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ChefConfit

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  1. ChefConfit
    So I did some more research. @Daniel some of the wording on the package suggests it's a medication but it's 99% Calcium Sulfate. It's meant as a slow release calcium additive to turtle tanks to protect their shells. So if your trying to increase Calcium Reptoguard should work but it lacks the additional minerals and water conditioner found in wondershell. It also doesn't increase Kh just Gh. @KBOzzie59 for the same reason that I don't buy all my other inexpensive consumables for my tanks from the coop. If I'm placing an order and know I'll need it soon I'll gladly add it on, but I can't justify paying $5 shipping on a $4 purchase if there's a reasonable substitute available locally.
  2. ChefConfit
    The aqueon tanks are pretty much the standard for both people just getting into the hobby and experienced aquarist looking to set up several tanks. They may have some cosmetic flaws but 90% are hidden by either the substrate or the frame. The rest can most likely be cut away carefully. Literally every youtuber I watch and several fish stores use and recommend aqueon tanks from the dollar per gallon sale. There are nicer tanks out there and for a large display tank I personally would go with some thing a little nicer if I had the money. But there's nothing wrong with going with the aqueon. As far as reliability or safety goes I don't think there's any issues or really a difference between brands or it would be plastered all over every forum when the sale comes around as opposed to everyone waiting for it to buy their tanks.
  3. ChefConfit
    I'd prioritize a light over ferts. Since cost seems to be a factor there are several very affordable ones on Amazon that are great for most plants. Look at models from nicrew, beamswork and hygger are well liked. I've also been hearing good things about aquaneat lately.
  4. ChefConfit
    All but one of my local store except one don't carry wondershell, and the one that does carry it is always out of stock. Every single store always has reptoguard though. As far I can tell they are very very similar in both function and ingredients.
  5. ChefConfit
    If your algae eaters are going after fish food instead of algae you can cut back on feeding. I skip feeding one day a week to encourage scavenging and algae grazing. I know there are others on here that also advocate fasting fish to encourage scavenging and grazing as well. Most well fed fish can go longer than a week without feeding, and even longer when the have food sources like algae or they can scavenge for food they've missed previously.
  6. ChefConfit
    Might be my phone screen but it looks brown to me not black. Possibly a diatom algae? Ottos will eat that and other soft algae. Probably not BBA because that is usually mostly on leaf edges but this in in the middle of the leaf. On the java fern brown spots could also be new plantlets forming.
  7. ChefConfit
    I went to a store about an hour from my house this past week and they had some amazing longfin cherry barbs. I'm planning on doing a mini pond breeding project this summer, and was wondering if either those or Odessa barbs would work in a mini pond. Pond will be at least 40 gallons and I could go as large as 70. Could go anywhere from full sun to full shade depending on where it goes on my deck, and I'm planning on doing a mix of pond plants and aquarium plants.
  8. ChefConfit
    Without more info I have 2 guesses that can be checked easily. 1 what about your gh and kh? If hardness is vastly different from the water they came from it can cause osmotic shock and possibly death. Ask your store about their water hardness and compare it to yours. If that's the problem then the solution is longer and slower drip acclimation. Possibly see if you can get a few gallons of their water to use in the tank to start and do daily small water changes (like 5%) until you've got them on entirely your water. This would allow the mineral levels in the fish to normalize with you're water without causing shock. 2 how do you treat your water? Do you use dechlorinator? Some people age their water to dechlorinate, but some areas use chloramine instead of chlorine which doesn't off gas. If you usually just age your water thy using a dechlorinator. If both those check out then try to provide more info (any strange behavior, pictures or other observations) If this were happening to me I would double check my process first, then compare my water to the stores. If both checked out I would try again but once the fish are in quarantine I'd hold off on medications and observe for a few days making sure to feed well. Then I'd start the med trio if nothing seems off with the fish. Medicine itself can be a cause of stress sometimes so if a fish is already weakened that can be what puts it over the edge.
  9. ChefConfit
    My otos go crazy for the bug bites shrimp pellets and for baby brine shrimp. A rally they eat just about anything that lands on a surface and doesn't move away before it gets in its mouth
  10. ChefConfit
    Here's mine. I set it up to grow out a couple leaves of salvinia that came mixed into some frogbit I got from another hobbyist. Then I added a pot with a stem plant that didn't do well in my 29hex and I was down to 1 stem of so I needed to grow and propagate it. Then I added another that came as a clipping in a bag of shrimp. Then then my corys started spawning so I added substrate and built a rock formation so the babies would like it better. I decided to take all the hydrocotyle tripartita out of my hex and didn't want to get rid off all of it so some got added along with all the Christmas moss and extra windelov java fern I pulled out when I redid my hex. Then the cryptocoryne undulata red I replaced the hydrocotyle with took off like crazy and I had to remove some from my so that went in. Then I got a cryptocoryne flamingo tissue culture and half went in here while the other half went in my hex. But to make room for the flamingo in my hex I had to remove a piece of wood covered in Windelov Java Fern so that went in and more undulata red so I potted it and put that in. Then my wife went into the basement one day and asked when we got another tank. Oh and at some point I moved all the salvinia to my hex and put frogbit in this tank. This was never supposed to be a permanent tank but I really like it now.
  11. ChefConfit
    Isn't this also how deep sand beds work? If you have substrate deep enough an anaerobic layer will form that can support bacteria that consumes nitrates.
  12. ChefConfit
    @MickS77 a forum calendar would be pretty cool!
  13. ChefConfit
    Yea for future reference here's a Pic of Cory eggs
  14. ChefConfit
    I'll take a stab at all 3. 1) you need to do a water change when your nitrates get higher than you want them. Some tanks never build up nitrates because they are densely planted. My tanks like that get monthly water changes just to replenish some of the minerals supplied by my tap water. 2)I'm actually gonna say don't fertilize while medicating. The reason it's recommended to not feed while medicating is so nitrates don't build up in the water and cause stress which slows the healing process. When you fertilize you are adding nitrates. Your plants should be fine without ferts for a week. 3) I put the wondershell in my tank hidden behind plants or hardscape. That way inverts can graze on it if they need extra calcium in addition to it addi g calcium to the water. Those are just my opinions on the topics there's more than one right answer and the best one is the one that works for you.
  15. ChefConfit
    Depends... How soft/hard is your water and do you want it to get harder? How much water are you replacing and how often? How often are you doing water changes and how often?
  16. ChefConfit
    @James Black the coop also gives you a pump top when you buy fritz complete water conditioner. I always thought an aquarium subscription box would be cool. Even some thi g as simple as a sticker and some food samples every month would be awesome.
  17. ChefConfit
    I've got a single Emerald Cory in my tank with 5 Paleatus and they shoal together. So long as they are similarly sized they'd probably shoal together.
  18. ChefConfit
    I had a 5gal top fin kit with basically the same lights. It grew anubias nana, buce, windelov java fern, christmas moss, red flame sword and even crinum calamistratum for me. The sword was the only thing that struggled, but it did grow. The Crinum and sword were actually bought for a 20g that never got set up because we decided to start look g for a house so they got stuck in the 5g to hopefully not die until the move. The thing with growing plants under really weak light is you can use really long photo periods to make up for the low intensity of the lights without causing an algae outbreak.
  19. ChefConfit
    It should work with any diffuser or bubble counter and the drop checker is a completely separate thing so any will work with it. Also the co2 canisters are a standard threading used in some air/paintball pistols as well as I believe isi canisters so you can get non fluval branded cartridges for less money.
  20. ChefConfit
    I just had a juvenile Cory do something similar. Wedged itself into a piece of cholla wood trying to get at some food. Had to break the piece of wood apart to get him out. Unfortunately he didn't seem to be able to swim after I got him out. He passed away in the quarantine tank the next morning. I think he broke his tail trying to get out of the piece of wood.
  21. ChefConfit
    I'd say as long as live plants are a noticeable component of the tank its a planted tank. 1 6in piece of driftwood covered in anubias in the corner of an 800 gallon? Probably wouldn't call it a planted tank cause you might not even notice there's a plant in it. That same piece of wood and anubias in a 5 gallon? That's a planted tank.
  22. ChefConfit
    If you are using plants and media from an established aquarium then your tank was most likely fully cycled when you set it up, but if the there has been no ammonia source(fish poop/uneaten food) to feed the BB it will have begun to die off until it reaches a population level that can be sustained by the available food. The good news is BB populations can double in roughly 24 hours so it shouldn't take long for them to bounce back. You should be good to add fish, but I wouldn't add them all at once. I usually break it up into 4 groups to be added 1 week apart from each other. I'd also test even though there most likely not going to be a problem because buying a pack of test strips is way cheaper than buying new fish.
  23. ChefConfit
    I guess I'll have to do the same. I was hoping to not buy another bottle since this one will probably last me over a year testing once a week and the coop is working on their own test strips that I imagine I'll want to switch to.
  24. ChefConfit
    Also check what they are selling them for, and how long they take to sell. For most fish I'd assume 25-30% of the price they sell it for is as fair a price as the can give. Don't forget they are taking on the cost of caring for and keeping the fish until it sells in addition to the overhead for the store, labor and any other expenses that they need to build into the price of everything they sell.
  25. ChefConfit
    I really like my hygger light. It's 1 step up from the nicrew in price, but also a step up in features imo(I've had both but now in the same size so no direct comparison on light output. Mine has a built in timer that can be used for a preset sunrise sunset cycle or a fully custom schedule.
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