Blaha

My thoughts: PH 8-8.2 nitrate 0-5 nitrite 0.5-1 ammonia 2-4 That's comparing how they look on screen to the chart I'm holding. If you post it with the chart it could be easier for consistent lighting, but this hopefully is pretty close. A tip that may or may not be useful in your case: If you can take pics and have a way to put a grayscale filter on them, would that help? I'm not entirely sure how colorblindness works, but if it works that could save you some stress maybe

I know Cory has mentioned before that sometimes when they die it is because they have gone too long without food and just can't be saved before you get them, but I feel like at least some should survive. That is no fun. I've lost about 2/3 of all hillstream loaches I've ever tried to get as well. There is a whole video dedicated to ottos from just before or just after the most recent Peru trip

Update: I can't really tell good from bad, and also have some small string algae which doesn't help, but there is almost twice the eggs as yesterday! I lost count around like 150, so hopefully at least one makes it from the lot haha

10 hours is still high for algae, especially if you have some kind of plant light. Turning it down likely didn't increase growth, it has just done little to stop it, and changes like that can take a week or more to see algae dying off. I'd recommend 6-8 for now, and that can go up as the plants grow or once fish are in it and there is less for the algae to eat and fish to potentially eat the algae. As far as siphons go I have had the same cheap syphon from PetSmart with a little hand pump to get the siphon started for about 12 years. It works fine. Maybe a little slow as my tanks have gotten larger over the years at right around 1 g/min ish but I find it fine and it has the reach to gravel vac and a long hose on the other side to reach the bucket.

I'm going to let nature take its course. I'll see how many hatch and survive. It's the first time anything has ever laid any eggs for me, and they are everywhere! If they all get eaten then I guess it is a good dinner for something, and if they don't then more friends!

Are these eggs? I just did some major changes to a tank including a huge water change, rearrangement, and removing my Tiger lotus that was taking over the entire tank. Then 2 days later I wake up to these things everywhere. I have emerald corys, kuhlis, hillstreams and neon tetras. Is there anything I should do to help them hatch, or to know if they aren't viable?

Not so surprisingly, the full tank, equipment, and decor setup on a Buy, Sell, Trade for $50 has two small leaks. Maybe so small after a 24 hours test in the garage that the seller didn't know. If they did know that is lame of them. It is an opportunity to re-seal a tank. I know how, but never have. I'll also refurbish the stand to be a black cherry color to match the other tank and general room aesthetic. I will probably journal the experience for my own future reference at least

I did get it. If it doesn't become angels then it can be something else, or I have a friend that will take it if I don't use it. It was $50 for the tank, stand, lid, small canister (don't know what kind yet) Petco heater, an air pump, decor, and gravel. So it was a good deal. It needs some cleaning and I need to test the seals before in the garage before it goes inside. I think it could be a fun set up with a variety of community ideas

I have always wanted an angel community. I saw someone selling a 28g Hex tank (18x20x24tall) and I was wondering if that would be a suitable size for them? It is plenty tall for a few, but would it be enough for them laterally?

It never needs replaced. The stuff we have is like 10 years old and gets run a few times per week. But it's smooth like tumbled rocks the size of aquarium gravel and we have like green and blue ones. It's not hard to clean because it gets cleaned as soap and metal residue builds up and gets scummy. I rinsed it the same way I've learned to rinse aquarium gravel and it game out great. The part about it being specially makes sense. It may only be purchasable from suppliers. I started to think about it after the most recent ACO video at Aqua Lounge because I really liked the look of the flat stones in the fine black gravel

I works as a precision machinist, and we have a machine called a Vibratory Finishing System. It works roughly like a rock tumbler, but instead of tumbling it vibrates. It is meant to take burrs off irregular shaped parts without scratching them. There is a huge variety of media you can add to the pot including a non-abrasive ceramic media. It comes in tons of sizes, colors, shapes, etc. Usually when I see people using an industrial substrate its an abrasive Aluminum Oxide powder (BD Blasting Sand or the like) so I wonder, has anyone ever messed with Vibratory Media as a substrate, or does anyone else know about it and would have more info if it is safe? It doesn't seem to have any sort of coatings or anything like that because you add the detergents in the machines when you run it.

I've never had problems with corys being injured by gravel. I would keep the gravel but if you do want to change it do that change before adding fish because its a big change

I have a Tiger Lotus bulb. I got it from ACO about 9 months ago. It took 3 weeks to show any signs of new growth, about 2 months before it's first pad, then it was about every 2-3 weeks per pad which got progressively larger from an inch each to 4.5+ inches. It slowly sped up until about a month ago to a rate of 1 pad per week, and a grand total of 4 bulbs in the system, and all of the pads were off of the second bulb as well as bulbs 3 and 4 were connected to the second. The one I bought basically grew a few leaves, sent out a big baby, and is relatively dormant now (not a problem) This month though things got intense. The 3rd bulb in the system began throwing up pads. The 2nd now makes a pad every 3-4 days, this new one is sending 1-1.5 inch pads every 7-10 days already. Aside from that the second bulb also had sent out a 5th bulb. These past few weeks The second bulb sent out FOUR MORE bulbs, and the new one up front sent out a baby already as well and is quickly claiming the 3rd largest size, just behind the original at marbled sized. Any advice on what to do about this crazy growth? I love the plant, but I don't want it to take over everything. Probably not coincidental, but the crypt Luscens is going mad too. There's 4 of them planted. Two of the small ones send out a baby, and the big one in the center was the size of the rest around the beginning of April(it may be multiple sprouts now but it's too dense to see) There has been change, but not an insane amount. Haven't changed water or cleaned the sponges in over 2 months, last liquid fert was about 6 weeks ago, last root tabs for the crypts was around Christmas. I have never gravel vac-ed since setting up in August. There was a change of - what the forum helped me identify to be - seed shrimp in a thriving colony in the gravel, especially by the bulbs.

The chain stores have been bare, the local stores have been fine. I think wholesalers don't want to sell as much to the chains that pay next to nothing compared to a local. I'd say mostly supply chain, but also some stores may be limiting livestock alongside staffing issues because if they don't have the staff to care for the animals then they can't stock them. Or they may "shut down" a certain number of tanks to reduce the amount of tanks they need to maintain. My local pages of trading and whatnot are still jammed with people trading fish, moving bred fish. There is more people getting rid of tanks than looking, but also many of the people getting rid of tanks are have upgraded to a bigger one or it broke and they replaced it and are looking for someone that wants to fix it to take it. As far as the Lacey amendment goes it still has only been introduced and read twice. It hasn't been voted on or passed in the house or senate (according to congress.gov), and even if/when it does it has a clause of a 12-18 month observation period to see what volumes of what creatures are being imported vs raised domestically, and how much is moving between states

I just put mine halfway in the gravel, I had plant weights but didn't need them. 9 months later this thing is out of control for a 29G and I love/hate it haha. I get a new 4-5in diameter pad every few days from the first daughter bulb to grow. This first daughter has sent out 5 or 6 babies off of it now, and one of those started growing the little mini pads that it starts out with. One of the baby bulbs isn't even in the gravel, it's just floating like 3 inches above the substrate with roots that made their way down. I chop out a couple pads a week as they start to melt but there is layers of pads now. It's a lot to keep up with but the fish and the crypts love the shade of a canopy