Sarina

@Guppysnail Okay I think I fixed the links. Lowes is going to have mostly household RO systems for drinking water, which will cost a bit more and may require a booster pump, which will add to the complexity and cost. I did fix the links above, I tried to input them while on mobile and I guess it didn't work out very well, whoops.

I think this product might be really helpful to you. It’s a cheap, solid RO system that can be hooked up to a sink during use and then put away when not in use. Unfortunately my little countertop system that I love has been out of stock for quite a while, but you can make the RO buddy pretty much the same by adding one of these fittings and then you can just leave it on your counter and flip the valve when you want to filter. It’s a lot easier than you might think to set up an RO system and the RO buddy is a great beginner kit 😊

This is the unit I want someday lol. The TDS meter in the faucet is so cool!

This is most likely your issue. This is how I have my RO system set up: Sediment -> granulated carbon -> pressed carbon -> RO membrane -> DI membrane You should never have a stage after the RO membrane unless you are also using a DI filter, and running water that has not been properly put through a dual stage carbon before hitting the RO membrane can ruin it. You will likely need to replace your RO membrane after you rearrange things.

The males can be bullies, but if you get a group of 4 or 5 females and stay away from the males, you shouldn't have an issue. The females are comfy in a community setting as long as there's a few of them to hang out together. They are a harem species, and quite easy to sex. Females will have a visible black spot on their dorsal fins and they will be a drab brown color. Males will have the bright striped pattern, and no black dorsal spot. They will also usually be larger than the females.

and the flagfish didn't eat any of it, which is wild to me because I feed mine clumps of hair algae and they go nuts for it. I really respect Dan and his entire business model and I 100% support him, but it's just a singular trial and results will definitely vary depending on what they're eating on a daily basis. They will always prefer leftover food and fill up on that before attacking algae, at least in my experience.

I just had a conversation with Jonny from Dan's Fish, they believe that they breed similarly to standard amano shrimp and won't breed in freshwater, so that is rather disappointing. Will that stop me from ordering them? Probably not lol. I am getting some other fish anyway, so I might as well.

@Elodie Rose I was just looking at the listing and contemplating ordering some based on my own curiosity. I am interested to know if they will breed in freshwater, if they do it might be worth it for me to pick some up.

This is one of my biggest annoyances with myself, and it has a name: executive dysfunction. It comes from being ADHD and Autistic, and although I know where it comes from and have tools to help myself with it, it still bogs me down far more often than I would like. I have learned that sometimes I can motivate myself to just do the thing by watching YouTube videos of other people doing fish related things, or by listening to one of Cory's live streams. Sort of like body doubling, but without actually having a person there with you. It doesn't always work, but I still try it every time I feel myself getting stuck in a "prepare and wait" loop. @Guppysnail as of this morning, he is still alive and slightly more angry, so I'm taking that as a good sign 🤞

This will be a journal where I post about things I am not proud of, in an effort to break stereotypes about skilled/experienced aquarists making rookie mistakes and failing at certain aspects of the hobby. We all experience failure and errors and I think we should be talking about it, because I believe it makes us better caregivers for our animals if we are open about our hard lesson-learning moments. Join in if you are comfortable doing so, I will ensure this thread stays judgement-free. First one to kick it off: Yesterday I arrived home and immediately checked on the paradise fish, which had been recently added to their permanent home from quarantine. I couldn't find one of the males, and I had left the lid off the tank. My heart sank, and I knew he had jumped while I was out running errands. Sure enough, I find him on the carpet, miraculously still alive even though he felt nearly dry to the touch. He is currently in a breeder basket, shedding his slime coat and looking like he is knocking on death's door. He is clearly exhausted, and feeling pretty bad. I treated with Ich-X immediately to stave off fungal or bacterial issues as he regrows his entire slime coat. It's hard to not feel like a bad fishkeeper when stuff like this happens, but I have to remind myself that mistakes are normal, and that beating myself up about it is not going to help him recover. I have a fresh batch of BBS brewing for him, and I have some twin wall on order so I can make a lid that is easier for me to open and close without having to rearrange my equipment to get into the tank. He will be getting plenty of Vita Chem-laden Repashy to help him gain his strength back, as well. What I learned: The right equipment can make a huge difference. The makeshift eggcrate lid sags, and it makes it hard to get into the tank because in order to remove it without breaking anything, I have to remove the lights and carefully weave it through the rest of the equipment and set it on the floor. If I had purchased a proper lid, or made a lid out of the correct material, I would not have left it off long enough for this to happen. I know that my ADHD brain struggles to remember to put stuff back where it belongs, which means I knew this could potentially be an issue and I ignored my instincts because I was busy and stressed. Moving forward, I will not leave a tank unattended without a lid, especially when the tank houses anabantoidei species.

Yes these are my fish, I actually have 5 of them, 2 males and 3 females in a 40 breeder. So far they are getting along 🤷‍♀️

Male (L) / Female (R) Male (Top) Displays more iridescence on the edges of his fins, and a lighter, brighter color pallet of orange and blue. His body is more streamlined and he is larger, with a less prominent belly when recently fed. His dorsal fin does not come to a fine, thin point, but is more rounded before it comes to a point at the end. Very slight nuchal hump that makes the face appear subtly dished. Female (Bottom) Displays a shorter, deeper body with darker orange and blue tones. Wider belly when recently fed, and very little iridescence, it is really only across the body. Dorsal fin sharply pointed at the end, with no rounded taper. Lacks a nuchal hump, face is not dished at all and slopes down in a smooth line. Face tends to be slightly shorter than males. I will update behavioral differences I notice as I get to know these fish, but since there’s like no good sexing guides on these guys I figured I would put one out there. Before someone asks, I got them from Dan’s Fish, but they are now sold out.

If you're getting the same results on multiple strips it's very likely that your water is just off the charts hard. Not necessarily a bad thing, but that's kind of what it looks like to me.

This depends on the type of botanicals, but generally yes most botanicals from safe woods/trees are fine when fully dry. Most leaves that are fully dried (and dropped naturally) lose any toxic qualities they would have when they are alive. It's actually a really cool function of evolution, when deciduous plants drop their leaves seasonally, the leaves become less or non-toxic so that detritivores, fungi, mold, and other functions of decay can consume them and convert them into nutrients that will end up going back to the soil. (Insert circle of life song here lol) There are some exceptions to this, and I would not recommend using any botanicals collected from areas that could potentially be sprayed with insecticide or other chemical treatments. Avoid the leaves from evergreens, and any cones containing high amounts of sap/resin. Also avoid anything super sugary, like maple, which can cause severe bacteria overgrowth. You do need to know a bit about plants to safely collect both wood and botanicals, but you can find a lot of info on what's safe online, just based on what botanical suppliers sell. Some of my favorite botanicals that I have collected myself include: Alder cones Acorn caps Live oak leaves/twigs Magnolia leaves and seed pods Bracken fern fronds (I'm from Washington and these are everywhere up there) Apple tree leaves Nettle (a shrimp favorite) If you are into blackwater like I am, botanicals are a whole deep dive and quite frankly I still feel like I do not know nearly enough about them. Here are some other botanicals that are commonly used in aquariums: Bamboo leaves Guava leaves Lotus pods Coconut husk/shell Casuarina cones and needles Indian Almond leaves/catappa leaves Senna pods Cocoa leaves Monkey pods Palm fronds/skeleton Cashew leaves Marupa leaves Locust pods Banana leaves/sticks Tingui pods Urchin pods Betel nut pods Sterculia pods Ceylon cinnamon bark Bael tree pods Hazelnut twigs/leaves Dimocarpus Longan leaves Jackfruit leaves Swamp fern leaves Red mangrove leaves Loquat leaves Mahogany pods Mango leaves Sappanwood pods Sapucaia seed pods Arjuna pods I highly recommend this website if you're looking for botanicals. They have by far the best selection and source ethically. You will find most of the above available there and probably some that I have forgotten.

I know ACO lights aren't the most "budget" out there, but they are excellent. I'm slowly replacing all of my lights with Easy Plant LEDs because they are just all around fantastic, and it's the closest I've seen an LED light get to natural sunlight. Cory has dunked an Easy Plant LED for several hours and it still worked perfectly, and they don't get nearly as hot as some other lights on the market. I also really love the brackets, they sit nice and snug on the tank rim and the light projection is excellent for how slim the frame is. I do also like these, but they are meant for terrestrial plants so they are not waterproof and you will need to take extra care to avoid getting them wet. I will note that several of the "water resistant" budget lights will also fry if you get them wet. The Barrinas are also not dimmable and do not have a bracket, but will sit nicely on top of a glass lid. You want the yellow ones, trust me. The others have too much blue in the spectrum, which causes algae. They're what I used to use for racks because they can be wired in series for fewer plugs and they're really inexpensive. I have to be honest, I have tried so many of the budget lights made for aquariums and all of them have one or two features that drive me bonkers, and all of them have too much blue in the spectrum, which means you end up with algae if you turn the lights up high enough to have high light requirement plants. Lights are one area where I will either buy something not made for aquariums at all, or get something like the Easy Plant LED that is actually of good quality with a good warranty. It's worth the investment, in my opinion, especially if you are a plant enthusiast.

This is the key phrase. These are likely dyed or heat treated to get to this color. This is also likely a rock that has a mohs hardness of 7 or more, meaning quartz-based. The polished surface is a dead giveaway, softer stones kind of disintegrate when polished. Anything made specifically for aquariums is going to be safe in general, though.

ADHESIVES ADDENDUM I'm going to add some information about adhesives here, since I have come across a couple of instances where this has been relevant. Super glue: Any cyanoacrylate glue will fall into this category and is safe for aquariums. As with all adhesives, please use in a well-ventilated area or outdoors, and use proper PPE to prevent injury and illness. Super glue cures by evaporating a solvent and hardening the dissolved polymer material, which is accelerated by chemical catalysts or water/humidity. My favorite type of super glue is BSI (Bob Smith Industries) "Insta-Cure/Maxi-Cure" CA glue. It comes in several different thicknesses that are great for different purposes and the bottles/applicators for them are excellent. You can even get precision applicators that work extremely well for putting glue in hard-to-reach areas. Please note that BSI makes lots of adhesives, and any that are not in the insta/maxi cure family have not been tested to be safe for aquariums. The thin glue is great for soaking cotton, dry sphagnum moss (orchid moss), or areas of substrate that you want to solidify without adding bulk. This will soak into things via capillary action and cure extremely quickly, but the exothermic reaction can be substantial due to the fast cure time. If you use too much glue and the heat from the reaction causes it to cure too fast, it can turn white. This can be easily covered later, but something to be aware of, less is more with thin glue. Be aware that the exothermic reaction can and will burn you if you aren't careful, and it will releases gasses that can burn your skin/eyes/lungs. If you have a vapor fan, use it. The medium glue is great for sticking hardscape together without a bonding material like cotton or sphagnum moss, but takes a bit longer to cure. You can use a catalyst if you want, but I prefer to just use clamps and let it cure over time to avoid the white cast that is common on accelerated cures. You may be tempted to spritz some water on it to cure it faster: Don't. This will cure the exterior of the glue blob, leaving the interior encapsulated, which usually takes even longer to cure because now there is a hardened shell that the solvent has to evaporate through. You are better off just leaving it alone and letting it air-cure. The thick glue is what I generally recommend for gluing rhizome plants and moss to hardscape. It takes the longest to cure of the 3 options, however the thickness of it helps grip the plant and the slower cure time helps prevent the glue from overheating and burning the plant. Go ahead and dunk this one in water to cure it, the thickness of it helps prevent the gooey center problem that the medium thickness has, and it will help prevent your plants from drying out while waiting for it to cure fully. Catalyst is also effective, although you'll want to rinse the glued item before adding it back to your tank to get any catalyst residue off if you don't want to wait for it to evaporate. Gorilla glue is terrible. This is just my opinion, but i feel like this opinion is warranted. If you're going to get any other brand of super glue, get the stuff in little metal tubes like this and stay away from Gorilla glue. In the model making community we joke that it's a rookie mistake to start with Gorilla glue because it's essentially the worst product with the most marketing hype. Epoxy Putty Please use PPE and in a well-ventilated area. Epoxy fumes are still toxic, even though the cured material is very safe. Usually the way this is sold is in a flexible rod, with one part of the putty inside the other part so that all you have to do is cut a section, fold it a bunch to mix it, and then apply it to the area. It's very user-friendly and great for reef applications where heavy chunks of reef rock need to be stacked precariously together. Safe for aquariums unless it contains metallic compounds, as mentioned above. Great for gap-filling and ensuring heavy objects stay stuck together, but is extremely expensive compared to other methods. Usually epoxy putty does not degrade or get brittle like super glue can. Silicone Use proper PPE and do not forget the gloves, this stuff is not fun to get off of your hands. Can be mixed with sand, dirt, or other substrate material to coat foam, glass, and other areas where you want to hide construction materials/processes. Can also be mixed into a putty using substrate material to fill gaps in hardscape or create support, as a cheaper alternative to Epoxy putty. Adhesion to certain materials may be limited depending on the surface and how thick the putty is mixed. See above for more info on silicone.

PLA is totally fine for non-structural stuff 😊 I actually have a journal thread that talks about this, but you don't necessarily need to coat anything. The krylon clear acrylic is the right product if you want to coat it, though.

I worked at a local fish store and our salt water orders came in on Fridays, freshwater on Tuesdays, give or take a day depending on how the airport processed the live animal shipments that week, and how large the order was. Most of the good (when I say "good," just assume I mean healthy, large, colorful) salt water stock was gone by the end of the weekend, save for a few high-dollar fish and corals. Clowns were thoroughly picked over after just 2 days in the tanks. Freshwater was hit-or-miss depending on what was currently in fashion. For some reason popularity for freshwater stock was extremely variable and sometimes we totally missed the mark on our orders. If you get lucky, a high quality specimen that you really want will stick around for a whole week, but we usually tried to avoid keeping fish for longer than a week unless it was a staple we ordered super regularly, like neons. If you're regularly coming in on Sundays, you are probably not getting the best options. If Sundays are your only available day to shop for fish, you may want to switch to ordering certain specific species online. Staples like otocinclus, neons, barbs, most small schooling fish that get ordered in bulk aren't fish that we pick through individually, so those will be a mixed bag on any day. I actually disagree with @HelplessNewbie on fish lasting longer in the store being healthier. Often times these fish are more exposed to disease, and fish stores aren't exactly low-stress environments. There's nets being dipped in their tanks almost daily, sometimes they aren't fed appropriately (depending on the store), and the only store I have ever been in that properly quarantines/medicates has been Aquarium Co-Op. Quarantining fish is an extreme rarity, most stores can't afford to. Because of the amount of stress that fish are usually under in most fish stores, it's not great for their immune system and they are just as likely, if not more likely to get sick, as fish purchased the day they came in. I would recommend chatting with your store staff and finding out exactly what days they get orders, to see if you can plan around those days. Most store staff will be happy to tell you, a lot will put new order arrivals on social media. It's kind of fun to have a nice big variety to choose from, anyway.

@GoofyGarra is correct, we had to discontinue them due to shipping issues.

@Guppysnail is correct. Lapis lazuli dissolves in water and releases sulphur and it can also contain toxic minerals like asbestos and lead. In general, blue and green minerals/stones with a mohs hardness below 7 will usually dissolve in water and often contain asbestos, sulphur, copper, and other toxic minerals/metals.

@memorywrangler Have you tried comparing San Francisco Bay? They are supposed to be the smallest strain of BBS available, I used them for kilifish and had good success. The shells were still very annoying to separate, though.

@TravelersReef you want this one

Unfortunately the reason my other tanks are in the condition they are in is because of my inability to keep up on maintenance. They are nano tanks and need pretty much constant care to stay in balance and for the plants to stay in check, and cleanup crew options are very limited. This one is 14 gallons and very low-tech, which makes it much easier to leave to its own devices and have it look awesome all the time. My physical and mental health has been poor lately, and I can't keep up on water changes or trimming. My plants are all very healthy, the tanks just don't look very good because they are rather unkempt (by my standards, anyway).

Any non-toxic acrylic paint will be aquarium safe once fully cured, and sealing with clear krylon will ensure that it doesn't degrade super quickly. Sometimes the non-toxic acrylics aren't the best quality, so I definitely recommend a solid 2 coats of clear before it goes in your tank.