/aq/-aquarium general

Good idea with the pastebin links. It cuts down on space but still keeps the information accessible.

>>2210771
Thanks, I felt myself that the thing was getting bloated and people asked for it to be trimmed down, so we have the best of both worlds now, without anything getting lost due to constraints.

I also encourage anyone to add to the FAQ.

>>2210700
Can we take the faq section out? Even that little bit makes it look messy and spammy

>>2210796
How do you add stuff?

>>2210858
We need some info there, otherwise we might as well leave it at "/aq/-aquarium general" and leave everything else out..

>>2210862
Anyone can do a new pastebin. I'm usually the one who makes the new generals, so just post what you think would be a good idea for the faq in the current general and if I think its reasonable I'll inlcude it in the next general. Same thing goes for anything thats written in there that might either be controversial or wrong.

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Alrighty I just started cycling my heavily planted bare-bottom 20 gallon high. Now I'm going to set up a 55 gallon. I have a little bit of fluorite and laterite. I'm planning on breeding bolivian rams in these two tanks. Anyone have much experience breeding rams? Are there any beneficial tank mates for them? I want to have a bunch of snails in the bare-bottom and/or maybe move my kuhlis to it as well.

>>2210944
>heavily planted bare-bottom
???

>>2210946
moss balls, potted bleheri, and pothos.

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>>2210960
>pothos
>submerged

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>>2210964
just hanging out the top which is typical. here is my other 20 gallon.

>>2210967
>submerged bamboo
Reeeeeeeeee!

>>2210968
yeah it's pretty memes..
got made fun of for it before. It looks a lot different now. I don't like the bamboo either I'm probably gonna find a new home for them.

>>2210960
O-okay... You have fun with that.

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>>2210858
FUCK OFF MATE

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just got some fish guys: a honey gourami, 3 guppies and 2 peppered corys. The corys are not eating even when the algae wafers are staring them in the face. Also I have done superglueing my plants to a rock/driftwood, does the white stuff dissolve over time?

>>2210948
I know this tank hi anon, you posted the tldr about what you thought about your tank, looks good still! 20 gallon long anon here, just got c02

>>2211013
Get more cories, preferably 7-10 if your tank allows. Corydoras are omnivores but prefer detritus or animal based protein, so get some sinking pellets that contain shrimp. Or you could get frozen cyclops or bloodworms. I keep those corydoras myself and they cannot resist those.

>>2211020
my fish store only had two and besides my 10g wont support more fish. Ive tried bottom feeder pellets and they seem to nibble on it

>>2211052
you should return them then.

>>2211052
Either wait for your lfs to restock them and buy more, or as>>2211056 said, return them. Also, try feeding them bloodworms. Corys have small mouths meant to suck worms from the bottom of their environment.

>>2210948
Is that a gar? Is that legal anon?

>>2211060
A lot of people do it. Just lurk on Monster Fishkeepers forum.

>>2211056
>>2211059
Why should I return them? The person working at the store suggested getting them. I know Cory are social but they have at least a buddy.

>>2211071
You already said you don't have the room to take care of them properly.. minimum tank size is 30 gallons. They get 2-3 inches.

>>2211060
I don't know of any laws against gar specifically, but there are a few states that prohibit keeping native fish in general.

Even then I think cuban gar would be legal to keep in those states.

>>2211100
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/threads/gar-bowfin-legality-around-the-world.411526/#post5760435

Illegal in my state. It's not like the gubbermint is gonna come knocking and ask to see my fish, though.

Got a 30g set up and ready to go but no fish for it. It was meant for a pair of axolotls but i can't get the temperature down so that idea is out. Id really like something fun to put in there. I wish siamese tigers didnt get so big. Id love a pair of those. You guys have any ideas?

>>2210899
What is this, a picture for ants? I can't even read the text!

>>2210968
>submerged

It's clearly growing out the fucking top, you retard. As long as the leaves are in the open air, then it's perfectly fine.

>>2211116
What about non endangered native fish of your local region? Some native fish can be absolutely gorgeous. Plus, since they belong to that region you won't have to worry about the temperatures.

At the very least you can throw one or two in there, as a centerpiece, then fill in the rest of the tank with more common fish in the hobby, like tetras, live bearers, khuli loaches, ottos, cories, shrimp, snails.

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20 gallon long anon here, so I checked my parameters again today and I HAVE NITRATES though it's barely orange and yellow means 0. I am confused a bit however as I am certain there is still some ammonia and some nitrites in the tank, do I need to wait for ammonia and nitrite to get to 0 on their own and have heavy nitrates?

>>2211184
I had a few creek check chubs. They started eating pellets and flakes right away. Got big and started eating other fish. Big mouths and look neat with dark substrate

How often do fish take a shit? Should I be watching that?

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>>2210948
Peacock Bass and Spotted Gar? Crazy.

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>>2210948
What do you pay for fish like the gar and peacocks btw? And how large were they? I should start catching them for people and selling them. Or just giving invaisive species to people who want them at home. Bullseye snakeheads and fat Mayan cichlids also available.

>>2211238
>>2211240
Peacock that size can be $50 plus easily and Florida gar that size $80 plus. Juveniles 2-4 inches 15-25 bucks. People who are into and can house predatory fish usually have the money as well like me.

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>>2211254
Shoulda kept this guy from the other weekend. It would be perfect to get going in an aquarium.

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>>2211254
>>2211259
And the peacocks are just cool because of the color patterns on some of them. This one was pretty wild, had a different yellow color from most of them.

>>2211196
You will never get rid of ammonia, you never want to. It's an endless ongoing cycle. What you want is to get your ammonia as low and stable as possible. If you have zero ammonia, then that is BAD. Because all of your beneficial bacteria will starve to death and you will have to cycle all over again.

Keep doing what you are already doing, remember, stability is what you want.

>>2211236
You shouldn't be watching how often they shit, but rather how much they eat and if they look bloated.

You should have one day a week where you feed them nothing at all. This keeps them healthy in the long run.

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>>2211266
ok, so would you say after a water change this weekend it would be safe for fish? what of ammonia is too high generally? over .25ppm? and I can assume my bacteria is now established since I'm showing nitrates are finally rising? thank you for the help anon

>>2211259
>>2211262
If you can get the buyers or even see if local fish stores would take would buy them then you can make decent money. For awhile I was breeding and made a decent living and it isn't even that hard. One day I'll go large scale but that's far into the future. Peacock bass are actually cichlids believe it or not.

>>2211283
How long have you been cycling this individual tank for?

>>2211088
I think he meant corydoras habrosus, they stay small, thats why I suggested more to him. If it is a bigger cory ofc he is limited to less and shouldnt keep them in a 10 or at least not in big numbers

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>>2211310
>>2211310
its been almost 3 weeks since i put it together this is the first night ive seen nitrites and nitrates above zero I also recently installed c02 yesterday

>>2211334
Sounds like your cycle is going to slow. You need more ammonia to start it up good, have you started putting anything in besides fishy flakes?

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>>2211342
not really, just a little fish flakes every day, i also added some api quick start, dose excel and run the c02

>>2211343
You need to pee in your tank

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Any other hot fish keeping youtubers that aren't her or Taylor Ann dean?

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>>2211346
im slowly convinced more and more this is the only way.

>>2211351
Man did you think I was lying? I wasn't lying! PEE IN YOUR TANK!

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>>2211353
if you record your self doing it post a webm I will do it too

>>2211351

A little dab will do ya

>>2211356
you've just ousted yourself, back to your containment board -> /v/

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>>2211357

>>2211052
it's normal that don't eat well after being put in a new tank. they need some time adjusting.
however, 2 are not enough, as others have already mentioned. you could at least add two more as soon as the store gets some. i'd say your tank can support that many fish

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>>2211355
I already said, I pee in a cup and then dump it in the cup. I'm not filming that, pervert!

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>>2211362
I thought you were my friend fucking with me, since he see's me on this thread all the time. You are serious? if your not bullshitting me take a photo of your tank with your pee cup, I have to see it to believe it. But i can't just take your word before whippin out the willie and blasting my plants lel

>>2211350
noice m8

>>2211343
When you added the quick start, did you just toss it into your tank water? Or did you dribble it over your sponge/filter media?

Because bacteria doesn't live in the water, it lives on surfaces.

Just tossing it into the water will cause all the bacteria to sink to the bottom where it will die due to lack of good oxygen flow and too much direct contact with light.

I'm pretty sure that is the main reason why so many people say bottled bacteria/quickstart is a scam. Because they use it wrong.

I just flushed my feeder goldfish down the toilet the asshole stripped all the leaves off my elodea and ate all the tips off my hornwort.

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>>2211370
i measured a small amount, about half a capful and poured it directly above the filter intake, so hopefully it sank and got sucked into the filter, I'm just excited to finally be seeing nitrites and nitrate hopefully ammonia levels will drop and I can get some fish next paycheck!

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>>2211371
>buying fish without knowing what will happen and killing them for your own mistakes

Come now anon, your better than this. That fish didn't deserve that kind of fate.

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>>2211364
This may be 4chan but I still refuse to take a picture of my piss. Here's part of my tank tho.

>>2211184
Not a bad idea but Denmark doesn't really have anything exciting that would fit into such a small tank. Any other ideas?

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>>2211382
kek fair enough, tank looks great the water seems so much clearer than mine, i think it's the wood hope fully water changes over time will make it clearer. are those repens? the viny stem plants wiggling to the top of the tank?

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I only had three Corydoras with the intention of adding 2-3 more, but one of them attacked and killed another and the remaining two keep cuddling up together on this one leaf. It's been about a week.

Is this some weird cory mating thing? On one hand I don't want to leave just the two, on the other they never schooled anyway and they seem pretty comfy together.

>>2211371
I hope that when you die you are reborn as a fish that someone flushes down the toilet. Just so you will gain first hand experience on what it is like to slowly and agonizingly drown to death in someone elses shit and piss.

>>2211384
What is the highest temp your tank reaches? The lowest? Just google fish that fit within the higher reaches of your tank.

If they can't handle the temperature swings down to the coolest your tank reaches, then buy a heater that will automatically turn on and keep the water at the lowest levels that whatever warm water species you choose can tolerate.

Off the top of my head bettas are warm water species. And there are tons of beautiful tank mates I always see them housed with. So I know you have plenty of options.

Google is your friend, anon, and best of luck!

>>2211403
If they seem okay then it is fine

>>2211374
>>2211405
Literally a 12 cent fish

>>2211411
>lol, this cat, dog, bird, snake, reptile, adopted human baby is dirt cheap!
>therefor it can't feel physical pain or suffer!
>because it is so cheap that means I can do whatever the fuck I want with it!

>>2211414
Yeah but it was only 12 cents and goldfish don't have good memories anyway. Would have died by some kid with a boner and a oscar

>>2211403
they seem ok, but I never heard of a cory going aggressive on a another one, not to mention to the point of killing him.

Tank looks cool, even with the fake plants (at least they don't look like aquatic plants, so you maybe got sold terrestrial ones).

Just beware that if they are plastic ones, that they could cut fins if a fish darts past them. I would recommend silk plants.

>>2211418
This. Had a fish cut itself almost in half once. He died.

>>2211415
That stupid myth about goldfish memory has been debunked for ages, you ignorant pleb.

Everyone knows goldfish are smart enough to teach them tricks and even swim through underwater obstacle courses.

>>2211334
nitrite?

>>2211373
usually around week 3-4 nitrites peaks and then goes back down again. just wait for it to be near zero again

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Uh, rookie question, but that tube's supposed to stay above water, right?

>>2211444
No, just make sure you get some surface agitation with it being like 2-5cm below surface or (if your pump allows) point it upwards towards the surface, so the water is oxygenated. Or are you referring to the transparent oxygen diffusor tube? If so, yeah, above water.

>>2211407
Thanks. I have been googling away. But nothing compares to my snakeheads and bichirs i have in my other tank. Atleast not something that can live in a tiny 30g

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Well now that one out of three fish have had babies, my shrimp i's having them too. I have three shrimp in the tank already and I know they tend to cannibalize when they're overcrowded so is it worth it to get a sponge for the filters and whatever else I'd have to do to help them grow or should I just leave them be and see what happens?

>>2211474
Shrimp don't really cannibalize each other, unless you talk prawns or protein starved tiger or amano shrimp. You know which kinda shrimp you got. Hard to make out. Is it a ghost shrimp?

>>2211477
Yeah it's a ghost shrimp. I guess I should chalk that up to the LFS being incorrect. They also warned me not to get them because they don't live long. I've had these for a month now and they've outlived several fish.

>>2211479
They're essentially supposed to be feeders, so nobody really intends on a ghost shrimp to live long. But they can.

>>2211483
I'm hoping mine will. They're more entertaining than the fish at times which is why I'm debating whether or not to shrimp proof the tank for the babies. I've got 4-5 baby fish as well so I don't know if they'll just eat them up or not if the adults don't get them first. I haven't got a spare tank set up to put them anywhere until they're grown either so is either put sponge on the filters and hope for the best or do nothing and hope for the best.

>>2211484
I feel you, I'm currently making my reef tank an invert/shrimp tank. Ghost shrimp are the least impressive. Shrimp are incredibly diverse and species can vary drastically. That being said, almost no fish will decide NOT to eat your baby shrimp. They're a helpless delicacy that the movements of the larva kick in the hunting instinct in all fish fry. The only fish that I can think of that won't chase the larvae would be the corys and kuhlii loaches. I also believe that glass shrimp have a planktonic stage that the larva live in open water before they settle onto the bottom, but that's mostly saltwater species. Amano shrimp and cherry shrimp are also great, easy to keep shrimp that don't need much to keep alive.

>>2211455
Ah, thanks.

>>2211390
yes it's repens, I think I took this picture for you in another thread actually. I really need to clean up my tank it's a huge mess :s don't fuck with your cycle yet, it's still working.

>>2211403
I've never heard of a cory being aggressive... they are the most peaceful fish ever. If I had to guess, it was caused by the school being too small and stressing out the murderer. Go ahead and add more.

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>>2211535
I really wish my repens looked that healthy, they seem so frail in the water in almost scared any fish would dig them up! I'll take some photos if/when they begin to look better. I'd also like to do a time lapse where I take one photo of the tank a week and make a video of it in a year or two. I get paid next Tuesday so I'm hoping cycle should be completed by then.

>>2211560
My repens is ridiculously robust. I don't dose ferts or CO2 or anything and it's taking over the tank. I'm sure yours will grow big and stronk like mine someday!

>>2211487
I saw some cherry shrimp at the LFS but it was $4 per shrimp and it looked like they only had one in there. I do have a listing for a man shrimp bookmarked though that seemed like a good deal.

Need help fertilizing my tank.
1) Is it even worth it if I am not looking to enter competitions and win prizes?
2) If yes, then are 2 general fertilizers better than dosing each thing individually?

I also have a green spot algae issue and heard that increasing levels of PO4 can help get rid of it. Any ideas?

I have a betta in a 10g planted tank but want to add a few shrimp to help clean up the food he doesn't eat.
Will amanos be OK/not harass the betta or should I get something like ghost shrimp/RCS?

>>2211606
Depends on your substrate and plants. You only need one fertilizer if you have fish. I've heard good things about root tabs and flourish.

I'd reduce your light if you can. Otherwise, RO water and more frequent water changes will help with algae.

>>2211607
It's more likely the betta would harass the shrimp. Not sure how omnivorous amanos are, though.

>>2211618
What would you recommend for cleaning up excess food? I have plants so could I just let it dissolve and not worry about it spiking levels? I keep up with weekly water changes.

>>2211606
Unless you are doing some competition aquascaping, get the all in one fertilizer from seachem flourish and seachem flourish excell - really all you need unless you have many red plants that are very iron hungry. That being said, if you have proper stocking/fish that produce waste, about 80% of low/medium level plants will grow without ferts. If you feel like optimizing your plant growth, dose ferts (and co2) but it's never a necessity when you choose low demand plants. Think of ferts like protein powder for bodybuilding, if you don't have a proper workout regimen and don't have a clue what you are eating, no product in the world will help gains, it's just there to give a slight edge.

>>2211631
I would feed your betta a little less though, if he's leaving food you might be overfeeding. Since it's 10g though I'd go ahead and add any shirmp or snails you want though.

>>2211644
Oh my god that sentence is a mess.

>though
>though
>though

>>2211565
I think I may have to relocate mine to the back or sides if they grow that tall, is it best to wait till they are much bigger to move them?

>>2211653
You can trim them back. The cuttings will root wherever you stick them. I would definitely wait until the roots are established before moving it though. Plants don't like getting moved around too often.

>>2211653
>>2211655
Oh and also, most plants grow tall when you don't have CO2 and low light. Since you have CO2 and probably more WPG than me most of your plants are going to grow bushy rather than tall. Dunno about repens, but it's probably the same.

>>2211657
I mean I like bushy but I also like tall ones in the back, how can I encourage bushiness vs tallness? Also I've been wondering if it's best to do c02 when lights are off or on

>>2211667
You can always trim it down so it's the height you want it.

Plants can't photosynthesize when the lights are off, so CO2 needs to be on about an hour before the lights come on so it has time to disperse in the water.

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>>2211657
Sadly its overexposed but pic is regular repens (no rubin) when under higher light and co2 injection. Leaves get massive and the better the light, the more red the leaf gets.

>>2211669
Is it ok to use when lights are on? It will still disperse and plants can use it, I just can't turn it on until I get home which is like 3 hours after lights come on

>>2211681
Maybe there's a timer you can get for the CO2? I dunno. And yes, you want CO2 going the entire time your lights are on.

>>2211677
Nice! So much redder than mine.

I have been thinking of nerite snails for some algae control. I have a 20g planted tank, CO2, and high lighting. I heard great things about nerites but hate the idea of eggs. If I get 1 or 2 males I assume I wont have to deal with this issue?

Or is there another snail that would help with this issue without having egg issues?

>>2211702
Nerites are nice, but if they are gendered it's impossible to tell the difference. I haven't seen any nerite eggs in my tank.

>>2211702
Most snails are hermaphrodite anon, if you have more than one, and the conditions are right, you will have eggs

>>2211728
I have read nerites are not and that males wont lay eggs. Are other anons pulling my leg?
I love the idea of snails helping to control algae but hate the idea of all the white eggs they produce.

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Should I be worried that one of the leaves on my plants has turned yellow-green? This is my first time with aquatic plants.

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>>2211736
Apparently nerites are weird for snails. Most of them are hermaphroditic. Usually you can't tell the gender. I found this though:
http://applesnail.net/forum3/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=18327&start=45

Eggs really aren't a big deal, just scrape them off.

>>2211743
One leaf isn't a big deal, just remove any dying leaves. If you keep seeing it it's some kind of deficiency.

>>2211736
This stuff is easy enough to find out. Find the scientific name of the organism you want then go up to family level, go to eol.org, enter the family name and look at the information. If you can't find it then you might have to do actual research.

>>2211745
Thanks, that was a good read.

Is there any difference between the types of nerites? Or are they just bred for appearance?

>>2211847
Just appearance. I have three of em a petco worker gave me for free, I don't really notice any eggs or anything. They're pretty cute.

>>2211847
I have 2 Nerites and they've been great. Yeah one put some eggs on my aquatic tree but it doesn't stand out in a bad way. They clean the tank constantly and they seem less prone to dying than mystery snails.

They are look awesome.

>>2211745
Japanese trap door snails are gendered and give live birth.

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>>2211415
it's not about the money anon, it's the principle.

>>2211925
me again, checked the parameters today, my ph has dropped alot, I suspect due to the c02, it is now at 7.6ph, ammonia is very low, while nitrites have raised even higher, hoping nitrates will be elevated soon with nitrites going down

>>2212021
Yes, definitely the co2. try to be patient, it'll do it's thang.

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>>2212037
I also have a large accumulation of bubbles surrounding the perimeter of the tank, is this normal?

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Got two amanos to go with my betta and help keep the tank clean.
He chased them around a little at first but he seems cool with them now.

One thing though, one of the shrimp suddenly started doing laps around the tank and climbed up the spot l spout on my filter trying to get out.
What was up with that? I'm afraid he's gonna climb out in the night and I'll have a dead shrimp already

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>>2212040
The amanos and betta were just chilling they were new! as for the runaway shrimp, the only way to be totally positive is to install a cover, i fear the same when I get my fish, as my tank is not covered either.

>>2212042
I technically have a cover but it doesn't really fit anymore because I bought a tetra 3i to replace the shitty airstone
I think the shrimp is trying to get at my filter media because it's tasty.
Anyone know where I can buy or ghetto rig a sponge filter on my intake?

>>2212038
Probably just oxygen. Is there a lot of surface agitation? Is the water heated?

>>2212042
I don't have a cover on any of my tanks. Haven't lost any livestock ( and I have two cats!). With some fish you do need a cover though.

>>2212047
I bought a aquaclear sponge for less than a buck on Amazon. Any sponge is okay though. Just cut a hole in it. Internet is cheapest but you can get something suitable at any pet store.

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>>2212064
..although my kitten did jump in my tank twice when I had it in the bedroom. Duckweed EVERYWHERE.

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Before

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After

>>2212064
It is heated, the filter agitates water at the top

>>2212069
>>2212070
R8. Before only had that dragon and 2 anubias, 1 type of shitty gravel. Now, 4 Peacock ferns (I know they shouldn't be submerged but bought them on accident), 2 anubias (refitted behind the dragon), 4 new water wisterias. 5 rosy red minnows. 1 unknown pleco. 5 ghost shrimp (might be 7, 2 are missing in action the skeleton of one was found but it might just be a molt). 3 types of gravel, 1 large blue gravel, 1 fine gravel (almost sand) and 1 large white gravel. No lighting, placed near a window for maximum full sun color spectrum (with a curtain in between). Even with sunlight, temp changes are minimal (no more than 2°C from morning to evening). Filter without filter media, just biofilter (I am planning on using a regular sponge later). Fish are fed food flakes and bloodworms. Water chemistry is slightly hard water but the balance is stable with low nitrates and ammonia. What else do I need? Or what else CAN I add?

>>2212040
Amanos are notorious jumpers/climbers or at least more prone to do that, so get a lid.

>>2212080
A tip of mine, finer substrate will usually mix with the coarser one, but there's not much you can do bout it.

I'm not familiar with the rainbow fern, but maybe try cabomba/elodea instead, when the fern is actually terrestrial.

Ghost shrimp dont care about light, but I wouldnt place a tank near a window. Without curtains too much an issue of temp/algae, with curtains you may be under-lighting the tank, even for anubias standards. You could get a cfl bulb with like 6500k in any hardware store and use that or get a cheap lighting fixture for 10-30 $

>>2212085
Danke schön. The curtain on it is a white color and semi-transparent but ofc I am not sure if thats still enough light. I took the pic during the night so it didn't look light but I'll take one during the day tomorrow so you can judge. The bulb, well I honestly don't know how to put it on there. I have a lid but it's somewhere in my garage and it'll take a while to find it.

>>2212087
Get the CFL bulbs, and get some metal halide lamps. I am pretty sure some are clip on. Just like desk lamps. Or you can attach them to the wall over your tank.

You can get these at pretty much any hardware store worth it's salt.

>>2212090
Halide and CFL have different fixtures. Right idea though, CFLs are great for smaller tanks. I have a $8 brooder lamp over my 10g.

I now have way too many shrimp in my tank, what should I do with them besides giving them out for free on the street?

>>2212122
eat them

>>2212122
So you have any carnivorous fish? Cull out the ones with the least desirable traits. Figure out a way to humanely kill them, then dice them up and store them in your freezer. Every now and then, take a shrimp cubesicle and let it float in your tank so your meat eaters and munch all day.

>>2212087
Your phone probably has a light sensor. Its not great but it works. Get an app or go to the developer menu to get a readout. Depending on what the output is you might need to convert it.

The midday sun has about 100k lux btw, there is almost no lamp you could possibly fit over a tank that gets close.

>>2212122
craigslist or any other site like that. sell the culls. you can still make 0,30-1,00$ per shrimp (or more, depending on quality and species).

I did the same with 100 mixed babaultis and cherries, which I got online from a breeder for 0,45€ per shrimp. I deselected the ones I didn't want, put them in a smaller tank and sold the culls for roughly 0,75€ per shrimp, or less, when people bought in bulk.

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pregnant

>>2212161
How many generations of selective breeding would you even need to raise the quality of your shrimp?

>>2212183
Hard to say in general. Babaulti quality is debateable since they aren't even properly classified yet, so I kept most babaultis.

With cherries, I just sold off the ones with a weak colouration and kept the ones with the strongest colour.

Cherries are less prone for dips in quality compared to let's say blue dreams, so it should take less generations for them to get a solid colour going.

How big a tank should I get if I want to get into aquascaping on a total budget of about 1000€/$?

And by "get into" I mean trying out the high light/CO2 stuff, which would take up a significant portion of that budget.

>>2212206
Look into diy led. Also if you make a co2 reactor and make the rest of your setup yourself it shouldn't be that costly.

>>2212206
I'm into scaping a few years now, but had fishtanks even before then. There's no definite answer.

My advice would be, start with small steps. If you have no clue about tanks/aquatic life in general, don't blow too much money on it, rather start low key with like a 20gal/80l and try to make it look pleasing, maybe by watching scapers like dennis wong or james findley(thegreenmachine) on youtube.

Also, I find this guide very helpful for beginners, since it conveys the basics very well: http://aquariuminfo.org/aquascaping.html

If you already have experience and own/owned a planted tank successfully before, there are still many factors. Bigger scapes can absorb some "visual errors" easier then small tanks, where even a hardscape/plant placement thats a few cm off can screw things over aesthetically.

I think a good tank size to start out, if you want to get something large, would be a 75gal or a 55gal but it really comes down to preference. Bigger tanks need more maintenance, but give you much more options in terms of stocking and plants.

Let's say you want to pull the trigger and spend 1000€/$, rather spend it on high quality equipment that actually makes a difference instead of blowing cash on superficial stuff like ADA Glassware or some Twinstar Nano 'Anti Algae'-Electrolyzer

By that I mean, get a good external filter, Eheim/Fluval are both great manufacturers. Get a good lighting, LED will be more expensive at the purchase, but will be cheaper and more efficient than T5 fixtures in the long run. Get a good CO2 System that does not have a shitty needle valve/regulator.

If you have any more questions, feel free to ask.

Are these multi-hundred dollar tank + stand set ups that PetSmart and PetCo sell even remotely reasonably priced? I'd like to upgrade to a 60 gallon with a nice stand but some of them are up there at $2-300. Not a fan of buying used either, so I might just have to bite the bullet.

>>2212365
Imho it's highly overpriced. If you don't wanna buy used, maybe just get a tank at a dolllar a gallon sale and buy the stand seperately in a furniture store (or used)

>>2212365
The prices aren't too bad because stands are expensive. Problem is the equipment that comes with it isn't the best.

>>2212266
I've had fish before, with the tank runnig stable and successfully until I had to get rid of it because I moved so I know how to get one up and running. That was before aquascaping was as mainstream as it now though.

The aspect of composing such a landscape really intrigues me. I've been into semi-pro photography for a while now so I (should) know how to compose an image but that is 2d. Composing a 3d landscape is an exciting challenge I'd want to try out.
I already found both those channels you recommended by myself yesterday, heh.

For a pump I was gonna get an Eheim anyway, that's what I had before. For CO2 I was looking at a lot of sets but they all seem to have their flaws so I guess I'll spend more and get separate parts and an in-line diffuser unless there is a set that is really good that you could recommend.
I was looking at this combination: https://www.aquasabi.de/co2/co2-technik/hiwi-druckminderer-mv-und-rsv and https://www.aquasabi.de/co2/co2-zugabe/up-aqua-inline-atomizer
For the other stuff I need I really don't think there is much point in paying more so I'll just get something decently cheap that doesn't look awful.

LED lights are a given and as >>2212246 said I could make one myself, high power LEDs have gotten really cheap and I basically have all the other stuff I'd need just lying around anyway, including heatsinks. The real question is can I make it look good for less than buying one?

And yeah, I've had a good laugh at some of those prices.

Anyway, is there an epiphyte (a moss or something else) that grows really tightly around the object you plant it on? I'd want it to follow the shape of the object as it grows, not just turn into a smooth blob, I think that'd look nice after a while.

>>2212479
You'll have to trim any moss down to make it look like that. Most (good) aquascaping requires quite a bit of trimming.

>>2212494
That's not a problem, I'm ready to spend quite some time on it daily if necessary.
How useful are those overpriced bent scissors anway? I have a complete set of dissecting instruments which has different sorts and length of scissors already just not bent ones.

>>2212496
I'm not much into aquascaping- I just use whatever scissors are on hand- but I imagine they're extremely useful for trimming things like moss and anything you want neat. I'd stick with the tools you have and buy more if you find it difficult.

>>2212479
The stuff eq you posted is fine. The technique you describe, when you really have a kickass light and co2 you could get riccia fluitans and wrap it tightly around a piece of wood. It will look like an sps coral and pearl like crazy, but you could use any kind of moss really. Phoenix moss is also a great idea for that.

As pointed out, you still need to trim it, especially high light plants grow fast so trimming is a must, like I do a bit every 4-7 days, depending on the plants.

Those long curved scissors are neat but you can buy the exact ones that are not labeled for aquascaping for like a third of the price. Regular scissors are fine too, its just a matter of comfort.

What I do when I think I could do a rescape or make a new tank, I usually sketch out a layout on a piece of paper, even if you are shit at drawing, it helps a lot to keep your vision clear. Even if its just vague shapes/arrangements.

Going to pick up some snails today and have 2 questions.
1) For nerites, are the different colors the same species? Or does it actually matter what I pick?
2) What should I look for when I am picking them? For fish its pretty obvious, look for the ones that are active. Do I just sit there and watch snails/paint dry for a bit?

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>>2212624
Anyone know if I can snip those off? Aponogeton plantlets looks like some roots as well. Also do these look like seeds forming?

>>2212625
Plantlets can be removed, be careful not to snip the roots. Definitely looks like seeds, no idea how to grow them though.

>>2212617
They're the same species. Just grab whichever one has the prettiest shell. It's hard to tell with snails; basically, they're either dead or they're not.

>>2212630
It's pretty hard with inverts in general. What you can do is just buy a lot of them, some are bound to be fit.

>>2212633
Buying a bunch of nerites is a waste of money though... I think they're like $3 each. I can't imagine spending much money on a snail when I have like a hundred of the damn things.

Welp I think both of my amanos escaped overnight
thats means they both climbed up my filter and squeezed through a gap between the lid and the filter because it doesnt fit quite right

now i gotta buy my shrimp somewhere else because my manager would not let me live it down if I told him

>>2212637
Nerites eggs don't hatch in freshwater

>>2212684
Kick him in the balls

>>2212762
Never said they did. I have three kinds of snails. Besides, I could have had a brackish tank.

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>>2212765
The eggs need to go full marine then to brackish then to freshwater.

>>2212767
Hobbyists can still breed them. Wouldnt be hard to set up with some ten gallons. I only have three of the them though.

>>2212771
I don't know much about them but I breed amanos

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I got my first betta in years. He's in his own 5 gallon. I figured he wouldn't do well with my serpae tetras, so he gets his own house. I love his tail fin tip too much to risk them getting nipped by the others.

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>>2212775
I didn't even realize the image was sideways. This one shouldn't be.

>>2212775
>>2212776
Do a small crop of the image and save it. Then post it and they won't be all sideways or upside down.

gonna hit up the aquarium store and buy like 20 shrimp for my 50 gallon

>>2212141
Thanks I checked it out. So in the lightest parts of my tank, light reaches 260 lux while in the darkest part (shades, behind decor etc) its about 5-30 lux. If I remove the curtain, the max lux is 450. Is that good for a ten gallon? Keep in mind however that I measured that in the afternoon so I don't know how midday will be.

>bought 3 convict females at the same time
>one has gotten huge and colorful after 2 months
>the other 2 haven't seemed to grow at all, maybe a little bit and look dull in comparison

Are they just genetic trash or what's up?

>>2212878
Why you get convicts though bruh? Literally the guppies of the cichlid world.

>>2212886
The females are awesome looking bruhh for real for real

I'm adding 2 EB acaras soon though

>>2212890
I really want another electric blue acara. But fuck me they're $20 in every store around me. Everywhere else that isn't here they're $10 or less. No problem dropping $200 for a 2ft wolf fish but I can't for some reason on a electric blue acara.

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I've had this 20 Gallón tank for 6 months already, I keep 4 guppies a goldfish and a baby angel, when I bought my 4 guppies I was told they were all males, but know I think I got a pregnant female or a sick male, can anyone help me clear that out? Also if this is not the right place for the question i'd appreciate any orientation... fish it's been like this for a week already and getting bigger.

>>2212915
Definitely male. Females aren't as colorful or flowing fins like yours. Pregnant females will have a dark gravid spot by the anus. Nigga looks like he did 15 hard years in prison.

>>2212915
Possibly constipated

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Yo what the actual fuck is this? Just saw it swimming around in my tank then it swam up the filter intake

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Looking extra evil today

>>2212926
poop

>>2212915
Trans guppy

>>2212926
Is it moving?

>>2212921
Is he gonna die? What can I do? Everyone in there looks healthy, I feed them 3 times a day, I'm pretty sure I never overfeed them... I feed them wardley tropical, never changed food type... fish tank is clean and in good conditions, i've been dropping a few pleco sticks every 4 or 5 days... forgot to mention I also keep a pleco in there he only comes out when lights are off... what should I do. Any recommendations? Thanks in advance.

>>2212919
Thanks for clearing that out for me pal! Wasn't sure about gender.

>>2212930
I don't know. It came from my fishes asshole. It hung there and when I went to take a pic it broke off and swam into the intake.

>>2212931
Start skipping one day a week when you feed them. Give him a blanched or frozen pea with the skin off. He's probably just constipated.

>>2212931
Always try the old method of defrosting a pea and taking the shell off so they can eat it. It clears up constipation.

>>2212940
>>2212942
I will try that thank you very much, one last quick question... do they get to die out of constipation? is there an average time it takes for them to die? Just wanna make sure it's not too late...

>>2212948
Sure, it can die. I don't know how long it takes. If he's still swimming around and eating it's probably okay.

>>2212953
Thanks for all the help and useful information, I really appreciate you guys taking the time, I don't know if it's proper to put this in here but I have some Photoshop skills, if any of you wishes me to reward you for this useful information, i'll start a thread called fishoping on /r/ make sure you copy and paste the answer you gave me so that way I know I'm not being tricked by other anons...

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>>2212938

This >>2212961 goes also for you:

>>2212942
>>2212940
>>2212931
>>2212919
>>2212921

>>2212971
Sorry I mistyped it so the name of the thread will be fishop and it has an image of my sick fish

I got some Christmas moss today
Doing dsm and I'm paranoid about the moss having pests so I want to quarantine it for awhile
Do I have to do anything besides besides tie it to a piece of wood or rock and put it in a wet jar with some light on it?
I know this stuff grows everywhere in nature

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guys i did the thing where you put the water above the aquarium and check it out a molly swam up into it.

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my tank is really ghetto

>>2213014
???

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>>2213017
yea man its weird eh.

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also, red party cups make good fish houses

>>2213022
What the fuck dude, is that really your tank? Maybe take the trash out..?

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>>2213023
I know it looks like shit but I don't have money to spend and the mollies like it
their population has exploded since I threw those cups in there.

>>2213024
What size tank is that? It doesn't cost any money to fix your tin foil and clean the glass :(

Terracotta pots look nicer and don't leach plastic, you can get them at the $1 store or get some PVC for cheap.

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>>2213025
It's either 25 or 30 gal. I've fixed the foil before but it always gets dinged up during maintenance. I could just go buy a nice top decorations for it but the entire thing is basically made out of junk. even the filter is pieced together from 3 broken filters, I only paid for the heaters and a few bulbs. how bad could the leeching plastic be if I just do steady water changes? I got electrical tape in there too btw.

Family just brought home 3 fiddler crabs and a green spot puffer from walmart to throw into my Platy tank

I just spent 30 minutes convincing them to take the fuckers back. Someone save me from the uneducated

>>2213038
Mine was done on a budget but there's like a dozen things you could do to make that tank better.

>>2213049
I want a puffer but I don't have room for another tank ;_;

>>2213051
i'd have liked to keep the puffer but

>>hey you can put it in with your other fish! Im sure its not THAT aggressive since its so small
>no
>this fish needs a 30 gallon tank
>>hm... how about this 5 gallon instead?
>no
>>but its so small!
>>what do you mean I need to buy another filter?

>>2213056
Makes me glad my mom only likes bettas.

>>2213057
Reminds me once my parents kept 2 piranha in a 10 gallon tank. They ended up eating each other after the gold fish ran out.

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>>2213038
this tank raises so many questions in my head

are there red solo cups in the tank? what are those

is that foil in the tank or on top? I feel like any metal that gets in that water is a bad idea

plants looks healthy though, better than mine

>>2213090
It is because he's literally peeing in his tank. Those are piss cups.

>>2213095
I'm the anon who advocates peeing in cups and this is my tank >>2213047

>>2213090
I have tin foil lining my light. It's great so long as it doesn't get in the water.

I'm not sure why that anon is using his tank as a garbage can.

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>>2213095
still don't believe you anon, im waiting for someone to post their pee cup with a time stamp next to tank, if so I will make a webm of direct piss to tank action, until then your all bullshitting :^)

>>2213099
also guys since my cycle is starting to finish i've been thinking about what livestock to keep, what do you guys think would complement my tank best? I would like to have all 3 levels covered, so ground fish medium and maybe a labyrinth fish that stays near the surface.

>>2213090
yes, those are red solo cups
bits of tin foil have fallen in the tank, yes.
those plants better fucking grow I got like 40lbs of potting mix in there.
you just have to mix the 27k light with the 64k light (that's how you grow weed)

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>>2213103
Is... is this bait?

>>2213103
Holy baitman, now you're overdoing it.

>>2213102
I feel with the whole set up of your tank a paradise fish would look nice.

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Why's he always so damn smug?

>>2212776
>>2212775
Why do bettas have perpetual pouty mouths?

They are either fucking pissed, or sulking. There is never any inbetween.

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>>2213112
You say paradise fish, and I instantly think of saltwater species, care to name some freshwater maybe? thanks!

>>2213109
>>2213116
big ego I assume

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>>2213116

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>>2213109
>>2213107
silly anons this is not bait this is the real thing.
I got like 6 inches of substrate in that damn tank.
you can grow weed with expensive lights, you can grow an aquarium with expensive lights or you can use cheap CFL bulbs from the hardware store.

>>2213095
You mean she
>>2213116
Doesn't look smug. More like a forced smile for the thumbnail.

>>2213120
http://m.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=830+2855+1007&pcatid=1007 They're freshwater. Many nice colors that would go well with your setup

>>2213014
How the fuck does that even work?

What the hell did you do to gravity?!

>>2213038
I swear this tank looks like it can make a statement of pollution or some shit.

>>2213125
>>2213125
By gravity and suction, you can make a water bridge between two aquariums with the same principle.

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>>2213122
Please take the solo cups out of your tank anon.

>>2213129
was bout to say this, he just filled and and flipped it, and the fish swam up. This is just more trash in his tank :( But it's not mine to each his own I guess.

>>2213116
Because he's a motherfucking KING, you ignorant peasant.

>>2213131
BUT GRAVITY.

WHY DOESN'T THE WATER SIMPLY DRAIN BACK INTO THE TANK?!!!!

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>>2213128
I'm used to seeing polluted water ways. maybe that's why it doesn't bother me
>>2213131
no man. what about the baby mollies. they hide in there.
>>2213137
it's just vacuum sealed, look >>2213024

>>2213137

Anon, gravity is not a very strong force. There is no air in there and for the water to drain a vacuum would have to appear and air pressure prevents that.

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>>2213137
>yfw

I've got a planted aquarium with a regular hood light that came with the tank that just has on/off settings. I'm giving my plants twice a week liquid fert as recommended by the person who gave me the plants but I'm not really seeing much growth these days. Plant-buddy has a hood light for their tiny plant tank that has a red setting they say really makes the plants grow but I can't find one for my twenty gallon. Is there anything I can get like an attachable red light or something to help grow my plants?

>>2213406
What's the wattage on the hood light? It's probably not enough. If you want red you can do anything with LEDs.

>>2213147
Yea anon think of this, what is gravity to an ant? Not much

>>2213412
I've got two different kinds of bulbs it turns out. One I just switched in was "15 watts - Natural Daylight" to see if it works and the other I've had in is "15 watts - Aqua Rays" which looks like a brighter white.

The only red I've seen so far is part of an underwater LED bubble strip but I'm pretty iffy about sticking electric stuff into my tank.

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What else should I add to this tank?
I wanted it to be heavily planted and overcrowded, I started out just fine, but now when it comes to plant selection and placement, I can't figure out what else to add and how to do it!

Yes, I know the ferns are semi aquatic...
Besides that, what else could I do to spruce this up a bit?
What kind of plants?
Sticks or small log chunk?
Rocks?
Memeballs?
Duckweed any good?

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>>2213422
>mfw noob to aquarium but something ain't right

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>>2212915
Male. With guppies and mollies, aside from the flowing fin it is really easy to tell by looking at the anal fin. Males have a thin, pointy anal fin while females have a large triangular one.

>>2213422
add an Oscar and two Plecos

>>2213422
Add some common plecos to eat the poop so you can overstock even more

>>2213433
I was hoping the substrate and plants would do that job...

>>2213423
Could it be the 10 gallon tank with the 3 electric blue acara that grow to 5 inches or the multiple gourami? He has no balance. He needs to add some beta fish.

>>2213406
>>2213412
>>2213420

This anon again. I turned on the light again and the Natural Daylight one has some weirdass green glow to it compared to the bright white I get with the other bulb.

Should I just scrap both and get a higher wattage or something? Or does the specific color hue do better for plants.

>>2213440
is the bulb less than a year old?

>>2213443
I honestly have no clue but I doubt it. They were all given to me for free since the previous owner upgraded to a much bigger tank a while back and put this one in storage. The bulb itself looks fine (just less brighter) but it makes the tank look a sickly yellow/green. The other two bulbs I have are both the Aqua Rays brand and more fluorescent but both are 15watts as well. I've been using the Aqua Rays ones from the beginning but the plants don't seem to be doing much aside from one that has grown a few inches. Everything else is relatively the same size and getting brown places.

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>>2213439
I've had these Acara's and Gouramis for several years now and up until 2 months ago they were living in a 75 gallon tank. These guys are the only survivors of that tank.
Literally everything that could go wrong went wrong with their previous tank...
>bacteria blooms out of nowhere
>smaller gouramis ganged up on and killed my 7 year old kissing gourami that was 5 times their size
>cousin's 6 year old daughter put her soapy hand into it
>crack in the left pane caused the water to drain 2/3's down while I was at work
>accidentally dropped the tank when trying to repair it
>damn thing is in a million pieces in a dumpster right now
I honestly couldn't be bothered at this point to deal with buying and setting up another larger tank so I settled for something smaller. I had this 10 gallon that was used as a hospital tank for my goldfish and bettas and decided to turn it into this on a dime. Originally I WAS going to turn it into a shrimp tank but hey, funny how life turns out.

>>2213453
Nice. They'll love the deformation and early death.

>>2213420
>>2213440
30 watts for a 20 gallon isn't bad. Keep in mind that just because the light seems good to your eye doesn't mean it's good for the plant. You should be able to keep low-medium light plants with those bulbs. Can your light fixture handle more wattage?

>>2213422
I hope this is bait but no amount of plants or filtration will make that tank okay. Look up the requirements of those fish.

>>2213450
yea you should try getting fresh lights and higher wattage wouldn't hurt.
I've heard that fluorescent grow lights lose their power after a year even if they're still working cause the powder inside of them gets used up before the filament burns out.

>>2213453
>8 fish that size in a 10 gallon

i'm so tired /aq/
Im sick of doing nothing. What's a sneaky way to kill two koi and make it look completely natural? They're about 6 inches long and have been in a 10 gallon tank since June

No one wants to pay for and find a place to stand a larger tank. The water is constantly yellow and the filter stays clogged but no one does anything because 'well they arent dead yet so they must be fine'

Help me end their suffering

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>>2213465
I've only had 15 watts in, actually. Or are you saying I should upgrade to 30 watts?
I think most of my plants are low-medium and I'm looking at attachable red lights like pic related or one of those suction cup attachable light strips to run during the day when I have the main light turned off.
As for whether or not the fixture can handle more wattage I'll have to check when I get back home since I'm headed out for a bit.

>>2213467
Thanks for the help!

>>2213473
>15 watts on a 20gal
oh man that's no good
I know 'watts per gallon' is bullshit but look that up and follow it.

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>>2213473
I see. Yes, you need more wattage. I like using brooder lights with 6500k CFL lights. Adding two would be more than enough light and will run you less than $20. Most red lights are only for decoration and aren't going to do anything for your plants unless you pick one up that's specifically for growing.

>>2213474
Mobile post but I figured it might be the issue given my plants aren't doing as well as my plant-friend's. I did Google a bit but all I found was Lumens info for tank gallons and these bulbs didn't have that information. I'll keep looking when I get back.

>>2213484
I didn't even think of CFL lights and I know they have them in long bulbs I need for my aquarium hood. I'll definitely switch out the ones I have now for a 6500k one once I check if the fixture can handle it.

>>2213494
The main limiting factor right now is how many watts your fixture can handle. Watts per gallon is the easiest thing to calculate, although not the most accurate. You want to aim for 1-2 WPG.

What do you need to get your ph levels started and all that after you fill the tank with water?

>>2213499
you really need a ph test kit.
just go get a quarter cup of water out of a pond somewhere and throw it in your tank. it'll be fine.

>>2213499
9/10 times you don't need to worry about pH. Do you mean cycling? If so, there's a sticky for that.

>>2213499
Please read the op post anon it helps bunches

>>2213502
>>2213501
it says get a water conditioner then it recommends tetra safe start and pour the whole bottle but what size bottle do i get? i have a 120g tank

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>>2213510
you gotta read the directions bro
if you can't do that just give up now.

>>2213519
alright tank for sale in texas email [email protected]

>>2213510
For water conditioner I highly recommend Seachem Prime. I've never used Safe Start but I think they say what size tank they're for.

>>2213471
Pee in the tank. It'll be slow death but they'll die. Or put them clove oil then put them back in the tank and put a crack in the tank so they don't buy another

I need some plant ideas /aq/. I want to have the right side of my tank densely planted with different heights of plants. Trying to go for a 'forest' type look on that side then gradually shorten the height of the plants until its nothing but carpet.

As of now I just have anacharis and water sprite. Any ideas?

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>>2213570
What's your WPG? Do you dose ferts or CO2? Most plants that are going to get tall like that make very poor carpets. Check out L Repens though, it's a super hardy plant. Bushy plant in the middle.

>>2213471
Clove oil in the tank.

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How easy would it be to join these 2 tanks using a water bridge? Is it even possible? Top is 10 gal and bottom is 5 gal.

>>2213587
It's possible one side would need to be longer and you'll need something to keep it level. It'd be easier to just use 2 ten gallons or a ten and 20 long.

>>2213587
It's possible but they'd need to be side by side.

>>2213587
Also what kind if shit can I put in that 5 gal? I have some glass shrimp in the 10 gal but I doubt they'll be happy in there. Maybe a breeding tank or use it to grow those Peacock Ferns that shouldn't be in the ten gal? What are your thoughts?
>>2213593
Wew, I guess no bridge then.

>>2213498
Bad news. I just checked and the fixture says the best I can do is 17 watts.

>>2213574
I dose Excel and Flourish and have pressurized CO2 as high as it will go without gasing the fish. I have 2.7 WPG

>>2213574
As for the carpet I have dwarf hairgrass on the other side.

>>2213624
You can do pretty much any plants you want then, so long as they aren't super high light.

>>2213611
You definitely want to add light then, the brooder lamps I recommended are the cheapest way to do it. I had to scrap the lights my tank came with, too.

>>2213644
I'd been looking at these since they'd easily go right where my light is now. Think it's a better set up than what I have now? I want something brighter than I have while still being aesthetically pleasing since it's the first thing you see when you walk in the door.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0191EWII2/

>>2213651
I can't find any info about how much light it provides. Generally if they don't say, it won't work for plants. You can check the reviews though, maybe someone figured it out.

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>>2213663
(deleted old reply and edited for more info, sorry!)

All I saw in the listing was Power: 6W but a lot of the reviews said it worked great on their plants.

I did find an alternate option on ebay that has the same sort of lights (3 LED difference) and way more info. I'd be in the 18-30" range and from what I saw on the Home Depot site, the light you said you had is about brightness 2880 Lumens for one bulb and that's equivalent to the 24-36" size which is a size up from the one I'd need so it can't be too bad?

>>2213686
Don't worry about lumens. What matters is kelvin (k) and wattage. Unfortunately I don't know much about LEDs, just that usually the cheap ones aren't good.

>>2213694
I'm a bit clueless when it comes to everything but I figure anything LED has to be better than what I've got now. My new plants are starting to brown a bit on the ends and only one plant seems to be really thriving out of a whole tank full.
I did a quick google and Planted Tank says anything 5000-10,000K range should work good for plants and the chart says I get 10,000K out of the white LEDs alone.

That coupled with that the one I found on Amazon is ranked #1 means it's worth getting since it's not too expensive just to try.

>>2213725
Sure, looks like some people have grown plants with it. I wouldn't put any plant in there that requires more than moderate lighting though.

>>2213737
All mine are basic plants that need low to moderate light so I think this'll work out at least a better than what I've got now.

>>2213525
>>2213582
You know what?
Just got back from work, after a whole day of thinking about it and reading this anons post >>2213471, I'm honestly going to humanely euthanize them.
Unless there's a way to adopt them out...

Anyways, you guys are right and I know you are. Keeping them in such a small tank isn't right in the least bit.
Guess I'm just growing out of the hobby at this point to care as much as I did when I started...

>>2213763
Put 'em on Craigslist or get a bigger tank or Rubbermaid container. They're beautiful fish though, good on you for coming around.

im seeing mold in my dsm
what do?

>>2213141
No, it is not vacuum sealed, if it was then fish wouldn't be able to swim in and out of it.

>>2213147
Water has oxygen in it, and if not oxygen itself, then other gases. The gases would just rise up to the surface and get trapped under the plastic, creating air bubbles, which in turn would cause the water to drain away. There is no freaking way that bottle can stay like the way it's displayed in the pictures unless it is connected to some kind of pump or filtration system.

>>2213938
what are you talking about? Mines been up for a few months.

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>>2213763
contact me anon and we can arrange you to mail them, I will pay for shipping

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>>2213521 how big? I am also in texas

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Upgrading to a bigger tank soon from my 30g tall. Was planning on getting a 60 long but just occurred to me that a 55 tall might better. Main inhabitant is my crab. Since crabs like to climb I wonder if the tall would actually be better? But having more space to roam around on the floor. Man Idk.

>>2214030
Smash it

>>2214051
omg SO edgy xD

>>2214030
Get a 75 hex.

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So I have a Mystery Snail in my 10 gallon with my guppies and some ghost shrimp. The snail is a pretty shy guy and I've noticed that the guppies and even shrimp will cockblock him anytime he tries to eat. I don't want to feed to much and muck up the water quality, though.

What can I do to make sure my super cool snail is getting enough to eat?

Pic related is he

>>2214087
Add some hermit crabs for him to make friends with

>>2211373
you could just get some super hardy fish to get going faster. but if it's a moral issue then its well worth the wait to do a fishless cycle. since I'm impatient I'll probably throw a couple fish into my next tank after a week or so of cycling with a quick start.

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>>2213938
man I'm not a physicist but you are onto something. after I set it up I floated fish food up into the jar to lure them inside it but only 1 figured it out.

they would go right up to the water level but it was like they didn't believe they could swim up above it. and the 1 that did was acting like he was trapped for a half hour.

>>2213022
This is disgusting...

But looks kinda cool at the same time. :)

>>2213596
even then it's only reliable to water bridge tanks that are the same size because the weight of the water gets equalized between both tanks.

if you bridge a 5 and a 10 then both tanks will be holding the weight of 7.5 gallons, which might be fine, but it gets weird on larger scales

>>2213141
>>2213038
>>2214141
【a b s o l u t e l y】 (最低) 【w h i t e ▶ t r a s h】

>>2211370
No, it's because bottled bacteria can run out of food and die.

>>2214115
Adding live fish doesn't make it go any faster.

>>2214430
>Adding live fish doesn't make it go any faster.
false

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>>2214272
>elitist swine
post your tank if it's so great

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>>2214508
>literal garbage in tank
>that Chinese pollution aesthetic
Ok frat boy, at least mine is clean. Getting live plants next week.

>>2214592
>tripfag
>always talking shit
thats like, what.. a 2 gallon tank? lmao
all those moss balls jesus christ pls be a bait image

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>>2214627
>"always talking shit"
>talked shit approximately 1 time because anon's aquarium is polluted
Stay mad nonnie, it's a 5½. See you when your tank isn't literal trash.

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>>2214641
>nonnie
huh?
not even that guy breh, im crab guy and still literally lmao'ing at u thinking u have any right to say anything under a trip with a 5g
l m a o
m
a
o

>>2214666
Satanic trips, bruh

>>2214508
Sorry for going off the deep end cup guy, it's just not an aesthetic I personally find appealing. Mirin' your plants though - maybe deep down I'm just jealous.

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>>2214592
I got the same boat you got that shit from walmart and you have the nerve to call me white trash.
check out my scrap wood top.

>>2214816
That boat belonged to my grandmother and is at least 35 years old. Yours looks like it got doused with acid rain, cheap knockoff I guess.

>>2214666
holy shit mane that crab looks unhealthy. Are you feeding it live fish withou gut loading them?

>>2214816
You're white trash if you keep that in view of guest or friends. The illegally growing weed without license is just topping on the cake.

Are amanos always this active?
They kinda picked around for about 15 minutes, and now they're just zooming all over the place

>>2214937
and now the smaller one has managed to pull himself up the spout on my filter and is sitting inside it

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>>2214919
I have nice tanks and I help my friends with theirs. my mom worked in a fish shop I grew up around some of the coolest fish and tanks you can see. none of that shit really impresses me anymore, I'm far more captivated by how well mollies take to a pile of cups

for real though I used to have moss carpeting the gravel but I let the duckweed get out of control and it blocked all the light for a month. all the moss uprooted itself and when I took it out the fish were freaking out, so I threw a bag of cups in there til i manage to grow these plants up tall and thick. I should have enough clippings next week to throw out the cups. I still like my broken clay pot tho.

>>2214627
>hating on memeballs

Get a load of this newfag.

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>>2214946
I do not agree with this anons looks for his tank but if his fish are happy and healthy I will defend his right to have it!!! Still don't like the solo cups though, tacky af

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>>2214272
be nice white shorts

>>2215136
holy shit one of my amano caught and is eating a bug that flew into my tank

so is there a new thread or...