Perry

First, don't panic, pretend for a minute that you didn't have a test kit and didn't know what your pH was; are the fish okay? Assuming they are you'll want to make any adjustments very slowly. It's my understanding that stability is more important than specific parameters for general fish keeping. If it were my tank I would add some more crushed coral (I add mine to the hang on back filter in a media bag). I know you said you added some a year ago but it may need to be refreshed. That's all I would do. I would monitor the pH daily for a while to make sure it was rising, but not too quickly. As for your plants and nitrate levels I would say that adding Easy Green as needed is the way to go. I would definitely try not to worry though. Your tank is fairly mature and if everyone is happy and healthy sudden changes are likely to do more harm than good. Crushed coral (in moderation) is a good option because it will just gently raise your kH resulting in more stable parameters and likely a pH closer to neutral. I hope it all works out; good luck!

I've used both and in terms of filtration I like them equally. When it comes to maintenance though I find the HOB easier. I use Aquaclear filters and I find it very easy to just pull out the media basket while I'm changing water and squeeze out the sponges in the bucket of tank water and put it back. I can do this without disturbing the tank at all. I only take the whole filter to the sink for a thorough rinse every couple of months. Personally I am terrible at getting sponge filters out of the tank without making a huge mess. So, as others have said above it mostly comes down to personal preference and what works for your tank(s) and your routine. Sounds like a fun tank. Enjoy!

I keep chili rasboras with shrimp and have no problem at all. Enjoy whatever you decide to do!

In my opinion it comes down to personal preference, the maintenance routine that works for you and what's in your tank. A fine sponge generally clogs up much more quickly meaning it tends to require more frequent maintenance. On the flip side the fine sponge does capture smaller particles so as long as it's maintained it may keep your water column a little clearer. The trouble I had with the course sponge filter is that I keep bladder snails in my tanks and they are small enough that they would crawl into the sponge and would frequently get caught and eventually perish. So, the sponge was full of little snail shells and it just bugged me. Hope you find the perfect fit for your tank and routine; good luck!

Hi @Opal Rae. One thing that might be worth checking is the impact of running an air stone in a bucket of your tap water. My tap water comes out with a pH below 6 but after running an air stone in it overnight it is usually closer to 7.2. My understanding is that this has to do with dissolved CO2 that is gassed off. If the air stone doesn't make a difference and the pH remains low I would do as @laritheloud suggested and add some crushed coral. I might also stick to small (5%-10%) water changes to avoid big pH swings. Good luck!

In case you want to keep your glass cover I have seen people poke a hole in the center of a plastic lid and pass the airline tubing through it. The lid at the water's surface keeps the bubbles from the sponge filter from splashing on the lid. Good luck finding a solution that works for you.

Chili rasboras are listed as living 4 - 8 years. If it were me I'd do chilis or another "micro" fish so I could have a bunch of them. Shrimp are always nice in a small tank as well. Individuals only live a couple of years but they replace themselves. Enjoy your new tank and whatever you choose to put in it!

Pretty sure I've seen a coop video that demonstrates how to do it by essentially placing the net in a corner and using your hand to gently chase the fish into it. Still not a simple task but easier to manipulate the plants with your hands than with the net. It might be worth searching for the video. I haven't tried it myself as my plants are all attached to hardscape that I can remove when I need to catch fish. Good luck!

Hey @Carltronics, are you seeing spikes of ammonia and/or nitrites in your tank? If not I don't think there's any need for additional filtration. Adding one or two sponge filters wouldn't hurt anything though if you want to; I think you'd be fine with small ones and you could really put them wherever you wanted. Maybe just one in a corner away from the HOB if for no other reason than to have a backup if the HOB were to break or whatever. Good luck and enjoy your tank!

Hey @Bobbie, I've only done a similar move with a 10g and don't have a great sense of how easy a 15g is to handle. In my case I just drained all but 2-3" of the water out into a couple of buckets. I unplugged and removed the filter and heater and moved the tank as gently as possible to the new location with all the fish and plants in place. I then put the water, heater and filter back and was good to go. I was able to do that on my own but with a 15g maybe you'd want help carrying it. I'm sure the move was stressful for the fish but at least the whole thing only took about an hour and then everything was back to normal. In your case, of course, you'd have to repeat the process whenever you were ready to move the tank back to your bedroom but at least you wouldn't have to worry about your fish or rush the re-decorating process. Good luck!

Hi @Aquanut, firstly I'd say don't panic and tear down your beautiful tank; especially since your fish aren't showing any signs of stress. As @Mmiller2001 mentioned above the Equilibrium only raises GH. There are seachem additives designed to adjust the KH but I think you'll find that adding a bag of crushed coral to your filter is a simple, gentle way to raise your KH enough to stabilize your pH. I hope you find something that works for you and your tank.

@HisMineandOurs you can definitely do that. I run both my tanks with a midday siesta. The fish don’t mind at all and I don’t grow excess algae. Good luck; hope you find something that works! As @Ken said the Kasa smart timers sold by the co-op work great.

Like you, @TheCzarista snails were my biggest surprise. A bladder snail showed up in my first tank while it was cycling. Initially I panicked but after a little research decided to let it stay and took it as a good sign that my tank could support life. I have a nice little population in both my tanks now and I just adore them. My greatest disappointment was fortunately only temporary and that was my chili rasboras. I put 12 of them in a 10g tank with some cherry shrimp and it took them FOREVER (something like 2 months) to relax. There was a lot of "glass surfing" in the first weeks and I just found it so stressful to watch. I kept worrying that something was off with the parameters. An internet search told me that this was not unusual and I actually saw an old co-op live stream where someone had the same situation and Cory said they just needed time. So I waited, all the while sort of hating them. They finally settled in and are a joy to watch; for such tiny fish they have big personalities. It was worth the wait.

I'd say "give them a chance". I was freaked out by my first bladder snail, which suddenly appeared in my first cycling tank the same way yours did, but in 7 years I've never had an infestation. There are a decent number in both my tanks but they are by no means the first thing you notice. It really is all about the feeding; just add food in moderation and you shouldn't have a problem. They will multiply but the population will plateau. In my case I now consider them an integral part of my little ecosystems ... I wouldn't want to have a tank without them. You can always get an assassin snail or snail hunting fish later if you decide you hate them. Good luck and enjoy your tank!

Looking at the 2 photos you shared @ErinV I personally much prefer the look with the background. I've always used backgrounds myself as I really dislike seeing the cords. Seeing through it makes it look, to me, like a glass box full of water, plants and fish (which it is) whereas with a background, of any kind, it looks much more like a little world (which is what I'm shooting for in my aquariums). In my 10g I have what I think is that same background you've got except I use the other side. It's only taped on at the edges and my lights are pretty low so it's not super visible and just provides a little texture at the back. On my 29g I painted the back black which I also like just fine. Your tank looks great; have fun stocking it!

I usually feed twice a day only because I enjoy it. My fish really love the Hikari micro pellets so that's almost always their morning meal. In the evenings I rotate between live blackworms, frozen brine shrimp or bloodworms, krill flake, bug bites and Repashy Community. The pleco cleans up after the others and gets either an algae wafer, a chunk of Repashy or a piece of Zucchini most evenings. If I have a crazy day or am out of town for up to a week I don't worry about feeding and have never had a problem. Good luck finding a schedule that works for you and enjoy your new 90g!

Like @anewbie says there are different types of each. I personally have neon tetras in one tank and chili rasboras in another. I have never found the neons to be nippy; they are super playful and chase each other often but never in a way that seems at all aggressive. The chilis also enjoy chasing each other or zooming around in small groups occasionally but probably spend more time than the neons just chilling in a clump. I've never kept or spent much time watching other types of tetras or rasboras though so I can't say how their behavior might compare. Maybe tell us what sort of tetras you keep and someone with more experience can chime in. Good luck!

If it were me I'd do something little so I could have a good number. I've got some chili rasboras in a 10g and they seem to have plenty of room. They are quite mellow and spend most of their time just 'chillin'; I bet you could keep 10-12 comfortably in a 5g. In terms of feeding I haven't found that they need anything particularly special ... it just needs to be small. I use the co-op fry food and finely crushed flake as well as frozen baby brine and frozen cyclops. If you wanted to try some shrimp you'd have plenty of room for some of those as well. My chilis don't eat anything off the ground so if they miss it on the way down it's nice to have some shrimp or snails down there to clean it up. Enjoy whatever you choose!

To add to what @lefty o is saying maybe you could incorporate a midday "nap". I do this so that I can see my tank during my morning and again in the evening without having the lights on too long. In my case the lights are on between 7:45am and 12:45pm and again between 3:00pm and 8:00pm. During the "nap" time they are still getting ambient light from the room so it's not as if they are really in the dark (I figure it mimics a cloudy afternoon or being in a shady portion of the "river"). Perhaps you could come up with a routine that would have your lights off for a while in the afternoon so that they could stay on until 11:30pm or something and you could enjoy the tank when you get home. Anyway, nice job taking care of your algae problem!

I bet you could get away without an air stone; the AC50 has pretty good flow. Putting it on an end might work too, I’ve never tried that.

I can’t speak to what’s best but I have the same size tank and the same filter. I hang mine on the back, a little left of center (as you look at the tank) and run it on the lowest flow setting. I run an air stone in the back right corner. This setup has been working well for my fish and my setup. Good luck!

I have a 7 inch pleco (I’m not sure what kind) in a tank with cherry shrimp and have never seen it do any harm. I often see shrimp catching a ride on the pleco or eating from the same piece of zucchini; they don’t seem to mind one another at all. I have no experience with SAEs so hopefully someone else will chime in. Good luck!

I actually set up my first tank to re-home a pair of African Dwarf Frogs that my grandmother had been keeping in an ornamental 8" x 8" cube. It had always horrified me so when she died I said I would take them. I was very excited to give them a better life and set up a 10 gal tank with driftwood and live plants. Unfortunately they didn't survive the journey to me and never got to try out their new home. So, I let the tank sit while I tried to figure out if I wanted to get something to put in or not. One day, several weeks later, I noticed a couple little snails crawling around and was totally shocked. I was so excited by the idea that my tank could support life, and in fact seemed to have miraculously generated it, that I started more seriously looking into options and discovered dwarf shrimp. I ended up ordering 12 fire red cherry shrimp which rapidly populated the tank. I was hooked. I still feel badly about those little frogs but I'm happy it all turned out the way it did. It never would have occurred to me to have an aquarium and 7 years later I can't imagine our house without one.

I keep them and over the years have become quite fond of them. I don’t think I’d want an aquarium without them.

If it were me I’d leave out the gouramis and get a group of neon tetras. They look great against plants, even in low light. Their peaceful, playful nature makes for a fun but relaxing tank to watch. I hope you enjoy whatever you choose.