Guppy Guy

That’s all I can help you with, so good luck! @Guppysnail @Fish Folk

I was cleaning my tank, and I saw a crypt leaf sticking to the filter inlet. As anyone would do, I went to pull it out and found that it was stuck. From there, I disassembled the inlet and saw that the one leaf that came off was growing roots! From there, I thought, “if the crypt can grow in the inlet, what if I left it there? Besides, the water flow will pass a ton of nutrients right over the roots”. I re-planted it in the inlet(more secure, and in a way that didn’t clog the ball valve), and now it is a wait and see game.

First off, are you talking about the floating water lettuce? If you are, then I would either buy a floating food ring and place it inside that, or just let it free float. Unless there is a barrier or the water is unnaturally calm, floating plants will almost always find their way into the water column. Unless you don’t want the plants to move, I would let them free float, as long as they are still getting sufficient light to grow, and they will eventually grow large and stick in the corners.

I have kept a betta with guppies before, though it was temporary as its tank wasn’t ready. No problems though. I would watch out with the tetras, as they might go for the bettas fins, but if they don’t bother the gouramis, then they’ll probably be fine. Make sure you get a different color betta from the gourami, or they could think that they are the same species, and because they are labyrinth fish, that means fighting. I would try it, but at the first sign of trouble, move the betta into a tank with some smaller fish. Good luck!

How big is your tank? How many fish total are there? It sounds like the aragonite didn’t work fast enough to raise the ph before the multies felt it. I like seachem alkaline buffer, so just add that to your new water before adding it to the tank. Also make sure that the ph is the same, or you will have more problems. Let’s see what @Guppysnail @Streetwise and @Colu have to say.

Have you tried plasti-dip? I haven’t tried it personally, but I know that Cory and many others have done it.

As far as UFGs go, they are pretty outdated, but they are still pretty popular. With that being said, you would need a really thick layer of gravel to go on top of it. Also, as the UFG is built to keep the gravel clean, there won’t be a ton of mulm(uneaten food, fish waste, dead plants) which in my opinion, really helps the plants grow. With that being said, I have no experience with UFGs, especially with plants, so more opinions will be best. @Streetwise and maybe @Guppysnail might know something I don’t.

Wow thanks everyone! After hearing everyone’s opinion on the subject of grounding, I think I should be fine, as I am actually getting a new heater this weekend to replace my ancient “all glass aquariums” heater.(When’s the last time you heard that name?)The only reason I am replacing it is because there is some water condensation inside it. As far as the grade 1 titanium goes, could I bend it into shapes to hold java moss in place? That would be a neat idea. Thanks again! Edit: I found this link on amazon for grade 1 wire. Could this be used to hold the java moss?

Are there any snails in the tank? There is a chance that they are snail eggs. If not, there is a good chance that it is some sort of pod, maybe from a bacteria or pests. Don’t quote me on that though. We’re they there when you set up the tank? Have they changed size any since you first noticed them? Also, I do know that it is a bit of a long shot, but if you somehow have access to a microscope, put it under that and share a pic. It might help. Besides me, there is a chance that @Streetwiseor @Guppysnail might know something that I don’t.

I don’t have experience with ich-x as I always dose salt in my water and 9/10 it works. I do know however that @Colu is plenty familiar with it, so he can probably help you. Nice tank by the way. I hope you will be able to fix the problem.

Thanks! I might just be getting me some pretty soon. Congrats on finishing off the fin rot. If @Colu is involved, no disease stands a chance!

Those fins look amazing! What species are the bluish ones?

I’m not familiar with CO2 systems but I do know that if you use a mesh it CANNOT be metal or certain kinds of plastic. I recommend siliconing a cotton mesh like cheese cloth to the opening, just ensure it has no additives. See what @ARMYVET , @Keeg, and @Streetwise think. I’m pretty sure they all use Co2.

So I saw a thing at my LFS a few weeks ago. The gist of it is that it is a grounding rod that you place in your tank to ground stray currents from heaters, filters, etc. and it plugs into the ground spot on an outlet. It says it is a titanium rod, and was way overpriced at $20. Do they treat it with something that makes it aquarium safe, or is it just titanium? I found these titanium welding rods on amazon, and I have a ton of power cords laying around, so could I do this instead of buying the grounding rod? It is the same price as one, but I could make a ton with that amount, and use the leftovers for other projects. Thanks in advance!

So sorry to hear about that. Unfortunately, a guppy dying of dropsy isn’t unheard of if not common. What’s weird to me is that almost all of my guppy’s die from dropsy. I have them for 2 or 3 years, and then their activity suddenly slows down, they start hiding, not eating and pineconeing, and unfortunately dies within a week. How old was Chamomile before she died? If she was between 1 and 3 years old, it was likely a natural death. Either way, don’t feel bad, as I’m sure someone near you breed guppies and I’m also sure that one of them is just waiting to be named Chamomile jr. (or another garden plant. Peppermint? Rosemary? Berry? I love a good garden names theme like the one you started.) My best advice to you is to not give up on the hobby, and keep going. If you don’t accidentally kill some fish, how will you learn to keep other fish? The best part about this forum is that people can help each other learn from each other’s mistakes, and I’m sure someone has had the same problem as you, and in my case, many times. Good luck with your next round of guppies!!

Wow! that’s impressive! How can you set it for a screensaver? I’m interested in doing something. similar.

Then toilet tanks are cool, but I saw where someone made one where it did an instant water change every time you flushed. That can’t be good for the fish getting a 90% water change multiple times a day.

Have you seen the oase filters? This is their website, but amazon probably has them. Also, a post in this thread from a few months back showed a small heater inn the bottom of a HOB filter. I hear you on the dropsy meds though. That would be a good one, as maracyn just doesn’t do the trick.

So I was browsing Instructables when I saw this Gumball Aquarium and thought that would make a neat guppy or betta tank. I’ve already been eyeing this Instructables TV aquarium and this video from The King Of DIY TV Aquarium. What really cool fish tanks have you seen that don’t harm the fish?

Same here. Sorry this is late, the thread got lost in my notifications! 😅 it is weird that it only happens on fluval stuff. No other filters, heaters, or airline does this.

I love pvc pipe! I use 2” as a cave for my catfish and anyone else who wants to hide. I also made a PVC filter, and if I can find a spot for another tank, it will go in that one. And last, I used a dermal to sand grooves in a pipe, and painted it brown to make a log. Out of all my projects, the log is my favorite.

It isn’t fungus unless its fuzzy. Can you tell if it is? Otherwise it is something else. Note that it won’t be super fuzzy in the early stages, but it will be there. If its not fuzzy, I think that it is over making its slime coat. I don’t know how to fix that in cichlids, but @Colu will know.

OK, now I see what you mean. It is very possible that the angelfish ate they’re own eggs. Not all angelfish are the same, as I’ve heard of some that will care for the eggs all the time, while others eat the eggs, and still others abandon them. It could be the plecos, but its very unlikely. Snails won’t even touch them in my experience. As far as the cichlid goes, it is either a scrape, or the fish is over making its slime coating. I found your other post about it, and #colu is very good with that sort of thing. He can probably take it from here in the other post. Good luck, and I hope that you recover well.

I hate that people think that the “big box store” fish are healthy and hardy, and in reality they die in even perfect water conditions. I can’t remember the last time I bought a guppy from one of them. I always go for locally bred, or my friends ever populating guppy tank.

I’ve been using aquaclear sponges for awhile now, and I’ve never had any problems with chemical smells. When they are new, they smell a little like the polyester that they use in stuffed animals, but quickly goes away in the water. I do recommend buying from a LFS as amazon is making freaking billions of dollars right now, so one less customer won’t really hurt them. Another bonus to going to an LFS is that the employees usually have tanks of they’re own, and will have more valuable information than amazon will help you with.