mbwells

@Guppysnailyou are always a great help my friend!! Thank you for everything you’ve done to keep me pointed in the right direction.

Hey friends, The subject heading says it all. I'm finally ready to add some fish to my planted aquarium. Let's say you've got a tank (40 gallon breeder) of danios and white cloud mountain minnows. Maybe some Asian stone catfish. Nothing over 2 inches. Nothing much under an inch. What are some of the fish food products that Aquarium Co-Op offers that I should add to my cart?

@Shadow_Arbor I'm not a chemist either, but I am a microbial ecologist and have dealt with alkalinity *to a very limited extent*. I have to second @CT_'s excellent reply that alkalinity refers to the concentration of CO2, bicarbonate, and carbonate in aqueous systems. In anaerobic media for bacteria, bicarbonate and CO2 are common buffers for lower pH (a little less than neutral) media, whereas soda lake media (soda lakes are lakes where the salts present in the water come almost exclusively from bicarbonate and carbonate salts, and so they are extremely salty and quite alkaline) uses a bicarbonate and carbonate buffer to keep the pH at 9.5 or greater. The bicarbonate and CO2 buffer is only possible in anaerobic systems because we can add a fixed concentration (usually 20%) in the atmosphere above the media. Part of the trick is making sure you have the correct concentrations of CO2, bicarbonate, and carbonate salts to keep the pH of a solution at one of the pKa points of these carbon species. The pKa points are points where the pH will remain quite stable, and so these are used to calculate the correct buffers to bacterial media so the pH doesn't change dramatically while the organisms are growing. Mostly, I know that alkalinity is an incredibly difficult topic to learn well, and that it is only indirectly correlated with pH. Here is a link to some powerpoint slides that may be useful for you. https://www.soest.hawaii.edu/oceanography/courses/OCN623/Spring2012/CO2pH.pdf

Cory, I owe my passion for this hobby solely to your YouTube videos. Thank you so much for putting those out and creating this incredible forum. I'd actually love to know what is something you can learn from spending time watching fish in their natural environments that makes you a better fishkeeper?

Hello everyone, I saw an amazing website a few months ago, and wanted to share it here for awhile, but unfortunately it was down for sometime. Thank goodness, it's back up now!! This website was created by Mr. Pete W. Cottle, who literally wrote the book on danios and their close relatives (called danionins). The book is out of print, but this website is still up, and it's an amazing reference for anyone who loves these delightful fish. I've been fortunate to speak with Pete via email recently. He has absolutely amazing stories of collecting fish in Myanmar with several major fish collectors, including Mr. U Tin Win, and has bred virtually every danio you can think of. Hope someone will find it as useful as I did! Website here: http://danios.info/index.aspx

That’s a terrific idea @xXInkedPhoenixX!! It’s amazing how many household items are being commandeered for my fish tank. 🤣 This is easily the most fun and addicting hobby I’ve ever gotten into!

@Levi_Aquatics, well, that sounds like the perfect excuse to lay down some money on some lovely blue velvet shrimp I've been eyeing at my local pet store 🤣

@StanF, I'm a new fish keeper. My 40 gallon breeder tank is only 6 days old and only has plants (and a few bladder snails, somehow....). I've only used Aquarium Co-Op's test strips, which I've been quite satisfied with. Your post and @SteveKing88's original post has me interested in comparing the API 6 in 1 test kit to Aquarium Co-Op's and see if I get different results. I'm a research microbiologist, so I have access to a high quality pH meter. I'll ask around and see if there would be an issue with me using the pH meter to settle out which one is more accurate.

@xXInkedPhoenixX, I really appreciate this description of snail eggs. The only snails I have currently are 2 bladder snails, and so those are definitely not bladder snail eggs. Interestingly, what the black spheres look like are almost miniature versions of my substrate (Controsoil). I was removing some melted Cryptocoryne leaves yesterday, so maybe some got on my Rotala plants. I've watched my tank for over 45 minutes today and I never saw anything move. @Levi_Aquatics, I really appreciate that suggestion. I would have thought algae would look flat on the leaves, but these black spots have a definite height, if that makes sense. If this is algae, will it hurt my plant? If not, I'm actually happy to see algae, since I was wanting to grow some for algae eaters down the road!

@Mmiller2001 I'm sorry for just now responding, but I decided to take a few hours to do some research after seeing your post on Friday. You are correct. Controsoil is supposed to keep your water pH around 6.4 - 6.8 and deliberately removes alkalinity from water. I did some fresh tests on the water parameters from my faucet, and learned that the water bottle I brought to the fish store had effected the results (despite washing the bottle 5 times!). In glass bottles my water pH is about 6.8, my alkalinity about 40, and my Gh about 150. I looked through the research the company put out about Controsoil and everything you said checks out - the soil is *supposed* to remove carbonates and bicarbonates and use a humic acid based buffer instead to maintain a stable pH. Moreover, my current results matches *perfectly* what the company claims should happen. Initially, the soil should effectively remove all carbonate and bicarbonate salts, lower the water hardness, and the pH should fall to ~6.5. Over time, this capacity should diminish, and my tank's water alkalinity and pH should gradually level off to the water's native parameters. Thank you so much for your thoughtful reply. It led me down a very productive rabbit hole that helped me understand water chemistry better!! Here's a link to the research: https://ultumnaturesystems.com/substrate/

My 40 gallon breeder is 6 days old. I got some plants from Aquarium Co Op and my local fish store. The crypts have been melting all week, the hydrocotle I ordered is melting much more slowly, but the Java moss and Rotala plants are growing like weeds. I just noticed my first 2 bladder snails. I was expecting this and I’m grateful for the help cleaning out all the melted leaves I don’t feel like fishing out. However, today I also noticed a ton of small black objects on my Rotala leaves. I confirmed that it’s not algae. These are really round, tiny black objects. Am I about to be hit with a deluge of bladder snails? Would I be better off removing the plants and cleaning that stuff off? Would really appreciate any advice!

I really appreciate your offer @GuppysnailI will try the crushed coral first and see what happens. I think removing all or part of the Controsoil would be a great step if the coral doesn’t boost my Kh. I’ll definitely take you up on your offer if I get to that point. Thank you again for all of your help.

@Guppysnailthat is amazing. Part of what got me into the whole Controsoil mess was going off the parameters of seriouslyfish. Just goes to show that just because something lives under certain conditions in nature doesn’t mean that those conditions are actually optimal or required. Appreciate the wisdom! I’ll go ahead and order a pound of crushed coral and wait a week. I’m in no hurry to add fish.

I really appreciate this information @Guppysnail !! My tap water comes out at about 7.6 with about 75 GH and no KH. I’m using Controsoil as my only substrate. It’s “supposed” to keep the pH around 6.8, but of course that’s with tested RO water. I’m new to the hobby and just wanted to see what would happen. Based off your information I’m wondering if it wouldn’t be wise to buy some crushed coral, throw it in, and see what happens after a week.

If I’m reading this correctly (I’m partially color blind), then it looks like my water’s Gh is about 75 ppm, my water’s Kh is 0, and my pH is about 6.4. My aquarium is using Controsoil as the sole substrate, and it seems to be doing well with the plants. My plants are nearly finished melting and the Cryptocorynes and Rotala rotundifolia, and Java moss are all actually growing. I’ve been fertilizing with Easy Green and adding Easy Iron for my Cryptocoryne and Rotala rotundifolia plants every day for this first week, and I’ve just experienced my first bacterial bloom. However, I’m getting closer to the point where I want to add fish to my aquarium. So far, my parameters have remained remarkably stable for the past 4 days, but the 0 Kh has me concerned that it might not stay that way with fish added in the mix. Furthermore, I plan on keeping danios (like celestial pearls) and a pH closer to 6.8 would probably be ideal. Could anyone with experience keeping danios comment on any changes they’d personally like to see (if any) before I contemplate adding fish? Thank you all so much for all of your help!!

Levi_Aquatics you are an absolute godsend. I was about to have a breakdown, since I have live plants just waiting to get some water, fertilizer, and light. Have such a busy schedule, probably couldn’t get to the fish store before Friday. I can’t thank you enough for taking the time to help me out!!

I think you’re right Levi_Aquatics. Here’s what the crack looks like after 20 minutes of elbow grease. Definitely it’s receding. I think based off this the aquarium should be safe to use!!

Levi_Aquatics, I could feel something on the outside of the tank, but not the inside.

I bought this 40 gallon breeder from a local fish store this past weekend. Didn’t notice this until I tried to get the tank set up. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated!!

Oh, wow, I just logged on here after the holidays and was stunned to see so many kind and encouraging messages! This forum seems like an exceptionally thoughtful and supportive community. I can't wait to get started. I'm purchasing my aquarium and plants later this week at a local pet store (their prices seem comparable with the big box stores online) and I suppose their availability of fish will help dictate my choice. I'm pretty sure I already have multiple tank syndrome, because I can already tell I want to keep each of these fish at some point 🤣 I'll keep everyone updated on how things go. Thank you all so much again.

Mr. Burkhalter, I really appreciate this answer. I have to be honest, if I had to pick just one fish for a species tank, I'd pick the gold white clouds hands down. I can't believe a fish can look so stunning and yet be so affordable and easy to work with! I plan on getting my water tested as soon as I move to Fort Collins. The fish store I'm buying from says that the municipal water is ~ neutral pH, uses chlorine to decontaminate the water, and has a hardness of 110 ppm. The apartment complex is pretty new, so hopefully the pipes won't change the parameters too much. Do you think that I should add a bottom feeder at some point after a few months if I'm successful with these fish to keep the substrate clean, and, if so, do you think any of the 3 options I talked about would be more beginner friendly than others?

Hello everyone! My name is Michael Wells, and I caught the fish keeping bug this past summer after accidentally discovering the videos Aquarium Co-Op and Cory puts out on YouTube. I had never been particularly interested in fish before, but I became captivated watching these videos. I was sort of "in between" jobs at the time, but I'm now relocating to Fort Collins, Colorado for a job and I want to start up my own aquarium. I've really fallen in love with danios and their close relatives, and think an Asian hillstream/subtropical aquarium would be a ton of fun. My apartment complex has a limit for aquariums of 50 gallons, so I'll probably go for a 40 gallon breeder. I want this aquarium to be heavily planted with a deep substrate (3-4 inches) and I intend on getting the plants growing at a healthy clip before I add any fish at all. I'd likely opt for Aquarium Co-Op's sponge filters. I have absolutely no fish keeping experience whatsoever, so I want to make sure I select fish that I'm going to have success with, and maybe even breed to an extent. I was wondering if anyone could provide advice as to the following ideas I have: For top to mid-water, I'm thinking about selecting *2* of the following: Orange finned danios (Danio kyathit) Celestial pearl danios (Danio margaritatus) Dwarf spotted danios (Danio nigrofasciatus) Gold white cloud mountain minnows (Tanichthys albanubes For bottom dwellers I'm looking at *1 to 2* of the following: Asian stone catfish (Hara jerdoni) Blue velvet shrimp (Neocardinia davidi) Rosy loaches (Petruichthys brevis) I'd really appreciate it if anyone who has kept these species could talk about whether or not these are practical choices for the beginner. I think pairing the shy dwarf spotted danios and celestial pearls with rosy loaches would be particularly effective in a 40 gallon breeder, and maybe a gold white cloud mountain minnow, orange finned danio, and Asian stone catfish community. Of course, if any experienced fish keeprs think other combinations would be more appropriate for the beginner I'd love to hear it! Thank you for taking the time to read this post, and I'm really looking forward to meeting and learning from everyone.