[Have you ever accidentally exposed yourself as a Nerm?]

On 8/2/2021 at 9:53 AM, Odd Duck said:

Let your freak flagfish fly!

Best. Quote. Ever.

[All-Purpose 75 Gallon Journal]

Sounds fun and looks good! Is the idea that it be like a sandbox - a place to play, rather than "set up" per se? 

[45 Gallon Tank in Son's Room]

On 8/19/2021 at 8:58 PM, Scrum Fish said:

I had recently added some mineral stones to add some calcium for the benefit of the snails and shrimps. Seems to be helping the hornwort a bit!  It isn’t looking as sickly as it was and I can see some new growth. 

Interesting! I recently added Equilibrium to a tank that has hornwort that's not doing well. I did it for the critters, but maybe it'll help the hornwort! 

 

[45 Gallon Tank in Son's Room]

@Scrum Fish Forgive me if you've already thought this through and taken every precaution, but I can't not mention: It sounds incredibly dangerous to me to have a 45 gallon in a young child's room. I can visualize doing a 10 gallon safely, but even a 20 sounds sketchy to me. 

[How did you discover Aquarium Coop]

On 8/19/2021 at 7:21 PM, Streetwise said:

Aquarium Co-Op provided a mellow approach with low blood pressure.

This is largely what *kept* me connected. 

I know I originally found it on YouTube. I'm pretty sure I was researching info on endlers.

[Hello from the Bay Area, California!]

Welcome! I'm very interested in medaka... although I don't (yet) have any. 🙂 

[Pair of plecos for a 10 gallon]

On 8/18/2021 at 11:56 PM, Tankseeker said:

Matter of fact if stephen doesn’t have a lot of time plecos are not the way to go ,get a Low maintenance fish

 

On 8/18/2021 at 9:16 PM, Stephen Zawacki said:

I am currently keeping a reef tank, a discus tank and a spotted Congo puffer tank... I’m going to be at college

Keeping up with these tanks at the same time you're keeping up with college is likely to be hard. I think it'd be smart to put a screeching halt to the plans for more fish. Several months from now? Maybe, maybe not. None of us want to see you fall face-first with the fishkeeping, nor with college. 

[Pair of plecos for a 10 gallon]

On 8/18/2021 at 9:16 PM, Stephen Zawacki said:

I’m going to be at college

It sounds like this might be your first semester?

If so, it would be good fishkeeping advice to wait and see how much time and energy you'll actually have to spare. 

[New babies]

On 8/18/2021 at 7:50 PM, Griznatch said:

Baby live bearers are voracious. We used to have a ten gallon tank that had a lot of detrius worms in it. I put 2 or 3 very small guppy fry in there, and in a couple days there was some really fat fry and very few worms...

This is how I end up repeatedly battling green water in my fry tank. Like you guys, I'm not making you a brisket, c'mon. 

[Planaria and Cyclops appear from thin water?]

You accidentally have a pet tadpole? I am so jealous! ❤️ 

[How hot are Fluval 3.0's supposed to run?]

On 8/18/2021 at 2:10 PM, Frogmouth Catfish said:

I can touch my fingers to the light for more than a few seconds before it becomes intolerable, whereas its the top of the light that produces the most 'youch,' reaction.

Interesting. I haven't dared touch the light since the top side is so hot. 

Since I needed this to be clear to me, I offer the same to you: People are using the word "warm" to reply to you, but both of mine are scalding hot. So just making sure you know, it's not just your light that gets pain-in-one-second hot. I'm sure 3 seconds would leave a blister. Mine gets there less than 2 minutes after being turned up to full strength.

On 8/18/2021 at 4:45 PM, Seattle_Aquarist said:

The reason the fixture is made from metal is so the fixture can act as a heat sink and draw the heat away from the LED lamps and keep them as cool as possible.  Heat shortens the life of LED lamps so it is good that the fixture is 'hot'....that means less heat at the lamps.  I've used Fluval LED fixtures for about 6 years now and have never had an issue with any of them.  Remember, Fluval warranty is 3 years. -Roy 

Good to know.

[How hot are Fluval 3.0's supposed to run?]

I emailed Candi about this after buying mine. Sent me a new one, which I now feel bad for, because it's every bit as hot. Turns out they do regularly run so hot they'll burn your hand after a second. I wouldn't leave mine on at full strength when I'm out of the house, for sure. Seems dangerous.

Edited to add: Make sure it's not touching the glass, and not close enough to plastic to make the plastic warm. The guy who made my acrylic tank told me heat will mess up plastic, and my personal suspicion is that the heat from direct contact with a Fluval 3.0 could break glass.

[How should a tank smell?]

I've sometimes found that the earthy/dirt stink was coming from above the water surface - like mildew or algae growing on the underside of the lid, or hiding under the top black rim of the tank.

[Fertilizers and General Hardness]

Have you tested the GH of the water from the tap? I'm wondering if it's high.

[The Great Hairgrass Race]

Interesting and helpful! Thanks for doing this, and thanks for sharing it.

[Buying fish online?]

On 8/17/2021 at 8:47 AM, lefty o said:

it doesn't matter why, we are all guests here in someone else's house. when in someone else's house, you abide by their rules.

Except in cases where silence is complicity. Then you direct message.

[Buying fish online?]

Reminder to everyone: Direct messaging is available when you want to give help that's not permitted within a public thread. 

[what state do you live in?]

Surely I'm not the only Illinoisan on here?

[Dying Endlers in a Newish Setup]

On 8/16/2021 at 10:36 PM, ReedJM said:

Thanks for the info! That's great to hear. It sounds like a good fish for Canada with 95 F weeks in the summer and -5 F weeks in the winter 😂

 

In case you're actually interested in fish that have a wide temp range, check out medaka. 

[Dying Endlers in a Newish Setup]

On 8/16/2021 at 10:16 AM, ReedJM said:

 I had read a while ago that endlers prefer temperatures above 78, but now I'm reading that it really doesn't matter as long as they stay at least at room temperature.

Yeah, I'd heard that from some sources, too. But after finding quite a few sources that did seem to have experience with endlers, I ended up putting this in my notes, "Safe at 64-85. Not a bad species to have if the AC or heater goes out."

I also found an article where someone had tested gender ratios of fry who spent fertilization to birth at different temps. 77 was the 50/50 male to female temp. The lower the temp, the more females. The higher the temp, the more males. 

Anyway, you've definitely got some wiggle room. 

[Thermometers: What The Heck!]

On 8/15/2021 at 4:05 PM, Streetwise said:

@CalmedByFish, have you tested an Apex thermometer or pH meter?

I don't even remember hearing about those until this thread... nor a tea thermometer. 

On 8/15/2021 at 8:16 PM, Odd Duck said:

I check with a hand against the glass or in the water depending on what’s going on that day.

Like @Daniel I know that slightly cool is low 70’s for shrimp, plant, and blackworm culture tanks, neutral/lukewarm to touch for my community and puffer tanks at mid-ish 70’s, and slightly warm for Betta tank at high 70’s to 80.

I should learn this little trick! It seems so obvious, now that I hear it. I make a point of keeping adaptable species, so I don't really need perfection.

[Thermometers: What The Heck!]

I bought about a dozen of the glass floating thermometers, then lined them all up in the middle of a large tank. Several had the same temp, which was near the middle of the other temps. I took them out and put them in separate tanks, with a post-it note on the black rim by it that said "within 1 degree."

The others got put in labeled ziplocs to use if needed. The labels are things like "real temp is below this thermometer." 

[What Puffer to Buy?]

My only input is that it needs to have Murphy's derpy rabbit-smile. 

[Hey! Hey! Hey! From Floresville, Texas]

Welcome! 

That main decoration vaguely makes me think of Skara Brae. Pretty cool. 🙂 

[Algae in planted tanks.]

On 8/14/2021 at 11:44 PM, Patrick_G said:

I think the trick is to have just enough light to keep the plants growing

Yeah, but this takes some serious self-discipline for me. Half of me hates algae, and the other half of me wants to crank the light and make the fishies SHINY. Oooooh shiny fishies!