Kathy F

Sorry, I hope the damage isn't too bad. My sister and her husband live in Baton Rouge and are staying with us all week. Basically, they are waiting for the worst of the chaos to end so they can go home and survey for any possible damage to their property.

I buy on line from a shrimp guy because he quarantines his snails and checks them for visible parasites. I would give you the name but it isn't allowed but he is a well known in the hobby.

I'm not sure I'm allowed to link it but if you type into Google or Bing "aquarium 3d backgrounds" you will find the company that does those 3d backgrounds and the large fake wood decor.

Looks like a white cloud minnow to me but I could be wrong.

I feel like an idiot because I read the aquarium size recommendation on the Aqua Top box and went with the recommendation of an AP-30 air pump because it is rated up to 40 gallon. The pump is loud, small and seriously underpowered. I couldn't power both air stones I had in UGF for my son's 29 gallon so I swapped it with my Tetra Whisper 10 which is quieter and more powerful even though it is only rated for up to 10 gallons but still too underpowered. I am agravated because now I have to buy yet another air pump. I ordered a dual outlet Penn Plax Air Pod which should be powerful enough because I have the exact same model running two large sponge filters in my community 40 breeder and 3 years later it is still running quiet. I guess the moral of the story is when you find something that works stick with it.

If in doubt I always buy fish food; filter media, fish meds, air stones and air line tubing never go to waste either. Those products are shelved in my aquarium storage several months before use because you never know when you will need them.

Dragon scale refers to the scales not the size of the fins. Both were plakats but only my current one is a dragon scale. One was a blue giant plakat male (bought from a big box store) and the one I have currently is a blue rim dragon scale plakat (bought from a domistic seller that sources from a foreign betta breeder). I never figured out what killed my giant but he didn't even make it to a year old and appeared healthy to about 24 hours before he died. The last 24 hour still looked healthy but lost interest in food. Tested the water after he died and it was perfect. He had no visible defects or illnesses and was the only fish in a 10 gallon so had no exposures and even if there was accidental cross contamination b/w aquariums none of my other fish were sick at the time and he was my only new fish. I can only guess he had some sort of internal organ failure. I know what is wrong with my dragon scale because the tumors and the thick scales growing over the eyes are visible. About Betta Fish (bettablogging.com) Mine looks like the bottom picture except his rim color is blue and the scales over his eyes are much thicker. It is definitely something to consider. I have also been considering stocking it with shrimp after Ripple (the current betta) dies. I will have to see what is available when that happens. Right now Ripple is just disabled but he is still moving and enjoying life.

I really like the Seachem Tidal series also and will stick with them for now but there is one issue you should be aware of. I have had more issues with impellers getting gunked up on the filter. I'm not sure if it is filter design or if it is the fact they are filtering a heavy bioload goldfish tanks but the first filters impeller got gunky w/in 6 weeks and the second filter followed about 3-4 weeks later. What I like is the self priming, lift out tray, strurdy plastic casing and that the manufacturer doesn't try to sell you those wasteful disposable cartridges.

I would want a betta that was breed for health. My current betta has gone blind (common in dragon scale) and developed tumors. The two bettas I have had in recent years have not lived long or healthy lives. At this point, I'm debating whether I want another heavily modified betta or if I should go with something else when my "old" guy dies. I got him around labor day last year so I really don't consider him that old. Even my heavily modified goldfish have been hardier then my bettas have at this point.

I personally wouldn't do it but since it is already there you could try and see, just remove it if it becomes a problem. I have always used rounded rocks and real plants in my betta tank. My betta lies under the log and on the leaves of his sword and Java plants in the tank but he didn't start do lying around thing until he grew up while a youth he was always zipping around the tank.

I'm not sure how the skimmer works because if you telescope the intake tube down to fit your tank won't the skimmer be under the water since it doesn't look adjustable in height? Am I looking at this wrong?

Well ours is staffed by retirees and they weren't any more knowledgable. I asked if they had a digital thermometer since the older I get the harder time I have reading the regular thermometers with their tiny little numbers. She said no and came back with a reg thermometer and just told me to keep it in the green. I told her I already had that thermometer and I needed to keep my tank at exactly 75 degrees due to the different fish I'm keeping in the same aquarium. I think I'm just going to order an Inkbird controller online and call it a day.

I've never quarantined plants personally and haven't had problems. I bought from 3 different online sources and 2 different real world sources. I did get a pest snail from the LFS but it was easy to dispose of during a water change and it was only one. Maybe I have just been lucky. On a side note, I have had to buy from so many different sources due to the pandemic and low stocking levels everywhere. In a way, the supply issues has made me broaden my horizons and try new stores I never would have considered in the past.

I tend to either favor solid wood stands or metal stands these days. Imagitarium Brooklyn stand is fairly sturdy, I use the 40 breeder size but it comes in a 29 gallon as well. I also have the Titaneeze double metal stand in 29 gallon but because it is designed to breakdown it has a some wobble but definitely strong enough to hold a 29 gallon without bowing. I have also used the AquaCulture 29 gallon stand about 10 years ago and it was sturdy although it isn't solid wood so be careful if it gets wet. All three stands are less then $100 in my area. Of course you can also employ the 2x4 wood planks with cinder block method which I have never done but seen others do with great success and that method should be super cheap even with the higher price in wood since you won't be using much.

I kind of wonder if you are going to have problems with food falling b/w the large rocks and rotting away but that would happen even if you weren't running UGF. My son's glofish tank has Caribsea Snowy River gravel and that gravel is quite sizeable with smaller chunks mixed in. The hard part I had was positioning the smaller gravel chunks to hide the filter plates and to fit b/w the glass and uplift tube. Since your link is showing pebbles all the same size I do think you may have problems fully hiding the plates especially where space is tight b/w the glass and UGF parts. Glofish tank has only been up a week (hasn't even needed a water change yet) so I can't give you any feedback into longterm success with UGF and chunky gravel. Truthfully with how big the gravel is I'm worried about the rotting food situation in his glofish tank but my son insisted on this gravel so we will see.

My favorite fish food is Omega One. They use good ingredients for a reasonable cost and are readily available. I do think some of the brands you listed are better quality over all but I just didn't consider quality but over all practicality.

If empty I use 50/50 mix of water and white vinegar. For filled tanks, I either use a magnet algae cleaner (for heavily planted tanks so I don't damage leaves or disturb plants), for tanks less heavily planted I prefer a handheld razer blade scraper because it is more effective and can get to more spots (just don't use it near the silicone). For the outside and lids on filled tanks I use my 50/50 mix but be careful not to get the mix directly the plastic hinges on the Versa lids because it wears down the plastic after about a year (learned that lesson the hard way).

I honestly don't know. I test every other day using test strips and change when they reach 30ppm or higher in nitrate and/or when I need to maintain the plants. If I had to guess I would say the goldfish tank gets 75% of their water changed every 4 days, the community tank is 50% eveery 6-8 days, the betta tank 50% every 2 weeks and unsure about the glofish tanks since that is too new judge yet and still not fully stocked, Hospital tank changes depends on what is in there and what they are being treated with. If I ever get in a jam and can't change the water is much I cut back on feedings until my scedule can right itself (usually happens if I am sick or if my medically complex son is struggling healthwise).

Woman here so yes we are present. Both my LFS's are owned by men but the one I visit the most is almost fully staffed by females. I do see more male customers then female customers when I'm in the LFS but not outrageously so. No, I don't favor the LFS I use because of the women, I just like going into a store that is reasonably clean and the other LFS seems to struggle with maintenance. I do see more women then men in my betta and goldfish groups. Of course, this is all antedotal, I guess we would need a survey for a more complete picture.

Found him on Youtube doing a search for info on setting up a goldfish tank. I do enjoy his videos from time to time but truthfully the only time I have time to listen is if I am doing tank maintenance.

I moved a 75 gallon tank by myself with just a furniture dolly under the stand. I slide the empty tank onto a table next to the stand and then put the dolly under the stand (tested for reasonable stability, you can also use furniture straps if you are concerned although I didn't) then I slide/lifted slightly the aquarium back over to the stand and very slowly and carefully moved the set up and repeated the process to set it back up. Would definitely be easier if you have help but possible to move it without help if you are careful and plan.

Bare bottom because it isn't there to look nice but to serve a purpose. I also change water like crazy in that tank because I have to medicate so often it is pointless to run filtration. The tank just has an air stone for oxygenation and a heater.

What has been the most affective strategy for me is to get on our LFS website and read their shipment lists then head out there within 1-2 days of them releasing the desired fish from quarantine. You can't delay more then 2 days because the fish will be gone. Due to limited supply our LFS has even started allowing ordering while the fish are in quarantine although you have to wait until the fish are released from quarantine to pick them up. My other way is I sometimes hit up a locally owned franchise pet store in a smaller metro area. They aren't online and don't get much foot traffic so they are usually well stocked and even though they are small, the tanks are clean and the fish have been healthy. I do have a few online sources I trust, they are all fairly small businesses but have a good reputation. Be careful with shipping if you buy online. Shipping has been delayed at times due to pandemic/volume after lossing an entire shipment of guppies I no longer buy online anymore unless I can have the fish overnighted to me with a guaranteed arrival date. ETA: I forgot one other tip, ask your store when they put out their shipment of fish for the week and make sure you get there after they stock so you can get a good selection.

Thanks, I got him. He has started already moving around in the community tank so I think he made the transfer okay.

How do you get a snail to release their hold on the glass without hurting them? I'm trying to tear apart my son's 10 gallon guppy tank; Current population is being moved to my 40 gallon community tank. The guppies were easy peasy but the nerite has a tight hold on the glass and I can't get him to release.