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Camille

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Everything posted by Camille

  1. Katherine, I may have misread the test strip the other day. It's not quite 6.0 on the API test strip.
  2. Scott, the water out of the tap is 0 pH. I tested it the same day I posted my question. That explains why the pH in the tank is 6.0. We have very hard water in Albuquerque. The KH is at least 180 using the API testing strips. Thanks to you and to Katherine.
  3. Thank you Perry. The fish are fine. Most of the plants are too except for the java fern. That's an easy plant, I know, but it looks like they're not getting enough nutrients. Light isn't too bright so it's not that. I like the idea of adding more coral to raise pH levels. My tank is actually about 2 plus some months years old. I miscalculated. I appreciate your very sound suggestions. And yes, I did panic a bit! Doesn't take much to elicit that response these days.
  4. Hello, I'm embarrassed to ask about this, but here we go. I've realized recently (and should have known) that my pH is too low. It's 6.0 using two different API tests, the strips and the kit. Too low for corydoras, bristlenose plecos, rummynose tetras and golden dojo loaches in my 60 gallon. Today I used the API increase pH drops. Instructions say to go slowly. Is daily dosing okay until I get the pH to at least 6.5? I read online that wood branch decor can lower pH. Is this the problem? This site said to add shells or try 2tsps of baking soda for every 5 gallons. I added crushed coral last year in the hope that would help. Apparently it hasn't. My 2nd issue is that my nitrates are almost non existent. I'm adding the Aquarium Coop's Easy Green fertilizer to increase nitrate levels for my plants. Is this the best solution? My tank is about 1 1/2 years old. I welcome your suggestions. I prefer simple solutions because I need to keep expenses reasonable. Thank you!
  5. I love your enthusiasm! Aquariums bring joy and beauty to our homes, don't they? I'm no expert like some on this forum but I would hazard to guess that you should not add any more fish to your 10 gallon. The old rule of thumb is 1 inch of fish per gallon of water. Kuhli loaches can grow from 3-5 inches, is my understanding. I hope others respond because I could be wrong about this. I love loaches too and have 3 golden dojo loaches. One is about 8 inches long and the other two are catching up in size. I ordered them online and when they arrived I saw that they were almost fully grown unlike other fish I've ordered from this vendor that were young and not their full size. The loaches are in a 60 gallon along with a few other fish. My tank is overstocked in my opinion especially taking into consideration that 1 inch rule. I'm having to do a water change every week.
  6. Hi, one more thought: nerite snails. Cory calls snails the cleanup crew on his YouTube video about snails. Nerites don't easily reproduce. I can't recall the ratio of snails to gallons of water. I love snails and they do a great job of cleaning up algae. Good luck!
  7. MJV, Brandy, looks like I need to mull over all options. I currently have a HOB on the 60 gallon. I'm wondering if detritus would be a problem if I gravel vacuum like Cory demonstrated in the YouTube video last week. I'm also a backyard beekeeper and there are as many opinions as there are bees when it comes to keeping bees. I've learned to take in all information then make a decision that hopefully will be to the benefit and health of my hives. This is what I'll do with the information provided today. What's best for my plants and fish? Maybe it's to keep things just as they are since fish and plants, water quality are fine. What a wonderful hobby we all have. I was out of town for 2 weeks, not by choice, and was so thrilled to see my 3 tanks looking good when I returned. Husband and the neighbor did well it keeping everything alive. Thank goodness! Planted tanks are so beautiful and it was lovely to see the fish and plants once more. And it appears that our bees survived winter because they're out and about. Now about those hibernating western ornate box turtles in the backyard....haven't seen them yet.
  8. Brandy and Gardenman, thank you for the input. I'll buy 2 large sponge filters because of the factors both of you mentioned. I appreciate your expertise!
  9. Hello, would I need to buy a large sponge filter from Aquarium Co-op for my 60 gallon tank? And would I need two sponge filters? I love reading the reviews and seeing photos of people's tanks. It looks like, per some of the reviews, that all I would need is one large sponge filter. Recommendations, please.
  10. I'm fairly new to planted aquariums, going on 2 plus years, so here's my 2 cents. I noticed that most folks who bought the petit anubias from Aquarium Co-op and posted photos in the review section have them attached to rock or driftwood. They may be like java fern in that they have to be attached to something. BTW, you can't go too wrong with java fern. It's a beautiful green and grows quickly.
  11. Uhm, got the order wrong. The first photo is of my 60 gallon, the middle photo is my 5 gallon betta tank and the last one is my 30 gallon.
  12. Thank you for the nice welcome. So let me try and add a few photos. I’m not the best photographer especially of my aquariums. The first is my 30 gallon. The 2nd one is my 5 gallon betta tank. The last photo is my 60 gallon. I didn’t take one of my 40 gallon. It’s in transition and not ready for a photo closeup. I need to practice taking pictures of the aquariums. As you can see I like vintage decorations.
  13. Thank you. I’ve been adding flake food and pellets every other day. So far so good. I made a Java moss wall for the back of the aquarium. It came with a snail or two. I ordered the moss from eBay. I’m sure that wouldn’t happen with the co op.
  14. My question: can I cycle my 40 gallon tank with only snails? I seeded the tank with bio material from another established aquarium, bought my first sponge filter from Aquarium Co-op and used plant and rocks from another aquarium for the new tank. I want to eventually add pea puffers purchased from AquaHuna once the tank is good to go. I will probably wait until spring before I add them. I read about cycling a new tank on the co-op blog but it wasn't clear to me if I could use snails. I know snails release minimal ammonia but I'm hoping they poop enough to get the cycle started. I have 8 snails in the tank.
  15. Hello from NM. I’ve been buying plants, food and equipment from Aquarium Co-op for over a year. I’m so glad I found their website. The YouTube videos are wonderful, too I had aquariums when I was a teen. I’m an older gal reacquainting myself with the hobby. I’m a top bar backyard beekeep and have 2 rescue dogs, and quite a few rescued ornate box turtles that are currently in brumation. I have 4 planted aquariums, 60, 40, 30 and a 5. I look forward to learning from the great posts on this forum.
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