DSH OUTDOORS

I would have to know more about your water to give you a definitive answer on that. I have pretty hard water but in my 75 gallon tank with gravel substrate I am having no issues growing Java fern, annubius, hornwart and water sprite just using easy green, iron and potassium. In my 95 gallon my Vallisneria, amazon sword and other floating plants are growing like weeds with runners going everywhere. That is with a flourite substrate though.

Are you doing water changes because your Nitrates are high or because you think you need to? Water changes with RO is basically taking everything the plants need to grow out of the tank. Unless your nitrates are approaching 40 ppm I would hold off on them. I am guessing your plants are starving for nutrients both Nitrates and micro nutrients they will need for new growth. They basically have nothing to feed on with a gravel substrate and nothing in the water column.

Give you tank and your Vallisneria time. I don't see much for cycling yet based on those test results. I planted my Vallisneria a month ago, the leaves that it came with have either melted away or have not grown, the new leaves from the base however have reached the top of my 36" tall aquarium and are throwing runners out left and right. I did something right with them... My water is pretty hard and I started my cycle with Ammonium Chloride which might have given them a boost from the start.

I wish Kuhlis would eat my snails! 😂 I haven't seen them touch any from the smallest bladder snail to a golf ball sized mystery snail.

My San Juan Cory's (8) and my Kuhli loaches (5) get along fine in my 75 gallon. My Kuhlis are not as nocturnal as the experts say they will be. They do danger noodle circles on the end of the tank all afternoon.

Local big box pet store had a tank sale... 3 new 10 gallon tanks and 2 new 40 gallon breeder tanks for $1.25 per gallon. Even my 8 year old daughter thinks I have a problem... She's probably right.

They look like Rosy Tetra to me. Nothing like my cherry barbs below

Take a look at the following link. https://www.aquariumcoop.com/collections/fish-medicine/products/mardel-maracyn I would start with this and if that doesn't do it they have a number of other medications.

As @Brian and @darkG have said the weight shouldn't be an issue. A black 1/4 inch plywood or hardyboard backing will make this pretty bulletproof. If you can glue and nail it to the back. If you need to drill through it to get cords and airlines through it shouldn't be an issue, just stay away from the edges.

Tank size, type of substrate, plants, fish, filter information and tap/well water parameters will be beneficial as well if you don't have photos ready.

I did a fish in cycle on my first tank in 20 years and had disastrous results. Lots of dead fish and money literally flushed down the toilet and a very dad 8 year old daughter. My second tank (I've got MTS bad) I used Dr. Tims ammonium chloride that @Maggiementioned and was able to cycle in two weeks and couldn't be happier with the results. Now that I have established tanks I'd be more inclined to just pull gravel, plants and a sponge filter from one of the established ones and get my tank cycled that way.

My local club got the word out on their site today. Unfortunately here in minnesota most of the lakes are already infested. Makes for great water clarity but makes fishing and skinny dipping difficult...

Just got my 95 gallon Hex stocked so started scaping my 40 gallon. Waiting on plants to germinate! I'm keeping a log, hope to share success soon.

Additional photos

First off I want to say thank you all for the help you have provided this year. You have all helped me successfully set up this tank and help me correct the issues I was having with the 75 gallon I set up on my daughter's 8th birthday in January. Back in the hobby after 20 years so my only knowledge was extremely outdated. That one might be her's but I'm proud to call the 95 Hex mine. I got a deal off C-list for a 95 gallon 26" diameter, 36 inch tall clear for life hexagon acrylic aquarium. My initial setup was on February 8th when I put fluorite 5" in the back to nothing up front and then filled the front with cycled 1/2" rock from the 75. A Hygger 969 titanium heater, hygger 957 LED light 24", 1 large and 1 medium CO-OP sponge filter. I then filled with 40 gallons prime treated city tap water (super hard). 2-14 added 4 giant Vallisneria along the back, 2 Anubius on either side of center, 2 madagascar lace in the middle with driftwood and a java moss covered driftwood up front. At this time I also added 2 tablespoons ammonium chloride and topped off the tank. Ammonia 4ppm, 0 nitrite. 2-18 had my first drop in ammonia to 2ppm and nitrites to .5 ppm. 2-20 ammonia .25ppm nitrites 2ppm. 2-21 added 1/2 tablespoons ammonium chloride. 2-22 .25 ammonia 2-5ppm nitrite 2-23 <.25 ammonia 5ppm nitrite 2-24 same 2-25 <.25 ammonia .25 nitrite 20ppm nitrate. I cannot tell you how pumped I was!!! I added another tablespoon ammonium chloride to get to 2ppm. 24 hours later I was down to 0 ammonia 0 nitrite and being my plants were going nuts I was still only at 20ppm nitrates. I was CYCLED!!!! 2-28 I transferred 4 mystery snails 2 nerite snails and 6 amano shrimp to the tank to take care of some algae that had formed from having a desk lamp pointed at my BBS hatchery (as a heater right next to the big tank) lesson learned(see picture below). They took care of it in a hurry. 3-3 picked up 8 male, 18 female long fin cherry barbs, 2 male 6 female Platy and 3 bristle nose pleco. They are all doing great so far. I am surprised how low in the water column they are hanging though. Looking to finish with 8-10 Molly and.... I have no idea! Open to suggestions. I'd really like something to swim up top but I'm sure everyone will be more comfortable and explore more up top soon. I love Corys but don't know how they will do with the fluorite (should have covered with sand). Angels? Pearl gouramis? All the extra guppies breeding like mad in the 75? 😂🤷🏻‍♂️ Send your thoughts my way and thank you again!

@Sandra the fish rookie It could be hard water scale. I always have a build up on my heater when I start a new tank. There will also be a bit every time a do a big water change. I will be installing an RO system tonight (in the laundry room on a bypass so i can get it on demand) so I can expand my species list, but my guppies sure love my tap water.

My guppy fry tank is a 3 gallon cube. For water changes I will syphon with air house into a 1 gallon pitcher. I always have one or two fry go for a ride but just net them out of the pitcher and put them back in the tank. I have never had one show signs of injury after they go for a ride. I am feeding mine COOP fry food and baby brine shrimp.

I bought a 1/4 inch piece of plexi to cover my 5 gallon quarantine tank as i bought it used without a lid. Its been 3 weeks and the sheet looks more like a rainbow than a flat piece of glass. The partition sheets you have might be thicker or better quality but just wanted to share my experience. Being it is leftover why not try it to see what happens. I might try again and epoxy/glue two sheets together to keep it from warping so bad as i bought a 3 pack and have only used one sheet. Best of luck to you!

I'd report that my tank sank to the bottom of the lake just like my firearms and precious metals in a tragic boating accident!

That is about what I was expecting. I see no issue with a 24-30 inch opening in the middle. Just make sure you have cross braces on the edge of your block on either side of the opening. The gap front to back wont be that wide taking the cinder blocks into effect so the load will be distributed enough. Good luck, post pictures when done. I'm off to the local fish store to buy more stuff i dont need. 😃

Unless you went and cut it down yourself it will most likely have some kind of poly, acrylic or shellac coating on it to keep it greener longer. This is why they are such fire hazards and give off a black smoke when burned. I'm all for experimenting but I wouldn't try this even with the "don't try this at home" disclaimer.

What are your tank dimensions? I see no issue with an opening front or back. I would however bump up to a 2x6 frame with 1' on center cross braces. Build the frame 3 inches smaller than the desired dimensions all the way around then slap on another layer of 2x6 around that and screw everything tight. This will overlap your joints, provide more bearing material on the blocks and make sure nothing moves. (wood gluing your joints and that second layer of 2x6 will also firm everything up). Glue the plywood to the top and you'll be able to park a garbage truck on it. Your width of tank will determine how big your opening can be. The longer the tank the more support on either side of the gap the bigger the gap can be.

It was -24 this morning on the way to work here in Minnesota... I have a few months to go before I can start thinking about my small outdoor pond for my guppy party...

Great question Chewyrat77. I want to expand on that a bit. Back to the hobby after a 20 year break. Started a 75 gallon planted community tank, like a noob and added fish to appease my 8 year old way too early. Long story short after having the initial issues with new tank syndrome I finally get the tank balanced. Two weeks ago picked up addition Guppies from another hobbyist and made another noob mistake of not quarantining them. ICH for everyone! All the fish are now in a 5 gallon quarantine tank (those that made it anyway) and the 75 is empty. My question is, do I need to be concerned about the 75 gallon tank when it comes time to bring new fish home? Do diseases remain in the tank? Do I need to treat it as a preventative measure? Thank you,