HH Morant

I feed once per day, six days per week. Fish don't eat every day in the wild, so they can take it. Like most folks, I tend to feed more than they really need, so by the time the fasting day comes around they don't really need to eat. But they will always act like they are hungry. They will always act like they are starving. But I think the bottom line is that you can feed as much as you like until it causes problems. High nitrates let me know that I needed a fasting day. If you feed 3 times a day and your water parameters are perfect and your water is clear, more power to you. Too much feeding causes high nitrates and can cause a high level of bacteria (not good bacteria) in the water column, which puts pressure on the immune systems of the fish. If I fed 3 times per day I would be in trouble, but maybe I feed a lot more per feeding.

My guess is that it is not illegal because they are not competing with Co-op if they are buying from Co-op. If they call them Co-op products, they are just telling the truth. Co-op does not lose a sale when they make a sale. In fact, Co-op makes a sale every time they make a sale on Amazon. Co-op almost certainly makes more money because of the Amazon seller because some of the buyers on Amazon would never have seen the product on the Co-op website and so would never have purchased it. Maybe it is a good idea to leave a review pointing out that the Amazon buyers are getting ripped off because they could buy directly from Co-op. But that could cost Co-op a sale if they don't buy on Amazon but then end up buying somewhere other than Co-op.

Better or more filtration is always good, but, as Intuos points out, it won't help with nitrates. Pothos or lucky bamboo will help and plants will help. Cutting back on feeding will also help. Most people, including me, tend to feed too much Reducing the number or size of fish will also help. It sounds as though your tank is cycled, so I don't think adding a bacteria-in-a-bottle product will help. People who use those products believe they help to develop beneficial bacteria to handle ammonia and nitrites. I don't think the manufacturers of these products even claim that the products help with nitrates (although I wouldn't be surprised if some do claim that).

I don't think that using filter media as a substrate will be effective. In order for beneficial bacteria to grow in significant numbers, it needs surface area to grow on and a relatively rapid flow. Although beneficial bacteria grows on substrate, rocks, and other things in the tank, the vast majority of beneficial bacteria in most tanks is in the filter, because that is where the flow is. I had the same idea as you when I put a lava rock substrate (purchased from Bonsai Jack) in my aquarium. I like the way the substrate looks and it may be a little better home for beneficial bacteria than ordinary gravel would be, but I don't think the difference is significant. There is just not enough flow for beneficial bacteria to grow in great numbers in the substrate (unless you have and under-gravel filter).

Wagwan, Intuos! Welcome to the forum!

Thanks, Fish Folk. Maybe I have several different colors. It is hard to get a good look at the little boogers because they have so many places to hide and they are so small.

My two brown hoplo catfish like to sit in the "tree" (pogostemon stellatus octopus).

In addition to guppies, mollies, swordtails and platies are good for kids because they multiply and the kids like the babies. And if some of them die others are born to take their place. And maybe a little guppy grass for fry survivability. Oh, and welcome!

My young (less than one year old) bristlenose plecos laid a few eggs. The albino male guarded the eggs and when they hatched I took the cave out and poured the contents into a 20-gallon tank that is overrun with algae and has a few otos in it. There were only 12 to 15 fry. Now they are more than a week old, but they look black or dark gray. There are two females that could have laid the eggs - one albino and one super red. I suspect it was the red female that laid the eggs, but I'm not sure. Are week-old albino bristlenose fry supposed to look dark-colored?

Plants are good, but you don't necessarily need them for a stable tank. Some people cannot have plants because of the types of fish they keep. If you are going to have fish or other animals, that is probably the first decision to make. Then go from there. There are many ways to have a stable tank!

Pleco armor

Say AAAAHHHH!

Not a bad idea, though. Maybe put the bottle near the sponge filter and move the heater away from it.

Welcome to the forum! OK, I have to ask. What is the plastic bottle in the tank with the 2 angels? Something to lay eggs on?

It's easier just to put in 1/5 of the recommended dose into each tank. It may be difficult to measure small amounts exactly, but it does not really have to be exact.

It's like a South American Surfin' Safari!

Nice looking fish! Nice to get a near-adult that already looks great.

That frog looks like he's setting a new Calaveras County record!

Angels!

Rotting food/feces in the substrate could also be a source of the bacteria.

I like Colu's idea of dosing the food with antibiotics. It does look like an infection. One cause could be a high bacteria count in the water column. Increasing the amount or efficiency of biological filtration may help.

Hey, you have room for some more tanks! Welcome!

Bio-load is a lot more dependent on the weight of the fish than its length. A 2-inch fish is not just twice as big as a 1-inch fish. There are 3 dimensions, and length is just one of them. If the two-inch fish is twice as big in all three dimensions, it is 8 times as big as a 1-inch fish. So if you can have 80 one-inch fish in your aquarium, that doesn't mean you can have 40 two-inch fish. Generally, I think drastic over-filtration is what allows over-stocking.

The concrete blocks will be fine, of course. It is the two-inch thick board you need to be concerned about. If the aquariums are long enough so that they extend over the blocks or very close to the blocks, that is good. If not, the board has to bear a lot more weight. 75 gallons of water is about 625 pounds, plus the aquarium itself and the net weight added by the substrate, you might be talking in the neighborhood of 900 pounds or more for each aquarium I am no engineer and I have never built a stand. I recently had my floor reinforced so that I could have an 100+gallon aquarium on the second floor of my house, so I am probably over-cautious.

I think my ex-wife gave off stress hormones!