Brian

For the outside- I use a scotch brite pad an some aquarium water and maybe a razor blade if has been a while and they are pretty bad. After drying off I use my mag float. Does a nice job on the inside and helps some with outside.

That is looking great. A couple of things. I have never waited to put fish in. In fact I don’t think I’ve waited more than a day or two. Especially since you have other tanks and used gravel from one of them. I would always just add my stock slowly, feed very little and test. Also I kept a couple different crypts at high temperatures. What I did is I kept them in the pots they came in placed them in a different tank with temperature around 77-78, and over a month or so I would get them up to my main tank. But that really Good.

Is it possible for you to wait and order maybe just once or twice a year and hit the free shipping amount? Or, maybe…. You get together with a couple buddies or members of a local fish club and combine orders? just a thought..

Thanks for sharing. For about 10 years I have been using the one that comes with McCormick fresh pepper. And then maybe 2 or 3 years ago I found a battery operated one. Came with batteries and has a light on the bottom- not sure why…. But it was 5.00

That is awesome. Long time coming. Congratulations.

If you double bag them and reverse the second bag this will eliminate the corners and fish getting stuck in the folds of the bags

If you do decide to ship fish or live animals. I would not feed them for at least 24 hours before bagging. If possible use oxygen. Some people will add a drop or two of API Stress Coat. At least double bag them, if bags are not square bottoms- insert first bag into second bag upside down. Label the bags with common name - scientific name - location or collection point if you have, and how many. If it is a shrimp or crayfish put a small piece of foam in the bag. And this is very important…. Make the animal is legally in the place you are mailing to. Good Luck and let me know how it goes.

I would suggest adding all the fish at the same time. If this isn’t possible, never add just one or two new fish. And when you do add fish, rearrange the aquarium some. Puts everyone on a more level playing field. Also sight line blocks (maybe a large rock) can be helpful. When the fish grow up together they seem to establish a pecking order and settle in a little easier. In my opinion Good Luck

Someone asked this question a couple weeks ago. this was my answer. I had that question with some other medications a couple years ago. I emailed the manufacturer, their response was although they have 4-8 months figured in past that date - taking into purchase date and up to the date of use. But everything depends on how the product is stored. They also suggested as time goes on it just become less effective. Should not do any harm. I don’t believe salt has an expiration date Good Luck

I find that young/small discus want a seasoned aquarium. They would like company, they are a social animal and love to be with other discus. What kind of tetras do you have? Neons, cardinals, rummy nose and maybe even blood fin could work. But something with an attitude (say black skirt) wouldn’t work as well.

Good Luck. When I first purchased my Aquarium CoOp test strips I had both liquid test and a different brand of test strips. Both test strips and liquid gave me the same results. With liquid test we need to watch the products date code. Make sure to get the cap on tight. Keep the tip/end of the bottle clean. Shake them up. And so on. I haven’t had any issues with the Aquarium Co Op ones .

Increase temperature 86-88. Try live black worms, frozen blood worms. call the pet shop make it was eating for them and ask what foods they used. How many Discus do you have?

I would take some water to one of those pet shops that test for free. Just to make sure the accuracy of both kits.

I have never seen anyone just offering the guards/cover. So many different sizes and shapes.

Sometimes it isn’t the surface, but the current. I have had some aspidora catfish lay eggs on the water inlet of a HOB. And a cory that would lay them on the inside of a sponge filter lift tube

No I don’t. But, my thinking is if it grows better at different temperatures- maybe different types/kinds or strains go at different temperatures. So, I want mine to grow/reproduce at my Discus temperature. Young discus? I would go 84-86. I kept mine 86-87 until the fish hit that 4 1/2. inches. But with high temperatures come lots of feedings…. Good luck

I will keep you guys in my thoughts and prayers. Safe travels.

I just wanted to take a moment and wish the entire Aquarium Co Op family well wishes. For everyone that makes this community so awesome the forum, physical store and online store. Extra special well wishes for a safe and speedy return for Cory and Dorkula. Be safe.

Is the source of your water treated? Or a well? If it is a public water system I would check it. Basically follow what Cory said. I was wondering a couple things- size of the aquarium, what type of filtration are you using? When you did water change did you service/clean filters? Did you clean the glass of the aquarium when you changed water? What types and how many fish are in the aquarium? Did you feed your fish before testing water and if so how soon after feeding did you test? If using external filters (hang on back or canister) did you turn them off while charging water? And if so how long?

Oh and btw, some people don’t like touching them. I have seen a lot of people use those cheap/dollar store paint brushes (kind kids might use for water colors) run along the side of the container or lid. Try to avoid getting any of the medium.

Tons of ways to go about it. I forgot about the instant potatoes. i always just used fleischmann regular dry yeast.

Did you check AquaBid? Local classified add? Ask at the Pet Stores you do have if you can put up a note on local bulletin board asking if anyone is getting rid of one. Craigslist? Online, there are a lot of companies and some will ship. Good Luck

Tons of ways to go about it. Any container you have like the one they came in will work. Get yourself some yeast. Get two maybe three containers some people use a slice of bread some people use oats some people use baby cereal. I used the oats. Put about 1/2 inch in the cup. Add some water and stir. Make a thick Paste. Add a little yeast and stir. Then add a little on the top. Then add some of the culture you bought today. When I was feeding a lot of fry I would make sure I started one of these every three or four days. now put the lid on it. baby cereal is about the same. Bread just dampen it add yeast to top. Then add some culture. If you notice them drying out add a tiny bit of water…. Too wet, add more medium and yeast… when starting to smell or turn dark…. Get the next one started. Good Luck

Ask why it’s not for sale? If it is the owners “pet” or maybe their child’s pet. Walk away. If it is because it is in a large display tank, offer to pay them 20.00 to let you catch it without destroying the plants, setup and decorations. Do you think you will be able to spawn this fish? If so, offer to give them 2-3 from first spawn and maybe work out a deal for them to purchase/trade in the future.

This happened to me with Discus. It was small scale only three spawning pairs at the peek of me keeping them. But, everything was manual. At the time I had about 35-40 tanks and all manually maintained. Out of those tanks at any given time about 6 aquariums had Discus in them. I remember the day well, all day thinking I need to get home to cut the grass (It takes about 90 minutes with a tractor) it had been raining for a couple days and finally dried out enough to cut. I also was going to my daughter’s basketball game (missing the game wasn’t an option) I really enjoyed watching her play and didn’t miss a game in 10 years. And I had three tanks of Discus fry all under 40 days old. I said to myself, I’m done…. Never did another water change on a Discus fry tank. A buddy had been begging to buy my adults. That weekend I sold all my adults and all most of my juveniles and young adults to him. I kept 8 young adults. Over the next 8-10 years those would spawn in a community tank. I never tried to raise the fry.