JaredL

@Daniel Thanks for the reply! My interpretation was that it converts nitrates back into ammonia. I believe the idea is that the aerobic bacteria and anoxic bacteria create a cycle of ammonia to nitrates and nitrates to ammonia. Though to me it seems you would end up with a balance between the two rather than an overall removal of either. Unless the idea is that the plants will absorb the ammonia more readily than the nitrates(as I've heard, but not sure if it's true).

Is anybody familiar with this method of denitrification? I recently discovered a YouTube channel where the creator is all about it, using slow flow undergravel filters or "BCB Baskets" in a canister filter to create anoxic bacteria. I found the subject interesting and curious if anybody here could share some first hand knowledge or insights. Thanks!

I have a few of these purple transparent dots showing up on the glass sides of my aquarium. They all seem to be just above the substrate line. They have been there at least a month and appear to be growing very slowly. Any ideas what this could be? Some kind of algae?

I would be concerned about a tank of live "bears". Lot of bio load. May have to do frequent water changes. And those won't be easy.🤣

First I'm curious, why do you want to lower your ph? I ask this because not being able to use straight tap water to do water changes creates extra work. My tap water is very hard and high ph. The best way I found to lower ph is by mixing RO or distilled water with my tap water. The chemicals scare me. The peat moss and catappa leaves will not work if you have high kh. The method mentioned above will lower kh and gh and allow those items to have more affect on ph. Let me know if you want to try the method I mentioned, and I can give more details about what I do. Good luck!

I have this same "issue". I say issue in quotes, because I've had a tank of fish all classified as needing soft water with a ph over 8.5 and very high kh and gh for over a year. The fish have been perfectly healthy over this time. I've never heard of high ph leading to BBA(black beard algae) problems. If the BBA is your only concern for the high PH, you may want to check some other factors like phosphates, nitrates, and amount of light you're giving your tank. That being said, I have gone through the process of lowering my ph just for experimental reasons. Through all my research, the safest way I found to do this is mixing RO(reverse osmosis) or distilled water with my tap water. In a small batch, I tried different ratios till I got the parameters that I liked. Then I mixed up larger batches and used this to do 25% weekly water changes on my existing tank. This took several water changes till my tank got to the desired parameters, but I didn't want to change it too fast and stress the fish. I chose this method cause all the chemicals and stuff scare me, and I feel like I have alot more control this way. Hope this helps!

You have a picture? Did you do any sort of treatment to the wood before adding it? Bacterial bloom could be possible cause. Could you give more info on your aquarium? Have you tested water parameters?

Not positive, but I think the Maracyn(or API General Cure depending on what you're using) can cause cloudy water. Hopefully some more people chime in. Did you test your water parameters after cloudiness began?

@Ali From what I've seen my nitrates never go over 20ppm, which is partly why I never bothered to gravel vac or deep clean. I actually did some searching in these forums and found this Redfield Ratio Chart. It shows ratios of phosphate to nitrates and the effect it has on algae growth. Although it doesn't reference BBA, I assume it has its own preferred ratio. So perhaps my ratio of phosphates and nitrates, not just a concentration of one or the other, is one contributing factor to my BBA growth. I have yet to test my tap water, but it's ph is over 8 and very high kh and gh. So I assume it has high phosphates as well. I have actually been doing water changes with a 4:1 ratio of RO to tap water, so I had assumed that mixture dilutes anything in my tap water to pretty low levels. Thanks for taking time to offer your advice/experience! I will look for that video by Cory to see if I can learn anything more on the subject. And I will test my tap water and water change water to find out what I'm putting in my aquarium.

Thanks for all the advice guys. Here's what I've done: I have reduced my light time from 13hrs to 9(11hrs w 2hr off time mid day). I also turned down brightness to 50%. I did a gravel vac and was amazed how dirty it was despite it's clean appearance(thought the rcs, snails, and corys were doing enough to keep it clean). Today I started dosing w easy carbon. Will start w every other day and see how that goes. I trimmed back all plants that had alot of bba on the leaves. I will continue to gravel vac when I do weekly water changes. I will also probably cut light time back another hour. I will update this when and if I notice improvements. Thanks again for all the advice. Edit: also bought a phosphate test kit. Looks like my water is 2ppm. Not sure what is normal levels, but I'll do some research on this.

@AJEAww dang. Still kinda cool though.

Just noticed these in my tank. I have some fairly new panda coryadoras and I'm curious if these are eggs. If so, I have no experience with these. How long to hatch? What do the babies eat? Any info would help.

@Danielthanks for the link. I know I've read that before but the refresher was helpful. I've been struggling to find that balance of nutrients and lighting, just hard to tell which way they need to go(too much or too little). I'll try some of these tips in the article and see how it goes. Thanks again

@Danielsorry just edited. Should have one now

First off, just need confirmation this is black beard algae. Secondly, how to treat. Was hoping to get a fish to control various algae on plants. Had ottos, but they all died except one and I never see evidence of him eating anything other than his belly is still plump when I do see him. I have 10 harlequin rasboras, 50+ cherry shrimp, 6 panda coryadoras, and various snails.

@RokoThanks for the info. Didn't think they hatched. nice to have snails in there that will reproduce.

@Maggiemake sure to check back here for more input, as I'm by no means an expert. Just have a little experience and have combed the internet for info on this as I myself have encountered this problem(had a 29 gal covered in algae and 6 ottos annihilated that in a couple days, so having a little bit of algae doesn't necessarily solve feeding issue long term)

I've had issues with providing enough food in the form of algae for my otocinclus as well. Another popular food you could try is blanched zucchini slices. Most ottos are wild caught, so they kind of need to learn to eat other things. Sometimes it happens quicker than others, sometimes it just doesn't happen. I would suggest continuing to try algae based foods and blanched zucchini. Make sure you remove excess/uneaten food daily or when needed. Also, these fish are likely highly stressed so make sure your tank parameters are on par to help reduce excess stress and perhaps encourage their appetite. Edit: these likely being wild caught, I would try to avoid adding to community tank until they have gone through a proper quarantine/medication process.

I have a 5 gallon tank, and since my betta passed away a couple months ago it's just had a Nerite Snail and plants in it. A week ago I moved my coryadoras into it for temporary quarantine(plus half a dozen excess shrimp that wouldn't stay out of the net)and have been dosing with Maracyn. Today, I noticed 2 of these little guys on the heater. So my question is, have the nerite snail eggs been hatching? I know this isn't supposed to happen in freshwater, so has the Maracyn done something to make this possible?

I don't have any insight or experience on this, but wanted to get your thread bumped to the top so hopefully you can get some advice.

I'm not very experienced with diseases, but have you investigated bloat? I only ask cause you mentioned the big stomach. Bettas are piggy eaters and as such are more susceptible to this. What are you feeding and how much/often? Have you noticed pooping recently? Again, not very experienced, but recently lost a betta and read up alot about this issue.

Cyanoacrylate(common name super glue) is what most people use. It sets as soon as it gets wet so will not harm your fish.

@Harpsandfish glad you are getting into the hobby! Keep coming back to this forum for any questions, curiosity, or concerns you may have. People here are happy to help and share their experience.

@Roko thanks for the advice! Do you have an idea how long it should take for mild fin rot to clear on it's own? They were in my community tank, which is a clean tank, for at least a couple weeks with no sign of improvement. Understanding you aren't an expert, but possibly more experienced: would you recommend putting back in community tank and waiting longer? Or since I already have them in QT just treat with antibiotic? Thanks

Sounds good to me. Not having nitrates isn't something to worry about. It will come with time as your tank cycles. Just keep checking that ammonia(plants are good at helping with that). Might take feeding down to one a day(unless you're feeding small amounts twice). Uneaten food could lead to more ammonia as it breaks down. Plus your fish will produce more waste. This could create extra maintenance for you till your tank gets more established.