Laura R

Last one! This is part of the kitchen tank near the patio door. The small jardinières has guppy fry growing out, it is 1.5 gal with some snails, guppy grass and emersed papyrus (baby tut?). 20 high has male mutt guppy and will be adding 3juvenile bristlenose pleco to grow out. This tank also had leech infestation. Recently broke this tank down, salted hardscape, baked the substrate to sterilize then reused. Groot holds dwarf sag with anubius and java fern, moss balls, spider and cholla wood. Hope you all enjoyed. Hopefully will get some better livestock photos. Rosy loach tank with shrimp is cool...will try to capture!

This is about 15 gal tub with submersible led and sponge filter. There are 15-20 female guppy-some are huge. Some fake grassy plants as I figure out lighting. This tub looks like viewing a clear mountain lake from above; The guppy swimming about remind me of trout (but smaller)!

This area across the small fish room has a 16 gal bookshelf tank that I love. Currently has 3 large bronze Cory that have spawned several times last year. A few fry have survived for me. Also male platy, rasbora het (can't spell harlequin?) Blue cobra guppy. Many plants. Below at bottom of desk is about 8 gal. Jardinières with breeding cobra guppy colony and other mutts. Plants and submersible led light with sponge filter. Can you see the Lego box above the jar? Also on desk is 2 gal with tiny pea puffer, cherry shrimp, ramshorn and bladder snails. It has under gravel filter, dwarf sag, guppy grass, moss balls and an algae blob. It is doing well. The 10 gallon has female platy, and albino corydora, with anubius, wendelov java fern, dwarf sag, snails. Also an enjoyable ta

I tried to get a few more photos but my tablet camera is not going to work and the fish keep moving! I will give overview photos for now AND I have the opportunity to upsize some tanks and get more livestock from a fellow fish keeper...so things may change. I will start in my fishroom that I share with play space for my 2 yr old grandchildren. Note the grates on larger tubs so kids will not get inside. The tub is appx 40 gallon and was awesome for a fancy goldfish and moor about 8 yes old with platys. I had a troubling encounter with leeches from pond plants I introduced. Both goldfish and many platys died . I broke down entire tub discarding plants, substrate and salting any rocks and wood. This tub is heavily planted for Florida flagfish, but that delivery did not happen. Now have 5 corydora, sand substrate, rainbow platys, 2 opaline gouramis. Occ'l Lego's from grandkids playing "does it float or sink." .The small tub is 4 gal quarantine, currently has some guppy fry and extra plants.

Agree with this. If cartridge more convenient rinse in either of those water choices and reinstall. Keep doing this until cartridge degraded then can change to new cartridge. I only clean filters when flow decreased.

I have a pea puffer with cherry shrimp and they do great together!

I like it!

My happy place. More to come 😜

This tank about one year old. Lots of oak leaves keeps it somewhat acidic meaning water changes or occ'l Equilibrium needed monthly-ish to keep pH relatively stable at 6.5-7.0. (Hard Indiana well water) Common pleco about 9 yr old from Walmart. :). Tiger val, anubius, bolbitis; few crypts, java moss, P stellatus octopus, ramshorn snails, tiger barbs, kuhli loach one mystery snail. I had creepy cool leeches from hornwort pond plants added in some tanks but not this one thanks to common pleco. Hornwort was removed when I found these creepy/ cool dudes. Other photo

Hey, I am also in Columbus! New to the forum 2022

I decided to do some journal entries with photos. I took a few with my tablet that are acceptable. I will work on that so you all can check my efforts and enjoyment out. It is nice to share with others...sometimes I think I only "talk fish!" Stay tuned!

Thanks for your interest! I will work on some photos. My tablet camera takes better photos than my phone.

Thanks. My hubby says too many, but he has his own hobbies/hoarding behaviors. Happy wife happy life! Lol.

I have made a few posts so thought I should do an introduction. I started with common guppy as a child then got some moor goldfish in my 20's. Goldfish lived 10+ years. I became a medical technologist so the water chemistry fascinated me. Also, I loved outdoor gardening and house plants. Fast forward 40 years...it does go fast! I am now retired and have 11 tanks the largest a 29 gal. My well water is hard and try to keep livestock that is compatible with the water parameters, mostly. I have embraced planted tanks to do indoor gardening (not human edibles) in tanks with diminished edible outdoor gardening as my bones/joints complain (container gardening and raised beds now with many native plants in flower beds). I keep lovely mutt guppies, rainbow platys, corydora, some loaches, a few pleco and rasbora and danio, betta, 1 pea puffer, neocardinia shrimp. Also some tiger barb and gouramis. I love the jungle look in some tanks. Stem plants do not fare well for me but the epiphytes are thriving. I appreciate everyone's experiences and knowledge being shared on this forum and the you-tube and other videos shared on other formats. Always learning, with awe, Laura R. Thanks to Cory and the Aquarium Co-op crew!

I had a 10 gallon with overstocked female guppy and some fry. Hornwort few nice anubius ramshorn snails. The pH dropped to 5.5 to 6.0 and I was neglectful with water changes as guppies doing well as well as plants. I moved guppy to another larger tank and most did well. New fish in the 10 gallon died...platy. Upon water checks surmised old tank syndrome because of negligent on water changes. The female guppies adapted to the low pH and did well. The snails had poor quality shells due to low pH and water lacking buffer capacity. My well water is pretty hard. So over 2 weeks did 50% water changes and gravel vac 3x week checking water quality each time. The pH continued to drop the first week then stabilized to high 7's the second week with buffer ability (GH?) recouping as the gravel detritus diminished. I did not clean filters to maintain any beneficial bacteria. Don't neglect water changes. I slowly added new fish and now have stable pH and GH, platys, Cory, danio, ramshorn with nice shells. This process took about 4 weeks.

I recently got a small pea puffer-less than a half inch from aquatic arts. I had planned putting it in heavily planted 10 gal with danio but puffer so small thought it get eaten. I only had empty 2.5 so that is where he lives atm with heater, sponge filter, many bladder snails, 3 cherry shrimp so it would not get bored/enrichment(?). I feed small amt of frozen bloodworms; a few small pellets every few days for shrimp and snails with a blob of algae and moss ball from another tank. All seem to be doing well after 4 weeks - except must add snails regularly. Puffer seems fine as single fish. I still see 3 shrimp but no babies. As puffer grows will probably upgrade to larger tank...seems to work well for now.

I separated male and female platy due to breeding explosion; One aggressive male platy slowly killed most other males. My sister said to euthanize him but I did not want to as was healthy. I put him with the 5 tiger barbs in the 29 gal heavily planted tank. He swam with a single larger barb always and over a couple weeks I periodically found single dead barbs in the tank until only 2 barbs (the larger one included) and platy remained. Sister said, "You know what to do." Nope. I put platy in with 3 adult paleatus cories in quarantine until I found my next move... The platy and cories now are in a 10 gal planted with 4 mature danio glofish. No other fish. They all seem fine with minimal chasing by platy. He now swims always with the largest Cory. No deaths after 2 weeks. New tiger barbs (6 now is total) happily thriving in 29 with pleco and kuhli loaches that were already in tank. Confused insecure platy seems to be good and Cory does not seem to mind new friend. Danios are too fast and feisty themselves with the cories ignoring platy. Behaviors of these guys are cool to watch and shows all just need the right friends! Lol. Have a great day!

I forgot to mention nephew said plant only treated as potassium permanganate will kill inverts and probably fish.

My nephew also researched as I gave him a potted plant from the 40 before knowing it infected. He did not place it in his aquarium... He liked the plant and was going to try potassium permanganate...although he stated it would not kill any potential leech eggs and would need repeated after 4 weeks; then maybe again after 4 weeks. ??? Too much for me to try. He likes the experiment process. I will have to connect with him to see if any positive results. I would venture he did not place the plant in his aquarium. He suggested maybe loaches or pea puffer might eat? I would think leeches would maybe prey on these if opportunity arose. I think I break down tanks completely and lesson learned with untreated not quarantined pond plants. 😕

Thanks. I will look into the alum dip.

Small leeches, cool but creepy and latching onto corydora which die. 3 tanks have these leeches. I completely broke down the 40 discarding substrate, removing hardscape and plants ( all hornwort discarded- but that horse already out of barn). Hardscape placed in empty bathtub with leeches crawling off to seek water. Satisfying to douse them with salt granules! All surviving cory moved to quarantine. 40 is back up and recycled. No leeches to date. No hornwort. Plates, corydora, opaline gouramis, heavily planted new plants and substrate. Heavy gravel vac removes many but likely not all. The tank with common pleco had this same hornwort but no leeches. So my question...is there a med that kills the leeches but not fish or plants. I have found nothing in research so plan to breakdown the 20 and 10 as I did the 40. Suggestions or comments? No photo but nephew studies etymology and is fish hobbiest. They are small leeches-fish in 100 gallon outside pond all deceased, now know why. Pond to be completely broke down in spring. Thanks to all interested.