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ChefConfit

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  1. ChefConfit
    I guess I'll start with the stand build. I based the design on plans I found on reddit for a workbench. The top is basically 6 2x4s glued and screwed side by side except the second from the back and front 2x4s are actually 3 pieces each leaving 4 openings that a 2x4 would slide into from the bottom. The legs are each made of 2 2x4s glued and screwed together but one is 1.5in longer and fits into the gaps left in the top while most of the weight rests on the shorter one and the 2 supports that run front to back attached to both the top and legs. The legs are attached to each other by crossbars 6in from the bottom. Most of my cuts made and waiting for assembly. My first boards getting glued. Fully assembled the the top was planed and everything was sanded. My wife stained and antiqued the wood. If I can find my drawing of the plans or the original I based it off of I'll add that in.
  2. ChefConfit
    I'll start with a pic of the finished tank and stocking/equipment lists then go through the build/setup after. Fish: 10 Neon Tetras 5 Otocinclus 5 Corydoras Paleatus 1 Emerald Cory 1 Angelfish 3 Assassin Snails 1 Handfull of Ramshorn Snails from my outdoor tub Plants: Crinum Calamistratum Anubias Nana Anubias Congensis Staurogyne Repens Hygrophila Pinnatifida Vallisinaria Asiatica Pygmy Chain sword Hydrocotyle Tripartita "Japan" Ludwigia "Super Red" Subwasertang Red Tiger Lotus "Windelov" Jave Fern Cryptocoryne Undulata "Red" Cryptocoryne Flamingo Sword - unknown variety possibly red flame Rotala - unknown variety Cabomba - unknown variety - grown from 4in clipping in a bag of shrimp I ordered Bucephalandra - unknown variety Substrate: Base - 50:50 mix of used remineralized topsoil from my old tank and Safetsorb Cap - Safetsorb Hardscape: Seiryu Stone White Birch Cholla Wood Unknown stone Subwasertang came anchored to Equipment: Aqueon 40 Breeder Homemade wooden stand Nicrew Skyled 36in Aquaclear 50 ACO Intake Sponge ACO Small Sponge Filter Eheim Jager 100w Heater
  3. ChefConfit
    @James Black Yea when I pulled mine our if the old tank its root system was massive! It literally took up the entire footprint of my 29hex.
  4. ChefConfit
    Guessing here because we don't know if they are transitioned to immersed growth yet but I agree 1 is most likely a bacopa and 2 looks like hygrophila. I have no idea on 3.
  5. ChefConfit
    @James Black Thanks! I'm really looking forward to it growing in. The crinum was one of the first plants I bought. I've had it almost 2 years and it would be absolutely massive if I didn't trim it every 6 months or so. Right now it's about 3.5/4ft long. When I first got it it didn't do much for 6 months or so and the other I bought at the same time died. I found a video talking about how they are crazy heavy toot feeders and they like a lot of flow. Ever since I started taking that I to account its been growing like crazy.
  6. ChefConfit
    I finally set up my 40b! OK I did it yesterday but needed to wait for the water to clear. Tank journal will get started tonight or tomorrow.
  7. ChefConfit
    Like everyone else is saying find your hardscape first. Hardscape is expensive so buying what is on sale or collecting it yourself can save a lot of money. If you already have the scape planned and need a specific kind of stone or wood you could end up spending a lot more. One of the big box home improvement stores has aquarium rocks really cheap in their landscaping department. Prime Time Aquatics did a video on it not long ago.
  8. ChefConfit
    If nitrates are sitting at 10ppm at the end of every week and you're doing 50% that means you are only accumulating 5ppm per week. You could probably go over a month between water changes easily. The plan I outlined earlier should work beautifully for you. Just do top off until your nitrite reach 30 or 40ppm then do a large water change, and each water change you can reduce the amount of RO water you use. As the plants grow in your time between water changes will get longer and longer and your hardness will slowly increase. At a high enough plant load the plants may consume enough that hardness actually goes down.
  9. ChefConfit
    I had never heard of him but since I'm in jersey I checked out his channel just now. The store looks cool, but he won't say where it's located which I find odd. I need a better lfs
  10. ChefConfit
    Yes that's how I do it. Here's a screenshot of my tank I'm setting up this weekend. My sponge filter is filter 2.
  11. ChefConfit
    This isn't an answer to your question but may be helpful anyway. I'd cut back on water changes. There shouldn't be any reason why a single betta in a 5 gallon would need weekly 50% water changes but maybe I missed something and you have more that the betta in there. If you reduce water changes to as needed due to nitrate buildup you could go a very long time or even indefinitely with a heavy plant load with only doing top offs. With that strategy you could start off with moderate hardness by cutting in RO water from the store which should allow any plant to get well established, and then your top offs would slowly increase your hardness giving the plants time to adapt.
  12. ChefConfit
    Aqadvisor has an option for user defined filter. Select that and it will ask you for the capacity. Nano 5+, small 10+, medium 20+, large 40+. Note that aqadvisor is a useful tool but is not the end all be all of stocking levels. One issue with it is that it doesn't take into consideration nutrient uptake from plants.
  13. ChefConfit
    Personally I have no problem with glofish. Their origins are pretty cool, and someone saw a potential for sales started selling them. My problem is that they can reproduce naturally but you can't breed them because they are patented. @ARMYVET One could argue that if no foreign DNA if being added and you are only suppressing or removing natural traits then the same end result could technically be achieved by selective breeding. Many of the fish we keep and virtually every breed of cat or dog people keep as pets have had their genetics modified by humans, just over many generations rather than in a lab. I personally have no problems with GMOs as long as they're are produced/used responsibly. I think there should be 3 rules. 1 modifications must be shown to have no ill effects on the organism. 2 modifications must be shown to have no ill on any people or animals that may consume the organism. 3 modified genes must be 100% recessive in order to prevent its introduction into the wild except in cases where that's the whole point.
  14. ChefConfit
    I just top of my shrimp tank, but I had to do several water changes in my guppy tube with tons of tiny fry recently to get rid of green water. I threw a pre filter sponge on my gravel vac and siphoned that way.
  15. ChefConfit
    I had that problem a week after I set my tub up. Luckily I had a couple spare small heaters and put them in to manage my temp drops at night. I didn't lose any fish but the were dropping to the low 50s high 40s at night for a couple days before I got the heaters in.
  16. ChefConfit
    @Streetwise I just checked 2 different brands from my cabinet and the sauce packets in both contain no starch just dairy products and stabilizers. Most restaurants make Mac and cheese with a mornay sauce which is bechamel (roux+milk/cream) and cheese. When you reheat the mornay the starch molecules burst releasing all the liquid they've absorbed including the butter from making the roux. That's why restaurant Mac and cheese becomes greasy and stringing or clumpy when you reheat it.
  17. ChefConfit
    @H.K.Luterman de cecco is my favorite brand of dried pasta I stock up whenever it's on sale! It's a little too pricey otherwise. @Hobbit any starch thickened sauce can break if held too long/overcooked. Starch molecules will absorb liquid as they are heated, but if they are overheated they will burst releasing all the liquid they absorbed.
  18. ChefConfit
    My sauce is made from milk, cream, cream cheese, chicken base and a blend of cheddar, Jack, American and pecorino. I find roux thickened sauces are prone to breaking if they are held or reheated than ones simply thickened with cheese. If my recipe starts to break a little heavy cream stirred in will fix it. I also like to top it with crumbled corn bread and brown it under the broiler. I think I know what I'm doing for family meal tomorrow! Thanks @Streetwise
  19. ChefConfit
    Joined July 18 2020. I don't remember if I was watching live or not but I was watching a live stream and cory mentioned that the forum had just started but was members only for now. I became a member that day so I could join the forum. Still am a member because I found I also loved all the perks on the YouTube channel.
  20. ChefConfit
    I keep frogbit and dwarf water lettuce in all my tanks. I keep meaning to get some red root floaters too.
  21. ChefConfit
    Sorry to hear about your fish. How long did you have them? Otos are notorious for being starved by the time they even make it to the pet store and can be past the point of no return before you get them in your tank. What @Mmiller2001 means by did you medicate them is did you do a quarantine procedure before putting them in your tank. A lot of fish keepers myself included feel it is important to quarantine fish after you bring them home. This help prevent any disease or parasites they may have from spreading to your other fish. Many of us also medicate the quarantine tank preemptively rather than just observing them for signs of disease. When I buy otos I pick out ones with rounded bellies (that means they're eating) and refuse any with sunken ones (that means they're starved). Then I feed them for a few days before I start quarantine.
  22. ChefConfit
    I believe it's a clay product
  23. ChefConfit
    There's a few things you can do other than replacing your filter. Personally I don't think there's any reason to go with a canister of a HOB. First move your HOB. Ideally you would put it on the side of your aquarium so that the outflow pushes water the length of your aquarium. If you don't like the look of that then centered on the back is your next best bet. This way t he flow hits the front glass and deflects out to the front corners just leaving the back corners as dead spots. Next you should check for dead spots. Dropping finely crushed flake food into the HOB works for this. Anyplace food hasn't reached within a few minutes is a dead spot. If there are dead spots you have a few options. You can move decor or plants if they are blocking the flow, you can add an air stone or small sponge filter if the dead spot is in the back and easily hidden or you can add a circulation pump. Personally I feel every tank should have an air stone, and then you might as well run a small sponge filter if you already have an air stone running. Also if you do run a circulation pump you can put your diffuser directly under it to get better dispersion.
  24. ChefConfit
    My guppys dropped fry! I noticed them yesterday and they couldn't have been older than a day or 2. I'm not sure how the crypts and other plants are doing because I have green water and can only see a few inches down. I'm removing a softball sized portion of frogbit and dwarf water lettuce about twice a week and my lily is about to flower. I think I'll buy a small uv sterilizer to get rid of the green water. It's great for the fish, but it doesn't look nice and this pond looking good is one of my wife's requirements for me keeping it.
  25. ChefConfit
    I mean everyone I know of with a fish room youtuber or otherwise uses mostly aqueon tanks. If they failed regularly I think we'd hear about it. Most people will only leave a review if they have a negative experience so online review tend to skew pretty heavily towards the negative.
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