CalmedByFish
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Posts posted by CalmedByFish
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9 hours ago, darkG said:
I accidentally got a tank...
... said everyone in this forum.
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Here's an idea. You could write out this list of critters, then write beside each species what range is okay for things like temperature, pH, GH, etc. Cross-referencing their needed water parameters might help you know which species can actually go well together in a single environment.
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Hi Morpheus! Cool name.
Welcome to the hobby and the forum.
I was about the age of your kids when I first became excited about fish. Perhaps you're awaking a life-long joy for them. 🙂
Others will have more experience to offer, but I've had 3 African Dwarf Frogs. They're going to be super hard to feed with other bottom-feeders in the tank. Really, I think they'd be hard to feed with any other species at all in the tank. That's definitely something to research.
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Hi.
My first thought is that it might help if the zebras have a lot of hiding places. I'm thinking you could have the tank about 1/2 full of plants and other hiding spots. As long as your angels have plenty space to swim, it won't be too much.
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The koi angels are so cool!
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The Florida Flagfish are gorgeous!
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Voice of inexperience here, but I wonder about neon tetras. My thinking is that because they don't breed as fast as livebearers, and they're very small, they're less likely to overrun the tank.
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Hey there. I wish I could offer advice, but I can at least offer camaraderie.
I also have a 55 gallon, am new to plants, and now have a lot of information that I wish I'd had a long time ago. Like you, I've recently started trying to get my aquarium into a better situation. Sounds like you've been doing great with making improvements!
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On 12/9/2020 at 7:56 PM, tolstoy21 said:
I really enjoy rose gardening but oddly never considered that a hobby.
They're gorgeous! Absolutely stunning.
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15 hours ago, Cory said:
800g moved to the new studio today.
Undoubtedly difficult. Well done!
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11 hours ago, Kirsten said:
Welcome to the forum! Aren't livebearers amazing like that? 😄
Sounds like you're definitely on the right track to having a nice, sustainable tank!
They are! Livebearers are both magic and mayhem. Didn't you also recently get endlers? I know somebody was talking about that the other day...
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1 minute ago, KBOzzie59 said:
I have a couple tanks with both that have never seen a root tab, but they are also under-gravel filters so...
Ooh, interesting thought. Does that mean that all the poo is getting slowly pulled down to the roots?
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4 hours ago, gardenman said:
No one in the wild is wading in streams and putting root tabs around for val and sagittaria.
This image made me laugh.
For good or ill, I recently thoroughly vacuumed the gravel. All that rich black bleck is gone.
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I recently bought my first two species of plants - vallisneria, and dwarf sagittaria. One reason I chose them is that I thought they only need liquid fert, but now I'm seeing that they *must* have root tabs. Which is it? Do they need root tabs? Frankly, I don't want to mess with it.
(I was planning to buy more of the val and sag, but if they need tabs, I'll hunt down species that don't.)
Thanks guys.
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Wow! Is the huge plant on the right half of the tank the sprite? (If it is, I just might buy one!)
15 hours ago, FishyJames said:I need to get algae under control in my 55 first.😔
I'm new to this, so could be wrong, but I think putting the plants in your 55 would actually help get algae under control.
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The first action I remember taking was near age 8, when I was trying to save tadpoles from a puddle that was drying up behind our house. I took jars from the kitchen, put untreated tap water in them, and repeatedly ran out to the puddle, somehow scooping tadpoles into these jars, and running them back to some bigger body of untreated water in my backyard. It didn't go well. But I tried. I had none of the knowledge they needed, but all the heart.
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I've posted a few times, but haven't introduced myself.
I've had fish off-and-on since childhood, but not knowing what I was doing. About 8 years ago, I bought a single dalmation molly that soon was dropping fry every 1-2 months for over a year. My main tank was overrun.
While that was happening, I entered a situation where I became the primary caregiver for kids with major special needs - often having to rush to the hospital. I had to get control of that tank, so I bought one beautiful angelfish, who soon took care of the fry problem, and eventually was the tank's sole inhabitant. I love that dude.
But this caregiver life has my emotions burned out, and I'm turning as much attention as I can back to fish, as a way to revive myself.
I recently bought 9 baby endlers, who give me a lot of joy, and who the angelfish will be delighted to help me keep in check.
And I'm learning as fast as I possibly can about how to do a good job - ya know; water parameters, effective filtration, easy plants, etc.
My goal is a tank that gives me joy, and is sustainable enough to not fall apart when I have to suddenly ditch it and spend a week in a children's hospital. I'm delighted to be making progress toward that goal, and I appreciate the help I'm getting from Cory's videos and this forum.
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Your "Dragon tank" sounds adorable. 🙂
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On 3/14/2021 at 8:00 AM, Daniel said:
little microscopic fauna that really healthy aquariums have
Is there a way to get these on purpose? I've seen scuds for sale, but no other species of tiny critter.
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Gosh I love nerds. 😂
Alright, I'll forego the bacteria for now, and try the hornwort that's on the way. It should arrive within a few days.
And as a Plan B in case the hornwort arrives looking pathetic, I'll hit up the Co-Op for a load of vallisneria.
Thanks guys!
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1 minute ago, Daniel said:
As you mentioned, it is hard to keep a tank full of live plants and also a have a nitrate problem. Hornwort has good reputation for gobbling up nitrates. But if you like Vallisneria, I would give that a try first.
I actually just ordered a bit of hornwort a few days ago! Not here yet, but that tank can be its first home! (The long-term plan is a very simple little pond this summer.)
Sounds like you think I have a better chance at success with plants than with the bottled bacteria?
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My 55 gallon hadn't gotten a single water change in years. The Nitrate level was somewhere well above 80. After nearly emptying it by gravel-vacuuming, and refilling it with new water reading 0 ppm Nitrate, the tank was immediately near 30 ppm Nitrate. I then put so much pothos on the top that the roots fill about half the tank, and added 2 Seachem resin bags to the HOB filter.
Just over a week later, Nitrates were back up to 40-80. It's now been a month since that 95% water change, and Nitrates are still 40-80.
There's no way it's overstocked or overfed - it's just an angelfish, and Malaysian trumpet snails. I've been very careful to give the angel just a flake more than he'll eat per day, letting that little bit fall down for the snails. Ammonia and Nitrite are always at 0.
So now I'm looking at a bottle of bacteria that contains a "blend of aerobic, anaerobic, and facultative bacteria which facilitate the breakdown of waste organics, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate." But I don't know of a place in my tank that's low-flow enough for the denitrifying anaerobic bacteria to live. (Underneath the gravel maybe?)
My only other thought is to try to stuff the tank with Vallisneria, which I hear is great for gobbling up Nitrates.
Based on your experience, what would you try?
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On 3/10/2021 at 2:53 PM, Anita said:
I set In the fall, I brought everyone (well, almost everyone) inside, where I am keeping them in tanks until the weather warms up.
I just read your "almost everyone" saga. Sheesh! No fun. I'll heed the warning.
By the way, the species you listed are almost exactly what I'd like to try. 🙂 This year will be my first attempt, so I'm pretty sure the only animal will be Malaysian Trumpet Snails - a low-pressure way to get the hang of it. But hey, next year I might have a lively pond, similar to yours!
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3 hours ago, CT_ said:
If there's a local fish club or FB group you can ask for peoples "cull" shrimp (ie the ones that aren't good enough colored to keep in the breeding colony). Around here they sell for 1-2$ ea.
I'm not sure if they're too big or not but baby shrimp are really small ~2mm long so thats about 4 BBS long and maybe 2BBS tall. You will have to make sure there's not too many hiding places for baby shrimp though.
Thanks for the suggestion. I just hunted around on FB and requested membership to a swap group.
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What did you get done today?
in Photos, Videos & Journals
Posted
I got 4 species of plants that I've never had before, and my first Fluval light. When I took the lily bulb out of the bag, it looked like 2 stuck together, and it actually was! 🙂 A couple days ago, I got my first hornwort, and ramshorn snails. Gradually, I'm getting my tanks fixed up in a way that is more sustainable, and makes me smile.