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MatticusRexxor

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  1. MatticusRexxor
    Been ghost feeding this week (sometimes doing one two-pinch at night because I’ve been sick this week). No ammonia, no nitrites, nitrates still around 80.
  2. MatticusRexxor
    I do not have any carbon in the aquarium at the moment. We're surrounded by farmland, though this particular area hasn't been farmland in decades. Lots of orange/almond groves and dairy farms just outside of town, though. I've got some API Quick Start. Would that count as something I could safely add? I'll get some food and start ghost feeding tomorrow. I just bumped my light to 7 hours a day today. Should I gradually bring it closer to a normal day cycle over the week in preparation for fish?
  3. MatticusRexxor
    I have never had ammonia in the water when I've tested. The closest I've seen was some nitrites last week, but those are down to zero at the moment. I have not been adding any fish food to the tank, but I've been leaving any melting plant matter that hasn't found it's way to the surface (at which point I net it out). As for the nitrates, our well water seems to just have them naturally. No idea what that's about, but it's what I've got.
  4. MatticusRexxor
    The tank is thus far doing alright. I've got some decent plant growth, plus some worms and snails that seem to have hitched a ride into the aquarium. I'm currently posting all of my updates in a thread in the journal section, if you want to see the current state of things. I know that I can set it on a timer with the remote, but I don't know about manually adjusting the output. I probably can, but I'd have to look at the manual.
  5. MatticusRexxor
    The tank after three weeks. The tall plants on the right were starting to grow out of the water, so I trimmed them and am trying to propagate them behind the driftwood and by the other sponge filter. The hair grass clump on the right is doing well, but I think the one on the left isn’t going to make it. The swords and crypts are doing okay, I think. The other tall plants in the middle are starting to do well, I think. Finally saw some life from the biggest bulb I planted—its roots had actually pushed it out of the gravel, and I had to replant it. The other bulbs haven’t reacted at all, so they might be dead. I count at least half a dozen bladder snails, plus a couple egg clusters. They finally found the driftwood and the plants, so maybe the diatoms might finally go down. Nitrates are finally starting to go down, but they’re still hovering around 80. I’m wondering if I should get some more plants? A moss ball, maybe? Do I need to dose more Easy Green, or is that just going to result in more algae? When should I start stocking? I’ll put the danios in first, unless nerite snails would be better. Should I even bother with nerites if I’ve got a population of bladder snails?
  6. MatticusRexxor
    This is what I meant:
  7. MatticusRexxor
    I think you're right. So that would mean that the clear strand-like film on the swords are actually eggs? Am I going to have to worry about them breeding out of control? I'd hate to need to put a loach or assassin snail in there, given that I want Nerites at some point.
  8. MatticusRexxor
    Found this larger snail a little while ago. Looks like a Nerite, I think? Not sure how I missed it, or how long it's been in there. EDIT: And apparently when they're little they can just hang upside-down on the surface tension?!
  9. MatticusRexxor
    The tank after two weeks. The tall plants on the right have reached the surface. The dwarf hair grass on the right also seems to be doing well. The big clump of grass on the left isn’t, though. The other plants seem to be in a holding pattern. No signs of life from the bulbs I planted last week. I’ve got what I think is diatom algae forming on some of the leaves, plus some white film on one of the swords that I don’t recognize. Should I add more Easy Green, or would that only encourage algae? I can confirm that I’ve got multiple wormy bois of some description. I also appear to have at least two baby snails, though I have no clue what kind or where they came from. Also checked my water and my Nitrites are at 3.0 and Nitrates at around 80.
  10. MatticusRexxor
    Here’s the tank after one week. I think I’m getting some diatom algae on my sponge filters, unless that’s just detritus from the water settling. I’m seeing some melting on the crypts, but that’s to be expected, yes? The tall plant on the right seems to be growing, though. I added some bulbs in the background on Wednesday. Not sure how long it’ll take before they show signs of life. Speaking of life, I found a tiny worm swimming around in there, but couldn’t get a picture. No ammonia in the water, but I do see some nitrites that weren’t there before. Nitrate is normally present in our well water, but might have gone up? I thought that the plants would bring those down? I’ve only added three pumps of Easy Green at the beginning, and have the light going for 6 hours a day. I’ll step it up to 7 starting tomorrow.
  11. MatticusRexxor
    I have officially started the tank! Going to let it run for a couple weeks before I start thinking about fish.
  12. MatticusRexxor
    Today was the day for getting plants and setting everything up! Hopefully the plants will take and I’ll be ready to start adding fish in a couple weeks. Should I add the Cory cats or the Danios first?
  13. MatticusRexxor
    That's what I ended up doing, though I might switch to just the two sponge filters on either side of the tank. Cutting sponge to fit the box filter proved to be more difficult than I imagined. I've soaked a piece of Mopoani wood for a good three weeks, and have assembled just about all of my equipment. I should be ready to set up the aquarium and buy plants this weekend.
  14. MatticusRexxor
    Made another supply run today, focused on substrate, decor and other essentials. I ended up going with a bag of CaribSea Eco-Planted substrate, which I'll layer under some Imagitarium smooth gravel. Also got my gravel vac and some 5-gallong buckets. For the box filter, I've got a fine filter pad (which will be upgraded to a course pad and/or poly-fill when I can get some) and Fluval BioMax rings. Per the fish guy at Petco's recommendation I grabbed some carbon for when I first start introducing snails and fish. I would still like to get some more rigid tubing to improve the uplift tube on the box filter, if anyone knows where I could find some. The first piece of decor that I went with is a big, almost pyramid-shaped section of Mopani wood that I've currently got soaking in one of the buckets. That'll need to soak for a few weeks, and hopefully I'll have assembled all of my equipment by then. The guy at Petco recommended swords and crypts for my plants, maybe with some anubias. I may have to forego getting a centerpiece fish like a ram or gourami, as they'll likely eat any shrimp I get. Maybe a few male Mollies?
  15. MatticusRexxor
    Stand has been assembled!
  16. MatticusRexxor
    Hello! Recently, my sister mentioned getting a betta fish for her little girls, and that sparked a desire to return to the hobby for the first time since college. I am still assembling equipment, but this is my overall plan: 29 gallon planted tank Filtration: Lee’s Triple Flow Corner Filter (Small) x1, double-stacked Med. Aquarium Co-Op sponge filters Lighting: Aqueon Optibright+ 30 in Heating: Fluval M100 x2 Substrate: Black sand? Plants: TBD Stocking: Zebra Danios, Cory cats, Nerite snails, shrimp(?), centerpiece fish TBD As I mentioned, I’m still waiting on some equipment. I accidentally purchased the wrong size of Aqueon Quietflow air pump (I thought the 40 had two outlets), so I’m waiting for the lager one. I also plan on getting a controller for the heaters as a safety measure. Not sure what plants I’m going to choose, but I’ll need something hardy that likes very hard water. Also not sure what substrate to get, but the guy at Petco recommended Imagiterrium black sand. I also don’t know exactly what I want to put into the box filter, so recommendations would be appreciated. I think I’d like to “hot rod” it with an upload tube, but I’m not sure what size I need. Assembly of the stand will likely begin this weekend, with more setup over the coming weeks.
  17. MatticusRexxor
    Perhaps instead of one centerpiece fish, I could go for all shoaling fish at different water layers? Zebra Danios near the surface, Cory cats at the bottom, and some Mollies and/or White Clouds in the middle? I just worry that my water is too hard for Apistos and Gouramis.
  18. MatticusRexxor
    Started assembling my equipment this weekend. Here is what I went with so far: Aqueon 29 Gallon tank Aqueon hinged glass tank lid Aqueon LED Optibright+ light Imagitarium 29 gallon tank stand Lee's TripleFlow Corner Filter (small) Aqueon Quietflow 40 air pump Aquarium Co-Op Medium Sponge Filter x2 Ziss Never Clog Airstone x 2 Aquarium Co-Op check valve x2 Aquarium Co-Op airline tubing (25 ft) I'm still going to need a heater, a thermometer, a background, substrate, decor and plants. I'm not sure if I need water conditioner if I'm on a well. What size heater am I going to need? ETA: Is there any harm in doubling up on check valves, since the Aqueon pump comes with two already installed?
  19. MatticusRexxor
    Could be anything, really. This is a fairly rural area, so who knows what’s buried down there. Good to know that plants will enjoy it, though. I was hoping to do a planted set up anyway. I do wonder if this is going to limit my stocking options, though. Cory cats, Zebra Danios and the like can handle it, right?
  20. MatticusRexxor
    According to Tetra test strips my water parameters are: Nitrate: ~80 Nitrite: 0 Total hardness (GH): 300 Chlorine:0 KH: 300 pH: 8.4 Ammonia: 0
  21. MatticusRexxor
    She passed this March, after a ten year battle with pulmonary fibrosis. But thank you for the sentiments.
  22. MatticusRexxor
    Any report about our well water is over thirty years old, at this point. I moved back home several years ago to help take care of my mom when she was sick.
  23. MatticusRexxor
    So that would be what? Ordering 1 large and 2 medium, then switching the 2 medium sponges on the large base/uplift tube? Or just the 2 mediums and stacking the tubes? I'm still leaning towards two USB Nano air pumps for my air supply. I know I'll need check valves, but would it be more efficient to also have the two plugged into a gang valve? Or is that just adding complexity that doesn't need to be there? I don't know exactly how hard my water is (haven't gotten test strips yet) but I know that it's hard, and we're on a well. Would I still need water conditioner? Should I think about investing in a bunch of distilled water just in case?
  24. MatticusRexxor
    I'm probably going to start ordering equipment this weekend, though it will be a while before I get everything together. What size of sponge filter would be best for a 29 or 20 gallon tank as a secondary filter? The internal box filter will be the primary, with the sponge as backup and to go into a quarantine tank as needed.
  25. MatticusRexxor
    Hehe, I'm sure! I only hesitate because I'm working with a roughly 48"x24" space in the corner of my room. A 29g comes in at 30" long, so not much leeway. Oh, I'm aware that I'd need filter floss and/or a sponge, but both of those are relatively cheap. I was leaning towards a box filter as a primary because you get the same aeration benefits of a sponge filter while also being able to customize. Plus it seems like less hassle than needing to bag up a sponge every time you take it out for cleaning. But I'm open to suggestions! I just don't want to deal with HOB filters after the bio-wheel one I had in college kept dying on me and emptied my wallet with cartridges. As far as centerpiece fish, wouldn't Danios harass a Betta, and would Corys work with Apistogrammas? Wouldn't the apisto bully the Corys?
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