xXInkedPhoenixX

Maybe more like this @Chick-In-Of-TheSea....

I have a problem with the question. Aquarium????? It should be AQUARIUMS And to keep it clean the number 1 answer would be.... WHAT THE....

Interesting. Hmm. Not sure!

Welcome to the forum @Betta this is a great place to get questions answered and learn new things. I saw your post about your Betta's fin issue but I personally don't have an answer for you so hoping another Betta keeper will get to it soon! He is a beautiful fish BTW.

As @Flumpweesel said- best to just remove it manually- Neither the snails (though you don't mention what kind you have however Nerites, Mystery and Bladders do not eat this sort of algae) and Otocinclus (aka Otos) also do not eat hair algae- they only for the most part feed on short algaes like diatoms and biofilms. There are fish that eat hair algae but IMO the ones I can think of are too big and sometimes too aggressive for what you have. Get yourself a toothbrush and roll it up on it, or get your fingers in there and pull it out. I get it from time to time and it's super easy to remove.

Hi fishy friends! Well as promised I've closed the votes on this NERM Week 2022 design contest and the winner is.... @nabokovfan87 !!!! 🥳CONGRATULATIONS🥳 !!! Yea sorry just digital high fives for entering but it's fun to exercise the imagination and celebrate all things NERMy!! Good work! I'd like to acknowledge all of you who threw your designs out there- there are some really awesome ideas here- inspirational and MTS in the making! So thank you to @SandBkeeper, @Cinnebuns, @Emrie G and @Torrey for participating in this event.

Annnnnd there is still time to vote for the best design. Please do so! NERM WEEK 2022 - ULTIMATE DESIGN CONTEST - Posting for official entries!!

@Torrey Yes, at this point I WOULD ALLOW ORD reactions since voter turn out has been low 😄 NERM WEEK 2022 - ULTIMATE DESIGN CONTEST - Posting for official entries!! https://forum.aquariumcoop.com/topic/25123-nerm-week-2022-ultimate-design-contest-posting-for-official-entries/

Hi all!! I know it NERM week has officially ended but due to some late entries and low voting I'm going to tally the points at end of day today (west coast time). So PLEASE go vote for designs ALL FORUM MEMBERS are welcome and encouraged to do this! There are some great designs here! NERM WEEK 2022 - ULTIMATE DESIGN CONTEST - Posting for official entries!!

I'm loving the designs! Though we are officially at the end of NERM week since yesterday I'm letting this run until the close of business today on the west coast so we can hopefully get some more forum members to vote!

Through the Eyes of the Dragon is IMO the best story King has ever written and the most overlooked and underrated.

Yeah...switching out sand (with fish in) might be hard. I suppose you could suck out all the sand with a python or similar tool but adding the Eco could be tricky- especially if you want to keep the cloudiness down. Personally I'd just remove everyone, then the sand. Empty the tank a decent amount. I've had luck gently placing Eco Complete in shallow water then taking a plate and putting it down on the substrate- then filling the tank- this keeps the cloudiness down significantly. Be prepared for your nitrates to spike and parameters possibly go wonky due to the planting substrate (not an absolute just keep an eye on it)- but I use Eco in my tanks and I love it. Definitely catch your more sensitive fish with catch cups or container. Netting can be difficult on them. If you can catch them by hand or with a collander (this is easier to move in the water) trap them up to the surface of the tank (keeping them in the water) then scoop them out with a container.

I did not like holding my catches either. Gave me the heebeejeebies. Wouldn't bait/hook a worm either. I'd use Velveeta.

This is one of their best displays, I could stand there for hours (though they do have bleacher type seating a bit aways from it so you can view from those). You can get so lost in the movement of the kelp you can get dizzy- just like when you ride an elevator. It's super cool.

The real question Matty is did you start with enough plants foooorrrr ?? How much/many plants is totally subjective it's all about what you want your end result to be- as has been mentioned by @lefty o ANY live plants is a great start. Some of those are stem plants that are easily cut and replanted when they mature so you may have plenty and then some. If you want to be super plant-centric like my friend @Mmiller2001 his advice for 70% is great- or even if you're aiming for a jungle style tank. Some people (like myself) start with say the amount you do and see where I need to fill in later when plants start to grow. Some never finish with their plants and are constantly changing things. Plus then you have to consider time, budget, maintenance etc of each plant you bring in.

@Chick-In-Of-TheSea He's perfect and wonderful. I'd hug him but I don't think that would be appropriate.

IMO you can't get a more perfect tank cleaner than a Nerite snail. They're also very lovely little animals to enjoy and observe. this is my Olive Nerite Curlyque. She (I know she is a she due to occasional eggs) is on the lid of my 4 gallon Aquatop and is the only Nerite in the tank, along with my CPDs and a smattering of Bladder Snails....

Welcome to the forum @MattyM, lots of lovely fish nerds here that support each other and share information/teaching moments! You're among friends!

Hey everyone (this means YOU- ANYONE ON THE FORUM!!!)- only one more day to vote here for the winner of the design contest!

Hi Hannah, I have 1 in my Flex9. They do great! Keeps my plants and glass mostly clean and I supplement their food with Repashy gel foods and Hikari Algae wafers. Despite popular belief high flow is not necessary to keep them IME but aggitation is likely appreciated- my flex has fairly high pump output anyway (but not so much to push the long tail fins of the Guppies in there too much but enough they like to play on that side of the tank sometimes). I know I've seen an ACO video where Cory mentioned all the tank environments he's kept his in- including Goldfish tanks and even warmer tropical tanks- this encouraged me to get one. I've also seen another Youtuber breed them without flow (just sponge filter) in smaller tank with 20+ per tank with no issues.

Hi Huck!! Welcome to the forum, an awesome place to ask ANY questions and endless learning and teaching situations! This is the best aquarium information center on the planet.

@anewbie well I can tell you since I have moved all of my Otos to my 20 gallon (70+) they make for quite a display when they move around so that would be a cool tank to have if you had 1000

@anewbie My Vittatus and Zebras/Tigers are definitely shoalers- not schoolers.

IME they lay mostly on the underside of broad leaf plants- Amazons in my case. The mother Oto is usually somewhere nearby. Their spawns are not large- I get anywhere from 3-20 babies. Babies are tiny and translucent usually hang out along the top waterline of the tank when new. You can see a lot of what I've been through on my Accidental Oto Keeper journal- link in my signature/tag line below.

IMO since I've successfully had them spawn and raised this is often something they do prior to my finding eggs or babies. Mine mostly do this at night and early AM.