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CalmedByFish

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Everything posted by CalmedByFish

  1. Been there. That's what started the path to me landing here. Even just a couple weeks ago, poor water quality killed about 7/8 of my shrimp, and I had no idea it was going on. Whether fortunately or unfortunately, a lot of us understand.
  2. Super cool. I had no idea an eye could heal like that.
  3. I was just trying to give people a snapshot of why I like fishies. "Ooooh" is very different from a high-octane interest.
  4. Yeah, that describes the algae I've got. I'll make a note about the horned/thorned and marble limpets. If the zebras don't scrape it off, I'll try that.
  5. That entire comment was interesting! I ordered zebra nerites for the tank walls, so it sounds like I might've chosen with some good luck. But I was actually preferring the look of marble limpets. I only chose zebra over them because there was a major price difference, but this is good info. I saved it in my snail notes. I've had a similar experience with ramshorns. When I first got them, I put them in a tank that was caked in green algae. I'd come look again about every hour, and every time, there was less green. In a week, all the hard surfaces were clean. I remain amazed! That makes me wonder if that flat green algae, and this flat green algae, might be different types. Or maybe there's something about acrylic that helps the algae hold on. That other tank was glass.
  6. With that comment, the magical internet has now told me that nerites are the only possibility. I hadn't found anything specifically saying otos can't do it until now - I'd only not seen anyone say they can. I'll update you on it. I'm not sure I'll put them into the acrylic immediately. I plan to separate them into different tanks so I can see who lays eggs, and keep that one(s) out of the favorite tank.
  7. If your 20 has nerites and no algae, that sounds promising! Since you have multiple, maybe you could separate them into more tanks to keep more clean? I decided to try some nerites. The cheapest I found (that looked like they'd arrive healthy) were 3 zebras for $16. They should arrive in about a week.
  8. @eatyourpeas Nothing in the package died of dysentery, did it?
  9. @Sweetpickles I found this article about which animals eat which algaes. It says nerite snails are, "especially handy at scraping off the very tough green spot algae." But it says about otocinclus catfish, "their mouths are ideal for... flat surfaces." I don't know if I should pay more attention to the words "scraping" and "very tough," or "flat surfaces." I'm leaning toward "scraping" and "very tough" though. https://www.aquariumcoop.com/blogs/aquarium/algae-eaters
  10. What kind of snails have you tried? I've tried Malaysian trumpet, bladder, and ramshorn. (Ramshorns have been excellent for me for getting off soft flat green algae, but not this hard flat green algae.)
  11. Good! I hope it helps you, too. I've tried every trick for decreasing growth, and succeeded! But once that type of algae is on a surface, it's hanging on like lichen in the arctic. It's unbelievable.
  12. Alright, Folks. I've got the kind of algae that looks like a mat of little flat green splotches on the tank walls. It won't even come off with ACO's "algae scrubber" sponges, and muscle-burning scrubbing. I'd use a razor blade, but the tank is acrylic. I give up. There's got to be a critter that can help with this. What kind of aquarium inhabitant can function like a razor blade? 29 gallons. pH 8.3. An angel and a few platies. Aaand GO.
  13. Yeah, that's what I meant. I didn't realize they may have a different appearance though. Maybe that's why my pennywort barely even pretends to grow. I didn't know that floaters will root in substrate either. I actually just ordered frogbit a couple days ago (not here yet), so that's cool to hear!
  14. @Jennifer V Had another thought this morning. You said it looks like oil, so maybe check the fat content of the food you put in the tank. Maybe actual oil could be involved.
  15. Good job! I'll just add that a lot of plants can be grown floating, even if they're usually thought of as planted plants. What group of plants would that be called? Stem?
  16. I don't know what it is, but I've found that it doesn't develop where the water surface is in motion. I'm guessing if you added an air stone in the area - even just for a few days - it'd go away.
  17. This is super interesting to me. I've heard wood can carry "pathogens" and "harmful" things into the tank, but I don't actually remember hearing of anything specific that wood might carry in. I know "biofilm" is common, and that it's a bacteria some critters will eat. (I'm actually getting the wood in hopes of creating biofilm for my shrimp.) It's easy for me to understand that people think it looks gross, so would want to avoid it. I suppose wood might get man-made chemicals on it, and boiling might help somehow? What about wood can be dangerous?
  18. Since they'll aim for hiding spots, maybe put the best (or only) hiding spots at the front of the tank, where they're easy to see. Other ways they can "hide" and you still see them are to give them floating plants to hang on the underside of, decor that makes a shadow they can sit under, giving them a blob of loose java moss to crawl around in, and just plain making the tank dimmer. Mine are also willing to brave the light to sit on a piece of catappa leaf, so luring might be a good method, too.
  19. Just guessing here. If it doesn't look like biofilm to you, maybe search for pictures of cyanobacteria.
  20. Title. I have my first-ever driftwood coming in the mail. To disinfect it, I was planning to boil it in a pot, as is the norm. But sheesh, I have a kid to take care of. What if I just stick it in a crockpot on high, and walk off? I could notice when it gets to a low boil, set a timer for an hour, then turn off the crockpot. Any obvious problems with that idea?
  21. I actually think one of the biggest "well knowns" in the hobby, that isn't true, is that having an aquarium has to control you. Nobody makes us acquire more containers of water than we can comfortably keep up with. Nobody makes us over-spend. Nobody makes us give in to a whim to buy a fish... which then spreads an illness that wipes out the whole tank. Truly, it can be great for our well-being to have a lot of tanks, strategically spend a lot of money, buy a fish on a whim and quarantine the heck out of it first, etc. But there does seem to be a mentality that being out of control is to be expected in this hobby. It's not true. We are in control of ourselves. "MTS" is a good example. It's not a syndrome. There's no disease, or contagion, or lack of a cure. It's a choice. Editing to add: That doesn't mean compassion isn't in order when our choices lead to stress or grief. Thought I should make sure that's clear. Compassion is always good, and it doesn't need to have "well you did choose..." added to it.
  22. Do cows (or other animals) not mind drinking the fishes' ammonia? Or maybe it's just similar to animals drinking out of a river that has fish in it? Also, super impressive that they survived that freeze!
  23. How about ditching the "coarse" sponge, and using one with such teeny tiny holes that the shrimplets can't possibly get in? (I've never understood the idea of using coarse sponge to keep out fry. My platy fry easily dart deep inside the coarse sponges to hide.) A few days ago, I found myself needing a tiny-holed sponge filter right away, but didn't have one. So I pulled the coarse sponge off its green frame, and cut a piece of "fine poly pad" to fit where the sponge would normally go. I held it on by putting rubber bands around the pad. So far, so good!
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