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Angelic aquariums edition

Discuss anything aquarium related here, including tanks, bowls, inhabitants, logs, decor, women, and issues. Before asking questions in this thread, make sure you give us at least some details when asking a question, such as:

>Tank size (include dimensions, not just volume)
>Unusual Parameters (nitrate, pH, GH, KH)
>Any inhabitants + how long you've had them
>Age of the tank
>Pictures are always helpful

Tank Cycling:
>www.modestfish.com/how-to-cycle-your-aquarium/

Stocking and Water Change Calculator:
>www.aqadvisor.com/AqAdvisor.php
>www.hamzasreef.com/Contents/Calculators/EffectiveWaterChange.ph

Articles and Care Guides:
>www.seriouslyfish.com/knowledge-base/
>www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/
>www.aquariumcoop.com/
>www.theaquariumwiki.com/wiki/

Aquatic Plant Database:
>www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/plantfinder/all.php
>www.flowgrow.de/db/aquaticplants

Saltwater shenanigans: >>4751364 # # # #

Previous thread: >>4759977 # # # #
>>
>>4768235
>If you have cherry shrimp then there's no need for a filter or a heater
Not that anon but would shrimp be OK down to as low as 60 F? It gets pretty cold here in winter and I'm thinking of doing a low maintenance shrimp tank.
>>
>>4768405
My shrimp just got through their first winter with no heater, I think the lowest temp I saw was around 62.
They actually did better than with a heater keeping them above 70, once the weather started to let up I started seeing tons of babies.
>>
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baby shrimp inbound, can't lose, shrimple as
>>
>>4768405
>>4768408
Temperature has an interesting effect on neos, where lower temperatures lead to more females being hatched. Around 22C/72F, the ratio is about 50/50. Higher than that favors males.

From that data it would seem lower temperatures are the best, but it's not that simple. Lower temperatures also tend to produce fewer eggs and longer hatching periods. Conversely, higher temperatures may produce larger clutches and shorter incubation, but the shorter incubation is also associated with lower survival.

At 60F it's probably fine, but expect longer incubation, more females, lower egg counts. As long as SOME fry are visible, you're likely going to have a shit ton of neos eventually.
>>
>>4768405
>shrimp be OK down to as low as 60 F

No.
>>
>>4768459
Same thing with quite a few fish.
My tank temp was around 23C where my Apistogramma spawned and it was about 90% females. Apparently running hot gets you more males, some breeders suggesting temps as high as 28-30C.
>>
Is limestone being harmful in aquaria real or just a myth?
I mean a lot of livebearers live in limestone streams and lakes. Many of the scenic clearwater streams full of plants are on limestone.
>>
>>4768584
It's a pH and soluble elements thing.
Some fish (wild) are not fond of swings, but the difference between 6.1 and 7.9 is fuckall in a big ship really but the pH of your _water_ will naturally aim between 6-7 and so dissolved base minerals are to be looked out for as they buffer this swing.
Silica is typically the concern in this case when it comes to algae but this is entirely dependent on the source and you really don't know unless you get it tested.

Not a dealbreaker, just something to be cognizant of if you only ever top-up or do very small water changes as minerals don't evaporate.
>>
>>4768604
Just to add, I suppose.
Freshwater waterchanges are quite ingrained in thekeeping rhetoric, though many people use tapwater with a vast tapestry of dissolved minerals it is this constant 'dilution' that most people avoid such accumulations.

Personally, I'd avoid limestone if only because f the mess it would eventually make on the substrate.
If you run CO2, for example.
>>
>>4768405
The only negative I saw with lower temps is that they don't breed as much. So who cares!
Cherry shrimp breed like rabbits anyway, I can deal with a few months where they're not popping out babies left and right.
>>
>>4768235
>Add ramshorn snails and cherry shrimp to tank at same time
>Snails breed like rabbits
>Not a single pregnant shrimp
>Tank's been running half a year and the snails have completely taken over
I don't understand, my shrimp bred fine in a community tank so it's not my water.
>>
Do aquariums that are a single piece of glass exist? So like instead of the usual panes glued together it's fused glass.
>>
>>4768722
>bowl
>>
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What would be a good price to sell yellow Neo cardina? This is my cull population and sooner or later they are gonna out breed the 3 gallon tank I have em in.
>>
>>4768722
That's how acrylic tanks work, instead of silicone you add a solvent that melts the pieces together
>>
>>4768508
>>4768405
Neos? Absolutely yes, they're capable of surviving short stints in the low 40s.
>>
>>4768740
It's really market dependent. Around my area (DC/MD/VA in the US), it's going to be $2/each. Zero chance of selling higher as there are some fairly prolific breeders selling at that price. Up North, closer to NY, it'll be around $3/each. At one point they were like $1/each on craigslist due to everyone getting into pets during the pandemic.
>>
>>4768792
>>4768508
I've seen youtube videos of them surviving over winter on the outside. As in the top would freeze over.
>>
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>>4768722
probably would be a myriad of engineering and manufacturing difficulties to overcome just to try and sell this product to some retard who wants something to dump $2 mass farmed critters into his fancy sufferbox
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>>4769209
>probably would be a myriad of engineering and manufacturing difficulties to overcome just to try and sell this product to some retard who wants something to dump $2 mass farmed critters into his fancy sufferbox
>>
>>4768673
I had a batch of neos in my 34 gallon gallon that never bred for whatever reason. I eventually added another batch and those guys produced 10000 shrimplets almost immediately. When I sexed the first batch it was mostly males but did have few females. No clue why they haven’t bred.
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>>4769209
> Doesn't answer the question
> Brings up the difficulty
> Adds some "we're all buddies here" language as if he wants upvotes
Go back
>>
>>4769529
noooooooo not the dickus :(
>>
>>4768363
Angelfish, Pterophyllum altum/scalare are my absolute favorite. Relatively easy to keep, interesting, beautiful, captivating. Aesthetic af. They resemble marine fish due to their shape and coloration. They also remind me of my childhood. I love observing them.
>>
>>4769566
Only problem is they're fucking everywhere. Every aquarium, every fish store, every doctor's office. At least there are a billion morphs so you can get one other than generic "striped three-color angelfish", but I am hesitant to recommend fish everyone has and has seen, particularly since the bigger breed of angelfish gets quite large and remains a cichligger behaviorally.

t. Cory, platy, and danio-owning hypocrite
>>
>>4769566
Based take of infectious enthusiasm.
>>4769596
Redditors take on an imaginary fish keeping "meta", uninspiring and extremely cringe.
>>
>"I hate that angelfish are everywhere"
>posted in the Mongolian Cherry Shrimp keepers forum
>>
>>4768584
Depends on the biology of your animals and plants. Every change of a number, like 7 to 8 is a 1000 fold change in acidity/basidity and can impact the health of the organism. Some plants need soft acidic water to access nutrients most efficiently and other like Bucce or some crypts need harder water. Same goes for fish, rummy nose and Cardinal tetras if I recall right have a hard breeding in more basic water as it makes it harder for the sperm to penetrate the egg based on their biology
>>
>Put a betta in my snail tank
>5 minutes into his exploration he stumbles upon a detritus worm swimming about and promptly eats it
>Now seems convinced that snail eye stalks are tasty
Oh no. At least he's ignoring the volcel shrimp sharing the tank.
>>
I have introduced a culture of red root floaters in to my frogbit and duckweed clusterfuck. I am hoping the red roots are a little more resistant to condensation from my lid than the frogbit is. Frogbit growing fast but I have to prune off melting leaves from water droplets every few days.
>>
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>>4768363
I have a 10 gallon tank I want to turn into a high tech African Dwarf Frog tank and I have a few questions:
>Do the frogs do well with CO2 injection?
Seems like everything kills them.
>Are carpeting plants a no-go with them?
I know they like to dig a bit, but will they tear up carpeting plants that have already had time to root?
>Can yo do anything to make sure they don't develop chytrid?
In the past I've kept them and they would often develop chytrid symptoms and all die off one by one. Anything you can do to prevent this.
>>
>set up tank for future betta fish
>added 2 funny yellow shrimp
>instantly feel attached to them and dont want to risk the betta eating them

Looks like I need to set up a new tank huh
>>
>>4769889
take the unfiltered, unheated nanocube pill
>>
I want to turn my shitty sandbottom tank into a propper planted tank. Ive only been topping off the water level for the last 5 years and the water is brown but not cloudy. Can I reuse the water that is already in the tank when setting the plants and substrate or do I have to use new water?
>>
>>4769913
smash big water
>>
>>4769913
aquasoils and stuff will release ammonia for the first few weeks, if you have biological filter media you might be alright but I'd be doing regular 50% changes for a while
>>
>>4769919
I have an aqueon hang on the back and a small sponge filter on the tank rn. Would that be enough to endure? Im going to do this on a 10 gallon btw
>>
>>4769933
Probably not then, the soils can shit out a lot of ammonia compared to the probably small load of your tank previously. You'd likely be getting spikes and even if you don't have any losses you'll be stressing stuff out. If you had bio media in and were keeping hardscape you might be okay with daily testing and big changes but it's a risk and you should have a backup plan.
>>
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>>4768363
first planted tank coming along, I feel like I need to kick up the plant biomass though
Can I trim this bacopa to make it bushy, and fill closer to the sand line over time?

Not much algae yet, just a smidge of green dust on the glass. The lights have been on for several weeks, hope I can keep the tank running this clean
>>
>>4769933
Depends on whether you have any plants. Do you have any fast growing plants? Some floating plants like duckweed or frogbit would take care of any nutrients that are going into the water column. If you don't have much flow you can try hornwort too, but I found that hornwort tends to get outcompeted by other plants a lot.
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>>4769939
I only got some stones I pulled out of the sea and an old piece of driftwood (pic related)

>>4769943
Nope I got no plants at the moment
>>
>>4769941
Usually how it goes with stem plants is when you cut off a top and the plant doesn't die the remaining stem grows 2 new stems.
I would let your current ones establish themselves well so they have good roots in before you start trimming.
>>
>>4769955
Nah I think the soil ammonia would spike past the good bacteria levels in your tank and stress out the fish you have even with a bit of head start you'd get from having it be a bit mature since the load is so low even if you heavily planted and stuck duckweed in.
>>
How common is it just to get sick fish? Last Saturday I got 10 Neon Tetras and 5 Otocinclus Catfish from PetSmart for a 20 gallon planted tank. Today I found one of the Otos dead and this Tetra doesn't look good either barely moving and trying to hide, all the other fish look fine right now. I've tested the pH, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate and they're all fine. The tank has already been cycled as well. Am I missing something important or did I just get unlucky?
>>
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>>4770035
Forgot image
>>
>>4770035
From petsmart? Like 90% certainty they've got something, so I'd say like 20% chance they come home with something that will kill them and/or others in the tank.
>>
>>4770035
Otos are almost always treated like shit while being shipped, they have a reputation for being sensetive but in reality they're very hardy but get starved for months before they get to a customer.
The problem with being starved is their gut bacteria die, they can't digest any new food and end up starving even with plenty of food in the tank.
>>
>>4770036
See that patch on his fin, where he is losing colour? To me that looks like the start of a columnaris outbreak, quarantine the whole tank imo, and good luck.
>>
>>4770076
>When i say quarantine, I mean medicate the whole tank sorry, columnaris if I'm right, is very contagious.
>>
Why do people insist on buying from their obviously shit local branch of a chain instead of the innumerable well recommended independents?
>>
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Posting fish > posting cringe.
>>
>>4770035
>>4770036
Update 2 of my Tetras just died. Is my tank fucked?
>>
>>4770131
Probably, you don't seem to have the brain power to realise you need to:
>Research what killed them.
>Medicate accordingly.
>Ask the guy who sold them to you.
>Keep water clean.
>Engage with anons trying to help, if you cannot work google yourself.
If you just watch them die, yes they will die lmao.
>>
>>4770162
It just happened today
>>
>>4770162
If the fish are already dying it's too late anyways. Fish from chain stores are crap he should just get a refund.
>>
>>4770163
That's okay anon, I'm 95% sure it's columnaris based off the photo you posted. Google it, if the symptoms match your neon and otos I would find some medication, and dose the whole tank according to manufacture.
Asking the bloke you got them from never hurts, I have gotten money back, money off the medication I needed, or more sick fish lmao.
>>
>>4770035
The fish were probably just in poor shape, clinging to life in their petsmart holding tank. Plucking them out and transporting them to a new tank was probably enough to send them over.

Can try again with fresh stock or find a small business that puts more care into keeping them alive while they are on the shelf to be sold
>>
>>4770172
I just went back to the store to get my money back for the dead fish. They recommended that I use Proform-C because they said they couldn't determine if it was bacterial or fungal when they looked at the fish I returned. They don't have any medication so they said I'd have to buy online.
>>
>>4770182
Glad you got your money back bro, hope the fish pull through for you.
>If the reason you cannot get fish medicine is you are in Australia, ordering SEACHEM MULTIPLEX online in bulk is what you want to do, fuck whatever malachite green or tea tree they will sell to you here.
>>
I am once again, here complaining I cannot give picrel a loving home.
>Stupid sexy tail spot corys.
>>
What kind of betta do you guys like?
I'm planning on getting one for a 5 gallon I'm setting up but I'm not sure.
Leaning towards a dumbo at the moment, but if I could get one I would probably get a wild type smaragdina
>>
I’m peaking.
>>
>>4770219
lush
>>
>>4770219
Neat tank man
>>
>>4770222
Checkd!
>>4770223
Thanks!
>>
>>4770215
>What kind of betta do you guys like?
Healthy and active. I don't really care. I like the shorter fin versions mostly.
>>
>>4770215
wild type or at least a solid color plakat short fin
>>
>>4770215
Betta simplex

Or just a completely different gourami like Parosphromenus juelinae or Sphaerichthys selatanensis that aren't nearly so territorial.

>>4770219
Are you dosing enough? Your carpet looks really washed out and yellow. If you are maybe try getting a bit more flow directed down there.
>>
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I don't wanna brag, but check out what I saw for a split second the other day
>>
>>4769910
this shall be done
I have some unused lava rocks that would be a good home for bacteria
>>
>>4770215
Don't get a dumbo, those are only good to look at for exactly five minutes.
Get a veiltail or a plakat, those guys are fun, they'll jump out of the water when you feed them, they'll come boop your finger, will flare at nerites, will do the zoomies, etc.
And go with a larger tank, 10gal, so you can get them to zoom around properly.
>>
>>4770379
Well, if he has a 5gal already, maybe the toadline super smashed dumbo dragon scale glo-betta would suit the smaller size.
>>
just figured out that the water where i live is well above 300...i thought my previous test kit was bad/old....fuck

betta boys cant love this. I should switch to cichlids I guess

anyone ever implement an RO system just for fish water? thats probably the solution
>>
>>4770381
Yeah, and the next day he's gonna be like: "hey guys I bought this mutant, inbred Betta from PetSmart and it looks like it's gonna die, what do I do?"
>>
>>4770402
>above 300
Above 300 what?
>>
>>4770219
It’s helanthium tenellus bronze. It turns red and orange under high light and nutrient load. Also the lights were at 3% I’ll take a pic later with better light.
>>
>>4770404
hardness

and im running one of my tanks with a peace lilly coming out the top where i have to replace over a quart of water a day due to evaporation

wondered why i have so much scale :\
>>
>>4770379
My fancy half moon plakat. He’s currently in the breeder box taking care of the eggs from my regular ahh 6$ betta. Should make some pretty babies.

This fish is like a water puppy, follows me around, gets along with other fish, pretty decent. I used to hate bettas.
>>
hmmm for 300 dollars you can get a desktop reverse osmosis system that fills a 1.7L carafe i 4 minutes

that wouldnt be too painful to use, just keep a 5 gallon bucket filled up at all times
>>
>>4770215
I really like my petco baby betta but he's probably an "alien" hybrid and will die ultra instantaneously at some point in time
>>
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Deploy the squad.
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>>4770416
>>
>>4770427
ai meme?
>>
>>4770430
no, mystery snail breeding is just a messy affair, imagine it at a larger scale, it's pretty disgusting
those are cute snails though, i like the olive the most
>>
>>4770451
yeh i'm just putting them 1 in each tank. I really love my albino one that I already have, best snail ever for sure, and doesn't lay eggs.
>>
>>4770402
Plenty of people do RODI but you need to use a few hundred gallons to make back initial investment, vs buying pure water from a grocery store, or getting water delivered.

300 ppm general Hardness is not uncommon, my tap sits around there, a lot of fish do fine with it. Nerite snails will keep the inside clean enough to not get hard water stains, you can also use the original magic eraser inside an aquarium with no harm done (I've used it for algae and diatoms as well)
>>
>>4770454
based snail appreciator
>>
>>4770459
+1 for magic eraser btw, don't scratch your tank up using a cheap chineseium glass scraper
>pain
>>
>>4768363
>had tank
>got 4 shrimp
>one jumped out and died
>one had a failed moult
>have 2 shrimp
>doing very well
I love them bros. Should I get more shrimp? I think I should get more shrimp.
>>
>>4768363
Has anyone ever kept these goobers? If so are they worth it? Any need to know information about them that can't just be found on aquarium co-op or something?
>>
>>4770506
Who the hell is peter
>>
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>>4770559
The guy who first documented the fish, I'd assume
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>>4770506
They don't seem to work well with aquariums
They get depressed if they don't get signals from other ones of their species but also don't want to live too close to them or they will kill each other.
They also are really sensetive to light so you need dim lights and lots of hiding spots
>>
Is there a way to remove scratches from inside a glass tank without emptying it out?
>>
>>4770623
Not really, you need to sand scratches out then polish. Best done with an air powered sander, like the ones they use for auto body work, working as much of the surface as possible, to reduce distortion from dishing.
>>
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>>4768363
anyone know what this is?
I received as an unidentified free plant.
>>
>>4770673
Some kind of rotala that's flowering I think
>>
>>4770674
Oh yep, looks right, has the same sort of flower spike arrangement. Thanks!
>>
>>4770408
Cute Betta puppy, anon. I miss mine - I am guilty of buying one from Petco, he died all of a sudden after I had him for about two and a half years.
I don't get people who say gouramis are similar in temperament - it's not even close. They are curious and inquisitive, sure. But they're never the playful type, like Bettas.
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>>4770641
That's too much hassle, I'll just live with the scratches.
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>>4770754
He’s taking care of the fry, ready for 100 bettas. Lol
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>comfy
>>
I have the early stages of a snail infestation in my tank. What can I get that will eat the baby snails, but won't eat my mystery snail or fight with my betta?
>>
>>4770984
Assassin snails did the trick for me, just keep an eye on them, when they run out of easy targets they’ll go after the mystery snails.
>>
cycling with a raw shrimp and the motherfucker stinks like crazy how can I make it smell better
>>
>>4771003
Time. The fact that it stinks means the cycle has started. There are two genus of bacteria involved in the cycle (or at least the part that we are concerned with in most home aquaria), Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter. The former oxidizes Ammonia to Nitrite, which you are at. The second part, oxidizing Nitrite to Nitrate, will make your tank smell much, much better. When your cycle is well-established, your tank will smell faintly earthy if freshwater, and like the sea if saltwater.

That said, throwing a whole ass shrimp in there was probably overkill, if that is what you did, and you may be subjecting yourself to an excessive amount of odor because of it.
>>
>>4771003
/autism/ general
>>
>>4771024
yeah probably but you can't buy pure ammonia in canuckistan anymore
>>
the damn shrimp bit me again
>>
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>>4771037
Can't find cupramine in NZ anymore either.
Luckily, however, I work for a chemical redistribution company.
Also, 28% ammonia can fuck right off, that shit is lethal.
>>
>blackbeard algae starts growing on wood
>Take the whole piece out and spray it down with hydrogen peroxide
>1 fucking day later there's twice as much
Just fuck my shit up
>>
>>4771159
>>4771037
You can just use Ammonium Chloride.
>>
>>4771003
You're supposed to put the shrimp in the water.
>>
>>4771410
I find liquid carbon (glutaraldehyde) better than H2O2. You can brush it straight onto the algae if it's just on rock or wood. Besides that, BBA is a sign saying you should turn down your lights, do a few big water changes and increase your fert dosage.
>>
hello does changing the flow rate of the filter change anything? I have a 15 gallon tank and I usually keep the hanging filter on the max setting. But a couple days ago I switched it to the lowest setting just as an experiment. The fish seem a bit more active. Is more flow/circulation better in general or is there a limit?
>>
>>4771599
Depends on the fish mate. What is your stocking?
>>
>>4771599
More flow = more passes through your filter media = more filtration. Do you need this? Well it depends on your water parameters and how many plants you have and your stocking. As far as your fish are concerned, the amount of flow they prefer depends on their species. You can try to judge based on the native habitat of your fish or you can just fiddle according to how your own fish behave. So long as your filter is doing its job at the flow rate you have it set to, you're fine.
>>
>>4771584
It's weird, it's only growing in the spots that don't get direct light, like only the underside of the wood has it.
I think I might have a dead spot from my filter and food keeps getting stuck in those areas and feeding it.
>>
>>4771599
The main thing is more flow means more shit going through your filter which means cleaner water but you have to clean the filter media more often, important for highly stocked or well fed/messy eating fish. Other than that more flow means better circulation of nutrients and whatnot around your tank but it's not a big deal unless your tank is huge. Some fish prefer high flow and some get stressed out by it. If your filter water re-enters the tank causing surface agitation then it can improve gas exchange meaning more oxygen in the water which is always good but some floating plants will be stunted by it. Generally more is good but you don't need to worry about it. I think people recommend 10x your tank volume in flow rate but that's just another elitist thing and you can get away with way less (like, less than half that) if you're low stocked.
>>
>>4771610
ADA are famous for low as shit flow rate vs volume. The super jet ES-600 is rated for 6l/min or 360l/h and is recommended for their 60-P aquariums, which are 64 litres. That's barely over 5.6 times turnover an hour, but it definitely works for them.
>>
>>4771610
flow is super overrated and super underrated at the same time. I really like how clean a high flow system tends to look but it's generally not needed for most fish. I do think that high flow tends to produce stronger fish overall though, when i move guppies from a high flow tank to a low flow one they're basically gigachads in the new tank, easily winning all races for food.
>>
>>4771642
The main reason to have high flow is so you can use filter floss with properly clean without impacting the tank.
>>
>>4771642
I have had really good success by switching to a spray bar in my tank. I have it aimed at the front glass so it goes down and across the top of the substrate and I found out I no longer needed the sponge filters I was using to try and keep crap off the bottom.
My corys have been doing much better and I don't have current bothering up my angels in the center of the tank.
>>
>>4771651
the benefits are far greater than that. good flow also generally helps control most forms of algae, cyanobacteria, really most of the annoying cancerous shit you don't want to have to deal with. I run into far fewer problems in tanks with high turnover. it's kind of telling that corey was constantly fighting battles with this shit in his tanks despite being an experience aquarist but once he switched to air collar sponges which offer much better flow a lot of those issues went away in several of his problem tanks. it also helped that he rescaped most of them and downsized.
>>
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>>4771658
I’ve been considering eventually adding a little wave maker to my tank for all the reasons you listed. A lot of experienced planted tank posters seem to suggest that high turnover is key.

Then I stumbled across this guys tank, 430L/110g using an Eheim 2226, a turnover of about 2x. Stocking level looks very light though
>>
Good afternoon fuckos, I have a question and am requesting your wisdom:

> Want to add neocaridina shrimp to tank
> Neighbor's tank has some and they're fun to watch :^)
> Worried about them getting stuck against the filter or them breeding and the fry getting sucked up and blended by the pump

I have a basic bitch Aqueon 20 hob filter. I have seen people recommend mesh attachments to prevent animals from getting sucked against the intake while still allowing for water to flow through. Which one would you recommend? Is a mesh attachment better than a sponge insert? I'm having issues with floaters getting pushed down by the filter's water and sucked against the intake. While I think this could be alleviated with one of those plastic ring barrier things I think a mesh cover would help a bit as well.

>>4771642
>when i move guppies from a high flow tank to a low flow one they're basically gigachads in the new tank, easily winning all races for food.

Based. I have a couple of guppies that I moved from someone else's tank to mine. They were both pretty fucked up (one has wicked scoliosis and the other got fucked up by other guppies somehow) and weren't able to get to food before the other fish did. The neon tetras in my tank are retarded and refuse to swim near the surface, so now these two gimpy guppies get to stuff themselves whenever I feed the tank. They eat their fill at the surface before the food sinks down to the neons.
>>
>>4771668
i wouldn't say it's key since like the other post mentioned a lot of ADA tanks run low flow but it seems to make things a lot easier, i think because it keeps conditions more generally homogeneous and in that type of environment plants have an easier time accessing all of the micronutrients they need. There are other ways to do this though. I think Alex had a no filter nanotank that used 3 zebra danios for its source of water agitation because they never stop moving.

Algae is usually an issue of plants getting hobbled by something and as such limiting their nutrient uptake.
>>
>>4771669
https://www.amazon.com/aquarium-prefilter-sponge/s?k=aquarium+prefilter+sponge

Use a sponge. Less neat looking but provides extra space for biofiltration and shrimp love that shit.
>>
When I was younger I wanted to keep massive fish in huge tanks now all I want is a bunch of nano cubes with tetras and to prune stem plants.
>>
>>4771684
giant fish are cool but a pain to take care of and also usually destructive assholes so their tanks look boring as fuck. someone SMASH and SLAM an oscar that stays 3'' please.
>>
>>4771675
Will they continue to eat off of the substrate and plants with these, or will they all just congregate on the filter?

Ideally they'd be helpful with eating a little bit of algae around the tank.
>>
>>4771699
Yeah. Once you get them breeding they're pretty much in every nook and cranny in the tank unless your shrimp population is getting limited by heavy fry predation. I've had 20 gallon tanks that I've pulled 200+ shrimp out of before.

cherry shrimp will even, eventually, outcompete ramshorn snails once they hit critical mass. once they're at the "in every nook and cranny" phase they will eat most of the snail eggs before they can hatch.
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>>4771696
it'll happen in time, we already got SMASHED bichirs after all
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>>4771706
Good to hear.

I've heard some people just use nylon/pantyhose to cover their intakes, how well does that work in comparison?
>>
>>4771684
Same, but now I want tiny fish in huge tanks.
>>
>>4771710
fine, anything that prevents them from entering is good enough. I just like prefilter sponges because it's like a LITERALLY FREE sponge filter taking advantage of your filter flow. Very handy to have around for seeding new tanks.
>>
>>4771684
>>4771720
I started with a 10 gallon last year because I didn't want to get in over my head. Earlier this year I replaced it with a 20 gallon long and moved everything over. I have a bit of an addictive personality so from the get go I decided that I will be limiting the number of tanks I have to one at a time.

I think the 20 long is perfect, it's big enough that you can put a decent amount of small fish in it, but not so huge that if for some reason my landlord ever has to make entry into my second floor apartment she doesn't shit her pants at the amount of water in it (specifically because I don't remember whether or not I am 'allowed' to have aquariums and I don't care enough to dig out my lease and check).

It's also small enough that the amount of work I have to do for maintenance is very low, which means I can spend more time enjoying it rather than cleaning it or having to fuck with it.

I have two spare empty 10 gallon tanks now, I plan on keeping one of them for emergencies but I am so set on not having multiple active tanks that I literally offered to give the other one to a random family of strangers at Petco the other day while we were next to each other in line.
>>
>>4771720
Might get a 40 gallon tank and put 50 cardinal tetra in it.
>>
>>4771721
Right on. Thanks for the info.

I'm concerned about them getting SUCC'D up, but I also don't want to add something that will be a pain in the ass to clean or could potentially impede water flow and put strain on the pump motor. I might pick up some shrimp tomorrow, so I'll just grab a cheapo set of nylons tonight and see how it goes. Worst case scenario I can use them while I shop around/wait for shipping on something nicer.
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>>4771724
200 chili rasboras
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>>4771706
HOLY SHIT THANK YOU
i have cherry shrimp in every tank like a rash, just low grade cherries everywhere
and have had so many problems with establishing a ramshorn population
>>
Are honey gouramis okay solo? i got a 20 gallon long with 10 chili rasboras and 1 bristlenose pleco and thinking of introducing one or more of them
>>
>>4771766
Yeah solo works, you could try a pair but it might end violently if you don't have a second tank to move the female to.
>>
>>4771766
Seconding yes. Either sex. For a pair you can do 2 females with very low risk of serious aggression. Expect 2+ females to be more or less peaceful so long as they have line of sight breaks. They will bicker over pecking order and personal space in a mild way. Male + female is usually okay. If they breed, the male will not allow the female anywhere near the bubble nest once it's fertilized. They're the best dads in all of fish. If you go larger group of 4+ with males and females there is a chance they will fight to the point that separation is required.
>>
If I do lampeye killifish do I need to be extra careful about the lid situation? I have a lid but I also use an HOB filter so there is a gap there for the outlet. Are lampeyes as enthusiastic about joomping as other killis?
>>
>>4771749
MTS are livebearing so you can use them as a substitute though they don't quite do the same thing. But unless you're looking for puffer feeders I can't think of anything a ramshorn is uniquely good for. I guess they do have some ornamental quality too. I have a big population of purple ones in my coldwater hair algae tank.

>>4771766
Solo is probably the safer way to keep them. It's really only them and pearl gouramis that are generally accepted as safe to keep in groups and there are still corner cases where individuals can be assholes. The others, even bettas and paradise fish, can be done but require very careful planning and watching the tank closely. Juice isn't worth the squeeze for 99% of people.
>>
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>>4768363
I’m ready
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>>4771861
God damn that's a lot of money.
What's your stocking plan?
>>
>>4771863
One betta.
>>
>>4771863
>>4771865
actually I’m doing a modern interpretation of a freshwater urban jumble tank with scuds
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>>4768363
Okay im the dumbass that had the sunfish. What should I even do with my 55 gallon? I mostly just started using it because it was taking up storage space.
Would a single red devil be a bad idea? Also considering getting a 100 gallon for 50 bucks because it comes with a bunch of stuff
>>
>>4771890
55's a good starting point for something like an oscar, flowerhorn, etc. can't speak for red devils but I always like an oscar. only problem is they're interior designers so you don't really get to choose how your tank looks.

100gal for a fiddy is a good deal, make sure the seals arent busted though. even if they are its still a good deal if you know how to reseal.
>>
>>4771890
Red devils and other central americans can be fun, they learn to not be afraid really quick and will watch everything you do.
They do have a habit of rearranging their tanks though if that would bother you. It's also crazy how much waste they produce, I had 2 blood parrots that I eventually rehomed and the 6 angelfish I put in after produced noticeably less waste. Cut my water changes from every 2 weeks to every month.
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>>4771893
I thought 55 was too small for a oscar?
This is the 100 gallon one
Assuming i do get the 100 gallon what tank mates can a red devil even have? Considered only having like 2 fish so maybe a flowerhorn or oscar or pleco. I don’t want a lot of maintenance though
>>
>>4771898
The constant maintenance is my biggest worry honestly
>>
>>4771900
>what tank mates can a red devil even have
a pleco maybe, they don't like having other fish around them to be honest.

As far as that tank I'm not sure the company that uses those faux wood parts even exists anymore. It's definitely old and when you move old tanks like that the seal tends to give up.

If you don't want to do a shit load of maintenance smaller fish and add some plants in and out of the tank like pothos. If you're worried about seeing the fish you could go for a small but brighter colored cichlid like electric blue acara.
>>
>>4771903
Would a red devil really be a lot of maintenance in a 100 gallon?
My 55 is at least 20 years old and doesn’t leak
>>
>>4771906
Not in a 100, that wouldn't be too bad as long as you don't get trained by him to over feed which all cichlids will try to do, they're smart fuckers.
It's a dice roll on if it would be good after being transported, and 100 gallons is getting into exploding seams rather than just a small leak territory.
>>
>>4771908
Hmm I’ll think about it how horrible would the maintenance be if I stick to the 55?Btw you think he would murder a bristlenose or something if it was in the same tank if 100g?
Fish are hard lmao
>>
>>4771911
A single one in a 55 is manageable, probably only needs water changes every 3-4 weeks at adult size.
You can try adding fast growing unkillable plants like hornwort, there's a chance he won't decide it shouldn't exist. That will keep the waste down a bit.
Bristlenose might be too small, a common pleco might be a better match but plecos don't really clean like the pet stores want you to believe. They cause more algae with their waste than they actually eat 99% of the time. You get a pleco because armored fish cool.
>>
>>4771911
>Fish are hard lmao
You keep asking about somewhat more advanced fish to keep tho. There are tons of way easier options if you don't want this extra headache.
>>
>>4771915
Yeah that’s why I want a pleco there cool lol. I just wish there was something smaller that wouldn’t get bullied.
>>4771916
I think most really popular fish are just lame :/
>>
>>4771911
fish are only hard if you make them hard. that tank could easily house 1,000 guppies or like 500 platys.
>>
>>4771917
what's lame about them? most popular fish sit at the intersection of colorful, easy to care for, and peaceful. there's tons of nanofish that lay just slightly outside of these lines that are way less popular than they have any right to be. It does depend what you look for in a fish though, as a wet pet like you'd get from a big solitary cichlid, really it's just anabantoids and goldfish that are interactive with people and inspire the "heh, this little guy has a soul" reaction compared to all of the NPC schooling fish.

But if you like breeding projects, all kinds of annual killifish are cool and not that popular because you kind of need to learn how to breed them if you want to keep them. stuff like gudgeons, gobies, etc are uncommon and cool. obscure hillstream loach species are cool too, there are a ton of them coming in these days.
>>
>>4771918
>>4771920
I just want my funny looking bump head wet dog lol
I want something cool looking with personality
>>
>>4771917
>I think most really popular fish are just lame :/
i think counter culture for the sake of it is for faggots
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Bought a little shadow panda today. Waiting for my blue bolt to drop her eggs, and the plants are growing in after their first trim.
Feelsgoodman.
>>
>>4771669
I swapped from a sponge to a mesh just like your pic. The sponge clogged too quickly for my liking, but my tank was quite heavily stocked so YMMV.
>>
>>4771929
Ai?
>>
>>4771985
What have you got against Peter's?
>>
>>4770035
you don't get them all at once
>>
>>4771985
>he doesn't know
kek
>>
Is regular superglue safe to attach anubias and moss to driftwood? I dont have access to gel superglue in my area and sillicone takes too long to cure.
>>
>>4772095
What's it made of? Figure that out, then Google the chemical and "aquarium safe" and you'll find your answer.

Generally though, yes. Cyanoacrylate is safe, and most super glue is that.
>>
>>4772095
What is your area? The Himalayas?
>>
If I put an airstone inside a sponge tube will that function as a sponge filter or am I missing some obvious extra step?
clueless.jpg
>>
>>4772095
Yes. Gel is only preferred because it's thicker and easier to use for this application. As long as it's cyanoacrylate it's safe.
>>
>>4772095
Anything other than the gel sucks
I've used the regular cyanoacrylate and it doesn't kill anything but it takes forever to dry compared to the gel and will float on top of the water and get on the glass.
Use thread
>>
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Trying to make some greenwater for my medaka fry (planning to hatch from imported eggs in two weeks).
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Also got some duckweed and mystery plant from a ditch, unfortunately there were damselfly larvae in the bucket, but I tried to pick out some clean plants.


Anyone know what kinda plant it could be?
>>
Medakas are gonna be the New Bettas, calling it
>>
>>4772253
It looks almost like a stem plant but has runners like val?
Pretty cool, no idea what it is. Probably wants good substrate ferts though.

What kind of strain of medaka are you getting? I see longfin eggs for sale on ebay all the time but never any sellers with hatched ones, could be a good market to be in.
>>
>>4772255
I was thinking it could be a Val, but the leaves are different, hope it’ll live, no substrate right now, I’m breeding in tubs.

Planning to get some tricolor ones with miyuki, getting the eggs from Germany, the US seems to have more to chose from but they would be dead on arrival with the shipping times. Hope the eggs clear custom and I’m able to raise them.

I’ve raised Bettas before, but with the Medakas I’m planning to do it more dirty, using green water, so I just hope they wont get any pests…. I’m filtering the green water though one of those reusable coffee filters
>>
Does it matter if there's a ton of shit underneath the gravel if your water seems to have good parameters in all the dip tests?
>>
Wood has been boiled, soaked one week, going to boil once more for good measure and it'll be time.
>>
>>4772254
How come? Medaka are less fancy looking and a little less charismatic. I can seen medaka competing with tetras as the default schooling choice instead. Price has to come down. I dunno how it is in the US but here in the leaf medaka go for a hefty premium. 10-12 bucks each.
>>
>>4772336
That’s true, bettas do look much better from the side (even top money medakas look pointless unless viewed from top), and bettas are much more entertaining and charismatic as you say… guess I was wrong… anyhow, I’m switching to medakas because I’m tired of having a fish that’s too aggressive to go with other fish. For me, the social dynamics are the most fun to observe, and I was always worried my betta was either under stimulated or stressed. I think sorority setups would be great, but then you either need to go much bigger than I can house atm, or risk the fish being stressed… I’ve also looked into getting 5-6 wild type, but also then you’d need >20 gallon i think.

When I go to the LFS, i always check out the betta female tank - theres always drama, and its fun to see how they establish territories and have their very distinct personalities… (I know its hell for them in LFS, always having to reestablish dominance hierarchy) but from a selfish point its entertaining to a point… they are so smart. I wish there was a fish with as much brains and personality/individuality as the betta but that could thrive together in a ~15g tank.

Also, I’m getting Medaka eggs, they are like 45$ for 30 eggs… not all will hatch, but when you have your colony you can breed and sell, so its a one time investment and you don’t need more than 10 adults.

Like… people buy shrimp, idk how prices are in the US, but here its 8$ for a neo, 5$ for amano
>>
I feed this guy more per day than the grown Bettas.
>>
>>4772364
What a cutie, I like the wild type dots on his fins:)
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>>4772321
The idea is that if you disturb your gravel and that shit is exposed then it might nuke your tank, very unlikely for it to be as bad as some people claim though it's not like they're pure pockets of ammonia down there.
>>
>>4772388
Yeah, unless the tank is pretty new, I wouldn’t worry, i’d think bacteria, plant roots and micro fauna would deal with most of it in an established tanks.

I’m not so familiar with gravel as I’m a tub person, but it seems to me a lot of heavily planted tanks don’t get siphoned for more than changing the water? Like with some carpet plants and detritus worms you’re good?
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>ramshorn ate the flower on my buce again
thats fucking it i'm adding a puffer.
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>>4772254
no lol. medaka aren't personable like a betta is. anabantoids are relatively intelligent predatory fish, some species of which have been bred in captivity to the point of being domestic like betta splendens.

Medaka autism is just one of many forms of kilifish autism. They're heavily mogged in their size category by guppies which are better in every way except being able to survive cold outdoors. I bought medaka eggs from Japan and raised some up into adult fish but ended up selling them off at a small loss because i got bored of them.

>>4772321
if you have rooted plants and a deep substrate layer or are running a UGF i wouldn't worry about it.
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>>4772321
doesnt matter, get MTS or other digging bottom feeders to disturb the substrate, itll allow small pockets of built up bullshit to reach the surface and be processed in quantities your tank can handle fine.
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>>4772415
> because i got bored of them
Yeah, desu I can see that, the cold thing is their main perk, and the tricolor and lame/Miyuki genes… I plan to raise tricolor miyuki, we’ll see:) I do agree that they seems kinda shy/chronically stressed which is not the best look, haha! I had Endler females and they were surprisingly fun. But again, they cant be kept outside in temperate climate.

I got bored with bettas too though, as I said, unless you have a >20g tank, having one sole grumpy glutton will only be fun for so long. You can be lucky and get a sweet, social betta, but they seem far in between imo.

Breeding bettas is dope, but requires a lot of set up.
>>
>>4772334
Wood installed. It looks rad. I will take a picture after sunset. It is way too bright in the room and I can't eliminate the reflections.
>>
>>4772435
Sparkling gouramis sound like they would suit your needs. They have been on my radar for a while, but I haven't kept them yet.
Why have 1 honey when you can have 5 sparkley boys.
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>>4771890
So what’s the verdict would 1 be difficult for a 55 gallon? Also where do you guys order fish?
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>>4772501
I walk in to a local hobbyist shop because I'm not some terminally online, socially unaware neet.
Better in every way than ordering online, unless your local can't stock something specific.
I like to see what I'm buying, so I don't nuke my tanks with shitty, diseased fish.
>>
>>4772510
If the shop is decent you can just ask them to bring in a particular species anyway. If it's something they know will sell regardless they won't even hook you for a deposit. I've always done local for the same reasons; I get to see the tank they're in, their condition, and spare the fish the additional transit from a shipping journey.
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>>4772513
Yeah, you get it anon. I am just too impatient, which might be why I also hate shipping.
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>>4772476
Picture with the new mystery wood twigs. These are collected from a local park, were deadfall from the previous fall. It's some kind of species of bush, I think. I boiled 30 minutes, soaked for a week because I didn't have time to deal with it until now, boiled another 30 today for good measure and put them in. Tank is now the desired busy mess.

Stocking isn't quite finished. I want to add something colorful but I'm not sure what. Green neons or lampeye killis or something. It's corys, black neons, and two honey gouramis right now.
>>
>>4772566
EBC all the way in that dark water tank
>>
>>4772572
>EBC
Too big for my tank, sadly.
>>
>>4772583
dwarf powder blue gourami maybe, or electric blue ram? they can make it in a tank suitable for honey gouramis
>>
>>4772510
>>4772513
Damn guess ill try that.
>>
>>4772585
Ram is a possibility. I'm doing a shopping excursion to fish store tomorrow to see about what is available and for how much.
>>
>>4768363
Anyone keeping puffers currently? i want to do a large tank 60+ gallons with amazon puffs and colombian tetras. Ive kept green spot puffers for a long time before
>>
>>4772600
How does one get into saltwater puffers?
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>>4772665
dunno about saltwater, only ever kept my puffers freshwater
>>
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are my white cloud mountain minnow fat?
>>
Why is seiryu stone advertised as inert in many places if its literally full of calcium carbonate?
>>
>>4772701
>From what I understand the true Seiryu Stones from the Seiryu region of Japan have not been exported for years. The vast majority of the 'Seiryu Stones' we see being sold on the forums today are actually 'Ying Stones' from the SE area of China. Ying stone is limestone with calcite deposits similar to the 'lace rock' limestone we see from Texas. Of course limestone will increase the hardness and PH of my water, especially if I neglect my water changes.
It's literally a chinese knock off, what the fuck
>>
>>4772566
That’s a really dope tank, love the complexity, I’m sure fish will enjoy it.

What are the inhabitants?
>>
>>4772712
Its literally all the same shit, its just a calcite rock. You can't get that weathered stone look without it
>>
All of the interesting potential centerpiece fish I have investigated for a 20 gallon tank have been a bust, for one or more of the following reasons:

> Prefers to be in a school
> Will be too aggressive with the other fish
> Will eat the fry for the shrimp I want to add
> Are very expensive

I'm bummed out, man.
>>
>>4768363
What is your opinion on elodea? I never hear much talk about it and was wondering why since its so cheap and you can even pull it from wild ponds out here. (Not from the US)
>>
>>4772969
what have you considered so far?
>>
>>4772969
Shrimp is your biggest roadblock. That rules out anything slightly larger than your 20g schoolers. The default solo or pair choice centrepiece for 20g are apistogrammas.
>>
>>4772751
>What are the inhabitants?
Pepper corys, black neons and two female honey gouramis.
>>
>>4772913
I know, it just sucks. Dragon rock is fairly inert because its a clay rock but I want something darker.
>>
>>4772969
anon, literally every single fish will eat shrimp fry. so if that's your barrier keep a shrimp only tank.
>>
What is the ideal food for otocinclus catfish? I don't think they like the algae wafers I bought them so I've been feeding them cucumbers.
>>
>>4773145
just stop feeding them until they eat the wafers, don't let them win
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>>4773149
I tried that, one of them ended up dying but I'm not sure if it was starvation or not.
>>
>>4773154
sounds like you won then
>>
>>4772969
What the fuck? My honey gourami has been peaceful and doesn't give a shit. I have a coworker with a Betta who's also chill about shrimp, they're reproducing without a care in the world.
Do you have something like a bare bottom tank with no hiding spots?
>>
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Just picked up this 36 gallon
Im new but i think it’s clown fish and coral time
>>
>>4773270
Going to be kino
>>
>Wanted to get an assassin snail for a 5.5 gallon that had an issue with MTS for a while
>Drop in a new giant plakat betta
>A few days pass
>MTS completely gone
>Put assassin snails into another tank with a similar problem
The big boy must have a taste for escargot
>>
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Setting up a 20g blackwater. Give me some stocking ideas.
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>>4773345
Anything blue or green iridescent. That always looks great in a blackwater setup.
>>
>>4773354
I thought about some cardinal tetras. I also saw some silvery red ones i liked the other day.

I've got some female bettas in another tank i might move over here.
>>
>>4773355
Cardinals are over rated in my opinion, there is so many tetra species, yet we all choose between the same two that look the damn same, neons and cardinals.
What about picrel? Or congos, or green neons or glowlights, even stuff like albino varietys would look way more interesting than the same red blue fish.
Food for thought, the scape looks great btw.
>>
>>4773364
Yeah, you're right. Cardinals are basic bitch fish.
Thanks! I wanted it to look jungle-ish, I only planted a few days ago and i'm still waiting for the plants to show some growth
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>>4771890
Ignore the other anons. There's only one thing a 55 gallon is good for.
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>>4773384
I have unironically considered it lol
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>>4773270
Btw what’s the best/cheapest salt?
>>
>>4773372
Cardinals are still popular for a reason, but if you want a small, cheap and fun fish to watch, I would go ember tetras. I love mine, they colour up great, very active and stay nice and high in the water column.
I'd go like 15 embers and like 6 of an albino cardinal or something, albino fish in dark water like yours would be kino too.
>>
>>4773345
Pygmy sunsfish, least killifish, and swamp darters.
>>
>>4773145
I just got 6 of those for my 40 gallon the other day, they’ve been busy ripping through a diatom film and driftwood fungus. Oto shit all over the tank.
Anyhow these faggots eat a lot. I saw a video of an autistic German feeding his otos lichen on a branch so I might try that after they finish cleaning the wood. I wonder if 6 was too many
>>
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Moments before it ran off with the wafer. Fat shit
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>>4773416
>Best
Highly debatable.
>Cheapest
Whichever costs less per kilo.
>>
>>4768363
Do you need a bubbler? If so which ones the best?
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>>4773345
Rummy nose tetras, panda corys, sparkling Gouramis (or one dwarf or honey)
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>>4773585
>sparkling gouramis
based, pic unrelated
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>>4769221
You aren't funny.
>>
Anyone ever had a dwarf pea puffer? Any tips? My LFS just stocked some.
>>
Is a 100 gallon outdoor stock tub fine for a comet or two?
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>>4772969
The last one is surmountable with time and/or extra effort making money for the purpose of buying the fish
>>
I picked up a Betta and he's super curious and inquisitive, how do I keep him entertained? I've got plenty of plants and hardscape for him to poke around in but I feel like interacting with him despite my intense autism.
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>>4773416
Just grab a big bucket and go to the beach - there, free saltwater.
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>>4773561
>Do you need a bubbler?
No
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>>4773345
a pair of jewel cichlids, kuhlis and a whisker shrimp would be kino
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>>4773769
Play with him. Have a bug bite on your finger, and teach him to jump out of the water to grab it.
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>>4773364
That thing looks hideous compared to a neon/cardinal/ember tetra.
Next time you want to call them a "basic bitch fish", remember they're popular for a reason.
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>>4773561
The purpose of an air stone is twofold: 1.Bubbles create surface agitation which improves gas exchange in your water.
2.Bubbles can help provide additional current in spots your filter is not circling as much
You may want to add an air stone if you have a planted tank and notice a build up of biofilm on the surface. The agitation from the bubbles will break this up. If your fish seem lethargic and hanging out near the surface all the time that could potentially be insufficient oxygen levels in your water. Your filter would have to be pretty low flow for this to be the case but it's possible. If you already use a sponge filter you don't need an air stone. You can put an air stone inside a sponge filter if you wish.
Which ones? Doesn't matter. They're all pretty much the same. There is an adjustable one made by Ziss that looks handy but I don't live in the US and it's not stocked locally here.
>>
Gonna go on a wild fish collecting trip this weekend. What would be the best quarantine protocol once I bring them home?
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>>4773416
Instant Ocean is almost always the cheapest. For the most part it is fine. Just check its advertised parameters. Many people do not like to run their tanks at those specific parameters, and with alk on both the normal and reef crystals being on the high side, you can't really just dose up the difference.

Be aware that some people argue it's the best because <insert large public aquarium or facility> uses it, which doesn't mean shit, as those places are primarily concerned with staying open and have way more resources to deal with shit than you do, so keeping overhead down is paramount whereas your goals likely differ.

>>4773826
This is fine if you can do it regularly. There is definitely more than one YouTuber and aquaculture/research facility that does this. However everyone here keeps thinking small. Even at 36G you're looking at six 5G buckets and you better not waste any. Most people with larger tanks use food grade brute trash cans but those would be REALLY annoying to transport. And it's not a bad idea to have some extra for any emergencies (although whether you want to keep old sea water around is debatable as well).
>>
>>4773951
/ck/ says bathtub.
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>>4773975
I mean, that's how the Shedd aquarium did it when they started, they loaded a train with saltwater from the ocean.
And it's mostly a one-time thing, when you start your tank. After that you just go once in a while when you need top-offs.
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>>4773518
I love these little bastards. My favorite fish of all time.
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how the fuck do I get that smell off my hands after cleaning a neglected aquarium filter
nothing I try works
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>>4774002
Can you describe the smell?
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>>4773836
kek you seem a lil worked up, did i offend ur basic bitch tank? lmao
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>>4773669
Keep 4-6 of them in a 15-20 gallon tank, nothing else in there, maybe some ottos. Feed them your surplus snails from other tanks and frozen blocks of worms or shrimp. They are the cutest and most interactive little fish. Keep good amounts of long stemmed plants for them to play and hide in. A good strong light would help too
>>
>>4773345
2-3 betta from the coccina complex as well as a groups nano rasbora, a few cherry shrimp (if your substrate has some calcium)

>>4773435
Don’t least killifish prefer hard water?
>>
What are the smallest fish you can buy? I want tiny fish
>>
I think my betta is going through a depression arc.
Like he looks all happy and active when it’s feeding time and does eat quite a few pellets then goes back to just resting in the leaves or behind the filter or even now just resting at the bottom on the sand.
>>
>>4774326
Chilli and kubotai rasbora are pretty small, there is also pea puffers and bumblebee gobys if you want something a lil chunky and stumpy.
>>
>>4774326
sundadanio are fairly available, pushing the limits on how small a vertebrate can get
>>
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Month 4. Starting to get more algae buildup, so for the first time I actually suctioned some of the substrate up and then let it fall back. Got a lot of mulm up that way. I think I have eliminated the population of ramshorn snails that came on the christmas moss but I'm not sure.

The peace lily is growing well finally. I should probably get a gooseneck light that has higher clearance and can be positioned more centrally, maybe?
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You guys weren't kidding, Bettas are adorable. Picked this guy up a week ago and he's been constantly poking around in the plants and checking out the snails. So fun to watch. I might set up a bigger tank for him though as it's a little cramped.
Please ignore the damaged buce, my snails have gone rogue and I'm too soft to punish them.
>>
>>4774326
I think the least killifish is the smallest commonly available for aquarium keeping. Males top out at something like 0.8". Females just a bit over 1".
>>
>>4774484
> removes ramshorn snails
> complains about algae
Didn't know Girl Talks Fish is active on this general
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>>4774534
Give him a 20gal long, and some nerites for him to flare at in between doing the zoomies.
Entertainment all day long!
>>
>>4774575
jej
>>
>>4774282
I don't think they require it. Neoheterandria elegans does prefer soft water though.
>>
>>4774282
Least Killis are ridiculously hardy and fecund, the fact they're expensive and rare im the US market is hilarious. I have several dozen across four tanks with parameters, the only time they struggle is with bigger, high energy fish (barbs), where they'll not compete for food well. But even there I get occasional fry surviving to adulthood.
>>
>like plecos
>like corys
>like otos
>like kuhlis
>like the look of those hillstream loaches but I've never seen one in person
Genuinely thinking about getting one of those ridiculous "shallow" tanks and just keeping bottom feeders.
>>
>>4774575
>doesn't see the big ass algae destroyer in the tank

didn't know hellen keller came here either.
>>
4774675
(You)
>>
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YOU, YES YOU! Post your tank right fucking now.
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>>4774282
Killifish live part of their lives in/near the ocean and you can keep them in a saltwater tank. Water hardness or ph is not an issue for them. Just don’t go super low.
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>>4774724
>tall tank
>visible warning sticker
>cable not obscured
0/10 anon
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>>4774752
says the tankless nigga lmao
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>>4774752
notanks detected
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>>4774759
>>4774762
That's right I am currently between tanks and I live vicariously through this thread and aquascaping youtubers.
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>>4774764
>between tanks
never had one, if you did post a pic
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>>4774782
Autistic post, I left it at home after I moved out.
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>>4774724
Wish I could get a better pic

You can watch a live video of my tank at https://www.snekbot.com/static/tank if you want to see the cories chilling out under that anubias plant
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>>4774484
>rimless tank
I do not understand how these are safe from simply exploding from the weight of the water they contain
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>>4774785
tanklet cope lmao
>>
>>4774048
like dirt. vaguely fishy dirt.
>>
>>4774801
Silicone is insane, whenever these tanks do bust its always the glass that goes first. Which is why they usually use thicker than normal glass (hence the push for them to have the opticlear decolored glass to offset the distortion). They wouldn't be made unless someone actually did the pressure calcs.
>>
>>4774825
But how does the silicone stick to the glass so strongly?
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>>4774842
Been a while since I did materials science but glass on glass has a really high friction index implying it has lots of microtextures so lots of extra surface area for the silicon to hook onto. I guess.
>>
I'm in a predicament. I have a 28 gallon Aqueon bowfront, and the plastic backstrip for the glass has long since disintegrated and fell off. I tried that Marineland/Perfecto 1/8 inch backing as a replacement, but it's way too thin to actually stay on the glass. I also heard their 3/16 inch backing isn't that great either. I'm thinking of getting some surface-dwelling fish for the tank soon, so I want that gap covered ASAP. Do I have any other options?
>>
>>4774848
Also have to add that getting a whole new lid isn't in the cards since the 28 bowfront was discontinued years ago.
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>>4774846
Correct. Apply to silicone to acrylic or polycarbonate and it doesn't stick (well) because those materials are much smoother. I tried once. I had a small handle i wanted to stick to the acrylic front panel of one of my terrariums. Once cured the handle peeled straight off with minimal force. This is why to bond those materials you have to use a solvent that melts the parts together rather than a 'glue' like silicone.
>>
>>4774846
>>4774851
That's very counterintuitive. Glass is smooth, surely extra surface area for the silicone to "grip" would come from a rougher surface?
>>
Help a retard out bros, I'm putting up a shelf for a couple 5 gallons but the wall isn't a perfect 90
I should I shim between the shelf bracket and the wall so it's level right?
>>
>>4774848
You can /diy/ it. The cheap way is to make a frame and use vinyl screen. This won't stop evaporation but it will stop carpet surfers. More expensive way is glass or acrylic or polycarbonate.
>>
>>4774858
>Glass is smooth
It's surprisingly rough under a microscope. Much rougher than the plastic sheet material.
>>
>>4774858
Again I'm not am expert but by "microtexture" I mean like at the micron level, not detectable by the human eye. A truly smooth material with visible textures from its shape (think wrinkles) would have much less surface area than a perfectly flat material with significant microtexture (think microscopic wrinkles)
>>
>>4774801
I had someone explain construction adhesive (similar to silicone) like this to me one day: "The universe could come to an end and collapse into a giant black hole and that mantlepiece will still be floating where you stuck it with adhesive"

The frame doesn't keep your tank together, it just stops it from flexing if you unwisely do stuff like move it with water in it. And they do work for that purpose. And they are slightly more stable under *moving* load.

But this brand of aquarium on amazon is even advertising using a newer 3m industrial silicone tape that's even stronger than usual. (Allglassaquarium)
>>
>>4774882
>Allglassaquarium
That's aqueon, are you in the US? I'm curious if they're doing business by their old name in other parts of the world
>>
>>4774675
is that nigger posting on kohlchan? figures. place is run by russian pedophiles and troons. hope he stays there.
>>
>>4774886
Woops its allcoloraquarium

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Allcolor/page/646CCD9B-D189-47A3-8C7F-F9D841D6B93A

actually im confusing myself. the one i showed a picture of earlier IS an aqueon totally rimless aquarium. but the new cube one I ordered is from this company and uses the new adhesive

I've had both of em less than 6 months so I can't attest to durability of either yet but I have confidence they'll be fine.
>>
>>4774633
Bettas don't eat algae, you dingus!
Keep those snails before you start whining about algae every day.
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>>4774724
Why is your water so blue?
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>>4774724
What it started off as
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>>4774724
>>4775007
What it's become
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>>4774848
>plastic backstrip
Those are for betta tanks designed for children, anon
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>>4774980
It's just the light.
>>4775009
nice.
>>
>>4774860
>I should I shim between the shelf bracket and the wall so it's level right?
Yes. You may have to sand the shim to a slight angle to accommodate.
>>
>>4774724
Chill ass betta damn
>>
New thread
>>4775116
>>
>>4774534
how big is this tank



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