Flumpweesel

In which case I would probably just top off and trust in the planting to deal with the bio waste or mulch that is building up. We vac to control an environment and between that and filtration we can exceed what the physical capacity can support on its own if you leave your tank to itself (top off still maybe required) it should find it's population balance between nutrients, waste and space. DM me if you want me to put that in better words. (I've been out explanations might not be great)

So last Jan I got as an impulse two lady bettas one of lasted about 8mths before dieing of some unknown bacterial infection in my community tank the second was found floating last week no prior signs of issue. This leads me to ask the question how old do you're bettas get? These two ladies where from a UK equivalent of a big box store and cost less than £5 for the pair. So also what do you pay and what do you expect from bettas? are we being set up fail maybe only a survey will give us a clue.

If your Betta has past then maybe it is time to consider your options. Do you want to be a fish keeper? If yes then it's time to research the nitrogen cycle and the different between cycled and seasoned tanks. Lots of vids available on both things via YouTube and aquarium coop site. Betta's are not the easiest fish to keep but an understanding of the above topics will help you have success with them . I'm sorry you had such issues with your first fish maybe take your time get a tank through the "cycle" and pick a new fish that suits your set up and local water . I've kept a goldfish alive for more than 25 years but never had a Betta more than 18 months so there is something too be said about the right fish for the right water. Sorry if I sound harsh at the start of this I want you to be a happy fish keeper but not all fish suit all tanks and at the beginning it is best to work with your water. It's not that you are doing something wrong just that you were not being set on a path to success at the get go. If you want to be an aquascaper then you need to focus on plants and inverts rather than fish. You'll still need to understand the nitrogen cycle but you'll have different limits to play with. Betta fish are super pretty but seem to be road to heart ache. There are lots of pretty fish out there that will suit your needs with a little research.

Snails can be tricksey. I would put on some snail as specific food (blanched veg or algae wafer). And see if that triggers movement from the snail if not pull and sniff/poke fot signs of life. I have an empty ranshorn snail shall in my main community tank that gives the impression of constant movement around my tank but it's very very dead so if in doubt lift and look

I just dig the vac into the substrate to vac. I don't let it suck before it's under the gravel. I only do this every few months so it's not a weekly disruption. I just top off on the Inbetween weeks.

Best thing you can do is keep that water super clean and help them heal. We don't have the meds that our friends in the USA have and at this stage I would just add an extra partial water change in and see how they do. If you notice the tails turning white give me a nudge and I'll let you know which meds I use

In my opinion New Dr who starts well but then the writers get tired and it suffers if I remember correctly your more or less ok up to the end of Matt Smith. They are trying to reinvigorate it this year but I think the fan base trust has been lost. I loved Dr as kid and we all enjoy the old stuff.

I'd expect your goldfish to love the flake have you tried just feeding them it straight? The bug bites flake is super popular in my tanks.

Used to keep swan mussels it was fun watching them move around and bury themselves they were more active than I expected pushing but yep once they are settled your not going to see much

Loved the expanse and enjoyed SG1 back in the day I am generally wary of reboots as they often lose the charm of the originals

I think that would work, I have krib and 5 mollys in a similar size of tank and it's just full enough.

Sorry to say the unboxing video had to be scrapped as my cameraman is most poorly at the moment and the coughing and sneezing just caused to much wobble. Here is my haul and I'm super pleased with how well my wish list was met. As I can't buy from the coop my list was nearly bottomless but the chance to get decent prefilter sponges could not be missed there really is no thing close to those available elsewhere. I now have over a years worth of test strips which is awesome will be keeping those sealed for now though. The second I saw @TheSwissAquarist socks I kicked myself for not listing them but the warehouse elf that put this together for me is obviously psychic because yay I got some and the vital towel. The beany is the perfect hat to keep in a pocket for sudden weather changes or proving my fish credentials when flashing an ankle would be inappropriate. I have my first sponge filter so I get to start with the best and just in time to set up a hospital tank. And finally how happy I am to have the little ceramic sign. I'm always jealous when I see that pop up in someone elses tank and finally I have one. The coin is pretty cool, collecting is going to be a challenge but every life needs a little challenge every now and then. So here they are all box fresh I hope to add photos of their deployment shortly The unboxing was witnessed by As said it's tank cleaning day so they should have a better view when the jobs have been done.

Just in time for tank maintenance day!

Hospital tank or snail moving. I was planning to do one or other to be safe.

Has anyone used Myxazin if so do you know if it's snail safe. Trying to decide if I'm going to treat a whole tank or set up a hospital tank. Active ingredients is malachite green and acriflavine hydrochloride it does contain formaldehyde as a preservative. No hints on the label aside from stating it is plant and biofilter safe. Anecdotal evidence from other forums suggest it is but wondered if anyone on here has an answer.

" The MIJJIA smart fish tank has an integrated design with a 16:9 widescreen ratio. " I think that is the give away that we are not the intended customer. I'm surprised the phrase "Real hi-def experience" wasn't used

My main problem with the goldfish and plants was up rooting rather than eating. But to aid cleaning I kept the substrate very shallow so there wasn't a lot for them to root into. Stem plants can cope with the uprooting but I would generally get sick of replanting I imagine that would be even more of chore in such a big tank If it's for nitrate control maybe look at emergent planting with bamboo or pathos . If it's just for the aesthetic I would invest in well weighted artificial

I wouldn't worry about using an air pump for a journey of only a few hours, they survive much longer in the bags when they are posted. I have kept shrimp in the shop bag for about 8 hrs without any problem. I like those old picnic coolers with the locking lid . You can set up what ever you are going to carry them in at home and run a air stone in there before you set off if you'd like Remember to leave a good air gap between the water and the lid to allow gas exchange to continue.

Where they these? Fluval make these artificial moss balls that contain a phosphate absorber they have the look if that will satisfy you

I'd be tempted to hold out for what you want. I have an apisto in my community tank but they are so territorial I can't add any other cichlids and maintain a peaceful set up. Same goes for my krib that was just a bully. You might be ok if you got something that wasn't a bottom dweller. But I'm not really an expert on mixing them.

Do you feed anything other than the sinking wafers ? I feed flake and micro pellets to whole tank daily with some kinda fast sinking omnivore pellet (small ones so there is no big lump of food ). But I scatter this all the full length of the tank so everyone gets something. Corys are always foraging so they will be finding food all the time that's fallen into the gravel. Not sure there is much you can do to alter the camouflage instinct but it might calm down as they gain confidence. I've never noticed it in my peppered corys but but they are on natural gravel.

That's a really impressive demo of the snail effect. Thanks for sharing

Sounds like it would make a nice conmunity

We are watching Gremlins, not sure it's the warm Christmas feel your looking for though. But I'd forgotten how fun the movie is. And it ties in with this year's advent calendar

Happy Christmas.