/AQ/ Dirted Tank Edition

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This is the soil I used for my 1.5, Its been running for 3 months, Currently has 1-2 MTS, and 3 different Crypts, I think the foreground one is Wenditi?,the tall one is Retrospiralis(?, although might be some kind of Val with how big it is), and parva? in the back. They were all bought as different times with basic labels. Also a Banana plant. I need to find a good piece of hardscape when the thaw hits, and maybe some shrimp or a CPO? My lighting is just a 3w led desk lamp. Other nutrient additions are Seachem Excel, Iron and Flourish and the dirt was seeded with Osmocote +.

>>2070026
Looks pretty good to me. I bet that would make an awesome shrimp tank.

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Alright senpai, I've had a tank for like 1 month (this is a 4gallon) and it currently has a few live plants and two "starter" cloud minnows that my locally owned pet store gave me to aid in cycling.

Now the first time I checked the water I had level 4 ammonia, which was too toxic, but perfect everything else. 2 weeks later I go back to the pet store (they give free water checks) and now my ammonia is perfect and my nitrates are off the charts.

I've been doing 20% water changes everyday and following the printed guide they gave me, but how long is this supposed to actually take?

The cloud minnows are very active and healthy, but I assume that's because they are extremely hardy despite being in literal toxic water. I'm just scared to put anything else in it in case they die instantly.

>>2070074
youre changing the water far too much and you probably have nothing for a bacterial colony to grow in. no mention of a filter.

>>2070021
I need help getting soil for my tank. I have a regular 55 gallon tank (48"X12" base) and I don't know how much I need. First, what soil is the best, and how much will I need for my tank?

>>2070074
when ammonia is at zero and nitrates are high the tank is cycled.

now just keep up with the water changes to get rid of nitrates. Nitrate will never hit zero. You just want it as low as you can get.

>>2070074
also you should probably test your tap water to see if it has high nitrates.

it happens pretty often. People changing water with water that's even worse.

>>2070099
>>2070119
>>2070115

Thanks guys. I should add that I do have a filter/heater and that I've been adding dechlorinater with every change

>>2070110
um, I suck shit at math, but if you can take the area of the bottom, give yourself at least one inch of soil, and a half inch of sand to cap it, you can get the idea.

>>2070129
yeah, no problem.
It sounds like you're doing just fine. As the anon says, you're probably changing more water than you need to. Slow it down on the water changes once nitrate is in check.

>>2070074
ya, what all the other anons said, you kinda know when your tank is cycled when your filter media looks gnarly. Whether it is solid media like ceramic thingys or sponges that look like shit and you can squeeze some tea colored shit from them each week. You can test them with those science-y test kits, but if you start right, and end right and got your shit together you can make your tank right after a few weeks. Don't by the "no fish" cycle bullshit, plop some hardy, cheap, fish in your tank and take it from there. If your fish live, well, awesome, if the die, well, shit. Once you can get cheap fish to live, than get a new fish tank thats bigger and better to raise cooler and more difficult fish!

Do species inter-friendship/school?? Would different Cory cats feel closer and school, or would different tetras school or feel better, like Rummynose and Cardinals? Do fish feel more special or less special depending on what species are stocked? I guess what I am asking is/are species more likely to get along with like species of similar kind or do they know if they are kind of separated by science?

If young adult angelfish (8+ months) swim together frequently, does it mean they've paired off? They're leaving their tankmates alone. I guessed they were a male and female about a month ago based on head shape.

>>2070139
I wouldn't say it's common, but I briefly had a rainbow shark that liked to cuddle up to my kuhli loaches. I got a new one when the other died, but this one does not care for other fish.

>>2069932
They're sorta like Ghost Shrimp, scavengers, but will eat anything smaller if given the opportunity.

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I'm just now getting into dirted tanks. My first dirted tank is a planted betta cube with eleocharis, rotala indica, and nymphaea stellata (sp).

Right now I have green algae for days. Both walls of the tank are caked in it. Lighting is set to run from 0800-1200, then from 1600 to 1800. I've been thinking of dropping the photo period down to 6 hours.

Anons in the last thread were complaining about eleocharis dying out. With my current setup, I'm seeing some very slow propagation, but no death. My planting technique was not ideal -- I didn't separate the hairgrass into small enough bunches, as I later saw that I should.

The rotala seems to be melting and growing back. I think it might have been grown emersed, and is now adjusting to immersive growth.

I started another 20long in my basement and for some reason I have a shit ton of tannins in that one. This betta tank was only cloudy, and only for like a day, no visible tannins. I think it was because I was more diligent in removing pieces of bark, or because I used a thicker sand cap.

Tank has been running for a little less than a month.

>>2070110
You'll need between ⅔ and 1 cubic feet, or 24-30 quarts, of soil, plus about ¼ cubic feet of sand (7½ qts) or ½ cubic foot of gravel (15 quarts) for a cap.
That'll give you 2-3 inches of soil and a little under an inch of sand, or about an inch and a half of gravel.

Any soil is fine as long as it doesn't have chemical additives, which is why people usually suggest "organic" soils. If you live near a rice field or other water crop, you could also go out and take some mud from there.

>>2070213
>Lighting is set to run from 0800-1200, then from 1600 to 1800. I've been thinking of dropping the photo period down to 6 hours.
That is six hours, isn't it?

The hairgrass isn't going to form a dense carpet unless you get higher lighting and CO2, but good substrate and moderate light is enough to keep it alive.

>>2070272
>That is six hours
My bad, 1600 to 2000. I'm American, I mixed up 8PM with 1800.

>higher lighting
If anything I'm trying to reduce the lighting due to the algae. I was considering floating plants, although I imagine the water lily will eventually be tall enough to create some shade.

>The hairgrass isn't going to form a dense carpet
So they say. I'm interested to see how far it can go with glutaraldehyde alone.

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Sorry for blur but, what kind of fish is this? It looks like a gold dojo loach to me but it has 3 brownish black spots on its left side.

I can't tell if its a different species or if it just has some bruising.

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That feel when the tank you work on needs to be dived in to be cleaned.

I don't know any other hobby that requires such a diverse set of skills. Electrical, water chemistry, animal husbandry, suba diving and plumbing pool knowledge.

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Any one here ever deal with redbud infestations? I basically had to kill my entire pod and crustacean population after my corals got badly infected.

Tank is okay now but hair algae and dirt for the lack of micro cleanup crew and die off is creeping up.

>>2070330
>>2070333
I dream of being able to run an aquarium for an employer
>dat budget
>dat excuse to fuck with fish while on the job
>dat comfy personalized office-space
my only worry would be getting carried away
>"Anon, I told you to set up a fish tank"
>"I did boss, isnt it beautiful?"
>"it's just 5000 shrimp in a bucket covered in moss"
>"don't worry boss, in 3 months when it's properly cycled, I'll get a single dwarf puffer"
>"you're fired, anon"

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>>2070339
My office space is anything but comfy pic related. Our budget is about 20k a month. I work for a private residence.

I get the duce bigalow jokes often.

>>2070349
never saw the movie so that joke flies right over my head.
>20K a month
holy fuck, what? where do you work and what the fuck do you spend 20 grand a month on for a fish tank? is that your exclusive job?
also, are those wires from a breaker in that little tank?

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How are you plants doing, /aq/?

>>2070354
my indica is growing some beautiful purple blooms, but some of my slow growing plants are starting to sprout some fuzzy algea

>>2070356
Reduce the light-on time and increase the co2.

>>2070358
will the algae kill the plant or is it just ugly?

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>>2070352
I cant say for the privacy of the client. The tank is about 10k gallons. It's the only client I work with atm. It's not my only job just part time as I'm still in school. Its an easy as hell job for what I do not that I don't take it with the utmost professionalism. It beats wage cuckery working as wage slave in a restaurant or retail shit.

The box above the desk is a ballast box for the UV lamps to disinfect the water I was changing them out at the time. The actual breaker box is much MUCH larger as most of our equipment is 220v.

The tank to the left is our water change vat which is fed by that woefully inadequate ro/di filter which I'm replacing next month.

This the actual skimmer and ozone unit, which is the size of a very large domestic water heater tank.

>>2070359
Algae won't kill the plant unless it's competely taken over and blocking it from absorbing nutrients and light.

It will however reduce the growth rate.

Also get a pair of siamese algae eaters, I can personally recommend them, they eat every last bit of algae in sight.

>>2070361
can I just scrape it off the leaves somehow? I tried just rubbing it off with my thumb but that didnt do much

>>2070362
Try using a toothbrush and carefully scrub it off, just don't fuck up the leaves.

>>2070240
Would API's Pondcare soil work? I just really don't want to fuck something up by getting the wrong soil.

>>2070359
>>2070361
>Also get a pair of siamese algae eaters
Don't get fish without researching their care. SAEs get 6 inches and can sometimes be mildly territorial.

>>2070384
>API's Pondcare soil
From what I'm reading it's just clay and zeolite, in which case it's not gong to give you the same benefits as topsoil.

>>2070359
My experience is that if algae completely coats a leaf, it will kill that leaf. The plant will keep growing, but mature leaves will become covered in algae and die off presumably due to lack of light.

>>2070364
dip it in a gallon of tank water, Plus one cap of peroxide(lil cap on the bottle). Kills algae well. Can leave the plant soaking all day. Don't do it in tank though, or you'll hurt your filter, and kill any neon tetras, but most other fish are alright with it.

>>2070407
What about Fluval's stratum?
And how many bags do you think I'd need for a 55g?

Im new to using a top with two t5's. And with about 7 hours runtime a day the water gets green. Would replacing one of the t5's with something else help or can i only reduce the runtime to limit algae growth? If changing it works what can you guys recommend?

>>2070170
nothing is certain with angelsfish, feed them some blood worms then do like 20% water change and replace the water with stuff a couple degrees cooler than the tank water
if theyre pairing off they'll do some spawning behavior, if not actually breed
make sure theres a piece of slate and or an amazon sword for them to lay on beforehand

>>2070213
get either a single SAE or a couple oto cats to help deal with the algae
if you dont want to keep them in such a small tank with a betta long term, just move them over to the 20 long once its good to go
also looks like you've got some bacterial film on the surface, might wanna have something break up the surface tension be it filter or bubbles

>>2070021
Does anyone keep a predator took deal with fry? My Ghost shrimp are going out of control.

>>2070465
Hell, could I just get Walmart's soil?
>S.T. International Aqua Soil

>>2070530
your ghost shrimp breed without you even trying? I thought they were difficult to make reproduce >>2070530

>>2070564
I think you maybe a little confused, these are 15 cent feeder shrimp we are talking about.

What will stop me from buying this and hanging it above my 20 gallon? It seems like a better deal than lights made for aquariums
http://www.amazon.com/Light-4lamps-DL824-Fluorescent-Hydroponic/dp/B009GU4RMC/ref=sr_1_12?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1456447260&sr=1-12&keywords=grow+light

>>2070573
DO IT
O

I
T

>>2070528
I'm skeptical that otos will eat this kind of algae. If you've witnessed otherwise, please tell me. I have two otos (used to be three, one died a few weeks ago), but I'd have to transfer them.

>>2070560
It looks expensive as fuck. $40 for 11lbs? You'd probably need quite a few bags for a 55g

>>2070026
Beautiful.
>>2070492
You could do that or put more plants in your tank.

>>2070608
About what weight would I need for an inch or so of soil?

>>2070361
>SAE get 6 inches
i got mine at 2.5 and they've been at 3.5 for about three years in my 75 gallon with plenty of food

>>2070650
meant to respond to>>2070407

>>2070492
a uv filter will keep water from going green

>>2070652
He doesn't need a uv filter, he needs to find balance and add a fuckload of co2

>>2070021
>starts new /aq/ thread
>planted tank edition
>posts a bag of fucking dirt instead of tank
What the actual fuck? No wonder this thread isn't taking off. Should we make a new one that isn't retarded?

>>2070661
didnt say he needed one, i said it would do the job

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>>2070564
Ghost shrimp formed a colony in my tank possibly a thriving civilization on over flow box relm of my tank. Constantly at war with the ever present hermit crab raiders.

Too bad they all died when I gassed my system with interceptor and Bayer to wipe out a particularly bad red bug infestation.

>>2070683
I don't think people come for the pretty pictures of fish

>>2070752
You're right, I come for the pretty pictures of plants.

>>2070354
My new glosso is doing pretty well, had a bit of a diatom bloom last week but it's leveled off and manageable. Ferts and CO2 really helped it along.

>>2070333
>hair algae and dirt for the lack of micro cleanup crew and die off is creeping up.
you need to re-establish your pod population.

I've been working on that one myself. I bought some pods off ebay and they did great at controlling algae and mulm, but after a couple months they had all died off for some reason. Maybe because my fish eat them constantly.

I'm thinking I might need to get some good live rock to start the culture. But that's expensive to ship. Maybe buy some macros to stuff in the overflow, that might get things moving again.

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Here's my ugly ass out of focus camera screenshot of my tank, with freshly planted dwarf hairgrass, a new batch of marsilea hirsuta to make up for the carpet that was wiped out earlier, and a crypt pontederiifolia in the back right corner. Whole substrate has been reseeded with oscmocote plus gel caps too

I'm gonna try doing Excel dosing again since I think my shrimps will be fine with it, and to help encourage growth. Hope my carpet plants don't die off again

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>>2070021
Please don't fuck with the OP title.
It's harder to find in the catalog.

>>2070848
>/aq/

?

>>2070878
>ctrl+f
>aquarium general
>only result is the old thread at the bottom of the catalog

>>2070884
Why would you do that bass ackwards way of finding a general?

There is a reason /aq/ is there. In fact there is a reason there is a /???/ for every general.

>>2070884
You stupid, stupid faggot.

>>2070643
It's hard for me to say. I would be surprised if you got by with just one bag. I've used multiple 11lb bags of substrate in my 24"x13". Granted, it was for a much greater depth, 3 inches as opposed to 1 inch. But you have a much larger surface area, so it evens out. Do you really want to spend $80-$120 just laying substrate down in your tank? I mean if you make $$$ then by all means go all out, but even then that's money you could be spending on equipment, plants, decorations, fish.

You've got to have some kind of hardware store in your area, perhaps even a gardening store of some kind. You should be able to find an organic potting mix without any artificial fertilization -- maybe even tell a sales rep that you're using it with fish and it's essential that it doesn't leach e.g. nitrogen into the water -- and you'll be able to buy more than enough dirt for less than $40. I bought a 32qt bag to do my 20 gallon long, and I barely used a quarter of the bag. You may very well be able to do an entire 55 gallon with one 32qt bag of dirt, and it will run you $5-15.

>>2070752
>>2070755
They come for this fish, shrimp, advice, sometimes plants, and very rarely dirted tanks

>>2070909
This is aquarium general. Not plant general. We're going to ask you to stop talking about dirt.

>>2070928
Yeah because plants arent a part of the aquarium :^)

>>2070963
Please refrain. Aquatic plants are. But attempting turning the aquarium general into a planted tank only shit fest thread is and has always been top tier autism.

>>2070965
nobody tries to do that. it just happens to be that like 80% of posters here have planted tank setups, so 80% of the posts will be in relation to that. if you have a problem, start a topic about saltwater tanks or what ever bullshit you think is being actively suppressed by the /aq/ planted tank coalition

>>2070967
You've been warned anon.

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Fuck fuck fuck
Lost one of my CPO's this morning.
Looks like a molt went bad.

>>2070909
One of my friends (seasoned aquarist, though she hasn't done a planted tank before) warned me against any garden soil because of what might be living in the dirt. Is that a concern, or do I only have to worry about the chemical additives?

>>2070928
The discussion was for substrate in a planted aquarium. Substrate is part of an aquarium, and I'm rather sure "part of an aquarium" falls under "aquarium general."

>>2070965
You're an idiot senpai

>>2071023
>>2071025
Again you have been warned.

>>2071042
so what kind of dirt do you use in your planted tank?

>>2071023
If it's bagged soil, without any chemicals, you'll be okay
Some people take soil straight out of the ground for "natural" tanks

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>>2071042

>>2071047
Only two people here are talking about dirted tanks and about 2-3 others want to start dirt tanks. So for me I don't use dirt. Just sand, ferts, and co2.

>>2071049
Alright, thank you anon

>>2071047
I'm currently using Miracle Gro Organic in my little 5 gallon.

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Hey /aq/,
So i just got this 'thing', It's an acrylic box thats about 25x25x40, built out of 3/4 inch acyrlic. Was gifted to me by a professor. Any ideas on what to do? So far ideas include: >Terrarium w/ water feature and small fish (scarlet badis?) and some type of amphibian, reptile, or insect to inhabit it.
>Mantis shrimp tank (3/4 inch acrylic walls and height means i can have a large sand dwelling mantis, and the acrylic is way to thick to be broken
>Tidal Reef tank, with mangroves, shallow water with snails/corals/crabs, can work out some sort of tide system to raise and lower water daily.
>????????
Open to ideas. Very well versed in aquarium keeping, been in saltwater for awhile, and freshwater my whole life. Give me ideas.

>>2071076
Smell it, post results

>>2071076
How's it sealed? I'd be worried about it not being aquarium-safe.

>>2071081
No shut up, he has to smell it first

>>2070928
> We're going to ask you to stop talking about dirt.
since when the fuck are you speaking for all of us? Any fish keeper that's halfway decent has live plants in their tank (seriously if you don't, you should be ashamed), unless the fish just eat the plants. and guess what!! Plants grow better in soil, and not the gravel you have at the bottom of your tank (have you ever seen a plant grow in just gravel? I have, but that was hydroponics, not a tank). Therefore dirt (or media, as my professors prefer to call it), is every bit as important as any other part of a tank.

>>2071085
>Any fish keeper that's halfway decent has live plants in their tank
>he hasn't heard of saltwater

>>2071087
What's saltwater?

>>2071087
Xenia counts, and aiptasia. The niche is still there. It's just algae instead. But keeping freshwater without plants is like keeping a reef without rock.

>>2071089
>Xenia counts, and aiptasia. The niche is still there. It's just algae instead.
kek

>>2071088
It's like freshwater, but someone went around and put some salt into it so it's an uninhabitable wasteland.

>>2070492
You can't really replace it with anything besides a differently colored bulb, which might help a little, but probably not much. It's perfectly fine to run the fixture with only one bulb if you want to try that.

>>2071092
Thanks familia

>>2070465
I use Fluval stratum and it works great for me. The main reason people use topsoil is because it's cheap. If you don't mind spending the money, getting a specialty plant substrate specifically for aquariums will work fine.

>>2070567
Yeah, those ones are usually hard to breed.

>>2070573
>What will stop me from buying this and hanging it above my 20 gallon?
Aesthetics. I'd you don't mind, it's fine. Using all 4 lights is going to give you some wicked algae growth unless you're dosing generously and have a CO2 system.

>>2070650
I just got back from the LFS and they had a six inch one in one of the display tanks.

>>2071076
>25x25x40
Inches or centimeters?

>>2071077
Doesn't smell like anything. I've crawled all around the inside of it cleaning it, no weird smells, sorry to disappoint. I did have to clean a large amount of blood off of it though.... Me and the old guy that helped me load it into my car cut ourselves pretty badly on its sharp corners.
>>2071081
Silicone seals. There are these metal brackets that sit about 6 inchs off the bottom, and those I'm sure aren't invert safe, but it will be fine so long as I only fill it up 4 inchs or so, which even then (I just tested it) it will hold 7 gallons of water, and considering for a terrarium it'll only take up maybe 1/3 of the floorspace it'll be more like 2.5 gallons of water, which is plenty for me to keep microfish/shrimp/snails.
Otherwise I would have to remove the braces, and reseal the entire container, and probably brace it from the outside. Which would be a bitch.
>>2071112
Inches. That'd be tiny if it was centimeters!

>>2071116
>no smell

Dropped

>>2071087
Actually I have a reef myself. I would consider corals "plants" due to their use of zooxanthellae algae. Even if you don't regard those, because they are technically animals, I also keep a mangrove tree, as well as three different kinds of macro algae. I would definitely consider those plants. And if you don't use those is your reef/fowlr then your still a shitty aquarist
>what is nutrient export?

>>2071116
If you make a shelf that sits right on top of/above the water instead of building up a mound of land, you'll get a lot more water in there.

>>2071132
huh... I like that idea a lot actually.

>>2071049
>>2071064

So I went shopping around and found some soils I might be able to use but I had some lingering doubts. Every soil I found had some sort of nitrogen, phosphate and potash. Is a certain level of these chemicals acceptable or should I avoid them entirely?

>>2071085
Hahahaha you only can grow plants in dirt hahahaha hahahaha! You're fucking retarded.

>>2071151
well anon.. it does have to be some type of soil. And as anon previously stated, hydroponics is a thing. Composition changes, but the fact remains aquarium gravel is a terrible thing to try to grow plants in.

>>2071148
This is why you have a big fat sand cap above your soil. If your really worried you can follow Walstads instructions on preparing soil for the tank.

>>2071085
Not that guy but there's plenty of species that can grow in just gravel and low care plants will grow in gravel in a tank. Personally use sand and never thought of dirt.

>>2071120
algae are protists, not plants :^)

>>2071155
Sand is almost as good as dirt. What is necessary is smaller closer particles so that the roots are able to grip better, and use their little fibers to soak up nutes. I've used gravel in my planted aquariums, and sure, it works kinda, but not nearly as well as using sand, or better yet, soil. Both sand and gravel are devoid of nutrients, and soil provides plenty of nutes and support for the growing plants.

>>2071156
So what's a mangrove tree?

>>2071148
>nitrogen, phosphate and potash
This is what plants use to grow. It's the whole reason you'd use dirt in the first place.

>>2071154
>big fat sand cap
>follow Walstads instructions
Pretty sure Walstad very specifically says not to use more than a half inch cap if you're using sand.

>>2071151
They didn't say you can only grow plants in soil, they said plants grow best in soil. Retard

What's up with anons complaining about shrimp and dirt talk? Aquariums consist of more than just fish, it's not fish general. how can people be so retarded?

>>2071148
>Is a certain level of these chemicals acceptable
Yes, as long as the stuff is organic, i.e. no artificial fertilization. It might have helped if you had recorded the products and posted them here desu

>>2071170
I know, I know. Luckily I found the soil that Walstad recommends, so I'm all good now.

>>2071163
That's pretty fat for me...... Mine are usually no more then a quarter inch.

>>2071168
Because this is /aq/. 90% retards trollings, 10% useful people.

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I put together this ~3 gallon sphere aquarium. It's got some parrots feather, cardinal plant and moneywort in it. These plants sit in Fluval Plant and Shrimp substrate. It's unfiltered and unheated. Light is a 100w LED running at ~30%

It's pretty well planted for it's size and currently has 2 ghost shrimp and a small feeder guppy to get the cycle going.

Once this thing cycles, how many RCS can I cram in here? I was thinking of starting with 10 and seeing if they breed. No other fish will be added.

>>2071204
Dude it's probably cycled, those are good filter-plants.

You can add a lot of them, they don't poop much but ten is a great start.

>>2071207

Plants have been in there a week, the animal life has been in there for four days. I'm gonna give it AT LEAST another week before I throw more bio-load in.

Might throw an assassin snail in too to keep any plant hitchhikers at bay. Think they'd dig too much for the substrate?

>>2071214
No, but they'll die in 3 weeks, because that is not carrying alot of snails

>>2071168
Because when someone says aquarium you don't think of those things. You think of fish. But people get so mad because shrimp is 90% of these fish threads.

>>2071194
Nah it's gotta be 50/50 at least. I get a hell of a lot better conversation here than I do anywhere else here other than maybe /ck/

>>2071204
I would try and buy just 5 or so berried females. That way, in about a month or so, you'll quickly get your colony to what is probably it's maximum capacity. Cheaper, and you don't have to wait 4 months for your fully colonized shrimp tank, instead just waiting like a month or two

>>2071244
Maybe I'm to cynical. I hope your right. Seems like all i get is criticism from stupid anons that don't know what their saying.

>>2071248
Well what's your setup? /aq/ does love to jump down the throat of people who don't do shut according to exactly how the Internet tells them they need to do shit.

>>2071249
I don't do anything according to how people tell me to do it. I look at whats biologically happening, and just and resolve the problem with another biological solution, never chems. I have a 55g community freshwater tank (in the process of dismantling for space), a 5g 'ecosystem' w/ dwarf puffer, rcs, and snails,
and a 30g reef, which is the culmination of my 15 years of aquarium keeping experience. I haven't lost a fish in two years (minus one jumper on one of my moves, and another due to a murderous crab), and have phenomenal growth on plants and coral. consequences.

>>2071255
ignore that consequences.. I may be a little high/drunk

>>2071248
Maybe contribute instead of trolling?

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>>2071257
How was that trollin?

>>2071232
Just because fish is the first thing that may pop into some people's minds when they think of aquariums doesn't mean anything. Makes no sense what you're saying. Any hobbyist would know that there's way more to an aquarium than the fish and therefore it's fine to talk about it in the aquarium general.

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What plant is this?

UGHGHGGHHGHGHGHGHGHH

I got home today and one of my aquariums is leaking - again - after already being replaced for leaking once. This is fucking ridiculous. I even added extra silicone to make sure after the 1st one leaked. WHY IS THIS HAPPENING. None of my other aquariums have EVER leaked, even this extremely old one I got off of mother fucking craigslist that's older than I am. Have I somehow bred a strain of algee that eats silicone? Am I just the luckiest person ever to pick out every defective aquarium in the store? And of course I discover the leak after all the stores are closed and I have to work first thing tomorrow so I just have to let it sit there leaking for another 20 hours before I can replace it, and then it's going to take me at least 3 hours to fucking replant all the plants.

J F M S U this is my best looking aquarium too

>>2071246

Local pet shop doesn't differentiate between preggo females and other shrimp

>>2071266
Lacy java fren, or java wendelov

>>2071264
Why don't you contribute maybe?

>>2071267
Bad karma?

>>2071274
I do. but it's understandable that you didn't know that considering this is an anonymous image board

>>2071266
It's a variety of java fern. Windelov, I think.

>>2071276
Doubt

>>2071279
Troll

>>2071269
Are you sure? Every fish store I've ever gone to has picked out exactly which creature im buying. I always pick the berried shrimp

>>2071301
Then stop. It's not hard anon.

>>2071304

>>2071301 and >>2071276
aren't the same person

>>2071002
So sorry to hear that anon.

>>2071087
>implying the oceans and seas don't have an abundance of saltwater live plants.

It's fucking called seaweed dumbass.

If I ever have a saltwater tank I am not going to waste time with corals, I would have one or two as a centerpiece, but other than that I would plant the shit out of it.

>>2071148
If you are really worried, then you can simply mineralize it.

Basically, get all the dirt you are going to put in your tank. Soak the shit out of it in luke warm water. Then spread it out on cookie/baking sheets/plastic tarp/whatever that isn't toxic to fish.

Spread it out as thin as possible then let it bake dry in the warm sunlight.

You can also get some porous material like a cooking strainer or whatnot to sift it to remove as much large debris as possible. Before you soak it.

Then you just soak the dirt again, drain, and bake. Repeat as many times as you feel necessary.

This is what "mineralized topsoil" is. Of course, doing this can leech out some of the nutrition that the plants will need, so I believe those who mineralize topsoil actually add things in during the final stage, where they are putting the soil in the tank itself and layering it with things like a gravel cap and such.

So, basically do your research. But it's all super easy and hella cheap if you know what you are doing.

Plus, there are a wide range of aquarium safe fertilizers, both liquid and in capsules, if you don't want to go through the hassle and just toss plain mineralized soil in.

So no matter what you choose, it's all good.

>>2071312
*sigh* the struggles of an anonymous board.. People don't realize how many people are telling them they're wrong, because they tell themselves it's all one person.

>>2071336
>It's fucking called seaweed dumbass
ah the irony.
you know seaweed isn't a plant, right?
please tell me you do, oh brilliant one calling people "dumbass."

>>2071159
i didnt say anything about mangroves

>>2071345
It has roots and you stick it in the dirt or sand, or you attach the roots to rock/driftwood. It has chlorophyll and feeds off of sunlight, as well as nutrients it absorbs from the dirt/sand/water.

At this point whether it is technically a plant or not doesn't matter.

Now quit being an anal pained autist and contribute something to this thread instead of shitting it up with your off topic posts.

>>2071359
>It has roots
see, you had to start off with a lie right off the bat.

>>2071359
Sorry to say anon, but algae doesn't have roots. It's not a complex enough organism for that. However, I would argue with you that they are 'plants'. Obviously, scientifically they aren't, but their care requirments are very similar (light, nutes (nitrogen, phosphate)). As far as I'm concerned, when looking at my reef, is that the macro algaes looks a hell of a lot more like plants than anything else in that alien environment (except my mangrove).

>>2071259
>those godly zooanthids
i hope to some day have enough money and time to graduate to reefs

>>2071267
is the tank perfectly level?
if the last one that leaked was in the same spot and it wasn't level either that could be causing your problem

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>>2071204 here

Since apparently mangroves fit in this thread, here are some of mine. I collect them every year when I go vacation in Sanibel, FL

These were planted ~6 months ago and half are doing great! The other half have yet to hit their growth spurt.

Second from the right is exhibiting albinism, likely due to the BP oil spill stressing local trees. I'm really surprised that it put out even the tiny leaves it did.

The red zip ties indicate which ones were treated with pesticide and the plastic wrap and tape are to keep the soil enclosed, as I have a terrible fungus gnat problem.

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>>2071397

Here are my older ones. They're about three years old and live in a gallon glass jar half full of rep-cal sand. They've already rooted into the bottom, and some algae has taken up in the sand.

There is one fingernail sized snail that lives in there too, who burrows in the sand most of the time. It keeps some of the algae on the glass at bay.

Unfortunately this winter some of the leaves have started to dry out and break off due to lack of humidity.

>>2071400
get yerself a humidifier anon

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>>2071402

Thats what that is in the bottom left corner

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>>2071365
>>2071385
If this shit doesn't have roots then how the hell does it stay attached to rocks?

>>2071397
You should take a very slim cutting from a healthy tree and graft it onto the one with albinism, so it has some chlorophyll and continues to grow. It would be so awesome to have a "spotted" tree.

>>2071409
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holdfast

>>2071232
>Because when someone says aquarium you don't think of those things. You think of fish.
>You think of fish.
>You
Found the pleb

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My clownfish and domino damsel are fighting over who gets the new anemone I rescued from petco today.

>>2071422
did you rescue the clown and the domino from petco too?
what about the live rock?
liveRockLivesMatter

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>>2071423
I rescued the rock from Fiji, Haiti, Florida and Tonga. Miserable places with terrible scenery and weather.

but yeah, I saved the fish from petco.

>>2071425
im so relieved you saved the rock from the big scary ocean, a true hero.
post results of fish fight winner

>>2071426
will do.

my rock is like ten years old and recycled through at least 3 different tanks. I don't think any of those places are harvesting any more. Florida still sells cultured stuff.

Mine's mostly dead though. Pretty much just basement rock by now. I'm working on getting it resurrected.

>>2071340
What other ferts are there? I add carbon and iron to my tank every other day and daily, respectively, along with a daily dose of calcium for my snails in the tank I already have.

>>2071436
not him but phosphorus and nitrogen are necessary. Usually dosed as phosphate and ammonium nitrate I think. Then there's a shitload of trace elements plants need. Molybdenum is one. I can't recall the others.

there's commercial preparations out there that have all this stuff though. Lots of them.

>>2071436
The three major macro nutrients are nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus. These three nutrients are what plants need the most of. Everything else is considered micros - iron, copper, calcium, magnesium, boron, etc. The plants need them to grow but in much smaller amounts. Overdosing on micros will cause more harm than good, eventually leading to plant toxicity and plant death.

>>2071397
What do you do with all of those

>>2071464

They're just house plants.

>>2071259
Honestly if you just wanna keep zoas and other low maintenance corals, just go ahead and do it. Go out, buy a 10 gallon tank, some salt and RO and throw it together. The vast majority of soft corals will actually benefit from not having expensive equipment like protein skimmers and reactors, since softies don't need calcium and all the other minerals that stonies need. All you need is a somewhat decent light, any light that grows freshwater plants will do fine. Then start growin zoas! They're super rewarding to grow, and if you can keep a dirty tank (i.e. no tech besides filter and light), you'll get great growth. The only other thing you'll need to buy is a hydrometer and actinics so you can see them glow :)

>>2071665
was meant for you, sorry I'm like... really really high.
>>2071392

>>2071425
Who's gettin the nem now? I really wish I could get one... I just have so much coral filling every nook and cranny of the tank, there's about one spot where a RBTA would be OK, but if he decided to move he would take out about 4-8 corals in any direction.

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Check out the size of this sucker. This is a red/black brittle star that I got when he was about the size of a softball, now he's freakin huge

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>My moss always looks stringy, dark, covered in algae and nothing like it does in show tanks.

>>2071665
>actinics so you can see them glow
Potentially a really stupid question, but would those blue Glofish™ LEDs make them glow, or do they need the actinics to stay alive?

>>2071412
>Oh look! These plants have roots!
>What do you mean their not plants and therefor have no roots! Look at it, they are right in front of your face!
>Fine, we will call it a different name, but it's still a bunch of roots, you dumbass.

>>2071711
Get a very wide toothed comb, with smooth round edges, and just groom your moss on a daily basis like you do human hair. Start at the very tips, and then gradually work your way inwards, just like removing knots in human hair. Until you are combing it straight from the roots without snagging.

>>2071737
roots absorb nutrients.
holdfasts don't.

they're not roots. If algae were arranged like plants we'd just call them plants.

if one organ looking like another meant they were the same thing then you'd be a taxonomist instead of an unemployed dependent of your parents.

alas it's not to be.

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Something has laid eggs in my tank and I'm pretty sure its not the snails.

I have some ghost catfish that have been in quarantine for three days now and they'll frequently just lay motionless on the bottom of the tank, but they perk right up if I nudge a decoration or put food in there. Ammonia and nitrites are zero, nitrates are ten-ish, and temp is 79. I'm not sure what's wrong here.

>>2071730
Those lights should make them glow just fine. And no, they do not need actinics to survice. Actually, it's less beneficial to their growth so have it, they would prefer 10k light. But actinics make them so pretty

>>2071858
Some fish are just like that.

>>2071841
snails or maybe fry.

>>2071876
I guess my tetras or Corie's spawned then

>>2071858
That's how ghost fish are m80

>>2071880
Cories

>>2071863
>>2071907
I don't know of you're being serious or memeing. I never see them do that in the store tanks.

>>2071858
Why are you quarantinin? IMHO, it's useless and only serves to kill a sick animal

Anyone have advice for getting hair algae out of Java moss? My siphon isn't quite cutting it, and ofc the RCS won't touch the stuff.

>>2071942
There are three options.
Leave the sick animal in the tank
>Chance to let it recover, higher risk of other animals getting sick.
Euthanise the sick animal immediately
>No chance of it recovering, lower risk of other animals getting sick.
Quarantine tank for the sick animal
>Chance to let it recover, lower risk of other animals getting sick.
Seems pretty simple to me.

>>2071951
What your referring to would be a hospital tank. Not quarantine. Quarantine is for fish/animals that your unsure of the health (newly received). Hospital is for treating fish, which you'd be stupid for purchasing a fish that is sick. Regardless, if you know anything about the disease triangle, you'd know that disease/sickness needs an environment that is conducive to it thriving. A well maintained display tank should not be in a condition to allow any disease to thrive, thus cutting off the triangle.

>>2071954
What if the conditions that allow a particular disease to thrive are broader than the conditions that allow the inhabitants to thrive?

>>2071945
Here>>2071740

>>2071908
Oh fuck yes seven baby Corie's on the way y'all!

How long till they hatch? And can I move the eggs into a nursery without harming them?

>>2071671
he crawled back behind the rocks, so nobody's claiming him atm.

I dunno if either fish will. Usually in the past when I had a nemone hosting fish they jumped right in in a day or so. Who knows?

and yeah, they don't stay in one spot. I don't think I'd let one loose in an established reef tank. I might add corals later if he settles down in one spot.

Someone make a new thread, this one is dead.

I'm going to be getting a 65 gallon tank, and I'm going to be transporting fish from my 20 gallon to the new one. I'm aware I need to let it cycle for at least two days before putting any fish in, and I'll be putting the filter from my 20 in there to get the bacteria to match or at least be similar.
My main question for you, /an/, is "Are Bala sharks aggressive?" Notable aspect of the name shark makes it seem a dumb question, but I've had websites say that beta fish will fight anything and everything. You guys informed me they're more prone to attack bright colored or big finned fish. Rasbora's and fem bristlenoses are fine.

Are these sharks decent, or do they act like beta fish?

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>>2072178
>I'm aware I need to let it cycle for at least two days before putting any fish in
>two days

>>2072180
I know you guys let it cycle for months, but two days is an absolute minimum, specifically for the Hardy fish I have now.>>2072180

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So, uh. Can you do a soil only substrate?
I'm planning to do a Walstad tank, but I have a lot of bottom dwellers that would just mix the sand and soil up. If I get a loam based soil (mostly sand anyway), could I use that as a substrate alone?

>>2072187
lol.

it takes 4-6 weeks without exception. Two days won't do anything. I'm pretty certain you don't understand what cycling is.

sticking an established filter on an empty tank without any ammonia in it will just kill the filter.

You'd be better off putting the fish in for two days without any filter and then once some ammonia has built up then switching the filter over to the new tank.

I realize this is greek to you and you won't do it. I just feel a duty to say it.

>>2072188
Your still going to want some type of soil cap, just put a little sand on it.

>>2072197
Thing is, the sand will just get dug away by the fish. I'm planning on lots of catfish and loaches.

What advantage does a cap give you?

>>2072180
I let my tanks cycle for 2 weeks minimum if I'm ghost feeding, or one month if I'm not. Cycle your tank otherwise you risk your fishies lives. Also don't get Bala's. They get way to big for an aquarium, and often kill themselves by running into the glass, because they really like to swim, and swim fast.

>>2072198
hmm.... well a cap just helps keep tannins separate, and allow nutrients to slowly leach into the water instead of just getting blasted in there. If you really don't want to have a cap, what I would do is go buy some good carpeting plants like dwarf baby tears or something, and plant them in strips (think corn rows) and try to fill up as much surface as you can. Give them about a month or two to grow in under heavy lighting (they can take any light you can throw at them), and they will root in thoroughly, holding your substrate down. My baby tears field is like a mat, I cant even push my finger through it to get down to the soil.

>>2072202
Alright.

>>2072204
Best of luck. Also a tip, when your doing water changes, use airline tubing as your siphon, and let it run down the glass, disturbs a lot less soil, which is something your going to have to deal with a lot

>>2072188
Fuck this thread. OP ruined the /aq/ general now everyone is going different places for aquarium help.

>>2072207
Shut up

Hey /aq/

My betta's 3 gallon planted tank is getting a little too much waste on the bottom. He tends to eat shrimp, but should I try them again anyway? I don't want to try a single cory since they need a few of them to be happy, but I need a bottom feeder or cleaner.

>>2072212 Try a larger shrimp, like an Amano or something. Really you should just vacuum it up though, it's not good to have sitting there.

>>2072209
Fuck you

hey /aq/, just finished cycling my 10 gallon but it only has 5 gallons in it because i'm getting a pair of fiddler crabs (male and female). I also want to get a few low end brackish scavengers because the ghost shrimp fucking suck lol. So how much marine salt would i need toadd to make the water have an SG of 1.003?

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>>2072207
>i can only care for aquariums with shitty coloured gravel in them, so I hate anyone who tries anything more advanced than me
Heh, nice one m8.

>>2072246
about 1/2 of a cup of marine salt to get to about 1.003-4, which will be your ideal range. That measurement is based off of "salinity by aquavitro", which is also what I recommend using. A little expensive, but with how little you'll be using it'll last for quite some time. 10 Cups worth costs about 20 bucks, which will get you through 20 100% water changes.

>>2071980
OK so the eggs completely disappeared.

>>2072253
Sorry, I forgot to add that that's 1/2 cup of Aquavitro salt for every 5 gallons of water.

>>2072255
Probably eaten by tetras. They probably weren't cory eggs either though, so don't be too disappointed. Cories tend to lay eggs in crevices or on plants, not on glass. At least not that I've seen.

>>2072258
I've had albino and emerald lay eggs on the glass but because they were laid there they were all eaten.

>>2070279
looks like golden dojo to me

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My kissing gorrame ^.^

>>2072258
Cories almost always lay their eggs on flat surfaces like glass.

>>2072262
Huh, interesting.
>>2072265
cute, how old is it?

>>2072267
Idk I took him from the petshop hehe

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>>2072265

Alright guys, sobive been told that aquarium sand is anaerobic and toxic for fish. Is this true? Cause I'm getting some fish that need to burrow.

>>2072284
in freshwater it usually will be.

it's probably not a big problem though. Pretty much all substrates are anaerobic and toxic.

>>2072288
Huh, would live plants help with that?

>>2072291
Yeah you stupid dummy. It's common knowledge.

>>2072284
If the fish burrow, they will stir up your sand and stop it from forming anaerobic pockets.

Larger grain sand also helps.

>>2072385
>>2072385
Mines not even real 'sand' its heavily ground up soft gravel that looks like sand.

>>2072404
ground up rocks and gravel is sand you stupid fricker frick

>>2072256
>>2072253
thanks mah nig

>>2072253
Also, what size cup lol, im a newbie to brackish

>>2072424
>>2072375
>>2072226
>>2072207
What the fuck is with all the anal pains today? And not just today, but through out the entire fucking thread.

Is this all one samefag? Or are anons genuinely autistic enough to get buttblasted over the OP pic not having a fish in it?

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>>2072442
>what size cup

>>2072442
I believe the anon meant a standard regular measuring cup used for cooking/baking. But I know nothing about saltwater/measuring salinity so I may be wrong.

>>2072449
Nope.. your right....... >>2072442 Are you sure you can handle a brackish tank? They aren't exactly easy. I have a freshwater, brackish, and reef, and the brackish is the biggest pain out of all three to work on.

>>2072447
Why don't you fuck off ya salty faggot.

>leaving a grill in charge of feeding my tank for a week while Im on break
I'm scared, /aq/

>>2072511
Use a pill organizer with food portions for each day.

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Who here Radion LED master race here?

Anyone want to share profiles/comments and imputs.

I know mine is horribly over complicated and probably not getting maximum growth on my corals. I made mine to start day and night cycle at 11 so I could enjoy my tank more in the evenings.

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>>2072535
Also my orange spotted blenny finally came out of hiding and stiring the sandbed.

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>>2070021
someone help me im new to aquariums my tank is cycling and smells like shit probably from accidently over feeding him the water is kinda milky hes in a 5 gallon tank until he gets bigger how often should i change water during cycling for a small thanks guys

>>2072559
While cycling a tank it should be 25% every day. Once the cycle is established it should be 25% once a week.

So basically, get a string, tape the end to the top of the tank at the water line, hanging down the side. (obviously do this when the tank is at it's fullest) Cut the string at the base of the tank. Lift string up until the end is touching the top at the water line. Mark the tank where the string folds with a crayon or marker.

Emptying the tank to that mark is 50% of the water. So, take the string, cut it at the fold. Take the new end, and lift up to the top. Leave a mark at the new fold, that is 25%.

>>2072567
>string, tape, cut, tape, percentage, string, cut
Or you could just use a tape measure like a sane person.

Anon with the 40-80ppm Nitrate planted tank with shrimp here,

After a 50% water change and putting back my water lettuce (they're in a pretty bad condition from sitting in a bucket), I tested my nitrates and they're near 0ppm now. I think I just need to be careful leaving a zucchini slice in the tank for 24 hours, my shrimp don't seem to mind the nitrate spike but my kuhlis and honey gouramis that I'll be transferring out of quarantine this week will no doubt be a little uncomfortable

>>2072581
No shit, or eye ball it. So said it had to be exactly 25%. I use to be anal about 25% water changes, now I just do whatever I feel like.

I use to have my heater laying across the 25% mark so I knew when to stop...

>>2072567
You stupid frickin asshole

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>>2072567
>So basically, get a string, tape the end to the top of the tank at the water line, hanging down the side. (obviously do this when the tank is at it's fullest) Cut the string at the base of the tank. Lift string up until the end is touching the top at the water line. Mark the tank where the string folds with a crayon or marker.
>Emptying the tank to that mark is 50% of the water. So, take the string, cut it at the fold. Take the new end, and lift up to the top. Leave a mark at the new fold, that is 25%.
what the fuck am I reading?

>Put 10 RCS in my community tank
>Don't see them for 3 months
>Suddenly start seeing a few of them

So do you think they got braver, or they bred and now there's too many to hide?

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>>2070021
Hey /AQ/ just set up my tank, how'd I do? I know its not the best but I didn't have much money left over for sure strate and fish.

I got 3 Juli Corie's in there right now.

>>2072606
Probably just really shy at first. Could be babies coming out now. Seems like my adults are very hesitant to venture out and about in the tank, but the babies are everywhere, fearless.

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>>2072638
>only 3 corys

>>2072638
You need to get at least 100+ more corys in there. They do best in groups

>>2072641
Thats not as ridiculous as you'd think. Tank size aside, cories would love a 100+ school

>>2072642
Lol I actually know that. If you ever see videos or pictures of wild corys, theres like thousands of them.

>>2072640
I'm getting a 4th today, assuming it hasn't been sold yet

>>2072645
Life goals.

https://youtu.be/cWIVCdLOImw

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>>2072442
>what size cup

>>2072680
I want a pond of corydoras now.

>Get a text from roommate
>"Hey Anon, your filter is making this weird noise and it's super annoying can we unplug it?"
>Shit. Respond "I'll be at work for a few more hours, just unplug it for now i'll fix it when I get home"
>Go home. They unplugged the filter
>And the fucking heater
>Water is cold as balls, they must have started unplugging shit before they texted me
>Betta is listing at the top
>Put finger on glass, he jerks upright and wonkily flounders around
Its been about a week and he's doing way better but it was a stressful couple of days. Just about had a heart attack every time I saw him at the top of the tank
Posting on here because I have to pretend its no big deal with the roommates cuz I don't want to seem like a freak about my stupid fish.

>decide I don't like where I placed my lotus plant in my nano tank
>decide I'm going to move it while it's still young
>figure the roots can't be that developed after just 3 weeks
>try to lift plant
>roots are easily 6" and have basically sprawled across the entire tank in every direction
>glub glub glub massive bubbles
>can smell the stench of ammonia in the air
>quickly throw betta in a bucket of just-recently-dechlorinated water
>emergency water change

>measure ammonia from water before water change
>not even that bad really, like 0.25

On the upside, I moved the lotus back a few inches, and separated a secondary plant that grew from the same bulb... If one plant is going to occupy the entire substrate, I guess I don't need two. I vastly underestimated the extent of the roots. I had to cut its roots down to replant it.

>>2072652
Corys aren't racist (atleast not in my experience) so you can buy another species if you want and they should get along fine. A ways back, I had a huge emerald cory that had a 'pack' of pygmies that followed him everywhere he went.

>>2072680
So freakin cute

>>2072689
Honestly I would let your roommates know not to unplug your heater, ever. A small nano can crash and burn in a few hours if the heater breaks or is unplugged, since their small size allows the heat to dissipate extremely fast. A tank can survive without a filter, lights, and water movement for days, but even large tanks will crash quickly without their heater.
People always underestimate the importance of your heater, that's why I never understand when people decide to spend 100s on good lights, but decide to cheap out on a heater.
I trust my tanks to only Eheim heaters, have them in all of my tanks, and have never had one fail in 10 years. I had one whose temperature sensor went bad and would just be in the on position, but their customer support sent me a new one ASAP. Another reason to not buy over sized heaters, the constant off and on that they go through to regulate temperature wears them out quickly, and if they go on the fritz and stay in the on position, a properly sized heater won't get your temp up to 90 degrees.

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I put this together over the weekend. Its a one gallon bowl. Anacharis is planted behind the rock, Dwarf Hairgrass in the front, and Green Cryptocoryne between the hairgrass and the rock. There is also a little bit of duckweed on the surface that came in on the Anacharis.

Does anyone have any experience with cycling something heavily planted this small? I used water from my main tank to fill it, along with the water that the Anacharis came in, which is from a well established tank at the LFS. I also used gravel from my main tank that was still wet after switching the substrate, so I'm thinking that probably still has some of the bacteria on it as well. Honestly I just kinda want a ballpark estimate of how long it should take to cycle.

Once its cycled, I'm probably going to put some neocaridina shrimp of some sort in it. That or maybe an Amano or two, I haven't really decided yet.

>>2072692
Don't move heavy root feeders, EVER. You fuck them over so hard.

>>2072722
Tiny tanks like that can cycle extremely fast. As short as 2 days. To be safe, I would wait two weeks though. With a tank that small it's not only about cycling the tank, its about getting a tank so small to a point of stability, which in large tanks comes pretty quickly, and by the time they are cycled, it's a non issue. I've had about 4 tanks similarly sized in recent years, and they've all suffered from a lack of stability.

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>>2072705
Corys can be prejudice. I have a school of emeralds and they don't mind this lone Cory that was given to me but the lone Cory doesn't want anything to do with him.

Still trying to figure out what this guy is.

>>2072742
Antisocial cory. Get him on some antidepressants

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Should be a pet sticky here. Someone help?

I want to start the hobby.
My only experience is maintaining a 20gallon tank when I was in middle school. 2 goldfish and a handful of snails.

I am interested in a 5-10 gallon setup. Since I'm still beginner, how should I stock the tank? There's only petsmart/petco in my area, so it's that or online order.

I'm a college student with no job. So when Im not in class, I'm in my apartment at my desk. Plenty of time to take care of the tank.

I'm thinking shrimp based. I'm more interested in keeping a tank healthy and alive.

>>2072742
That is a Julii Cory my friend.

>>2072749
That's what I thought but some are saying Agassiz Cory and leopard but he has actual spots instead of blotches and more brown. But the chances are the woman probably got him from petco

>>2072747
5 gallon for shrimp or small school of very small fish or betta or 10 gallon for shrimp and other fish

>>2072751
You can almost always tell by the dorsal fin. The black spot on it that doesn't actually touch the body.

>>2072747
>>2072747
Fellow college student here. This is my shrimp tank. It's a 4 gallon tanks with snails, red cherry shrimp, and a dwarf puffer. you could pretty easily make a 5-10 gallon tank with just RCS and maybe a snail or to. Just heavily plant it, and get a decent light (around 3 watts per gallon at least, my shrimp tank has 35 watts per gallon, although it is on the extreme end. You could probably source some red cherry shrimp easily by going to facebook and finding your local fish club, and asking if anyone has any RCS they'll sell, which they probably will, and it will probably be pretty cheap.
To do it on the cheap, check craigslist and find a tank that fits your specs, and low ball the seller, asking quite a bit less then asking price. 75% of the time, they take the deal.

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>>2072757
forgot pic

>>2072758
Damn son that dwarf puffer must always be bored

What is /aq/'s opinion of putting random wood or stone from your yard/woods/beach into your fish tank?

After a few day rinse and soak of course.

>>2072759
lol he's literally never bored. He hunts all day erry day, and loves it. Lately he's been pulling worms out of the substrate, and stalking 'pods in the java ferns. Most of his diet is made up of snails though. When he's not hunting he's usually looking at me, or chilling with one of my large shrimp he seems to like for some reason.

>>2072760

as long as it isnt calcium based rock, like limestone, you'll be fine.

I wouldn't use sticks from trees or anything, but driftwood would probably be fine. It'll leach tannins for years though

Adding this post to get this closer to bump limit since there's been a surge of aquarium threads because everyone thinks this is a plants only thread ya fucking retards

>>2072638
I like it, when you get the chance you can order some marimo moss balls online for hella cheap.

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>>2072638
>3 corys

>>2072846
Dude, there's always been idiots who don't know how to use the catalog. Not to mention /an/ newfags that have never posted in this board before and someone on another board sent them in our direction.

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just set this up, going to be building a 30 gallon sump for it eventually but need to move the fish before i could get to it. going to be a mostly rhizome tank and have a bunch of buce species ordered for it.

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>>2072877
also getting ready to build a regulator have the meeting valve and regulator just waiting on the solenoid and some fittings.

>>2072879
>meeting valve
metering valve

>>2072877
Do the rows of tile serve any specific purpose, or are they simply ornamental?

>>2072885
ornamental, and since I'm mostly keeping things that attach to drift wood substrate doesn't matter to much.

I have a dozen cory cats in my 30 gallon, but they are still go batshit crazy every time I walk past or go to look at them. It has been a month and they still aren't the "calm" fish I was told they would be. Do I need more of them or something?

>8 pandas
>4 bandits

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The Corie's have barely eaten any of the food pellets I've pit out for them.

Are they in they that stage where they don't eat for a day or two?

>>2072893
quit watching them

they are new in your tank, you don't have much cover for them in your tank, and they don't know what is going on around them

if a cory can't hide it will go dormant in the same way other animals play dead

>>2072891
going to assume you need more cover for them or you need to stop jumping around corners at them

>>2072894
Understood, what would make great cover for them? They had some slabs of shale rock at the pet store.

>>2072898
Get a plastic bottle, cut it in half, but make sure you leave enough of it that when it is placed in the sand there is plenty of space inside for your fish to hide in. Use a lighter to slightly melt any sharp edges. Then either super glue some aquarium safe rocks on it. Or poke holes in it with a needle and use cotton string to tie some java moss to it.

Then place your new cave in your tank and watch your fishies lurk all day.

I would probably make a couple of them, and place them evenly around the tank. That way your fish can safely roam in security always knowing there is a safe place nearby no matter where they are.

>>2072898
it doesn't even have to be anything spendy

i used to use terracotta pots and they worked great for when my cory cats got spooked but you have to soak them for about a week so they don't bleed

all you really need is something for them to either hide under or hide behind however try to stay away from things that let them hide inside

one big leafy plant fake or real or a single piece of arched driftwood works perfect

>>2072900
Cool, I'll keep an eye out for arched driftwood.


>>2072899
Sounds like a fun weekend project, but why do I need to poke holes in it for a needle?

>>2072899
this is also a good idea

just make sure that the cave is a cave and not just a trap

i bought one of the hollowed rocks before and 3 of my cory cats swam inside and got all battered up from the commotion of trying to get out

you need a large opening

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>>2072900
>arched driftwood

>>2072728
Any tips on keeping it stable? Will the plants help with this? Honestly, I've had my main 10 gallon tank for little over a year now, but I still feel like a complete noob when it comes to most things aquariums.

>>2072911
Plants and a really strong light help a lot. Remember that light is life to a plant, and if your planning on using your plants as a sort of natural filter, the rate that the metabolize at will effect their efficiency as filters. Keeping their metabolism high just means having high light, good warm CONSISTENT temperatures,and maybe some DIY Co2 fertilization if you really wanna go for it. The Co2 will actually work against your stability, but it increases your metabolic rate, so your filtering goes up as well. Basically, get yourself a good heater (number one thing to not cheap out on with any fish tank), a good strong light (you can DIY here with high output flourescents, or a cheap fixture). Try and have as many watts per gallon as you possibly can, and remember to use reflectors if you go DIY. Besides, that feed only what they will eat, and not a single bit more. A small amount of leftover food in a 55g is no big deal, but that same amount of leftover food in a 5g can cause complete havoc. It's always better to underfeed. I'm a fan of frequent small water changes, and not so frequent extremely massive water changes, but that really has more of an impact when working on my reef, but it would certainly not hurt your little tank.
uhmm other than that I can't think of other things that will help you keep it stable.

>>2072893
Not a big enough school for them to feel safe

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>>2072926
I have a desk lamp sitting about an inch above the water line with full spectrum lighting in it (much lower than in pic related) (I might get some aluminum foil and line the inside of the desk lamp with it to make a reflector). I think it is a little to small to put a heater in though, seeing as it is only one gallon, and much of that is taken up by the rock and substrate. I'm dosing fertilizers to for the plants, and I have some excel on order and will start dosing it as soon as it gets delivered. Small water changes is definitely the plan. Between the tiny snails that hitchhiked in on the Anacharis, the shrimp that are going in once it is cycled, and the plants, I'm hopping that It should be fairly self sufficient, with them snacking on the algae that grows without mechanical filtration.

Is there some sort of a heater that would be safe in something this small and doesn't need to be placed under the substrate? Hopefully something that I could fit behind the rock with the Anacharis, so it doesn't kill the view.

>>2072934
I know but the pet store didn't haven any more, they should receive a shipment then. And I'll grab two more Corie's along with some kuhli loaches I ordered.

>>2072936
The only heater I know that is so small is a mat that you lay down underneath your tank, its marketed for bettas I think. Even if you have to cram a filter in there, It's worth it. Like I said, all my pico tanks have suffered from instability, and this most recent one is the only one that has had a heater, and it's been doing beautifully so far.

>>2072937
A single cory will behave just fine if it has plenty of natural cover. Your tank is too bare.

>>2072957
A single Cory will not act normal. They will be pretty inactive till they smell food and always be stressed and afraid.

>went to flea market
>beautiful antique slate-bottom tank
>iron single-piece stand
>55 gallons, 60 dollars
>no room for it anywhere
>can't justify buying it

Kills me, /aq/. If anyone here is near Glen Burnie, the tank is at the 8th Ave flea market, which happens every weekend. Really close to House of Tropicals.

>>2073204
Sounds like it was a ton though

One of my angelfish has decided to start eating algae wafers. He's gotten really fat and, worse, none of my shrimp and catfish dare to get close to the wafers now. Anything I can do about this? If I try to put the wafer somewhere inaccessible to him, he'll just pull it out into the open.

>>2073335
Have you tried hitting him with a rolled up newspaper?

>>2072940
>>2072940
>>2072940
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