varanidguy

The company is correct. 9 GH is considered hard water, but 1 KH makes it acidic. They're both hardness but do different things. Usually when articles/people say that something likes soft water, that means a low KH/more acidic water. Carbonate hardness fluctuations can cause fish to shock as this is a key factor in osmotic regulation. Change the value on the fish rapidly and they lose/take on more water in their bodies. Typically it's easier on a fish to go higher in KH than it is to go lower, at a rapid pace anyway. Sounds like it's great water for growing plants, straight from the tap, providing there's nothing else fouling the water.

Hello! I'm thinking about planting the left-hand side of my 75 gallon. The right side is dirted, performance hasn't been anything to complain about, but pulling up runners of crypts is...not good. Makes a big mess. SO! If the left side gets planted, I don't want to go with straight dirt. I was thinking of either siphoning out the sand, adding aqua soil, then capping with the sand as the buffering capacity doesn't matter much to me, it would be more to add a layer of nutrients for roots. The other option is to just deepen the sand layer and utilize root tabs - but that seems like it would be inefficient in the long run. I can dose the water column but would like to keep it simple. What do you all think? Here's a picture for reference.

Thank you for the reminder in tonight's livestream lol. Gotta visit the forums! Have a final batch this year that just hatched. Will probably pick back up again next spring. 🙂

I don't but probably should lol. I've toyed with the idea of having a conversion tank where I can house plants before adding them to the display, not caring about living creatures simply blasting it with co2, tons of light, and nutrients. But then figured I'd still get transitional melt when changing over to the livestock friendly display tanks (one high tech with co2 and one low tech dirted).

I always take bag temp, if it's within a few degrees, I plop and drop discarding the bag water. If the bag water is way off temp wise, I float then plop and drop. The amount of ammonia built up during shipping scares me.

Oh man, they make life so much easier when connecting to the faucet and switching out attachments.

Amano shrimp could likely survive those conditions. Sulawesi shrimp love warm water, but they also love hard water. Neocaridina...some might scoff, but it would be a relatively inexpensive experiment. My neo's don't seem to mind the warm water in the summer months (often 80-82 degrees for extended periods).

My solution in the past has been to tie a rock or two to the wood heavy enough to hold it down under water until the wood is completely water logged. You can use plastic zip ties or yarn if you have someone who crochets in the house.

This is all very interesting! I've been thinking about getting a pH controller for my high tech tank, almost pulled the trigger on the Milwaukee MC122 too...but the specs said it's accurate to plus or minus .2 pH. In my tank, that could be a swing of 10-15 ppm of co2, so that put me off. Now it's back to square one, and now this thread about controllers. Very intriguing indeed!

Do it and post the results! I bet it would be amazing!

Awesome! The action tetras give when they have more space and their numbers are bolstered is great. I'm sure all the wet pets will really appreciate the upgrade. Currently a 40 breeder, 75, and a 10 gallon quarantine/hospital/holding/whatever tank lol. The 40 breeder has rummy nose, ember, and black neon tetras, a pair of peacock gudgeons, panda cories, an apistogramma cacatuoides super red, otos, and various invertebrates. The 75 has parkinsoni rainbows, dwarf neon rainbows, and panda garras, the quarantine tank currently houses a lonely clouded archer fish intended for the 75 and some neocaridina that it's actually ignoring.

Nice mod to the Hook! I made an ugly alternative, but hey, it works! lol

Very much so worth it! Very nice find! What are your stocking plans?

Thanks for the feedback! Sorry to hear about the GLA reactor...it's really a pretty piece of equipment lol. Of course, when it will be hidden under a stand 95% of the time, does that matter so much? Regarding the style of the NilocG reactor (Rex Griggs, essentially), do they require you to flip them upside down when they're being primed or do they usually just fill up and flow out easily without too much hassle? Sorry for the lame questions, while co2 and planted tanks aren't foreign to me, reactors are (and it's kind of intimidating if I'm being honest).

Thank you! How is Sacramento treating you?

Very nice! We're practically neighbors lol. I was just out in Phelan this morning. It's definitely quiet out here. How's LA treating you? I really need to get outside and go shooting...

Hello all!After a hiatus from the hobby, the bug has bitten me again. Never got rid of any tanks, but maintenance was seriously lacking and my high tech tank went without co2 for about two months. The high tech tank got a huge rescape, a co2 refill, several water changes, and a deep "cleaning". Now...I'm disliking the look of the mist the current in-line atomizer is giving, so reactors!I understand the concept behind them and that there are several DIY options out there that are mighty popular. Issue is I'd rather purchase a reactor.Right now I'm torn between the Green Leaf Aquariums offering and the standard offering from NilocG.GLA looks to be based on the Cerges design: https://greenleafaquariums.com/produ...r-16-22mm.htmlNilocG looks to be based on the Griggs design: https://www.nilocg.com/shop/na-co2-r...with-bio-ball/The tank is a 40 breeder and the filter is a SunSun 303b. Flow is still good through the filter.Should there be a significant difference in the reduction of flow between the two designs? Is the mist beneficial enough over total dissolution that it's worth putting up with?

Hello everyone! My name is Shane and I currently reside in Apple Valley California, hoping to relocate to Arizona within the next year or so. I currently only have a 40 breeder, 75 gallon, and a hospital/quarantine tank that ironically has a thriving colony of cherry shrimp in it, the shrimp tend to get shared with friends who want them. All is planted, even the quarantine tank. I've recently had a bout of no motivation-itis but hoping to get some major maintenance done and cure that. The 75 has rainbows and the 40 is mostly Central and South American, but I'm not super strict with it. Active forums are exciting!

Well hello there Bob!