Sarina
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Posts posted by Sarina
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On 6/28/2021 at 9:10 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:
...now where's a pic with your girls in it?!
They run from my phone because they're scared of it 😂 here's a really bad picture because I had to zoom in a bunch:
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Yes, they pulled a lot of the moss apart, as well, but they picked the staghorn algae clean off of the whole tank, leaving plants intact. It took them less than 24 hours to eat every speck of staghorn, which is usually too tough and fibrous for other algae eaters to want to bother with. The moss will grow back, and quite honestly I have more than enough to replace what was eaten or pulled off the wood.
People like to say that flagfish are nippy and aggressive, but that is only the case with the males. A group of 3 female flagfish makes an excellent algae management system and they are not territorial like the males are. A group of them will hang out together and they won't usually bother other fish. They're nothing fancy, just a plain little brown and green fish, but they are very active swimmers and they are fun to watch. I wish I had more pictures of the whole tank before I put them in, there was staghorn all over the place... Now it's sparkling clean!
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They will be fine. Nice Bolivian ram!
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On 6/26/2021 at 9:16 PM, Dark River Aquatics said:
Possibly a stupid question but is methylene chloride the active ingredient in PVC cement? Did some googling and that popped up as one of the first things, I already have some Oatey regular clear PVC cement listing methyl ethyl ketone 78-93-3 as the first ingredient, will this do the job?
Yes, methylene chloride is basically the super generic version of mek lol I guess I should have said something about pvc cement working just fine for this purpose.
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On 6/26/2021 at 10:17 PM, Spicy Reef said:
So I have this situation in pic below, can I run a couple of strips, top and side, using ABS glue to keep together or is my situation a possible complete replacement. I already tested, it held water no problem for a month and I did not notice any expansion, THANKS!
It looks like the center brace is still intact, so just scab over the cracks with some 1/6" thick abs (you'll save a few bucks with thinner material) and you'll be golden!
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On 6/26/2021 at 7:45 PM, Dark River Aquatics said:
Thank you so much! Would it work to glue the strips to the underside of the frame as well? Ideally I’d like to be able to use glass lids, but structural integrity def comes first
Oh yeah as long as both sides of the cracked part are supported, you can do it however you like!
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So, funny story, I used to be a composites fabricator, and I actually can tell you how to fix it without replacing the entire top frame. Order some 1/8" thick abs plastic online, cut two strips about an inch wide, and use methylene chloride to glue one strip on either side of the damage. If you want, for aesthetic purposes, you can even cut down the melty bits and cut a piece wide enough to cover both strips and glue that on top of the gap to cover it. It probably wouldn't look half bad and it would save you from having to strip and re-silicome the whole top of the tank.
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Frozen mysis, crickets, mealworms, earth worms, black worms, and a staple food like Repashy Redrum or Omega One super color cichlid pellets. Bug bites also makes an excellent cichlid pellet. Just try to stay away from anything that has too much wheat, corn, or other grain fillers in it. Meaty food is ideal, and it's especially important to switch it up so they get all the proper nutrients and they don't get bloated. I would give your flower horn the staple pellet every other day, and then meaty frozen foods in between. You could also do dried insects if you don't like the thought of doing live. Reptile stores usually have them.
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On 6/24/2021 at 7:00 PM, Fish Folk said:
That’s a good call. I really love them though... I’d enjoy getting my pair to spawn.
They're such fun fish to breed! I have them in my pond and the male is currently caring for a batch of wigglers. They make pretty good parents most of the time, I don't have to do much at all with them.
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Lol flagfish can be jerks. I usually only recommend them in tanks with fish that can put them in their place. My male also likes to beat the crap out of anyone who enters his territory. The females are docile, though.
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Thank you all so much for your advice, I think I'm going to begin referencing Cory's m&m video regularly, since he does a much better job of explaining these things than I do 😅 oddly enough, the kids I talk to seem to grasp the higher level science information better than most adults. I have yet to have to explain salt water to a newbie, that should be an adventure when the time comes lol. I will refine and simplify my diagram and probably use that as a tool, as well.
I'm grateful to everyone for putting things in perspective for me! I feel like I've been chest-deep in chemistry and biology with this hobby for years now, it's hard to remember how to slow down and explain it clearly to someone who isn't living and breathing it every day.
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On 6/23/2021 at 10:51 PM, tonyjuliano said:
Change the detail in your diagram from “fish waste” to “fish waste & normal metabolic function” (most ammonia production is excreted through the gills, as opposed to fecal/urine production), add “anaerobic bacteria” as an additional potential consumer of nitrate and it’s pretty much spot on as far as I’m concerned.
Okay you're right, but I talked about metabolic function to a customer today and unfortunately just confused the crap out of them. Anaerobic bacteria aren't going to really exist in your average plastic gravel and fake plant beginner setup, either. Idk I struggle with how to pick out the important bits to help a beginner succeed and want to learn more. It's a balance, too, because you don't want to overwhelm people and scare them off. Do you think the metabolic function bit is super necessary for a brand new hobbyist? If so I definitely will work it in somehow.
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I started working at a local fish store recently (yay!) and I’m finding myself struggling with explaining the nitrogen cycle to newbies. I feel like I tend to over explain things and intimidate/confuse people, so I’m trying to come up with a simple-ish explanation and diagram to guide the conversation. This is a very rough draft, and I need input before I finalize the design and actually make it look artsy and nice.
I am usually a good salesperson, but I feel like I’m already failing at this job because people’s eyes glaze over when I begin to talk about the components of aquarium ecosystems and water quality and whatnot. Is this normal? I feel like this is vital information for the wellbeing of an animal and I find it really unnerving that people seem to not care. Any advice about this would be welcome, my confidence in my position has taken a bit of a hit because of the interactions I’ve had recently.
Copy/paste of text portion for easy editing:
Beneficial “nitrifying” bacteria grows on all surfaces in your aquarium where water flows, including decorations, substrate, plants, and most importantly: filter media. Porous media such as sponge and ceramic make excellent homes for these beneficial bacteria, which convert toxic ammonia and nitrite to much less toxic nitrate. These bacteria colonies take time to grow in a new tank, from 3 to 8 weeks, and this initial bacteria development is known as “cycling a tank.”
High nitrate levels can still harm fish, which is why water changes and/or live plants are essential to keeping a healthy tank. Testing your water regularly to keep track of ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels can help you understand your tank’s ecosystem so you can keep your fish healthy and happy!
Always wash dirty filter media in used tank water. Chlorine from tap water can kill your beneficial bacteria and may cause your tank to “crash.” A crash happens when there isn’t enough bacteria present to convert ammonia and nitrite, so the concentration of these toxic compounds rises to harmful levels.
(Side note I just realized I need to write out “carbon dioxide” next to CO2 for consistency, I’m sure that’s not the only mistake I’ve made)
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On 6/23/2021 at 8:53 AM, PaigeGlamelin said:
Wow I did not know that, very interesting, thank you for your input.
Yeah it's always frustrating when you keep getting fry that don't survive, I hope giving them a month off helps.
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Sometimes a pair just doesn't produce strong enough fry for good survival rates. I had a pair of German blue rams that would have fry that would even get to the free swimming phase and then slowly they would all die off. It may not be you at all, it may be the pair you have. Try dropping the temperature and giving them a break from breeding for a month or so, bulk them up with some high quality foods, and then try again, maybe? As long as the fry are eating and you're not getting fungus, they should be surviving without much issue so I'm not sure what else it could be.
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Well judging by your Kh, your pH should be around 7.2-7.6. It's always a little difficult to tell in photos, but the test strip kit needs to be done in a very specific way for accuracy. Unless you took the photo at 1 minute, as the instructions state, the reading may be off. I recommend retesting with both if the ph number is crucial. If it's not that important, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Swings of 0.2 in either direction from the average aren't really anything to worry about unless you're keeping the most sensitive of wild caught species.
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Most leca isn't heavy enough to hold plants in, and a good portion of it will actually float. It's a great biological media, but it's probably not the best choice for substrate.
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I think most people use "no planaria" to get rid of things like leeches and other unwanted squiggly unfriendlies.
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On 6/17/2021 at 4:44 PM, lrl251 said:
Hi everyone,
I'm a novice fish keeper. I recently read an article (https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2021/05/betta-fish-sex-determination/618889/) that talked about how male bettas can sometimes by XX and females can also be XY. I'm not an expert on genetics so I was wondering if anyone knew if there are visible signs of a male or female presenting betta carrying the opposite chromosome? I've had two bettas that looked almost like they were a mix of both sexes. I have a beautiful male betta with a large belly area (it's not bloat and he's not sick), and who seems to be missing his beard? Even his ventrals seem a little bit suspect, but his anal and caudal fins definitely look male. After reading the article, I started wondering if maybe I had a male who used to be a female? Or is it more likely that I just have a feminine-looking male betta? I've also had females that I was told look like males but I'm not sure if the XX/XY change works that way.
Alex talked about this a few weeks ago on a live stream, super fascinating subject! As for your betta, I think it's totally possible to have an intersex betta, however you really can't know for sure, since appearance can be so deeply varied. The only way to truly tell is to have a genetic test done... Difficult on a small fish, for sure.
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On 6/17/2021 at 7:52 PM, DebSills said:
@Nirvanaquaticswhat substrate brand/color is that, I really like it!
It's actually not substrate at all, it's something called safe-t-sorb, which is calcined clay meant for absorbing oil and chemicals. It's incredibly cheap, but it has a good CEC capacity. Only downside is you have to "charge" it by soaking it in fertilizer for like two weeks before you plant into it. It's not very beginner friendly, but it works well and looks great 😊 it's actually capping worm castings in this setup and it grows plants quite well.
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On 6/17/2021 at 12:23 PM, PaigeGlamelin said:
Thank you all for your wonderful suggestions, I have grow lights for my plants right now
I mainly wondering if these will work.
I have to warn you, I tried those for succulents and was terribly disappointed by them. They began to burn out and dim within about 3 months.
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On 6/17/2021 at 2:39 PM, JakeH said:
I picked up a few of these GE bulbs from a big box store that had them on clearance-never got around to using them though. You have me motivated to try them now. I’m looking to build a sump that will also serve as a holding plant tank. They should be fine in a aluminum cone, right? Like the fixtures you’d use with a heat lamp.
Oh yeah aluminum cones will be perfectly fine. I hope they work well for you!
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Here is a video from @Bentley Pascoe that explains how anoxic and anaerobic bacteria works, including some other links that explains it further. As for your question about gravel, in order to create a deep enough bed to create an anaerobic environment, you'd have to have pretty deep gravel and quite a bit of mulm. Sand tends to compact and create that anaerobic and anoxic environment better and more consistently than gravel.
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On 6/16/2021 at 12:56 PM, PaigeGlamelin said:
I have a few vases and fish bowls filled with substrate and water, I have pothos growing out of one but the other two are empty. I would like to fill them with aquatic plants but i'm not sure the grow light will provide enough exposure for the plants underwater. Has anyone had experience with this? If anyone had any horticulture plant ideas either I would love to hear them! These aren't for little critters just to be clear.
My favorite light for this situation is the GE led balanced spectrum bulbs. The "seeds and greens" version will be closer to natural sunlight, more of a white light that leans a bit on the cool side. The "fruit and flower" bulb looks warmer in color, but will be less likely to produce algae and may actually trigger flowering in some plants like red root floaters. Either option is 9w, so easily gives plenty of light off for a nano setup. The cheaper option, for whatever reason, is usually the fruit and flower one. The best part? These bulbs fit into a standard desk lamp with E26/27 threading. You can find the bulbs here.
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Proof that flagfish eat staghorn algae
in Plants, Algae, and Fertilizers
Posted
Yeah I honestly love flagfish, I think they're cute and they're very beneficial 😊
For anyone wishing to keep them: if they don't have algae to eat, they enjoy repashy Soilent Green gel food.