Jump to content

Tommy Vercetti

Members
  • Posts

    254
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Feedback

    0%

Posts posted by Tommy Vercetti

  1. 0 nitrites is one of the goals when cycling a tank. There are beneficial bacteria that convert nitrite to nitrate.

    0 nitrates in a planted tank, that does not get dosed with fertilizers, is expected in a cycled tank and does not indicate a crashed cycle. If your tank has a light stocking of fish then the plants will consume all of the available nitrate.

    Let us know what the ammonia test say when you get your tests. But I am pretty sure it will read 0, this means your tank is doing fine and that if you want more plant growth, then consider dosing a fertilizer.

     

     

  2. I like to make the face out of boards and the rest from plywood. Just like your kitchen cabinets. 

     

    To join plywood, there are many options depending on your skill level and tool collection; Dowels are strong, easy and cheap. Rabets and dados are stronger but require more time, tools and skills. My preferred method is a cleat 3/4" x 3/4" with wood glue and screws or brad nails.20230518_223200.jpg.8dbeacb4a759a138f7f8f0f96dd55cef.jpg

    Or you could go easy mode, like I did for the wife's fry tanks:20230415_150817.jpg.b2c1d83792f71fbe965ce2f967bfa198.jpg

    • Like 1
    • Love 1
  3. On 5/18/2023 at 10:04 PM, Galabar said:

    For birch (at Home Depot, at least), it looks like it is mostly plywood.  I've mostly only built stands using "sticks" with glue and screws (like most DIY examples out there) with plywood for the top and bottom shelves (if needed). 🙂. How does one join the plywood in order to make a strong stand?

    https://www.homedepot.com/p/Swaner-Hardwood-Birch-Board-Common-1-in-x-4-in-x-R-L-Actual-0-75-in-x-3-5-in-x-R-L-629383/100086024

  4. Poplar is inexpensive and strong. It is significantly harder than fir / pine. I would paint it because it has a weird green tone to the wood. 

    If the budget allows for it, I would chose birch from home depot. It looks really nice and is cheaper than oak, walnut, maple and cherry wood.

    I made this stand from birch.20220828_152858.jpg.35a9d0e47fbe85cef9363d9c8cfa1d4b.jpg20230108_145517.jpg.6d5b65e96d9a646571abc4b1dceead86.jpg

    20220419_172053.jpg

    • Like 1
    • Love 2
  5. On 5/18/2023 at 5:47 AM, TOtrees said:

    Just to be clear (make sure I understand what you're saying), neither prime nor fritz conditioner/dechor will regenerate purigen. 50% bleach is what does that, then the dechlor makes it tank safe again. Right? 

    This is correct

  6. I vote for RO water top offs and treated tap water for the water changes. 

    Assuming that your tap water parameters are relatively stable, my logic is this: evaporated water leaves behind it's minerals. An auto top off with RO water will keep parameters stable. This is how I avoid the slow onset of aquarium mineral content creeping up over time.

    • Like 1
    • Thanks 1
  7. On 5/12/2023 at 9:40 AM, JettsPapa said:

    Wow.  I thought my water was hard at 300 ppm.  Do you mind me asking about your pH?  Mine is 8.2, and I've been told by an experienced shrimp keeper on another forum that with pH that high the shrimp would get smaller over several generations.  I didn't think too much about it until this spring, when I cleaned out a tub that had been sitting outside all winter with no attention, or top-offs other than when it rained.  The shrimp in there were much larger than the ones in my tanks inside.

    Ph is 7.8ish

    • Like 1
  8. None of the test kits available for our hobby are scientific grade and they all have inaccuracies. However, they are still useful because they are accurate enough to keep water parameters in the ranges necessary for this hobby. I use API liquid tests and ACO test strips and have no complaints about either one.

    The ACO test strips are faster and easier to use. But when I am wanting to really keep tabs on water parameters then I use the API liquid test, but this requires cleaning the and drying test vials afterwards, which is tedious when compared to ACO test strips.

  9. On 4/25/2023 at 7:49 AM, Ninjoma said:

    The ACO nano air pump is probably the quietest one I've used. For other pumps like the tetra whisper and eheim air I like to stuff them with polyfil to dampen the sound. 

    Same here the nano usb pump is the quietest pump I have used. If you have a tank under about 30 gallons, then I would call it ideal.

    • Like 1
×
×
  • Create New...