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nabokovfan87

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Everything posted by nabokovfan87

  1. nabokovfan87
    Some sort of a corral for the floating plants would be good. You'd want to keep 40-60% of the surface free from floating plants to keep oxygenation up in the tank. As far as plants, I would use anubias and mosses in that tank. Slow growing plants like that should be ok and won't grow so crazy as to impact the tank itself. You'd want to use a soil that doesn't leech ammonia, there's a few, but just keep that in mind when you first add the soil substrate. I use contrasoil. The other common one is going to be stratum. Brightwell also doesn't leech. I would set a plan for them to at least clean the filter and change the water once a month. Make sure someone knows how or leave directions with pictures and stuff. Topping off the tank once a week might be beneficial as well, just clarifying use of dechlorinator is key.
  2. nabokovfan87
    Did you see white stuff get released into the water? That's awesome. 🙂
  3. nabokovfan87
    Seachem Alkalinity buffer is very easy to use. If you have white substrate or like the look, then crushed coral is an option as well. Depending on what your KH is, you want to raise up the KH and then use that as your metric for adjusting PH. Because your PH is low, you don't really know what your PH actually is... meaning, that you might just be testing after your PH has crashed due to bioload. If your KH is 0 then the low PH makes sense. If your tank is stocked a bit high and your KH is generally low, like in the 40s, then it would also make sense as to why it's crashing. Test things from the tap, make sure you're changing enough water to avoid old tank syndrome.
  4. nabokovfan87
    Just for the sake of sharing, if anyone hasn't seen this, here is Cory's take: I was reading the thread earlier. I'm very sorry for what happened and what you and the fish are going through. It's tragic, and I've had similar experiences with tetra and rasbora species. I'm apprehensive for certain on those two families of fish because of it now. I'm much more concerned with quality because that is all I can assume was one of the causes. 😞 Hopefully things go OK and you're able to keep the disease from spreading.
  5. nabokovfan87
    Tubing is 5/8" or 14.5mm. I would encourage you to verify that it works via the reviews and setup photos, but that's the best I can do as far as help! Best of luck. 🙂 Elsewhere someone suggested this as an option. I cannot verify it will work. Please be sure to check the reviews and setup photos. https://www.amazon.com/JARDLI-Plant-Aquarium-Inflow-Outflow/dp/B01G3A8V8S
  6. nabokovfan87
    Finally found it... These are brackish shrimp: https://aquariumshrimpkeeping.com/opea-ula-shrimp-101-super-shrimp/
  7. nabokovfan87
    I found this... And this.... The style of layout is called a Ryoboku and it's a new term to me. I enjoy the hardscape that he did, especially the first one. I like the amount of open floor space for the corydoras as well as how dramatic the wood feels at first glance. the more you sit and watch, the more you see the fine details. It is something for me to research and the first time I've heard the word, despite having seen many tanks of this style (plants+wood as a main focal). Whenever I am able to afford more hardscape, I wanted to have these here as a reminder for myself of something to look at again to get the right mindset when adding more stones and wood.
  8. nabokovfan87
    Hello Andy, welcome to the forums! I am very sorry about your current issue. I would suggest moving the fish to QT or moving that fish into a breeder box. You'll want a relatively lower power circulation while the fish recovers. You can use things like aquarium salt and indian almond leaves as a preventative for mild issues and to boost recovery of the fish. When it comes to something a bit more serious, Maracyn (erythromycin) and Ich-X would be great to use to combat any potential fungal or bacterial issues. Keep us posted and hoping for the best for you.
  9. nabokovfan87
    There is a talk on lighting for saltwater on the BRS youtube channel that I recommend checking out. Focusing research on spectrum specifically is applicable to any lighting setup. Ultimately you want to view the charts for the LEDs you want to use and their effectiveness. Wavelength of blue and Red LEDs specifically can lead to better success than others.
  10. nabokovfan87
    Here is the cleanout from today. A few notes and disclaimers up front: A. Both filters are running the same pump settings (turned down 2 notches) and run for the same duration. B. The modded filter has a prefilter sponge. That sponge was not cleaned out in these buckets, so this is a straight comparison of the foam trays themselves! C. The unmodded filter had filter floss in the window cutout, anything that went through this hole is 100% bypass on all of the foams. The condition of that polyfil was dirty, but the fine material in that cutout should help to encourage the water to go up the basket and through the foams. D. As mentioned, this is from the basket cleanouts only, both running 2 sponges. The unmodded filter is running 2 seachem foams (not cut to fit). The modded filter is running one seachem foam as well as 1 cut to fit medium pore size sponge. This is the unmodded filter: This is the modified filter: The bucket on the right did have a few minutes to settle. Despite this it is very easy to see to the bottom of that bucket. In person, visually, it was very clear that the sponges on the unmodified filter had a few large chunks of plant debris, but were generally clean. The plants come in via the skimmer and make there way into the basket. This does not alter or restrict the filters ability to trap muck. As the debris catches on the basket it should slow down the flow (as it's in the way) and encourage the water through the sponge. The other basket did not have as much plant debris due to the prefilter, but did look visually more effective at removing muck from the water column. I siphoned around both filters and both of them had detritus in the gravel around the filtration zones. The tank never looks dirty, but it is making its way to the substrate over time. Especially if the filter itself is bypassing. Right now the best way to view the unmodded filter is that it is moving water to support biological bacterial. It is not doing a very good job of mechanical filtration, especially polishing the water.
  11. nabokovfan87
    I ran every test I can. A note on testing, anything that says "with strip" is not really accurate in my eyes at this point. Test Results: 5/28/2023 Nitrate: 25 ppm (from strip) Nitrite: 0 ppm (from strip) PH: 6.8 (from strip) Phosphate: 0.25 ppm <-- Maybe I need to feed more! GH: 10 degress (179 ppm) KH: 3 degrees (54 ppm) Temp: 73.8 degrees I went ahead and did the water change and maintenance. The GH I added just a little (tap is low) and the KH I did add a little bit of buffer. I don't want to boost it too quickly because it does impact PH. The goal is to have a GH:KH ratio of 2:1. I dosed in the Iron and Easy Green as usual. One of the big Amano females releasing her eggs into the current: Male shrimp is standing by waiting for her to molt. This is what I tend to wake up to for a few days after trimming plants. the S.Repens leaves are just from the corydoras having some snacks in the plants. I also added the female swordtails to the big tank. @Minanora This was done mostly because of new information, but it was ultimately just to reduce some aggression with the males and to expand the activity in the tank. There are 4 females, 2 males. In Riddick's tank I have the two culls, 1 male, 1 female. So we have 2 separate colonies going. Here is the photo of the male who lost his sword. It looks like the black finnage color is moving up his tail! It's a little disturbing, but I will keep an eye out and work on getting a better photo. He is the "prized male" of the herd and was given the opportunity to breed with all of the females prior to moving them into the 75G. The wonderful, amazing, and delightful corydoras herd. The adults are over on the other side of the tank napping with Grace. The only plants I am really keeping an eye on is the Hygro Pinnatifida, which is sprouting new plants and propagating out. The S.Repens does seem to be a little pale. I'll keep an eye on nutrients, but adding the fish should help with nitrates. Adding in the GH is also a good benefit as well. Then I tried to get a photo of Grace. As always she's elusive.... Eventually she drifted into the light for me. And one swipe of the tail and she was gone! Little Riddick is enjoying her moss trimmings. She's doing great. Looks healthy, but still has the eye shine. Other than that, she's doing great. Sidenote: Yesterday I trimmed the moss on the rock so it's shorter length now. I also did a little trim on the wood and then went ahead and used the last of my glue to attach moss to the bare spots on the wood. There was one section that had broken off in the current, but one entire section the amanos had picked the wood clean. Not their fault, it's really hard to keep this stuff stuck to the wood. I run some pretty high flow and it's something I am being more conscious about. So far everything is going ok, just keeping an eye on growth and any indications of issues.
  12. nabokovfan87
    I would recommend you watch this: The common method is to put the female into a tub when she is going to release the Zoes. Once she does, you remove the female back to the tank (freshwater) and then you go ahead and move the zoeys into the brackish setup until they fully develop. This replicates the natural environment and the process of the zoes going upriver into the brackish tributaries to find food and develop.
  13. nabokovfan87
    Agreed. You can always just let it sit and then come back. I specifically use shadows, movement, and a bright flashlight to help me.
  14. nabokovfan87
    It seems it's water change day.... 💪
  15. nabokovfan87
    All of a sudden I have this urge to siphon some sand! They will move. I swear I have some of the "smartest" fish sometimes that swim directly into the glass wall when I'm cleaning off the algae with a paper towel.
  16. nabokovfan87
    It's particle board, the main thing being to keep it dry. The forces mentioned are basically: A. Weight of the water crushing the material, lateral (tangential) stress on the attachment hardware and shear strength of those hardware pieces. The cheap ones are cast aluminum, the strong ones are cast steel. Either way, being cast material gives it a lower strength profile. The outside is harder and more dense, while the inside of the metal is softer. If the outside cracks or deflects, then it's very easy for the hardware to shear off. B. Torsion across the desk from movement. Every time you touch the desk to play games, it moves. Those vibrations lead to stress on the fish, but it also leads to damage over time. Think of it like chipping away at a rock or steel rod with sandpaper. You seemingly don't do damage, but after years you might be down to nothing and that causes the failure. Cross braces would help with that type of a load, but given that you're going into particle board it's not going to be strong. I would take a look at Corvus Oscen's channel and his stands. He does them really well and they definitely are built strong. He also did all the ones in the Co-Op and the warehouse with videos on all of those. Literally the weight of my steel case has warped a few "cheaper tables" that were steel tubed and rated for a lot more wieght than what you're currently using. They sell butcher block and desk legs, what might be a better route to go when building a stand, but ultimately I think you're looking for a 2-3 shelf rack to get your stand and your aquariums in close proximity to the desk. Slide the desk to the right, then put the shelves against the wall there. Much safer, a bit further from the electronics, and less of a risk of shock or fire hazards due to splashing. This is the cross bracing that would help with the stress above under note B.
  17. nabokovfan87
    I had the same thing. You can use a phosphate test kit. I would imagine the organics help to feed things like those protozoan type of critters in his tank.
  18. nabokovfan87
    That's Pecktec's rule too 🙂
  19. nabokovfan87
    Noo I don't know why! He's in the middle of setting up a big fishroom too. Might help someone to see it start to finish! Just sayin....
  20. nabokovfan87
    Very similar to the shadow pandas which are black / white caridina shrimp crossed with blues and so underneath the white bands you see specs of the blue peeking through. Normal: With the Cross:
  21. nabokovfan87
    Material Main parts/ Front: Particleboard, Acrylic paint, Paper foil, Plastic edging From another forum: For Graeme's Ikea Kallax: Ikea's specs say ~40-50 lbs https://www.ikea.com/jp/en/customer-service/knowledge/articles/593e127e-b984-4489-b1d7-8b2g806gdcd7.html 10G - 110 lbs 20G - 225 lbs I wouldn't have the tanks there, especially near a PC. That is just generally how I would approach things.
  22. nabokovfan87
    I don't know what the difference is in design between these two. Graeme has been running his tanks like that for many, many years on that "stand"
  23. nabokovfan87
    Pecktec uses it. It's more popular in the EU as an option in lieu of something like purigen. That being said there is 3-4 different colors and they are all different types of chemical media. I think there is a place for carbon and other chemical media tools when you're dealing with algae or nutrient issues. My biggest concern is that you get the response from seachem and others about "it removes whatever is in excess". Which is a difficult thing to really interpret effectiveness. Here is the chart from the company showing the use for the normal product, elite version, blue, and green. For an algae issues, elite or blue would be best. For a normal planted tank, green would be best and similar in use to purigen.
  24. nabokovfan87
    Take whatever media is in the filter and put it at the corner of your tank. Add an airstone underneath, next to, or around the media and then that keeps everything going while you get the new filtration up and running. You can then move that media into the new filter. Done. It's not really a major issue, it happens.
  25. nabokovfan87
    I vote smaller species for a wall affect. If you use something bigger, it can lead to crowding. Pecktec has a ton of videos on his tanks, I'll post the most recent one which shows a lot of his setups and the anubias wall affect.
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