/aq/- Aquarium General

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>new thread before bump limit
>no link to previous thread

>>2035980
Link isn't needed end of thread anyway and ruined by bickering between two homosex.

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>>2035980
>dat autism

Alright so I'm gonna set up a 40 gallon breeder here soon-ish and I was wondering if this was okay for stocking?

2x African butterfly fish
1x Ctenopoma Acutirostre
1x Bristlenose pleco. (good sized one so the Ctenopoma doesn't even think about it.)

>>2036008
Seems fine. Try aqadvisor.com it's a tool that can calculate your stock and compatibility.

>>2036008
Might as well get rid of the pleco and make an african biotope.

>>2036010
Yeah Aqua advisor said it was good, but I've always been told to take that site with a grain of salt, so I just wanted to be sure.

>>2036013
Ehh I really like plecos honestly, but I could be up for making it a full African tank. Any similar bottom feeders from that area?

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>>2036016
>Any similar bottom feeders from that area?
Synodontis.

>>2035970
What fish is dat?

>>2036064
Payara

>>2036067
Bump. Thank you.

Should I feed my neon tetra to my Oscar?

>>2036396
No.

Feed your oscar to your neon tetra.

>>2036397
My oscars are to big though.

Got a 55 gallon long planted with Firebelly newts. Wanna add a floating dock that I could maybe even grow some moss or terrestrial plants on. Does anyone have any ideas that could work for that?

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>>2036427

Friendly reminder to never do aquarium maintenance/plant trimming when intoxicated.

Pic not included

>>2036452
Include it faggot.

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>>2036406

>>2036016
If you want African algae eaters, I think nerite snails are your best bet. Large ones should be fine with the Ctenopoma.

>>2036025
40 gallons is kind of tight for S. euptera, and afaik they're not especially great at eating algae anyway. S. contracta is supposedly much better and stays much smaller, but I don't know where you could get them, and getting them in proper numbers might be quite expensive.

>>2036008
Replace the bristlenose pleco with one of the smaller growing Polypterus species or a ropefish.

>>2036427
Cork and hanging planters. A nice piece of driftwood or bogwood would work out nicely if you are willing to sacrifice the room.

I wish I could make a career out of fish.

>>2036427
Look at smaller marginal plants as long as you keep things lidless. Not only can the plants give things for the newts to climb on, being mostly above water will let you keep cool plants you normally can't keep. For example, Variegated Japanese Dwarf Rush and dwarf horsetail don't get too huge and require the plant to at least be 30% above water for it to survive.

>>2036427
A breeder box(or shower caddy if ur poor).

Does anyone ever try homemade food for their fish?
I read an article about color enhancing foods and I was wondering if anyone here has ever tried it?

>>2036774
It won't "enhance" colour, it'll just be cheaper in the long run.

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Hey guys, I got a java moss before and it was dead on arrival so I bought another one and the guy said he gave it some fertilizer but I don't think it worked.

It has a little green though.

>>2036807

It'll be fine. Just give it tons of water flow.

>>2036808
Oh okay thanks, not much of that in my tank though

>>2036812
If you have a hanging fliter you can lower the water level in the tank causung the filter to break the water surface like a water fall, it will cause some water flow, probably enough for the moss.

>>2036788
That's interesting, will livebearers eat like spinich and shit?

>>2036820
Yup. Just look up a recipe on google, you'll find about a dozen.

>>2036816
Alright, will try that

>>2036597
A fish tank YouTube channel seems like easiest way of going about it

>>2036774
Not homemade, but I do feed my fish "colour flakes" and it does make them more vibrant, mainly red though. Whenever I've fed them on normal food they've lost the brighter colours after a week or two and gone back to their normal colours.
Doesn't affect their health at all.

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>Tfw built a diy setup for co2 that negates any of the downsides of a diy setup for a fraction of the price.

- is pressurised enough for use with ceramic disks

-reaction can be controlled

-co2 can not only be turned off but timed to turn off and on automatically

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>Take 5 RCS from a shrimp tank and put them in a community tank.
>The fish immediately attack them
>They vanish for weeks
>Think "That's them dead then"
>Just seen one now on a leaf
>It's berried
>Meanwhile in my special shrimp only tank where I take the utmost care to provide the best conditions they have never bred.

>>2036924

How'd you manage that?

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Where are some places I can get some cheap rocks for my aquarium?

Petco has black slate for like $5 a chunk and that's much more than I want to spend.

>>2036946
try outside

>>2036964
Not that anon, but how do you test rocks and stones to back sure they are aquarium safe?

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How big of a tank should I get if I want to have:

5-6 Denison Barbs
12-15 Rummy Nose Tetras
3-4 Peppered Cories
Some Amano Shrimp
And maybe some Duboisi

Also, any tips on my selections?

I know the Duboisi will get pretty big, so I'd consider alternatives that resemble the juveniles and stay below 3".

Also, I know the barbs need a lot of swimming space.

Thanks

>>2036964

It's below 0 and there is snow everywhere. Any other ideas? I don't want to wait until may to go rock/drift wood hunting.

I checked craigslist, but not surprisingly there isn't a large rock market out there.

Which is better for CO2? The yeast method or the baking soda - citric acid method?

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I have 6 common mud turtles in a 175 gallon tank that's cut 3/4 with a 110 wet/dry tank underneath. I have a pvc basking platform and I'm just getting started. The return sprayers are on either end.

My problem: I need to add a nesting box for the females who lay about every other month or so, as I don't feel like putting them in a soil substrate with a basking platform to lay.

The tank width is about 19" the length about 72". There's about 7" from the top to the water surface.

I was thinking of using two tupperware tubs and cutting a 6x6 hole and adding a ramp in. Any ideas?

Included for entertainment is a pic of my buddy's leucistic snapper.

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>>2036942
Citric acid and water in one bottle. Baking soda and water in another. With tubing joining both bottles.
Mix a little of the stuff together and close it up so it pressurizes.

Now the two chemicals are in separate bottles but the cirtic acid will be drawn up the tubing and into the baking sodabottle when the pressure drops. So the two chemicals are only mixed while co2 is being used and at the same rate the co2 is being used.

Solanoid valve attached to a timer switch controls on and off.

>>2036915
Vitamin c is good for color.

>>2036969
All rocks are safe. Especially river or creek rocks. I boil mine or bleach and soak after washing them real well.

>>2036974
30-40 gallon minimum with either a canister filter, sump, or hang on back filter that filters at least 50 gallons. That's about my same set up with a 50 gallon filter. aqadvisor.com can help

>>2036974
A 75 gallon.

>>2036985
Don't let a bit of snow stop you.

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Is this an endler fry?

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>>2037028
Nope, just a guppy.

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Getting there

>>2036994
I live in a desert, so no river rocks near me. How do I go about making sure the rocks won't dissolve or leach heavy toxic minerals and whatnot in the water?

>>2037058
gorgeous

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>Checking temperature of room because I don't heat my tank and only have temperate livestock.
>Fluval digital thermometer says it's 24 degrees
>Mercury thermometer says it's 22 degrees
>Phone says it's 21 degrees

>>2037082
Muriatic acid. You can get it at home improvement stores. If it bubbles on contact with the rock, don't use it.

Heavy/toxic minerals aren't usually a problem, but many sedimentary rocks can screw with pH and hardness. That's what you'll be testing for with the acid.

>>2037028
It has the classic endler colors and markings. Possible. You'll see as they grow.

>>2037097
Probably not a very reliable indicator in a desert. Caliche will throw it off.

>>2037028
>>2037039
Endler is a guppy basically. Poecilia wingei. Fancy guppies among the other types do not have the red orange and green with the black dots in those same spots as this guys. But it's still a fry. But it's a possible endler or some guppy hybrid.

>>2037097
Do I need acid specifically? Or can I use vinegar?

>>2037101
Yes, but caliche is just calcium carbonate and you would obviously not want that in your tank. Scrub a prospective rock with water and a wire brush to remove any caliche dust, then try the acid. That's really the only reliable test I know of.

>>2037058
Looks nice senpai, why not get some moss to put on that driftwood too

>>2037109
>you would obviously not want that in your tank
depends

probably don't want it in your discus tank, but you'd pay good money to put it in your African cichlid tank or reef tank.

>>2036924

Have fun when it blows the top off in the middle of the night.

My Goldfish keep breeding and before I can collect the eggs they eat them all. This has been happening since February now.

>>2037121
Breeder box bro, they are 10 bucks at Petco

>>2037121
Or do you have plants? The eggs might last if they hah cover?

>>2037124
Now I feel stupid.

>>2037125
I do not have live plants in my goldfish tank. I do however have floating fake plants. I originally wanted to put the fry into my 30 planted aquarium but a friend of mine convinced me to hold onto his baby bichir.

>>2037107
Vinegar would not be strong enough. Muriatic acid is only like $8 at Home Depot if you're in the US.

Is there any benefit to feeding fish flakes? I alternate between frozen blood worms and this frozen shrimp & veggie stuff and flakes, would it be better to just stop feeding them flakes

>>2037151
My fish fucking love their flakes. They prefer it over everything

>>2036974
4 foot tank. Suggest getting more peppered cories. Duboisi cichlids come from Lake "Liquid Rock" Tanganyika (whereas all the other fish prefer soft acidic water) and would probably eat the amanos.

>>2036924
>that negates any of the downsides of a diy setup
Except running costs. Also, I seem to remember another anon running this same setup before and it never worked properly.

>>2037028
Most Endlers and guppies on the market are hybrids, so it's probably a hybrid.

>>2037136
Look up spawning mops on YouTube as an alternative to plants.

>>2037151
Feed them a variety. What fish do you have?

>>2037165
Figures it might be a hybrid. Either way found the fellas in a bag a feeder guppies and put them in my guppy tank.

>>2036924
and it looks like shit
poorfags should find a new hobby like ditch digging

>>2037159
How does this sound?

8 Denison Barbs
20 Rummynose Tetras
8 Peppered Cories

AqAdvisor says I'd be 99% stocked.

I wouldn't get all of them at once, but perhaps introduce more over time

>>2037166
I have angelfish, cories, and glass cats. The reason I asked is because one of my glass cats swims downward after it eats (they normally swim with head higher than tail). I guess he's an idiot and over eats

I'm gonna start feeding them rcs babies after I get my nano tank set up

>>2037165
Speaking of that, could I put Mollies or small fish with the young bichir? I'm only asking because he's clumsy and slow.

>>2037171
You can always give them bloodworms and other things as treats. They'll love it and you'll notice. As long as you're feeding them a nice flake that isn't tetra.

Does feeding your fish peas to cure swim bladder ever work for you guys? My fish never eat it

>>2037177
Do you take the shell off? I know it works for constipation.

>>2037174
Depends on the Molly. They are pretty slick but they can be caught like anything.

>>2037170
Sounds good to me. You could try kribensis or apistogramma instead of the duboisi cichlids. They might still eat Amano shrimp, though.

>>2037174
As long as they're bigger around than the bichir's head. Swordtails might be better.

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Two of my guppies gravid spot turned from dark to a pinkish red. They all got pregnant around the same time. Possible giving birth soon? I have a big bitch who is so boxy she looks like spongebob.

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>>2037191
>I have a big bitch who is so boxy

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>>2037200

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>>2036946
I did a thing with tile from Home Depot.

alright whats the temperature for rcs?

i see varying information everywhere
some say 80-82 some say 74 which is it.

>>2037224
Get it up to 220f and add some seasonings. Or melt some butter with garlic and toss them in.

>>2037224
Mine always seemed most comfortable between 68 and 74.

>>2037232
The shrimp are too small. Just skip them and go with the butter and garlic.

>>2037161
Running cost doesn't matter when it didn't cost $300 initial price

>>2037169
>Caring what equipment looks like

>>2037314
>$300 initial price
Pulling numbers out your ass? Check.
You can get a 5lb CO2 tank for 60 bucks on ebay, and a regulator with a solenoid for about the same.
$120 is less than half of your bullshit "initial price".

>>2036986
Fairly sure it comes down to cost in the end. Oh and the citric acid won't smell like cum.

>>2037176
Genuine question, what's wrong with the tetra brands?

Also, what flakes are considered good around here?

>>2037511
Low quality and low quality control. Hikari and omega one are readily available and are very good. I feed my guppies hikari tropical micro pellets and they have grown very big and bright colors

>>2037511
>>2037513
Nutrafin are also very good.

>>2036986
With yeast you can play with the ingredients and make your own booze.

>>2037507
>Oh and the citric acid won't smell like cum.
Well, that's anothrr mark against it, then.

>>2037470
>You can get a 5lb CO2 tank for 60 bucks on ebay, and a regulator with a solenoid for about the same.

And tgat would be a diy system.

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My roommate is upgrading from a ten gallon to a 20 long, so we went to the store to look for fish to put in there and he decided he wanted noodles.

They actually don't hide very much, and there's only the one hide in there. I like them.

>>2037604
A much better diy system.

>>2037606
They should be kept in a school and with a sand substrate.

>>2037606
They won't hide if you get enough of them (6+ usually), the more you have the more active and social they'll be

Waiting tomorrow to get my 10 Kuhlis, it's gonna be fun watching them in quarantine for a month and then seeing them bowl around my cherry and amano shrimp in the main tank after.

Sup /an/ I added 3 marble mollies to my tank 3 weeks ago and there's been some trouble.

One of them died within a few days. The other two are alive and well but they lay on the bottom of the tank a lot. Is this normal behavior for these fish? Because I'm not sure what else would cause this. It's an established tank, the size is fine, it's not overstocked, water parameters are fine, regular waterchanges and peaceful tankmates. Everything should be fine so I dunno.

Will it be ok if I leave two amano shrimp in a jug of water for 2 days while I set up a tank?

>>2037666
they can survive shipping in a bag of water, so I guess. just keep the temperature steady

Are Top Fin aquariums ok? They're usually fairly cheap so I'm naturally cautious..

>>2037087
You could buy a small heater. It's not that expensive.

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>>2037617
Don't know if this was a criticism or not, but they are in a school (5) and they're on sand now, main tank is soil type substrate.

>>2037620
From what I've read it's a matter of having enough of them and giving them enough hiding places to feel secure. I guess I expected them to hide more with five of them and one proper hide, but there's rarely a moment I can't see them all in the tank. He's saying he wants to go back and get five more now.

>>2037671
You mean the tanks themselves? They're made by All Glass, the same company that makes tanks for Aqueon. They seem to have a much better reputation for quality and longevity than Perfecto (Tetra and Marineland) tanks.

>>2037685
>He's saying he wants to go back and get five more now.

Do it. I'm not particularly sure if a 20l has enough footprint for 10 kuhlis, but their activity level will certainly increase

Got 1 gallon as present from friend because friend thinks you can put goldfish in a bowl. Current plan for it is:
Get it planted, probably basic java fern maybe java moss
Driftwood cave
Use water from next water change from my 10 gallon
Wait a month
Add 4 cherry shrimp, not sure what color yet
Thoughts?

>>2037693
Some suggestions.
Use some gravel or filter media from the 10 gallon and let it sit. Drop a flake in the tank every third day or so. Add frogbit or water lettuce.

>>2037697
Ight, sounds good. I have to switch the filter out soon anyway

Any guppy bros that are pretty knowledgable?

>>2037702
What do you want to know?

So I've just completely redone my tank out. Took everything out. Washed the gravel (in tank water not in tap water) and put everything back together and put fresh dechlorinated water in.

Is it safe to put the livestock back in now? Obviously the water is cloudy but is it going to spike with ammonia?

>>2037724
Did you also clean the filter?

>>2037726
No

>>2037702
glad we could help with that complex guppy problem. you're welcome

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>>2037716
What are my males doing with my females? They're about to give birth it seems but a few males are just chilling with the females. All other guppies are swimming about and eating.

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>>2037755
Fucking iPhone

>>2037513
What about Marineland?

>>2037771
Yes. Anything but tetra. Tetra cichlid sticks would fuck my water so bad and turn it into a brown cloud

>>2037756
Just because your females are preggers doesn't mean your males are gonna stop trying to get any.

>>2037774
They just never showed this behavior before. You think they know they're about to give birth and trying to get some guppy pussy?

>>2037755
>>2037756
Maybe she promised them dinner and a show.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zy9Cm1kY8SM

>>2037775
I dunno. I've owned guppies for years and years and they never cease surprise me with their ability to find ways to do stupid things.

We're talking about fish that will swim away from food in order to eat poop, spit that poop out and then eat it again.

>>2037771
For the money I'd prefer API or Omega One.

>>2037314
>$300 initial price
Let's be real, that's a photo of the spare bedroom in your parents house.

Get a job, neet.

I'm planning on making a swamp box from a spare terrarium I have. I'm going to put swamp mud and water in with a small section of land for sow bugs and fungus. What plants should I put in to keep the water clean and make the tank mostly self-sufficient?

Nothing too big, the tank isn't very large.

>>2037813
Duckweed.

>>2037813
Get a alligator

>>2036924

tfw when you posted this in the other fish topic

tfw its a clever set up since you know how to use a solenoid/timer but tfw mixing yeast and shit to get co2 and start a reaction into dirty plastic bottles

tfw a 5lb cylinder lasts 4 months and you dont have to fuck with it ever

tfw you need to pass a vacuum

/aq/ freshwater shrimp and bettas.

I have a snail infestation in my turtle bin if you want to see some boring inverts.

>>2037844
lets see it

>>2037813
Anacharis, hornwort, duckweed, bamboo and a cannister filter

>>2037852

I'm trying to do without a filter. I know it's possible, I just don't know exactly how.

>>2037864
Water changes are the best filter.

>>2037866

I'm not putting fish or animals in. Plants should purify the water on their own.

>>2037844
My oscars crush my snails with rocks or a hard head butt.

>>2037876
>with rocks
>tool use
Videos or bullshit

>>2037879
Not the same anon but it's rare but if they figure it out they will do it. They are very smart fish like most cichlids. I had one Oscar who would push snails out of his tank and put all fake plants where he wanted and if I moved them he would pick them right back up and put it in the same spot.

>>2037879
>Sentience in fish
This would actually be a groundbreaking discovery.

>>2037884
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/animal-emotions/201406/fish-are-sentient-and-emotional-beings-and-clearly-feel-pain

>>2037884
tool use has been recorded in fish.

tool use isn't great evidence of sentience though. Plenty of animals use tools instinctively.

>>2037887
Some also build nest or homes with rocks

>>2037887
Yes, but only in wrasses as far as I know. Those are very distantly related animals and would be about equivalent to asking someone to believe your hamster is sharpening sticks and using them as tools because apes do and they're both mammals.
If someone has an oscar using tools they should record it because that's new to science.

>>2037922
Other fish use "tools" not in the way you think but it's considered tool use. Cichlids are extremely smart.

>>2037925
I didn't say cichlids weren't smart. I just said if someone has oscars using tools thats something new and should be recorded.

What other fish use tools? Everything other than the wrasse seems to be heavily grasping at straws.

>>2037922
http://gizmodo.com/fish-learn-to-use-tools-so-lets-rethink-the-definition-1569666569
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2011/07/diver-snaps-first-photo-fish-using-tools

There's more but fish are capable of learning to use "tools" especially to get food. But yes an Oscar on camera using a rock to smash a snail would be a nice discovery and funny.

>>2037926
>Everything other than the wrasse seems to be heavily grasping at straws.
even the wrasse thing was pretty contrived.

I mean it smacks shellfish against rocks to open them. That's a bit like saying lions use the ground as a tool to hold their dinner against while they eat it. Or lammergeyers use rocks as tools when they drop bones on them.

not exactly what we usually mean when we discuss tool use.

but whatever. I've kept oscars and I've kept wrasses and I can tell you oscars are the smarter of the two.

Putting a filter sponge in a canister filter from another tank should be a good way to seed it right?

I'm trying to get it colonised as soon as possible.

>>2036622
Newts are extremely adept at escaping, any hole a large fly could escape through, a newt most likely also could, they can also climb up glass. Lidless tanks without specially designed edges and tall plants probably won't end well.

>Amanos aren't hardy and often die for no reason or as soon as you introduce them to your tank

Who started this meme?

I've got 8 of the things and I've only lost one, which was a massive female probably at the end of it's lifespan.

I've moved them between tanks I own. I've kept them in tropical tanks, cold water tanks. A bucket. They just keep living.

>>2038013
Yeah I think petstores dose their water with medicines and anti fungal stuff.
It's all good till you get them to your untreated water and they suddenly start to wither away.
One time I kept trying to have black mollies, because theyre dope, but each time I got them they would get this white fungus on them.
No other fish has had that in my tank since.

>>2038013
I've only heard it once or twice, but I agree with you. I've never had one die during introduction, and only two die from old age about two years after I got them.

>>2038114
Mollies tend to be sickly in general in freshwater. They drop off like flies in the stores, too, but you don't notice because they have so many.

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My Marsilea hirsuta foreground got completely melted, with barely any survivors. So sad

If it doesn't bounce back in a few months, what other foreground plant should I try? Preferably from Asia

>>2038159
Yeah apparently they are a brackish fish.
Some cab even be in saltwater tanks.
Once my gourami passes on i think I will start a brackish tank.
Can Swordtail or platies in general survive in a brackish tank?

>>2038171
Fuck me that's an ugly tank even if the plants weren't dead...

So I just upgraded my Turtle tank to one that can also support fish.
What are good tank mates for a slider? I heard snails and crustaceans are good but what fish? can a catfish live with it?

>>2038330
you know it's going to atleast try to eat anything you put in there, right?

>>2038331
Yes
It's just a very plain looking tank, some other things in there would look nice. I already have feeder fish in there but they are pretty boring

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>>2038322
I'm really tempted to scrub out the diatoms, but since there's been an explosion of baby shrimplets I've been leaving it there for them to feed off of

And now I found out my LFS didn't get my Kuhlis again. Been waiting since the beginning of December to get them, tired of waiting. Where's a good online fish vendor that I can order from?

>>2038374
gunpowder aquatics

>>2038177
They can be acclimated to fresh, brackish, or salt water as long as it's done gradually. They seem to be especially susceptible to freshwater ich, but as long as you can keep that out of your tank, they're noir so bad. They do tend to get ill less often in brackish water, but i think that has more to do with the fact that there simply aren't very many diseases that thrive in brackish water. Guppies are much better suited for brackish water than platies or swordtails.

>>2038330
Anything cheap enough that you're not going to feel bad when it gets eaten. Same with inverts.

>>2038488
Guppies are a good idea actually.

>>2038374
>really tempted to scrub out the diatoms
It's not the diatoms... It's your sense of design.

Also frankly I don't see any algae in that pic...

>>2038579
Nigga you catty af

>>2036924
Europoor

Finally got my Betta all set up in his 10-gallon. He's absolutely loving it. Going Going to look into a small dithering species like some Zebra Danio for him to herd around in around day or so, water testing withstanding. Thank you, /an/, for being awesome enough to give me the idea for it.

>>2038579
>Also frankly I don't see any algae in that pic
Don't know if sarcastic or just really fucking stupid

>>2038579
I don't think you know poop about aquascaping.

>>2038171
What is that floating?

>>2038374
>I'm really tempted to scrub out the diatoms
Do it. The babbys can eat off of the wood, and you can throw peas and broccoli in the tank for them.

>>2037203

Very nice. Man, that makes my 5g look like shit - I dropped wendtii all around some lava rock. I need to redo it with the slate/tile. That looks really good.

>>2037778

Yep. I've seen a pregnant female platty near birth hide out in the java fern...presumably to get away from the male. And it's good to have something like java fern for both the females and fry...they love it. Anyhow, the males will not stop.

>>2038392
Shipping overnight is god awful, would order if I lived in the Southeast though

>>2038607
Water Sprite, it's a nice floating plant but I'm getting sick of seeing little fernlets breaking off and getting stuck in my shrimp guard and in between crypts

Gonna switch to Dwarf Water Lettuce soon if they can live in my tank

>>2035970
Hey guys, my mom's birthday is coming up and I've noticed that her betta fish doesn't have much of a tank.

I've seen so many amazing enclosures(?) that you guys have shown, and two things for sure that I want to get her are a new tank and marimo moss balls. Those are the ones that are natural balls right? And don't take over the enclosure?

>>2037728
not anon who you were talking with, but my limited knowledge says if it filter wasn't disturbed, you can go in a few days because the whatnot growing in the thingy will reduce cycle time.

>>2038603
People doing right by bettas always makes me happy. Good on you anon.

>>2038631
Yes, you can make an absolutely beautiful 10 gallon tank for your mom's betta with just some gravel, anubias, java ferns, and java moss, then throw in the marimo moss balls.

Best part about it, it's all dirt cheap. Every plant I've listed doesn't need to be buried in dirt to grow underwater. Just use super glue or cotton string to attach them to some aquarium safe rocks/wood.

So just have some easy to clean substrate, like gravel, then something ornamental in the center with the plants attached to it, then throw the marimo moss balls around the tank.

>>2038603
Pictures nigs.

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Just ordered some of these to help keep my diatom/minor green spot algae problem in check, they also look pretty cool too

I hope they don't poop too many white eggs everywhere though

>>2038708
What the fuck. I have never even seen that kind of snail before.

>>2038603
Danios tend to be a bit boisterous to keep with bettas. Small rasboras or tetras are better.

>>2038631
See about getting a heater, too. Even the cheap ones on eBay work surprisingly well.

>And don't take over the enclosure?
Correct. They get bigger, but at about the rate of glacial drift.

>>2038709
They have them at PetSmart.

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What kind of fish is this?

>>2038171
I like that design, but it feels like it needs something taller on the left side to balance it more.

Also, what's up with your substrate? It looks kinda funny...

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>>2038755
The substrate is a mix of Eco Complete and Flourite Sand. It's actually quite pleasing to see it

This was the tank a month ago when my marsilea carpet was just beginning to take off and the left side of the tank was more filled in... Why was I such an idiot to increase the lighting intensity and melt them all

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>>2038708
Hmm, loach food

>>2038754
the wet kind

>>2038769
Now is not the time, Captain Obvious.

Is it ok if a temperate water tank fluctuates between 20 and 23 degrees depending on the time of day/night and if the sun is shining in the room?

Everything in the tank is happy at those temperatures but do they care that the temp might go up or down 3 degrees in the space of a few hours?

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>>2038767
Fill in the right side more and the tank will look 10 times better.

At the moment the visual line of your tank is broken.

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Comments?

Should I consider my tank finally done or change something?

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>>2038780
Shitty phone camera is shit

>>2038776
This.

I've been cycling a 2.5 pico reef about 2 weeks now and noticed that I started to get yellow-green growth on the glass in one spot. Should I be worried about it? Also, does anyone know how to get rid of freshwater limpets or do I just have to live with em?

How do I make natural looking caves for my catfish?
I don't want my aquarium to look like >>2038768

>>2038782
It looks complete, and it's not like you could fill it more anyway.

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>>2038788
This.
I want to get a few CPO and want some natural looking hiding places for them.

>>2038788
>>2038804
You might be able to sculpt one using hydraulic cement, but you need to be very careful with it. I used it as a divider between the land and water in one of my gecko enclosures. It makes your water very alkaline if you just toss it in the tank once it has dried. I submerged what I used in water for a little over a month, changing the water every couple of days til the parameters were normal. You can also color it using quikrete cement pigment.

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>>2038809
My sculpting skills are absolute shite. I'll probably just gather a bunch of rocks from the lake by my house and silicone them into something cave-like.

>>2038614
Not him but my two males don't seem interested in my two females

>>2038709
It's a horned nerite snail. Get to about half the size of a normal zebra nerite, but doesn't lay hideous eggs all over.

So, I think my betta offed one of my cory cats. Haven't seen her in about two days, and he's been chasing the others and flaring at them. This is the first time I've ever had a betta that didn't work in a community tank, I'm a bit annoyed.

I want to move the cory cats into my 40 gal, but the tank has kuhli loaches. Do cory cats and kuhlis do okay together?

Also, aside from snails, is there anything I can put with the betta that he won't destroy? 20 gal is a big tank for one asshole fish.

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>>2037848
here.

they probably lifted on some of the plants I collected, I don't mind them.

>>2038835
>dat tank
Do you even filter and algae scrub bro?

>>2038835
Ew wtf

That tank is filthy.

>>2038882
It's just algae.

>>2038892
Your mom is just algae

>>2038780
what are those cute clover looking plants?

also, does anyone here have that pdf of diana walstad's book?

What are some popular aquarium memes /aq/?

>RCS can't be kept in a community tank if you want them to breed. No fish is shrimp safe!

Literally every person I've bought RCS off has been breeding them in a community tank with fish.

>>2038959
>wild bettas live in puddles, they are fine to keep in fishbowls!
>plecos eat the poop of other fish!

>>2038959
>Assassin snails breed really slowly or not even at all and never become pests!

I have fucking 30+

So the other day I took all the moss out my tank and kept it in a bucket of room temp tap water for a day while I moved some stuff around.

Now I've put it back in my tank it's been a very dull green and covered in grey fur for a few days.

Is it dying or something? Or will it recover?

>>2038972
30+ for a small invertebrate is not that much

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>>2038959
>Clarias Batrachus grows up to 2m in captivity and is so aggressive it will kill every tankmate, no matter what they are
Possibly the most demonized aquarium fish.

Cleaning out my aquarium to finally get started again, and it's dusty and gross as shit. Can I just scrub all that out with water?

;^)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ag_g3kw2-gk

>>2039034
It already died. I wonder why?

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>>2039034
Why bother acclimating the fish to the water, do they honestly expect them to live?

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Um... one of my bettas has a planaria on its head.

This isn't dangerous, is it? It can't burrow into its skin or anything right? I just noticed it when I was looking at my fish and saw it wiggling around.

>>2039058
No, they're harmless.
They usually appear when you dump too much food in the tank.

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My betta likes to swim up into his filter and just sit there

Full derp

(No he doesn't get trapped, I usually nudge him away when I find him there and he simply swims back into the tank, he can get out on his own too. But he often returns.)

>>2039065
Get him a betta leaf

>>2038979
It certainly has the eyes of a stone cold killer

>>2036969
Boil them/ if the are soft stone then they are no good.

>>2036969
Boil them/ if the are soft stone then they are no good. >>2036994
This is wrong some rocks are soft stome and they can leech sulphates into your water.

>>2039034
pH 11.4, female dog

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Ok so I got this plant, not sure what it is, and it's rooted to this brown stuff and has this green cage going over the top of it. I don't like it but can't get it off.

Is it for the best that it stays like this anyway guys

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What's the most underrated aquarium fish, /aq/?

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>>2039112
knife fish are amazing. watching them swim is mesmerizing

>>2039112
Pacu

>>2039122
No one should ever own one

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>>2039115
Batfish

>>2039115
>>2039122
Do you know what "underrated" means? Those are both meme fish with tons of hype, and nobody who buys them has anywhere near the means to care for them properly. If anything, they're overrated.

>>2039125
What's wrong with pacu mate? If you know how big they'll get then they should be fine

>>2037203
Anon, just wondering - is there a reason for your plants to be at the top with the roots hanging down?

>>2039184
yes

>>2039152
People buy them here thinking they're piranha and get mad when they don't eat fish or return when they get big. I love pet stores but I hate them at the same time. The one I usually go to just got some dyed parrot fish.

>>2039187
Could you...tell me? Just interested and new to keeping an aquarium.

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>>2039112
White Cloud is a good start.

I have to say Silver Dollars. They look absolutely amazing when schooling and display interesting behavior, but a lot of people think they look boring.

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Progress of my tank, rate/advice?
It looks too cluttered, but...also bare? It's a 90L tank and no.3 is where I'm at now. Fish are:

4 angels
3 flame tetra
6 neon tetra
5 guppies
2 danio
2 gourami
1 wood shrimp
1 oto catfish

I know its a mix but I like the variety...tank just needs a lot of aquascaping, ideas?

>>2038858
yeah but it's been a while since I cleaned it.

cleaned it today though, hope I didn't kill the slugs.

>>2036774
I made a gelatin for my snails once.

Made of ground algae pellets, berry flavored Tums, a little bit of flake food, squash baby food and gelatin mix. Pour that in an ice cube tray, quarter them after they harden and you have a good portion of nutritious snail/cory food.

>>2039210
I bet they would look beautiful in a tank with lots of tannins.

>>2039264
Seconded

>>2039240
You're way overstocked. Angels need much more room than that. You'll need to upgraded as soon as you can. If things go wrong in that tanks they will go wrong very fast and you can lose the entire stock.

>>2039258
>tums
Why?

>>2039292
calcium carbonate.

but why berry flavor

has anyone found mini pellia for sale online for cheap?

>>2039291
Thanks for the input. I've not noticed any problems yet but I'll keep an eye out. The angels seem to have plenty of room and nearing their max. size.

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I know it looks horrible, but will it carpet? It's HC. I'm reluctant to spread it out because I don't want to damage the roots too much

>>2038835
First things scrub that tank with a fresh sponge
Now I have read that you can gather a bunch by boiling some cucumber and letting it sink.
Those snailliggers gather up on it and you can scoop then out.
If you keep at it you can probably reduce their population to a manageable level

I have 2 African Clawed Frogs that I recently moved in to their own tank as they were finally big enough to try and attack my other fish. I want to get a plecostomus or some other form of algae eater for them. I had a common pleco in the original tank which they got along with, but he grew much too large for the 20 gal tank I got for the frogs. Is there a smaller algae eater that the frogs won't mess with, or should I get another plecostomus and swap him out when he gets too big?

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So my catfish has some junk on its head. I have no clue what it is, but it kind of looks like it's the substrate from the tank.

Anybody know what's up?

>>2039319
it's for turtles, they don't care

>>2039328
Bristle nose only get 4-5 inches

>>2039331
Any better pics of his head? Also how long have you had him and the tank established?

>>2039336
I don't have any other pics, he's currently hiding in a pineapple.

I've had this fish for roughly 5 months now, I just moved him from a 30gal to a 60 last night. I noticed this after he was transferred.

The 60 gal has had around two weeks of time to establish. I bought some cichlid sand that had bacteria in it already, transferred a foam filter from my 30 into it, and put in a bunch of goldfish.

I'll attempt to get more pictures via tipping over his pineapple and see what happens

>>2039337
What I would do at this moment is about a 25% water change. Until you can figure out what it is a 25% water changer daily can be a lot better and fix things better than any medicine can and more safe. Brought many a friends sick fish back this way.

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>>2039343

After knocking his house over, seems that the stuff isn't there... guess it was just the sand sticking to his head?

Though now he seems a bit annoyed I knocked over the pineapple

>>2039350
Weird. Must have gotten it stuck to himself somehow lol. I really want a Raphael again but last time I had one it got bloat and body got stuck in a hole when I was sleeping and some idiot left the window open during winter and almost froze my tank and killed my last one.

>>2039354
I like the look on his face "you fukin wut m8?"

>>2039152
Maybe 1 in 1000 of the people who buy them have the hundreds of gallons necessary to house a proper school.

>>2039208
Not him, but water sprite grows fine floating, and the roots provide an area for baby shrimp/fry/small bugs to colonize. Also, if the leaves are exposed to the air, they are more efficient at removing nitrates and oxygenating the water because they have access to the relatively higher levels of CO2 in the atmosphere.

>>2039240
>too-small-schools everywhere
And no, that is nowhere near an angelfish's max size.

>>2039328
Rubberlip and bristlenose are the common ones. There are others, but they'll be a lot more expensive and harder to find. I don't know if you have a heater in the tank, but the rubberlip deal with cold water better.

>>2038697
Thank you, anon

>>2038705
My phone pictures are TOO good. File size too large, unfortunately.

>>2038713
Thanks for the advice. I read that Danios can get nippy if they're bored, so I ended up going with some (four for now) Neon Tetras and a couple of Ghost Shrimp. Little Levi(athan) hasn't been aggressive to them at all. He occasionally swims by one of the Neons and checks them out, then swims back up to the top and chills by the heater. That's HIS heater.

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>>2039473
Here, let's see if this works. Levi is at the top. Little guy is the best.

>>2038773
As long as it's not too severe a change, and it's gradually over a few hours, then no.

Just eyeball it over time and if the inhabitants aren't obviously stressed out or dying right and left then it should be fine.

But do give it some leeway for fish/inverts that die off due to old age, sickness, etc. etc. etc. but not necessarily anything temp related.

>>2038780
>>2038782
take those dank ass clovers and try to transplant a little bit of it at the opposite end of the log, you have a tiny bald spot there that catches the eye. But once you have a little bit of bushy green it will all smooth itself out.

Other than that 10/10.

Heater recommendations?
I'm having a hard time sifting through Amazon reviews and other hobbyist sites.
Looking for something sturdy to heat 50 gal by about 10-15 degrees.

>>2038988
Water and either vinegar and a razor, or water and barkeepers friend.

RINSE THOROUGHLY when finished.

>>2039098
No, it will probably leak all kinds of chemical fertilizers and shit into your tank. Get some scissors, cut open the bottom, and around the wires, then pull it out. Soak it in a bucket at room temp full of tank water from water changes. Test the bucket water after a couple days, if it's still the same as your tank water, then it's safe to go into the tank.

>>2039240
Put a good amount of the taller plants near the back, with the leftovers near the left and right side of the tank. Then put all of the smaller plants in the middle/front. Keep that piece of wood in the center, to the left, and move that greenish rock back to the center, but to the right of the wood. That way everything will be balanced and much "cleaner" looking.

Now, you need to either rehome those angels, sell them, or get them their own appropriately sized tank. Then bulk up on the numbers of all of your schooling fish.

>>2039309
It looks like it's already starting to do a good job of carpeting.

>>2039350
>HUMAN
>THIS IS MY HOME
>WHY
>WHY HUMAN
>WHY

>>2039490
Eheim Jager heaters are really good. Dug one out after ten years and it's still dead on.

>>2039510
Alright, I'll go with that one.
It just seems that every Amazon review for every heater has several complaints that the heater broke and started cooking fish.

>>2039513
That's the price to pay for mass manufactured products, every now and then one will pop up in a batch that wasn't assembled properly and will be a complete piece of shit.

>>2038700
Sounds great. How do we acclimate the water? Just wait a few days with the plants in the tank?
What kind of filter should I get, if one at all?

>>2039513
>the heater broke and started cooking fish.
this is why when you get serious about what you're doing you'll pay the $11.73 to get an external digital thermostat.

>>2039524
Link?

>>2039531
http://www.ebay.com/itm/10A-110V-Digital-LED-Fahrenheit-Temperature-Controller-Thermostat-Temp-Sensor-US-/400857973395?hash=item5d54ff4293:g:h~8AAOSw-W5U04Cj

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>Want to do another tank
>2 tanks already

The price of used tanks is getting ridiculous.

>I have a tank I bought for $100 brand new it has a fish in it so I want $100

Do people not get that having fish in the tank makes it worth less money? No one wants to buy a tank with fish in it. They want to put their own fish in there.

In fact the fish probably gets killed as soon as it gets home.

Now I wanna get a nice catfish too. What are the best species for keeping?

>>2039539
I want to do another tank to compliment my 40b. I have a 29g sitting around on the floor as a quarantine, but I'm honestly considering doing a 20l instead. Less water to work with even though I stopped doing water changes

>>2039544
That mostly depends on how big of a tank you're willing to spend on and maintain. A 10 gallon can only do the pygmy cory species, a nice 20 long can house most groups of medium cory cats, 29 gallons gets you in the smaller pleco range, and 55-75+ for the larger and/or active species of catfish

Cory cats are the nicest beginner catfish imo

What's the best type of Dwarf Hairgrass /aq/?

Will be in a shrimp nano with no Co2 but high lighting.

Don't want it to carpet just form bushes.

>>2039495
Thanks anon, I'll have a re-arrange and try to post pics later.

I got the two danio from my brother as that's all he had in a tiny tank, that's what started my interest.

But I'm concerned about overstocking if I up the danio and flame tetra numbers?

I'm also stuck for what to do with the angels, obviously I'm a complete noob but please don't think I didn't ask at the aquarium whether they'd be suitable before buying them. I told them about my tank, the fish in it, and they assured me it'd be fine. I'm really attached to them but don't want to cause them stress once they grow bigger, what sort of tank would be a good size for them?

Sorry about the long post but I want my fish to be healthy and happy, so any advice for a noob will be taken on board!

>>2038815
Yes, loaches and cories are fine together.
Cories might get out-competed for food eventually though, but I don't know how fast/boisterous coolies are.

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My L-011 Squaliforma Emarginata

>>2039492
do you really think it could be harmful? There was a bunch of those in a tank at my lfs

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My tanks starting to bore me, was thinking about adding crinum and yanking out about half the jungle val, moving the sad sword to the far left, taking out the house and adding allot more dwarf sag.

Load is 7ish cloud minnows, 3 corys (might double that) cherry shrimp, and am unknown number of otos.

Any one have ideas?

>>2039622
Good photo.
Do you have more?

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>>2039648
This picture is some months old but same fish, same spot.

What small algae eaters are there besides Oto?

Small enough for a nano tank.

>>2039730
Amanos and nerite snails.

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Any reefers out there? Also, rate my reef. Full mixed reef w/ 60+corals. hugely diverse animal life 30g nano

Is it possible to use super glue to glue moss underwater if you're super quick?

>>2039755
It will contaminate the water.

How do aquascapers keep their aquascapes so clean?

Do they clean their tank every 5 seconds or something?

>>2039756
It's supposed to be tank safe, tons of people use it to glue shit to other shit. They tend to take the item out the tank first tho

>>2039542
That's how things are now. It's rare to come across good deals on Craigslist anymore. I put up my PS3 and Nintendo dsi XL for trade and some bitch was yelling that her 55g was worth more than all of that because it's a "giant" tank and wanted things around my house. I told her to fuck off and die.

>>2039759
It's tank safe as long as its dry.

>>2039762
It dries immediately upon contact with water.

>>2039759
It prolly won't dry in the water and it's prolly only non-toxic when dry.

>>2039763
I learned that the hard way. I squeezed a tube to hard and it all got in my hand as a kid. Put my hand under cold water and my hands were stuck together.

New thread: >>2039769

>>2039768
Lmao! I did that when I first started keeping tanks in high school.

>>2039759
>>2039755
>>2039756
>>2039762
Cyanoacrylate super glue gel is safe for all aquarium applications. I have probably over 20 ozs of the stuff holding coral to my rockwork in my reef

Alright so I got a new fish and it's a betta. i haven't took care of one in over 7 years so I wanted to know the minimum size of the tank and water pressure etc.
I took care if an angel fish but never a betta so I wanted to know.

>>2039761
If it was just the tank, you can get a 55 gallon at Petco for $55 right now.

>>2039816
5 gallons, HEATED if your indoor temps ever drop below 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Yes, get a thermometer (glass is fine). 10 gallon waterfall filter with a coarse sponge put over the intake OR a 10 gallon canister filter to keep the water clean. A turkey baster to clean the tank.

Optional but nice: plants that don't get big, marimo balls, decorations with SMOOTH edges, light on the tank for 8 hours a day. If the edges could snag some panty hose, it'll snag a beta so don't get cheap plastic crap.

Every beta is extremely inbred and tends to be pretty delicate. Sudden temp drops, loud noises, and having the bowl be disturbed (ex: tapped glass) can make them get sick and die. Your first warning is lethargy, then they stop eating, and then they're dead. They also injure easily. Good luck.

>>2039112
Phantom tetras. Indestructible.

NEW THREAD
>>2039769
>>2039769