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rdflash0788

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  1. Gotcha', I thought it might be OK but wanted to check and make sure. Thanks for the info! Now to devise a way to keep the filings out of the tank. πŸ™‚
  2. I recently bought my son's very slightly used Fluval FX4 cannister filter but am having some issues with the "rim connector" that holds the hoses. I have a lip on my tank (where the glass lids rest) and that is interferring with the installation of the clamps/rim connectors. I was thinking about carefully taking a file or dremel tool to it to grind away a spot just wide enough for them to set right. Should that pose any issues or do I need to think of another solution? Thanks in advance for any input/advice!
  3. I apologize if this is answered elsewhere, I searched but couldn't find anything so thought I'd ask here. If it needs to be asked somewhere else or on its own post let me know and I'll do that. πŸ™‚ I am upgrading my filters from 2 Tidal 75's on my 75 G freshwater tank to a Fluval FX4 with inline UVC from my son who is moving. He also has a 75 G tank so the refit should be easier since it will be all the same dimensions. Yayy for that! He's has only had the tank set up long enough to get through a cycle and has not had any sick fish or issues other than a little orange'ish colored algae. How should I go about cleaning the FX4 to make sure I don't introduce any pathogens or other unwanted stuff? I will quarantine the fish for a few weeks before putting them in the big tank but am not sure what to do with the canister filter. Thanks for any advice/input, it is greatly appreciated!
  4. Gotcha', thanks for clarifying. I didn't think it looked much like the other moss I have in there. Is hair algae anything to worry about in small amounts? Does it usually grow fast and run rampant or can I rest easy? πŸ™‚
  5. Can anyone tell me what this is attached to my driftwood? I think it may have started as a piece of either Java moss or Christmas moss that broke loose from the main clump but it looks a little different. BTW, are you supposed to trim the mosses or do you just let them go and do their thing? Thanks for any advice or tips! πŸ™‚
  6. And now, after being out of town for a week, it seems this film has turned to a green slime that appears to be covering everything (but mostly the bottom) Is it harmful? Is it just what I keep hearing referred to as "mulm"? I am in the process of setting up my quarantine tank so I can go buy some algae eaters and to replace some of the fish I lost during the cycling of the tank so they may eat it up once I get them clear to go in the main tank. Until then should I limit the light some, limit the liquid ferts or just vacuum it up? Thanks again to the Aquarium Coop fam for any advice or insight.
  7. Ah, nice! Thanks for the input, I am wary of getting run away algae. LOL
  8. Not sure what this is. It looks cool but is it harmful? The tanks is about 8 weeks old or there about. All levels are good except PH which is on the high side. I put some root tabs in a few weeks ago for the plants and dose liquid ferts ever other day for the plants that feed from the water column. I noticed this on some of the drift wood (spiderwood I think) as well as some brown algae on the wood and pretty much everywhere else. πŸ™‚ Trying to wait out the brown algae in hopes that it goes away. If not, what would be the best small community oriented algae eater I wonder? I have had plecos in the past and some ate algae and some were indifferent to it. Thanks for any tips or input!
  9. CT_ - Yeah, I forgot to mention that before doing the mason jar test I went to the store and got 12 gallons of RO/purified water for my water change and that didn't budge it at all. lol I think I will go with what Cory mentioned and just embrace the high PH as the fish that are left standing seem to be doing fine. Also, I somehow forgot to mention one of my favorite inhabitants and that is my rummy nose tetra's. They colored nicely and don't seem to be stressed by the water in the least and as I understand it they can be pretty picky. Once I am reasonably sure everyone is settled I'll probably try and get a few more Cardinals, a few more Rummy Nose and some more Cory's to round out the "schools" so they have some company. Thanks to you, Nabokovfan and Cory for the quick replies!
  10. If this is not the correct place for this post let me know and I'll be glad to move it to its rightful home. πŸ™‚ So, I have a newly set up 75 gallon freshwater tank with real plants and small river gravel for substrate. The tank appears to be cycling still, but it is hard to tell as I've not seen a spike in ammonia, nitrite or nitrate yet. (possibly due to live plants and Quick Start??) Anyway, I have 1 Angel, 2 Dwarf Gourami's, 2 Julii Cory's, 3 Cardinal Tetra's and 6 Pearl Danios. I had more Cory's and Cardinals but lost a few soon after adding them to the tank. 😞 I am on well water and used that previously (10'ish years ago) so I knew going in that it would be high in PH. I had African Cichlids previously and they didn't mind in the least. These guys though, they seem a little more picky so ideally I'd like to get the PH down at least a little as it is sitting around 8.4 or there about. I have tried a few things but am a little wary of PH "rebound" and honestly, so far at least, I have not had any luck getting the PH lower. I tried PH down from API (not expired) that didn't budge the levels and then bought some Peat Moss pellets from Fluval to see if that would help but it also didn't move the needle any. This got me wondering if something in the tank was affecting the PH and increasing it or keeping it high. The water that is straight from my tap is about 7.4 - 7.6, then when I add it to the tank and check the PH next day, it is up to around 8.4 to 8.6. Tried a little experiment and added some gravel from the tank to a clean mason jar with tap water (verified the PH reading from the tap at closer to 7 this time), Checked after a few hours and low and behold it was up to around 8.4 to 8.6 so I think I have found the culprit. Even though it was river gravel from a reputable vendor it must have some shells or something in it that is driving the PH maybe. Now to figure out how to fix it. I'd like to just go ahead and swap it out with another substrate but am dreading the "tear down", swap the substrate and then reassemble it all and hope to not lose any more fishes. Any tips on performing this feat? I know I've seen some vids on Youtube but wasn't sure if any here has tried it. Also, I was thinking about using Fluval Stratum in some biobags as a "base" and then covering with actual sand. I think I saw this on MD Fish Tanks channel but maybe it was KG Tropical. Anyone tried that method? It seems like it'd be good for the plants without the need for root tabs but leave me with something that isn't as "blah" as the Fluval Stratum. Mainly because my older eyes don't like the dark effect it gives . Will the sand possibly have the same effect on PH as the gravel? Any help or tips from the more experience than me would be greatly appreciated! πŸ™‚
  11. Yep, you're right. I got my plants mixed up. LOL Just realized that as I had my hands buried in the tank doing some other maintenance. Thanks for the input, truly appreciated. πŸ‘
  12. Hi everyone, I am hoping to get some advice on what these are on some of my Amazon Sword plants. I didn't quite know what I was doing on this one as I have never kept live plants before and I buried the rhyzome. 😬 Now on a couple of them, they have lost the rhyzome and roots so they are just resting on the bottom and have these spiky growths on them. I think these are "plantlets" but am not sure. Thoughts? Should I just leave them be, let them grow and plant them correctly once they are big enough or just cull them and call it a loss? Thanks for any tips or input on this. Sometimes this feels like drinking from a fire hose but I am learning slowly. 😜
  13. I apologize if this is not the right place to post this but it seemed relevant to the Tidal's so I thought I'd post here first. I have a newly set up 75 gallon tank and am using the Tidal 75 and a Hygger double sponge filter that works based off of an air pump. It seems to me that the Tidal 75 doesn't have that much suction to it. If I sit and watch it, there is all manner of bits that just float right by the intake regardless of what level I have it set to or whether I run any media or not. Should I have "upsized" the filter? I seem to recall that when I had this tank set up back in 2015, I used an AquaClear 110 and that worked really well as long as I rinsed my media every couple of weeks. However, that tank was filled with African Cichlids and this one is more of a community tank with a 2 Nickle sized angles, 2 dwarf gourami's and a dozen or so pearl danios. Also, I am not that fond of the surface skimmer feature, same as other reviewers. Should I look at returning this to Amazon and getting either an Aquaclear 110 or the larger Tidal? Thanks in advance for any thoughts or input.
  14. AndreaW- Thanks for the input! I guess since I don't have a cycled tank or any fish in yet that makes the most sense. It'll help me with my patience. πŸ€ͺ
  15. So, just to tag onto this post, I wanted to ask a question here as I have been out of the hobby for a while and am just getting back into it now that I am retired. I previously had African cichlids so I never bothered with live plants but thought it'd be fun to mess with. Especially after watching tons of MD Fish Tank vids πŸ™‚ I just cleaned and set up my 75 gallon tank, cleaned the gravel and drift wood to go into it and glued down the large rocks and driftwood yesterday. However, I just went to my LFS to get some plants as I really wanted some moss to put on my wood and after using Gorilla glue gel to stick it to the wood I noticed some "swimmies" in the cups that the moss came in. Some of them looked almost like shrimp but moved really fast while the others were more eel-like, only tiny. After some research, it seems that the latter are planaria as they have the little "arrowhead" at the front. I promptly ripped out what I had glued onto the wood and tossed it as I didn't want to chance ruining my brand new setup. Should I worry about any strays that may have come off of the moss? The tank was dry and doesn't yet have water in it (that was going to be the next step before all of this). Also, I got some Annubias bunches that came from the same tank and were in the same plastic bad. Should I worry about those? Is there any sort of solution/mixture I could dip them in prior to introducing them to the tank? I bought some Panacur C that should arrive tomorrow just in case it is needed. Should I add that to the tank when I do the initial fill up or just hold off for now and use only if I see evidence of the Planaria? Thanks in advance for any help/advice and let me know if more info is required and I'll gladly provide it. πŸ™‚
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