CalmedByFish

That's exactly what I came here to suggest! I vaguely remember someone on here saying they even did it with an Amazon sword. Plant weights are an option too. Really, for any plant, the roots need water and nutrients, rather than substrate itself. So if you've got nutrients in your water, your roots are getting what they need.

@Karen B. I think most of us know how awful that feels. I've found at least 3 dry on the floor over the years, each my fault. I'm sorry for your loss. Someone else suggested trying to be as gracious to yourself as you would be to anyone else on here who did the same thing. That seems wise. Hard, but wise. A few days ago, I suddenly realized that of my 30-something shrimp, only 6 were still alive. I'd looked at them everyday, but only at one small section of the tank, where apparently all the live ones had been collecting. Turns out the nitrates were the highest I've ever gotten on a test - somewhere from 90-150. Totally my fault. I think I've managed to get the tank in a much healthier condition than I'd ever intended to mess with before, and you'll fix issues too - even if it's just remembering to fully close the top. It's bad, but good will come.

I have a kid with special needs. In order to have fish, I had to get a custom acrylic tank built, so it's entirely impossible to break it. It's made of 1" thick acrylic, even though it's only 29 gallons. There are ways. They might be expensive, or inconvenient, or ugly. But there are ways. Finding a way to lock the tank closed is a good idea. I'd also try to think up all the ways students and adults could bring harm, and try to prevent it. (Like putting the air pump in a place where it'd be hard to expose it to airborne chemicals or sprays, for example.)

Welcome! I'm thinking Ciel is lucky to have an owner who's so dedicated to him.

Even with it being such a mess, I can tell that it'd been very nice before. So that makes me think you'll be able to make it look very good again. You'll get there. Sorry about the fish you lost though. Your betta's stubbornness is amusing. My angel is like that.

My critters are accustomed to pH 7.8. In my new house, the pH is 8.3-8.4. The water I tested (twice) was tap water in a clean tank with new inert gravel, treated with a double dose of Fritz Complete, with an airstone running for 14 hours. Most of my species can adapt to the increase in pH, but the neocaridina, per Flip Aquatics, should max out at pH 7.6. (They were staying alive at the previous pH 7.8, but not breeding.) I've heard decreasing GH can also decrease pH, but I actually want to increase GH a bit. So that option is out. I know that a stable pH is safer than "chasing" pH. My KH is 9-10, so I think stability should be okay. But I'd prefer the pH be stable and lower. When I add organics (plants, fish food and poo) to the tank, to what extent might that lower pH? I know tannins can decrease pH, but I very much dislike tan water. (If needed, I could roll my eyes and keep a species-only neocaridina tank with tannins. Also, my neocaridina are actually my least-favorite species, so maybe I could very gradually let their pH increase, and just cross my fingers.) Regardless of what happens to the neocaridina, the other species I'm more concerned about are: an angelfish, endlers, platies, and green plants. If you have any further info or ideas, I'd appreciate it.

There's also an argument for getting one that's "too" small, because heaters are notorious for not turning off when they should, killing the whole tank. My method is to use two that are each too small to quickly overheat the tank on its own. If one fails to shut off, I've got more time to notice and save the fish.

At least it ended well. 😆

🙂 I've never had a turtle, but I've heard they're super poopy. How big are yours?

Been there, done that! 😝 Welcome to the forum! Are turtles your favorite water critters?

So relatable! I love that tanks are a version of escapism that's real. They're like a whole other world. While I find sci-fi has major pros, I love that the underwater world is fully real, current, and in my home.

As a married person, can confirm. So true.

Me too. 3 before birth. 1 at age 7, having been fading since birth. And the 1 remaining has very high-demand special needs. I have my fish because nothing else at all makes me want to get out of bed. Nothing. I'd still get up to take care of the 1 remaining, but resolve and joy are not the same experience.

This is HUGE. I acknowledge the struggle, the determination it took to get this done, and I'm smiling on your behalf. GREAT job, and I'm glad you were able. May the joy still be present tomorrow. ❤️

If you have another container that you can make safe for fish, I'd suggest that. It needs to have never had (most) chemicals in it. If it's only had vinegar, rinse rinse rinse. If it's had regular soap (not detergent), you can rub it very thoroughly with white vinegar, then rinse rinse rinse. If it's bleach, you can rub it fiercely under hot running water, then fill it with water and at least 5 doses of water conditioner, let it sit overnight, then rinse rinse rinse. Or, of course, you could buy a cheap tote since you'll be at Wal-Mart anyway! Anyhow, I'm glad you found the med you want, and I hope it works.

Welcome to the forum.

Nice tanks and cool fish! I like the snakes with wings. 😜 Welcome to the forum!

I'd say to go ahead and get the fishy into the quarantine tank before doing the salt, just to protect your bigger tank. But yes, salt is exactly what I'd suggest. (Not that I'm knowledgeable on the topic, but like Taco Playz, I've heard it helps just about anything that can be helped.) Edit to clarify: I'd definitely just add salt to his water instead of doing a salt bath. I'm betting that's less stressful, and honestly, I don't know that he could handle a sudden major stress like a salt bath.

@TorreyThe way you wrote that out is so easy to understand and implement. Thank you!

You married up. 😂 I get it though. I couldn't bear the thought of any of my baby fish getting eaten, until the day I read the back of the fish food container, and realized that by buying it, I was just hiring the fish version of hitmen. That was the day my thinking turned a corner, but I DO still think it's a bummer.

@Torrey That's a great idea using high-fert plant grow out tanks for plants, and making "rooms" in the fish tank. I actually think I could do that! The floor space inside the tank is 33x13." 29 gallons. (And yeah, most people say angels need bigger. When mine was in a 4 foot tank, he just chose a corner and parked. About twice per day, he'd slowly swim the length of the tank, then go park again. Haha.) Sorry about that house fire.

I'd love to have the tank jam-packed with plants. Even after spending about $145 in the last week for more plants and better substrate, I think my tallest plant will currently come up halfway between the substrate and water surface, and a high percentage of the plants' square feet of coverage will just be vallisneria, which isn't good for hiding behind. I'd love to strategically spend about another $200 on plants to get the tank crammed, but simply can't. I think I'll start with the idea of trying fully grown dwarf platies with the angel, since they're my largest fish other than him. (Only 6 are fully grown though.) I could swear @Daniel was successfully keeping angels with adult endlers in a tank that wasn't packed with plants, so I don't really know what is and isn't possible for my specific angel. He's about 4 years old (middle-aged?), and has developed a "get off my lawn" attitude.

Interesting about the CO2. I'm not quite understanding that last paragraph. Are you saying that briefly turning off the lights mid-day prevents algae? For example, 8 straight hours of light would produce more algae than 4 hours on, 1 off, 4 on?

I've been hunting through the internet, and am only finding anecdotal evidence being declared as authoritative fact, as if an anecdote is a doctorate. 🙄 I'd love some actual scientific fact, if you know of any sources. My anecdote: About a month ago, I meticulously sorted through endlers that were a couple months old, collecting all the females into one container. My method is to wait until the belly fin opens into an obvious fan, so I know for sure it's not a gonopodium. (I don't look for gonopodiums, since a female's fan-shaped fin can be folded into a stick shape.) All endlers put into the female container had shown me an obvious open "fan." Over a month later, at least 1/5 of those females have developed male colors (females stay silver), and a gonopodium. I assume the XX chromosomes don't change. But I'm not certain. I know that in humans, hormones can cause physical characteristics that are atypical for the XX or XY chromosomes the human has. So I'm wondering if I have XX endlers whose hormones have changed to make reproduction possible. I really have no idea. Anybody have actual science on this? (Maybe @Biotope Biologist or @Hobbit?)

I'm grateful for the good family members I've just moved to be by. I know it sounds cliche to mention anything fish-related here, but I really am super grateful for my one unbreakable tank. It brings SO much peace of mind. And having just gone through some pictures of one of my kids who passed away, it also occurs to me that I'm specifically grateful for the photos that are hilarious. 😜