DaveSamsell

@akconklin, This unit filters the entire house, for general use (including aquariums). I have other (lower micron rated) fine filters specifically for drinking water, as well.

Source: Well / Ground water at my location in Pennsylvania 🧺 Ph 7.3 Ammonia 0 ppm Nitrite 0 ppm Nitrate 5 ppm Phosphate 0 ppm Gh 8 degrees Kh 5 degrees TDS 120 ppm

Living in a rural area often times means have a drilled well for home ground water. The 'water well' that we have is fairly deep, but the water itself contains A LOT of sediment, on a consistent basis. A filter such as this helps considerably (sold by many companies in various designs). It doesn't soften water, but acts to remove the larger particles. The cartridge filters that I like to use have a 5 MICRON rating. It does a great job in catching the debris down to the nominal 5 micron rating, for general use. Note: There are filters of this physical size that have 1 MICRON ratings or even smaller (dependent on your particular application & requirements). The filter assembly in the basement Removable housing for easy cleaning and cartridge replacement The cartridges themselves are about 10" long by 2.5" wide and come in a number of micron ratings & materials. We like the thermally bonded polypropylene & string filter configurations. As you can see, even after a short time of use, it caught a lot of sediment quickly. The below picture is about after 3 weeks worth of normal use at our location.

@ForestJenn, Generally, the food is eaten rather quickly. I have a moderate to heavy stock level in my aquariums, so it is usually gone the same day. My live-bearing fish go bonkers over this stuff. Seems pretty nutritious as well. 😉

@MickS77, Actually, there are a bunch of sites. Each offer similar comparisons, and will vary, state by state. Summer-time is not the best time to switch, IMO, but there are still some deals out there. The cooler months do have better kilowatt rates, I've noticed. There are many plan options. Be careful of the 'variable ' rate plans with cancellation fees. I typically choose a plan in the fall season, for longer terms at a fixed rate, but that's my preference. Read the details carefully. Do a search on PA energy providers and look around. Don't be in a hurry to pick one. Shop a bit & even call some companies. They often times are running special, unadvertised rate deals. Not every state participates, but PA is one of the many that do. Hope this helps...

Many states have deregulated energy markets. If your state is one of them, you can choose your energy, I.E. electricity and/or natural gas provider. One can shop around, online for the best rates. Check and see if your residing state allows this enormous cost-savings option. In Pennsylvania, where I reside, my electrical bill is now about half of what I would have been paying, otherwise. It is smart, cost-effective, pro-environment and also gives me some more money to spend on fish related items. 🤑

Wishing many blessings for the new place, Cory.

@Cory, The way I pour the liquid into the molds is at a somewhat cooler temperature and have work fairly quickly, since it "sets-up" fast, as you know. That was one of my concerns as well, regarding possible sogginess, but the inner portion of the wafer appears solid to me. I remember watching one of your Repashy videos awhile back and I said to myself, I have to try this product. All my live-bearing fish go crazy over this stuff. I will note that the larger Hikari wafers seemed to hold up better to higher temp than the Xtreme ones, but it's a matter of preference, I suppose. I especially like to use the "Community Plus", with the algae wafers . Sort of the best of both worlds, etc. Thanks for commenting. 😉 @ADMWNDSR83, The one bottle does say "Soilent Green". Repashy is a great product that comes in many blends. @Cory, sells it on the Co-Op website.

@Dice, Nice looking fish & aquarium. 95% of my aquarium plants are from the Co-Op & our experiences with the purchased plants have been wonderful. Good luck with everything...

I give my fish this treat, from time to time. It is made by using your favorite Repashy food with a *surprise* algae wafer center. I have many extra, eye contact lens cases that are only used for this application. They are about the right size for me and clean up easily. The final product easily pops out of the mold (when cooled) for simple tank distribution. A lot of fun to make, too. 🐟 Usually make a bunch at a time and off to the refrigerator or freezer they go, for proper storage.

Whether we are willing to admit it or not, we all make mistakes. New and old fish-keepers alike. I remember my first aquarium ( I didn't know what I was doing at all ). Purchased the water conditioners, bacteria supplements and just started adding the chemicals. Luckily, didn't have any fish in the tank yet and was 'trying' to grow beneficial bacteria, very quickly, without an ammonia source. The different types of bacteria take some time to develop, but I thought it was an instant thing and wanted to add a ton of fish, right away. Needless to say, after watching @Cory videos on the Nitrogen Cycle (the one with the yellow, blue & brown M&M candy), it gave me a good understanding of what I was doing wrong & the proper principles involved in the nitrification process. Being a somewhat new fish-keeper, myself, I have learned much from many, especially just in the C.A.R.E forum alone.

@Dice, All I can speak from is personal experience. In an ideal situation, sure, everything should be quarantined. Personally, I don't quarantine plants when purchased from reputable sellers and never had issues. Now, that's just me. You maybe hard pressed to find plants with 0% snails. I like and intentionally purchase additional snails because of the wonderful job they do with algae, uneaten food, etc. But, that is a individual preference, in having snails or not. BTW, some of my fish use the HOB water flow as a "fish treadmill" and like to swim against the current. Kind of funny to watch......

@Brandy I too had mixed results with dwarf hair-grass. Probably my fault, but some of it grows better or not so great in various tanks. It grows best in my richest substrated tanks. What helped me was increasing my light a bit and some more water column & substrate nutrients. Obviously, every tank will be different though. Maybe others have additional ideas. BTW, don't give up hope, it's still alive and can make a good comeback.

Andy, I thought about it awhile back, but I do like the 'commuting with nature' aspect of water changes. Sure, it is a lot of work, but it is good exercise too. Maybe when the lower back starts getting sore again, I might be singing a different tune. 😜

@RovingGinger, @Steph’s Fish and Plants, I should really get one of those Python systems. Am still strong-arming water buckets around. 💪🤣 🧺

Do you have a favorite area to place the Aquarium Co-Op Stickers? 👀

Am a big fan of crushed coral and it works great; but if water is changed too frequently, that reduces the product's overall effectiveness, to a certain extent. During water changes or at times when my aquariums' carbonate hardness (Kh) is a bit low; I like to improve it some, by adding a measured dose of pure baking soda (sodium bicarbonate). 📊 Had a few minutes in the fish lab this morning and did a test of exactly how much pure baking soda affects Kh readings. This is what I found out: 1/4 teaspoon of pure baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) totally dissolved in 1 gallon of water, raised the measured carbonate hardness (Kh) by 12 degrees. So, the same 1/4 teaspoon of pure baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) in an approx 10 gallon aquarium does increase the measured Kh reading about 1.0 - 1.2 degrees on average (dependent of how much gravel, sand, decorations in the aquarium that is displacing water volume, etc.) Ideally, baking soda should be added slowly to an aquarium, for aquatic safety, but I never personally had an issue when using it. Also, it will start to increase the water's Ph as well. For my fish, they prefer higher Ph & Kh anyway, so it's a win/win situation for them. Am always trying to keep water parameters stable and this, I feel, has helped me considerably.

Gosh, @Daniel, that still looks painful. Was thinking about you the other day when I observed someone slamming their own car door onto their hand accidentally. Heal up my friend.

When I have time, I like to 'tinker' in the fish-room. Am a big fan of the product Wonder-Shell and generally purchase the large (giant) 2 1/4 ounce product. Often times, I just break it up into small pieces anyway, so ultimately, am left with a fine residue & smaller particles of Wonder-Shell, left over. The dosing instructions are fairly loose and experimented with my preferred tank 'remineralization' levels after water changes, through trial and error. As fish-keepers, we measure medicines, chemicals, food and various other supplements, but I wanted to narrow down the Wonder-Shell dosage some more. What I have found is that 1/4 teaspoon of fully pulverized and dissolved Wonder-Shell, per 1 gallon of water, raised the measured water GH by approx 10 degrees. So, if applied further, the same 1/4 teaspoon did indeed raise the measured water GH by 1 degree in an approx 10 gallon aquarium. 📊 Not sure if all Wondershells are made exactly the same, every time, but tried multiple shells and they were fairly close in test results. Ideally, the product is supposed to be dissolved slowly in an aquarium over time, but I like to more quickly remineralize/add additonal GH a bit after a water change and at other times of my preference. There are many other products that will work too; but I like using items I have on hand and this did not disappoint. Just thought I'd share my findings with everyone as a means of comparison and experimentation.

@Cory, @Lizzie Block, On the upper left portion of the forum pages lists the C.A.R.E. , acronym. I thought it represented "Community Aquarists" etc; not "Community Aquatics", as listed; or am I incorrect?

I remember working on Beta & VHS time-lapse equipment, back in the day. Actually, the recording quality was decent for the technology of its time. The camera itself was often the limiting factor.

I have experimented with the "fertilizer cycling" method in one of my aquariums awhile back using only plants and Co-Op Easy green fertilizer. The tank turned out to be one of my most stable and favorite aquariums. Was monitoring Ammonia, Nitrites & Nitrates throughout the cycling process. Once the plants and algae started growing, and water parameters stabilized, I slowly added a few fish at a time. Seemed to work well for me.

@MickS77, That looks very interesting. Will have to try it out. I have been doing something similar and were freezing the sponges for easier cutting.

@BeetleLann, I have several HOB filters and, from time to time, have various snails get into the housings. Not really a problem personally for me, since they usually don't go deep into the filters, but like to 'ride the waves' a bit. They are not getting through the pre-filters, but rather they just climb and climb. I think @Brandy brought up a good point about the continuous holes in some pre-filter sponges, being an issue from other manufactures. The ones purchased from the Co-Op seem to be just the right porosity and only have one hole (for the filter intake). The fine pre-filters, also from other various sources, do seem to clog very quickly and pinch themselves off, reducing water flow. Another good point about pre-filters, in general, is they are portable and can be transferred from one tank to another, I.E. cycling a new tank with a seasoned pre-filter sponge, from a previously cycled aquarium. Same can be accomplished with a seasoned Co-Op sponge filter, etc. Now, if only @Cory can figure out a way to ship to Canada. All the best, @BeetleLann, with the aquarium. We were all new at some point and the learning truly never stops. That's the fun part.

@ToScapeOrNotToScape, I have A LOT of pogostemon stellatus octopus in my aquariums, from the Co-Op. Grows so fast for me, I often rip it out by the handful, because it starts blocking the light. Best of luck with your plants. 😊