LaurieinIA

I have 3 aquariums… African cichlids, community (mostly tetras/danios), and a betta. Currently feeding twice a week, usually a combination of two of these foods, on a rotating basis. Most are nearly gone, so looking to fill out an order (to get free shipping) by adding foods from the coop. What’s the best “all around” food that I could potentially use in any tank? (I’ll still be rotating a variety)

Ok. I will monitor and go from there. The algae issue is looking much better in just a weeks time

Yes. This photo is about 3-4 months ago, so they have filled out more. All live except the hornwort looking one on the right.

My phosphates were out of control… maxed out on the API test. I know the source is my tap water, but buying/hauling RO water is not an option right now. I purchased Phos-zorb and put it in a week ago. Testing shows they are down to 2.0. Still a long way to go, but getting there. Will this packet of Phos-zorb take it any lower or is it likely exhausted already? Is there a better product that is easy to use in a HOB?

@SanFranPsychoAquatics Since moving a few months ago and no longer buying/hauling RO water for my 3 aquariums, I have hard water with high pH as well. My African cichlids love it, but my community tank has suffered even with the long, slow process of mixing water over until it is all tap water. What fish have you had good luck with?

I’m having issues with 2 pumps that are maybe 9 months old. Using check valves. I just might tear one apart this weekend. I have a backup on hand in case playing “Mrs Fix-it” doesn’t work out for me

Will do… thanks!

@Colu I have that on hand. I don’t tecall seeing it before I left for my trip. Should I treat the whole tank since I don’t know how long it’s been?

I just returned home from a 9 day vacation and noticed that a few of my African cichlids have black “mustache” and black spots - mainly on the face. Water parameters are all within normal range for my setup and no other fish seem to have this… only the 4 of this kind. Here’s pics of 2 of the 4. They are fairly small - did they just “hit puberty” while I was gone? 😜

I’m treating my betta for fin rot right now. Per the E.M. Erythromycin package… Same process as @AndEEss states, but 25% water changes, not 50%. I’m seeing improvement 😊

Thanks all! I’ll be adding a bottle to my next order as it sounds like the issue was resolved. 😁

I’ve been using both for a while At this time, I’m mostly concerned about monitoring nitrates since that test takes the longest, has a decent margin of error due to the procedure, and that I can’t tell the difference in the shades of orange unless it’s “barely orange vs obviously red”. I *think* my nitrate results are reasonably accurate across both tests. I like the liquid test for ph for the same reasons… accurate or not, I can’t tell the difference in the readings for ph in the strips. They all look the same to me unless it’s one end or the other. But, at least the liquid test is fast & easy Orange might be my favorite color, but I hate it when it comes to testing 😉

I’ve had my bottle for a while - since last spring - and at the time, it was kind of a known issue. So, I’ve been dealing with it and falling back on my API liquid kit. I’d like to test more often now that I’ve moved and want to change from buying RO water to using tap water… the strips would be super convenient. But, I don’t want to invest in another bottle if I can’t depend on them. From what you’ve experienced, maybe it’s been resolved?

Has the issue with the pads falling off the test strips been resolved? I ordered some a while back and I’d say at least 1/4 of my strips had lost the nitrate pad. Of the 48 I have left, 25 have lost that pad and who knows if the rest will fall off. Just this AM, 2 of the 3 I used looked ok - but then the pad fell off into the tank. I’d love to order them again if this issue has been resolved.

I’ve got something similar going on here in the Midwest. I used to easily go 2 weeks between water changes on all my tanks - even my African Cichlids. The last 2 months, I have needed to do weekly changes. At first, I thought it was my tap water (we recently moved) but I use RO water on 2 tanks all the time, only my cichlids were in tap, so that isn’t consistent with the issue. Even using mostly RO water for the cichlids the last few changes, my nitrates are climbing faster than normal. I’m going to limit feeding to 2x per week- down from every other day- to see how much that helps.