nabokovfan87

Those are snail eggs.

As far as the driftwood, plants, and pretty much all of the equipment and inserts go, I should just give everything a thorough rinse with regular water before adding back to the tank correct? I might try adding the sand in a bucket and rinse it out repeatedly so I can empty the tank itself and flush it out, then wipe everything all down. Then put everything back in the tank slowly and safely, redose what's needed. Anything in particular I should do about the filtration? Just keep it in regular tank water correct, like I did initially when I swapped tanks. Yeah, you don't need to scoop out substrate or anything, just use the tank itself as your bucket. Remove the fish, get them safe and in a dark area. Remove the wood and any plants attached, rocks, etc. (If you have plants in the substrate then gently remove them and float them in a bucket, replant after. You can also just avoid that area if you're concerned about damaging the plants. Drain the tank so you have room to move water around and take your fingers and mix/rake the substrate to remove any detritus and try to release any fine particles into the water. Then. Drain out the rest of the water completely. At this point, you have the tank with only the water submerged and you can take a hose and rinse the glass off. Use a paper towel and scrub the surface off (it's going to be slimy just from bacteria, but you're trying to get rid of any residual oils or anything that's on the glass itself that could be causing something to sit on the water surface. Then take some clean paper towels and clean the lid and trim. You can rinse it as many times until your comfortable that it's clean. Refill the tank, add filter floss to the HoB, let the filter run for 15-20 minutes to settle and then replant and add back in the hard scape. Add in your dechlorinator and your fish and your dosing fertilizer. You can add a light dose of salt tomorrow if the fish are still having any redness in their gills after they have had time to settle in. You can put the media itself (not the Sponge but the actual white media bag) into the bucket with the fish and it will stay cycled. As long as it doesn't dry out, you're fine.

Lol. Problem solved. Nice.

On my 75G I run two tidal 75s. The 110 works if you run it the length of the tank. On a 29G I run a Tidal 55. On a 40 I would run a single tidal 75. The intake on the tidal is almost exclusively the skimmer and the pump area. Yes it has a drop tube to the bottom of the tank but that is so cut off that it's about 10-15% of your intake pressure. I had green tiger barbs, they are flat bodied and I lost at least 5-8 because of the skimmer. It absolutely is an issue. If you're genuinely worried, your best bet is to use some black silicone and to fill the slots in. That will force the intake to other regions and to use.the down tube as your inflow. Something like this is what I would highly recommend. (Seachem really needs to just release a v2.0) Option 1. Help protect the fish with nylon / quilting mesh so when they sleep they don't get sucked in. Option 2. Fix it. See above. Let me know if you need any further help.

100% I would highly suggest Sharing now you have the HoB setup and then I would argue with the 35 specifically there is absolutely no way for the surface skimmer to work. I have had a 55, 75, all the aquaclears and other HoBs and the only one that doesn't work well is the 35 because of the way the input is designed. If you look at the pump area, the nossle itself is right up against the leftward input. The rest of the pump area is completely exposed. There is almost no way for the skimmer to input any water. Your best chance is to do two things... 1. Run the water level so the skimmer itself can suck air down towards the pump and have some filter floss in the container to absorb the fine particles. 2. Add an air stone and use the lid as the place where the surface scum will land. Here's mine, confirming your issue. Second picture is the Tidal 55 surface. Which one?

Perfect. I wasn't sure if you had sponge filters only in there or not. Let me show you mine. The output on the tidal has that added lip and so it can push the flow deeper, but what I would say is to have the sponge on the left and the output on the AC slightly right of center. That flow pattern will be ensuring that movement isn't the concern. So because of the room I prefer the ziss bubble bio and it acts like a polishing filter. I have the airstone setup purely so I can add a hang on breeder box in a moment. With 29G because it's taller, it's a stout tank, and it's something where getting the water from the substrate to the surface takes a bit of effort. That may or may not be the issue, I know the AC filter (tidal 55 is on mine) should do perfectly fine. I would suggest running filter floss for the next couple weeks while you're dealing with this issue. Again, I think the bubbles are not the concern but whatever is causing issues with the fish. So if we want to be totally safe here the best thing to do is to clean it as best you can (lid/rim, substrate and so on) just in case there could be an issue or some sort of oil. If you see surface scum that's definitely an indicator and the filter floss and such should help clean that after the water change. Salt is also a great way to help with respiration on the angels (they are a cichlid as well) and it's not going to cause any issues with anything going on here. Now that we know filtration and movement shouldn't be an issue, that one final clean of the sides and the tough rinse of everything will make sure there is very low risk of residue and you can focus and proceed on the fish behavior and their health. It's the best way to rule out that factor with the changes you've made.

Another method that would help clean off anything on the surface is to run it without a lid for a few days and let the air push whatever it is to the air/wall/elsewhere and then just clean the area following that.

I wouldn't worry about that. If there was something on the glass or the tank that's in the water, meaning it wasn't cleaned and rinsed and there was some residue of something, then you would need to empty it. Clean it really really well and then do the same thing with the substrate. Bubbles just means there's something changing the density of the water in some way. Water changes help resolve that. Some plants, especially crypts don't like to be moved and will melt when they are. Sounds fine. I would recommend using just water whenever possible. Place the fish in a bucket so they can relax (put a towel over it with a bubbler. You can use the tank water or just match temp and move them with a net. Flush the substrate by having the tank slightly lowered in water and raking your hand through the substrate. Then drain as much as you can. Take a hose and spray the wall with some pressure and wipe the whole thing down with some paper towels. Then rinse it and make sure there isn't any residue on the rim area and under the lid. Refill. Check your parameters and redose ferts. If you need to add some root tabs and then add the fish back. My question. What is your filtration situation on the tank? It's a 29G (looks wide not taller, aqueon?) Which might just mean you may not have as much water movement as you think and need to add slightly more flow. Make sure you have one sponge on either corner at the least.

I had some major issues. Still do. I feed once a day. When I wanted the SAE and amanos to go after the algae you can either.... Feed less (QTY) just so that those fish that will target the algae graze more. Or just wait about 3 days. I had a patch of BBA that was 6" square. After 2 days the amano went after it and had the whole area cleaned in an hour or two. It was fun to watch. After 48-72 then you will either have it cleaned or need to adjust accordingly. 100% agreed

Ah! That totally makes sense. I absolutely understand the warm water thing too. The extremely hot summers we have are very similar to yours. Take care of yourself. Feel better. I have black venezuelan Cory's and pandas. Hearing you mention your orange ones was very exciting. Lol. Yeah the definitely keep a schedule. As long as the have a hide they are happy. I have 3 that love the right side, then their fry stay on the far left corner all day next to my red tailed black shark. She babysits I guess.

Very sorry about the medical stuff you mentioned, I hope you're doing ok. I'll reference two different things here... Sterbai might be fine with the higher temps (high 78-80) and I would definitely recommend keeping the pandas slightly cooler compared to the sterbai. For my panda breeding, especially when I'm trying a bit harder, I had moss and small fine plants for the fry to hide away from the other fish in the tank. They literally lay eggs so often that I just colony bred mine. After I had so many I would just have tiger barbs, shrimp, or other fish eat the eggs (and the pandas would get better at hiding them). But, all I mean to say is that I would reference two different things here.... Your tank temp, and then your water change temp (and how quickly you let the tank rebound after dropping the temp during a water change). In my experience I've changed anywhere from 10-75% of the water in the tank at times and had no issues. The pandas can be an extremely hearty fish and they almost always love the oxygenation inflow from the cooler waterchange. They are more active, they swim around hunting for food, they are not stressed breathing or anything of the sort. During the summer it's a lot easier to keep the Temperature consistent, but with where I moved to the temps would be anywhere from 5-15 degrees off. I no longer have a "fish tank sink" and now I have to use a tap on the front of the house. This has been difficult and the water itself is anywhere from 25-35 degree difference at times. With lower % water changes it doesn't bother the fish but absolutely isn't recommended for higher volume water changes. I stick to about 10-25% now based on tank conditions. In any one of those scenarios described, I've had the Cory's spawn for me without much fuss or issue. As long as the fish is healthy, happy, and has a place to hide and feel safe (especially if the adults know the fry have a place to go) then they tend to be a bit better about consistently spawning. My tanks are set at 74, both are cooler water community type setups, focused entirely on corydoras. During the fall months (Southern California) it definitely gets really cold in the house, and during the summer I wish I had a chiller. When I change water, the tank might be at 72-74 and the water I use for the change might enter at about 64 or so. I would be willing to bet you can get them to spawn simply by having a larger volume of water change and boosting flow for a short period or by having the temperature swing as well. Pandas just love to chase each other around the tank and spawn if the setup is what they like. I don't know if any of that helps you out, but hopefully so. Hopefully the next ones you bring in aren't having as many issues with the condition they arrived in.

In the end of the storyline. Their boss adds a guppy. I won't say what happens, but very fitting. I don't know if it sticks around, I haven't seen the new ones. Fish in NCIS is a common thing. DiNozzo has a bowl of goldfish (bad I know) in honor of his fallen coworkers. They kept the name in the show, which is absolutely cool and the fish have been with the character for 10+ seasons and then we're passed on when he moved. Obviously it might be different fish, in for just the shot, but there is definitely some aquarium love on the staff of those shows.

NCIS: Los Angeles had a full episode with a plotline surrounding an aquarium. the stocking wasn't great (goldfish with other fish) and there was absolutely some CGI stuff in one scene. But, it was absolutely great to see a real tank (20H) with a proper filter and actually look like a real hobbyist aquarium. Found a clip.

Once you see ammonia in the water testing, and then you see the tank cycle from nitrite to nitrate, you're fine. Once you're at that step, the tank is doing the things biologically to survive and sustain itself. When you're starting to toss in more food or fish to try to regulate that process to a certain level, all you need is time. Once you see nitrates at about 20-40 and your plants are doing their thing, then you should be ready to add what you need to. What I mean by that.... Right now I would add your plants in (if you haven't already) and get the plants going. Any surface area you have in the tank itself, that is what you want to focus on right now before adding fish, or more fish. What I did with mine was just set it up, run the filter, aeration, and substrate. I gave that about a week (no food or anything beyond a pinch on day 1). Then I added my lights, heater, equipment, rocks, wood, and I let that run for just a little while 2-4 days). Once that was done, I had my plants in a tub, I moved those over and tried to set some things up and added the one fish that desperately needed to be moved from the tub. Over the next few days, I slowly added my shrimp, etc. So.... Essentially, once you see your nitrites stick at 0. You should be good to go. Right now you have a mix of nitrite and nitrates, that's all you need to keep an eye on. Make sure the tank has everything it needs in terms of scape, plants, and then you're fine to slowly add fish.

What is that last picture, which plant specifically? If at all possible, I really would like to ask some detailed questions, show you my tanks and try to source that from wherever you got it from (long story, project I've been working on for about 18 months). @GoGreenone thing to note and just jot down for future possible use. When I was in college one of the final projects for my group (Our major was computer engineering) was using algae as a fuel for energy production. Let me see if I can find a very cut/dry explanation of the process. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algae_fuel "Using Algae to make Biodiesel" is essentially what their project was exploring. Definitely something interesting when we talk about the future of the hobby and how things can help with issues.

Yes. The Sera O-nip, but specifically it is the spirulina version. Let me find a picture or old video. Here's the video: https://youtu.be/HeIWvjvsdvM

For glass it matters if the corner is supported. I would 100% go and get some thick styrofoam board, put rubber mat on top of that (yoga mat or exercise mat works) and then put the tank down. Make sure the foam itself does NOT press on the bottom sheet of glass on the tank. The table itself not supporting a tank of that weight / length is a big concern for me. It might take months for an issue to show itself and by then it's even more difficult to fix. Can you show the full tank/stand itself? Take a level on every corner of the tank 45 (degree angle check), and then check horiz. And vertical to see what isn't true. Let us know.

I was making coffee today, turned to look behind me while the machine dispensed out water and I had to smile.... 20+ panda corys wiggling around in unison looking for food or just cruising around is always going to make me smile uncontrollably. Just curious, what temperature was the tanks at with the pandas? They tend to enjoy slightly cooler water in my experience and it generally means slightly more oxygen in the water I believe. I've kept mine as cool water species for most of their lives, 70 or slightly below during colder days. Tank depth can also play a factor when the fish is slightly stressed. Very unfortunate, I'm sorry for the loss.

This makes sense to me as well. I would highly recommend YouTube as a resource for some lessons. As an example for the above, pondguru has a ton of *lectures* on bacteria, filter types, filtration methods, etc. Needless to say there is about 10 years+ of research all over and there is some key items you can pick and choose from. You can do case studies based on why one tank being shown did or didn't work (as an assignment) and this would give students exposure to many different sources of information, research process, bibliography, etc. What I thought reading the full post above I was reminded about a topic like pollution, habitat loss, project piaba, collection trips, climate change, but what stuck out to me was one lecture, one day, where the students observe the fish. The behavior of the fish and if it "seems normal" to the students. Why or why not. Something along the lines of many documentaries I have seen that discuss the value of public aquariums philosophically and the way animals are treated ethically. The cove is a good place to start. I think the next lesson in this line of thinking is to discuss species that the hobby has saved and why that process is important. How some species in the future may only be seen because they are kept by hhobbyists https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Piaba I believe this is someone who has a few species no longer found in the wild. He would also be a good resource when discussing breeding and genetics. Selection for traits and line breeding. https://youtu.be/PQ5CFQJn1Js

About once a month (probably more often if you have more females in the tank compared to males) then the female will sit in an open area of the tank and release the eggs. She will sit there and then wave her lower legs (sorry, I don't know the technical term for it, spinnerets?). The zoes will survive for about 3 days. I don't think the fish eat them (mine almost never have) but I am sure some will. After that, she goes back to grazing and may or may not molt (if they have eggs, they tend to wait to molt). The shrimp love wood as a texture in the tank and prefer it in my experience. Seiryu is also good for the added hardness it can release. Amano, for me, are basically the best shrimp to have and it's a blessing/curse they are so difficult to breed. I've gotten to the point of having everything but green water in order to breed mine. I went to a local saltwater shop and tried to purchase some on my last attempt but it just didn't work when I tried it. One day..... This thread brought back some fun nights and some tough lessons. Enjoy them!

Jimmy had some long fin pandas. I would lovingly call them "whale tail" pandas. They look almost the same as normal ones but just big tails (the ones he had, I've seen a few varieties). Anything with genetic abnormalities highlighted is going to have some controversy for it. It doesn't mean there isn't a demand for it in the hobby, but for something like a Betta fish, it's a major concern due to their ability to actually function. Based on my experience with my pandas (no long fins) I would think after about 4-6 weeks you'd know for sure. It should be pretty obvious once they get to about 1/4-1/2" range.

I would suggest personally having some shrimp that you can breed at your house and bring into school if you wish to use live shrimp. The amanos are ridiculously complex to breed and generally "expensive" compared to something else. Ghost shrimp works a bit well but can be fragile. Red neos seems like the right place to start. Someone might be able to donate some culls to you too 😉 . You can also just do plants only for the first run, add ghost shrimp later on while you test and build the curriculum. The fine line I think is going to be between every kid in the class having a tank vs. splitting them up into teams. I think teams makes a lot more sense for the kids to learn the science behind the hobby and they can use the scientific method a bit more. Labs, and trying to figure things out is a great way to set up that type of a curriculum. Gang valves and some good pond style air pumps would help power multiple items in the tank as well (I've used the tetra a300 and had a ton of success) Things I would be interested in learning, or having the kids learn (if mine was in your class) -How plants can grow submerged, what is the difference between plants that can easily and others that struggle, refraction, nutrients, etc. (Hydroponics, space plants, it's a nice little rabbit hole to go down) -Photosynthesis and how technology can be used to replicate that process, how we can use technology to create an ecosystem. (Aquarium, terrariums, research projects on species, etc) -how pets and plants are actually obtained. Breeding, wild caught, etc. -Filtration, water processing, and how something like water treatment is handled in the hobby compared to something like drinking water. RODI water processing, how that can be done on small and large scale. -A brief overview of some local aquarium related fauna and how pets can have an impact on local ecosystems if not handled properly. -Basic fish and shrimp anatomy. I would imagine one lab would be... "What does an air bubbler do? What happens if it isn't there? (Surface tension and how/why that works.) -A BIG ONE.... Talking about Mr. Amano and the aesthetics of the hobby. He is such an interesting person. Very fun to learn about! -"Safe" aquascaping materials, why some are and aren't safe. (Ties back into the water chemistry stuff a bit too) Edit: I'd probably lean towards a guppy tank, java moss, anubias, and getting a fluval light for ease of your own tank you're using in the class for long term. Guppies and some red neo shrimp seem to be a great fit for everything you're trying to do. You can also tack on some genetics, coloration, breeding topics as well. Cory's YouTube channel also has a few lectures as well. You can also add some panda Corys to the tank and you will eventually have more than you know what to do with in that 40G.

I would stay with a slightly larger tank. Corys love to have room and graze. They like to have places to hide and feel safe too. Anything below a 10G I would encourage shrimp only or plants only. I would suggest hopefully having a 20L or something for the stocking you're suggest. It's a good footprint and room for the fish to swim around. The equipment and such that you're using should work pretty well for it also. Minimum tank size for me personally is a 29G or something along that footprint. I have a 10G for emergency use only. I totally understand the issues with limitations, but I think you'll be much happier with a 10 or 20L if you can manage to fit one where you need to. For reference, this is my 10G. Up for emergency use right now. I spent the day tracking down a 33L or something that might work for my area. I might end up using a 20L as well but I definitely need a bit more volume. It's just a Cory tank and I started with 3, many more now. Much more hiding under the wood.

Pondguru has a few videos on these. Definitely a great place to start for setup and such.

How so? I just want to clarify what you mean by that.