Jump to content

BenAquatics

Members
  • Posts

    14
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Feedback

    0%

Recent Profile Visitors

The recent visitors block is disabled and is not being shown to other users.

BenAquatics's Achievements

Explorer

Explorer (4/14)

  • Reacting Well
  • First Post
  • Collaborator
  • Conversation Starter
  • Week One Done

Recent Badges

4

Reputation

  1. Does the double outlet version output 1.6 L/min air flow per outlet or in total? Link to the product: https://www.aquariumcoop.com/collections/air-pumps/products/aquarium-co-op-air-pump?variant=40428791922757
  2. Hi! I want to buy a few fish tanks this coming Black Friday to make a small fish area in my basement. What kind of fish can I keep that will tolerate water down to say, 50 degrees Fahrenheit? I live in New York. I'm willing to use a space heater on the occasional days where the weather is extremely cold, but I can't afford to heat my basement on a continuous basis, nor can I afford to insulate my entire basement. I might insulate one or two fish tanks with rigid foam board, but I would also prefer not to insulate all of my basement aquariums. Some cold-tolerant fish that I'm aware of: Fancy goldfish North American native fish -- shiners, darters, and sunfish look so cool 🙂 The fish mentioned in https://www.aquariumcoop.com/blogs/aquarium/coldwater-fish Uruguayan fish like gymnogeophagus and australoheros which I've read are far south enough in South America to experience cooler temperatures. Are there any other cold-tolerant fish species that I should be aware of?
  3. I've noticed that some breeders will grow out fry in small tubs or small containers that do not contain filters, but will do frequent water changes. Is this safe for the fish? Even if I do water changes 1-2x a day, won't ammonia build up in between water changes?
  4. Thank you everyone for the great replies! Based on your suggestions, I think I will experiment with crushed coral next -- it sounds like the least amount of work, and I prefer keeping things simple.
  5. Here in NYC, my tap water is very soft: 0-1 kGH and 0-1 dKH. I want to provide ideal water parameters for livebearers, celestial pearl danios, rainbowfish, and other fish I haven't encountered yet that prefer harder water. I can raise GH by adding calcium sulfate and magnesium sulfate (which I believe are also known as gypsum powder and epsom salt, respectively). I can raise KH by adding baking soda. I plan to age my water in a barrel so that all the minerals that I add have time to fully dissolve. Is that all there is to it? Does dosing some calcium and magnesium really make the difference between "my livebearers will slowly waste away in soft water" and "my livebearers will thrive because I added calcium and magnesium"? Are there other minerals that I need to add? My concern here is, am I optimizing for some numbers (i.e. the correct amount of GH and KH) without truly providing the right environment for hard water fish?
  6. I added 0.5ppm of ammonia to a new 4 gallon nano tank and seeded the tank by squeezing mulm from an Aquaclear 20 in my established 20 gallon aquarium (I made sure the filter media did not come into direct contact with the water that had 0.5ppm of ammonia). After 24 hours, I was surprised to see that I still had 0.5ppm ammonia and 0 nitrite and nitrate, so I squeezed mulm from another Aquaclear 20 (from a different established aquarium) into the same 4 gallon nano tank. Another day later, still no nitrite or nitrate. I was under the impression that the seeded nano tank would be ready to go immediately as long as I start off with a low bioload. It's been ~5 days now and I'm finally seeing non-zero nitrites and nitrates.
  7. I don't keep caridina yet but here's what I've read online: Certain caridina species, including crystal red shrimp (CRS), prefer acidic pH and very low kH. Some caridina species don't need low pH (e.g. tiger shrimp), and some caridina species that originate from low pH environments can adapt to non-ideal parameters, but for the purposes of this question let's assume it's a high-grade CRS that's inbred and intolerant of less-than-ideal parameters: acidic pH and low kH. To provide optimal conditions, caridina keepers will use RO water and add mineralizer to increase GH. RO water has a neutral pH, so we need to add aquasoil to reduce the pH. Since caridina prefer low kH, the aquarium is subject to pH swings. This is why we need some active substrate to keep the pH at ideal levels. The TLDR of what I've read online is that active substrate reduces the pH to a certain level (6.0-ish) and, more importantly, it keeps the pH stable at that level even when the aquarium has low kH. What I haven't been able to identify is this: what's the magic sauce in active substrate that provides this alleged buffering capacity? Can this be reproduced without using expensive aquasoil?
  8. Active substrates (a.k.a. aquasoils) are often recommended to reduce pH and keep pH stable for caridina shrimp. However, active substrates are expensive, require replacement once depleted, and are difficult to replace with new active substrates because new active substrate tends to leech ammonia. What is the ingredient in aquasoils that provides the buffering effect? A Google search (not sure if I'm allowed to post links here) says that aquasoils are baked soils with peat added for buffering capacity. If that's true, can I use peat moss instead of aquasoil in caridina aquariums?
  9. I'm guessing the cories won't eat brine shrimp floating in the water column. Will the brine shrimp eventually sink to the bottom?
  10. Thanks everyone! I'll go with pressure treated 2x4s.
  11. I'm thinking about building a fish rack using either 2x4s or metal storage shelves (the Gladiator storage shelving holds up to 2000 pounds per shelf, which is more than enough for my needs). I was leaning towards using 2x4s, but the recent flooding from Hurricane Ida has me reconsidering. Would a 2x4 stand hold up to water damage from a flooded basement if I pump out the flooded water quickly?
  12. I recently watched an Aquarium Co-Op video where Cory mentioned that his indoor breeding ponds don't need water changes because his plants absorb waste. Before watching that video, I've heard that fry need very clean water to grow. It's not unusual to hear about fishkeepers doing 50% water changes 2-3x/week on fry growout tanks. I've also heard elsewhere that we need to do water changes because fish release growth inhibiting hormones. Is this a myth? If I keep my planted tanks lightly stocked, provide enough lighting, and test my water regularly to verify there is no ammonia/nitrites and minimal nitrates, can I get away with minimal water changes?
×
×
  • Create New...