dmurray407

Also, I believe the online auction starts on the 2nd? I had so much fun with the last one, I can't wait!

Absolutely!

I just cut a square hole (4 squares) in the grid with side cutter snips and then rolled a strip of filter foam around the plant where it was going to go. Works great and allows for plant's growth. I also put some Spider plants on the other side of the aquarium by just using a forstner bit to drill a hole in the plastic strip that goes along the back-this seems to be working pretty well.

Agree! The test strips have saved me so much time and have helped me keep my water parameters inline because I test more often (because it's so fast and easy).

I hadn’t noticed that shrimp cave……

I love those too-have them on all my canister filters (I don’t have any HOB ones or I’d have them there, too!)

I love the sponge filters (I have several of the large sized ones and a couple of the smaller ones) and I have the USB filter as back up in case of a power outage. Unfortunately, most of what I buy from the Coop are foods, fertilizers and plants which probably doesn't help you much....I can also add that I love the Co-op airline tubing-it is wonderful!

Absolutely!!!!

I'm not sure if this is what you are looking for, but I use Inkbird Aquarium controllers https://www.amazon.com/Inkbird-Thermostat-Ornamental-Temperature-Controller/dp/B07QWTJNX2/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=TZ7KR&pf_rd_p=29505bbf-38bd-47ef-8224-a5dd0cda2bae&pf_rd_r=SKVHYANW1A52PNCM4KJ4&pd_rd_r=1d624845-e7e3-466f-b888-d05a5f6a9f0a&pd_rd_wg=hTyOa&ref_=pd_gw_ci_mcx_mr_hp_atf_m They allow you to plug 2 heaters in to the controller. I got the wifi version, but it's a little quirky so I would just get at the non wifi one.

I have plenty of good algae and diatoms for them in my big tank-I suppose I can transfer some of that over to my quarantine tank......

I won't wait too long-it's just that all the other fish stores are about an hour away and it's been really cold out so I worry about transporting them-I do have a cooler with hot packs that works really well but I just worry about getting stuck somewhere with a cooler full of fish 🙂

I've heard this from other folks as well. They just seem like they would be perfect for my tank. I'll keep looking but I may end up with something else in the meantime. I'm thinking maybe Panda Corys. I had clown loaches and I really liked them, but they can get so big. They were really fun fish, but my tank is only 60g so my granddaughter took them for her larger tank.

Santa Rosa, though my dad worked for the State and we moved all over the place from San Jose up to Eureka after I was in high school (I graduated from Sunnyvale High School-a really long time ago). My family has lived in CA since before the gold rush. My folks followed me to MN after they retired about 10 years ago and have never been really happy with the winters here (My husband's family business is the reason we ended up here in MN and we were never smart enough to leave )🙂 I think Michigan is fairly similar to MN. My grandfather grew up there-near Lansing and relatives would send photos of all the snow in the winter and I was always amazed that there could be that much snow anywhere, but here I am-living the dream!

I just wanted to verify some info I got at a LFS. I'm looking for some otocinclus and was told "Well, that's going to be really hard because they are all live caught in the wild". Is this true? I can understand that there might be breeding issues for some fish at different times of the year. I've only really looked at that one LFS so far, but wonder if they are "seasonal" and I should wait before looking at the other fish stores? If I wait long enough I can just do mail order in the spring 🙂

I haven't decided on a worthy place for them yet, so mine are in my fish supply cabinet and I take them out and look at them whenever I open the door.....I'm missing one, though, so I wonder if the grandkids have been in there.....

Absolutely! Just the peace of mind that it adds is worth the cost 🙂. I love mine!

Minnesota. Originally from Northern California. Years ago, I asked an elderly patient how her family ended up in MN. She said” “Well, this is where the oxen died because it was so cold and we couldn’t go any further….”

That's tricky here in Minnesota-the winters are really too cold for shipping for the most part. It goes way below zero.

I guess that's only 60 miles away so maybe I'll give them a try. All the really great fish stores in the area seem to be about an hour away 🙂 Thanks for the suggestion!

(I hope it's OK to post this here since it's about a LFS-if not, let me know and I'll delete it) Minnesota folks, just FYI, Sea Level Aquarium shop (used to be in Hopkins) just reopened in their new location 10929 Greenbriar Rd in Minnetonka yesterday. The store was really nice and clean, the staff was friendly and seemed knowledgeable but they really haven't had a chance to stock many fish yet-and everything they had was very tiny. I got some fish food because I want to support them so they stay in business-but the Coop selection and prices are better. There were lots of customers and a few even mentioned that they watch Cory's videos on YouTube 🙂 I'm sure they are really just getting set up so I'm not going to be too hard on them and will definitely go back. I'll have to try another store in Minneapolis next week if there's a "warm" day. I'm looking for some Otocinclus, dwarf red platies and some Panda Cory's. I should have gone shopping a month ago when it was still somewhat warm out....does anyone do mail order fish to MN in the winter months-doesn't seem likely....and I had really bad luck with the last mail-order fish I got (about 5 years ago...), I just like to buy them in person. I might just wait for the next MAS auction in February because I had so much fun with the last one.

Well, that was a wasted trip to the new fish store. They had mostly zebra danios and all the fish were so tiny you almost needed a magnifying glass-and nothing was labeled. It was clean and the staff was great and I got some new fish food because I want to support them so they stay in business. There were lots of customers and a few even mentioned that they watch Cory's videos on YouTube 🙂 I'm sure they are really just getting set up so I'm not going to be too hard on them and will definitely go back. I'll try another store in Minneapolis next week.

I do something similar, but I just worry that my car might break down or something unexpected, so I'll just wait until it's above 0 (which, in reality really isn't that much warmer...)

Dang it! I'm all set, but it's -23 (F) out so I'm going to have to postpone my fish trip until it warms up (not supposed to be above 0 until this evening sometime). It's a 45 min drive to the fish store and I'm just worried about keeping the fish warm enough on the way home or if I have car trouble (knock on wood-my car is pretty reliable but you never know...). I might try tomorrow, if not, I'll have to wait until one day next week. It was supposed to be warmer than this today🥶

No, I appreciate every bit of it! And, actually, I feel the same way. I was a nurse for many years and the issue of antibiotic resistance caused by the overprescribing of antibiotic medications has been drilled into my head. It has created a whole new set of problems. Like you, I am retired and I can watch my fish and treat any issues that come up. (and not feeding them just seems kind of mean....)Thank you for your great explanation! OK, my plan is for a combination of Corys and Oto cats. I'll see what they actually have in stock and go from there. Thank you all for the great advice!!!

I might go that route, as well. Years ago I had an ick breakout due to some new fish (mail order) I didn't quarantine. It was a disaster and between the ick and the meds I got to that it I lost almost all the fish including a big group of clown loaches. I know a lot more now but it makes me really nervous to put the meds in there. How long do you usually quarantine? I'm thinking 4 weeks?