[Soft Water "GH 0" Question ~ I need help! ~ Thank you!!]

Ive found aragonite works well to harden very soft water. Snails can now live in my tanks and not melt.

[Apistogrammas + ?? in a 30g]

I keep both A. Nijsseni & A. Hongsloi. Panda and False Bandit Corys will both work in a Apisto tank really well. The 30 gallon has plenty of height for Tetras, Pencilfish or Rasboras. Having other fish swimming in the upper parts of the tank gives the Apistos the courage to come out of hiding. 

[Brine shrimp hatchery question.]

I only do 1/2 batches in the Ziss. 1 tablespn salt, a pinch of Baking Soda and 1 teaspoon of BBS eggs. It feeds 8 tanks. 

[Two filter in Tank, will it be a issue?]

2 hours ago, Prahi said:

So I have a 10 gallon tank, which has the fluval 20 and a sponge filter with the air stone in it. Are there any con's of having 2 filter like this? or is it okay?

 

Your tank will be fine. 

[120 gallon lighting]

I have a 120 planted Discus tank. I’m using a 48” Stingray 2.0 on a Wi-Fi timer with no CO2. Pogostemon Octopus, Dwarf Aquarium Lily, Dwarf Sagg, Valsinaria, Sword, Bacopa, Anubias, & Java Fern are all growing well in this tank. 

[Care Packages for C.A.R.E. Forum Members!]

Congrats everybody!

[When did you get into the hobby?]

@Daniel to clean the tank we netted out all the fish put them in a pale of water, drained all the water from the tank, rinsed the gravel, cleaned out the filter and put in new charcoal & fiberglass then wiped the glass down with windex(inside and out) filled the tank back up, hooked everything back up let the water settle for a few minutes and then dumped the fish back in. Cycle smycle🤣😉

[When did you get into the hobby?]

9 minutes ago, Daniel said:

Like @Paul it was the 60s. I got my first guppies in 1969 and I immediately succumbed to MJS (multi jar syndrome).

@Daniel by my reckoning we were playing with glass boxes full of water & fish back in the preindustrial times before the internet & YouTube. How did we ever figure stuff out?

[Surprises in the canister filter part 2]

I found 10 more Sterbai fry while cleaning out the ole Eheim and before anybody says it there IS a coarse sponge on the intake. Locally Sterbais run $8 each. The moral of todays story is before you dump things out check your trays and strain the water. 

[When did you get into the hobby?]

The mid - late 60's. My first real aquarium (10 gallon) had a slate bottom and a chromed steel frame a box filter, a non submersible heater and the whole thing was lite up with 2 40 watt tubular (china cabinet)bulbs

 .

[The Discus Tank]

 

[Invasive Zebra mussels in Marimo moss balls]

From Amazonas Magazine -

Check Your Moss Balls!

Breaking news today and a developing story as the aquarium industry deals with the unintentional distribution of the highly invasive zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha. This species has apparently found its way into aquatic plant shipments as a hitchhiking contaminant on the ever-popular marimo moss balls, which are actaully one of three distinct growth forms of the green algae known to science as Aegagropila linnaei. https://www.reef2rainforest.com/2021/03/04/invasive-zebra-mussels-reported-in-marimo-moss-balls/

[Pelviachromis pulcher]

 

[Peacock Gudgens]

6 hours ago, Colu said:

I have see these in my lfs ever so often in video said they come Papua New Guinea Australia and New Zealand but they only come from Eastern Papua New Guinea really colourful my friend breed then a couple of year ago  they laid they egg in a pleco cave he only had male and female in the tank at the time

@Colu they’ve been introduced and have naturalized throughout that region. 

 

15 hours ago, Fish Folk said:

These guys have been showing up at one LFS this past year. Handsome little fish! Colors almost look like some Fundulopanchax killifish. I wonder: would they breed in colony format? Or better with a single mature pair? 

@Fish Folk in my experience they do best in groups. 

[Peacock Gudgens]

A short species profile 

[Apistogramma Hongsloi]

On 2/22/2021 at 7:22 AM, Fish Folk said:

That was fun! Are those wild caught, or tank raised / bred in the hobby? Do you find that a ratio of one male to multiple females is preferable? Are they cave spawners like other Apistos? 

These are from the Czech Republic. They can be done as pairs or harems. If you’re doing pairs getting them to bond from a larger group will usually get them up and running sooner. They females definitely want caves. 

[Try not laughing at this picture...]

Aquatic UBER service! Who knew?

 

[Using course spong media]

@Leakyduck if you only use the fine polishing pad it will clog up real quick which will reduce the flow. You should be able to cut both the sponge and the pad to size for your HOB. Good luck.

[Apistogramma Hongsloi]

A short species profile.

[Buying Odessa Barbs, PetCo or Select Aquatics?]

@madmark285Greg Sage for quality. PETCO/PetSmart for quantity. It’s your budget and aquarium.

[20 gallon long]

@Annie the fish you’re loosing prefer much a higher pH and harder water. I’m not one for chasing pH but you can make adjustments by adding crushed coral or aragonite to the tank either in the substrate or in your HOB (filter bag). The easier way to go is switching to fish that will thrive in your water parameters. Good luck.

[20 gallon long]

@Annie the fish you’re loosing prefer much a higher pH and harder water. I’m not one for chasing pH but you can make adjustments by adding crushed coral or aragonite to the tank either in the substrate or in your HOB (filter bag). The easier way to go is switching to fish that will thrive in your water parameters. Good luck.

[Air Bubbles New Canister filter]

@HomerJayit will go away shortly don’t sweat it. 

[Are the Petco Aqueon tanks a bad product?]

As many have said these are mass produced aquariums. Just realize that many many people own these tanks and have zero issues with them holding water.

[Rummy nose tetra]

@Jimmy Reese if you’re not having any problems with other fish I’d look at where you’re getting them from 1st and see if you can find them somewhere else.