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varanidguy

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Everything posted by varanidguy

  1. varanidguy
    I think that would be a really cool set up for small gobies. Edit: D'oh, my bad for not completely reading that you already have stocking plans. A pair of apistos, 5-6 honey gouramis, and 5-6 panda cories miiiiiight be pushing it with only 12 gallons of dilution.
  2. varanidguy
    I'd definitely invest in something like that!
  3. varanidguy
    You definitely want to buffer somehow. Crushed coral is a good option, many people resort to that because it's easy. But if you don't keep up with water changes it can also run away on you. You can add a small amount of baking soda (there are calculators online that will tell you how much to add based on water volume to achieve a desired dKH). If you do that, make a test batch before adding it to your aquarium so you can be sure you're getting the desired amount of KH. You can use buffering substrates which are best used with water containing zero KH. These are products like Controsoil, ADA Amazonia, Fluval Stratum, etc. They're not cheap, but they work (I would advise against Stratum, for the sake of transparency, but I have experience with Controsoil and Amazonia, both are great). These substrates can also be a boon for planted tanks as they're typically made from volcanic soil, baked, and pelletized, making them really rich in nutrients - and they will keep your water buffered to a slightly acidic pH (typically between 6.0-6.8 depending on the product). There's a lot to be said about these substrates. There are also commercial buffering agents available, such as Seachem Acid, Neutral, and Alkaline buffers. Neutral buffer isn't recommended for a planted tank, but you get the idea. Unless you're using an active substrate, you want to have at least 1 dKH in the water for the sake of stability.
  4. varanidguy
    For both solutions 1 and 2, if it's a huge population, I usually say get a loach or a couple assassin snails. Neither solution is perfect but they make it easy.
  5. varanidguy
    It also depends on where your interests lie. I've been contemplating rolling my own micro nutrient recipe for a while now. I probably will once my current salts are used up (which is going to take a really long time lol). That will come with an auto-doser so I can dial in a small amount of nutrients being dosed anywhere from twice a week to daily, depending on the growth of the plants and coinciding algae. Doing stuff like that really grabs my attention, moreso than the latest controller or wifi filter. However, the complete opposite could be true for others. "I'll just stick with whatever I can buy at the store, and invest in automation." is how a lot of people operate and there's nothing wrong with that either. Then you have most aquarists..."How easy can I make this hobby?" and that's also perfectly fine.
  6. varanidguy
    This. The fancy schmancy stuff is all optional. Depends on how into it you really are. If you want stunning plants of many colors in a photogenic aquascape, you're going to need some fancy stuff like powerful lighting, co2, and the things that come along with it. If you want mostly green plants, that are still beautiful, with some other colors mixed in, and some fish to watch and feed...you can still use basic lights and a sponge filter. It all boils down to your personal goals and what you actually like. The fancy things are absolutely unnecessary (even if they're stinkin rad).
  7. varanidguy
    If you want to potentially have a sizeable colony you can sell from to make a little hobby cash, I'd say a 20 long. Plus it's a great tank for a little bit of aquascaping too, so you get a twofer.
  8. varanidguy
    You should be fine then, I wouldn't bother with a buffer as that would increase TDS unnecessarily and likely wouldn't yield the results you want. This is also providing you're not using anything in the tank that would buffer the water itself, such as active substrate or crushed coral.
  9. varanidguy
    So long as you have at least 1 degree of carbonate hardness, your pH should remain stable. Have you tested the water for pH, let it sit for a few days, then test it again to see if the pH fluctuates?
  10. varanidguy
    Five gallon bucket perhaps?
  11. varanidguy
    There are three main things that help curb GSA, and those are balancing light intensity/duration, making sure you're doing good routine maintenance, and making sure your nutrients aren't bottoming out in phosphates. What does your lighting look like and are you dosing fertilizers?
  12. varanidguy
    This is about the ratio I started with, but have since adjusted. I have a tank that's phosphate hungry. I'll dose 4 ppm and end the week with 1 ppm or less. Insofar as nutrients causing algae in planted tanks, I'd wager over or under dosing micro nutrients would have more of an impact over macros, providing water changes are being kept up.
  13. varanidguy
  14. varanidguy
    I have a 20 long waiting to be set up. There's a store not far from me that stocks Holland rams. Hoping to get a pair of those. Same exact species as German blues (mikrogeophagus ramirezi) but the strain grows much larger than German blues.
  15. varanidguy
    Thanks Candi! Today the fish already looks a lot better. Most of the white stuff is gone, there's a bit of a scar left that needs to heal, but the fish is no longer breathing rapidly. I think the med trio is going to work, hopefully.
  16. varanidguy
    Hey all! I got a group of Emperor Tetras in yesterday. Today one has developed this... spot, on its body. It is breathing rapidly but is also nibbling on stuff so that tells me its appetite isn't gone. I'm at a loss for what it could be. The fish are in quarantine in a very established tank kept running for quarantine and hospital. I've dosed the tank with Ich X, EM Erythromycin, and General Cure. Temp is 78 degrees. Any advice?
  17. varanidguy
    This pet peeve doesn't have to do with other hobbyists but the fish themselves. Rainbows...why can they fit food in their mouths that will kill them if they swallow it due to tiny throats? Just doesn't make sense to me lol
  18. varanidguy
    According to some, I'm a bad keeper for doing large water changes and filter maintenance at the same time. I've done the fish in cycle thing and feel terrible for it. I didn't really understand the process entirely and figured if I just changed water it would be okay.
  19. varanidguy
    It's a tossup and there's many factors that could play into it. Is your tank densely planted? Lots of places for the amano shrimp to hide? I have a stable colony of cherries in a community tank, and many people thought it wouldn't work at all. While I'm sure some get taken, the numbers only increase on the whole and it's been going steady for about a year and a half - even with a hungry apitso always on the prowl. But the shrimp have many areas to hide, in bushy plants, rocks, etc where the fish can't easily get to them.
  20. varanidguy
    One thing's for sure, that's a beautiful plant!
  21. varanidguy
    You have highlighted very well how I choose most of my foods. Ingredients and their placement are key. Which is why I've really been a fan of NLS and Omega One for commercial foods. I'll also be trying XTreme in the future.
  22. varanidguy
    Thank you Daniel! I'm not sure about pioneer, but the dirt has yileded good, steady growth and healthy plants. What I used is Miracle-Go Performance Organics, the in-ground variety, and sifted out the large sticks. Layered at an even one inch with another inch or so of pool filter sand on top. This particular soil wasn't too "hot", as in it didn't create a huge ammonia spike when it was initially set up. The only plant I've struggled to grow in it is echinodorus xinguensis, but I suspect it's due to lighting. The plants fared okay until other plants grew in a bit, causing them to get a little shaded. So they will eventually likely be pulled for something more favorable for the current growing conditions. I really look forward to seeing how your experiment plays out!
  23. varanidguy
    I would definitely start there. Test your tap water for hardness, sources of nitrogen, and phosphates. A TDS meter is very handy when keeping shrimp too.
  24. varanidguy
    Which live sand are you referring to? As long as the sand is inert you'll be fine. If it's "live sand" like what's commonly used in saltwater, you'd want to avoid that as well, as it will buffer your pH, and hardness levels, higher. Do you know the parameters of your tap water? GH, KH, pH and if it has anything else in it like phosphates, ammonia, or nitrate as well as the TDS?
  25. varanidguy
    If you're going to be raising neos, I'd suggest going with an inert substrate. Something like Eco Complete or sand. They like having some KH in the water and the shrimp and plant substrate will strip it out of the water. And unless you're using remineralized RO water, you'll fluctuate the KH every time you do a water change which is detrimental to the shrimp (I know from experience).
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