ScottieB

I think it was CaribSea Jungle river? I could be wrong but I know it was a natural brown gravel and think I remember him mentioning that one. @Cory pops on here all the time and maybe we get lucky if we tag him.

Ok, I think I got you. You will hear all sorts of stuff about pool sand but people in the hobby have used it for a long time. I’ll share with you one way to change out the substrate: First thing to consider though it’s not gonna happen overnight. In fact the longer you take to switch it out the better. Using something like a sour cream (or some other small plastic) container cut down one side and then cut the bottom out. So now your left with a plastic rectangle about 3-4 inches high and hopefully long enough to span almost across the tank from front to back. Then stick it down into the gravel about 2-3 inches from one of the sides. So it’s basically a small divider in the gravel. Using a tube and a siphon (or just scooping by hand) remove the small section of gravel that you partitioned off. Fill that small section with your pool sand. During the next week, make yourself another plastic divider just like the first. After the first section of sand has been in for a week or so partition off another section of gravel and repeat and the process, this time removing the gravel between plastic dividers. Wait about a week or so between gravel removals and eventually you’ll be fully sand. Obviously this means leaving in the fish in the tank the whole time and leaving you filter running too. Not sure I’m doing a great job of explaining but I hope that helps.

Sorry to hear you’re having trouble. They usually make perfect parents so for the male to be that hard on her with fry in the tank seems rare. If she’s eating that’s a good sign though and yeah I would put him in time out. If the remaining male and fry are good then it’s unlikely to be a water quality issue either. Just seems strange that he would turn on her but not all fish read the manual.

Well I wish I had a better answer for you and hopefully you get to the bottom of it. I’ve been using the coop fry food for a long time, never seen anything like what you’re describing. I use a couple “puffs” in a bare bottom/planted twenty long a couple times daily raising about 50 cichlid fry. What kind of fish are you feeding? And how big is the tank? Are the fish still acting normally? My only experience even close to this was when we had some painting done inside our house last year and they used an alcohol based paint thinner and a sprayer. A day later my 300g reef tank looked like skim milk. The airborne carbon source triggered a bacterial bloom and wiped out most of the corals and some fish as the whole tank was essentially hypoxic. I know you’re already indicating the food as the only variable but even something more environmental may have happened unbeknownst to you. I agree with your reasoning though, let’s hold off on the fry food. Do a couple water changes and see how things go. Hopefully others will chime in with their experience with the fry food. edit: And a super warm welcome to the forum!

He just mentioned Jimmy on this weeks livestream. Sounds like they still keep in touch but he didn’t say if the new store manager (or anyone else) is getting involved in filming videos. I think they pivoted on those types of videos and evolved them into what we have now. He also mentioned that he’s visiting Dean this weekend to film some fish room stuff and the trip to China is coming up soon. So lots more content on the way! But I guess not like the old days.

Sounds great! Let’s see some pictures! What were you feeding them and how often? That’s good growth in a month. I’m sure I could benefit from your experience.

I’m sure you have your reasons for wanting to remove it. I might just encourage you to leave it though. I wouldn’t bother vacuuming a planted tank, but that’s just me. I think to remove the plants you’re gonna have to get fingers under deep under the roots all they through the substrate and gently tease them up. Depending on the plants you’re working with you might get some melting/die back when they get replanted. Should be fine eventually though.

Wow. There’s a lot to unpack here but it sounds like you’ve tried all the potential treatments and changed a lot of water. The problem might be that you tried all the treatments and changed a lot of water. I guess when I mean is, it looks like there hasn’t been much consistency to the water parameters and biological filtration over the last 4-5 weeks. The cory and the black neon may have just had a hard time handing all the change. The goal going forward should be consistency for the near future. Let the tank go. Let’s reestablish stable water parameters and build back up good biological filtration. We have a tendency to tinker when we look for answers but sometimes our over reaction breeds more problems. We’ve all been there, believe me.

Ok, I see. I have mounted them under the sink, or used piggy back valves to plumb them in other locations but if you renting or just don't want to mess with plumbing thats totally understandable. A booster pump will help increase pressure on the inlet, some people on well water or in certain areas don't have the ideal minimum water pressure of like 60psi. They need a booster pump to kick up that pressure from like 30-40psi to something that can push through the membrane. Honestly I cant think of a way to pressurize the waste water without doing something way too elaborate. You may have to just stick to what you've got unfortunately. Wish I could be of more help.

Hi! I see your idea and I think its great your using the waste water for something. In that particular RO setup, or any for that matter I don't believe you can make it more efficient by adding a second membrane (unfortunately) in the way you describe. The biggest thing that comes to mind is pressure, the waste water doesn't have enough pressure to drive it through a membrane. There are more efficient ones, up to 1.5:1 (or even 1:1) units but those are designed to maintain high pressure though the single or double membrane. Also, the DI is used to reduce your TDI (total dissolved solids) to essentially 0. The water coming out of the membrane might be close to 0 depending on your source water but the DI membranes finish off whatever small charged ions are left in the water. So yeah, even with a super efficient RO and multiple membranes small charged ions still make it through. So if 0 TDS is the goal then DI is still needed. Here is an example an efficient "water saver" unit for some more info: https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/4-stage-value-150-gpd-water-saver-ro-di-system-bulk-reef-supply.html

Thank you so much! After I listen to Cory's livestream via podcast I usually struggle the rest of the week. Haven't found anything that strikes that entertainment/educational balance. Will definitely check it out on my commute home today.

I get it, those API kits are hit or miss. They do have expiration dates too. Also a quick spike is enough to wipe out some susceptible fish or cause some damage enough to slowly dwindle a few more. It will quickly get turned over or used up by the plants but the damage may have been done. All is not lost, hopefully your losses taper off. The crushed coral is prob better in your aquaclear as media in a bag since you can add it, remove it or replenish without it affecting your substrate,

If I had to guess given the info it was probably an ammonia spike. A lot of bioload even with some established media likely tipped the scale causing the demise of the newly introduced fish. Totally just guessing by the way. Also consider the source of the fish, maybe they were already doomed and no matter what. You could consider starting the Coop med trio as a prophylactic measure. assuming you saw no other symptoms.

What are using to test the pH? Are you testing any other parameters? With that said, the main issue is prob not pH as the tank may be cycling as you mention. I would hesitate to try to chemically adjust the pH at this point (or at any point for that matter). A small water change would be ok but you may probably just need to let the cycle run its course. Only bad things happen in a hurry in this hobby. Go slow, wait on the crushed coral and keep and eye on the fish.

Good on you for planning things early on. Hard to say specifically without tank size, parameters, etc. But in general adding 6 rice fish at a time would be fine. I would start with some plants, let them settle in then add the rice fish. Give the tank a couple months before you start adding “clean up” crew. They will need some stuff to clean up after all. Pygmy Cory’s would be a nice addition but since you’re gonna be feeding them separately I wouldnt consider them much for clean up. Snails will likely appear after the plants go in (and that’s totally fine). Even shrimp will likely be a good addition but again, that would be after the tank is well established. What size tank are you planning?

I love this! My Koi can only eat so much, I might try this. Thanks for the tip!

Sounds like your off to a great start! if your an Aquarium Coop member there is at least one video by Mike Coleman, specifically about breeding shrimp. It’s not a typical you tube video, instead an expert speaker giving a more academic lecture about the subject. There’s another shrimp talk by the “shrimp king” himself too! It’s like 5$/month but well worth it, even for just a month. Hope that helps! Happy Shrimping!

What a great gift! I will second what @jwcarlson mentioned. Its not like a camera flash but it ramps up quick. Since you can also dial back the overall brightness setting you can have it come on only as bright as you need. I found that feature helpful when adding/acclimating new fish.

Nice! Just unboxed my 48inch. The box held up well despite the tape on the outside falling off. Got it turned on your right, solid indeed! I have 3 other various sizes all coming separately but I have no doubt those will be fine too.

Sounds like a great build! Share some pictures as you go! The bulkhead is dependent on the size of your drain pipe and really dependent on the size of the hole you drilled (or will drill). Its also compounded by your return pump, the distance and head pressure and such. Most of the time a 1 inch PVC or larger for the drain while 3/4 for the return would be fine for a rack of 40breeders. The street elbow is possible but probably not ideal. Unless you have a floor drain and are will to take the chance, a clog and a small flood is likely. It will also make a lot of sucking noise. Positioned at an angle would be quieter. A stainer on the top may also make it quieter but more likely to clog (plant leaves, duckweed, dead fish, snails, etc). Ideally an overflow box would safer, more obtrusive and more more costly but generally safer. Here is a little video and chart about how to size them and how to install them. https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/content/post/how-to-properly-install-a-bulkhead-in-your-aquarium Not sure I helped or made it more confusing. I ended up doing something similar with small acrylic overflow boxes siliconed over the street elbow/drain on a couple 40b plumbed to a sump. Found something on Etsy. Something like this...

I think its fully compressed, Cory did a couple videos and thats how it looked. Also I think that would make shipping more efficient if its compressed in the box. Cant say for sure... but maybe @Zenzo could help?

Thats my plan too, ended up a few different sizes including the 48in.

Just put my order in, get em while their hot! Been a long road for Cory and Co. to get the lights designed and shipped. I'm so glad to see them available.

Great idea! Is that North Carolina? Would love to see a picture.