Stef

Pandas too!! Really nice scape.

Hi All, I'm about to set up a 6 gal cube for a betta that has light colored sand (CaribSea Super Naturals). All my other betta tanks have driftwood and dark substrate (black or dark brown). My question is will tannins actually stain the light sand? I know I can remove tannins from the water column through water changes, but I'm wondering if the sand itself will become permanently stained over time. I've already boiled my small piece of driftwood to death (2 hour duration over a period of 4 days). I'm ok with some tea colored water, just wondering since this is my first light colored sand tank. Also, has anyone used the package of "Bio-Magnet Clarifier" that comes with the 20lb bag of CaribSea sand? My filtration is only a small Coop sponge filter for these 6 gal cubes. The package of Bio-Magnet is only about a 1/2 tablespoon. Just wondering if any buys into the "positive electrical charge as a bacterial magnet": Increase light penetration, spectrum and intensity with crystal clear water! Bio Magnet does it best. Cloudy water is caused by fine suspended particles such as algae, silt, and bacteria. These particles usually carry a negative charge as does most filter media. The filter media, therefore, repels these particles and water can remain continually cloudy. Bio Magnet utilizes a positive electrical charge as a bacterial attractant. This unique formula quickly seeks out and encapsulates the suspended particles, enabling the positively charged particles to be drawn to the filter. Particles caught in the filter are broken down by bacteria, and suspended bacteria are now repositioned onto strata where they are most efficient. The result? Crystal clear water, fast… and a better biological filter!

Hi everyone. I recently acquired 3 Amano Shrimp for my 10 and 5 gal nano tanks. I've had them since Oct 15 (7 days as of today). Two went in the 10 gal and one went in the 5 gal. They were slowly acclimated to their tanks. However, they have been very shy and I have yet to see them out and about. I found the exoskeleton of the one in my 5 gal this afternoon. The shrimp is now hanging out on the wall of the tank near a wisteria plant. He had been hiding behind the filter output which was covered by a pre-filter sponge. Up until today, he hadn't moved from the sponge. So I'm assuming his move to a new tank and molt caused the shyness. His tank mates are only a betta and a mystery snail. The betta is pretty easy going. So the other two in the 10 gal are still in hiding but haven't molted. My dilemma is the tank needs a water change. Water parameters aren't bad, but there's 3 BN plecos, 3 panda corys, a betta and an oto. The substrate is getting quite poopy. Per API liquid/master test there's 0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrate and 20-40 Nitrate (hard to tell). The two shrimp have been hanging out on the top of the internal filter (Dennerle). There's a little "shelf" up there next to the spray bar at the surface. If I do a water change, will they leave the "shelf" by themselves as the water level goes down? Will they stay up there and possibly be exposed to air (dry up) during the water change process? At minimum it would take me 15-20 minutes to 50% drain, gravel vac, refill the bucket, treat with Prime, then re-fill the tank. Pic 1 is the molt from the shrimp in the 5 gal Pic 2 is the freshly molted shrimp Pic 3 are the two shrimp in the 10 gal hiding on the internal filter Pic 3 is the top "shelf" area of the filter where they've been hanging out for 7 days straight Should I delay the water change a few more days?

Discovered this plant making a comeback. I thought it died a year ago. I like its short thin leaves and would like to get another one but I cannot remember what it is or where I got it. Anyone know?

@lmhicks101 you can briefly microwave the pea, then remove the outer shell and cut it into tiny pieces. The pea is high in fiber and can relieve constipation in bettas. If the betta hasn't pooped and has a bloated belly. You may have to hand feed or use tweezer to place the piece of pea near the fish. The fish may not eat it depending on appetite. Aquarium salt can be used in a quarantine tank to treat various illnesses (swim bladder, dropsy, etc.). If your fish is healthy and you have live plants, you don't need to add the salt. My comment was just to have the items on hand.

Good old fashioned aquarium salt, and frozen peas. Gotta look out for the constipated bettas 🤨

Glad you figured out a solution. I have several nano sponges. If they’re not sitting in the substrate level or the air stone curves inside the basket, it blurps out the side. I just stuffed a tall water wisteria in front of it 🤪

Hi everyone, I have a blue mystery snail with lots of algae on his shell. Does anyone clean their shell by gently scrubbing with a toothbrush? Or just leave it? Towards the tip of his whorl, is that bba? Im guessing if it’s as hard to get off glass it’s equally hard to remove from his shell. He’s in a 5 gal with an easy going betta. Would an amano shrimp clean him (and the tank)?

Welcome back to the hobby. My 2 cents would be don’t leave your aquarium light on too long. I made the mistake of ogling my new clean aquarium all day long. Then the algae came with a vengeance. The plants in this tank all look like green velvet. Put your light on a timer. I think 8-10 hours is the general depending on your plat selection.

Yikes @Guppysnail yours wasted no time. I have a 5gal with a very large piece of driftwood that a BN would love and only a single betta, but smaller volume. One of the three BN’s (the one on the bottom of the zucchini) is a little bigger than the other two and a little pushier at feeding time. Could he be male? None of them have their bristles yet.

Yeah, @lefty o I got suckered into a 3 for $15 sale at the time. I’ve got my sights on a 50 gal for the holidays. How long do you think I have before they’re grown? They all a little less than 1.5” inch.

Had to post this cute pic of my three panda corys. These three are currently in a 10 gal shared with three young BN plecos, one oto and one betta. Would adding 2 more panda corys be pushing it, bio-load wise? I’m doing weekly water changes regularly. I feed them frozen blood worms weekly plus sinking wafers every few days. The dish was what was left from the plecos’ algae wafers. I love watching the pandas patrol the tank like a little troop ☺️

My unnamed “panda betta”. His eyes locked onto mine through his pitiful cup. Love at first sight.

Appreciate the feedback and tips all. A while back I had some extreme test results on a new tank, and was testing like crazy. It scarred me for life 🤪

Mine love the no salt added canned green beans and blanched zucchini. They don’t touch any algae wafers. Oh, and the gunk that grows on the top of the heater cord 🐌🐌

Cool little racks. So is one rack for one tank or is it for one test, like ammonia? (E.g., all tubes collected from 10 tanks are in one rack and that one rack becomes the ammonia test)

To the folks with multiple tanks, when you’re testing more than one tank, do you have the extra test tubes and add the drops from one test as you go down the line or do you run the test for one tank then rinse the tubes and repeat for the next tank? I was testing 4 of my 6 nano tanks today and it was rather time consuming doing the rinse and repeat method. Plus I’m never sure if the excess tap water left in the cleaned tubes dilutes the results or I’m just being paranoid.

I was “loaned” lyretail mollies to do fish in cycling but loved them too much to return to the lfs. They’re like two Labrador retrievers at meal time. I pour their food in the cap of the container and then drop it in the from the cap so I don’t accidentally dump too much food. They chase the red food cap back forth like a frisbee. Pretty entertaining for all ages. They’re both female and I’m told they can hold on to sperm for a long time (from males in the lfs tank they were in with). No live fry yet for me, unless they had a snack 😲

Cool. Free plants!

Whew, that’s what I did. The bulb is now half in half out of the substrate. Thanks @Tihshhofor responding.

Hi All, while transplanting my large tiger lotus bulb plant into a larger tank, it broke off from the little nut/bulb. The plant has lots of roots but is now detached from the bulb. It's planted in the new tank now and I gave it a root tab. Is it done for? I saved the little nut/bulb, which has about a 1/2" bare stem from where it broke off the main plant. I partially planted the bulb next to the full plant in case it can regrow. I don't know much about this plant. It was a pitiful little thing when it arrived from the Coop several months ago and just took off after planting in my little 3 gal betta tank. It quickly outgrew that tank is a solid 11" tall with 9 big leaves.

I will try the tape trick!! Thx

Hmm, I did not know that. The BN's were added recently. They're little, about an inch. They have a piece of wood and a coconut hut. Thanks for the response.

I currently have 4 tanks with frogbit that are going gangbusters. I’m giving it away to my lfs because its growing faster than I can keep up with. But in my 10 gallon, it’s starting to melt and turn brown. I just added a pump of easy carbon about 4 days ago to combat dust and hair algae in the same tank. Could that be it? I have Easy Green but don’t use it regularly because I feel I’m just feeding the algae. Light is an Aqueon planted light. It’s very bright but on a timer for 10 hrs. Water parameters today were Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Nitrate 20. Pics are also from today during a water change. Tank occupants are a betta and clean up crew (1 oto, 3 panda corys, 3 bn plecos, and a nerite snail)

I have these limpets too in my 5 gal. As @Brandon pmentioned, they come and go. I scrape them off the walls as I do water changes. After about a year of this, they went away on their own. I thought they might have come in on some moss balls I got when the tank was new. I also have Java’s and can’t keep ‘em alive either. Ugh