Mattlikesfish36
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Posts posted by Mattlikesfish36
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On 4/15/2024 at 8:29 PM, NikkiRae said:
I would wait and watch unless it starts looking red, the eye gets cloudy, eye gets bulgy, unusual behavior, it gets fuzzy, changes colors ect. Any other symptoms I would start treating, but it is stressful and expensive to start treating your tank/fish and chasing your tail for something that isn't hurting anything. Name him Quasimodo. Oh, also keep a close eye on other fish. If any of them start getting something similar than you have issues.
@NikkiRae I love the name haha that is perfect. Thanks for all of the advice!
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I’ve had a pair of EBAs for about two weeks now and I just noticed this bump on the eye of one of them. They are in a 40 gallon aquarium with a bristlenose pleco as a tank mate. Temp is 78, pH is 7.6, very hard water (magenta on aquarium co op test strip), and I’m doing 25% water changes weekly. I did one round of paracleanse as a preventative treatment when they arrived but that is all they have received for medications. She seems to be acting/eating normally and swimming laps with her partner. Is this something I should be concerned about? And should I do anything to treat her? Thanks!
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On 3/19/2024 at 3:54 PM, Colu said:
KH Will drop over time because of the build up of organic mater and fish snails and plants will deplete KH over time with liverbears and african cichlids that like hard water it can cause them get chronic health issues affecting there imume system cause them to essential fall apart
@Colu okay gotcha. Hopefully the crushed coral will help to boost things up. It was supposed to get here earlier but there have been shipping delays. Hopefully it will arrive tomorrow
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On 3/19/2024 at 3:05 PM, Colu said:
Have you recently tested your KH and GH if there to low that would also affect your African cichlids
@Colu my GH is at the highest level on the aquarium co-op test strips but KH is on the lower side (4-5 degrees on the API test kit) I have crushed coral coming in the mail tomorrow which will hopefully help to boost things up. It’s just strange because they were all fine for 8 months or so but now they are all having issues. Is KH something that can change abruptly after being fine for several months? What kind of symptoms will show in African cichlids if they are impacted by KH levels?
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On 3/19/2024 at 2:42 PM, Colu said:
Loss of appetite and spitting food out can be signs of a parasitic infections I would treat following @Odd Ducktreatment protocol for a parasitc infection @Mattlikesfish36
@Colu thanks for all of this info. Looks like I’ve got my work cut out for me. Wish me luck
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On 3/14/2024 at 8:24 PM, Tony s said:
Well that’s mostly good news then. Little bitty things can cause a whole world of problems doing this. Stuff you wouldn’t even think about. But hopefully you got it figured out now, and your colony can rebuild 😀
@Tony s update: I lost an adult fish and the others are still not really eating. I have noticed one of the males doing a strange shimmy so I’m thinking it may be an internal parasite of some kind. The masked julidochromis I have in my quarantine tank waiting to go in with the Shellie’s has also stopped eating and has been rubbing up against his small rock cave. Dosed both aquariums with API General Cure and I’m hoping for the best. I’m starting to think that maybe it wasn’t the pothos afterall, but some sort of parasite hitchhiked with the hornwort that I picked up from my LFS. This is a truly awful experience 😞
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On 3/14/2024 at 8:17 PM, Tony s said:
Have they stabilized after you pulled it, hopefully?
@Tony s it’s tough to tell. They have still been spitting brine shrimp but they are eating hikari vibra bites that I have soaked in garlic extract. They were showing breeding behavior and I haven’t seen two of the females ever since so I think they may be guarding eggs in one of the shells
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On 3/14/2024 at 8:14 PM, Tony s said:
That’s a big possibility. But I have no idea what rooting hormone would actually do. But it’s probably not good. Did you end up pulling it out?
I pulled it the other day and did a water change. Going to do another big water change tomorrow and hope for the best.
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On 3/11/2024 at 6:42 PM, Tony s said:
Yeah, no problems. wish I could be more help. I have had problems like that before. you start losing fish for no apparent reason. It's completely maddening. Took me ages to figure it out. turns out I cross contaminated a couple of tanks with a red thick form of blue green algae. The only way I stopped it was by treating everything with erythromycin. But the questioning and hair pulling of not knowing is insane
@Tony s I think I may have figured out the problem… my wife just told me that she had this rooting hormone in the mason jar where she was propagating the pothos that I put in the aquarium. I am so mad at myself for not thinking about that ahead of time.
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On 3/11/2024 at 6:26 PM, Tony s said:
So sorry to hear that. hopefully your adults stabilize and the colony is able to recover.
@Tony s thanks I’ve been keeping up with extra water changes and feeding lots of live baby brine so hopefully everything will work out. Appreciate your advice and support
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On 3/11/2024 at 5:53 PM, Tony s said:
Are you having any luck. appears i may be wrong on the pothos. hopefully. was just wondering how things were going.
@Tony s thanks for checking in. The juveniles keep dropping off one by one which has been disappointing. But the adults seem to have resumed eating like usual
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On 10/9/2020 at 2:31 PM, Tetra Guy said:
i went with Mick’s recommendation and got the Uniclife 25w, inexpensive and fits exactly. My first batch hatched in under 24hrs an omg, its an explosion of bbs! Need to put less eggs in next time!
@Tetra Guy super old post so I’m not sure if this will get a reply, but did you have any issues with the water not being up to the minimum water line on the heater? I have the same one but I’m nervous to try because I don’t want it to crack or explode or anything
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On 3/8/2024 at 1:50 PM, Tony s said:
Well, that shouldn't be an issue. I use that all over the place.
There are reports of pothos vines being toxic when allowed to rest in water. But hornwort should be good. are they snacking on it?
I assume sand substrate and lots of digging, so nothing like a hydrogen sulfide build up.
Maybe pull it for now, in a bucket with an airstone to keep it alive. water change then observe for a couple of days. If it straightens out, it could have been the hornwort. or something on the hornwort. Keep a close eye, if it's not the hornwort, they will continue to show symptoms
@Tony s uh oh… I didn’t consider the pothos. I’ve had some in a hanging basket on the side of the aquarium but it has been there for 2 months or so. I was wondering about the hornwort having something on it because I bought it at my LFS. I didn’t realize that pothos could be toxic because I see it in other aquarium photos all the time. I love the way it looks but I guess I’ll have to pull it if that’s the culprit. Thanks for your reply! I appreciate it
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On 3/8/2024 at 1:35 PM, Tony s said:
What kind of plant
@Tony s just a handful of hornwort to help with soaking up nitrates
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I have a group of 6 neolamprologus similis that have been in my aquarium for about 8 months with no issues until now. I’ve got them in a 40 and they have spawned twice (that I know of). I’ve got one set of fry that are about 3 months old and some others that just became free swimming. All of a sudden, the older fry have stopped eating as much and they have been spitting out live baby brine shrimp, which they used to eat like crazy. Have you ever experienced that before? I found one dead juvenile yesterday while doing a water change so I’m starting to panic a little bit. It has been a blast watching the colony grow and I am hoping I don’t lose any more of them. The only change I can think of is that I added floating plants two weeks ago but everything else has been consistent. Thanks in advance for any help you can offer!
pH 7.6
nitrites 0
nitrates ~10
hardness -magenta on co op test strip
kh
temp 78
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On 3/6/2024 at 8:35 PM, Tony s said:
I think everybody feels that way from time to time. I think you need to figure out what you really love about doing this. Me, I love to be shoulder deep in my tanks and doing the maintenance. It feels therapeutic for me. Understanding that we raise large amounts of regular livestock, and the maintenance here doesn't feel like work. I've been know to do maintenance at 2 am after a stressful day.
I don't do show tanks of any sort. I am not trying to impress anybody. I just want happy animals. Sometimes just the feeding is enough for me. Although I have a large male marble angel pair breeding now, I think that's my next adventure
@Tony s good luck with the breeding angels! That’s an exciting project. I’m raising some apistos and some shell dwellers that bred in my aquariums and that is the most satisfying part for me lately
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On 3/6/2024 at 2:59 PM, Pepere said:
I started a 17 gallon fish bowl without CO2 because I wanted to try again balancing a non co2 tank to get to no noticeably visible algae.
I am not declaring the war as won as yet, but at least 1 battle has been.
This iteration I have had far less algae then I ever had kn my other tanks before going high tech. Co 2 canister filter etc…
I developed that annoying thin long filament strand that gets entangled in plants like strong spider silk. It has been eliminated for now and has been gone 14 days and counting…. Again, not claiming victory…
I have a diy modified under gravel filter plate with Easy flow kit replacing the uplift tube. And I have a Lees triple flow medium box filter with an easy flow kit on it with polyfill for mechanical filtration.. No CO2, mostly easy plants, Ludwigia repens, crypt Wendetti, pink flamingo crypt, anubias, bacopa, java fern, rotala, water lettuce, hornwort, s repens…
I wouldnt say it is less work than the co2 tanks though. Maybe less trimming of plants, but that is it..
I clean the box filter weekly vs monthly for the canister. I spend more time on water changes in fishbowl as I am stirring up sediment with a turkey baster and siphoning it away that I dont have to do with the canister..
perhaps you might want to invest in a ph controller for your co2 solenoid, Then bubble count becomes less of a concern…
My low tech 17 gallon fishbowl
My high tech 29 gallon display tank.@Pepere thanks for sharing your beautiful aquariums!
On 3/6/2024 at 6:16 PM, MattyM said:@Mattlikesfish36 just to expand a little, I think this particular tank's low maint has to do with a few key things:
- Sanded substrate - I am using seachem flourite sand here, black. Don't know how much that matters, but I've used it before and liked it, a lot. Based on my experience, a gravel substrate needs actual cleaning. I hardly ever see detritus on my sand, just in a lower flow corner in the back.
- MTS snails - love em or hate em, they churn the sand - a very good thing in my opinion. I actually never see them much.
- Good flow - helps the filters catch stuff, disperses CO2, oxygen, and nutrients well.
- Good filtration - this tank has a canister at each end - 1 outflows across the back of the tank, the other has a spray-bar pointing towards the other filter. This creates a nice circular flow. I have the spray-bar angled slightly upward, producing a nice ripple effect. I don't care if it off gases CO2; it looks cool, prevents surface gunk, and promotes gas exchange.
- Cory cats - kick stuff up and into the water column, where the filters eventually get it.
- And of course, a ton of plants.
Word of caution: If you use inline CO2 diffusers, that will be more maint - I like how efficient they are and how well they disperse CO2, but they need cleaning, as do the hoses. But the hoses could go longer w/o cleaning if there wasn't an inline diffuser, if that makes sense. I've gotten pretty quick at it, but it's still work every so often.
This is all based on my experience and experimentation ✌️
@MattyM thanks for all of this! Definite food for thought. I appreciate all of your tips
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On 3/6/2024 at 12:45 PM, MattyM said:
@MattyM thanks for sharing, this is a beautiful setup! The amount of maintenance required that you mentioned sounds exactly like what I’m looking for
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On 3/6/2024 at 12:20 PM, MattyM said:
Maybe get off of el dosing. I have what I call a semi-high tech tank. I dose low CO2, just a plant boost - a drop checker prob wouldn't even change color, and add just enough ferts - a few squirts of EG every other day or so along with Potassium. I barely have any algae issues (only happens when I overdose ferts) and each week I do maybe 30 min of maint work, barely any need to change water, just a little cleaning and plant maint here and there, and the occasional canister clean. When I do need to change more than a bucket of water (it's a 100g), I have a dead simple python-like system to replenish the water.
@MattyM thanks for this idea! What kind of light do you use? This sounds like exactly the system that I would like for my setup
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Hey everyone,
I’m curious if anyone else has ever felt this way. I’m feeling burnt out and I’m not enjoying my main “showpiece aquarium” anymore.
I currently have a heavily planted aquarium with in-line pressurized co2 and a Twinstar light. Dosing EI and doing weekly water changes. It looks pretty decent and plants are growing fairly well while managing algae to the best of my availability. My co2 cylinder kicked the other day and I have been tinkering with the replacement, but it has been a pain getting it dialed in and running at the same bubble rate.
I initially thought it was fun getting all of the high tech gear (canister filter, lily pipes, co2, fancy light, etc), but now the work to enjoyment balance seems to be leaning heavily toward feeling like maintenance is a chore. I am getting way more enjoyment out of my low tech tanks even though the plants aren’t as exciting. Has anyone else had a similar experience? I’m debating tearing down the high tech tank and starting fresh or trying to figure out a way to transition from high tech to low tech without a massive algae bloom, even if that means that I’ll have to sacrifice some of my plants in the process.
Any feedback or advice is welcome and much appreciated. Thanks!
Matt
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On 1/4/2024 at 4:17 PM, Lots Of Loaches said:
@Mattlikesfish36 The stand looks like it worked out like you wanted in the beginning. They look strong enough to handle the job with the added benefit of being lighter than shelves made out of wood. I'm just curious, how did the price of the shelves compare to what you would have spent on wood to build your own design? Just in case I find myself in need of more shelves to accommodate my wife's MTS addiction.
@Lots Of Loaches I totally feel the MTS addiction haha. The shelves were around $150 which is more than the wood would have costed but the quick install and the 1000 pound per shelf rating made it worth it for me. Especially with a Christmas gift card which offset the cost.
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On 1/4/2024 at 11:04 AM, jwcarlson said:
I've got space for it, but I need one that my wife can't see. Maybe I can paint it camoflauge.
@jwcarlson let me know if you find a paint that works haha that is my issue as well
On 1/4/2024 at 11:49 AM, Lonkley said:You know, since you have the space... you could swap it with a 75g, i mean either petco or petsmart is running their eternal 50% off sale.
@Lonkley I love that idea but it makes me so nervous about the weight of such a big tank haha
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On 1/4/2024 at 11:00 AM, jwcarlson said:
You had me moderately concerned because I couldn't tell if it had the steel mesh under it and it looked like you might have had 400 pounds suspended on OSB 😄
I think those are a good option for an out of the box stand. And honestly, they don't look bad. I'm trying to slow-walk putting in a rack like this with some growout tanks. Do you think I'd be able to hide one in my basement right in the middle of the walkway to our oldest's bedroom and the laundry room?
@jwcarlsonhaha I was a little nervous about them without some plywood for reinforcement. I’m sure you could fit one in a smaller spot like that. I think they may have smaller sizes as well but I’m not sure about the weight capacity on the other models
Bump on Eye - Electric Blue Acara
in Diseases
Posted
@Colu thanks for this advice! You’ve helped me out a few times lately and I really appreciate it. I’ve got 2 Indian almond leaves in there right now but will add some more along with aquarium salt