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Isaac M

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Everything posted by Isaac M

  1. Isaac M
    @Guppysnail yeah there is definitely reality tv show level drama in that aquarium. Learning to run a saltwater tank is not very different than a planted aquarium, at least the easier to keep corals haha @Streetwise Oh wow that is crazy! Haha I did remove a fire worm from the live rock in this aquarium but fortunately have never been hurt by anything in my aquariums. I will not lie though, when I had my first reef tank when I was young, I had no idea what I was doing and would not wear gloves or any protective gear. My live rock at that time was teeming with life as well, many many bristleworms and other hitchhikers. I was just lucky I guess haha @Patrick_G thank you, they do great for me and I do not run any heaters in my aquariums. The aquarium is currently running at 69 degrees Fahrenheit and no problems with any of my aquariums.
  2. Isaac M
    Welcome @Shazza! Sorry to hear about that experience, that cannot be fun but we are sure glad to have you back in the hobby! Beautiful aquarium, I love the tall hygrophila. If you let it grow out of the top of the aquarium, it will usually produce these small pretty purple flowers. Great choice with the corys!
  3. Isaac M
    @Guppysnail 😂 this is why I wear long gloves for the reef tank 😂 there are way too many ocean critters in there that I have no idea of plus palytoxins for me to be playing around in there, sometimes I see things move in the rocks or mountains of sand pop up out of nowhere and I have zero idea what made them 😂 plus, the clownfish sleeps in the top corner of the aquarium which makes me think he knows better than to be near the rocks so I stay away too 😂 makes for an interesting aquarium though haha Yes the eques are beautiful, I could only imagine how incredible they would look outside under natural sunlight!
  4. Isaac M
    @Torrey people make and sell “Bonsai Tree Driftwood” if you are looking to make an aquarium with a tree like Josh Sims. I showed my girlfriend that picture before when I was making an aquarium with her and she was amazed as was I! Haha So we made a 5 gallon going for a similar look but that I modeled/ took inspiration from the “The Lone Cypress” in Pebble Beach, California. Here is the first day where you can see the piece of wood and how it grew in: @Beardedbillygoat1975 that is a great point about the plant lists from biotopes done by others. I find Amazonas magazine is a great resource to get these lists and inspiration for new aquariums. @Guppysnail the tank is looking great! If you are going to try to grow aquatic plants out of the water, it may require a fairly high humidity set up. I would even try growing it out of the aquarium like a riparian plant and just spray it with water every once in a while sort of like a wabi-kusa setup. That should help keep the kitten away too 😂
  5. Isaac M
    I would say it depends on whether it will be a 20 gallon long or standard 20 gallon, maintenance schedule and whether it will be heavily planted/ have riparian plants. A 20 long would handle a larger school given the larger footprint and the larger the plant mass and growth the more nutrient export you will have. Harlequin rasboras do get a good size as well like @xXInkedPhoenixX mentioned. Espei or lambchop rasboras look similar to harlequins but stay smaller which may be a good option for this tank. Personally I would stick to a school of 15 Harlequin Rasboras or 20 Espei rasboras in a 20 long. More could be done but I like to keep my aquariums low maintenance.
  6. Isaac M
    @CorydorasEthan thank you very much! I do not see why you could not, some cheap floodlights, organic soil and pool filter sand, corydoras and lots of crypts. That is pretty much it haha I would say your 29 gallon is just as phenomenal! I plan to update the aquariums soon but here is a mini update: Baby Sterbai corys have been doing great in the 40 gallon. They have been eating along side the adults and have developed their patterns. Corydoras Eques have been doing well and have been eating very well! I love their color. And here is a little video of the feeding of the sea star in the 40 reef:
  7. Isaac M
    @Guppysnail its so easy to fall in love with clownfish huh? Haha thank you for thinking of me, but I think you were really thinking of this guy haha
  8. Isaac M
    @Guppysnail I always figured they liked flow because if you have ever had one of those bubble wands for an airstone with corys, they love playing in those as well. They will swim up and down within those bubbles all day haha I have had a cory lay eggs on the outflow of a canister filter before 😂 @Patrick_G they had a lot of trouble figuring out how much they would give me given that crypt purpurea is really not sold grown submerged online anywhere. It is a rare plant that is more commonly sold as a tissue culture nowadays. I had no idea how much they would give me but I am happy with that payout given that it cost me about $45 initially to buy my tissue culture colony haha
  9. Isaac M
    @xXInkedPhoenixX @Guppysnail thank you both so much! I just got back from the LFS and it went much better than expected, they bought my little sandwich bag of 9 plants for $5 each plant for a total of $45. Not bad at all for my first selling something aquarium related haha I am so happy to hear that your corydoras are loving the flow as well! Its so funny to me how something as simple as water flow can make them so active and playful haha
  10. Isaac M
    @B1gJ4k3 I use pothos, peace lilly, lucky bamboo, areca palm and other plants in my setups and they make maintenance a breeze, I easily go a month and often more without needing to do a water change. I do not use a refugium (my filtration is just a sponge filter(s)) but rather let the plants grow above the water line of the display tank with overhead lighting. They remove the nitrates, provide shade which minimizes algae growth and help the fish feel safe, and they add beauty to the aquariums. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a healthy low maintenance aquarium.
  11. Isaac M
    Thank you @Guppysnail! I heard back from them today and they said they would like to purchase some. I will be selling them 10 plants tomorrow. Quick picture of the aquarium after I removed the crpyt purpurea to sell: A lot more space now in the left side for the corydoras to swim and for me to feed them without all the food getting caught in the leaves. Updated picture of the 55 Gallon: Thinking of adding many more riparian plants to this setup for more color and more of a jungle look. One thing is for sure, nitrates do not stand a chance in this aquarium! Haha
  12. Isaac M
    @AndEEss in my experience it does grow roots at the base but they are not very substantial. More like that of an aquatic stem plant rather than a sword plant or crypt.
  13. Isaac M
    @Torrey the antics are hilarious, I noticed that my corydoras have become much more active once I increased the flow in my aquarium with the aquarium co-op powerhead. To add to the fun, I have added another corydoras species to my now 40 Gallon Breeder Corydoras Riparium haha I have added corydoras eques to the group and they fit right in: Given how grown in my crypts have become, I contacted a LFS about potentially selling them some of my crypts from this aquarium but they said that the plants they get wholesale are cleaner than the ones they usually get from customers. I talked them into letting me send them some photos of the aquarium to see if they are willing to accept my plants, wish me luck everyone!
  14. Isaac M
    How about the single 20 with a houseplant on each side?
  15. Isaac M
    @Torrey right 😂 I work from home 2 days out of the week and my desk is across from this aquarium. All I see is catfish playing while I sit there working 😂 here is a small sample of what I see:
  16. Isaac M
    Update on the 40 Breeder Riparium, finally removed my canister filter that I did not service often enough to the point that it had very little flow. And apparently it also housed a colony of red cherry shrimp haha I am now down to only sponge filters and internal filters in all of my aquariums. My 40 breeder riparium now has minimal filtration in the traditional sense. I am using a nano sponge filter(rated for 5 gallons and up) and a powerhead (with a small coarse filter sponge inside the intake strainer) from the Aquarium Co-op. However, the riparian plants should be more than enough filtration for this aquarium alone. A few days later and everyone is looking more active than before. Pygmy corydoras definitely approve of the flow provided by the powerhead!
  17. Isaac M
    California, central valley to be more specific.
  18. Isaac M
    @Atitagain Easy Green will get you about 3ppm of nitrates with the recommended dose (1 pump per 10 gallon). The goal with the plants is to provide them with enough nutrients to grow, not too little that they run out and not too much that algae can begin to grow(this is why I would advise against adding 30ppm of nitrates all at once, maybe you do not need that much or maybe you need even more, you will need to test to find out first). Every single aquarium will be different due to the amount of plants and rate of growth of plants(fast or slow growing plants, stems vs root feeders, CO2, light intensity, etc). I would recommend starting off on the low end, maybe dosing easy green and testing your water everyday to see how many nitrates are still available. If it goes to zero and/or plants show deficiencies (especially deficiencies not related to nitrogen/ nitrates), you can then increase the dosing regimen. Again, as plants continue to grow and there is more plants, then you will need more fertilizer to keep up. However, the opposite is also true so when you do a heavy trim, you can also scale the dosing back a bit. I hope that helps!
  19. Isaac M
    @Georgiapeach88 thank you! @Guppysnail I hope so! Right now I am more like the Beverly Hills Ninja haha but thank you, yes the blue is nice but it does not look like that in person, it is much lighter and the corals look way more vibrant! Haha
  20. Isaac M
    @Chuck13 Looks like Hygrophila Corymbosa to me
  21. Isaac M
    Update on a few of the new corals, will post again in the future with the orange lens so everything does not look so blue haha Its a good day when you come home from work to an Aquarium Co-op shipment!
  22. Isaac M
    Amazing job on the stand! It looks so much better! I hope the fissidens works out for you, I think it is such a beautiful plant as well.
  23. Isaac M
    Invest in the Aquarium Co-op, just kidding haha I would tell myself to focus on buying less equipment and items you do not really need and instead buy a larger aquarium. For example, sponge filters and power heads instead of big hang on the backs and canister filters. Or pool filter sand instead of aquarium sand. Organic soil instead of planted aquarium substrate. Things like that.
  24. Isaac M
    @Patrick_G as per the aquarist building code, I am going to need to see some details or at minimum a plumbing plan 😂
  25. Isaac M
    @Odd Duck when I saw the lack of a door into the living area and toilet in the kitchen, I questioned whether they will be able to pull permits to get this job done. However once I saw there was no sink in the fish room, I knew for sure the building department would not issue them permits. That is completely illegal under the aquarist building code. I am with @eatyourpeas, these plans need to be reviewed and redone by a competent architect! 😂
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