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Daniel

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Everything posted by Daniel

  1. Daniel
    @ange Congratulations! I love the towel.
  2. Daniel
    Thanks to the nudge by @ChefConfit today I put together 3 charts showing the progress of the nitrogen cycle in all 3 of the aquariums in this project. The first chart is Eco which has about 2 inches of Eco-Complete substrate. I believe all three aquariums have some residual fertilizer that came in with the plants. This graph is a textbook example of the nitrogen cycle proceeding in 3 phases. With a hat tip to @KBOzzie59 below is a cut and paste from his post earlier Cycling help. Phase 1: Ammonia levels rise. Phase 2: Nitrites rise and ammonia starts to drop. Phase 3: Nitrates start to rise, nitrites begin to drop, ammonia near zero. The photographic log of these measurements can be found in this blog entry : This aquarium has had several guppies and 3 angelfish since it began to cycle. Even with a nitrite spike, the fish have been vigorous and happy and hungry the entire time. They get blackworms, Vibra Bites, and TetraColor granules, etc. several times a day.
  3. Daniel
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  6. Daniel
    @MyDaughtersTank I have the same understanding as you that is, nitrite is toxic at low levels. But on both the tank above and this aquarium (Nerm) there was quite a bit of nitrite for a week and yet the angelfish and guppies in both aquariums were completely unfazed, happy, cavorting, chasing, and eating like pigs the entire time. And no water changes during this time period. I also have other data from other devices that measure ammonia using a different protocol that leads me to believe the graphs above represent some level of reality. Nerm is a tank with black sand capping an inch or two of dirt. EcoComplete above has an EcoComplete substrate. I am not sure what to make of the various outcomes yet.
  7. Daniel
    Just like with humans, no body, no murder. They are amazingly good at hiding. Check again at night.
  8. Daniel
    @Aubrey that is way cool! Maybe more of mine have climbed than I realized!
  9. Daniel
    Basically any small fish will feast on copepods. I like guppies, but what do you like? Anything smaller than 1" is certain to be safe.
  10. Daniel
    As @KBOzzie59 mentioned here is a graph of one my aquariums that is going through a cycle now. I think this graph exactly follows the 3 phases that @KBOzzie59 describes: This tank I think had some fertilizer on day 1 hence the high nitrates on the first day.
  11. Daniel
    Next time I seine for ghost shrimp I will get some video of it. But don’t hold your breath. I don’t have any current plans to go out to the coastal plain and seine ghost shrimp in the foreseeable future. I want to continue my posts of collecting native aquarium plants in the wild. Currently if I go out now, I’m looking for plants. Just like everybody else, what I want to see is what plants look like in their native locations. I learn more from that than reading books.
  12. Daniel
    My cats uses the aquarium in the picture above as a water bowl and I theorize that the looming predator is what startles the shrimp into jumping. And the ghost shrimp I keep are natural jumpers. When I seine for them in the wild you can see hundreds of them at time leaping out the water ahead of the seine.
  13. Daniel
    4 - 8 ppm Ammonia is too much, if I got that result I would do water changes with aged dechlorinated/dechloraminated water. Nitrate and Nitrite both 0 ppm, which seems good, but ammonia by way of beneficial bacteria turns to nitrite and then nitrate. So while good, this result seems a bit strange. pH is 7.8, piffle, I rarely worry about pH and I don't think it is connected to salt, but salt can be protective against high ammonia levels. I wouldn't do API Ammo Lock - it might be a fine product, I just have no experience with it, and if at all possible I try not put anything in my aquariums that isn't either water or food for the fish or plants. Adding more bacteria isn't harmful, but you are past the point where it is likely to help. Whatever the bacteria you have in there are probably working hard to divide up the resources amongst themselves right now. But, I don't think anyone truly knows what bacteria are doing what and when (except possibly Dr. Tim Hovanec 😉). When I read about beneficial bacteria it just all seems like a bunch of hand waving to me. I have my pet theories, but none of what I believe is based on ever looking at an actual bacteria, so I reserve the right to wrong on this one. But, the good news is almost all your fish are doing fine (excepting 1 danio). If things were truly amiss in your aquarium it wouldn't just be 1 fish having a problem. Keep tracking your ammonia, but like the old saying says, 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it', meaning watchful waiting while sticking to your current plan is probably best. I appreciate the update!
  14. Daniel
    @Bill Smith in the first of several magisterial diy posts (really articles) explored this topic: He followed this up with test of a solar power option:
  15. Daniel
    Personally, I would go ahead and add fish, and the first fish would be swordtails instead of tetras. Even though the swordtails are bigger and produce more waste, they are also tougher and will be able to help complete the establishment of your nitrogen cycle. And isn't it always that way in life when you do not realize that you have a good thing until it is gone!
  16. Daniel
    My angelfish don't bother either the ramshorn snails or the spixi snails (similar to mystery snails) in my aquariums.
  17. Daniel
    See the @MattyIce post above. That is what you need. These are lights specifically design to produce growth in plants. White lights are designed to please us not necessarily the plants. And not only do the GE lights @MattyIce is using have the proper spectrum, they are very affordable! A big thanks to @MattyIce for the graphic showing what they are, how they work, and the photo showing how they are being used and the results obtained!
  18. Daniel
    Thank you @ChefConfit! Your post above gives me a way to organize my thoughts and provide an update broken down by: Conversion to full immersion, which plants, how much Growth, a comparison of plant growth between the 3 tanks Coloration, a comparison of plant coloration Algae, types, amounts, growth rate Seeds and seedlings that hitchhiked in with the soil Albedo (reflected light) differences between the 3 aquariums Nitrogen cycle differences, timing and intensity between the 3 aquariums Fish health and other factors not otherwise covered above If all goes well I should be able to crank out the first of these series of updates today.
  19. Daniel
    The Co-Op had a good blog post that included black beard algae. How to Fight 6 Types of Algae in Your Fish Tank WWW.AQUARIUMCOOP.COM Do you dream of having a beautiful aquarium but end up constantly fighting to keep algae at bay? In this article, we discuss the root causes of algae, the...
  20. Daniel
    Yes that is classic black beard algae.
  21. Daniel
    I swear I just wondering how are at @Rikostan and his new fish doing when you posted this. So happy it is a positive report!
  22. Daniel
    Oh @Aubrey I actually went and looked in the 'Newest Products' section for this!
  23. Daniel
    Beautiful!
  24. Daniel
    @TheDukeAnumber1 When I saw you looking at the 'Power Outage' post on the online user list, I just knew what you would be posting next 🙂 Did I mention all the bargaining that takes place? I am surprised you didn't mention the 500 gallon aquarium that divides the livingroom from the diningroom, which I guess makes those technically 2 more fishrooms. But the core truth remains, my fish budget is too small, I can't put aquariums where I want them and the good fish store is still an hour away.🙂
  25. Daniel
    And wouldn't you know it, even when your 60 and you have drivers license, that good fish store is still an hour away and your spouse won't let you have a fishroom.
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