Choogie

I got my meds I ordered Saturday in today from ACO. Man that was fast for regular shipping! No sick fish at this time but ordered enough to treat both tanks and to keep some on hand for quarantine tank and emergencies. There’s no telling how much ferts and meds I’ve tossed from my aquariums years ago. Some may have been ok but 12+ years old was just too big a chance to take imo. I got Maracyn, Ick-x, Paracleanse, and Expel-P. I plan on dosing them next Saturday after my weekly 50% wc. At least the first 3 that is. But I have some questions to make sure I don’t mess up. I’ve read up on here and the store site first. Malawi tank-72g Ammonia-0 Nitite-0 Nitrate- 20 or less due to ferts, close to 0 if not using them Ph-8.1 Kh- 17 Gh- 13 Temp-81-82 SA Blackwater tank-29g Same as above but Gh-3 Temp-78 This one is just getting started. Cycled but need to lower ph. Hopefully tannins from wood will help but not yet. Tap water No ammonia, nitrites or nitrates Ph-8.1 Kh-240ppm Gh- 35.8ppm 1-It says clean all filters first. I’ve never cleaned all at the same time. I run at least 2 on any tank so I can alternate and let one catch up on bb before cleaning the other. I’d think meds would kill anything bad in filters as well as in the tank but maybe it’s necessary? Just hate to risk crashing cycle. 2- After 1 week and the 25% wc, is it ok to resume my 50% change for the 2 week rest before the second dosing? Or just check water and only change minimum according to results? I could probably easily go 2 weeks or longer with same water. I just do it to provide fresh water. I’m asking because package says no water changes but ACO says a little different procedure. 3- It says I can dose all 3 at the same time but is it easier on fish (?) to do separately as it’s just a precaution because these were all put in together after tank was cycled. Just don’t want to quarantine any new ones later and then put ‘clean’ fish into a tank that may have something already in it. Kinda defeats the quarantine procedure imho. 4- Package says Ph 6.5-7.6. Is my 8.1 a problem? 5- Package says it can kill bb? Should I abandon doing tanks and just try and catch any sick fish if and when, and treat in quarantine tank? I was trying to be proactive but after reading packaging now I’m leery! If I lose some from cleaning filters and meds get the rest, it sounds bad! That’s all I can think of for now. Thanks to all of you for all the help you’ve given and any now and in the future.

Thanks. That explains why I hadn’t seen them before. I’d shut down doing fish in 08.

You said much more eloquently what I was getting at. My main concern is unintended consequences. I seriously doubt they knew the cute dog they were trying to make would have trouble breathing or giving birth.

Well I hope I didn’t open a bad thread and certainly didn’t mean to offend anyone. I was just curious. We all have preferences on what fish we like. Just because they’re not my type sure doesn’t mean no one else can’t like them. Thanks for informing me on them though. I gotta admit tattle tale fish on water conditions would be as useful as a home burglar alarm. IMHO playing with genes in anything can have good or bad consequences, just depends on how it is used.

That’s the ones I remember. Kind of like the dyed chicks and bunnies they used to sell at Easter many years ago. There must be some serious gene splicing or something going on with these now. Next we’ll have 3 headed fish or something!

I’d like to add I’ve fallen in love with ACO. Besides this forum and their blogs and videos that are helping me get back up to speed on current aquarium things they are great to order from. I’ve placed several orders in the last 3-4 months and they ship the same day including the one today. Twice I’ve ordered on Saturday and had it delivered on Monday and I’m in Texas. That’s almost spooky!

The only store with fish here is PetSmart. Walmart has even stopped carrying them a few years ago. So PS is the only place to get anything aquarium related without driving 2-3 hrs one way to a lfs. They do have decent sales on dry goods at times and I was in there a few days ago and was looking at their dead and dying fish. They had glow fish in fluorescent colors. Are these some new to me actual breed species? I remember years ago there was a big controversy over the ethics of selling dyed fish and was just wondering if that’s what these were. I’m not knocking anyone here who might like and have them but to me they don’t look natural. Just curious.

Ok thanks!

Thanks so much! Your explanation was great but it still took my old brain a few reads to wrap around it. I just did my weekly 50% change so it’s a good day to start. I worked up my target accumulation dose for both tanks for EG, now to do one for the iron. I have 2 different test kits for iron but they are over 12 yrs old from when I retired and moved. Maybe they still work. But they measure ML/liter. I’ll have look up conversion to ppm. I’ve used inches and feet most of my life. It was a naughty trick someone came up with to start the metric system so late in my life!.. lol. I think they had just stopped using cubits just a few years before I was born!

I’m reading this with interest! I’ve been dosing 7 pumps a week after a 50% water change on a 72 gallon and plants aren’t growing. I started dosing an extra pump each day till the water change. Nitrates are barely readable, just a trace. This was according to the directions on bottle. 1 pump per 10 gallons/ low light and 2 for med light each week. No Co2 injection. If I’m reading the chart right I’d need to dose 10 times that or 70 pumps per week to get 21 ppm for 70 gallon tank. Is this correct? I have 8 rhizome plants, Anubias and Java ferns, lots of Val’s and maybe 18 stem plants. It’s about time to add some more root tabs for the Val’s. Do they use anything from the water ferts or get all nutrients from the plants tabs/ substrate? I’m not questioning your advice, just making sure I’m not misunderstanding. I know I should add some extra and test before adding more and not just pump 70 and hope it works, but I also don’t want to test 70 times adding 1 pump at a time! Also I have a fluval 3.0 @ 50% peak in 3 periods daily w/2 siestas. Thanks for posting !

If you’ve photographed thru glass before you probably know this trick but if not, it should help you. I took a large ( new and unused,lol) toilet plunger and removed the rubber part, cut a hole in the small end the lens would fit into, and taped it on the end to form a large funnel, like a sun shield. This large end could now be placed against the glass and stop any light reflection from entering the lens. Of course you’d need a lens that will focus close but you probably have one if your a serious photographer. Any thing might be used in place of the plunger to seal the space between the glass and the lens but rubber or something soft won’t scratch the glass or acrylic. You could use any light source, flash or constant then. Hope this helps you or someone else.

Yes those prices in days long ago seem unreal now. When I was a kid you could mail order rifles and shotguns, many cost much less than $25. I pumped gas at a station when in high school for $0.24 a gallon, unless there was a price war with the station across the street. Then it went down to $0.19 a gallon. I bought a new Ford pu with a 6 cylinder for $1999. I couldn’t afford the one with chrome trim, v8, and a/c. It was$2495.

I’ve used all the above methods with a wide range of success. I have to admit though I’ve often considered resorting to using a gaff. 😜

Sorry, but they all look like patches of algae to me! Guess I’m tank obsessed! 😄

Seems from photos here and other sites a lot of fish keepers have other pets also. I thought y’all might get a kick out of this. A while back one of our cats was on the 50 gal Brute garbage can I use to change water with watching the fish and trying to catch them thru the glass. I was across the room watching a tournament Bass fishing instructional video on the computer. After no luck catching one she came over and started watching it with me. Almost like she thought some tips and tricks might help her success!

Just be glad it was a pickle bucket and not a Limberger (sp) cheese bucket! 😃

Not a submarine but eBay and Amazon sell inexpensive remote cameras that stream to your phone. Mine is inskam brand. They are mainly used for inspecting plumbing drain pipes or inside gun barrels. The camera and led light are on the end of a wire that goes back to a box that bluetooths to your phone.

In case anyone’s interested, the bakery at our Walmart gets their cake icing in plastic buckets. Approx. 2 1/2 gallons to 5 gallon sizes. They save them if you ask them to and give them away. I use them for lots of things besides aquarium use. Just have to clean them out well depending on what you use them for.

If you know someone in the medical field ask them to bring you a used iv setup. My wife was a nurse and I have several. They throw them away after they are used and just rinse/flush them out before using. They have a nice adjustment for controlling drip rate.

Didn’t see this one yet. PPI = Pores per inch, used in measuring coarseness of sponge filters

I’ve made work benches and such for the shop but no real furniture. I did make the hood on the bow front when I got it years ago. My wife sews all kinds of things. She made the bed cover from our old jeans and garage sale finds. Then several like it for family and friends who saw it and wanted one. The tanks are on metal tubing commercial stands.

After no tanks for about 12 yrs I recently started up one in our bedroom and wanted an area to set things on when working on it. I used a metal 30 gallon stand I had and just made a top for it, matching the cedar boards around the room. Wife made the front covers for it and the tank next to it to match other things in the room. Maybe this will give someone an idea or two. Here’s a better view of the front covers she made. (Please excuse the towel drying on the step ladder on the left.)

Well my first post was what was below but as a reply and not a new topic. Maybe I’ll get the hang of this soon! Lol Hello from Lufkin in East Texas. I joined this site 2 or 3 months ago and this is my first post. I’ve been reading and trying to update myself on new tech and refresh my memory since I haven’t had tanks since I retired and moved in 09. I had 5 tanks then. They’ve been in storage and I’ve 2 now I started back up last December. A 72 g bf Malawi and a 29 g SA black water I’m still working on a little. I’m ready to start with questions and posting which I’ll try to put in the right sections. By the way, I’ve placed a few orders from coop and been well pleased with service and products, and for some reason just regular shipping arrives amazingly fast from Washington to Texas, usually 3 days or less.

Hello from Lufkin in East Texas. I joined this site 2 or 3 months ago and this is my first post. I’ve been reading and trying to update myself on new tech and refresh my memory since I haven’t had tanks since I retired and moved in 09. I had 5 tanks then. They’ve been in storage and I’ve 2 now I started back up last December. A 72 g bf Malawi and a 29 g SA black water I’m still working on a little. I’m ready to start with questions and posting which I’ll try to put in the right sections. By the way, I’ve placed a few orders from coop and been well pleased with service and products, and for some reason just regular shipping arrives amazingly fast from Washington to Texas, usually 3 days or less.