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JaredL

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Everything posted by JaredL

  1. JaredL
    Congratulations on joining the hobby! You came to the right forum. First thing I suggest you do is get more information on "The Cycle". Google things such as "aquarium nitrogen cycle" or look up videos on YouTube. I'm sure someone smarter than me will post a link to a video by Aquarium Coop that does a great job explaining it. And keep coming back to this forum with any questions or concerns you have! Ahh I did it!
  2. JaredL
    What grocery type items do you guys feed your fish? Vegetables? Seafood? How do you prepare it? Store it? And how do you feed it? I have done the blanched zucchini. But I'm wanting to experiment with some other stuff in my tanks.
  3. JaredL
    What are your other water parameters? I personally have ph above 8, but have never had issues introducing new fish that I would attribute to ph. The importance of a specific ph is overstated in my opinion. I have kept several "low ph" fish before and they thrive and even spawn in my tanks. Having a relatively stable ph is more important than the actual number.
  4. JaredL
    I've had 10 Harlequin Rasboras in my 29 gal with hard water for years. No health issues, even spawned several times(though the eggs were promptly eaten by the others unfortunately). Keep mid to high in the tank, though they will occasionally try to pick food off the bottom. I have never witnessed them picking at my cherry shrimp(even the babies) or eating my endler fry so I feel they are pretty compatible with most fish. Just thought I'd share my experience!
  5. JaredL
    I have had trouble with these as well. Upon taking one apart, I found the issue with mine was that a surprisingly small amount of surface area was exposed on the bottom of the stone. The thickness of the acrylic and overrun of adhesive only left a tiny amount of the bottom exposed.(pic:the only exposed area on bottom of stone was that pocket) Cleaning these stones is an expected maintenance, but the frequency while likely be higher if it has similar design flaws as mine.
  6. JaredL
    @adamhHaha yeah. 1.5 tablespoons per liter.
  7. JaredL
    I've been wanting to do this for awhile. Is it a tank that's already set up? One thing to consider when using stone is how it will affect your water parameters. I saw one post on here where someone used fake stone vinyl type tiles to build a background and attached it to the outside of the tank. That to me seemed like a good idea to get the look without much hassle. The downside would be that you don't get the texture inside the tank if that's important to you.
  8. JaredL
    Alright, so I let my hatch go for about 36hrs and I still had the same results. There was a few more swimming around, but still a bunch of this golden orange stuff at the bottom when I turn off the bubbles. I'm thinking these are dead brine shrimp. When I smudge it with my finger it's slimy and clumps up. All the unhatched eggs would still be dark brown and mostly float to the top, right? I'm hoping to get some confirmation as I've fed some of it to my tank and the fish seem to love it, but I don't want them to get digestive issues from me feeding them something I shouldn't.
  9. JaredL
    Thank you sir! I'll give it a bit more time.
  10. JaredL
    I'm at about 20hrs at ~82F. I saw very few actually swimming when I put a light to the hatcher. These all sank to the bottom.
  11. JaredL
    They have the orange gold color, but don't swim around. Do they need to "cook" a bit longer? These are from Aquarium Co-op and the shells previously looked alot darker brown
  12. JaredL
    Sounds like a good plan. Generally I like to overlap usage of the old media with new for about a week, just to make sure I'm not removing to much beneficial bacteria from my tank. The bacteria will be forming on many surfaces in your tank, not just the filter, but the amount can vary due to many different factors so it's just safer to use what you know is already working as you transition to new. That's why I suggested just throwing whatever media you can't fit with the cartridge in your tank for a week(I know it looks ugly, but temporary). Not knowing all the factors of your pre-seeded media. Also you mentioned washing all new media in old tank water. Just wanted to make sure you're aware that it takes longer exposure to the water than a quick wash for the bacteria to establish in the new media. Sorry if I'm missing something or telling you something you already know. Just want to help out and cover all the bases.
  13. JaredL
    Ok, sorry I just didn't understand the level of experience you may have or the whole picture. The meds could definitely be something to consider. I don't have alot of experience with them, but have read alot about certain things such as antibiotics affecting beneficial bacteria. Is it possible to bring some seeded media from another tank into this one?
  14. JaredL
    I had a hard time following your exact steps, but I think I get the idea of what your trying to achieve. So forgive me if I just repeat what you already said. I personally would keep that cartridge in there, place your pre-filter on the intake. Any new media you plan to use to replace the cartridge, place in the tank or in the HOB with the cartridge if space allows. Don't try to squeeze sponges in there if water cannot flow easily through them. Keep it this way till your test readings show your cycle has completed. If your cartridge seems to get clogged before cycle finishes, try washing in tank water removed during water change. And for the blue plastic, if it's the one right near the outflow, I keep that and put my filter floss in there. If it's the one that holds the carbon cartridges, I removed it.
  15. JaredL
    That API test kit for Ammonia is always hard for me to interpret at the low range. The yellow always seems to have a greenish tint, even if my levels are 0ppm. MY OPINION would be don't do anything drastic at this point and closely monitor your fish and ammonia levels. If the levels do increase or your fish exhibit concerning behavior, water change. Is it possible, without knowing the history of tank inhabitants, that your beneficial bacteria are having to catch up with the sudden increase in bio load? Not an expert, just throwing out suggestions.
  16. JaredL
    I actually started with one of those black hatchery dishes and had good success! I recently have tried a diy 2ltr egg tumbler with the airstone and have not had success so I'm going back to the black dish to see if that works again. Or maybe I'll just use a bowl of saltwater now! Thanks for your post.
  17. JaredL
    I appreciate your response, but I don't think it really addresses my question. I don't know of any consumer grade test kits that analyze water to the degree I would need. If I can test for all my macros and micros, then your correct, that would be an easy way to identify my excesses and deficiencies. My issue isn't with cost, it's about excess nutrients in my tank. EI dosing is for removing excess nutrients in the tank. But if I'm using my tap water that may already have sufficient nutrients and dosing nutrients on top of that, doesn't that defeat the purpose? I guess I just don't know how to estimate how much and how fast plants will consume specific nutrients without waiting for symptoms of deficiencies to present themselves.
  18. JaredL
    I have been looking at my local water quality report, and was curious how I need to adjust my fertilizer dosing based on these numbers so I don't have an imbalance from dosing excess of specific macros or micros. I'm currently alternating Flourish and Easy-Green. I'm using Easy-Green cause I like the higher Potassium, and Flourish cause it has less Nitrates and Phosphates. But I'd like to get away from "all-in-ones" and utilize more of what is already in my water from the tap. I inject co2(not trying to hit 30ppm, but enough to make a difference) and use a Finnex Planted+ 24/7 HLC.
  19. JaredL
    I'm interested in boosting or adding these microorganisms that otocinclus and other fish like to graze on. I'm curious how you know or ensure you have them. I do have a decent amount of algae growth on my glass and around the tank, and lots of plants. I just don't know if this environment is sustaining a sufficient amount of what aufwuch feeders are looking for. Could I introduce more by collecting rain water and adding to my aquarium?
  20. JaredL
    I was just looking this up today. Apparently body size and shape. Females grow larger with more round belly. Also read males have larger dorsal fin and head, but not sure I accept that. Doesn't sound like an easy way to tell without seeing both next to each other.
  21. JaredL
    I've watched the video. I don't see any abnormal behavior. It's hard to distinguish any details on your betta that could be identifiable as bloat. Is it possible to get a closer look? I don't see any harm in trying to feed a pea. If she eats, try to keep an eye out for poop. Also, what are your water parameters?
  22. JaredL
    I'm far from an expert, but wanted to share my thoughts. Jumping out of the tank makes me think a water quality issue. The ph of 6.4 seems low to me. The crushed coral sounds like the right move to raise the ph and kh a bit. Hope things work out for your buddy.
  23. JaredL
    I got a couple of what the store called "Hong-Kong Loaches". They look similar to what I know as a Hillstream Loach. They are in QT right now, and I'm considering pre-med with the "med-trio". One had a light patch on it that appeared to be some sort of fungal/bacterial infection and was not as active as the others. He died within 24hrs of coming from the store, so I imagine he was passed the point that meds would've made a difference. However, the other 2 appear healthy and active and I'd hate to cause them stress if not necessary as I was told they can be sensitive. What are your thoughts?
  24. JaredL
    Happy to hear you are educating yourself and taking action to improve the well being of your fish! I have that same HOB filter and did the exact same modification to the filter media. I'm always checking out the Aquarium-coop YouTube channel and this forum, and I learn new things everyday.
  25. JaredL
    Ugh messed up my post
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