. I would never have thought of giving them 5 gallons, but I love it! One of my local pet shops carries them and I always watch them scuttling about their tank. On to the research!

Colu - Thanks! I’m enjoying the process, though I admit I wish it was a bit faster 🙂

James Black - I removed the filter and false back - just didn’t like it. I plan on using a sponge filter. I’m really leaning toward the pea puffer - they’re just so...weird. I’ve had both a betta and a puffer before (not in the same tank) and enjoyed both. Still, the puffer just seemed to have more something.

Jennifer V - My local fish shop has live brine for purchase. I bought a Critter Keeper (sort of like a tiny plastic fish tank) to keep a colony going. It was actually kinda fun.

Aloha all, I’ve got a 5 gallon that’s just screaming to be planted and occupied again. I believe it’s a Fluval Spec, though I removed the the filter false back. Yeah, that means there’s a few inches that have a patterned effect but, eh, doesn’t bother me. So, on the the choices. Would you pick: 1 Betta and snails (maybe cherry shrimp) 1 pea puffer (snails and/or shrimp as the big tank has extras) 6 strawberry rasboras and cherry shrimp. Pygmy cories? It’ll most likely be in the bedroom but I really want it in the dining room. I’d thought about the kitchen but I have a feeling the vibrations from opening, closing drawers and cabinets would drive the fish crazy.

Atomicfish - I’m curious how that works. What does it look like, the reproducing? It’s an algae so I don’t imagine it’s flowers. Maybe a bump on the original ball that falls off? Is there anything you’ve done in your tank to encourage it? I’d love a carpet of moss balls for a 5 gallon tank I’m trying to figure out what to do with.

The one I inherited/adopted from a friend would only eat live brine shrimp. I tried frozen wiggled in front of him with an eye dropper and he would just turn his nose. He was cute but he was a picky little thing. So why do I want another one?

H2OCultureLabs - Thanks! The waiting’s hard but I know the fish will be in a better state after the quarantine period.