Jennifer V

Happy Sunday! I just got an API gh/kh test kit and really have no idea how to interpret the results. I know this question was probably posed a million times before, but I can't find what I need. I don't have any idea what my gh/kh results mean and how to improve the condition of my tank. Right now, I just have cherry shrimp, a Nerite snail and bladder snails in my planted 10g. But I would like to add pea puffers and move the others to another tank. I do small routine water changes to keep the nitrates around 20. Tank is two months old. Here are my levels: Ammonia 0 Nitrite 0 Nitrates ~20 Ph 7.4 Now for what I don't understand: Kh 4 drops or 71.6 (I think that means 3-6 °) Gh 12 drops or 214.8 (I think that means above 11°) From what I gather, I need to lower the gh but I don't want to throw off the whole tank. The ammonia, nitrite, nitrates and pH have been so stable for weeks. What do you think and what should I do?

@James Black oh man! I have the same tank and didn't realize it's classified as low light. I have swords in the tank directly under the lights and they seem to be doing really well so far. I was thinking of getting more, but should I rethink that given that it's a low light environment?

As a newbie, I have been guilty of posing a question and then realizing I should've done a bit more research first. I think it's about both panic and comfort, just as you said. Panic because we have an issue we've never experienced and may think the world is ending and comfort because those of you who are seasoned offer a kind of virtual hug we need. I've also used the search option and waded through content to try to find what I need, but again, as new people, I think we feel like everything we're experiencing comes with a bit of panic and we need an urgent response. So I think it's both human nature and the fact that there is so much content to wade through when we search -- which is not a bad thing in any way -- that creates repeat discussions. I think encouragement to search and encouragement to use appropriate/specific tags, as well as better search functionality/sensitivity would be beneficial. Also, I just recently realized you can follow people and see what they comment on. That has saved me from asking the same question again. If there is a suggestion to do that, I haven't seen it, but I think new people would benefit from knowing they can follow those of you who are more active@Daniel @Daniel

What brand of beneficial bacteria do you use? Also, when you say your cycle crashed, does that mean the ammonia, nitrites, etc just went haywire all of the sudden?

Yes! I was just thinking that! This is going to be so fun.

@James Black @Brandy how do you set up a quarantine tank quickly? I don't have one yet and truthfully/foolishly thought I don't need anything like that. 🤦

Love this! He lives states away and I haven't seen him in quite awhile so this is my way of connecting with him. I just want him to have the best of everything! I don't think I started with the most amazing supplies because I just didn't know any better and hadn't found all of you gurus yet.

Yes! I totally forgot about that. Thank you!

@James Black he'll probably end up with mostly fake plants, although I want to send him some marimo moss balls. Do you have a water conditioner and heater you like best? It's a 10g tank. Should I get him a sponge filter or have him keep the hob the kit comes with?

I've had so much fun with my tank so far that my mom decided to buy one for my dad for his birthday. I started with all Tetra brand products -- heater (which already broke), flake food, chemicals like safe start, aquasafe, easy balance (I still don't know what that one does). My question is, what are your top recommendations for what I should put in my dad's care package to get him started? What would be in your survival kit?

How cool is this?! Congrats everyone! 💙

Literally lol'ing! As I sit in front of my tank unable to find any of the cherry shrimp I just got. Thank you @Brandy

What brand do you use?

@James Black thank you! Of course, coop has videos about this. I should've looked first! 🙄 But I appreciate your time!

Pea puffers! And oto cats. And maybe cory's. So, another tank so I can keep all of them happy.

@Mengo here is an article that might help: https://www.aquariumcoop.com/blogs/aquarium/liquid-co2

Happy Thursday All! I have a 10g Tetra brand tank. Right now I'm just using the LED lighted top the kit came with. Should I upgrade to a top with better lighting since I have so many plants in my tank? If so, what should I get that is reasonably priced?

@walker I agree with Brandy. Looks like brown algae. I have the same stuff in my new tank and although it doesn't look that pretty, from what I understand, it's a sign your tank is cycling well, which is a great thing. I just got a Nerite snail and some cherry shrimp to help take care of it. Here is an article that might help if you want to add some critters to your tank. https://www.aquariumcoop.com/blogs/aquarium/algae-eaters I got the Nerite and cherry shrimp because my LFS suggested those based on the newness of my tank. They're very hardy so they can adjust to a lot of different conditions.

@CT_ oh wow. Ok then I think this newbie is going to stick to other kinds of food until I know what I'm doing. That's a whole lot of complication I don't think I should get into right off the bat. Thank you so much for the info!

That's exciting! I only have a few right now and can't find half of them in my tank so looking forward to bringing them out. What exactly is Bacter AE?

@Sapere_Ceta so sorry you lost your little guy. That must be really hard given what you went through. But on a happy note, your tank is incredible! You're a true artist. I'm sure it helps to have something so beautiful to look at when you aren't feeling well.

That's so smart! I'll try that when my bladder snails get out of hand. What do you do with the excess snails?

Do the leaves affect the tank water in any way?

I think I'll end up getting the same way. I only have five, so they're hard to find in my tank, but when I do it's pretty cool. So what I'm hearing is I probably have what I need which is great!

I finally added life to my 10g today in the form of 5 cherry shrimp and a Nerite snail - yay! What is the best thing to feed them in your experience? I have a lot of brown algae, some plant decay, nano banquet blocks and my LFS highly recommended Shrimp King Color for them every few days, so I got that as well.