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Fishdude

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Posts posted by Fishdude

  1. 5 minutes ago, Tobezoned said:

    Should I still use my fertilizer? Wouldn't it also help the algae grow if I did? If i can somehow identify if this is algae or a fungus then maybe I could get a siamese algae eater from my LFS. Or would adding a fish just spike my amonia and nitrates as this tank only recently cycled?

    I mean in terms of a non-expert opinion I would hold off on adding any additional fish simply because it's not a cycled tank as you said. At this point you want those bacterial colonies to mature before you add any additional bioload. Adding fertilizer isn't a problem, unless it's in excess of what your plants can use. The issue is balance - you want to add about the level of ferts needed for your plants to consume at the light levels they grow best in. Too much light (which can be intensity or length that the light stays on) will allow algae to capitalize on that imbalance and grow. 

    One thing to keep in mind is that some algae can be healthy - in this case you probably want to make adjustments and keep an eye on the growth. I've found that plants can bounce back if you get the balance of Easygreen and light correct. 

    Another thing you could consider if the algae is bothersome is that you can treat with hydrogen peroxide mixed with carbon - look for videos from expert fish-keepers about fighting back black beard algae with that. Some algae is healthy though - your bristlenose plecos will enjoy it for sure, so treating the water may not be the best option.

  2. 1 minute ago, Tobezoned said:

    I installed a dimmer switch to the light so as of today I have put it on a much lower setting. I'm still worried that whatever this is will end up using more of the little light I am now providing than the actual plants will

    That's a good addition, I found the dimmer can really help. If the plants are mostly low light then once there's a balance of nutrients and light in the water the plants themselves should take care of the algae issue. I had a clump of java moss once that suffered like this and just died off but once I got lighting and fertilization under control the next clump of moss I bought flourished. It will probably take some time to balance the light and the fertilizer.

  3. 2 minutes ago, Dkshadowwolf said:

    I feed a lot of live foods, Grindle worms,Black worms, Live adult brine shrimp, Baby brine shrimp,Daphnia,and fruit flies. I also feed frozen, brine shrimp and blood worms. Last but not least I feed high quality dry foods, Bug Bites (small,medium & Pleco Formula),Exteme Krill flakes, Repashy community and I just started trying Vibra Bites. My main aquarium is a 125 with mostly smaller types of schooling fish such as rummy nose tetras,cardinals,dwarf pencils, three line pencils, ember tetras, glow lights etc. plus Cory catfish, ottos, dwarf chain loaches and hill stream loaches 

    A. where does one find so many live foods?

    B. what kind of corydoras?

  4. 9 minutes ago, James Black said:

    Wow I dont quite have that much variety compared to the above.

    I feed NLS Community Sinking Pellet to my Community Tank almost every day (once a day). Frozen Blood worms on fridays.

    For my betta tank I feed Hikari Betta Bio Gold through out the week and then frozen blood worms on Friday as well as Fluval Bug Bites on Monday.

    I wanna try some repashy soon. Thinking the Community Plus Variety.

    Yeah that's the repashy I bought. It's really easy to make, it smells kinda bad, and for some reason it took my fish awhile to warm up to it. Everyone eats it now though. I think I'm going to need to freeze it (and you may want to do that as well).

    • Like 1
  5. 2 hours ago, Fish Folk said:

    Photo below from last major batch we raised the way you're starting out. It's so worth it . . . you need to make sure you've got some finely powdered fry starter food, and know how to hatch live baby brine shrimp.

    Screen Shot 2021-03-07 at 9.08.42 PM.png

    Oh wow look at the color on those fins!

    • Thanks 1
  6. Wanted to get a discussion question out here about what you're feeding your fish and why. Do you go for variety? Simplicity? Higher quality? 

    I recently got Repashy Community with an ACO order to try it with my platys, tetras and cories (and my growing mystery snail population, but they'll eat anything). I made the food and was surprised they didn't all jump on it the first time I added it, but they've since decided it's good food. Prior to that I've rotated between flake/dried foods, frozen blood worms, frozen brine, frozen greens, and for my bottom feeders some good disc foods. Way more variety than I had intended when I started in the hobby!

    So what foods do you all prefer and how often do you rotate through them?

    • Like 1
  7. 25 minutes ago, OnlyGenusCaps said:

    Awesome build! 

    Just because no one else mentioned this, keep the RO filter out of the light.  Those cylinders can grow algae so fast!  Particularly the first sediment filter stage before stuff is really being removed.  I made the mistake of just hanging it up near grow lights in a carnivorous plant room and it was a mess to maintain.  Now, I always try to warn others. 

    Thanks for that tip, I hadn't even thought of that. I'll likely hang it a ways from any of the main lighting and there's no sunshine so hopefully I'm in good shape. Plumber comes tomorrow and then I get to try the filter out!

    • Like 1
  8. If you like playing with a little chemistry set then the API master kit is a good choice. If you need quick information to make sure your fish are in healthy water, the test strips will do the trick. Honestly the best testing method is whichever one you'll actually do consistently.

    • Like 3
  9. I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who likes the Ziss moving bed filter. That thing is mesmerizing to watch. You've got a lot of filtration and that's good!

    Are you thinking about adding anymore plants or trying to grow out what's in there first?

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