Maggie Posted September 26, 2021 Share Posted September 26, 2021 I finally got my furniture and belongings on Friday. So of course after setting up the bare minimum of human and dog items, I immediately searched for spots for my 5 gal minibow (quarantine tank) and new imagitarium 5 gal. I had aquarium supplies in a few different boxes and while digging through I made a huge mess. I got the 2 tanks where I want them at least. I now have to place an order for plants and stick another sponge filter in Cosmo's tank for seeding. Once I've got more stuff put away I'm going shopping for a 10 and/or 20H (?) and then next week...shrimp and maybe one guppy to start in the minibow. Also set up the shelving unit next to Cosmo's tank. I'll use that driftwood in a tank. Tomorrow I am fixing his plants which are still floating. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbit Posted September 27, 2021 Share Posted September 27, 2021 Yay, you survived the move! How’s Cosmo doing? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maggie Posted September 27, 2021 Author Share Posted September 27, 2021 Hi @Hobbit, he's doing pretty well except I kind of regret where I set up his tank, now that the living room furniture is set up. I think he wants his crypts replanted, though. The crypts are starting to look a bit ragged since they've not had any root tabs recently. This move was the hardest I've done, physically and emotionally, but it's good to not have a house and yard to maintain by myself any more. Having lived in upstate NY for so long, and MI before that, where summers are gloriously mild and beautiful (you do pay for that come wintertime, haha), I could not get used to the MD summer furnace - and I grew up in MD! I enjoy yard work but can't do it in that heat any more...getting old...and the invasive weeds took over this year. The bright side of the move is that for the first time ever, I caught the real estate market at the perfect time. You know what this means - fish money!! 🙂 I want to try a shellie tank so bad... Yesterday I ordered a red melon sword, water wisteria, 2 dwarf chain swords, micropellets, and Easy Green, and added ammonia test strips to the order afterward (caught it in time before it was processed...phew bc that happens quickly). I've never had those plants before and am looking forward to hopefully keeping them alive. The water here is high pH (8.4), GH and KH both about 5, and I'm not sure what to think or do about that. My old water was pH 7 in fall and winter, but raised up to 8.2 by summer, so maybe it's the same here. Does that happen naturally, or do they make it alkaline to keep bacteria down? It seems if it was 8.4 naturally, the KH would also be high. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maggie Posted October 5, 2021 Author Share Posted October 5, 2021 I set up the 5 gal last week and it's currently fishless cycling using fish food. This is a strange cycle compared to my other tanks. PH out of the tap is 8.4. But after one week in the tank, it's fallen to 7.2 while ammonia and nitrites have skyrocketed, and nitrates have started rising too - this took much longer in my 45 gallon. I attribute it to the high pH of the tap water. Tap water pH. Current readings on the tank water. I'm going to have to add wonder shell and some aragonite to help buffer the water since this tank will be for neocaridina shrimp. Biological film/goo in two spots that only lasted one day and then disappeared. A little snail that appeared and came up for air today. These guys are tough little cookies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChemBob Posted October 5, 2021 Share Posted October 5, 2021 On 10/5/2021 at 7:09 AM, Maggie said: PH out of the tap is 8.4. But after one week in the tank, it's fallen to 7.2 Have you checked you tap water after bubbling for 24 hours? Sometimes there are additives that quickly leave the water column once the water leaves the pipes. Put some water in a container (cup is fine), test, add an air stone for 24 hours, test again. This will help you understand your new water. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbit Posted October 6, 2021 Share Posted October 6, 2021 Looking good! The MD summers can be brutal for gardening, even on the eastern shore. After coming from upstate NY it seemed like we were living in a jungle with how fast the weeds grow! I gave up this summer and just let the weeds take over. I have learned though that cardboard is going to be my best friend in the vegetable gardens. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guppysnail Posted October 6, 2021 Share Posted October 6, 2021 (edited) My water company adds stuff to the water to raise alkalinity because of massive pipeline deterioration. It comes out at 7.4 then exposed to air quickly hits 8.4 then recedes to 7.6. My water is high kh/gh though so I can’t speak to the correlation im glad you and Cosmo arrived safely. I’m in PA summer yard work is miserable. I embrace the weeds 🤣 Edited October 6, 2021 by Guppysnail 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now