Kat_Rigel

I also have very high TDS (around 350ppm) and I have had no issue with cories. I suspect the other fish could also be acclimated to that TDS, especially the betta, but I can't say so from experience. PH of 9.5 is so high! That's really interesting. I'm surprised your local water supplier allows it to be that high.

Is this a terrestrial moss? I would be worried that moss from land areas would not be able to survive underwater. It would start to rot and mess with your tank parameters. If it's just the bark, you could sanitize it by boiling.

I also recommend removing the rubber band and weight. Separate the stems and plant them each individually; they are each their own plant (or they will be once they grow.) There's no real benefit to keeping them bunched together. I tried that with some crypt lutea and it just held back their growth- once I separated them, they took off! I'm sure it would be similar for scarlet temple. I speak from experience with stem plants in general. I have some AR right now but I'm still figuring out how to key in and really make it grow. But I did separate them before planting.

I've heard more than one person report negative reviews of Nicrew lights, but I've had mine for more than a year with no problems. In fact, I bought 3 more a few a months ago, still going strong. Just my experience though. If you are thinking of which one to buy, I'd have to recommend Fluval as a long term investment. Fluval brand has always done very well for me. Nicrew would be better for someone who really wants to do planted tanks but doesn't have the money at the moment to invest in a higher quality light. (Perhaps planning for an upgrade later.) If you already have both, I think I'd recommend the Fluval. My understanding is that the Fluval is UL certified, which can be important for insurance related issues; Nicrew is not. (To my understanding.)

You can always prune it back to keep it at a reasonable size. I think it would work, but it might not leave too much space for other plants (it will shade out other plants.)

@GardenStateGoldfish Thank you for the advice! Tater is much better now, and I have been feeding Repashy more so than the pellets for the very reasons you mention. I did have an unexpected side effect from the salt though. I was checking on Tater today and saw that she had some unusual black coloration on certain areas (see pics.) Along the edge of her upper caudal fin, on her back right at the spine, and on her side. Of course I was concerned, even though she is now acting normally, so I checked water parameters. Lo and behold, I think the very high salt concentration killed off my intriguing bacteria! Nitrite levels were alarming at 5ppm and nitrate- which I've been battling since before this whole issue- was even higher than usual at least 50ppm, maybe higher (its tough to discern the colors at that point.) I suspect she is now getting stressed- but not completely sick- from these poor water parameters. I did a 50% water change and added enough salt to bring it back to 300g per 20gal. (600g originally -> 50% regular water change yesterday means it was at 300g -> another 50% water change today due to the water quality would put it at 150g. I added 150g so that I am not decreasing the salt concentration too quickly.) I also put in a cycled sponge filter from another tank. The salt concentration might still be too high and kill off the bacteria, but I have many other backup filters I can use and my hope is that they will help at least a little before dying off. By no means a scientifically based assumption, but my best guess. All the pet stores are closed today, but I will also add a lot of the quick start bacteria once I get my hands on a bottle... or two. I have to say that I have really been enjoying this challenge. I mean, I definitely wish my fish hadn't suffered, but solving these continuing puzzles is very satisfying. (And my sister is tired of hearing all my fish talk, so I must run to the NERMS, who might actually find it interesting.) *Please forgive the quality of the images. I had just finished the water change and transferring the sponge filter in there, AND I was dissolving the salt, so everything looks a mess. Not to mention that Tater didn't feel like cooperating. 🙄 (But OMG I love this fish so much. 😍) I read online that the black could be areas where she is healing. I think that's a possibility.

Just wanted to update on this thread in case anyone one looks for advice in the future. I spoke to a fancy goldfish breeder in my area (local aquarium club for the win!) and he advised a high concentration of salt (600g per 20gal, which is over a pound,) as well as furan. I had a lot of trouble finding furan, but I did have salt at my disposal, so I increased the concentration from the level one treatment advised on the Co-op page of 1Tbs per 3 gal to the concentration the goldfish breeder suggested. It seems to have worked! Things were very shaky for the first two nights- I really thought I was going to lose her- but on the third day she looked much better and is eating again! I would never have known to use such a high concentration of salt. We are on day 5 of the high salt concentration today and I plan to do a 30-50% water change tomorrow, consistent with the instructions on the Co-op page. All symptoms seem to have subsided- no more weird poo (in fact, there is very, uh, ROBUST poo,) no floaters near the face, she just has one tiny little blemish on her cheek that is not getting worse, and it might just be wen coloration. I will of course keep a sharp eye on it, and if things start to go poorly for some reason, I'll come back and update this thread. Whew! I REALLY thought I was going to lose her. A big win for aquarium salt! The employees at my local pet store were super supportive too (they were concerned when I bought 6 lbs of aquarium salt!) I'll have to go back and update them. Hopefully we can get some more people with goldfish experience on here. This fish has been a big challenge (in a good way) and I would love to see more people keeping them. Wait a sec... have I become... a GOLDFISH person?! 😂 I'll take it.

Cory is a boss and answered my question on the livestream- thank you. Will start treatment with aquarium salt but I'm still nervous!

Uh oh, looks like there is some fungus on the side of her head. (See video.) I'm thinking treat with Ich-X with attention to any signs of bacterial infection?

Hi all, I'm having more challenges with my ranchu goldfish, Tater. *Background: Tater is actually the second ranchu I brought home. The first one seemed to be sick because it was floating weird (it was actually just being a ranchu and floating vertically) so I began treatment with a little bit of salt and erythromycin, not even a full dose. The poor thing died overnight, less than 12hrs home from the store. All the store fish were fine, so I suspect it was my treatment that stressed the fish to death. So with that experience, I am very hesitant to treat with salt or meds until I know that it will help. Ranchus are new to me and boy, does the goldfish world have us regular aquarists fooled! These are by no means easy fish! I am still getting used to this fish's normal behavior- it is so different from an average fish. *Current issue: I left on vacation for about 5 days, using an autofeeder to feed Saki Hikari fancy goldfish sinking pellets 3x daily, small amounts each time. (I have been struggling with finding consistent feeding info online as far as quantity and frequency.) Since I got home, Tater just seems kind of "blah." Less active but I wouldn't necessarily describe her as lethargic. Just lacking her usual perkiness. She'll stay floating vertically, head down, quite a bit. This is normal for her to some extent but not for this amount of time. More concerning is that she does not seem to be eating. She had some really weird looking poo yesterday, almost as if her body was still trying to produce poo but kind of ran out of stuff. I suppose you could describe it as stringy, which I know is a red flag for parasites, but all other poo has been standard. There's just much less of it. *Parameters: 73*F, TDS 553 ppm, pH 8.0, 0ppm nitrite, 0ppm ammonia, 300+ hardness, All of this is normal for my water. However, nitrates were at 40-50ppm. I checked nitrates with 3 different tests to confirm this (Co-op strips, Tetra strips, Master test kit,) and all of them were in agreement. I did a water change about 4 hours ago and dosed Prime, so I am not sure if this is a falsely high reading. *Tank details: Have had the fish for a little over one month. 20gal long, Aquaclear 70 HOB filter, airstone, rock decor and plants (hornwort, duckweed, java fern, anubias, crinum calimastratum.) She used to gobble up the duckweed (it made me laugh because her poo would then be basically just duckweed. Haha.) But now she isn't touching it. I do not fertilize this tank. There is a bold, rugged little platy that has been surviving in there too, along with a couple of rogue cherry shrimp (Mad respect for them; they must be hiding in the rocks to escape the goldie.) Weekly 50%-ish water changes. (No ammonia or nitrite so I would guess the cycle is not being hurt.) Feeding Saki Hikari fancy goldfish sinking pellets, duckweed, and Repashy Gold. Bare bottom tank, no new additions (neither fish nor plants.) My suspicion: I have two theories, and would love to hear from someone with ranchu experience because these little buggers make me confused. Are you sick, or just a weird fish? I suspect 1) Constipation and/or 2) temp too high while I was away. Maybe I was feeding too much with the autofeeder and she's constipated. I have been trying to fix this by feeding only Repashy (seems to have a high plant content) and I have blanched spinach in there for her as well, taking care to rotate it out before it starts to decay. I don't think she realizes it's food yet. And there's always duckweed. She nibbled on the Repashy a tiny bit but not like she usually does. As for temp, its ok now, but I realized the thermostat was on Eco Mode. I just checked those settings and I was letting my apartment get up to 82*F!!! 🔥😵🔥 I hadn't realized that the Nest thermostat would automatically detect when you are gone and switch to Eco. (Usually my husband is also home so it never turns on Eco mode, but he was also out of town with me.) It's hot here in Northern California and I suspect it did indeed get that hot in the apartment, but I don't know what the water temperature got up to. So... not sure if anyone thinks something else might be going on. And before anyone says "feed them peas" I'd like to know if anyone has actually done that and seen results. 🤔 It seems like one of those things we all tell each other but no one has necessarily tried. But anyway, I suspect spinach would be just as good. Hoping that a little time will help, although I know that can be risky. Standard floating position. Kind of worrying. Has no balance problem and can easily swim down. Not tilting left or right, therefore I do not suspect a swim bladder issue, but not 100% ruled out. Bare bottom tank setup. Airstone is hiding behind the rocks. Video shows her just looking kind of slow, sad, and "blah." I'd love to pretend that she just missed me but I know that's not it.

I was very excited to see my goodeid tank after work. It is an aquarium strain of Chalapichthys pardalis, originating from Lake Chalapa in Mexico. You could clearly see the dominant male displaying to various females. I was able to get a pretty good video and wanted to share it here. You can also see one of the other males trying to sneak in at various points, but the dominant male is having none of it and chases him away pronto! I just thought this was so interesting and entertaining. You can REALLY see it at about 16s. I'm not sure if the male succeeded at breeding, since he kept being forced to chase away other males. I suspect he did at some point. If I wanted to ensure success, I would separate out a male and female so they could continue undisturbed, but I want to see if this will work without much interference from me. Additional details: Room temperature (70.6*F) There appear to be 2 males, 3 females, and 2 juveniles. Juvies were not involved in any of the breeding behavior- they were ignored and they ignored what was going on around them. 20gal long, planted, fluorite substrate, no CO2 injection Species only tank aside from some mystery snails Rotate food between Xtreme Spirulina flake and Xtreme Nano. I'll also throw in a tiny bit of Xtreme Krill flakes one in a while, but my understanding is that these fish are largely vegetarian leaning so I stick mostly with Spirulina and Nano. Fluval U1 internal filter as well as a sponge filter. Seems to be ok despite the internet info saying they do not like flow. I think the U1 doesn't have much oomph. Bonus: Plant pearling!

Heck yeah!

Some more pics! I finally got all four 20 Longs up and running. There are more tweaks to come- lights, lids, filters, etc, but I'm finally able to call it complete. It uses two power strips- one is a regular one for stuff that always stays on (air pumps, heater, filters,) and the Kasa smart power strip is mostly for lights. Only the right two tanks are heated, which has helped clear up outlet space. I also mounted the power strips to the wall with those velcro type 3M wall sticky things (here: https://www.command.com/3M/en_US/command/products/~/Command-Large-Picture-Hanging-Strips/?N=5924736+3294529207+3294737318&preselect=8706801+3293786499&rt=rud) This has been super useful and eases my mind- if there is a leak, the strips are elevated off of the floor, plus it provides the all important "drip loop" I have to do some cord management, but I am waiting until I get the final lights and filters. I mounted one of the lights under the top shelf; this is the one where I had accidentally made the shelf too short, so the light wouldn't fit sitting on top of the lid. (Note also- that's a temporary failed lid. I'll be upgrading when I get time.) I had to drill pilot holes, but just used some screw in hooks and some chain, easy to find at a hardware store. Also added some handy 3M Command hooks to hold towels and fish nets. Very handy, helps the towels dry too. So I'm calling this done! All other upgrades are specific to the tanks- including a big fat order of fishes set to arrive on Friday! This is where the pay off for this project REALLY begins! 🔨🐟🐠🔧🛠🧰🗜

Ok, I finally got some time to keep working on this project. I had all the pieces pre-cut and with the experience from the first try, this one was MUCH easier. Now I can kind of see how Joey did it in 45 min. 45 min for someone who already has their ducks in a row, has all the tools readily available, isn't learning anything new. This time, at each step, I pre-drilled all of the holes first. THEN I did all the screws. This made things go much, much faster. And I found that I had been too tentative with the drill. Use all the power! Makes it faster when drilling holes. I had to slow a bit for the screws themselves. I also invested in a second clamp (I mean, they're pretty cheap, so "investment" might not be the right word.) This saved me a lot of hassle, to the point where I would consider this an essential item for the build. The first time, I was using my foot to kind of keep things from moving, and it was really hard to keep the boards where I wanted them, especially because the wood is not perfectly straight. Sometimes you have to MAKE it fit, as Joey says in the initial video. Generally, I just figured out how to place the wood in a way that made drilling easier. See above- last time I had placed the piece flat on the ground and used my foot as a backstop. Why? This method uses gravity instead. I was much more careful to measure out where the middle shelf should be this time. I wanted it to be level, which is an issue I had with the first model. I think I had asked on a woodworking forum, but they explained that if you're measuring accurately, it should be level. Duh! I was just... kind of eyeballing it. Lol I also gave myself more space for the second shelf, since I knew I had made mistakes in the measurements and three tanks was not an option. As you can see with the pic of the first finished stand, there isn't really much room for a lid there. I have some ideas to make it work, but I wanted to make things easy for myself on the second stand. Just add more room, yah know? Stand 1.0 above. My new fancy goldfish Tater is enjoying it. I don't have the second tank stocked yet as I want to get a light for some plants. I might drill some hooks and chain so that I can suspend the light in the recess below the top shelf. So now for the hard part: admitting how much I spent on everything. I think its important to separate what I used, and what I bought but didn't use. Because let's face it, when you're new, you just don't know. You think something will work and it just doesn't. Not everything can be returned to the store (ex. Cut lumber) I will place an asterisk next to items I think are absolutely necessary necessary this build. So... let's tackle this: 6" level $2.97 Varathane polyurethane, 8oz (not enough, had to buy more) $9.98 1qt Varathane polyurethane $17.97 Varathane stain, 8oz (had to buy more) $4.87 1qt Varathane stain $7.87 Wood filler $4.48 *2 boxes Spax screws $23.16 (I needed both) *Titebond II wood glue $3.97 *Clear plastic drop cloth $2.12 2" bristle stain brush $8.37 Metal corner braces (not used) $3.70 *Six 2x4 wood boards $41.88 More boards cause I messed up $20.94 Plywood $48.87 *California lumber fee $0.84 Three 3" wood handle brushes $2.91 2" flat brush $1.28 Paint thinner $7.32 (bought for cleanup but didn't really need) Paint care fee $0.35 60 grit sandpaper 6 pack $4.97 Replacement drill bits $4.97 *8" composite shims $2.28 Styrofoam (to level tank) $9.95 Spax drill bit $1.87 *Two Quakehold earthquake safety strap $19.94 Screw extractor $2.67 *Saw rental (7 1/4" Makita) twice $36 Palm sander $29 (not essential but much faster than hand sanding) Heat gun $23 (ended up being useless for this project) Sales tax $20.65 Stuff I already had that I used: *Drill & bits *Clamp Carpenter's square Dremel & bits (to remove stripped screw) I suspect I am missing a few things from this list, but certainly I have all of the essentials on here. Strictly speaking, you don't need to stain or polyurethane so I removed that from the "required" list. Total amount I paid for EVERYTHING, including stuff I didn't need, to make 2 stands: $369.15. Ouch. That's $184.58 per stand. So if you are balking at the price of a new, pre-made stand, just consider how many mistakes you'll make when you DIY. (Please don't make fun of me, I know it's a lot! I did my best! I'm basically advertising my faults here so please have mercy.) 😅 Amount for what I would have needed with no frills/staining, etc.: $141.19 for two stands, that's $70.60 per stand and much more reasonable. Consider also that if you already had a sander, or rented it instead, this could be less. Alternatively, if you don't have a drill, it could be more. For my project, I really wanted it stained, polyurethaned, and with plywood shelves. If we include those items, and omit any mistakes, my project should have cost: $233.66 for two stands, or $116.83 per stand. That means I bought $135.49 worth of stuff I didn't need because I was a beginner and didn't know what I was doing!!! Personally I am lucky to be in a place financially where I can afford such screw ups. I just think it's important to be completely honest with people when we're talking about doing DIY, especially with someone who is not particularly experienced. You're gonna make mistakes, and they are going to cost money. So that attractive $70 DIY price tag ends up being a lot more (not to mention all the time and effort.) Personally, I do not consider this a waste at all. I have learned SO MUCH and honestly could see myself building more stands in the future if I ever move into a house rather than an apartment. That's another thing too- you CAN build this with very little room. Yes, I would have loved a big yard to do this in, or a driveway, or even a friggin' TABLE. But it is DOABLE. I hope people find this post beneficial. I'll post additional updates in the future once I finish the second stand or set up all the aquariums, but I'll be going at a bit slower pace and won't update as often. I would love to see any other woodworking/building projects that other DIYers have put together for their fish.

Hi all. I need to rinse some gravel I bought from the home improvement store and was wondering if anyone had any clever tips or tricks. I am planning to open a hole in the top and bottom of the bag, then running the water through. I also have some aquaeium sand that I'd like to rinse, but it's not in the bag anymore (failed attempt at a setup- I want to make sure there is nothing in the sand like aquarium salt or meds. Long story, but I don't want them in there.) Seems like the only way to do it is get a bucket and fill 'er up, stir up the sand, then let it settle and tip the bucket to drain most of the water. I plan to repeat about 3 times. Any clever tips or tricks people have for rinsing substrate? Thanks!

So pretty! I must admit, I'm falling head over heels for the little chubsters.

I was very glad to stumble across this post- I am new to goldfish and it's been tough to find accurate information; most people will just repeat things they've read online, so it's nice to see some first hand info. Thank you for this post!

Thank you, I also posted this to a fee goldfish-specific forums and they told me the same thing. (So it is good to hear 3 different goldfish people say the same thing.) These ranchus are so weird, I thought the first one was sick from the way he was swimming! Thanks for the insight and I will keep an eye out- if it grows into something fluffy or really strange looking I'll take action.

Yes, I am familiar with the med trio. But as I discussed in the post, I am concerned that the meds somehow stressed the fish more and caused a rapid death. I can't identify a reason that fish died, and I can't identify a reason this one would be sick. Perhaps simply stress of moving to a new tank?

Hey all, I recently took a big leap and got a fancy goldfish- a Thai ranchu. But it's been a bit if a saga. Let me explain. The first fish I brought home was looking kind of lethargic and so I acted quickly, adding aquarium salt and erythromycin. Unfortunately the fish died overnight- less than 24 hrs after being brought home! The aquarium had Lapis Lustre Cemex sand substrate, the aquarium was new and had no previous fish in it, and I used mature filters from my other tanks. Tank temp was room temperature at 70* F and I used dechlorinator several days prior to adding him. Should have been ok, but he kept floating and getting worse and worse. I was heartbroken! I called up the LFS store owner and he was kind enough to give me a replacement (he would have been entitled to tell me "too bad, so sad," I'm glad he was kind enough to consider my situation.) He gave me precise instructions on getting the new fish home- use a different new tank, no substrate, use Prime to dechlorinate and bubble it for 30min, then float the bag for 30min, then drop him in. It worked like a charm and he has been active, curious, and derpy. I have only had him for 3 days and I am worried because I can't tell if these white spots on the head are part of normal coloration or something to be worried about. They are on the wen on his right side, kind of above his eye. Could some people familiar with fancy goldfish give me some feedback on this? The fish is active and appears to be happy, but I might just be missing anything abnormal because I do not have experience with this type of fish. I read something about breeding stars, could this be it? I thought the fish was female based on vent shape (therefor it would not be stars) but it's tough to tell. Current set up: Bare bottom Filters, all mature: small sponge filter for aeration, 70 aquaclear, small internal filter (I keep reading GOLDFISH ARE MESSY! so I would rather overdo things until I am familiar with the fish.) Just added some anubias and Java fern today, cholla wood, and a rock, hornwort, duckweed, and a light designed for a 10gal Parameters: 71* F Ammonia: edging between 0 and 0.5; just did a water change and added prime; I would be surprised if this reading is accurate after only 3 days Chlorine: 0 Nitrate 10ppm Nitrite: 0ppm Hardness: weird color that doesn't match, but probably 300ppm+ based on previous readings of my aquariums Kh: 300 Video from today: https://youtube.com/shorts/MJ5dXZ2s1Ao?feature=share Picture from Wednesday clearly does not show the spots. I am afraid to treat with anything because I am not sure if that's what caused the first fish to die. Tl;dr: are these white spots normal or a sign of disease? From 3 days ago, no white spots present: All other photos are from today.

So what size would you suggest for 2 ranchus? The 20 I have is also a 20 long; sometimes footprint matters more than volume, but since I'm new to goldies I'm not sure. Or.... I could just get a bigger tank. 🤫

I recently bought a ranchu goldfish and he is freaking ADORABLE. I have him in a 20gal bare bottom (for now- I will add decor and potted plants later.) He looks like he has more than enough space and I am thinking of going back to the aquarium store to buy the last one as a buddy for him. People with goldfish experience, do you think a 20gal would be enough for two fatty ranchus, as long as I am diligent about water quality? It would be cool for him to have a buddy. (And btw, that ranchu wiggle?! So cute!!!)

Thank you, I always prefer to hear from people who have first hand experience. I did go out and buy some styrofoam and even without pressing down, it took out a LOT of the wobble. I discussed the physics of it with my husband and it does seem like it should work (we both have science backgrounds and tried to come at it from a theoretical standpoint.) We can't see any merit to the arguments that it will only hide the pressure points (we even drew a diagram with force arrows! Haha! We're such nerds.) So even though the internet is split on whether this is a good idea, I am willing to try it. Thanks all for the tips. Unfortunately taking it apart or adding another piece of plywood is not really an option (for various reasons.)

I've read online that the styrofoam doesn't actually level it. I haven't tried it myself before; do you have experience of this working? That's quite possible, it was a very tight fit of the plywood. I didn't think about it causing an issue with warping but I makes sense. The plywood is glued on with Tighbond II and I have had no luck separating some other pieces that were glued together, so I don't think this one will separate either; hoping I can find a different solution.

Oooh that's a VERY good idea! I will definitely do that next time. Wow, you worked your way up to a deck?! That's impressive! I really enjoy building and DIY stuff but I never really had an opportunity to learn but it as a kid or younger adult. Youtube is definitely the best for learning new skills. Taught myself how to crochet that way too!