[Advice for moving across the country with fish?]

I'm moving 3/4 of the way across the country (Washington to Wisconsin) at the end of the summer, and I'm trying to decide the best way to move my tanks (one betta fish, one axolotl). Here are my options, and if anyone has experience moving with fish or has an idea I haven't thought of, please chime in!

1. We could rent a U Haul trailer and drive, but it's a 4 day drive, so I would have to rig a temperature controlled and filtered travel container. This method has the advantage of having the option to not break down my tanks (both planted) and keep a lot of the beneficial bacteria alive, because I could just drain and ceran wrap the tanks to keep the plants moist. But, it would involve a longer period of being in a smaller/more stressful travel container for the animals both while we're in transit, and until I get their tanks set up once I get there. I estimate they'd be in temporary enclosures for at least a week, maybe up to 9 days. The rental for the trailer is also very expensive. Also, 4 days is a long time to be in the car 8-12 hours a day.

2. I could ship my stuff (like my actual human life stuff, not just my hobbyist things), fly to Wisconsin, and take the betta on the plane. However, TSA regulations don't specify whether aquatic salamanders are allowed on flights, and even though I know they probably are, I'm just not willing to run the risk that chance of that the TSA guy might be having a bad day and decide to give me a hard time. In this scenario, I would have to leave my axolotl at home in a tub for a few days while I set up things in Wisconsin, and then have my brother pack and overnight her to me after I arrive. He would also have to send all my aquatic plants, because the moving company I would use doesn't allow me to pack living things in the boxes they move (most companies don't, I think). This method has the advantage of less total time in transit (for the animals and for me haha), but the containers they would be in while in transit would not be filtered and would have limited temperature control (just ice/heat packs and insulation). Also, I would have to break down my tanks completely to ship the actual tank and substrate with my stuff and pack the plants separately. It is less pricey than the trailer option, but only just.

I have been thinking in circles around this for weeks, and I am hoping that hearing other people's thoughts might help me break out of my decision paralysis. Any advice or opinions are welcome, thank you!

[Aquarium Co-op test strips vs API test kit question]

13 hours ago, GardenStateGoldfish said:

Against popular belief, I find the API liquid test kits to be inaccurate due to human error a lot. Not saying you did anything wrong, but drop sizes can vary, tube fill amounts can vary, the Nitrate test needs to be banged and shaken like crazy to be accurate from bottle two and the Ammonia test is NH3 and NH4 which really reads ammonia and ammonium, not just ammonia so it does not give an accurate ammonia reading, you need to calculate it yourself based off temp, PH and NH3+NH4. 

In other words, I prefer test strips, just dip and read, takes user error out. 

I'd never thought of this but you're absolutely right, there's a lot more room for human error with the liquids test kit, especially if the test solutions get contaminated, or if the water partially evaporates off and changes the concentration

[Aquarium Co-op test strips vs API test kit question]

47 minutes ago, awymorePDX said:

I don't have the ammonia test strips, but it makes sense that they would be close as ammonia is pretty much a constant value in a correctly cycled tank.

I see my biggest differences in the PH, I need to do another AB test, but they have been more than 1 point different

Oh yeah I forgot to mention, the pH readings using the API test kit are always significantly more basic than with the strips. It would make sense that the strips are more accurate though, I’ve been losing my mind trying to figure out what is bringing up the pH in my tank, but the strips put it at just barely below neutral. That reading makes more sense given that tap water is neutral or ever so slightly basic, and the nitrogen cycle brings the pH down

[Aquarium Co-op test strips vs API test kit question]

25 minutes ago, awymorePDX said:

How far apart are they? I've noticed a pretty big difference between my strips and liquid kit.

Different parameters read differently, ammonia reads as barely different, but nitrates are sometimes 50 ppm apart or more

[Aquarium Co-op test strips vs API test kit question]

Hi everyone, I've been using my Aquarium co-op test strip for about two weeks now and I'm loving them, but I've noticed the readings I get with them are different than the ones I get with my API test kit (not the strips, the tubes). I'm more inclined to trust the test strips than the API kit because I know how much testing goes into Aquarium Co-op products, but I was wondering if anyone had similar experiences, and what ended up happening.

[Could a pea puffer kill and NOT eat enough snails to cause an ammonia spike?]

I'm thinking about adding a pea-puffer into a planted tank I have right now with no other fish, only a thriving population of ramshorn snails. I know pea puffers will eat the snails and I don't really mind. But I've also heard that once they're full, they'll keep killing the snails, just not eating them. Does anyone know how determined a pea-puffer is to kill every snail? Is there a chance it'll kill enough snails without eating them to cause an ammonia problem in the tank from all the snail bodies?

[Does sponge filter pore size matter?]

2 hours ago, MJV Aquatics said:

Although it's true that a fine pore sponge filter will clog more quickly than a coarse pore, it's debatable if moving water faster through any media improves BB efficiency. One might make a case that faster flows reduce BB's efficiency in oxidizing evil ammonia and nitrites. You can switch to more coarse sponges, but for your issue, if you keep the ones you have relatively 'clean' they should work for you. (the real advantage of the coarser sponge filter is they don't need to be serviced as often.

The plants you have are slow growers and will do little to absorb the ammonia your tank produces. For this you really need fast growing plants. Typically most floating plants do this the best and there are many...water sprite, water wisteria, frogbit, hornwort, and many others will convert ammonia into plant tissue eventually removed.

Thanks so much for the feedback! Would salvinia and red root floaters also work?

[Does sponge filter pore size matter?]

4 hours ago, Gideyon said:

If it's consistent in both tanks, I'd test the water out of the tap. 

I found it odd on my own tank that I had about 0.25 ammonia, but nitrite was 0, and nitrate was between 5 and 10ppm.  But my tank is considerably younger than yours.  I need to give it time.  I'm also about to mess up the cycle again soon when I adjust my filter. 

But one thing I do to help with the cycle is API Quick Start.   I'm novice on this. But my understanding of the N-cycle is that if nitrates are present, you have the bacteria needed. But do you have enough?   It's possible that my 0.25 ammonia was because I had more waste than my BB could handle (again, my novice mind at work).   

I did a 30% water change (conditioned new water). Added another dose of API quick start.   I'll be testing the parameters again next week. 

I'll try the tap water, and I'll think about the quickstart. I seeded the bacteria in my tank from a 5 y/o aquaponic system in my garage so I'm not sure if its necessary, but I've also never tried quickstart, so who knows! Thanks

[Does sponge filter pore size matter?]

6 hours ago, Brian said:

Does this tank have and substrate, decorations, drift wood or rocks?   
The bacteria you need is on all of those things.  
The pore size should not be an issue.  Pore size will determine how small or large the particles the sponge will collect.  
But, remember.....  even a sponge with larger pores as it clogs (fills with waste) it will collect smaller things.  This is why a sponge filter can go months without needing service and then it seems within days it is plugged.....

 

Good Luck

I do have substrate and decorations, thank you!

[Does sponge filter pore size matter?]

6 minutes ago, Brian said:

Do you use API or Prime or Fritz?  I know people have reported false readings with Prime and Fritz Complete Water Conditioner.  I think API might do the same.  

My house is actually serviced by a small water company with access to a local aquifer whose water requires no treatment, so my tap water is chlorine/chloramine and heavy metal-free, and I don’t need to use any water conditioner. But it might be worth a shot testing the kit with some bottled water or something to be sure it’s ok, thank you!

[Does sponge filter pore size matter?]

1 minute ago, Toobit67 said:

How long have these tanks been running?  What livestock do you have in them?

One is 7 months old with an axolotl, and the other is 3 months old with a betta and a whole bunch of ramshorn snails! The axolotl tank has two large sponge filters, a few Java ferns and anubias, some Marimo moss balls, and some salvinia, and the betta has one small sponge filter, some Brazilian penny wort, dwarf hair grass, a crypt tropica, a red dwarf lily, and a dwarf tiger lily.

[Does sponge filter pore size matter?]

I have two tanks running with sponge filters. Both have stable parameters with pH around 7.8, Nitrites at 0, and nitrates around 30 ppm (hopefully these go down as my plants settle in). Every time I take a reading, ammonia is under 0.25 ppm, barely detectable, but still there. I've begun to wonder if I might be able to get them all the way to zero, and I have two ideas/questions about it.

My first theory is about the sponge filters. The sponge filters I have are extremely fine with teeny tiny pores, and I've heard people say this can decrease their efficiency. I've watched the co-op videos and Cory's objection to fine-grade sponges is that they need to be cleaned more because they clog more easily, but he doesn't comment on whether they're less efficient than coarse sponges, even when properly cleaned (I squeeze mine out in tank water every other week). Does anyone know if switching to coarser sponge filters will help get that last stubborn bit of ammonia down?

My second theory is about plants. I've filled each tank with as many plants as I can, do I just need to wait for them to settle into the tank and let them take up that ammonia?

[low-light planted tank advice?]

5 hours ago, Jungle Fan said:

You could also give Staurogyne repens a try and see how well it does after using a pot of it as a test balloon, what type of lighting are you planning to use? S. repens is a carpet plant and not too finicky in its light requirements as it grows in between my Cryptocoryne wendtii in my tank.

I'm planning on using a desk lamp, actually. Sounds like a bad idea, I know, but I have one on my axolotl tank right now and my java ferns and anubias are doing well there, and desk lamps are the only lights I've found in the color temperature I want, aquarium lights are all too cool tone for what I'm thinking. I'll give the staurogyne repens a shot, thank you!

[low-light planted tank advice?]

6 hours ago, Streetwise said:

Is this a rimmed tank or a rimless tank? If rimless, you could run a Fluval Plant Nano in the tall configuration, and have an easier time balancing the light with your depth.

Thanks for the suggestion! It is a rimless tank, but I actually wasn't thinking of doing a planted tank light at all, they're all too bright and too cold in color for what I had in mind. I'm open to suggestions, but I was thinking of finding a desk lamp I like, since they're the only ones I've found in the appropriate temperature. I have one on my axolotl tank right now and the java ferns and anubias I have in there are quite happy, so I think it will work out ok as far as the plant's light requirements

[low-light planted tank advice?]

3 hours ago, Yanni said:

I think that you should be fine. The dwarf lillies might choke out everything else though. The dwarf lillies will seem to be big in you nano tank, especially 3-4 of them. I would try to do maybe 1 or 2 at most. The dwarf lillies will take care of most of the debris and waste along with the crypts. 

 

2 hours ago, Jungle Fan said:

I agree with @Yannithat 3-4 dwarf lilies would be choking overkill for a 6.5 gallon tank. I would stick with one and continually trim it unless you want it for the floating leaves, and even then in an open tank of that size I would probably be more inclined to go with water lettuce and/or Amazon frogbit but that is just my preference, dwarf lilies, especially the red, can have some amazing patterns and coloration on the right lighting and fertilization schedule. The rest of your plants seem spot on, do keep in mind though that crypt parva is an ultra slow grower, so whatever you want to see as the end result should pretty much be what you plant. Any of the Anubias grow like a weed in comparison to Cryptocoryne parva. Cryptocoryne willisii would be another option but their rate of growth is pretty much similar to crypt parva in my experience.

Thanks so much for the feedback! Follow-up question about the lilies: the reason I had originally planned so many was because the tank is a bookshelf tank (around 2 ft long, 8 in deep and tall) and I'm envisioning it as a tank with very little open swimming space, like only a 2 inch border around the front and sides (which is where the crypt parva will go). The plan was to have the lilies evenly spaced along the back of the tank with the anubias and crypt tropicas interspersed among them, forming a basically solid block of foliage occupying the majority of the tank. Given these tank dimensions and this plan, would you guys still suggest fewer lilies? or maybe switching one or two of them out for something else? Thanks again!

[low-light planted tank advice?]

I'm planning a nano tank (6.5 gallons) with nanofish and snails. I want it to be low to mid light (with a black background and dark substrate, nice and dramatic) and I'm also a big fan of absolutely jam-packing tanks with plants so they help manage fish waste. However, most low-light plants I can find are rhizome plants, and I'm worried I need more root-feeders to help with the waste that settles in the substrate. The complete plant list I'm planning on including is: 3-4 dwarf lillies, 2 anubias barteri, 2-3 anubias gold coin, 2-3 crypt tropica, and a whole bunch of crypt parva. Is this line-up ok or do I need to find more low-light root feeders?