/aq/- Aquarium General

Do low-maintenance grasses exist?

What about carpet plants?

I would like to try either in a 5gal if they are real.

>>2219495
valisneria is low maintenance, but is more of a tall grass

for easy low tech carpeting try glossostigma, marsilea hisurta and the like.

Are LED lights for plants supposed to be expensive? My store only seems to sell the ones by Current. The one I want for my 20 gallon is 150 cad. What if I want a bunch of tanks?

>>2219548
yes, LEDs are the most expensive lighting. they're gotten way cheaper though.. DIY is definitely the way to go if you want to save money.

I don't fuck with LEDs, the lighting on my 55g cost $20.

>>2219495
dwarf sag, but it can get pretty tall for a carpet.

>>2219394
it looks way better!

>>2219363
corydoras like 5+ in a school, plus they're more fun to watch.

>>2219567
I don't mind getting 2 more cories, do you think they will play nice with the bumble bee?

>>2219627
never had one but looks like there's two fish called a bumblebee catfish... how big is yours supposed to get? if it's the one that gets bigger than 6 inches no way. the s. american one should be okay though, it tops out at 4 inches.

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how do I change my filter without losing my bacteria?

>>2219663
new filter media or new filter?

either way, don't toss out the filter pad. just swish it in a bucket of tank water and stick it back in.

>>2219669
the cartidge. is that called filter media?

>>2219670
yep! all filters have filter media, only some have cartridges.

so yeah, don't toss it out. swish it. I don't like those kinds of filters because if you follow directions you have to cycle your tank every month or two.

>>2219671
when do i replace it? its been almost a months and a half running.

>>2219673
personally I don't change them until they're falling apart.

>>2219674
oh ok thanks for saving me some money, but when the time comes how do i get my bacteria back?

>>2219675
same way you did in the first place unfortunately. some of my filters have enough room that you can just jam the new filter in at the same time.

if you ever upgrade filters, check out aquaclear. you never have to buy new media.

>>2219629
It's the smaller one

>>2219677
nice i might get a 40 gallon or a small shrimp tank, thanks

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Here's an update picture for my tank! I just added 2 GBRs and I'm hoping they do well. I have a standard 20 gallon with 6 serpae tetras, 3 Amano shrimp, Anubias Nana, water wisteria, an amazon sword, and two meme balls. I'm thinking about serpae tetras or some black neon tetras.

>>2219696
nice! did you get a male and a female?

>>2219698
I decided against getting a pair and got two males. I didn't want them to breed and risk killing off everything else in the tank. I work at the place I got them from, so if I have any issues I won't even hesitate to exchange them. I'll try to get a good picture of them at some point.

>>2219701
oh I didn't know two males did well together. I had a bolivian ram that just passed two days ago, pretty bummed about it because he was such a nice fish.

>>2219703
Male cichlids (African or SA) may fight a little, but the amount of hides I have and the lack of females should eliminate most or all of it. Fighting is still a possibility, but I went in knowing that. Also, I am sorry to hear about your bolivian. They really are part of the family.

>>2219494

Anybody make to MACNA last weekend?

Also who has marine pals?

>>2219777
he was the first cichlid I've ever had so I don't know much about them. I think he might have had callamanus worms so I'm pretty sure my shit's gonna be fucked pretty soon here. rams are beautiful and they really seem to have a lot of personality.

My female guppy couldn't keep her anal fin closed so now there are fry in my guppy tank. I don't have to feed them for a while because they'll just feast on the delicious fry, right?

>>2219494
Hey guys when I came home today my sterbai Cory was laying on his side and seem to be 'short of breath' (rapid breathing). He's seemingly fine now, anything I should worry about?

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guys I was wondering when my fish get in, can i let the water in the fish bags go into my tank? since the fish come from it i assume its safe but who knows?

>>2219889
was he down in the corner of the tank?
>>2219946
mix some of the water from in the tank into the bag if you really want to be careful.

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>>2219946
It's best not to because it'll be dirty water and it's a safer bet not to add other sources of water into your tank

>>2219926
meant to quote you
was the cory in the corner?

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>>2219949
I have no fish net, will they mind me fondling them?

>>2219946
check this out, I use bucket method.

http://www.fishlore.com/acclimating-tropicalfish.htm

>>2219926
could be ammonia poisoning, have you checked parameters recently?

>>2219952
you can't handle fish, it destroys their slime coating. there's a few that don't mind it but they're very few.

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>>2219954
barnacles!

>>2219953
thanks friendo i'll give this a read when im not so tired

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>>2219960
go to sleep!

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>>2219961
I have to finish fitting my space ship first

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>>2219962
o-okay

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>>2219963
ok im going to bed remember to piss if your tank, if that's you anon

>>2219967
how can you tell it was me, c-can you smell it on me ;_;

need help quick lads
Because google is full of lies

I have a 15 gallon tank with one betta
(peaceful I think)
He never attacked cories but they're gone now


Will bettas do ok with Dwarf gourami
Neon tetras
Minnows?

I can't drive so it is very rare I get the chance to get new fish so I want to know which would be the best? I know how to look after them all I just wanted to know your opinion on the best.
If you have any other good tankmates please let me know (not cories)

Thank you

>>2219978
Would not buy the dwarf gouramis as they both share the Same water Region.

Minnows work, kept them myself. Mind the different temepartures they need.

Tetras are nice.

But it mostly depends on the betta

>>2219979
I got 6 harlequin rasboras and 2 blue gourami
They was in a tank with a betta at the store so was the rasboras so I decided to try it.
(if it doesn't work out the betta will have to go in a smaller tank)
Also earlier I said 15 and I meant 20 gallons so the tank is bigger than I thought.

My betta is flaring at them atm but I hope he will get use to them.

>>2219948
If you mean she, she's swimming happily along mid-tank

One of my dwarf gouramis is just staying at the top of the tank. He is barely moving. Is he ill?
Stress from moving? I did the water thing where every half an hour you add a bit of your tank water to their water. I hope I didn't do it wrong.

Got a bit of a unique problem. I actually work at a store and take care of all the aquariums we have and the fish. Everything's fine except for one of our saltwater sections. It's becoming over run by what appears to be black cyano. None of our other saltwater tanks have it and the only difference between this one and the others is the lighting. Unfortunately I can't change that nor can I change the poor water flow either. Gravel vacuum can't pick it up so I've been taking out the crushed coral and washing it by hand but it always grows back within a few days, anything I can do to get rid of this stuff?

>>2219807
I went to MACNA 3 or so years ago when they were close to me. Loved every second of it.

>>2219978
Its all a matter of chance and your bettas temper.

Dwarf gourami: high chance of them fighting
Tetras: low chance of any kind of problems
Minnows: dont match betta temperature

If you feel like getting a new betta when your old one dies, try a betta imbellis(pic), beautiful fish that can be kept in groups too. Most peaceful betta species around.

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>>2220102
>>2219978

Forgot pic. You are looking at basically anything that does not look like a betta at all and that is not aggressive. Maybe try some micro rasboras.

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Anyone ever dream about your perfect tank?
Mine would be a 3ftx2ftx1ft (45gal) shallow planted tank with a emerged island region heavily planted. It would have a self maintaining microfauna culture(daphnia,Cyclops) and I'd keep nanofish maybe grow out tadpoles.
I would love to be able to enjoy the tank from above, just how I used to stare at small bodies of water as a kid
But have a nice 360 view all around the tank aswell.

>Tell me your dream tank/s. I'd love to hear them

>>2220120
>dream tank
>45g
pls

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkLzqZzjJ8U

Is aquarium specific dirt significantly better than plain old organic potting soil?

>>2220105
>>2220102
Thanks for your help but I already went
>>2219987
the bettas 100% fine with them so far, only problem is one seems really sick
>>2219998

>>2220125
If we're talking about Ada amazonia
Then perhaps yes since its pelleted and allows better flow of water avoiding compaction. Plus if you buy into the whole specially formulated aquascape then it's a nice thing to have.

>>2220128
>trying to encourage that overpriced shit

>>2220125
Check out this guide. Using regular soil/dirt is perfectly fine. Lots of aquarium enthusiasts use regular dirt you can find outside.

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/library/52554-how-mineralized-soil-substrate-aaron-talbot.html

>>2220133
>>2220125
just make sure you do the soil test, the dirt I found turned out to be mostly silt. it's such a huge mess.

>>2220127
of course they seem fine so far, they've only been in the tank a few hours.

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>>2219969
Over time anyone can pickup on people's personality through how they type. Plus the urine smell is overpowering ^^>>2219969

>>2220134
a few hours and seen each other loads. The betta hasn't flared or chased

>>2220120
Any kind of waterfall tank would be dank.
https://youtu.be/rzwfPeHqMYY

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>>2220143
I post here too much.

>>2220152
Not necessarily a bad thing

>find snail in tank suddenly
>that's okay it's just one
>spot snail's friend yesterday
>well it's only two in a twenty gallon
>see them mating today
>maybe I ought to google this
>Pond Snail
>"I had 50-100 of them in a month!!"
>"They took over my tank!!"

Well there goes the neighborhood.

>>2219960
Thanks for posting the same images over and over.

But you can handle fish. Your hands just have to be wet. Dry hands will mess it up. But wet hands are fine.

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This is an old 400 lts aquarium, it was abandoned on the outside for many years.

I am trying to fix it, don't know if I should post it on fit or here, but the glass is too blurred. Do you have a method to polish it with out damage the glass and be safe for the fishes I'm going to put in it?

>>2220204
Buy some assassin snails enjoy the show

>>2220217
do you know what's on the glass? I like using magic erasers on glass, it's microabrasive and safe for fishes.

>>2220204
better start smushing! if you don't overfeed they aren't a problem.

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>>2220206
Sorry I only have so many images, and I think it helps people with who I am or how my tanks been going. I think I won't touch them just to reduce risks

>>2220217
Bar Keepers Friend. Cheap, buy it a home depot in powdered form, and go nuts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Q_CfmosHk0
And every night, mix vinegar and water and soak them in paper towels. Cover the tank with the towels and then take an hour or two with the bar keepers friend. Repeat until results come.

>>2220224
>>2220226
For now I'll let them carry on but the moment I see five or more I'm gonna start picking them off and just tossing them into the yard or something for the birds.

>>2220120
Huge as fuck +150g planted tank with thick planted regions, inhabited by various kinds of schooling fish, bottom dwellers and an aquatic turtle or two, basking spots being islands with live plants too.

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>>2220226
I think it is mold and tartar, where could I found that magic eraser? Could you post a pic of the eraser at least?

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>>2220258
you can find it in the cleaning section, they have it at most stores near me including the dollar store. just make sure it's not a special one with soap or anything.

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>>2220262
I've never seen it, maybe it will be easier to find bar keepers friend in my country
>>2220230

But are those products safe to use on an aquarium?

>>2220266
just make sure you rinse the barkeepers out very well, it's not safe for fishies

magic sponge is 100% melamine but like you said it might not be available where you live.

>>2220266
you can also use baking soda btw. vinegar too. use a toothbrush, circular motions.

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>>2220271
>>2220273
Thank you for the advices, I will try first the less aggressive like baking soda or vinegar, I think it will take me a long time with the toothbrush but anyway I'll post the results

Hi aquanons
I'm just letting you know your pastebin is broken

>>2220306
Thx for the info, I'm the guy who usually maintains the FAQ. I'll check it out on monday, since I personally didn't remove it and did not so anything offensive in there that could make it eligible for removal by staff.

>>2220204
Cucumber as lure or assassin snails.

Reduce feeding. Should limit them.

>>2220081

Do more water changes, get more circulation, and fix the lighting. Mostly the water flow. Generally restrict nutrients...somebody is probably overfeeding them and also dumping bag water (which is pure sewage) right into the tank along with new fish.

You say you can't fix the lighting or increase the flow so that means the store has no business trying to sell marine life and are fuckups. They need to just stop trying, or else take the hit and let you put a fucking powerhead in there or a second light fixture.

Nobody who has a clue buys saltwater fish from a store with one or two crappy tanks who don't know wtf they are doing anyway. Just convert it to fresh.


Side note for others ITT: stop buying plecos et al, people. You aren't prepared to house them and they are boring anyway.

>>2220097

Awesome. This one in San Diego was my first one which is sad because I help run a very small local frag swap and have never been there. Unfortunately, I flew 4 hours to get to MACNA so I couldn't really bring much back with me due to logistics. :(

I bought a lionfish cookbook.

>>2220123

Maybe he is considering that he doesn't have the scratch to pay a maintenance company.

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I wanted to put these little flower pots in my tank but they had been used before and were dirty, so I was soaking them. When I went to dry them off a bunch of clay colored stuff came off on my paper towel... Are they unsafe?

>>2220391
if it's clay dust it's perfectly safe. I can't tell if it's paint that's coming off or dust though.

>>2220396
I don't think they've ever been painted before... But they also had dirt on them, will that hurt anything? I'm scrubbing but it's not coming off very well

>>2220400

This is simple. Are you so worried about saving a few bucks to risk screwing up or even wiping out a system that will cost hundreds of bucks, so you don't have to go buy some plastic pots?

>>2220403
I'm only trying to recycle what I already have. That's why I was asking.

>>2220400
dirt won't hurt anything but there could have been pesticides or oil or something.

>>2220403
fired terracotta is perfectly safe for the aquarium. it's also porous so bacteria can settle. some forms of plastic leech in water or are biodegradable. I'm not even comfortable growing vegetables in plastic.

>>2220405
>>2220406
anyhow I would boil them to sanitize and then put them in. if nothing's coming off when you scrub it's probably just dust.

>>2220406
>>2220407
Thank You!

Laid 40lbs of topsoil in my new 75g and then filled it with water today. How long is this going to take to clear?
The pastebin in the OP is dead btw.

So I have this
http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/326946/Realspace-Architect-Desk-Lamp-21-12/
on my desk, it's got 3.6 watt LEDs. My 3 gallon tank right now has fake plants, no lighting, but today I went to the fish store and the guy gave me some anubias hastifolia. Would this lamp be enough light to keep them alive?

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>>2220413
Forgot pic

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>>2220413
it really depends on the composition of your soil. a few hours to a day, usually. my topsoil is shitty so it takes a few hours every time I so much as touch the substrate.

>>2220414
there's no real info about the light on the website... maybe? since it's a strip it's probably a little better than your average led desk lamp.

>>2220408
no problem!

>>2220417
yeahhhh that shit might take you a few days. are you planning to do a sand cap?

>>2220419
thanks
>>2220420
thanks,
I am after I plant/aquascape. Have 100lbs of sand waiting outside.

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>>2220417
Holy fuck, this my friend looks like a real night mare. Good luck

>>2220440
mine looked just like that for weeks because I didn't have my filter yet. it smelled terrible too because it was stagnant and had a nasty film on top. it was not a proud moment for my tank.

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>>2220442
It's ok anon think of it this way, It can only look better from here on out.

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>>2220445
ya

I need to buy a car so I can go to the ocean to hardscape my tank

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My first real planted tank
>ghost shrimp
>neon tetras
>cory catfish
>lil algae suckers (don't know the name)
Where do I go from here?
Any tips?

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>>2220448
are they otocinclus? also pleco, unless you have more than one kind of cory.

corydoras need schools of 5+ btw. otos like 4+, if they aren't otos they are definitely too big for your tank.

your tank won't look right until you get some growth so be patient for a bit. it looks nice!

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>>2220417
Might take days, anon... Lots of days...
Don't ask me how many, because it's going to be A LOT.
Once it does settle you'll have to be extremely meticulous with your movements in the tank, otherwise you'll get it cloudy all over again. Literally just brushing up against the tank will be enough to release lighter sediment back into the water above.
Should have added an anchor layer of gravel or porous substrate on top of it before filling it with water...
Hey, no regrets, right?

>>2220447
that looks really nice dude

>>2220452
I'm going to add a sand cap
I filled it because I wanted dirt>water>plants>sand>fish

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>>2220453
ty! it's a huge mess but I like it. I'll definitely do some things differently next time though.

by the way everyone, I spend like 10 minutes on google and saved a lot of dank fish memes to share with all of you :^)

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>>2220445
>dat image

>>2220448
senpai what are those smaller plants you have in your substrate?

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>>2220455
check out my epic photoshop skills

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>>2220476
Nice

>>2219953
>>2219950
I will check the water chemistry tonight then

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>>2220476
very kawaii!

>>2220479
who texas here?

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ANONS. Today I was doing a water change and I accidentally filled my tank up way too high. Then I noticed a chunk of food floating in the middle, so I got a net to get it out, but when I put the net in, my endlers were so scared shitless of it that two of them an hero'd over the side of the tank! Then those kamikaze dumbasses wouldn't let me scoop them up so it took like 8 minutes to get them back in the water. Are they gonna be okay?

>>2220489
probably! it's hard to say, they could die from being damaged or stressed but they should be okay!

I hope my guys don't jump, I don't have a lid.

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so i recently created a planted tank
and my plants are yellowish almost dying looking?
the tank is only a couple days old and ive been dosing liquid carbon everyday. and gets 10 hours of led light a day. watdo

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>>2220494
ferts? are you dosing nitrogen? also why is it in a pet store?

>>2220494
What are they? Also I dig your rocks

>>2220496
How easy are anubias nana? Do they get sick a lot?

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>>2220494
Either my eyes are messing with me or the camera quality & lighting is, but it looks like there's no water in that tank, m8.

>>2220500
It looked like that to me too, but observe the plants stuck to the filter

>>2220498
no, it's one of the easiest plants. they're very slow growing though so they can get overwhelmed by algae.

>>2220500
that's what I thought at first too.

>>2220482
Just tested ammonia levels and it read 0ppm any other ideas?

>>2220496
>>2220500
ANON WE NEED ANSWERS

>>2220510
were the nitrates okay as well?

it might not feel comfortable, do you have 4+ of the same species?

okay its me >>2220494

>>2220496
i am not dosing nitrogen, but i guess ill give that a try. oh and its in a pet store because i work there (meaning i got to do the tank for free lol)

>>2220497
its monte carlo

>>2220500
theres definitely water in that tank my friend

>>2220519
>>2220510
Alright I did the test.

Nitrate is ~80ppm
Nitrite is 0 ppm
PH is 7.6+

I'm going to do a 15% water change. Any suggestions fellas?

>>2220532
yeah, plants need nitrogen to live and it's not in many fertilizers since they assume you have fish.

>>2220534
that's really really high. nitrate should be 5-10 ppm. you have to gradually change the water... 15% a day or better is 5% an hour until you've done about half. is this a new tank?

>>2220536
No it's been established for a while.
However it has
-been restarted twice w/ new fish
-gotten a new filter
-possibly overstocked because my mom bought me those GloFish things as a 23 bday present. Haven't gotten rid of them

>>2220540
mind sharing your stocking and tank size?

luckily nitrates are not as bad as ammonia, you should be able to save your fish if you do lots of water changes.

>>2220541
Tank is 30 gallons
-4 black kuhlii loaches
-1 amano shrimp
-4 sterbai corydoras
-1 male cobra guppy
-3 tetra glofish

>>2220542
Correction 2 amano shrimp, but I haven't seen it and I think it was eaten

>>2220542
you actually have plenty of room. I'd look around for anything dead and do a good cleaning of the gravel. it's probably just cycling again.

>>2220204
pond snails are pretty good cleaners, tho. like they're a nuisance to look at but from what i've seen, they don't bother tank mates and they clean up detritus.

I'm trying to knock down the last vestiges of black beard algae and I'm looking for suggestions.

>54 gallon corner tank
>Very heavily planted
>Ammonia 0
>Nitrite 0
>Nitrate 0ish (I'm actually having to dose nitrogen)
>Alternating macro and micro ferts 5 days a week
>CO2 tank at around 10 bubbles per second, delivered with a ceramic diffuser
>2 canister filters, one with UV sterilization, ~600GPH total
>2 water circulators moving another 800GPH
>Finnex Planted+
>7 Empire Gudgeons, mostly juvenile
>Bristlenose Placo
>12 Diamond Tetras
>3 common Kribs
>2 Stiphodon
>Maybe 10 Amanos

How the hell do I knock down this black beard?

>>2220224
Don't do this. I have probably 300 assassins in my tank right now, all tiny. Its going to take months for me to deal with them.

holy fuck I love snails
why do most people think they're a nuisance?

>>2220558
Depends on the snail. I love my rabbit snail, he's the undisputed king of my little 10 gallon cherry shrimp tank. Pond snails, though? Fuck those guys. Especially when they start fucking up my plants.

>>2220558
mainly for the ones that multiply and overtake your tank

>>2220552
some things to try:
-decrease amount of time the light's on for
-increase CO2
-dose excel
-is it mostly in one part of the tank? remove affected plants/detritus, make sure flow is good

I have a bit of BBA in my tank but it's stuck on one or two plants and hasn't spread at all so I've left it alone.

>>2220551
that's true of almost every snail in aquariums

>>2220558
>>2220551
I like the two that I have now and it was a pleasant surprise to see them since I haven't gotten around to buying any but I really don't want a ton of them which it sounded like will happen according to some forums I read while trying to figure out what kind of snail I had.
Everything else in the tank is having babies, I don't need anymore. Well.. maybe just a few snail babies.. no more than ten though!

>>2220559
I've never had snails eat my plants or anything, that would be pretty bad I guess
>>2220560
that's my fetish

>>2220491
Thanks! I hope they're okay. I have a lid but I was thinking of taking it off since I'm starting to see a lot of duckweed growth, I also think I have some mini water lettuce but I'm not sure, it was a freebee. Hopefully your fish will be okay as long as the don't get 2spooked like mine did!

My honey gourami is turning blackish. Wtf is it his diet?

>>2220561
Decreasing light time is going to be difficult with the Planted+, but I can give it a shot. Double dosing Excel is how I killed back a lot of the BBA in the first place, but some seems to have survived it. CO2 has been increased.

The BBA seems to be hitting my Anubias especially hard, no matter where it is or what the flow is.

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I re positioned my c02 diffuser directly under my filter output, do you think this will make a noticeable difference since it's circulating the tank? previously it was in a corner with little water flowing. The bubbles just went straight up.

>>2220586
I've gone the ghetto direct route and put my diffuser directly underneath my filter intake.

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>>2220587
you know I was just thinking about that. The intake is literally right next to the water flow out so I think some may even get sucked in by the intake as well! How do you like diy c02? I went with a c02 canister just because it's less maintenance and I like the look of it honestly.

>>2220588
Oh, I'm not doing DIY CO2. I've got four planted tanks, its hard enough feeding them all off the same cylinder, I can't imagine have four sets of yeast running.

>>2220582
how long is it on for? try 8-10 hours. anubias especially grows so slow it's prone to algae trouble. there's some sort of peroxide method as well I've heard of.

>>2220586
probably!

I want CO2 so bad but I can't afford it and I don't know if it's worth messing with for a 55g

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>>2220589
the what did you mean by ghetto direct route?

>>2220590
I think you should, it helps your plants immensely from what I've read, I'm still waiting on my Ludwigia to really take off I may be missing nitrogen or something, maybe they just need time.

>>2220592
Putting the diffuser directly underneath my filter intake so I don't have to try to get an in-line infuser working with the low pressures I'm dealing with.

>>2220592
oh yeah I know all about CO2. my tank is very heavily planted, they look healthy but they could always be better. I'm the one who told you about the nitrogen, heh.

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>>2220597
yea Is it normal to be low in nitrogen in new tanks, does it build up on it's own?
do i need to buy this? https://www.amazon.com/Seachem-116062602-Flourish-Nitrogen-250ml/dp/B0002APIN2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1474177034&sr=8-1&keywords=aquarium+nitrogen

here's an example, the leaf is semi green but yelllowish and slightly translucent.

>>2220600
perfectly normal- it gets into your tank through fish waste. I think since you were using fish food it didn't produce enough for your plants to be happy. you want at least 5ppm for plants generally- you can just look at your nitrates to know if your plants are getting enough.

>>2220406

All this may be true but are you willing to bank on it in the face of a very real chance of a tank wipeout? I have seen people use inert plastic materials for that matter, which turned out to have fireproof coating on it that killed the whole tank (screen used to grow sheets of java moss). Something like terra cotta can absorb god knows what, like pesticides. Don't go there, Anon, just get some of the cheapo little baskets or whatnot and play it safe.

>>2220417

A day or two, don't sweat it.

>>2220448

You wait.

>>2220613

Oops, forgot...once it settles down a bit, take out most of the water, put a plate or dish or bowl or whatever in there on the bottom and pour your sand from a cup directly onto the plate etc. and it will create dramatically less mess. Then refill slooooowly. There is no reason to let the tank remain full when you are throwing the substrate in there. Just a few inches of water over the mud, then add the water in, ideally trickled, so as to avoid as much mess. Also, planting a lot of your plants into this mud with very little water often works out pretty well too. Basically there is no need to have a full tank until you are just about done planting and aquascaping.

>>2220621
Under normal circumstances I would, but this tank is on the second floor of my house and refilling it means threading a hose through the window.

>>2220300
If I were you I'd be more worried about the sealant holding the edges of the tank together still being good and solid even after all this time.

Make sure you fill it up FULL, use a marker or a piece of tape or something, to mark the water line, and leave it for a good 24 hours BEFORE you even start thinking about fish. Check it frequently for leaks and if there are any find out where they are coming from. It's actually surprisingly easy to remove and replace that stuff without damaging an aquarium.

Also, google aquarium cycling.

>>2220448
Is that a marimo moss ball I see?

Mah nigga.

>>2220558
Some snail species actively eat plants, which means if you have too many of them then they can decimate your aquarium plants. That's why the blanched cucumber/zucchini lure trick works so well.

>>2220630
I keep hearing that but which common snails eat plants? I've had the three common invasive ones- pond, ramshorn, and malaysian trumpet, but none have touched my living plants.

>>2220552
Take whatever had bba on it and pour hydrogen peroxide on it. Wait about 5 minutes, give it a quick rinse, and back into the tank. It'll start looking like its bleaching and will disappear. Haven't seen it in over a year. No the hydrogen peroxide will not hurt your fish.

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Talk me out of buying this.

>>2220655
If you have the room and money do it. Nothing better than buying a new tank.

>>2220655
Looks great, what would you keep in it?

>>2220146
Update on this
One died, the ill one.
The other one is happy and healthy and I think I might be lucky, the betta hasn't gone near it or even flared. I still think I am going to move the betta though, just for safety. The gourami is my favourite fish now.

If I do move the betta out I will have one dwarf gourami and 8 harlequins in a 16-20 gallon.
Do you think this is overstocked or can I add more? Maybe another gourami or some shrimp?

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Would this be a good idea with 4 6500k bulbs for a 20 tall? Would it be able to so high light plants?

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Also a dude who runs a aquarium store said this shit was the best around is it true or is he trying to anal me?

>>2220636
The snail/plants thing is in most cases a myth - 95% of all snails in the aquarium hobby only eat dead plant. Only very large snale species of the pomacea genus even have the capability to eat live plants and may do so, depending on their specific diet.

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Was talking to someone who said their dg killed their halfmoon betta. Is this even possible?
Mines so slow and dopey I cant imagine it ever attacking a fish. I feel if it ever attacked a betta a betta would kill it.

Or have I been sold something that isnt a dg as a dg?

>>2220699
If the dg was a dominant/aggressive one I can see how it fucked a betta up. Personally I would never keep gouramis and betta together, to high off a chance of them fighting since they are so similiar.

>>2220701
>If the dg was a dominant/aggressive one
I don't really know much about them but I just can't imagine one being aggressive. Is it safe for mine to be with harlequins?

>>2220705
All gouramis can be territorial/aggressive but only to fish that look similiar to them. Harlequin Rasboras and DGs is a non issue, since they look nothing alike.

The nastiest disposition I have seen so far were golden gouramis, but in general it just depends on the fish. I had a 90g with 3 goldens and there, the male was chill and laid back, but the two females fought over who gets to hang out with the male.

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>>2220711
I don't really know what mine is, it was listed as a blue gourami for 8 pounds but it doesn't look like one.

>>2220705
>I don't really know much about them but I just can't imagine one being aggressive
go look at an overcrowded tank in a petstore sometime, they fuck eachother up

>>2220721
well, it's blue and a gourami, so in that sense you weren't lied to, but it's a powder blue (or similar morph) dwarf and not a blue three spot (which is most often called a blue gourami). probably a better fish for you anyways, a real blue would get like 6 in long

>>2219495
second this

>>2220754
I don't think anything is low maintenance in 5 gallons

>>2220756
I think smaller is easier to maintain as far as plants, but a lot harder as far as water quality.

Does a bath tub count as an aquarium? I used to keep turtles in them

>>2220610
I found some brand new pots in the basement anyway, guess I'm just going to use those.

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>>2220747
It is very cute
I want to do this but in Britain nearly every fish tank is so expensive.
Currently trying to find a 5 gallon under 50 pounds.

>>2220787
Try craigslist, or garage sales. I've got nearly all my aquariums for free. People usually don't want their old tank anymore, and if you ask, you might just come home with a "brand new" 30 gallon.

>>2220789
Problem is I can't drive yet so what usually happens is I finally find a cheap one and have to pay loads for postage. I only have 3 tanks at the moment but I hope to own loads soon.

Do you have a lot?

>>2220795
I have 4(2 20 gallons, 2 10 gallons) at the moment, and 3(both 20 gal and 1 10 gal) are currently being used. When I move, I'm going to use a spare room as my "fish room", however, I'll use my other ten gallon for maybe a dart frog or a long tail grass lizard or a scorpion.

>>2220802
Sounds great, my 3rd tank is currently housing a lizard. I think I am going to get a 4 gallon for 30 pounds. Its a nice design.

Are guppies a good first fish?
I want to buy some

>>2220815
They used to be, but were really overbred. Not saying that guppies are bad, imho rather try endlers. They are basically a smaller wild version of a guppy, just a different species.

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Hey anons, I got rid of all the fakes in my tank (!!) and got some anubias nana and hastifolia. I tied both anubias rhizomes to rocks with cotton thread. But a cool lfs guy also gave me some of those foreground plants (sorry I don't know what they are), which I'm not sure what to do with, so I put those two in the gravel and left the rest floating. Is planting them like that okay, or will they rot? He also gave me the plant in the back left, I tied that one to a rock too. I didn't bury its roots. Is any of this what you're supposed to do? I'd google it but I don't know what kind of plant they are, thanks for any help.

Any of you guys paint the back of your tanks? My tank used to be in my room so I didn't really mind seeing all the cords, heater, intake/outflow pipes. But now I'm getting a bigger tank and it'll be in the living room. How do you all feel aesthetic wise about painting the back of aquariums black? I think it'd look nice but I don't wanna go and ruin my brand new tank.

>>2220899
Depends on what you wanna do with your tank anon. Black can be cool but tends to hide darker fish, a dark blue would be better in my opinion.

>>2220889
That looks really nice Anon!

Foreground plants are short plants you place up front. Gives depth in your tank. As for the rest, I don't have a good enough green thumb for my aquarium plants, but good luck!

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>>2220916
Thanks a lot!! I just wish I could identify those plants in front so I knew what to do with them! I think I heard the shop guy say something about mini water lettuce but I can't remember. Too bad googling "green leaf long root aquarium plant" doesn't help much, haha.

>>2220919
That looks like water sprite in the front of your tank, but good foreground species include:
Microsword
Dwarf Hairgrass
Dwarf Baby Tears
Aquatic Clover
Dwarf Sagittaria

>>2220923
Thanks for the ID, I think you're right! So is water sprite only a floating plant? Should I take the roots out of the gravel and get better foreground plants?

>>2220925
Water sprite can be submerged, but they also like to feel the air. Usually, you can tie them on a log, plant them in the ground, or plant them where the substrate is close to the surface and they'll start emerging out of the water.

>>2220929
>2220929
Okay, thank you so much!

Pool filter sand for saltwater substrate? Y/N?

>>2220939
Yeah, you could.

>>2220699
Any fish can kill one another. I keep a halfmoon plakat and a sunset gourami in a 36 inch long tank. My betta id super chill.

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Went ahead and got the 65g set. Basically robbed PetSmart. The stand has some chips on the paint so the manager said she'd mark it down 30%. It wasn't listed as the sale price so she thought it was 30% from $350. Pretty much laughed at that point cause I told her it was on sale already for $200. So I walked out of there with the set for $150. What a fuggin steal. I'm no painter but for ~$10 I figure I can repaint the top of it.

>>2221032
Nice

>>2221032
Wow, nice haul anon. What are you going to do with it?

my cories still keep dying
I don't know why

After constantly reading about all these anons' dying pets I'm really glad that I've somehow kept my endlers alive for a month... It must be a miracle.

>>2221104
it's not too hard unless you fuck something up or you get bad stock

>>2221100
need more details.

>>2221106
20 gallon, 10 tetras 6 albino cories
all fish seem healthy, eat, move a lot, have been in the tank about 6 months. One albino has been dying about once a month for the past 3. Don't know why.

Should I get a betta trio tank and a new betta or a 20 gallon guppy or minnow tank and a 5 gallon for my betta? I dont really have room for a 20 gallon but I want one.

>>2221110
if they've been dying over six months I doubt its something they got from the store... do you have a test kit?

>>2221032
very nice

just spent 160

I am already broke

>>2221132
Whatcha buy, anon?

>>2221138
10 black tetras
dumbo fin betta
50 pounds worth of plants
new tank for the betta
new filter
new gravel

not much desu, it was really overpriced

>>2221179
>50 pounds worth of plants
Didn't realize you were a britbong at first, thought you bought a fantastically huge mound of aquatic plants

Post pics when it's all set up, I'd love to see!

>>2221183
Yeah I will do on Wednesday lad
I don't actually know what the betta looks like so I'm really looking forward to seeing him. I've never ordered a fish before though so I just hope he turns up okay.

>>2221187
Ooh, best of luck! Can't wait to hear how it works out.

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So my mom knew I wanted some more hidey places for my fish and got me a half-log, trying to be helpful but... She got one that's meant for a reptile tank. Should I return it or would it be safe for my fish?

>>2221222
Nice get.

If it's real wood, don't do it. It was made for herps, not for fish. If it's fake, try to see if the paint can peel easily. A lot of herp decor has paint that peels and seeps into the water, and can poison your fish. It can be hard for someone that isn't in the hobby to understand decors and do's and don'ts but, apologize to her, return it and give her money back. No big deal. Then just buy one you'd like.

>>2221228
nature doesn't make things just for fish dude.

>>2221222
it looks like a soft wood, only hard woods are good for tanks

>>2221233
It doesn't, you're right. But there's different types of wood, that can change the parameters in a tank. All lfs have said to go against using reptile wood rather than using driftwood. I don't know, maybe you're right. They have labeled cleaner wrasse as a beginner species.

>>2221096
I was planning to just put my crab in it. But jeez it's so much bigger than my 29g I feel like it'd be a waste. I kind of want to actually try to make a cool reef tank this time around.. or something freshwater. Man having a big tank like this theres so many freakin possibilities.

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>>2221242
is mopani wood ok? I've had it in my tank with some shrimp just fine, it was with the reptile stuff but label said safe for terrarium/aquariums.

>>2221246
Yes. It'll do fine.

>>2221242
that's why you wanna look for hard wood and not softwood. an easy test is to drag your fingernail and see if it leaves a mark. it is safest to grab something sold by the pet store... I like finding my own wood though.

>>2221246
mopani is one of the most popular woods for tanks so you're good

>>2221268
>I like finding my own wood though
I wish that was me. In Miami, most trees are softwood or carry some dangerous toxin. But I shouldn't be complaining. I got all the mangroves, Jungle Val, tropical fish and inverts I want.

>>2221271
yeah Florida has loads of cool fish and plants, unlike the PNW.. the only good things for my tank are wood and rocks.

>2.5g betta fish tank
>1 betta fish
>add plant
>dead after a week

Does my fish just not shit enough or what, I feed him most days at 3-4 pellets.

>>2221283
you're missing either light, nutrients, or CO2... I can try to help figure it out if you want, whats the light, plant, and how did it die?

>>2221284
I don't have a light, but the tank sits just off to the side of my window so it should catch sunlight.

Can't remember what plant it is but I can take a picture of it soon, I still have it in the tank because I'm not sure if I'm supposed to take it out or not. I went to the pet store and asked for wysteria because I heard from here that would work, and they gave me some handful of some plant and said if I put it in my gravel it should be fine. I just wanted a plant in there because the ornament that came with the tank was plastic which I found out is obviously shit for bettas, and I wanted him to have somewhere nice to hide. Like I specifically asked what I'm supposed to do to take care of the plant and they said I don't have to do anything.

I noticed some of the leaves started browning, and it got more and more. Half the plant is still green and fine, with about a quarter of them as yellowing leaves and the rest just brown and dead, maybe I should just cut the dead stuff off?

>walk along the river/rapids looking for driftwood
>oh a dead catfish
>it's actually still alive, too weak to swim against the shore waves
>place it in stillwater, try to revive it several times, no point
>decide to put it out of its misery and drop a huge cement chunk on its head

The dorsal fin suddenly popped up and its tail was freaking out for about 3 seconds until it stopped.

Do fish have death throes too or did I fail at killing it?

>>2221288
yep cut the dead stuff off. some plants have to adjust when they go into a new tank.

>>2221295
they do have muscle spasms when they die

>>2221295
Catfish are resilient as fuck. He probably would've survived without you messing with him. And if he didn't? He would've been food for crayfish and other catfish.

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>>2221304
Don't be ridiculous. You weren't there. It was dying.

>>2221313
Well, when he would've died, he would be eaten by crayfish and other catfish. You just kind of made his death a lot less peaceful.

>>2221317
I don't think anon packed the dead fish out of there, he's still going to get eaten. not to mention it's a lot more peaceful to get a cement block dropped on your head than to slowly succumb to starvation or injuries.

>>2221317
LOL

I have a floating plant that I keep forgetting the name of. Anyways, the packaging said it was "easy" difficulty but I'm having the hardest time growing them because one drop of water on the little leaves is enough to make them rot. Is there any trick to this? I setup my 20g so that the power filter doesn't get water on them but sometimes, one or two plants manages to get out of the still water and gets pulled in. I don't want to have to put a cage around my filter.

>>2221295
>be kid walking along shore of a lake
>see huge dead fish
>walk up to it and poke it with a stick
>mouth pops open and makes a loud exhaling noise
>scared the shit out of me
2spooky

>>2221228
>>2221233
Thank you for the replies. I'll take it back or try to see if anyone I know has a reptile they can give it to; it was only a few dollars.

Are there any reputable sites with good hides for fish? The stores around here mostly have tacky stuff. I like things that look natural. I'm especially wanting something good for my cory cats. My tank is a 10 gallon.

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>>2221337
dunno, I have 3 kinds of floating plants in my tank and they're fine even when water splashes on to them. maybe your tank is just too small for larger floaters.

>>2221343
I used to live right next to a salmon spawning site. I poked so many dead fish growing up, yuck.

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>>2221344
I've never seen a cory cat that likes to hide

flower pots are good, or you can stack rocks. you can find stuff like pic related on ebay.

>>2221346
I say for my cory cats because my parents had some and they liked going through the logs that were in their tank. I figure it stimulates their little minds to have stuff to explore.

>>2221343
Lol. Maybe it was a gas buildup from decomposition?

>>2219494
R8 my aquarium guys

>>2221350
10/10
amazing
i love it
would r8 again

>>2220677
That's why I said "some snails" not "all snails"

>>2220899
No need to paint your tank anon, if you are really careful and use sharp enough scissors then you can cut aluminum foil and then tape it to the back of your tank, shiny side facing in. Hell, best thing about aluminum foil is that it doesn't get all fucked up due to moisture build up.

As long as you keep it smooth and don't crinkle it up then it works great. And if you ever find a better alternative just peel it off and throw it away!

>>2220923
How many of these require CO2?

>>2221032
Just get some black sharpie and color in the chipped parts. No need to repaint the entire surface. Otherwise you get that ugly bubbling effect. Unless you scrape all of the original paint off first.

>>2221385
just baby tears. if you want any of the others to form a carpet you'll need co2. clover (assuming they mean marsilea) and sag are the easiest.

>>2220899
one of my tanks is painted black. it looks pretty nice even though I did a bad job with the spraypaint. the paint is 100% removable if you put in a little work.

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Incoming blog posts

This was two months ago at the beginning of July, when I bought some new plants and rescaped my tank.

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>>2221393
My tank filled out pretty nicely in the two months that I brought new plants. Hygrophila pinnitafida died from stem rot unfortunately, but Hygro polysperma "sunset" did very well. Crypts also noticeably grew. My Rotala rotundifolia just seems to grow minor bba and melt while growing brand new stems very slowly, and this is the second time it's happened. Maybe it just doesn't thrive in high ph/hard water?

Does anyone know of any aquarium plants that look like terrestrial ferns, preferably ones that don't require co2?

OP's pic has got me daydreaming about making a tank that looks like an old world forest.

>>2221405
african water fern, water sprite, windelov java fern

>>2221397
ph shouldn't be an issue, were you dosing ferts in the water column or root tabs?

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Also, anybody here keep Rainbows or any related species? Can't believe I didn't go with them earlier, they're really perky and active and aren't that shy at all. Plus they do well in SoCal tapwater

I'm thinking of getting some Neon Dwarf Rainbows too (Praecox), I was originally going to grab some from the same LFS I got these Celebes, but it looked like they were suffering from columnaris. Pretty nasty stuff

New to fishkeeping.

I have a 75g and a 20g. Right now I'm just experimenting with plants. I'm about to start cycling.

When a tank is uncycled, is the pH supposed to go crazy? Both tanks were hanging around 4.5 yesterday but they're one point higher today. And since I want to take care of my plants, I'd like to have control over the pH.

Google says either baking powder or crushed coral in filter. Which one? Since I have no fish, can I go crazy with the baking powder or can crazy pH changes kill plants too?

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Underwater Forests are so nice. I have had this picture saved forever as inspiration. It looks so comfortable. Maybe someday when I get a larger tank.

>>2221433
4.5 is super low, that's crazy. it's expected for the pH to fluctuate in new tanks while cycling. I'm guessing your ammonia is pretty high as well. what's the pH of the water out of the tap?

pH fluctuations are bad, your plants will adjust to your water. unfortunately pretty much everything is temporary and will stress the fish and plants.

So my fish store had an overstock of panda corydoras due to a shipping error and I ended up with 16 of them free of charge.

They are in my 170 liter tank right now that only had a school of WCM minnows swimming lonely in it for the past 4 months.

The problem is I've never had these fish before and I have no idea how much to feed them. I'm using small shrimp pellets and no matter how much I feed them they wont stop eating them. I'm definitely over feeding them that is for sure, but I can't seem to get a baseline on how much they actually eat.

Does anyone have a ratio of small pellets / corydora?

>>2221438
My cheap electronic meter says around 7.8 but I'd rather do a drop test tomorrow. It was acting strange so I'd take it with a grain of salt.

I didn't drop any ammonia in yet. Could the plants produce enough decomposing matter to do hit that number? I also have large chunks of Malaysian driftwood in the 20g. The 75g just has sand and plants for now, though. So I'm a little confused as to why it's getting the same as the 20g.

One of my guppies keeps eating all the other guppies food. Hes the size of a blimp, probably super constipated, meanwhile I have some guppies, that are scales and bones. Hes too fast for me to catch, how can I solve this?

>>2221445
okay, I thought it was weird that your tank had the same pH as acid rain. I think your test kit is off.

>>2221443
you're so lucky, I'd love a huge school of cories. make sure you skip a day. if they're the tiny pellets 2-3 per cory is good... with most fish it's fine to feed as much as they'll eat in 2-3 min.

>>2220899

Unpainted, reflective, or ocean background pictures for a freshwater tank are for animalistic plebeian monsters who feast on the joy of others.

Paint it or just get a solid or gradient background. Don't use reflective things, it's hard on the animals, and don't leave visible cords and shit dangling there, it's like going on a date with snot running down your face or something.

>>2221222

You're not recreating nature, once you stuck everything in what is essentially a rectangular artifical sewer, all bets are off. That said, you want the fish to feel safe and calm and stimulated.

Don't worry about premade hidey holes. You can use any number of pieces of appropriate wood, rocks, plants, whatnot, and arrange them into piles and such as natural-looking an pleasing as possible and have the purpose fulfilled. Fish are also more likely to use this plus it breaks up the sightlines, which keeps them less stressed out, reduces agression, and is basically "homey" for you and the animals. Also makes setting up plants easier and cooler.

Think "roots at the edge of a pond or riverbank" not "cave" or "house".

>>2221271

Feel good, Anon, mangroves are God Mode. Watch out for the DNR and shit though, they are often illegal to collect, or they think so, either way it's a hassle.

But a setup with mangroves that is done well and thriving, fresh or marine, is the holy grail IMO.

>>2221313

If he'd been there sooner, he could have saved its life from whatever befell it. Fucking selfish monster!

It had been holding out for days, hoping. Looking at photos of its wife and kids in its wallet.

>>2221388

Literally baby tears. Tell them their mommy is dead and that one day, all puppies die.

>>2221433

Baking powder is nice because it's tough to fuck that up. Other stuff requires more finess and testing more carefully.

How do you deal with all the false information you find out there when you try to research literally anything aquarium related?

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>>2221499
I usually google my questions, and then try to verify it with a few websites. They all generally point in the right direction.

>>2221499
you'll figure out what's true and what isn't after a while. I stick to web forums with people who I know are experts and go off what they say.

>>2221449
Lure him to the side of yout tank with whatever fish food, then use your net held against the side of your tank to isolate him and feed the others.

>>2220262
I didn't think anyone used these as well, I've been using them to clear stubborn algae since they first showed up on shelves

>>2221499
It's mostly just experience. We've all been given false information, and it just makes you feel bad when something bad happens because of it. It's pretty much trial and error, and a lot of googling until it becomes second nature. This is a very weird hobby. A lot of our rules have exceptions, and oddballs. There's really nothing black and white in the aquarium hobby. To be honest, keeping an aquarium is like an ever going science experiment, and can prove different results.

If you're new to the hobby, the best way to NOT get false info is research. Any aquarist can't stress it enough to beginners to do their research. There're tons of info out there and almost all other hobbyists are willing to help. A great place to start surprisingly is reddit in their aquarium subreddits. There's pretty much a dozen or so dedicated on different types of setups, and usually they know their shit. If you think that reddit is total cancer, then you can go on forums like monster fish keepers.

>>2221476
If you go to the right places, I've found mangrove trails with mangrove seeds stacked almost a foot high the entire trail. They are threatened, but if you give them a chance, they'll spread like wildfire.

>>2219494
>>2220306
>>2220321

this pastebin should work fine:

http://pastebin.com/mCeEhYiA

So keep that in mind, whoever makes the new general.

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Got a lily pad!

>>2221317
>stressing out till you die is peaceful
Lol

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New to the hobby. Tank is a work in progress.

I'm doing my research and it says that pea puffers don't seem to bother ottos.

Any recommended plants that would work well as hiding places AND enjoy that pH range?

I'm thinking 2 males and 4 females. Do stores have a choice over sex when ordering for you?

How do I know how many fishes to introduce at a time so I don't induce a dangerous ammonia spike? How often?

>>2221767
5 otos and 1 pea puffer.

>>2221770
6 otos. 1 male pea puffer and the rest females would work though. The males will let the females invade territory. But will attack other males.

>>2221773
>>2221770
...Why so many otos?

>>2221776
They need some type of school. 1 oto isn't going to fair so well and might not even attempt to eat.

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I got some plants finally! Still working on getting some substrate, but I heard water sprite is very Hardy so it should be fine for now.

>take girlfriend to lfs
>3 minutes in "its hot in here can we go"
>leave
>take her to Michaels craft store
>she says it's hot
>spends an hour in the store

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>>2221789
I feel your pain man. Oddly enough, my gd geta horny when we go to the aquarium stores.

On a side note, just finished setting up my 75G planted. Any suggestions on changing anything?

>>2221789
>>2221793
I took my girlfriend to a fish store and she saw a few dead feeder fish and freaked out saying we're never coming to this store again. We were in the store for less than a minute.

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What's this type of plant called? Lady at the lfs gave it to me with my water sprite. Just want to make sure I can do right by it, you know?

>>2221797
Mines does the same thing, but when i try and pull over to help someone push their car out of the middle of the road if they ran outta gas, she gets all pissed off and says " wtf why would you help them, you dont even know them"

>>2221797
>>2221789
Jeez, what is with a lot of women and fish tanks.

I'm good friends with my doctor. He used to be big into cichlids, primarily kribs. When he wifed, the wife said that fish tanks had to go because the fish were mean to each other.

I've noticed many girls grow up thinking that a lot of wildlife get along and death is obsolete, until they see what happens in a fish tank. Many I've heard(and I also know many who don't) hate that fish will eventually die. It scares them.

>>2221801
I will never help someone that's having car troubles. Miami is full of scammers, and it's not uncommon if you get jumped trying to help out some stranger. I totally understand your gf on that one.

>>2221814
They have simple minds. All animal need to be protected and never die. Even pest. I seem 3 post the last week of women selling there husbands fish tanks because they don't like it. If I'm paying all the bills and you're living rent free you have a limited say on my hobbies. There's no point in being with someone if they're trying to limit your hobbies you're passionate about.

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rip

late 2000's? - 2016

>>2221787
I love all the rocks, man.

>>2221822
Awww, rip. I love those guys.

>>2221829
Thanks! I'm looking for that special centerpiece rock still. Want a big one on the left side.

>>2221784
Oh shit. I guess I was misinformed, then. Do you know any independent cleaners that the puffers won't bother?

>>2221821
If I had a gf that without my consent, sold my aquariums because she didn't like that, I would be far from upset.

My money paid for those aquariums, and if she sold them I'd press legal actions on her. I'd also break up with her in a heartbeat.

I might love her, but I've been working on my fishtanks since I was 6 years old, they've been my life passion. It's not your choice to exclude me from my hobbies to make me enjoy yours.

Hello /aq/
two weeks ago I've got some fishes into an aquarium (with a bubbler, filter, dechlorinated water) without knowing about tank cycling beforehand.
I've heard having some pothos on the tank will help with nitrates so my fish won't die, what do you think? I've also been doing around 25% water changes every day

>>2221822
what is is?
and r.i.p fishie

>>2221840
cycling barely matters

>>2221840
If you had fish in your tank since day one you technically did a fish cycle. Your tank is probably cycled by now so it doesn't matter. How big is your tank? You don't need to be doing that big of a water change every day. Something like 10-20% once a week is okay.

>>2221852
>cycling barely matters
Fuck off retard.

>>2221836
They won't bother snails that are too large to eat. So like a mystery snail.

>>2221871
Around 5 gallons, I've also been doing the water changes for picking up the poop with a vacuum gravel cleaner, it's a bare bottom tank.

>>2220624
how are you going to do water changes?

>>2221878
If it's that small of a tank and you've been doing that much of a water change ever day then you're fine. Hell you probably wouldn't even need a filter if you did 25% water changes every day. What does your filter media look like? Can you see any bacteria on it? Do you have any test kits for ammonia and nitrates?

Today I was sticking my hand in the tank to remove a zucchini slice, and I discovered that I have 5 Esper Rasberries in my tank instead of the 4 that I thought there was for over a month. Drawbacks of having a heavily planted tank

Still gonna return them somehow before I move, Rainbows are neater

>>2221871
>Fuck off retard.
it doesn't though cunt

>>2221889
Since I'm using the smallest filter (100 liter per hour) I can't actually see the filter media, it's enclosed.
Test kits are hard to come by in my country but I'll see if I can get one.

>>2219494
looks neat af

would want but I'm pretty shit about fish tank maintenance.

>>2221871
I've never cycled one of my tanks and all my fish are fine

>>2221905
Well, if it's been 2 weeks and none of your fish have died. You're probably fine. What brought you here in the first place? Are you worried something might go wrong? Maybe just continue doing 25% water changes every day for another week.. then after that you can try to ease off a bit. Your filter should probably be cycled by then.

>>2221926
How many gallons, what fish, how often did you do water changes? Did you put fish in day 1?

>>2221814
>>2221797

Outing myself here but I'm fem and I was actually pretty nervous when I got my tank because of fish dying on me. Unluckily for me I got a couple skirt tetra and was forced to watch them gang up on each other and rip each others tail fins off so after that it kinda numbed me to fish death.
Now I just go "Oh, another one's dead." and scoop it out and mourn the loss of my money. This is why I'm sticking to cheap $1 platy and little neon tetras. It's always the non-cheap ones that die on me.

>>2221931
I was just worried for the lil guys in my tank, I can't get a test kit in my country and I've heard lots of differing opinions on the importance of the cycle, ranging from the local aquarium's that said to just remove a glass of water and introduce a glass of new water to the tank every day and people that said adding fish to an uncycled tank will kill them in a few days.

Still I think getting some pothos to root in the tank water can't hurt right?

>>2221953
You'll get there someday. My cheapest fish cost me $60

>>2221960
People who say cycling isn't important probably have never owned any really delicate fish. Some can adapt better than others. My older brothers girlfriends dad has a 10g with a filter but no heater and has some fish swimming around in there just fine. You'd think that's crazy, right? Yeah he's had some fish die but the others are fine. Probably not too happy, but alive. Usually more expensive and exotic fish need more near perfect water parameters, especially for saltwater. People who tend to say cycling doesn't matter probably have smaller tanks where doing water changes have a bigger impact on the overall nature of the tank. Cycling really just means preparing your filter to handle all the ammonia that comes from adding fish to the tank. By taking that glass of water out a day you're removing the ammonia that would kill the fish if it was left to build up. Having a cycled filter removes the ammonia and thus removes your need to do water changes as often. There's a bit more to it than that but that's about the gist of it. Just do some research and you'll be fine. You don't need test kits, it just helps to get an idea of where your tank is at. Do you have any local fish stores you can take a sample of your water to?

>>2222134
Only one and it's the same guy who told me about just taking a glass of water from the tank, he's really lazy about his business and initially told me I didn't need a filter.

Anyways I'm thinking of getting a 40 gallon sometime soon, I'll be sure to cycle it before adding any fish to it. For this I'll definitely get a test kit even if they hurt my wallet.

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What are some popular aquarium memes you've found to be untrue?

>You need high light, high co2, high ferts and rich substrate to grow dwarf baby tears!

Here's me growing a lush carpet with an 8W desk lamp, no ferts, liquid carbon and fucking sand.

>>2222138
With a small 5 gallon yeah, you honestly probably wouldn't need a filter if you're doing water changes that much. With a 40 gallon you should really let the filter sit on there for a month. You can do a fish cycle and toss a few goldfish in there to help speed it up. Some consider it inhumane but it's up to you. You'll understand why cycling is important because nobody wants to do 25% water changes on a 40g every day. Let alone a 100 or 200 gallon tank.

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I have a single light 1600 lumens 5000k for this 20g long. Is that enough? All I have in there is water sprite, freshwater "hedge" (no idea what it is), and whatever the hell >>2221798 is. Do I need to get another light?

>>2222205
More light is a meme, people overestimate the amount of light they need by large amounts. Unless you're pumping in Co2, all more light does is grow algae.

>>2222208
Thank you. Do you know what that little plant clump is though?

>>2222210
Looks like a ball of baby tears but it's hard to tell because it's a bit blury.

>>2222213
I thought it might be but it's so sorry looking (probably why the lady at the lfs just have it to me). What do I do to make it healthy again? Do I need to trim the dying bits off?

>>2222217
Just needs some liquid carbon and time.

Lots of people think you need co2, fertilisers, good substrate and high light for baby tears but I'm growing it here >>2222143 with non of that.

>>2222227
Cool, thanks man!

>>2221787
oh my god that fucking candycane gravel. plants are lookin' nice.

>>2221789
to be fair, lfs tend to be really humid. I could only spend about 10 min at a time in my old lfs.

>>2221814
>>2221821
fugg off, my bf is a huge pussy and gets upset when one of my fish dies. don't generalize, it's rude.

>>2221871
cycling takes more than two weeks.

>>2222152
>5 gallon
>toss in a few goldfish
it's not just inhumane, it's also retarded.

>>2222205
you should be alright.
>>2222208
>all more light does is grow algae
no.

>>2222290
Yeah I hate this fucking colorful gravel. I set up this tank because my friend's guppy is pregnant so I'm taking the fry. This is 5 yo gravel from my little brother's old 10g, I'm just too poor right now to get got substrate.

>>2221499

A good first step is to stick with sites that use actual science vs. anectodes. This seems obvious but few people do this. People reliably using scientific names is a big key, also people who use a lot of plain and simple common sense as opposed to repeating what is obviously hearsay and borderline urban legend.

WetWebMedia, Monster Fish Keepers, Plantet Aquarium, are all very solid sites. 3Reef is also good. Reef2Reef is ok esp. if you stick to articles (never threads). Avoid reefcentral, it's cancer full of idiots.

Don't even think about shitty infotainment trash reality tv shows I don't need to mention by name.

>>2221627 Yeah don't quote me on this because it varies but I think gathering pods is legal anywhere in Florida but never leaved plants. And one of the species is more protected (I wanna say white, but again, don't quote me). Just things to be on the lookout for. The authorities rarely have a clue about any of this and what is what, etc. so it's best to play it safe and just....keep them out of it.

The big thing above all else with mangroves is salinity. They can't tolerate changes so if you have a given salinity, try to gather them from an area with similar salinity (or vice versa, you're gonna need a hydrometer sooner or later so drop the $50 and grab one). It's also fun to tool around checking this stuff out and how they live in anything from fresh water to complete seawater.

>>2221789

Take that bitch to a frag swap, bitches love frag swaps!

>>2221814

All of nature wants to kill the rest of nature, you included. Has she not seen Lion King ffs? Almost all fish, particularly, are opportunistic omnivores and cannibals.

>>2221926

I've never worn a seatbelt and I speed everywhere and ride people's ass on the freeway going 20 miles over the speed limit and never died. Please drink some pure cat piss. That's what you're doing to the fish. Leave the internet, please.

>>2221840

Only bad things happen fast in aquaria, Anon. If waiting a week to cycle is gonna kill ya, you are not cut out for this desu.

>>2221903

It objectively, factually does, fuckface. It's goddamn chemistry. Are you 10 years old?

Anyway if you are in that huge of a hurry to cycle a tank well, people, find a friend with a decent tank and get a scoop of substrate and snuggle it down into your own and it will kickstart it and is far better than shit-tier fish cycling or anything else.

>>2221976

Humblebrag?: I am pretty poor but I have several $250~ fish and will get more when I have more space. This may be why I'm poor...

People spend thousands of dollars collecting gear and setups and in maintainance (a bucket of salt is like $50). Then bitch out because a fish or coral (which are the entire point of all this) costs a few video games' worth of money? Come ON.

I can see not getting too stressed out over a cheap fish croaking, because it didn't cost anything, but it's still a living thing and is as valuable as any other. As an example, back in the day a yellow tang cost about $30 U.S. in the States but $150 U.S. in Europe. Due to logistics, mostly. But it's not worse to let the tang die in Europoor than the same one in Fatmerica.

I realize this may be an overly general point, but as another example, my friend's kid's hamster was sick and everyone told her she was stupid to spend $100 taking a $5 animal to the vet. She pointed out that is a hell of a lesson to teach her kids. And fucking believe me, that attitude does in fact stick for life and extend to everything including other human beings.

What I am getting at is not that you should rush to spend whatever it takes to save a $1 fish, but should be striving at all times to do all you can to keep them healthy as possible. They are not expendable fast-food style disposables. In the abstract, you probably spend more on electricity on a 10 gallon tank per month than it would cost to take extra measures to keep them healthy (such as buying a book or two prior to any purchases, having a quarantine tank or extra heater on hand, etc.).

>>2222152

There's no reason to cycle a tank with fish, period. It's just dumb and yeah, inhumane. Also cost ineffective, harmful long-term, and less efficient. All you need to do it throw a piece of cocktail shrimp in there, or better yet as per above, a handful of gunk or an in-use filter pad from an established system. It's what the better importers do.

>>2222208

Obvious troll. Co2 is the may may, if anything. It's like hard mode and usually unnecessary, strictly speaking. A well-designed setup will never need added gas unless there is a specific reason and you are really redlining it. If you haven't been at it a while, succeeded with tanks previously, and are not testing frequently (weekly at least) for several parameters, it's needless. Perfecting your lighting is just one of the many things you need to worry about first.

It cracks me up when I see people using bad quality water, bad plant placement, bad bioload, etc. but buying cannisters.

>>2222320

Vermiculite from the hardware or garden store, mang. Check the vermiculite to make sure it doesn't have fertilizers and shit in it. Obv. you need to resolve the preggers fish situation first, but if you play your cards right, you can get all your substrate stuff for under $50 if you do it in the off-season for gardening without leaving a Lowe's. And even lights, if you wanna be ghetto and diy (which is fun for some people). The Amano guy whose book basically started the planted tank craze happening right now suggests pretty much this very thing and his own in-progress tanks are set up this way (then prettied up for display and photography down the line needless to say).

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>>2222143
would baby tears grow fine in something like ecocomplete substrate? I would like to get my first carpeting plants and it looks great!

>>2222290
>5 gallon
>toss in a few goldfish
If you're going to be autistic and mass respond to people at least properly read what you're replying to. I never said put a few goldfish in a 5 gallon. I was talking about his 40 gallon that he wanted. Fucking retard.

>>2222440
>There's no reason to cycle a tank with fish
It's arguably faster. The fact that there is dissonance about it in the hobby proves it alone. But yeah, some people get upset about it. People like you.

>>2221032
This anon is correct >>2221386

Just colour in the chipped areas with a black permanent marker and you wont even notice that there were scratches.