/aq/ - aquarium general

post axolotl

In response to the anon that tried to grow the java moss between a plastic mesh in his betta tank from last thread.

Given your lighting situation, I'd suggest getting a used t5 or t8 fixture, for moss it can be a very basic one.

If you check craigslist, I'm sure you could score a deal below 30 $

Also don't bury the moss in the mesh, the tight mesh will limit the light even more if the moss is stuck inbetween instead of it growing on top of the mesh.

Maybe get a nice rock or driftwood and bind the moss to it so it gets more light that way.

Another anon also used a marimo mossball as carpet by splaying it open and attaching it to a slate plate.

If you wanna get into 'real' carpeting plants, try your hand at glossostigma or marsilea hirsuta, and use a small grain substrate - beware though, that you may need to use a minor bio co2 injection for those beginner carpets to grow thick.

>>2187458
I got a T8 fixture for less than $20 new from lowes. Depending on the size you need, just get either a T5/T8 shoplight or a CFL clamp light- that's what I always do for my tanks.

>>2187449
The general needs to stop at Google. No more. It's too long.

>>2187470
Agreed.

>>2187458
That anon here.

Thanks a lot. I'll change my lighting situation and try with moss again, since my fish seemed to like it. Depending on how that develops, using marimos sounds like a sharp idea.

Because of deeply stupid reasons, I can't have a planted tank, but I originally wanted to try dwarf hairgrass and possibly java ferns for the background, but no planted plants.

>>2187502
Just curious- why?

I had massive brown algae bloom, last time I told you guys Pimafix had stooped the growth. Well, apparently it didn't, it just slowed the process a lot however I stopped and it continued. I have a large white silicate hiding home/rock that gad a massive amount of the algae growing in. No matter how much I scrubbed it wouldn't go away so I decided to use soap but nothing happened. Next I used 91% Isopropyl alcohol and the algae immediately turned an emerald green color. What happened is it still safe for the fish? Right now its sitting outside in direct sun (120°F weather) to make sure the alcohol completely evaporates.

>>2187504
Sigh.
I live with my parents. It's my aquarium, I pay for it, I clean it, we split the rent.

But my dad thinks having dirt in an aquarium will make mud out of it and is prepared to have a fight every time I bring it up. It's really not something worth fighting about.

As a side note, I have to convince my mum the betta fish doesn't feel lonely without a mate every few weeks.

>>2187550
Update. I put some Bar Keepers and rubbed it again, the rock cleared some what but still gas a green tinge. I tried to roast the rock using left over heat from red hot charcoal, so far the rocks seems safe. I put it back in the aquarium will report back with results

Is buying plants online reliable? My LFS doesn't have much of a selection.. and the other few I've visited in my area are even worse. Online seems like the best place for specifics. I doubt plants can even get that damaged in shipping, right?

>>2187554
That's stupid, what's he care if there's mud if you're cleaning it? Good on you for paying rent though. You don't need dirt to have plants, fine gravel, sand, or fluorite is fine too. There's nothing wrong with mosses and stuff though if you decide to stick with that.

>>2187559
After all that shit I wouldn't consider that aquarium safe for fish. Whenever I have an algae outbreak I just shorten the time my lights are on and leave it alone.

>>2187565
Depends on whether you buy from a pro or a hobbyist. The ones I buy just come in a damp paper towel in a ziploc and they're usually fine. I've heard great things about bamasplants.

Don't freeze or boil your crayfish to kill it

File: 1469200211168.jpg (40KB, 295x320px) Image search: [Google]

40KB, 295x320px

>>2187569
Please don't start.

>>2187570
It's inhumane

File: image.jpg (44KB, 638x639px) Image search: [Google]

44KB, 638x639px

>>2187569

>>2187555
Yeah? I have bred many fish including l34 and l200 without any casualties in the past 10 years.

>>2187554
you dont need dirt as the other anon said, use gravel, gravel for plants isn't much more expensive than normal gravel either, if you buy large plants you dont really need anything else, if you want to carpet the tank then its more work, youd need good lighting plus maybe co2 and its grow very slow/be expensive. but large plants are fine and not super expensive

File: PicsArt_07-15-04.38.39 (1).jpg (585KB, 1773x1773px) Image search: [Google]

585KB, 1773x1773px

>>2187550
do you have shrimp? I bought 2 amano shrimp and they cleaned 90% of my tank in 5 days, my algae was brown, until 2 days before I got the shrimp, by then it had turned green. honestly the cleaned .98% then stopped, I still have very little spots here and there but it hasnt spread in over a month already
pic related, 5 days worth of progress with two shrimp, they cleaned my whole 10gal tank, but this rock demonstrated it best, the algae was all over my tank tho, this is just 10% of it

>>2187554
As others pointed out, having a substrate doesn't mean it's dirt. In fact, if you have a small grain substrate or sand, the "dirt" which is detritus and actually beneficial, will get cleaned up by snails or shrimp if you keep them and provide fertilization to the plants.

So maybe you should try to educate your parents, that having a substrate doesn't mean you have more dirt in the tank.

As others pointed out, gravel is also totally fine, unless you wanna do a carpet on it or have issues with vaccuming it regularly.

With a cheap fixture you could easily have anubias, echinodorus, java fern etc.

>>2187550
I second the addition of amano shrimp. These guys are workhorses in terms of algae consumption.

Don't add uneccessary chemicals to your tank.

What's your tank volume, what's your stocking look like? Amanos fit with almost everything that isn't a big cichlid or bigger fish in general.

Reducing lighting and increasing water changes also helps with algae. What is your current photo period,

>>2187566
>>2187671
>>2187731
Because of expenses, I was looking at low-cost options. I tried talking them into pool sand and crushed up lava rock. I'll admit I didn't try very hard to convince them, but long story short, they think they should mimic the bettas you see in pet stores. I'll try again, though. I didn't know I could use gravel for them. I thought I had to use something fine like sand. Thanks :)

I actually suspect my fish might be constipated right now. He's a picky eater, will only eat blood worms, but lately he's been picking at his food and not eating as much (In the last thread you could see a lot of food on the bottom of the tank). The rest of his behavior is normal. It's real hard to take a picture because he hates phones, but he's slightly bloated, hardly noticeable. I even suspect it might be my imagination.

Do you think he might just be tired of his food? or should I be worried? I skipped a couple of meals for him in hopes that it'll make it through his system. I have yet to see if that worked.

>>2187788
crushed up lava rock is also ok, but beware that it should not have sharp edges, even if your betta is not a bottom dweller per se.

Gravel is really the most basic option. very cheap, easy to clean. Just make sure, that the gravel is not too big, since some finer roots of plants may have problems taking hold.

Have you tried frozen cyclops and daphnia? Both contain more fiber and may help with his constipation.

>>2187790
>Just make sure, that the gravel is not too big, since some finer roots of plants may have problems taking hold.
Got it. Thanks. I really appreciate all the advice.
>Have you tried frozen cyclops and daphnia?
Tried Daphnia. He doesn't like 'em, has never eaten them when I gave them to him. I need to buy him food soon anyway. Might as well try cyclops.

I heard something about feeding them a bit of pea? is that just some internet myth or is there something to it? seems like a weird thing to feed a fish, let alone a carnivorous one.

>>2187792
Bettas are actually omnivores like their gourami-cousins, just with a heavy preference for a carnivorous diet.

That pea thing can work, but so can anything that contains fiber. Atm I don't keep bettas, but mine always liked some greens for change, but I had no empiric evidence that it helped with constipation.

ITT: millenials let there fish suffer till the die instead of euthanizing them

Anybody tried keeping Babaulti shrimp? Got a 5gallon tank as a gift and maybe wanna keep them there.

There are basically like Neocaridina, right?

>>2188071
They'll live in the same water parameters as neos and won't interbreed so you can keep them both in the same tank.

Other than that, they're alright. They don't breed as fast as neos and they can change color.

File: 1449338452413.gif (1018KB, 400x251px) Image search: [Google]

1018KB, 400x251px

>tfw no large freshwater breeding shrimp species available in the UK

File: Poor-puffer-fish-meme.jpg (70KB, 700x648px) Image search: [Google]

70KB, 700x648px

>>2187470
>>2187489
ok anon, it's alright that you fucked up making the last thread. you can stop being salty now. /aq/ general is comfy the way it is.

File: ca768f84-8896-4b63-a785-2fe4c42ae54d_1.27f13b7a436de722e15cea353e2e82ac.jpg (54KB, 450x450px) Image search: [Google]

54KB, 450x450px

My grandpa has a 1.5 gallon cube tank, pic related. I know it's too small for most stuff but do you think he could have shrimp? Thanks!

>>2188129
Opae ula could work.

>>2188129
I'm going to come over to your grandpa's house and I'm going to fuck him in the butt

>>2188129
If it's properly cycled, you could try cherry shrimp/neocaridina in general or ghost shrimp in there. Just stock it very lightly and provide lots of moss.

>>2187452
axie stacks are qt as fuck, can't ever find good pics of them though

File: 40g_tank.jpg (1MB, 1877x893px) Image search: [Google]

1MB, 1877x893px

Just stocked my new 40g tank after cycling it for about a month. I have 3x gold gourami, 4x corydora, and 10x Harlequin Rasboras. Looking for some tips to make it more colorful while I grow in my plants.

File: 1433833992607.jpg (132KB, 800x800px) Image search: [Google]

132KB, 800x800px

So when transferring to a new, larger tank I can use the filter media, decor, rocks and anubias from my existing smaller tank to jumpstart cycling, right? Does this give me a free pass to blitz through the process and transfer livestock within the same day?

>>2188303
yeah, I mean maybe. Either it will work or it won't.

It's probably fine though. Don't let that filter media sit for more than about 20 minutes without flow though. 5 or 10 would be even better.

>>2188290
Either your water is pretty murky or you need brighter lights. Maybe you could add some meme shrimp in for some color? Either way tho it looks good!

>>2188303
It's a little risky but if you don't mind, go for it. Just don't heavily stock the tank.

http://www.uncommongoods.com/product/water-garden

is this a meme or not? It says the bottom is three gallons so I feel like as long as you use live plants in the bottom as well it would be neat.

>>2188313
I'm surprised you haven't seen those before, they're crap. The betta still needs a filter and a heater. At least they don't claim it's a closed system.

>>2188290
What are you using for substrate? It's gorgeous.

>>2188303
As long as you use as much water from the old tank as possible. Other than drying out, or suffocating from lack of flow like >>2188309 warns about, the main reason why the beneficial bacteria dies out when transferred to a new tank is because the water is TOO pristine.

In essence, there is nothing to FEED the bacteria, it takes time for fish to eat food, and then shit/piss out the ammonia, nitrates, and nitrites. In that short time span all the bacteria starve to death.

But as long as you skip the very last water change just before transferring, and use as much of the old tank water as possible, then it should work.

>>2188317
>>2188313
I know this is horrible in practice, but is the concept itself bad? I've seen pics/videos posted of live air breathing plants used in filters and such.

If you made sure the health and happiness of the fish in question is first and foremost, then is it really a problem to use herbs/onions/other edibles instead of lucky bamboo or potho vines?

>>2188310
I think it's a combo of my lamps from Walmart being place in the back and also my water being yellow-orange from the tannins in the driftwood.

>>2188323

Thanks! It's river rock from Home Depot. 4 bucks for a huge 20 lb bag vs the 5 bucks I paid for a small bag of black sand at Petco for my 2.5g

>>2188327
nope.

the problem is they market it to seem like it's low maintenance. the top isn't easy to get off, making water changes difficult. the customer thinks they're buying a fishtank that doesn't need a filter or water changes.

>>2188329
What kind of lighting you got?

>>2188332
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Mainstays-MS15-021-002-38-Mainstays-Desk-Lamp-CFL-Bulb-Included/44782715
Two of these bad boys, I typically have one in the back left and front right but I just got done feeding so they were both in the back in the pic

>>2188330
I would never personally keep a betta in one of those. But am I a bad person for thinking even something as shitty as that is better than the cups/bowls people regularly keep bettas in?

>>2188334
>http://www.uncommongoods.com/product/water-garden

It's a choice between cancer and cholera. Those aquaponics systems are meme-tier decorations to brag, that disregard the well being of the fish or at least suggest it's low maintenance, while it's not, as many pointed it out.

>>2188333
You probably won't need to upgrade anytime soon or anything, but just fyi the best lamps have a reflective interior + more surface area. I like brooder lamps and T5/T8 shoplights.

>>2188345
the tank design is actually fine and it's 5 gallons which is good for a betta

and irresponsible owner would be irresponsible with any tank or bowl

>>2188352
according to the reviews, the lid is really hard to get off. at least most people will top off a bowl once a month.

>>2188354
My mom had one, the lid isn't hard to get off at all.

It's "flaw" is that that it requires you to keep plants growing on top for filtration. So yes, it's maybe not marketed accurately or to the right people but it's not a bad tank if you know what you're doing.

File: 2.gif (3MB, 1000x563px) Image search: [Google]

3MB, 1000x563px

my hc dying in 90 degree weather

>>2188403
Sry to hear that.

You tried freezing a bottle of water and using it to cool down the tank? What about water changes with cooler water?

File: tank.jpg (254KB, 1280x956px) Image search: [Google]

254KB, 1280x956px

Need advice on set-up, it's missing something...Just bought some carpeting plants yesterday.

>>2188441
maybe get some dragonstone and bind some javamoss to it, placing it near where your gourami ans angel are swimming.

>>2188445
That'd work! Any advice on hiding the filter more?

File: image.jpg (2MB, 4032x3024px) Image search: [Google]

2MB, 4032x3024px

>>2188406
No water in the tank yet
I went to get an old air conditioner out of my shed and found a nice big mushroom growing inside it

do you have any other pets that are not fish?

File: tank_2.jpg (76KB, 960x720px) Image search: [Google]

76KB, 960x720px

>>2188450
yeah, I got shrimp, frogs and snails besides having fish.

>>2188447
what I did in my tank is placing some thick plants around it on the left side, where the alternanthera, hygrophila corymbosa and rotala is.

Is that carpeting plant Monte Carlo? You may need CO2 injection for it to grow really dense, if you don't already use it.

You could also plant some cryptocorynes in front of the dragon stone with moss.

>>2188453
I am buying my first reptile tomorrow

>>2188453
That's gorgeous anon, it's what mine aspires to be! The plant is "hemianthus callitrichoides", the fish specialist guy said it's pretty slow growing but quite hardy (which all my plants need to be with the angels...little plant eating bastards)

File: image.png (341KB, 750x1334px) Image search: [Google]

341KB, 750x1334px

>>2188124
I didn't make the last thread. And it was even more comfy when it stopped at Google the way It was for years before some autist (you) had to change it thinking he's helping.

>>2188310
Tannins you uncultured swine

>>2188496
Thanks, sadly my phone cam is a potato.

HC is considered intermediate amongst carpeting plants, in terms of the light and co2 it needs.

You may find Dennis Wongs Video about HC educational:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPsirguiGZ4

If it happens to get eaten or will not grow, you may wanna try Marsilea Hirsuta or Glossostigma. I myself use Marsilea in my tank (only have Bio Co2 injection) and it grows very thick and is less fickle than HC, still hope it grows well in your tank.

>>2188124
This isn't /v/ keep you game slang confined to video games. You upset transgender who refuses to work and stays inside all day.

>>2188129
Probably a betta and some shrimp or some plattys or Molly's but I think they'd eat the shrimp

>>2188502
Not the guy you replying to, but I don't see any harm in having additional Infos/FAQ/Channels in the OP. Like if you feel bothered, you can just scroll past and ignore it, while some beginners or other hobbyists may find it helpful.

>>2188510
I'd say Mollies or Platys would make ammonia/nitrates hard to manage, not to mention their size. A Betta would be better off in a 5-10gal transparent plastic walmart box, if one is looking for a cheap and effective option.

Under very narrow circumstances I could see the 1,5gal working for a betta, but it would be very fragile in terms of water parameters and waste management, but that's just my personal take.

>Marine tank going well for several years, fish seem happy and weren't having any health issues
>suddenly all die within a couple of days.

Nitrites had suddenly spiked in a very short time but all the other readings were fine. Marine tanks are so frustrating...

>>2188508
Wow, calm down newfriend. It's perfectly normal for words to get thrown around cross boards. It's part of 4chan culture. If a single word upsets you that much you really shouldn't be on this website.

>>2188524
Sry to hear that anon. I also plan to own a reeftank in a few years but those very sensitive water parameters are what make me hesitant.

>>2188226
I get so sick of you faggots talking about tank cycling all the fucking time.

It's simply not that big of a deal, first. But mostly it's how autistic so many of you are about it, without actually being correct.

Let's assume you do in fact manage to start the nitrogen cycle in a 1.5 gallon tank. What do you thinks gonna happen as soon as you feed the fish too much or do a water change? You're going to murder the bacterial population because the water column is so small.

Same thing goes for fish less cycling. You can start the nitrogen cycle by feeding a tank, but then what happens when you add fish that contribute a completely different bioload than what you were feeding the tank? You crash the population. All of a sudden there isn't enough ammonia, the nitrite will spike and then starve to death and you'll have to start all over again.

A tank is only really cycled when there is a steady, unchanging, stable bioload for a long period of time. Anything else is just mental masturbation.

>>2188531

If your first tank lasts more than a year without losing more than the odd one or two fish, you'll have done very well. Always start with cheap, hardy fish, as you get more confident and identify how you can prevent previous fuckups, you can broaden what fish you put into it.

It's satisfying as fuck to have a well run marine aquarium head and shoulders above running a freshwater tank.

>>2188553
Yeah, thanks for the info.

When I saw this SPS vid, I was hooked with reefs and started doing research and saving money on the side.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFhJy85hfPw

Those colours and polyps look straight up alien, from another dimension.

Any recommendations for shoaling fish for a 190l marine tank?

Had chromis in the past which did well but they're not the most interesting fish.

Followed those up with some damsels which didn't really shoal (50% were jittery and hid, other half were aggressive territorial dicks)

>>2188554

That's a beautiful tank...

God knows how much that costs. It costs £20 here just for a tiny piece an inch or two across.

>>2188355
The tank is only 3 gallons which is still fine for a betta. But the lid is really tight to the top making it difficult to add additional equipment. You can also buy a 5 gallon tank and get a filter, heater, air pump, and do your own garden system for much cheaper than that piece of shit.

>>2188512
What's so hard about using google you dumb niggers?

>>2188527
Maybe if you stop with the autism

>>2188542
This. Start your tank up with choice of fish. Do small regular water changes every other day or so. It's the only tried and true way of starting a tank. Haven't lost a fish doing this.

>>2188450
2 cats, 2 dogs, 1 leopard gecko, and some shrimp and snails.

>>2188553
To each his own. I often find marine tanks to be boring because almost everyone tanks look exactly alike with the same petco fish. You can only have something unique if you have a very large tank.

>>2188505
I've got tons of driftwood and my water is never that color. I wasn't trying to say anything was wrong with the tank, just that the color of the water was contributing to the lack of color.

>>2188663
Your driftwood probably contains no more tannins. If I run out of tannins I pee in my tanks everytime I have to piss.

>>2188450
2 rat's, 3 mice and that's it.

>>2188553
Yep. Running a marine system is rewarding. Especially compared to trying to keep a planted tank alive. Fuck that. I'd rather keep corals than trying to keep aquatic plants alive and I'm not talking about the easy ones. Until you try your hand with some of the more higher light and high co2 plants don't complain about reef tanks lol. Reef tanks are only expensive.

File: 20160812_212830.jpg (3MB, 3264x2448px) Image search: [Google]

3MB, 3264x2448px

Friend gave me a 2.5gallon, so I cobbled up something, gonna keep shrimp in there in the future.

If a crayfish's eyes are kind of fogged over it's dead and not molting, right?

File: 41Ai5Vf7tuL.jpg (16KB, 488x500px) Image search: [Google]

16KB, 488x500px

I just cleaned my aquarium, and in the process discovered that one port of my airpump had failed. It's a dual port. Is there a simple fix to get it going again? Is this a diaphram swap? Or is this a total replacement?

picture related, it's the fusion 500 air pump

Aq, cat, and dog threads always always always turn into some kind of angry autism. Says a lot about the base.

>>2188746
seems there were 2 diaphrams in this thing... I thought there would just be one.

Looks like I need to hunt for a replacement diaphram

>>2188749
>4chan threads always always always turn into some kind of angry autism.

FTFY

I bought a gourami. Turns out he's the worlds friendliest gourami.

>>2188441
You need some marimo moss balls.

>>2188718
Too cute anon!

>>2188768
They're only aggressive to each other.

>>2188784
Actually spotted gouramis can be dicks.

>>2188784
Aren't betta splendends technically gourami? If so, then no, gourami are not only aggressive to each other.

I have seen anons here posting with broken hearts because their bettas flipped their shit out of nowhere and murdered all the other fish in their tank with no previous signs of aggression.

The most horrifying story told in /aq/ is how a female betta disemboweled a whole school of cory cats.

>>2188784
Well mine always swims up to me when it sees me and when I put my hand in the tank to move things or clean he likes to swim through my fingers.

>>2188790
Bettas are anabantoids. But they're not gouramis, that's like saying corys can get really large just because they're catfish.

>>2188866
Technically they are gouramis. That doesn't mean much though since there's like three different families that get called gouramis.

>>2188873
Yeah but I doubt anyone but the most autistic would call a betta a gourami. It's the equivalent of calling a silver dollar a pirhana because they're the same family.

>>2188878
Gourami is what all the fish in the family are called. Not a good argument, as an example giant gourami vs honey..

>>2188882
Except that's wrong the family is called Osphronemidae, which no longer includes betta fish, which are now under Anabantidae.

File: rastas.jpg (163KB, 600x472px) Image search: [Google]

163KB, 600x472px

Does anyone else collect zoanthids? I'd like to see what some other people have.
Right now I have blue-eyed girls, japanese goblins, jason foxx cat's eyes, rainbow eclipse, lunar eclipse, rastas, dragon's eyes, sunny d's, and red magicians.

>>2188656
>5 hours and 31 minutes ago
>>2188657
>5 hours and 30 minutes ago

eat shit samefag

>>2188885
http://www.fishbase.org/summary/4768

What's with all the misinformation on these memefish?

>>2188887
those sound like the names of drugs I'd like to try

>>2188555
Why do you think ocean fish are going to shoal in tiny numbers in a small ass tank like that?

>>2188904
1. You are replying to post that aren't even about the same thing
2. No one even mentioned they are not the same person
3. I'm only one of the replies
Leave /an/ and go back to your containment board.

File: image.jpg (1MB, 2446x3203px) Image search: [Google]

1MB, 2446x3203px

>>2188873
anyway look at this dickhead. Can't even take a pic of him without him greeting me.

Are fish in a tannin rich aquarium supposed to become... stained?

After 5 months my emerald green corys have a brownish tint and my tetras seem to have a slightly less brownish tint to them.

>>2188954
No. If you remove tannins they'll change color. My corys change color depending on substrate and so do all my other fish. The color of the water will make them do the same thing.

>>2188954
They probably just look that way because you're viewing them through all that water.

>>2188961
>>2188959
I kind of feel like a dick now for flushing the tetras lol fuck.

>>2188965
>flushing fish

The fuck is wrong with you?

>>2188965
dude wtf

File: really.jpg (131KB, 1140x610px) Image search: [Google]

131KB, 1140x610px

>>2188965
Didn't know this place had trolls. Never noticed it before anyway. Guess I don't come here often enough.

>>2188996
shitposters are in every single board

File: jpg.jpg (16KB, 325x325px) Image search: [Google]

16KB, 325x325px

was wondering if you guys had any experience with breaking tables or desks with the weight of your tanks. i have a 10 gal cause lizard passed (rip) and i just planned on trying a moss tree in it with some shrimp to fill the void. was gonna keep it on my desk to look chill as fu but i realized it would be heavy as fuck and my desk is glass. found a glass strength calculator and it spit out that id be able to get away with a little more than 200 pounds. assuming that every 1 gal is 10 pounds i should be fine plus tank weight and substrate and lights right? pic related its pretty much the same desk

>>2189022
Personally I wouldn't.. if you put something else on there or rest your elbows it might break.

>>2189025
shiieet
>wow that was a lot of work
>plop book down
>glass blood water and live shrimp everywhere

ya ill just buy small seperate table i guess

>bought 15 frogbit from Ebay a month ago
>now have 98

help. No one told me it multiplied this quickly

File: AquStockImage.png (14KB, 550x90px) Image search: [Google]

14KB, 550x90px

currently cycling a tank to make room for pic related. What type of bottom feeders/snails are good for algae elimination but dont eat my plants?

>>2189033
Nerite snail. They'll rape your algae. There eggs also won't hatch in freshwater and they come in neat colors and variations liked the horned nerite.

>>2189032
I want frogbit... I have duckweed and dwarf water lettuce and I hate them so much.

>>2189036
yeah duckweed is fucking nasty. Dont know about water lettuce but I like the frogbit

though I may not next month when it complete covers the surface of my 60 gal

>>2189035
nice it seems like a easy snail to handle. Thanks

>>2189035
do nerites dig? My mystery snail is determined to uproot all of my glosso and im sick of it

>>2188790
Bettas are slow and awkward as fuck, that sounds ridiculously false. Any catfish could murder the fuck out of a betta, male or female.

>>2188873
Technically they are absolutely not gouramis... Are you a potato?

>>2189048
>Bettas are slow and awkward as fuck

not females. Males may have a hard time catching anything but a rabid female could absolutely kill everything in range

>>2189033
Stop "cycling" your tank, thrown the guppies and gourami in and do some fucking water changes. If you actually have plants then you don't need "algae eaters", that's a crock of shit, they don't keep your tank "clean", you were leaving your lights on too long.

>>2189052
Why is it my 3 year old oscars and jack dempseys have no problem with corys or anything thing else in my community tank but a 1 inch TOPS female betta can apparently "kill everything in range"

How long have you been in the hobby?

>>2189056
>Why is it my
please with the anecdotal evidence. Betta aggression is not some new thing people started talking about yesterday, they're tempermental which is why its always recommended to keep the damn things alone, not in communities where any number of things can set the fish off

>>2189053
but i like snails

>>2189022
I had something like that and it was study as fuck, I'm 99% sure it was a fluke and I just got lucky though. I wouldn't trust anything you can find on the floor of a staples or walmart with a tank

Hes right you know, my female betta killed two of my albino cories which i didn't think was possible

>>2189058
You don't keep them in communities because they can't handle any current whatsoever and will get smashed around and develop fin rot and die in a few days!

You retarded fuck, how long have you been in aquaria? You seriously fucking think an inbred show fish is some kind of apex predator?

>>2189060
Then get some?

>>2189083
read that in comic guy's voice

you are a grade-A dweeb

>current in a tank with a betta
wew

>have a school of 10 Danios and a few feeder guppies
>all of the guppies eventually died but one managed to give birth
>all of the fry were assumed to be eaten except for one
>the lone fry manage to survive and grow up to an adult
>the adult guppy now seems to follow the danios around and actively school with them

Did the danios just adopt the guppy? I've never heard of anything like that happening.

>>2189046
No. They just slowly go around eating algae or left over food and dead plant bits. They won't dig your plants up.

>>2189046
they might burrow to get a food in the substrate but nothing that will uproot plants

>>2188506
Thanks! I'll give it a try and see how it goes. It's been left alone so far, but it might not grow fast enough for my liking (and lack of patience!)
Don't know if you can see in my last pic, but do you think I need to break the clumps of HC up a bit more?

>>2189099
My two remaining guppies school with my neon tetra

>>2188996
>implying you didn't just copy and paste a square of blue from the background over the (you) in MS Paint

>>2189117
Breaking up helps immensely if you want a carpet. Best pattern to do is arranging it like five dots on a dice, so one in the middle, 2 above, 2 below and repeat that pattern.

>>2189083
Betta splendens have literally been bred for their aggression to the point that the species has become domesticated as a result.

They are used in asia the same way pitbulls are used in dog fights, or roosters in cock fights. It is literally in their genes to kill anything that sets them off.

Quit being a fucking retard and educate yourself. Google betta splendens, then google their wild, undomesticated ancestors, betta imbellis. "Imbellis" means "peace", by the way. Because the wild non psychopathic bettas are no where near as aggressive as their pedigree descendants.

>>2189125
I get you. How big would you say the clumps should be in centimeters?

>>2189127
nigga he could not have been baiting any harder with that post and you STILL fell for it

>>2189128
2-3cm is what I often do.

File: 1447864153914.jpg (35KB, 320x304px) Image search: [Google]

35KB, 320x304px

>>2188790
>>2188866
>>2188873
>>2188878
>>2188885
>>2189049
No, bettas are gouramis, they're part of the Osphronemidae family. This lack of biological knowledge and level of autism is giving me second hand embarrassment.

>>2189208
You were right, but they've been moved to the anabantoids

>>2189208
Yeah and silver dollars are pirhana because they're both in the family Characidae.

>>2189297
>anabantoids
I thought the Anabantidae family only included ctenopema and their relatives. When were bettas reclassified?

>>2188996
Nice shoop

>>2189318
>>2189297
Derp, nevermind. Anabantoids are a suborder. Where is bugguy to save us from the intricacies of taxonomy?

How can I keep my betta from pigging out on the algae wafers I drop for my snail? Is there an option other than waiting for him to sleep and trying to sneak it in?

>>2189331
Banned. He's literally autistic and a bad troll.

>>2189333
Try at night maybe? And only put in a small piece.

>>2189333
Feed him first. Make sure he's full to.

>>2189022
Even if it holds up you're going to occasionally be asking yourself if today is the day it breaks
At least that was my experience with using a clamp on style monitor mount on my glass desk

>>2189362
Yeah, I still remember when he desperately tried to troll experienced crayfish keepers here with his bogus care advice, like crays not needing surface agitation of some sort, to get oxygen.

>>2189365
>>2189426
I have tried both of these things. He just eats fucking everything and gets all bloated.

>>2189463
Instead of algae wafers, try zucchini.

>>2189297
Anabantoidei is a suborder
>>2189300
You clearly have no idea what you're talking about, you're only embarrassing yourself here.
Unless this is bait, in which case, congrats, you got me to bite.

File: 147112866467947.jpg (192KB, 565x629px) Image search: [Google]

192KB, 565x629px

Rate-a my betta

File: 147112866467947 (1).jpg (744KB, 1400x945px) Image search: [Google]

744KB, 1400x945px

>>2189677
Same guy other side, different lighting.

File: 1469316130279.jpg (200KB, 1280x800px) Image search: [Google]

200KB, 1280x800px

TFW you will never have a 30,000 liter tank in your living room.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhs6D0MExzI

File: 1466815551706.jpg (48KB, 490x490px) Image search: [Google]

48KB, 490x490px

>>2188657
>complains about using words like "comfy"
>uses autism in the next sentence

>>2189661
>>>2189297
>Anabantoidei is a suborder
>>>2189300 (You)
>You clearly have no idea what you're talking about, you're only embarrassing yourself here.
>Unless this is bait, in which case, congrats, you got me to bite.

Please tell me how I don't? They're both in the same family so silver dollars are pirhana. If they're not then bettas are not gourami. But you're all being fucking obtuse over something so fucking false.

>>2189680
>>2189677
That is a gorgeous fish, but why is he staring at that snail like it's a long lost lover?

>>2189701
Retarded much? No one is complaining about the word comfy. Do you have the reading level of a 1st grader?

best way to get rid of freshwater diatoms?

>2189728
beard algae too.

>>2189728
Turn your lights off, more plants, or shrimp.

>>2189756
which shrimp is best?

>>2189713
back to /v/ with you

>>2189757
Amano are pretty good, maybe even the best for algae control.

>>2188502
>some autist (you)
That's some epic projection lol

I can start using a trip if it will jimmie your rustles less

Will I ever NOT have green water if my tank is partially in direct sunlight?

like could any number of shrimp, snails, algae eaters ever combat the power of the sun?

>>2189783
is the algae floating or attached to the sides of the tank?

I'm putting 5 koi in my currently empty 75 gallon to overwinter. Their still pretty small, I'm guessing 8" or so but they have basically gone feral in the pond over the summer and freak out when they see me.

Anyone done some kind of pavolovian training on these things to get them to like you? I'm worried their going to bash their heads in on the tank walls when I move them in.

>>2189770
0/10 take your b8 back to /b/

>>2189761
Take your saltiness back to /v/

>Floating a bunch of catappa leaves in tank
>Find some RCS crawling on top and chilling, thought they were dead
>Check rest of floating leaves, find what looks like a dead Espei floating on top
>Panic, poke the dead looking Espei and it flops back inside the tank and acts like nothing happened

I swear to god this is how two of my rasboras disappeared in the tank, literally beaching themselves on floating leaves and then letting their corpses eventually sink to the bottom and get disappeared by an army of shrimp

>>2189792
there's some on the glass but its mostly a floating haze

>>2189127
Yea, ok. But they're slow as fuck and have absurd find that are easy targets for any real semi-aggressive fish.

It's why I asked how long you've been in aquaria. I can throw any betta in my 150 and that nigga will get murdered before the lights get turned on the next morning.

They aren't crazy assassin fish - they're inbred pretty show fish that zebrafish and tiger barbs and discus and everything in between have no problem BTFOing

File: morgellonsd31.jpg (254KB, 1200x800px) Image search: [Google]

254KB, 1200x800px

Are there a bunch of fish in north korea waiting to be discovered?

>>2189822
>But they're slow as fuck

you've never owned a female betta or a plakat. Hell you've never seen an especially deternined crowntail if you think bettas are slow by default

quit talking out of your ass

>>2189839
Not him but even females and plakats are still slower than zebras and many other fish. Just because they can do quick little sprints doesn't mean much. Fucking gourami kill bettas easily. Bettas are only terrors to smaller, slow fish and ones that can't fight back. Besides your whole bred to kill nonsense isn't even fully applicable anymore as bettas are now being bred for colors and fins, not aggression.

>>2189849
so we go from 'slow' to 'slower than'?

Okay.

What you dont seem to realize then, is that bettas do NOT stop sprinting after whatever it is they want and will kill whatever they're after if the fish isnt removed

>Fucking gourami kill bettas easily
yes, and?

>Bettas are only terrors to smaller, slow fish and ones that can't fight back

bettas are a terror to anything they can harrass to exhaustion. No shit they arent going to take down an Oscar or something but anything suitably sized to house a betta with is in danger of it

>Besides your whole bred to kill nonsense isn't even fully applicable anymore as bettas are now being bred for colors and fins, not aggression.

Dogs say hello

>>2189857
Betta can't continually sprint and are terrible at turning or doing any complex movements.

Bettas get killed by zebra danios, most fish don't run til exhaustion except maybe corys and fish with no ways to fight back.

>dog says hello
Yes im guessing you're referring to pit bulls. But that's a bad comparison pit bulls are on the larger side of dogs and have an incredibly bite force. Most dogs bred for companionship are very non aggressive and most guard dogs have to be trained to be guards. Every betta I've owned in the last few years, especially newer variants have been insanely peaceful.

Keep going though your autism is great.

>>2189839
I've owned 15 females that were all in a 55 and 3 males that were together in a 75.

I've bred dragonscales and marbles.

You're a fucking weaboo faggot that has never kept a real fish.

>>2189800
Get some kind of background to put on the sides and back of tank. But don't use solid colors, like black, in combination with the glass it can cause a mirror effect and the koi could still bash their heads up. Try something that mimic solid rock, or just print out some black and white pics of solid rock, and tape it up.

And don't worry about the training, fish are a lot smarter than people give them credit for. They will eventually associate you with food, the same way any feral cat or dog would, and stop freaking out.

They will probably even start begging for food whenever they see you enter the room.

>>2189820
Just google those lights you put in your filters that shred algae and other parasites/diseases via UV rays.

>>2189876
nothing can continually sprint and bettas getting killed by other fish doesnt prove that betta can and will kill every fish in the tank given the time

>Yes im guessing you're referring to pit bulls
no im referring to dogs. There isnt a single dog breed that doesnt show aggression. Breeding out aggression doesnt work the way you seem to think it does

>>2189882
>Every betta I've owned
again with the anecdotal evidence

>>2189888
Meanwhile your anecdotal evidence doesn't even have a fucking anecdote...

Everyone needs to calm the fuck down, right now.

Seriously, stop that shit.

>>2189882
Giant plakats are the original "Siamese fighting fish" they were bred for aggression. I had a 3.5 inch one who ruled my entire 55 gallon so hard I had to end up selling him. Got $30 for a $5 petco fish. Mislabeling for the win.

>>2189889
>doesn't even have a fucking anecdote
hmmm, I wonder why? Maybe dont use personal experience as proof of anything?

>>2189901
Yeah, I'm sure your source less claims are even better mong.
>muh common knowledge

Kill yourself.

>>2189907
>muh personal experience

I can do that too

>>2189911
Yeah one has more credibility to the other anon. Good try though.

>>2189922
do you actually believe your personal experience trumps anything? That's hysterical. Hell, google will help you more than your 3 years in 'Aquaria' with a Jack Dempsey and an Oscar

>>2189926
Personal experience trumps the source less claims of an autist on 4chan who didn't even provide a single shred of any evidence. Just sperging out and acting like bettas are the pits of the fish world.

>>2189937
>lack of evidence trumps lack of evidence

yeah because bettas killing other fish isnt a well known fact. But your marbles are peaceful so that means >>2188790 is just making shit up specifically to trigger you

>>2189940
No, but you're overstating betta aggression you mong. Many people keep bettas in community tanks successfully. Just because your betta went nuts in an overstocked tank doesn't mean shit.

>>2189941
stating isnt overstating. A betta can and will aggressively harass and attack all of its tankmates to death. Even a previously passive betta can flip. Obviously it depends on the fish but its not impossible, like you seem to think, for a betta to do that

you seem to think a betta could not have killed anon's cories because?? its just a one inch betta??? and that's a retarded opinion to even bring up when bettas are known for killing other fish

Guys. Finally, after many setbacks I decided for reals upgrade my aquarium to 30/40 gallons. Now I have 2 common goldfish, 1 betta male, 1 mollie all in a single 10 gallon tank. Before you start complaining, let me list some things for you!
>You're betta is gonna kill the other fish!
Not really, fortunately my betta is pretty chill, he doesn't fight and likes to swim with mollie.
>Cold water and warm water fish, what a disaster!
Aye I agree with this but I see no problems, I live in the desert so in the morning the aquarium is around 70°F but by midday it swings to 77-78°F and doesn't fall below 72° until around 9 PM.
>The Goldfish are creating so much waste!
Although true, the water parameters are really safe, everything is stable. With help of a huge Amazon swords waste is greatly recycled. The only problem is water hardness but with some peat moss I hope to get that fix later.
>These fish need more space to grow healthy!
Ja, thats why I am buying a 40 gallon tank.

Okay so I am about to buy a second hand tank for $60USD which imho is the only way to get a cheap tank otherwise it would cost $120+. Right now I have 2 dilemas
>Fish tank is larger than the current desk.
So I am not going to drop another banjamin for a desk, my desk is 2 inches shorter in width than the tank and 4 inches shorter in length. Can I still somehow make the tank fit?

>Need a planted tank to minimize CO2 and waste
Now my tank only has one huge Amazon sword its gonna look so small in a 40 gal. I am thinking on adding another 2 or 3 amazon swords and fill as much of whatever ground is left with Java fern. Now problem, will I need a special substrate for the plants? Will all the fish combined make enough food/CO2 for the plants to thrive?

Danke, aquafriendos

>>2189948
I love how small fish people think bettas are these deadly pinnacles of aggression.

You can easily keep bettas with tankmates, they just need to be appropriate ones. If people can keep shit like red devils and dovii with tankmates you can manage with your betta.

>>2189977
you cant do that with every betta you idiot

Some betta simply dont tolerate anything in a tank with them. Not even female betta are exempt

>>2189680
is this a female?

>>2189963
Sup Aquabro.

I'm not got with physics so I can't give you facts on the desk size/tank size difference, just that it feels wonky to me and I personally wouldnt take the risk.

As for Planting, amazon swords would be my choice, the huge ones, bleherii, they won't need extra ferts, as long as your lighting is ok, same gos for substrate, which could be anything from sand to gravel, to aquascaping soil, since echinodorus really are not picky on where to take root. Just weigh the other pro's/con's from the substrates against each other, like price, maintenance etc. and see what's best for you.

Java Fern is very slow growing, so irlt wont draw much ferts.

Depending on your goldies, you may wanna try some elodea, hygrophila, cabomba or other stems, which also drain nitrates like crazy and grow much faster, so even if they get munched on, they should prevail.

>>2189696
And it still looks like shit

File: nymph.jpg (123KB, 639x810px) Image search: [Google]

123KB, 639x810px

Have any of you guys ever heard of nymph goldfish? All they are are breeding culls from fancy goldfish stock, sorted out because they possess single tails instead of the fancy's signature double.

We got some of these in at the pet store I work at, and it brought a solution to my problem; I wanted fancy goldfish AND my two rescued feeder goldfish (one is a common and the other is a beautiful comet).

So anyway, I got myself a black moor nymph and he's doing awesome with the two regular goldfish. He can easily keep up, eats just as much as they do, and they all follow each other everywhere in my little outdoor pond. He also has much less bulky eyes and a more streamlined body than regular moors, so I'm sure that helps him out, too.

Anyway, I just thought I'd say something about nymphs because I myself had never heard of them until we got them in at work.

What are your favorite 20g long setups? After I move I'm thinking about setting mine up for shelldwellers, or maybe Rams

>>2190165
Fuck em both

>>2190139
>rescue feeder gold fish
Kek. For every one you rescue 1000s get eaten and die and ordered.

figures that 4chan would be obsessed with bettas.

>>2190165
Shell dwellers are neat fish. Probably the only cichlids I've ever had a serious interest in keeping.

I'd like to try a couple sparkling gourami or a Florida biotope with pygmy sunfish and killifish in a 20g long.

File: image.jpg (1012KB, 3250x1494px) Image search: [Google]

1012KB, 3250x1494px

>>2190165
I know people will disagree but you need at least 40 for rams unless you specifically buy a mated pair and that's all you have. They're happiest with large territories and lots of plant coverage.

I've got 6 in a 75, probably my fav tank

>>2190210
I like bettas but guppies are better

>>2190215
Jeez that's pathetic.

List of fish in order of owner being a complete faggot:
>1. Betta
>2. Guppy (inb4 muh endlers)
>3. Molly
>4. Goldfish
...
>1001. Every other fish

>>2189032
I got some salvia minima a couple months ago it had one leaf of frog-bit, now there's about 20, and endless salvinia

>>2189033
Nerites, ramshorns, MTS, otocinclus catfish
these will all solve algae problems

>>2190220
What do you have?

Also you're a cunt

Are black neon tetras any good?

>>2190231
Nah they robbed all my other tetras and will only eat watermelon and chicken

>>2190232
what a top meme

File: IMG_20160330_155652.jpg (2MB, 1944x2592px) Image search: [Google]

2MB, 1944x2592px

To the anon that suggested feeding water fleas or frozen cyclops to my betta for constipation:

Thanks a lot! He ate them really well and he seems to be feeling a lot better now.

>>2190233
Thank you

>>2190238
beautiful betta, I wanted a blue one but couldn't find one

>>2190238
That was me. Glad it all worked out!

Tell me what fish to buy for a 17 gallon
I'm not sold on nigg tetras

>>2189978
You can just keep decent sized fish they can't catch.
I mean maybe you can't if your tank is super tiny.

>>2190171
lel I know dude, calm yourself. I bag those things up by the dozen on the daily for people to kill.

By rescue I mean that twice I was netting fish out for somebody and would notice a really nice one, so I'd take it back out of the net and take it home. That's how I got those two, I'm not trying to save them all by any stretch. They just caught my eye so I bought them

File: fish.jpg (82KB, 838x498px) Image search: [Google]

82KB, 838x498px

Went to Petsmart and asked for four male red wag platty. Now a few weeks later three of my 'males' look like this.
I'm excited though and hoping some of the fry won't get eaten and grow.

File: 20160808_100215.jpg (3MB, 4032x3024px) Image search: [Google]

3MB, 4032x3024px

I ended up with two betta splendens females in my community 40g. It seems they fight a lot, but its better now. Should i put one more in? I've read you should keep at least three of them.

>>2189963
Just go to Lowes or whatever, and buy some thick long boards, I believe they are called "Two by fours" then cut them down to size for your aquarium. Lay them out on the surface of your desk, side by side, length wise, with no space in between them.

Then put your aquarium on top of that.

What I would be really worried about is if your current desk is sturdy enough to handle a huge ass aquarium. Do you know what material it is made of? Will it hold up the weight of all that water, or collapse in on itself?

>>2190249
Get like six or seven white cloud mountain minnows (they also come in a gold variety) Don't worry about water temps or water hardness, they have been bred in captivity for so long that they can adapt to anything so long as you take it slow.

Then get 15 or more otocinclus. They are great algae cleaners.

Then get five khuli loaches.

And shrimp, a shit ton of shrimp, or a single vampire/bamboo/armored shrimp. These guys are filter feeders but they get huge, so you have all the benefits of a lobster/crayfish but never have to worry about them murdering all the other inhabitants of the aquarium. Plus, they come in cool colors.

>>2190337
>15 otocinclus
woah there cowboy, youre alrady pushing the bioload of a 17 gal. aquarium right there nevermind all that other stuff

>>2190337
>5 kuhli loaches in a 17 gallon tank
Top fucking Kek.

>>2190323
In a 40 gallon you'll need more than 3, it's a minimum of 5, but that's for a 10 or 20 gallon a 40 would need more I'm.guessing. There needs to be enough of them for them to feel there's no space for territory and you also need plenty of hiding spaces to. http://www.myaquariumclub.com/female-betta-sororities-9266.html

>>2190249
Ignore that other guy.

I'd recommend
1. Dwarf gourami
4. Amano shrimp
5-7. Small schooling or community fish of your choice

And there you go. But it's really up to you.

File: 1450112458704.png (13KB, 350x268px) Image search: [Google]

13KB, 350x268px

>>2189709
Yup, 100% confirmed bait, no-one can be this retarded.

What's the best way to clean out a fry tank? I need to clear away the uneaten brine shrimp but can't figure out a way of doing so without scooping out the free swimming fry accidentally...

File: shrimp-amano-caridina-japonica.jpg (32KB, 639x426px) Image search: [Google]

32KB, 639x426px

What are "hardy" shrimp besides ghost shrimp (which don't seem all that hardy they're just cheap) to put in a beginning shrimp tank? Eventually I would like it to be nice and colorful

I was thinking Amanos even if they're a bit boring

>>2190420

Cherry shrimp are hard as nails, they can live in unheated and unfiltered tanks pretty easily as long as it's a mature tank with decent plant mass.

>>2190379
You seem to be the one baiting. You haven't explained how I'm wrong or how my logic is inconsistent. Just kill yourself anon or take a logic and reasoning course.

>>2190419
Have you tried using a turkey baster?

>>2190419
get a snail. I have a mystery snail that cleans up everything. Dead plant matter, uneaten food, algae, dead fry... everything

>>2190491
I haven't tried anything yet, thought I'd ask first!
>>2190493
Never kept snails before, any links to what might be best?

>>2190497
there's a link in the OP

>>2190497`
Nerites for algae. Literally anything for leftover food. I like malaysian trumpet snails if you have substrate, ramshorn if you don't.

Shrimps are great too!

>>2190502
>Also there are many algae eating species, like Amano Shrimp, Siamese Algae Eaters (Crossocheilus in general), Otocinclus Catfish and Snails. But make sure they fit your tank in terms of other tankmates and size.

not that guy, but this is literally all it says about snails

>>2190220
Danios are a personal favorite of mine

where do I get a rimless tank without paying an arm and a leg?

>>2190543
Building one yourself.

>>2190421
Really? I've wanted cherries to start with but the price put me off since I heard they can be very delicate

>>2190337
>then get 15 more tops
Otos aren't happy in fish tanks. They are exclusively wild caught, do not support that shit.

There are plenty of adorable cories and shrimp that will serve just fine on clean up crew duty and they are all captive bred and happy in fish tanks.

Also, if you actually have an algae problem, try turning off your lights when the sun sets and turning them on after the sun rises - or simply dosing flourish excel.

Do not buy wild fish to correct your mistakes as an aquarium keeper.

Shame.

>>2190419
I've bred a lot of fish but take what I say with a grain of salt if you want. .

siphon them up! and if you see some swimming in the bucket, then siphon them back out!

>>2190578
You can breed otos just need a tank that can handle a hundred or more

>>2190581
Which is what, a 10,000 gallon tank?

Also, explain how you breed them. I can give you a step by step guide to breeding shrimp, corydoras, and plecos, but I've got nothing for Otos. Maybe you can enlighten us all?

>>2190582
>plecos
Which ones m8? Lots won't breed in aquariums you gotta be specific

>>2190583
My bad, just the bristlenose. You're correct, most won't breed in captivity, who knows why (other than the whole captivity thing)

>>2190550
It all depends, you need to remember that a lot of shrimp species in the hobby aren't natural, they have been bred and essentially domesticated to get their different colors/patterns. And any part of domestication requires inbreeding. Which reduces their over all toughness. It's why cherry shrimp are considered delicate, but amano shrimp are considered indestructible. Amano shrimp require brackish water during certain stages of their development, which makes breeding them difficult, which means most are wild caught or are direct descendants of wild caught parents/grandparents. Which means nobody has turned them into the shrimp equivalent of a chihuahua. They are still the shrimp equivalent of wolves.

This is why if you breed two different color strains of the same shrimp species (such as neocaridina) you will wind up with "wild colored" offspring.

So, to counter this, you should aim for "low grade" or "medium" grade cherries. These aren't as inbred as the higher grades. Plus, when the inevitable happens, it won't be as expensive to replace the one or two that dies off.

If you want to go full shrimp master, then once they have established themselves and started breeding, remove and return to the store/sell online/give away the ones that have the most pale coloring. Then replace these individuals with more expensive higher grade shrimp. You will be both "culling off" the undesired traits, while simultaneously be introducing fresh genetic material into your populations as well as increasing the potential for desired traits.

Best part is, shrimp breed damn fast, so it's all actually quite easy.

>>2190583
>>2190585
I'm not into rare fish like that, I just like happy fish in healthy ecosystems.

Gold nugget plecos and all that jazz are whatever, I literally am looking for happy fish that perform the job I need.

>>2190587
>a lot of shrimp species in the hobby aren't natural
Really? An organism that lives out its life in millions of gallons of fresh and salt water doesn't naturally fit into a stale ass 20 gallon tank?

>>2190539
I love you senpai

They suck ass but you know, no tetra disease etc

>>2190581
How big do otos get? The ones that look like cories? I've seen them in pics and youtube vids, but they always look so damn tiny. Like, a full grown betta could eat them in two solid bites, tiny.

Is this just an optical illusion due to not having any other fish in the photographs for a size comparison? Or are all the videos I've seen on youtube of juveniles, who are still essentially fry?

>>2190582
More like a 150 gallon, otos contribute a very low bioload compared to most fish. It needs to be a heavily planted tank with a good amount of algae growth or food. The water need to be near prefect. And eventually your otos will start laying eggs. They breed in a way similar to corys, but just need much better water conditions. A 10000 gallon would be awesome though as otos school in the thousands.

>>2190596
2 inches with females being the larger ones.

>>2190588
I breed l200 and l34. Very hard to breed but very rewarding.

>>2190591
Ok, I'll give you this much, I should have said "breed" instead of "species". Such as cherry shrimps are a breed of neocaridina, but amano shrimp haven't been domesticated by humans and turned into all kinds of different coloration and pattern variations yet.

But that's all I'm going to give you, so fuck off you asinine pleb.

>>2190598
>>2190582
A lot of otos would die when the one stuck in stagnant ponds dry up. That's where they are usually caught from.

>>2190599
And that's too big to have a decent sized school in a 17 gallon?

Not being a troll, genuinely curious, especially if what >>2190598 says about low bioload being true.

>>2190596
1 1/2 inch on average, but they're stunted.

A betta couldn't possibly catch an oto though. Lol

>>2190603
You could have 5-7 easily, while their bioload is less you should still keep their numbers lower in smaller tanks.

>>2190598
Why has no one done this then?

As we say, "sauce"?

>>2190603
>a decent sized school
They school in the thousands.

Cories do too but the one you buy are captive bred.

>>2190607
People have done this, it's not viable on a commercial scale as otos only lay 2-6 eggs and not all the fry make it, so if you have an evenly split tank 50male 50 female, you'll get 100 to 300 eggs, even if they all successfully hatch only a small percentage of the Fry will survive. They also need very very pristine water and they breed infrequently. http://www.fishpondinfo.com/otto.htm
http://www.otocinclus.com/breeding.html
http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=16816

>>2190614
Ill look up those links later. Probably true but still irrelevant to Johnny betta.

What you buy at the store is undoubtedly wild caught.

>>2190359
Okay thanks. I have 12 White Cloud Mountain minnow, 8 Corydoras panda and 2 b. splendens females. Won't it be oberstocked with 5 or 7 betta?

I'm so frustrated. I've been trying to set up a community tank with a betta. The ideal mates I was looking for was corydoras. Apparently there is a corydoras drought. Nine lfs near me. All out. So at the last one I was convinced to buy 4 platys. Told they were peaceful and compatible. Guess what happens. They ripped the shit out of my betta. He's got one nip in and his fins are in absolute shambles after an overnight. I want to take the platys back but who knows if the betta will even survive. He seems to hate the flow of the 10g filter even with a baffle

File: 1458226285215.jpg (381KB, 1920x1080px) Image search: [Google]

381KB, 1920x1080px

>>2190428
>'pl-please take the bait, anon, please bite'
No, you're gunna have to come up with better bait than that if you want me to seriously acknowledge you.

File: v_sleepover.webm (3MB, 960x540px) Image search: [Google]

3MB, 960x540px

>>2190854
Okay fag

File: mo plants mo better.jpg (244KB, 1280x956px) Image search: [Google]

244KB, 1280x956px

>>2188441
Got a few more plants and rocks today. Better?
I'm upset I had to trim my amazon sword. I left it out of the tank while rearranging with just the roots in water, not realising it needs to be submerged and some of the leaves died :(

Also, your thoughts on backgrounds? I know once my plants grow they'll hide the majority of wires, but do you think they look good? tacky?

>>2190591
>>2190601
get shit on kid

How many khuli loaches would be ok for my new 20 long? I know they are social and need friends, but I'm also worried they will hide all day and I'll never see them, has anyone here had experience with them? How their personality

>>2190774
Why didn't your betta just murder all the plattys? Everybody knows they are cold blooded apex predators.

>>2191073
0. They need more space than that.

>>2190774
Just get rid of the platys out and take the filter out of your bettas tank while he heals. Api stress coat plus helps heal wounds so I'd recommend getting some of that. Platys are nippy little shits. I'd also recommend spending the money on an adjustable flow filter

>>2190774
>I was convinced to buy 4 platys
jesus

File: image.jpg (1MB, 3264x2448px) Image search: [Google]

1MB, 3264x2448px

Hi /aq/ here is my betta set up but it feels sort of boring - any ideas for livening it up?

Hey, I'm thinking about getting 3 Japanese Firebelly newts in early October and putting them in a 29 (20 if I can get away with it) gallon tank with like 7-9 White Cloud Mountain minnows and some plants. Is this a good idea? What will maintenance be like? Most people say that newts don't really need filtration, just the plants and weekly 20-30% water changes will do, but will the addition of the fish require a filtration system?

>>2191281
I'd start by getting rid of those disgusting pop figures on the tank.

>>2191281
It's better than 99% of betta tanks but if I was gonna criticize something I don't really like the substrate, makes the tank too dark. The black background is enough to make the colors pop by itself.

I always cap everything with sand myself.

>>2190698
Black gravel, black background, dark fish. That's why it looks so boring. Change something or more plants. I hate that rock, it's the most colorful thing in there and it's dead center so it looks like you're keeping a tank to showcase the rock :s

How big of a scam are protein skimmers?

They seem to be pushed pretty hard as, "necessary" yet it seems like marine tanks can do just as well without them. Is it just one of those extra feel good things?

>>2191395
If you have plenty of surface disruption they're not really necessary. But in larger tanks, especially marine tanks they're necessary.

>>2190907
I like backgrounds just to add depth with freshwater. I think seeing a wall behind a tank looks dumb. I saw a guy who found a piece of slate about the size of his tank back and used that. That was cool. Just don't use dumb shit like a coral reef background with a freshwater tank. That looks retarded.

>>2191281
Too symmetrical. Brighten it up with more plants. Throw some wood in there. Get rid of that rock and get something that goes better with that gravel like a lava rock.

>>2191424
Oh god I'm not that autistic to have such a shitty bg...I've got one with generic plants on but can't remember what I've done with it. One my plants grow I'll probs take it down.

I am upgrading my 5 gallon tank to a 30 gallon tank, however my filter is rated at a maximum of 10 gallons. Would plants + 10 gallon filter be ok in a 30 gallon tank?

>>2192082
Probably if you keep up on water changes. But look into upgrading when you can.

>>2192084
So how many water changes would I do? I currently do 1/week.

>>2191281
Fuck the haters, I think your tank is gorgeous, where did you get that rock?!

The only thing I would recommend is some marimo moss balls, just two or three scattered across the tank floor. The darkness of the substrate will really make the green of the marimo moss stand out.

Or, if that's too expensive, just get something flat, aquarium safe, and pretty thin material, then attach some java moss to it. Like plastic mesh, or a piece of slate. Then lay that on the substrate.

I am looking to buy a tank. Where can I buy one? Its seems buying used is better but then the accessories pile up and it becomes expensive. What are some sources/stores to buy a tank and/or plus equipment?

>>2192108
Amazon, any petstores, Craigslist.

File: IMG_20160816_193148054.jpg (1MB, 1456x2592px) Image search: [Google]

1MB, 1456x2592px

I am planning on doing pic related. Is plausible? I just need to remove the bottom glass of the top tank and then seal it with silicon. Would it work?

>>2192146
btw they are both 10 gallons. Technically, I measured them and it seems each are 5 gallons but I've seen 5 gallons and they are not as big as these.

>>2192146
why though

>>2192097
>fuck the haters
The hugbox is this way ----> www.reddit.com