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I have 2-3 pea puffers in an overgrown 20 gallon long, I placed them in there for quarantine around 2 months ago maybe longer and now they live in there, I don’t know if all 3 made it because the whole tank is covered in Christmas and Java Moss so I only see one or two at a time, I usually scoop out some snails and frogbit from my indoor guppy pond to feed them as I know the guppies are healthy but today I accidentally double dipped the spoon I used to grab the snails, how worried should I be about spreading disease from my puffers to my guppies? thanks, Jerry

Apparently blue zoo is a company based out of Washington -- any locals heard of it? https://www.wbrz.com/news/mall-of-louisiana-s-new-blue-zoo-aquarium-to-open-in-april-2021?fbclid=IwAR3ZD5zuvIxhpxhl-FWMiesyeWFG3TQ7aqEKh-GsiVXFcuqJCj8fX4uyJ34 They bought out several stores at the mall here; not much of it shown in the video other than a couple fish and some kids activities, but we currently have zero public aquariums in Baton Rouge.

Yesterday, my husband went and picked up a new (used) desk/bookshelf for our living room, the computer, and the kids' school area. To fit it where it needed to go , the 20 gallon aquarium had to be relocated. Did I have to move it to my office? The basement? This was HIS idea of where to put it! So, what are your examples of family "buy in" to your hobby? Funny...or not 🙂

Hi everyone. This is my first post on this forum and I have quite a few questions. largely I think all of the problems I'm facing stem from my lack of experience and negligence. Currently, I have a 5.5-gallon betta tank. Nothing super fancy, but I still need some advice because I'm at a loss. The past tanks I've worked with(betta, and turtle) used carbon filters. When I was setting up my tank this time around I needed to get a new filter. (the previous tank was smaller) I was going to use a tetra whisper filter, which we had used in school, and they worked fine for the 3 years we used them. Some people at the store didn't recommend them though, and I heard some other stuff about moving away from those types of filters, so I got a box filter. It's just varying sponges, stones, and ceramic filter rings. I need to get new floss sponges which I've put off for too long, but that leads to my first question: should I change the whole filter altogether, or should I change the media? Would it be beneficial to use carbon? Also, this might seem like a very dumb question, but I get so paranoid about putting stuff in the tank willy-nilly. Are the sponges marketed towards the canister filters fine in a filter that's fully submerged in the tank, or would prolonged submerged exposure be harmful in some way? 2:My betta has bad fin rot, presumably due to the issues I mention throughout. I was considering putting my fish into a 1.5-gallon bucket and do large water changes until erythromycin arrives. However, I can't put any heater in the bucket. Should I continue with the betta fix in his current tank or should I take everything out of the tank except the heater and just use that? 3: water conditioner. I just leave the buckets out for 3 days, but it's inconvenient. Some of the conditioners I used required such a small amount that it would be so easy to screw up the dosage or they still need to be left out for a day. I was going to get the fritz guard or fritz complete, which claims it works instantly, yet it supposedly has a chemically smell. Should you let the smell dissipate from the water before putting it in, or is it fine? Would you recommend the Frits conditioner or something else( I saw that the complete is not compatible with ich-x, but what about erythromycin) so now onto the "future tank" (intended to be for the betta currently in the 5.5) so I got a 10-gallon rimless aquarium. I also got the lid, which did say that it was compatible with. Except of course it doesn't fit. I should have known when the support rails it said it came with weren't the same as the ones that it came with, but I figure it would just "work out" There's probably about a cm of space between the lid and the tank when sort of holding it up. so, any recommendations. Some person did a video showing how to set it up and the vinyl strip on the back wasn't even on to accommodate for the filter, and it FIT. So, anyways could I add something to it like coroplast or plexiglass? Any inexpensive recommendations? It's the aqueon versa top btw. now on to the Mopani wood. I wasn't very wise when it came to the Mopani wood. I got this fairly large piece from zoomed, and it said to soak it, but change the water daily. Other sources said by weekly some even less. I changed it more frequently to start, but after a while, it would hardly get the colour of white tea after a day or two so I just left it. Of course, because I didn't have conditioner, I needed to leave the water for the wood out so that as annoying. Eventually, I figured changing it so frequently wasn't going to help It that much, so I left It. For like 2 months sitting in the same water. Before, when I soaked it in hot water it just smelled "earthy" but now it smells slightly like eggs or sulfur ish. so now I'm worried that after all of this I'm just going to need to throw it out cause its rotting or something. I'm just really at a loss here, nothing is going accordingly, and I've spent a decent amount on this. I'm afraid I'll need to scrap most of that stuff and get a new filter, new wood, and potentially plants too. I don't know, for now, the pressing issue is just some sort of intervention for my fishes fin rot, but insight as to any other of the points would be so greatly appreciated. Sorry for such a lengthy and jumbled post. Just needed to get this out quickly.

15 gallon nano community, about 6 months old. Fish: 6 celestial pearl danios+1 juvenile 5 sparkling gourami 8 corydoras habrosus Plants: 2 java ferns+God knows how many plantlets 2 anubias nana 2 anubias nana petite God knows how much elodea A great deal of java moss 1 microsword

So, I've had a bad morning, and I'm stuck in a negative self-talk loop. I figured maybe writing some stuff down in the forum of fellow fish lovers might help. I don't think I'm looking for advice, I'm just looking to be heard. Warning, this is probably going to be sad. So, fishkeeping for me over the last couple of months has had a lot of ups and downs, but it's been slowly trending down overall. This morning was the first time I've ever considered dropping out completely, and that's a scary low to hit. To try to make a long story short, I've been in the hobby for almost three years. Last year, at the beginning of the pandemic, I had to move into my in-laws' basement. Uprooting two years worth of work in tanks is difficult, but we moved most all of my fish over to the new place without much issue. But, I didn't modify my upkeep schedule to account for the loss in Seasoned Tank Time. My water quality dipped, and a columnaris outbreak wiped out half of my fish in the summer while meds seemed to not work. Eventually it stabilized, but the surviving fish still showed symptoms. Recently, wanting to eradicate the disease, I tried more aggressive treatment, and ended up losing more fish and over $200 and two years' time worth in plants, the outcome I was trying to avoid in the summer. So, I'm really sad about how that aquarium went. Meanwhile, I have a fish for profit tank that has perplexing water quality problems. Every week or so, the fish will breathe rapidly and hang out towards the top. Testing kits are showing nothing that would be an obvious culprit, so trying to solve the problem has been frustrating. On top of that, my spouse doesn't like that tank in our living area in the basement because it's "ugly." It's the kind of setup made for a breeder's fish room, not for a pleasant display. Simultaneously, I have a betta in his own setup not doing so well. He's only just over two years old, but he looks like he's circling the drain. He developed swim bladder issues at the same time during the summer I was dealing with the columnaris outbreak. His find are tattered, and he developed popeye two weeks ago. After treating with salt, the eye swelling went way down, but now his eye is sunken and his cheek seems swollen and eroding around it. He's been very difficult to feed since he can hardly swim anymore. I feel like it's my fault for not giving him as much attention over the summer. I kept swearing I could nurse him back to health, but it seems like it might be too late. I don't know if I should keep trying or just euthanize him and end his suffering. Every time I resolve I'll put him down, he shows a surprising amount of vigor when I go to feed him, and I change my mind. So, a lot of rough stuff going on in my home aquariums over a long period of time, and then this week happened: So at work, I was talking fish with my boss and joked about an office aquarium. He thought an office aquarium was a great idea and told me to go nuts with it! I was so excited, because in case you couldn't tell, I had stalled out on getting to do any new stuff at home. After raiding the storage shed and my supply bins, I had basically everything I needed except substrate and fish; for once setting up an aquarium wasn't going to be $100+ since I already had most everything. However, when I told my wife what I was up to: "Really?? Another aquarium???" The disapproval, the exasperation in her voice...it took the wind out of my sails. Just something about the way she said it was different. She's been pretty supportive since the beginning. Listening patiently while I geek out, trying not to gag looking at hundreds of snails overrun a tank, putting up with buckets of brown filter water splashing down the toilet, dealing with me wanting to put an aquarium everywhere in the house, and letting me spend a not insignificant amount of money on this hobby. But I wonder if I'm pushing her to her line. I wonder how much more frustrated she'll be when we have kids. And so, for the first time today, I contemplated leaving the hobby, or at least making the most drastic cutback I've ever made. Clearly, things have not been going my way with the aquariums, and taking them out of the house would make my wife happier. Less clutter, less diversions of my attention, less money spent on food, more freedom to travel whenever that becomes safe again. I wish I could make a snap decision and tear down all my home aquariums in one day so I could rip it off like a bandaid. But tearing down aquariums the right way isn't that simple, it'd take days, nevermind rehoming all the fish. And it'd be hard to axe all that money and time I've put into the hobby, because I have had a few successes. And I get so much joy out of doing this, I don't want to just give it up. Right now, I'm in a negative self-talk loop, feeling childish, selfish, and ashamed for the strain on my life I added with this hobby. I'm angry at myself for failing to take better care of my fish, and even angrier at myself for whatever strain I've put on my wife. While writing this post, I've decided to not make any decisions while I'm in this headspace, and that it's best I talk this through with my wife. I think we can get back to where we're both enjoying the aquariums in our household. Writing this post has helped. To conclude for now, I'm not looking for solutions to the individual tank problems listed in this post, I've pursued them elsewhere in this forum and on other sources. Hopefully one day this can help walk somebody off the cliff of doing something drastic with their aquariums. Bad days and bad breaks happen, but we persevere. Thank you.

A friend offered me some fish today. It was so generous! They are pretty uncommon in our LFS, and my mind began scrambling... (What can I move? What can I sell? How can I make this work?) What I know is that these fish need certain parameters to do well. I’m being non-specific here for a reason: this can apply to many species, many scenarios. One tank option I’ve got would necessitate selling ca. 25 fish. Another option, though less water volume, would require only moving a few to another tank. But it’s water has had some different readings in the past. So... I ran a pH test. Here’s the thing: I use the same tap (city) water for every water change, and I change out 30-50% every 1-2 weeks in every tank. I do the pH test, and it reads almost unchartably low... close to 6.0 pH. I go and test the other tank (with fish that would have to be sold). It reads nearly 8.0 pH. On a lark, I test a third tank. It floats near 7.0 pH. I have explanations for each case, but the big thing I’m learning is that ... you need to know the water in each tank. It’s easy to presume, “My water is such and such... so my tanks are all pretty much thus and thus...” Unless they’re not!

OK, I only have one tank so this is easy for me. I got to thinking about whether I had a South American tank or an African tank or an Asian tank and realized I am almost totally SA. Didn't really plan it that way. I have Colombian Blue Tetras, Serpae Tetras, Bronze Corydoras, and an EBA. The only two outliers are my Yoyo Loaches which are from Pakistan. Well, I guess my herd of MTS qualify as well. Just curious if others have mixed continents or primarily have tended towards all form the same area. I realize water qualities kind of make a big impact in this, but I know it is possible to mix them since a lot captive bred anyway. Can you mix African and SA Cichlids?

What is your favorite earliest fish keeping memory? Maybe you only started keeping fish a week ago, or maybe it was 50 years ago, what is your favorite fish keeping memory. I have a few: -Setting up my first aquarium when I was 14 with my Dad. Then going to walmart and getting decor. Then a day or two later we went to the fish store to get fish. And oh, the fish I saw! I was so blown away by everything "you can keep seahorses!" "starfish!" "dory fish"! oh man! Keep in mind this was a saltwater store, with some freshwater. -Also keeping my first betta when I was 7, named him swimmy (for obvious reasons). He was my best friend. I thought he would get lonely so I got pictures of cartoon fish and taped them to the side of the tank. Each picture had its name.

My tank started leaking!!! I ran to store and bought a 20 gallon to switch over fish and plants. That was not a fun task. I’ll just say this...Zebra Danios suck! two questions. 1) how long will my plants live floating like this? I hate to say it but I care more about the plants than the fish eek! 2) I’m super paranoid about flooding. Are there any good ideas for secondary containment if the next tank leaks? I live upstairs for a unit and don’t want to flood neighbours if I miss a leak. thanks

I have always wondered if this is true or just a myth:. It is beneficial to keep snails (some say specifically mystery snails) in neocaridina shrimp tanks because the shrimp will eat the poop. Some even say they gain beneficial enzymes from the poop. So myth? Or truth? Also you fabolous folk feel free to post your own question of is it myth or truth on this thread.

Hi, I have had my aquarium going on four months now. My tank is fully cycled and had crystal clear water with a few annoying white particles I couldn't get rid of. I do weekly water changes as well as vacuuming the gravel. I've read about all kinds of products that claim to do this and that for your tank and I fall victim to them all. Recently, I've bought Seachem Purigen, Seachem Pristine, and API Stress Zyme to see if they would get rid of the floating particles in my tank. I used them all at the same time with my latest water change (smart of me, I know) and now my water is cloudy, the opposite of what I thought would happen. I think it is due to a bacterial bloom from the Pristine and the API Stress Zyme. I've changed the water several times to no avail and I have recently read that changing the water could make things worse. I'm not sure if I should use a water clarifier like Seachem Clarity or not. Should I leave it alone for a few days and see if it clears up on its own? My fish don't seem stressed, and all my water parameters are within range.

It is dangerously easy to fixate upon what is not going well in our aquariums. The touch of fin rot . . . a cyanobacteria smear . . . an unsuccessful spawn . . . a dead fish . . . the over-stocked aquarium . . . certain fry that take an eternity to grow out . . . food that needs to be replaced . . . some particular tank that badly needs a water change . . . This is just a partial list of gripes from our fishroom today. But it does not reflect the true tale of wonder which should fairly regulate perspective. The newly hatched killifish that bounced off the nose of a neocaridina because it hadn't quite learned how to swim this morning . . . the valisneria americana runner that threw down roots on the edge of a piece of wood, and shot up nine inches in just a few days . . . the fevered inhalation of black worms by our little cadre of discus tonight . . . the male Rainbow Darter who has finally decided that he is comfortable enough now to turn on his colors . . . the eighteen killifish eggs yielded by our Scheeli in just a couple day's time . . . How full of wonder we ought to be to bear witness to such beautiful life. Think more about the joys in this hobby than the defeats.

Anyone else have that one breed of fish they love but simply can't keep alive? Mine is Gouramis. I love them, but I have failed every time I try to keep them. No clue why. I guess just bad luck. I can keep them a few months and then something always happens. Everything else I am fine with, but not them. So I have given up. Sticking with South American fish now because I seem to do well with them. Anyone else have this issue?

All though a fish keepers may be also called an "aquarist" or a "fish hobbyist", etc. What are some more "funny" names that could also mean the same terms from above. I have thought of one: -Bacteria Cultivator

Lets be honest, we all have that one fish in our minds that you have never understood why one may keep one. It doesn't necesarilly mean that you are against keeping that fish but that you just couldn't see your self keeping that fish and being enjoyed. Not every fish is for every aquarist. I would say Rice Fish for me are a fish that I just don't get

We all know our One True Love are our fish! What gift did your fish give you today? My Clown Killifish have been doing their love dance all morning. So adorable! And my green neon tetra no longer seem afraid of me. My aquarium is right by my couch and when I sit, they don’t rush to hide. They just swim around carelessly 🥰 (I know I have a lot in my 10 gallons but its my quarantine tank).

Hello everyone, so I was recently writing about fishkeeping and and needed to write the name of the parasite that causes Ich "Ichthyophthirius multifiliis" and struggled to pronounce that or read it, so out of curiosity how many people can say "Ichthyophthirius multifiliis" and not have to practice saying it using tongue twisters as a warm up?

Well I started with the intention of only having one and now I have three. (MTS) Each Aquarium I have has a story and chapters not written yet. 38g Bowfront-My first tank setup for my daughter and I to have something to do together during COVID, learned a lot with many trials and errors. Tank is doing fantastic. (First learning tank and now my main display) 10g-Setup a Walstad (dirted tank). Just finally got done cycling. Some fish are more resilient than we may think they are. Many chapters to go. (experiment tank) 20gal Tall- Eco-complete planted Aquascape. Just finished cycling. Learned there can be hitchhiker fish than come in on cycled filter media. (Aquascape tank) What story does your aqaurium('s) tell? Share your stories here.

I know this topic has probably been covered multiple times in past posts and also in Aquarium Coop livestreams.... however, I have now had my first tank for a few months and I was wondering: if you could start all over again in the hobby what is one thing you would have done differently? I would rather walk behind some of you through the mine field than be blown up myself over and over!!!! I get mistakes are part of the learning process but I would love to learn from some of your mistakes as well👍 Hope everyone is having a great thursday and not freezing like I am here in Michigan.

I haven't yet had my first birth in the aquarium. Right now, I'm happy that my otocinclus have discovered the front glass panel.

What does everyone do for work? It's always interesting to see what everyone in the hobby does for a living! I own a Portrait Photography Studio, I co-own a video production agency, and I have my YouTube channel (which mostly pays for the tanks). Today I'm chilling at a Fire station doing headshots!

So I woke up to a dead Dwarf Gourami today. Perfectly fine and healthy yesterday and for months. Unless someone can spot something here. Rasboras and Pygmy corys are fine. Water parameters good. No ammonia, no high nitrate or nitrate count. Ph 7.2. I’m literally stumped as to what happened here. And terribly sad. It was such a beautiful happy fish. Now off to treat my ichy German Ram tank from out of the blue yesterday morning. Ugh. 😔

I'd like to recommend some extended videos that I think are really helpful for aquarists to watch. If you would followup with your favorite recommendations, I'd love to set up a watch list! GSAS Aquarium Home Shows: watch on VIMEO -- https://vimeo.com/gsasfish/ -- 2016 Homeshow: -- 2017 Homeshow: -- 2019 Homeshow: Freshwater Exotics "Into the Amazon" Series: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6

Do you have a fish room setup for breeding fish? Or are you that monster fish guy that considers everything to be under 30 gallons a nano aquarium? What are you most passionate/ intersted in this hobby? Ever since joining the co-op community and this forum I have started to reallu LOVE planted tanks. Now every tank of mine needs a plant of some kind. My favorite kind of aquariums are planted bio-topes. I have been really thinking about a nano planted asian biotope. I find that lush, green, pearling plants can be very satisfying. I also really like aquariums that mimic the natural habitat of fish. For example an aquarium with no filter or heater but with so many plants that they can get away with this and the zero waterchanges but only the odd top-off.