Biotope Biologist

Yup freshwater limpets. They do go through population swings in the freshwater aquarium. And they are so tiny they are hard to notice. They are also likely nocturnal. They will max out at about 7mm and although they chew on plants and algae, they do not seem to be harmful to plants.

Like I can do that though… Anyway cichlids have not been observed to change sex. In social fish it does pay to hide your male organs or male traits as dominant males can be very territorial especially in an enclosed environment. In this case what appeared to be an observed female was actually a less dominant male in disguise. As stated above. Usually I would say this is a new topic to science, but cichlid societal hierarchy is well studied.

Oh definitely still do that! You can seed other filtration types if you want with the seeded sponge. I have a sump and I still seed random sponge filters in it, in case I decide on a wild hair to setup a new tank 😋

eh when I worked at a chain pet store I often had beginners come in. The key to longevity for them seems to be let them pick out what they want and if it ends up being a non-beginner friendly fish steer them towards one. I’d recommend a 20 so that neglected water changes don’t become an issue for fish health. As for filtration, heater, substrate wait on that until they pick out the fish. I have had quite a few beginners fall in love with corydoras and make cory only tanks. Gravel is hard on their barbels and a soft sand would be preferred. Just make sure they know picking out the fish doesn’t mean you buy the fish the day of. Often times for beginners the wait and anticipation leads to someone who genuinely appreciates their fish rather than instant gratification getting bored within a month types.

This specimen looks like it might be a hybridized molly/mosquitofish due to it’s deeper body. Many cases of this have been reported in the Western United States. Also welcome to the forum. Cropping the photo slightly fixes the upsidedown photos. It’s a known bug that is being worked on

Fish fry will eat them. Make sure you don’t confuse planaria with rhabdocoela planaria: left rhabdocoela: right

I have had quite a few bettas over the years. All of which ranging in age from several months to 5 years. So this survey will likely turn up with a pretty big range. Several “cheap” betta lines are so inbred and have such low genetic diversity it’s a wonder they made it past fry-hood. I think you might find the ‘premium’ bettas or locally bred ones will live the happy 3+ years. But I’ve only ever had rescues so I can’t speak to that. Maybe one day I’d like to get some other species of betta. I think as long as you give them a good home lifespan is irrelevant

Well orange fin hill trout. They are closer related to minnow and Danio than a true salmonid. But they do act very similar to brooke trout, probably where they derived their common name. That and the side markings are what you see on juvenile salmonids.

That’s definitely a smirk; devil child

I had glowlights ages ago! Imo very under appreciated tetra They are a beautiful rosy pink on the lateral line and mine developed a cinnamon red body. They can be a bit flighty at first but I don’t remember them ever breaching the water. Doesn’t mean they won’t. Also I think the preference for darker substrate is more a suggestion. They do look good in a heavily planted tank with soil, but any substrate will do.

I’d shop craigslist or facebook marketplace for used 500 gallons and not look any smaller. Balas are a BIG commitment because not only do they get large, but they need swimming space to boot. At that size it’s more practical to use acrylic over glass. With a massive weight reduction (keep in mind 500 gallons still ways around 4500 lbs) steel or aluminum for a stand is more practical with a wood overlay.

@Odd Duck thats smart. Definitely the white ones with a not fully formed exoskeleton! Just for ease of cleaning. I know even my beardie had trouble digesting mealworms. Some whole segments would be left in his feces. As for fish I assume it’s fine. I used to train oscars with crickets, a beloved meal for them. They will do ANYTHING for a cricket. So a mealworm would likely be fine. Some fish prefer terrestrial insects over aquatic ones, my trout have definitely nabbed a few flies and spiders that tried to go for a swim.

I should clarify I am not a tech curmudgeon! But there is a difference between “smart tech” and “tech for the sake of tech.” The aquarium hobby is better for things like wifi timers and [cheap] capacitive LED lighting. But when people outside the hobby start giving solutions for problems that never existed, I become grumpy! If this tank promised me that it could automatically adjust the light for the time of day and the surrounding light, switched power in case of a power surge or outtage, and had a roomba shaped like a snail that cleaned excess fish food and algae; Id be over the moon!

A few things… 1. 6.0 pH will ‘slow’ your cycle but it’s far more complicated than X pH leads to Y time of complete cycle. 6.0pH is fine and chasing pH is more harmful than good. 2. kH of 0 and gh of 75 means you need carbonic salts not crushed coral. Crushed coral will not be as effective due to equilibrium reactions. You can find these online or at marine fish stores. 3. if you do massive water changes you will never have a complete cycle. You are removing the waste en masse, which is the food for the bacteria. Slow down be patient. Find a water change regimen that you like. I have a creek system which requires pristine water for my fish. I change 30% 2x a week. 4. That much filtration is overkill. Even for me. I’d use 1 or 2 HOB OR the sponges. Too much maintenance. Less is more in this case. Are you planning to keep the goldfish and have a tank with them or are they just for a ‘fish in’ cycle? What I recommend, will be based on your ideal fish stock of the 40g.

‘Anthropomorphize’ is a term a bunch of stuffy scientists made up because they didn’t want to admit that animals had feeling. If you saw the experiments they ran back in the day, you too would need to suppress some things. Anywayyyy, I love puffers because they do indeed have a ton of emotion. I’ve even seen them throw temper tantrums. But it might be the expressive eyes for me.

I think y’all did great! I won’t add anything more on the chemistry front so as to not confuse further but… GH is not just important to snails and to a lesser extent shrimp (they both absorb it from the water to make their shells), but it’s important for fish gills and ion exchange. Without getting into ion exchange because that’s a whole other can of worms, some fish require calcium and magnesium to actively pump waste and maintain osmosis. Gills do a whole lot more than just breathe. If we lived in an atmosphere that had all these things we needed just dissolved in it our lungs would be even more important. Instead we get these nutrients from the food we eat.

Why does a tech giant need crowdfunding for a fish tank? They aren’t reinventing the wheel. I wouldn’t get my hopes up with these things. In the car industry these things pop up, suck up as much money as possible for 3-5 years and bail leaving their investors high and dry… literally. As for needed tech in the aquarium trade, low tech is the best tech. We have tried and failed so many times to replace rather than replicate nature. Frankly no amount of tech could replace billions of years of innovation. Bacteria is king, and I know who my masters are 😋

Bought some neocardinia shrimp to live out their lives in the refugium. I am hoping that they and the ramshorn snails will provide me a steady population of food and tank cleaners. Cannot for the life of me get my hands on gammarus or acellus aquaticus. As the lab supply I got them from last is having quality control issues. Maybe the shrimp can take care of this rampant cyanobacteria

This one has also been put on hold. All I have going right now is the 50 gallon creek biotope and the isopods. I should probably take it out of my signature. I think perhaps in the spring it’ll be brought outside and restart as a gammarus culture. But we will cross that bridge when we get there.

Established plants never stopped my Bob from grazing on them. I would think @Guppysnail suggestion would work the best. I say get cheap fast growing plants too and see if they can outgrow the grazing. I had some short lived success with aponogeton, dwarf lily, and pond weed.

I think the shiruba (“shiruba” not shirabusa, I’m crossing it with the famous motorcycle “hayabusa” for some reason) I bought was around the $75-90 mark. We had one power outtage while it was installed and no leaks, but it did get an air bubble trapped in the intake and I did have to do the ole’ suck on the end of the hose to siphon it trick. I really like overkill on my filters because I’m rather lazy with maintenance.

Most likely oxygen or CO2 plants respire and occasionally pearl with various waste gases. My algaes do this occasionally in the morning when the sun first hits the tank. Quite beautiful, completely harmless.

They are just Mr Clean magic erasers minus the chemicals. A micro abrasive like this is fine on silicone and other sensitive things.

Hey what’s wrong with canisters!?! 😋 I ran a canister on my 12 gallon tank I used a shirabusa. I quite liked it. I will set it up again when I set the tank back up again. I used a spray bar to make sure it wasn’t too powerful for the critters.

Suck up surface waste with python, then when refilling with water from the python make sure it’s creating a bubble stream and aerate the sand! If you don’t have critters to constantly churn the substrate it’s the best you can do. You are always going to have algae issues on the surface though.