CalmedByFish

Fun pictures! 🙂 What's ADA?

I very much relate to feeling like you can't live without fish. The only thing I have that helps me more is a prescription. 🙄 That outdoor pond is adorable!

I have 2 types of anubias that are planted in gravel, but with the rhizome and top centimeter of roots above the gravel. One is okay. One is thriving. So I think putting your anubias' roots on the gravel shouldn't be a problem. I'd say to add plants before fish. That should help keep the water parameters healthy when the fish are added. Although I have no experience with any of the fish species you listed, I seem to remember that many of your current and future species need buddies. I think it would be worth researching that before adding any new species, in case it's best for your current fish to add more of their own species (which may mean that new species won't fit well).

I wonder if you can cut the intake tube to be shorter. As in, pull off the sponge or grid-like attachment that's stuck on the bottom of the tube, saw some of the tube off, then stick the sponge or grid back onto the spot you sawed. Maybe.

It does fade with confidence. Since confidence largely comes through having good info, I'd suggest keeping some form of written record of info that's relevant to your aquarium(s). That way, you can always be confident that you're keeping track of any problems, and have easy access to answers for those problems. It's also true that calm comes through stabilizing. I'd suggest to *anyone* to go slow with purchases and changes until it feels like the tank is stable and the human is chill. ❤️

Thanks for the help! I ordered this one, because it looks like the tip will be small enough to target little poo piles. Fingers crossed. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07WPT9QL5

FWIW, my angel has been in pH 7.8 for over 4 years. I'm not an expert on what's ideal for them, but it's working fine, so I'm guessing it'd be fine for a lot of angels. But yeah, snail shells definitely should be at a pH of 7+, and have at least moderately hard water, plus Ca in their diet. Same for shrimp, for their exoskeleton.

That one fish looks like he's gonna get even with you guys. 🤣

Neocaridina are generally considered the hardiest shrimp for a beginner to try. I've even heard red cherry are the hardiest of the neocaridina. But I'd suggest starting them in a different tank to let the population build up before putting them with your fish. (Or buy a ton in the first place.) A lot of fish eat baby shrimp, so even when you do put them in, they'll need a lot of hiding places. For snails, consider what task you might want them to do. Different species tend to eat different things. Malaysian trumpet snails are good for eating poo. Ramshorns plow through flat algae. And some species tend to escape, so that's a detail to look at, too.

This is me! Who cares if I'm messing up MY circadian rhythms, just as long as I don't mess up the fishes'. 😂

I'm curious about the size. About how many inches is in that pic, top to bottom?

That is so cool! ❤️ Kudos to the LFS person.

@llmgtab In the pic of the sword, is the plant in the background the parent sword? I was thinking swords had to get huge before they reproduced. (Asking because I have a sword slightly bigger than the plant in the background, and a baby sword sounds really exciting. 🙂 )

I don't know if this translates to aquatic plants, but terrestrial seedlings will look exactly like that at the base of the stem when they get a fungal infection. For what it's worth.

@Ceej I have one particular tank that I do that for every night. I use a black piece of construction paper, folded, and set it against the tank corner that faces a light. That's the corner the fish sleep in. That tank is on a desk, so it's easy to just set the paper by it. I've done the same for tanks on stands, it's just trickier to get it to stay in place. Maybe some fish don't need such help, but mine startle when they see light or movement at night. If you think your fish need cover, you might be right!

Ok, I *think* I deleted it and re-pasted. I don't even know how you can tell what I did! Everyone, I really will get back to the siphon topic tomorrow. Just trying to look smart first. 🤣

@CT_ I edited it. Did I get it right?

Would it work to siphon tanks that are on the floor?

This is the low level of use I need. It's my regular tanks, but bare-bottom, and I just want to get the little "dead spots" where grunge collects. The piles are too small to bother with a regular siphon, and too big to get with a turkey baster.

Anyone have experience with a small battery-powered siphon, or a "hand pump" siphon like the one in the link? I'd love a super easy way to get a siphon started. (I'm okay with weak suction. That might help with offering advice.) https://smile.amazon.com/Aquarium-Fish-Siphon-Gravel-Cleaner/dp/B06XKGYJHR

My head has the same roadblock as @HH Morant. But this sounds like a very interesting experiment! I've often wondered about the idea of doing a "deep sand bed" for anoxic bacteria, but I'm into simplicity. 🙂 Good luck! This could be very cool.

Ramshorn snails quickly demolish the kind of flat green algae that grows on hard surfaces. They make it disappear so fast that it's actually fun to watch. (I don't know if any of your fish species eat snails.)

Good to know! Just sitting on the floor, or glued to something?

My dwarf lily has made at least one baby bulb, and I want to experiment. Any chance a dwarf lily could live sitting on a bare-bottom tank? Or possibly even glued to a rock like a rhizome plant would be? Honestly, I'm not attached to it, so if something might work, I'm game.

I just looked that up on Amazon. Is the 2-4 mm size more like gravel or sand?