AndreaW

Most of what I have found says LEGO plastic is stable and won't degrade in water, however, metal parts may not be. I would not put anything other than stainless steel in my tank. As far as action figures, I don't know what is inside, but often there will be pieces of metal so I would steer clear of them. I love the idea of 3D printed decorations and think that's a good way to be creative as long as you are using the right plastics.

He's a handsome Double-tail (male)! ETA: It does look like a male, but since I can't actually see the shape of the internal organs I can't be 100% but it sure looks like a male based on the larger overall fins, larger ventral fin and visible beard.

@Widgets has some great advice above. In my experience, a slow leak can do more damage than a quick leak because if it goes unnoticed, you have warping and mold issues. Make sure you have drip loops on all your cords. If you think your water is evaporating quicker than usual -- it probably is, so find out what is happening. I've had super slow leaks happen when calcium builds up on the heater cord and wicked moisture down the cord. The carpet never felt wet, but there was just a slight dampness. Make sure you have a stack of towels handy, especially when doing maintenance.

I used to write my test results on note paper and throw it in with the tests, and rely on pictures to show the date of when I changed things. However, when I moved my 46G and set up a 10G (Dec-Jan), I created a Google doc that I can keep my test results and notes with dates so I could track the cycling process and record notes. I have a separate one for each tank. I do the testing at my computer desk and I use the white screen to view the vials clearer so that's an added bonus!

"Natural River Rock" or "Natural River Gravel" is what you should look for. You can find it in different sizes and color combinations.

Same when I had mine! I was able to get two of them and they were so unique I couldn't help but stare at them and worry all night. My husband always asked if they were dead because they looked like they were swimming upside-down. I hope you haven't had the adventure of them them jumping out of the tank and flying across the room yet!

@Jacob Hill ~ Mine was purchased 20 years ago but looks pretty similar to this one. It has mixed reviews and without seeing it I can't tell the quality though. The plastic on mine has been sturdy and I've had no problems with it, but I've only pulled it out the one time I had to reseal the tank so once you set it up there's not much to do beyond vacuuming your gravel as needed. I have replaced the uptake tubes once or twice as they will grow algae and yellow over time. The difference is that mine uses powerheads, but I probably wouldn't run powerheads with guppies unless you retrofitted them with spray bars (which I haven't done yet, but am considering, to break up the flow in my tank). I think if you ran an UG filter like this one with a sponge filter in the middle you would get great filtration without a heavy flow. Make sure you have all the air pump and airline supplies including check valves and air flow controllers.

It depends on how you run it... While you can have too much flow in a tank, I don't think you can have too much filtration. If you have an UGF ran by two powerheads and a SF, then the flow could definitely become a problem. If everything is running off bubblers, then no, I don't think it would be too much. You could do an UGF with uptakes at either end and a SF in the center, or UGF with the uptake on either end and a little more flow. You could also do two SFs in either corner. Also, what you use as the UGF makes a difference. I've seen people use a foam on a grate, or just a grate for their UGF. Your substrate will also make a difference. I've seen someone who had an UGF on one side of their tank with gravel, and a SF on the other with sand and two different scapes that blended from one to another. Both filters work in a similar way; by creating a flow, they are moving water and waste through rocks/sponge, which then trap the mulm that you can clean out through gravel vacuuming or squeezing out the sponge. Both will be a good source of BB for your tank. I think the size of your SF and how you power the UGF are the real factors at play here. If you can create good filtration with a lower flow, I think it's a good idea to have multiple filtration options on a tank. You will have clearer water with more filtration, and with just enough flow, you won't have piles of mulm collecting in areas you see.

I have an UG filter with powerheads running on my 46G community tank and also have a HOB filter. For me the combination was a must because I set up the tank for goldfish and knew I would have lots of waste and needed mega filtration. This set up would never work for guppies as the current is too strong. I've loved my UG filter and I've only pulled it up once, when I had to reseal my tank. The flow is enough that I do have mulm that sits under the grid, but that's just a great spot for BB to grow. I never had to "service" it but did replace one of the powerheads (I've had it running for 20 years). UG filters are really great at filtering waste down into the rocks so you can use the gravel vacuum to clean it up. I feel like UG filters tuck the mulm away better than a sponge filter, but I'm sure that would depend on your setup and probably your water flow as well. Sponge filters can also be moved around to create a different flow, or move to a QT tank or used to seed another tank, which UG filters can't do (although you can collect some of the substrate to move over). You could always do both and have them work together, but depending on your setup, that might be overkill, especially if you ran powerheads. I know some people have retrofitted their powerheads with spray bars to distribute and soften the flow.

I started out with duckweed and added water lettuce after and I love them! The water lettuce does tend to take over the duckweed, but I like that it fills in the gaps. The best thing about the water lettuce is the beautiful roots that hang down. Their leaves do shade the tank quite a bit so I do have to clear out a handful each week to allow light down to my plants. I do have some hair algae growing on the roots, as it's a new tank and I'm trying to grow enough algae for the Nerites. I just pull out the lettuce that has the hair algae.

My sister used a pickle bucket as a storage bucket/seat for girls camp one year. Her pajamas that were stored in the bucket smelled like pickles no matter how many times she washed them!

Like others have said, it depends on the temperament of the Betta. They have a wide range of personalities and you can't usually tell when you see them in a cup at the store. Female or male, they can be timid, calm, active, aggressive, etc. If you are trying to add a Betta to a community tank, add it last because they are territorial and will usually not accept tank mates after they have established their territory. Most important of all -- make sure you have a backup plan. If a Betta is stressed they are very susceptible to sickness. Beyond that, make sure your tank is also compatible to what Bettas need (temp of about 80°F is ideal), lower flow tank, access to the top of the tank to breathe, a lid to keep humidity for their labyrinth organ, and to prevent them from jumping out. As far as tank mates -- no fin nipping or chasing, and choose tank mates that your Betta isn't going to be aggressive toward like bright flashy fins, fast swimmers, etc. Lastly, sometimes Bettas in community tanks will eat food not meant for them (flakes, sinking wafers, etc.) that are not compatible with their digestion and you will end up with a bloated Betta you have to treat. ALL of that being said (sorry, it's a lot of info), you definitely CAN keep a Betta in a community tank, as long as you have thought everything through and have a backup plan. I've seen plenty of Bettas that have become *friends* with Snails or other tank mates, and it's the sweetest thing to see. But, it's the worst to see a beautiful Betta that is stressed, getting injured, or injuring others because they aren't compatible.

Beautiful! VFTs are fun! Mine didn't make it through dormancy since I forgot to water it, but my son's are doing well. I'm sure he will buy me another one to try again. Your Xerographica is amazing! What do you have it sitting on?

I bet you can call and ask Seachem!

My dream fish! I had some years ago but hadn't seen them in a long time. However, I found one the other day and it took everything I had not to bring it home. Sadly, I don't have a setup that could support it but would love to do a 75G down the road and have that as the centerpiece.

I was wondering the same thing and so far I haven't found one. I wonder if anyone has asked Cory to develop one for ACO? A test strip would be amazing! @Guppysnail ~ What nutrients do you think would be most important if you could have a plant nutrient test strip?

Good idea. I think I'll use the blue bucket as my dirty bucket and I'll pick up a food-grade (white) bucket for fresh water (which I typically only have to use for the 446G water changes). To pull the water out I used a different bucket (blue) than I used to soak the driftwood (orange). This blue bucket was new and had only been used to hold my plants for a couple days until I re-scaped the 46G tank. So it had water and EG in it with the plants.

Sadly, only two. 10G Betta tank with 2 Nerites Snails 46G Bowfront community tank with a Pleco, bunch of Cories, various tetras, two kuhli loaches, and two mystery snails. I can't really count the 2.5G quarantine tank my son took over for his snail experiments. However, I dream of a 75G long... *sigh* and I wouldn't mind another 10G Betta tank I would do for my for my daughter.

Uncontrolled variables are a definite issue. The test tubes were cleaned and dry but I didn't rinse them with the test water prior to filling. I did add/remove a drop to get them all even and held the API bottles completely vertical, but there could have been a slight variation in drops. I lined up all the vials in order and added drops to all vials of Ammonia, then shook them all, then proceeded to the second ammonia and nitrates, so each nitrate test (for example) were done within seconds of each other (how long it took to drop 10 drops in and then move on to the next). All were shaken at the same time. So there was a slight variation there. Overall, there would be some noise but I think results were relatively equal. I'm beginning to think there's something else I'm missing. Why did all samples show some Ammonia -- even if it was a small amount? One thing that was constant was the use of tap water, washed vials, and the use of the bucket. So, I ran some more Ammonia tests (only the new test, because I'm discarding the old Ammonia test). I didn't think my tap water had Ammonia, so I tested it straight from the tap into the vial. I also got some distilled water straight from a jug. Then, I did a vial of water from the water change that I had left over in a pitcher. Tap (left), Distilled (middle), water change from tank (right): ALL show 0ppm Ammonia! So, I'm right back to -- where did the Ammonia come from?? If the tap water is showing no ammonia, then what changed beside a few hours from one test to the next? The first time, I used the bucket for all the tests. So, I grabbed the bucket and filled it with a little tap water and let it sit for a few minutes, then tested the bucket water. Bingo! Ammonia = .25ppm! Some may remember my post about my driftwood and Ammonia: Yes, decaying driftwood can create Ammonia -- but so can buckets! I remember reading about someone here who set up some tubs in their back yard as mini ponds and they said they were having problems with Ammonia and they checked with whoever they got the tubs from and were told that the plastic tubs were probably leeching ammonia. But, this raises another question... When I tested the water from the water change -- that was in the same bucket -- I got a reading of 0ppm (on the old Ammonia test). This was consistent with the water from the buckets with the old Ammonia test. If I were to test that water again with the new Ammonia test, what would the result be? Unfortunately, that water is residing in my happy houseplants so the experiment is pretty much over. *sigh* I suspect the new Ammonia test would have picked up Ammonia the same as the others. FINAL CONCLUSION: My original Ammonia test I did on the aquarium water after the change was done with the old Ammonia test. As seen in my original test, there was definitely something very wonky with the Ammonia test when Prime and EG were combined together. This is why my original test looked like I had Ammonia, when I really didn't have any. However, water from the 5G buckets I've been using from Home Depot and Lowe's both appear to leech Ammonia into the water but further testing may be necessary to prove/disprove this theory. Let's leave that for another day. In the meantime, I think I'm going to pick up a food-grade bucket to use for my water changes. And with the mystery mostly, kind of, somewhat solved, I'm off to bed!

I filled a bucket to 3 gallons and pulled out (4) samples of 5mL of each of the combinations: Tap water Tap water with EG added (1mL) Tap water with Prime added (1mL) Tap water with both EG (1mL) & Prime (1mL) added I stuck with 3G because it was easy to fill and dump from a 5G bucket. I dosed 1mL because it was approx. 3x the recommended dose and I felt it would show results a little easier. I used API liquid test kits. I have an old kit I've been using and I know the Ammonia test has changed since my kit was made. Since there was no expiration date, I've been using it up and I only have a few drops left. I have had it detect Ammonia in my tank while I was cycling, and I expected it because I had overfed and there was uneaten food in the tank. However, the old Ammonia test kit did give me unusual results -- but only when EG & Prime were mixed together. Anyway, all that is to explain why there are 3 tests for every condition, and Ammonia has two results. The first result, or tube on the left, is the old API Ammonia test. The middle is the new Ammonia test, and the tube on the right is the Nitrate test (added just because I was interested). The results: My interpretation of the results (I held them up to the cards with light shining through and held a bit in front of a white card to get a true reading. What shows in the photo might be slightly off): My conclusion: There's definitely something up with my old Ammonia test kit . For some reason it really doesn't like the Prime & EG combination! This pretty much nulls the Ammonia readings from the old test, and it's time to throw it out anyway. With the new Ammonia test kit, if you line up the most Ammonia to the least Ammonia (even though it is very close and all under .25ppm), it would be: Tap Water Tap water with Prime & EG Tap water with EG Tap water with Prime alone So, at the end of the day, I'm left with more questions -- go figure! I'm going to test the tank water with the new Ammonia test kit to see what it reads tonight, but dinner first.

I was mostly vacuuming up the mulm on the surface and didn't disturb much gravel in the process, but if that was the case, wouldn't it show up in the bucket of water I pulled from the tank from the gravel vacuum? I had 0ppm Nitrites, and <5ppm Nitrates, and no ammonia in my tap water (but I do have some nitrates in the tap). @Widgets ~ I DID use Prime so that could be why it's showing Ammonia! Thank you for sharing that thread! @JoeQ ~ Hmmmm, to further test this theory, I could fill a 5G bucket and test 3 ways: just tap water (I've tested recently and no Ammonia, so probably none still) add Prime (I suspect this is where the test would show Ammonia, even though it's not really there) add 1/2 pump EG (I would suspect no Ammonia)

I've heard Easy Green is supposed to increase Nitrates, but does it also increase Ammonia? Or does vacuuming the gravel stir up Detritus and increase Ammonia? I did a water change on my 10G Betta tank and vacuumed the gravel. I did not test before (since I tested a few days ago). I added EG and then decided to test. I was going to test just the Nitrates since I know I'm usually low on those, but decided to test everything while I was at it. Ammonia was .5-1.0ppm. I hadn't dumped out my water from the change so I tested it and there was 0ppm Ammonia in the tank before the change and addition of EG. I tested the tank water again just to be sure it wasn't a testing mistake, and I still got an Ammonia reading of .5-1.0ppm after. If the gravel vacuuming stirred things up and increased the Ammonia, then the water change bucket with all the detritus should have Ammonia in it, too, right?

Maybe if we lived a few miles closer... I've taken him over to the neighbors to babysit a gopher mound before.

This is why I think you should set limits to their 10G they build in class and have a project of them virtually stocking a 75G. This would give them a small scale to actually work with, but a lot of room to imagine and research as there are limitless things you can do with a 75G!

If I still had a tank to scape I'd grab that first one in a heartbeat!