Flumpweesel

So I was a bridesmaid in Friday and I am thinking of getting the couple either a planter or the seeds and blubs to fill their small garden with the wedding flowers for years to come. Most of them seem to be suited to the notion but thoughts by better gardeners than me would be appreciated. Also any help identifying everything from the pictures On my list so far are... Forget-me-knots (probably go with seeds for them) Daisy's (seeds again) Aneome's (bulbs in planter) Muscari (with the aneome's) I think there are some Japanese aneome's but could do with some pointers if you can identify anything else. She hasn't got room for a willow tree so I'll skip those.

I only worry about temp if I'm doing a change bigger than 50% I've done water changes around the 20% mark and not even seen the heater click on. My tanks are only around 25C though so the temp gradient from tap to tank is probably not that huge. And I add the water slowly over about an hour. Most of the fish come over and play in the flow for a bit.

Forgot the obvious if I need to save money I keep away from the lfs, I never leave with only what I went in for.

The biggest money saver I can think of is matching fish to your water not water to your fish. Adapting water chemistry adds an awful lot of regular costs to the aquarium. l throw all of this into my (very small) garden I see it as easier to save money there than working it back to the tank. But then again I barely fertilise my tank but hope it works out for you maybe a hot composter would be the best way to go and potentially give you results from lower volumes.

I keep a note of the date I get my fish so I have a rough idea of their age. When fish die it's softens the blow when you realise it is just old age taking its toll.

So let's see how we have grown, only red fish was willing to pose today but it is quite remarkable how much has changed in such a short time. I did end up having to partition the tank as blue was getting bullied. Will add a pic of her when she is willing to pose

One thing I have used to help clean things (not just aquatic) is a salad spinner to really force the water out of things like a putting them through a spin cycle in the washer might help ensure your getting to the very centre of the sponges.

Are you putting it back into use or dry storage? Just buying a new sheet of sponge isn't that expensive and less of a headache than deep cleaning. If you're determined to keep them I would just keep rinsing and airing them.

Sometimes we should get a do over. Fingers crossed for your worms. My brine shrimp hatchery is stood in a large tray due to a similar experience.

Maybe make lid out of that plastic canvas it's holes should prevent the fish going in but let the bubbles out without restriction just cut a piece a little wider than the tube make a hole in the middle and slot it around the air line and slide it down to the top. Hope that makes sense. Ask if you need me to explain better

Check the voltage on the power head if that is 250 then yes you should be ok. Not an expert this is from a little bit of reading but they are designed for both round and flat pins

Just visiting sadly while his people go dancing still under a year old so not used to being left yet. He is a super cutie though.

I have a visitor who is fascinated and perturbed by the aquarium. They have been studied from many angles keeping a safe distance with occasional growls to make sure they keep away.

If your gravel is deep give it a stir or could it be your water conditioner prime certainly has unpleasant smell it might linger in a plastic tote.

Thanks for taking the time to write that, I use prime because it's the best value dechlorinator I can get easily I was always dubious about the temp binding claims as surely if it could really do that it would have a secondary dosage instructions. So thanks for providing some facts for my natural suspicions.

I like feeding time is my favourite time. I sit next to time tank in the evenings so it's only after they have been fed they start ignoring me and getting back to doing their own thing.

I kept some garras with my goldfish they got on ok, but as said goldfish eat everything so they are their own clean up crew, some people try hill stream loaches but I found they triggered to much curiosity in my goldfish and didn't have the best time (he just liked to pull them off the glass). Are they comets? if so pond people might take them on for you.

I use paper towel to clean the water line grime on my tank so the time no issues.

Blue green algae smells bad and you would have noticed the smell. I second @Linda4fish I'd guess green spot

Happy birthday.

No idea if it is a good or bad idea as I have never looked into CO2 for my set up I see it as a complication to far. With plants you can probably play with a few more things like light and food first to help them grow . You might be in the verge of a growth explosion anyway I find that plants can have a long settling in period then they suddenly they grow with gusto. Also the plants you have are to my eye the slower growers so it might not give you the impact you expect. I also wonder if you use co2 are you then stuck with it as the plants will die back if it's removed (not sure others will know more) Beautiful tank and fish though.

Ethics are tricky and slippery things to sum up in a few written words and in an generalised way. Anything I keep I take responsibility for and know that I am supporting it's trade as an end user. Once it's in my care I have to do everything I can to keep it happy and healthy I have chosen to do this and this life is mine to protect now. I don't seek out the rare or unusual fish I would worry I didn't have the skill to keep them. I don't think fish mind being well fed and free from predators and would probably make the trade for the reduced living space so when I'm doing my job properly I don't worry. This hobby helps people see the value in native species globally and if a fish you can't eat still has a value to the people in it's locality it stands a better chance of survival in the long run. The trip to Peru demonstrates that it is seen as potential revenue as tourism as well as an export so they know they need the fish to stay to keep the trade going. It is important that we keep educating about the importance of our natural world and things will keep improving.

Cool you get to review a new product for us. I was going to add to remember Ick is a pain and the earlier it's treated the better but fish won't die overnight from it they won't be the happiest fish but if they are healthy then they can cope a good while . When I was first battled ick someone told me to think of it like fleas on a dog it helped me wrap my head around what I was dealing with.

I'd just like to mention that things get easier 5months is a very short period of time in fish tanks. Take a deep breath you'll get through this. Plants will grow they are probably just settling leave them for now. Is it two tanks you have? The water tests are not easy for the colour blind but you can post on here if you need a reading confirming. Focus on Ick once that's out of the way everything will get easier. Unless readings are off the chart 30% water changes are generally enough

Currently watching Scooby Doo and Kiss rock and roll adventure