What's Your Favorite Advice for New Nerms?

[FishyJames]

What is a Nerm? 

[Daniel]

Here is a good explanation:

 

[Jennifer V]

14 minutes ago, FishyJames said:

What is a Nerm? 

@FishyJames wear it as a badge of honor! 

[FriendlyLoach]

@Jennifer VI would say on craigslist or offerup, you can get some nice tanks there, just be patient and something like a free 50 gallon will come along. I see something like that every 1-2 months. 

[Jennifer V]

4 minutes ago, FriendlyLoach said:

@Jennifer Vjust be patient 

There's that dreaded "p" word again ... 😆 I'm probably the least patient person ever, so I appreciate you guys so much for the daily dose of "just chill out" that I truly need to be successful with my beloved tank and those to come. 

[Sapere_Ceta]

My advice would be to not expect it all to go smoothly. We can prepare and add as many preventative measures as we want, but there will always be something we never expected to occur or an outcome that avoided what we thought would prevent it. 
Alongside this, know that frustration is okay to have sometimes. But, let that frustration push you deeper into learning how to problem solve and address situations that are proving tough to you. If something feels too tough, it’s often because it’s foreign to you and you’re unequipped to address it adequately enough. You need to take a step back, maybe take a break to ease your stress, do some research if possible, and take problem solving one by one. Sometimes you may also have a mindset causing frustration when there really shouldn’t be, and if that occurs, my best advice is to take a break and get back to it later. Do something fun or relaxing, maybe turn on something enjoyable to listen to the next time you’re addressing the issue, whatever helps your mind think more clearly and helps you feel a little more fit to tackle the scenario. 
 

I also suggest not to give up until you really have to. Push yourself as far as you can until you know you have exhausted all of your options. A lot of hobbyists out there give up when they shouldn’t have to, and it’s up to you to figure out where that line should be drawn, when it really is okay to give up and ask yourself, truly, if that’s the only option. If you do have to give up, know that it’s okay. It’s likely that you’ll be able to come back.

[BenA]

On 1/8/2021 at 1:47 PM, Jennifer V said:

So excited about this forum and want to know: If there's one piece of advice us newbies absolutely need to know, what is it? 

There are two.

1. Be paitient.

2. Do your research.

[HenryC]

We got hard tap water, so I always suggest people to get mollies as first fish. They become bulletproof in our water!

[JettsPapa]

One good piece of advice is to stock slowly, and take time to plan your stocking. When I first started keeping fish my stocking plan was to go to the fish store and say "Those look cool.  Give me two of them."  That was not a good plan.

Also, as I've kept fish longer I've learned that a tank with fewer kinds of fish, but more in each group, is more enjoyable than one with many kinds of fish but fewer of each kind.

[Fish Folk]

On 1/8/2021 at 12:30 PM, Brandy said:

Take fish additions slow, but do plant additions as fast as your wallet will allow. Spend more on plants than fish

I’ve been pondering this piece of sage advice ever since it was posted on this thread. My vote? Brandy wins! This is such solid, memorable fish keeping wisdom. I just added eight more plants to my no-fish-yet 29 gal aquarium. To tell you the truth... I’m almost happy just to watch the plants undulate in the high water flow. But the pair of Rainbow Darters arrive Thursday, along with some live black worms! 

[Steph’s Fish and Plants]

When in doubt, ask. Always be asking questions. The mire we can understand Why a thing is happening, the better off we are. Why do I need 6 of these fish but only 1 of these, why do I need to wait before adding fish. Why are my fish doing this. Always be asking yourself why something is happening, it’s how we learn and grow in the hobby. Another piece of advice that I always will take with me is that there’s a 100 ways to skin a cat, meaning that there are so many different ways of doing things. Some will work for you and some won’t, and what did work for you won’t always work for everyone else. I find that online and on social media it’s really easy to get caught up in looking for others mistakes and looking down upon others or having others look down upon you because of a certain thing, and while yes there are cases where there’s a lack of proper husbandry, but there’s also different ways to provide proper care and husbandry, and as long as your fish are healthy and it works for you then that’s what’s important. Everyone has their own opinions based on their own experience. Find what works for you and perfect it. 
 

and enjoy your tanks. Take time to look and really notice the little things. And I mean the little things. All the little micro fauna that will grow and develop as your little slice of nature evolves. That’s why I love bottom feeders so much, it forces you to take time to really look through the tank to find them. Keep the fish that make You excited. When you’re planning your next tank, plan it around what you want to keep. Whether it be bettas or Oscars or rainbows or peacocks or puffers or eels or whatever. Decide what you like and keep it.

[Jennifer V]

3 hours ago, Steph’s Fish and Plants said:

 

and enjoy your tanks. Take time to look and really notice the little things. And I mean the little things. All the little micro fauna that will grow and develop as your little slice of nature evolves. That’s why I love bottom feeders so much, it forces you to take time to really look through the tank to find them. Keep the fish that make You excited. When you’re planning your next tank, plan it around what you want to keep. Whether it be bettas or Oscars or rainbows or peacocks or puffers or eels or whatever. Decide what you like and keep it.

I've really been trying to sit and just enjoy what I have so far. It's just plants now, but they mean something to me so thank you for the reminder. And I'm always afraid to ask questions but I push through because even if I feel like they're dumb, you guys always help! 

[Jennifer V]

@Sapere_Ceta thank you! I'm extremely frustrated right now -- my plants all look like they're dying, my tank is covered in brown algae and I just accidentally killed the bladder snail I had, I'm assuming because of the plant fertilizer I was using (copper in it). I appreciate your words more than I can say! 

[JettsPapa]

15 minutes ago, Jennifer V said:

I've really been trying to sit and just enjoy what I have so far. It's just plants now, but they mean something to me so thank you for the reminder. And I'm always afraid to ask questions but I push through because even if I feel like they're dumb, you guys always help! 

Here's my philosophy regarding asking questions:  "I'd rather ask a dumb question than make a dumb mistake because I didn't ask."

[mountaintoppufferkeeper]

On 1/8/2021 at 6:47 AM, Jennifer V said:

So excited about this forum and want to know: If there's one piece of advice us newbies absolutely need to know, what is it? 

The one piece of advice is to use and contribute to the forum by asking,  reading and reacting, and replying where possible. If you have a question you will get a response fairly quickly from this resource.

There are many forum members who will share their experiences and advice freely you could never attain it all alone. The more of us that do that the better for everyone. I have improved my knowledge with each interaction here. I take in the information and decide for myself and my fish how to utilize it in our situation when it can be applied. 

[Cole]

Patience, patience, patience. Everything happens at different rates for every tank. And don’t chase numbers. Just get them stable. 

[The nano tank man]

Ask questions. If you have a tank problem. Fix it. 

[Sapere_Ceta]

9 hours ago, Jennifer V said:

@Sapere_Ceta thank you! I'm extremely frustrated right now -- my plants all look like they're dying, my tank is covered in brown algae and I just accidentally killed the bladder snail I had, I'm assuming because of the plant fertilizer I was using (copper in it). I appreciate your words more than I can say! 

Take it one step at a time. The plant issue could be a lot of things. Maybe go through a list of troubleshooting (substrate, lighting, method of planting, if the plants are new and melting because they’re adjusting or we’re emersed, water parameters, nutrient issue, etc), and cross off any that don’t apply. Over time, you’ll see an option of a few options that could be what’s occurring. Plants are pretty resilient, so you can typically take your time trying to figure out the issue. Brown algae is typically brown diatom algae, which goes away on its own after some time. But there’s some ways to combat it, like doing more frequent water changes until water conditions tend to stabilize (perhaps the setup is new, or maybe the nutrients are in excess in the water column). Fertilizers typically don’t have enough copper concentrated in it to harm snails, so perhaps it was natural causes or something unrelated. 

[Kirsten]

1. Buy more plants than you think you'll need. Aquarium plants, especially low-light plants, can grow very slowly. Better to plant a lot at the outset when you're building your tank than to hope they fill in and try to plant more when they don't.

2. Observation is the hobby. Take time every day just to watch your tank denizens, watch them eat, take note of their personalities and colors, give them names. I actually learned this while working at a sheep farm. You gotta watch em and get to know em, otherwise you won't be able to spot when something's amiss.

3. Seek out the plants and animals that make you happy, then figure out what they need and who their friends are. Another advantage to buying animals slowly is you can get to know each one and get a chance to fall in love. I wasn't expecting to fall in love with mystery snails, but omg they're so much fun and I want them to flourish. They were the first critters I named in my living room tank. So I made sure all my subsequent animals would play nice with them and enjoy the same conditions they do. And then I fell in love with them, too!

[Jennifer V]

1 hour ago, Sapere_Ceta said:

Fertilizers typically don’t have enough copper concentrated in it to harm snails, so perhaps it was natural causes or something unrelated. 

Oh that's good to know! She was pretty young but just floating at the top of the tank one night. I suppose I'll see how the other one does so I know if it was just her or another issue. 

[Jennifer V]

@Kirsten you make a great point that I may have lost sight of on the past couple days -- this is supposed to bring happiness. And it does! I'm just letting frustration creep in. 

I'm going to buy more plants, like you suggested, fill the tank with my vision and see how it goes. Thank you! 

[Kirsten]

@Jennifer V There ya go. There's no wrong way to explore the hobby. Have patience and go forth with the things you yourself enjoy.

[BenA]

10 hours ago, Jennifer V said:

@Sapere_Ceta thank you! I'm extremely frustrated right now -- my plants all look like they're dying, my tank is covered in brown algae and I just accidentally killed the bladder snail I had, I'm assuming because of the plant fertilizer I was using (copper in it). I appreciate your words more than I can say! 

Hi Jennifer

Might have a possible answer.

Not long ago I have finished to cycle a tank, introduced the fish and had a smile on my face, then, brown algae, high level of Nitrate  (~80ppm) and plants turn yellow and die. After lots of reading I have learnt that brown algae (which is bacteria colony) will strive when plants don't, further reading suggested that my aquarium lacks CO2 which is essential for healthy plants. I bought Liquid Carbon which solved all my issues. Brown algae gone, Nitrate is 25-40ppm, plants are green and healthy and after a month or so of using the L.C I have to trim the plants as they are too tall to the aquarium size. 

I have to admit that I don't know if my conclusions were correct or even if I correctly understood what I read but somehow things did work, might be worth trying.

I will be happy to read what other thinks.

[Jennifer V]

Just now, BenA said:

Hi Jennifer

Might have a possible answer.

Not long ago I have finished to cycle a tank, introduced the fish and had a smile on my face, then, brown algae, high level of Nitrate  (~80ppm) and plants turn yellow and die. After lots of reading I have learnt that brown algae (which is bacteria colony) will strive when plants don't, further reading suggested that my aquarium lacks CO2 which is essential for healthy plants. I bought Liquid Carbon which solved all my issues. Brown algae gone, Nitrate is 25-40ppm, plants are green and healthy and after a month or so of using the L.C I have to trim the plants as they are too tall to the aquarium size. 

I have to admit that I don't know if my conclusions were correct or even if I correctly understood what I read but somehow things did work, might be worth trying.

I will be happy to read what other thinks.

Oh that's great advice! What kind of liquid carbon do you use? 

[BenA]

I bought a large bottle of Aquadip but I would say that any will do. Just make sure to follow the instructions. I use it for a month and it made a big difference.