Sarina

I know I keep posting this tank but it has really developed beautifully and It's the only tank that isn't currently stressing me out with overgrown plants and hair algae 😅 I am going to be consolidating because of recent health issues, but this one is just no drama, like ever.

The app was discontinued, but the podcast is still available on major podcasting platforms and YouTube.

Thank you! I built this tank out of IKEA glass shelves lol. It has been quite the adventure.

I'm mesmerized by this guy's colors, he's like a little chameleon in different lighting.

That's actually not a huge difference, they will be fine. Shrimp are more sensitive to poor water quality than they are a change in pH of 0.4. Plop and drop, they will probably molt and hide for a few days, but they will be okay. Neocaridina are pretty hardy.

I have had decent luck with granulated sulphur, however if they know that there's tasty snacks in there, they will likely push through the smell anyway. I had a few garter snakes that would consistently snack on my guppies and I ended up having to bring all of my fish inside for 2 months. Once the food source appeared to be gone, they didn't have much incentive to push past the sulphur to get into the water.

Most rosette type plants will experience some type of stress symptoms when transplanted not due to different conditions, but due to having their roots disturbed. Stem and rhizome plants are much more resistant to transplant stress because they rely far less on their root structure.

Most plants are grown emersed at farms, so you usually don't have much choice in the matter unless you're getting them from another hobbyist or someone who farms plants submerged. Sumberged growing is much more time consuming and it complicates things by adding algae, water parameters, and light reduction into the mix. Emergent grown plants are much easier to farm on a large scale. In my experience, even sumberged grown plants experience some melt when transplanted.

Most rubber bands are made with latex so if you’re allergic be aware that it could make you allergic to your tank water.

@Guppysnail the solution I was mulling around was to dye some clear epoxy with a transparent tint and put a thin layer of that on the screen to dim, but not cover, the lights. I don’t think there’s any adhesive tape that would hold up or be safe for this.

Yes, but it's messy and I don't recommend it tbh. Wonder Shells are cheap and they don't make a mess, and are actually formulated for shell health.

@Supermassive I would recommend doing more frequent, smaller water changes to avoid any big swings since your tap water changes pH so drastically. But yes, overall removing the neutral regulator is a good plan.

In my experience the main reason tap water will increase in pH after a day or so is due to dissolved CO2 in the water. Adding it to your tank will increase the dissolved oxygen and decrease the dissolved CO2, naturally raising the pH. I will also note that with a KH of 80ppm doesn't necessarily mean that you will have low pH, it just means that your pH is more stable. Other minerals present can affect pH that will not affect your KH number. Dissolved oxygen also tends to raise pH, so if your tank is well oxygenated this can also affect that number. I would recommend not chasing pH. Domestic bettas are very adaptable to higher pH and unless you are seeing health problems that may be related to pH, I would not be too concerned. If you are looking to lower your pH naturally, more plants and fewer water changes can help achieve this, as plants will consume minerals in the water column over time. Here is some more info on pH, GH, and KH that might be of interest. I will also note that neutral regulator is a phosphate buffer, which can cause algae and bind nutrients that plants need. I would recommend discontinuing the use of that product, as well as the acid buffer. You should also assess whether your aquarium has rocks that will raise the pH over time. Anything containing lime stone will raise the GH and pH, and quite a lot of rocks contain some lime stone.

Hexamita doesn't usually form a cyst like that... I would suspect ich before HITH. It might be the result of stress, or potentially even dietary issues. Just a reminder that you'll get the best help if you provide the following: pH Nitrates Hardness Nitrite Ammonia KH/Buffer Water Temperature

I would recommend looking into Barrina grow lights. They can be chained together and are pretty low power consumption while still looking good. They aren't like super great plant grow lights or anything, but they are effective and inexpensive and come in a bunch of different lengths.

I would recommend dwarf sagittaria. It will grow taller under low lighting and will max out around 10-12 inches. Longer leaves you can trim at the bottom and it will generally only grow as tall as the next tallest leaf. This plant can take over if you're not careful, but I prefer it over val just because it is not nearly as aggressive and will stay appropriate length for smaller tanks.

You will need to dry the wood completely before it is aquarium safe.

@Galabar Yeah 10+ years is a long time for a motor to continue functioning as normal, it's a valid concern for sure. I will tell you that the only canister filters I would recommend these days are the fluval FX series, so you could technically replace it, but it won't be the same.

This video makes me want to pitch my Oase because I hate it, but the fact that I got it for free and it keeps a huge amount of media cycled for me also makes me not want to get rid of it 😅 I would leave it running until you have a place for all of the media in it, that stuff is like gold if it's that aged and established.

@Maximus glad it worked out!

I pretty much exclusively run this nano filter on all of my sub-20 gallon tanks that don't have sponge filters. I double up if the tank is over 10 gallons, but that's mostly because I overstock. If you don't overstock, one will be plenty. I just cut a piece of coarse foam pad to size and discard the cartridge it comes with. They are silent and as long as the tank water level doesn't drop too low they will self-prime after a power outage.

A pretty simple way to remedy this is to cut an EVA foam base for the tank. The foam will fill in any leveling gaps and compress in the areas it needs to. Thankfully this tank has a frame on it, which will definitely help reduce the risks of having it on a slightly uneven surface.

1. I try not to ship fish very often, but when I do, I use ACO ammonia pads. If I'm shipping shrimp, I snip open a bag of purigen and dump like a teaspoon of purigen pearls into the bag/bottle. 2. I do not believe ACO ammonia pads have any effect on oxygen levels, but if you're concerned about it I would recommend using breather bags. IMO the extra expense is worth it. 3. If your goal is just to reduce ammonia through shipping, then yes, the ammonia pad is the correct product to use. I tend to not like using loose purigen for fish because they can ingest it.

@Cinnebuns I’m so glad I have been able to help 😊

@TOtrees you must be a have an established Facebook account for longer than 3 months to post and comment, that’s a standard auto moderation tool that most groups have and I would guess that’s what is happening to you.