/aq/-Aquarium General

>>2268006
What are those?

>>2268025
Hillstream loach

>>2268006
Sage in all fields, old thread isn't done

>>2268080
Bump limit is 310. But you didn't sage as it bumped the thread.

>>2268084
Yea I'm on mobile just trying to be hip with the latest memes

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>>2268156
>>2268156
I'm on mobile and can sage.

Is this really how we're going to start this thread?

>>2268169
What's your favorite fish?

>>2268175
Tied between Synodontis lucipinnis and Pantodon bucholzi. One of my Pantodons passed away a couple weeks ago, so I'm looking to get some more after I buy an upgraded tank on Friday. Hope to start breeding the synos as well.

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>>2268175
blob fish

>tfw foreveralone blobfish

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>>2268254
Oh and thanks who ever posted those rare snek photos at the end of last thread, know that I saved them.

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>>2268254
They look better underwater.

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I figured out I could stick plants in the holes in the box, I kind of like it

I've wanted an aquarium for a long time so maybe you guys can suggest some things for me. Whats a good brand of tank? What material is best?

One thing I want for sure in my tank is one of those badass blue crayfish and lots of vegetation, preferably some floating vegetation. Would the crayfish eat snails? What about something like a clam?

>>2268337
I would stay away from clams for noob sake. They can easily starve to death and won't know they're till it's too late and you have a huge ammonia spike. Crayfish are rather easy. They will fuck with plants. If you really wants plants and crayfish look into Mexican dwarf crayfish

>>2268340
Is there anything that can be done about that? What exactly do they do?

>>2268342
Nothing about the plants because they will eat them.

>>2268342
If you mean clams they will eat things in the water column and once no more they can die. It's not hard but if not done right they will die. Just crush some Algae wafers into a fine dust and put into tank.

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>>2268337
Brands of tanks aren't terribly important unless you want to drop big bux on a nice display tank. Personally I go with AGA for cheap tanks. They make tanks for Aqueon, AquaTech, Top Fin, and Grreat Choice. My friend had a Perfecto tank (Marineland and Tetra) that blew out, so I have a bit of a personal bias against them.
Easiest and cheapest way to start a planted tank is the Grreat Choice 10 or 20 gallon kits from PetSmart with cheap 9-15W 6500k CFLs from Home Depot.
Substrate can be "all purpose sand" ($3 for 50lbs) for simple plants like floaters, rhizome plants, and crypts. Osmocote+ root tabs from eBay and a liquid carbon supplement like Seachem Flourish Excel would open up your options a bit.

Cajun dwarf crayfish (pic) come in various shades of blue, brown, gray, and greenish, and are plant safe. You could keep 4 or 5 in a 10 gallon. Dwarf crays won't eat snails, but larger crays will.
If you really want clams, it would be better if you waited for 5-6 months after setting up the tank, so there's a better chance of excess organics floating in the water column for it to eat, but honestly I wouldn't recommend them in the first place. "Black racer nerites" are easy and have a vaguely sort of clam-ish look to them. Kind of.

>>2268340
What type of freshwater clams are available in the aquarium trade?

>>2268393
I mostly see Pilsbryoconcha exilis.

>>2268337
I have mexican dwarf crayfish and they don't fuck with plants or snails. I have a heck of a time finding them in the tank though.

>>2268400
What size is your tank, and what temp do you keep them at?

>Starting a new thread without linking it in the old one
OP is garbage and deserves to be shot

>>2268476
Old threads dead Ed

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>>2268175
Sea slugs that look like bunnies!

Some of those male feeder guppies look great when they get a bit bigger. Mine grew up with classic endler colors, forked tail, and completely outline with a black stripe.

>>2268644
Aren't most feeder guppies really just breeding rejects anyway? Some will end up pretty colorful

>>2268646
Pretty much. They're also closer to what wild guppies look like.

>>2268428
55g. it might be at 78 degrees but I'm not sure if my heater is working.

>male angel has been viciously bullying female angel
>female angel has spent over a week cowering under plant at bottom of the tank
>got fed up when he attacked her during feeding time again
>moved him into tank with another same-size aggressive male angel
>he and other male angel immediately stick together like glue

I'll see if the behavior changes in the next few days as things settle, but at the moment, it looks like my problem was that my angelfish was a pissed-off homosexual.

>>2268707
This is why we need to ban homosexuals.

four cherry shrimp anon here
they're all dead. it turns out that molting was the issue but i just discovered it today.

>yesterday
>shrimp does a molt in front of me
>stare in awe
>propels itself to the corner of the tank and chills
>several hours later
>still alive and kicking

>today
>wake up and turn lights on
>the same shrimp(i assume) has died sitting at the front of the tank
>scoop it out, knowing the other two's fate
>see two other shrimps next to each other, probably hoping to mate
>go to work
>come home
>two shrimps that were next to each other are static, with failed molts still on their body
>one of them was still alive
>feed them to my betta as a mercy kill

any clue how to fix this
might just drop a cuttlebone into the filter, then buy more shrimp during black friday
guess 5th times the charm

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Bought some hair grass and already have this shit growing on it.

Anything I can do to make it go away? Ive tried keeping the lights off, trimming it and nothing seems to be working.

>>2268733
Feed less, get more plants, and get fish/snails that will eat the algae.

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so what's the deal with brown algae?

>>2268827
Diatoms. Usually get it on pretty new set ups. Won't hurt much, just looks like shit.

Just rub it off the glass with an algae magnet, or get a ton of snails. It'll die down after a while anyway, wouldn't worry about it.

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These Discus are so goddamn A E S T H E T I C

>>2268878
How big do these get?

Can someone suggest a website or something that can actually list out appropriate fish for a specific aquarium? seriouslyfish's interface SUCKS.

I'm looking for Asian fishes that will be fine in a 20high.

>>2268916
Gouramis. Take your pick. Just don't put 20 in. Pick one or two species and have maybe a pair of each or just pick one species. Rasbora (Triginostigma) heteromorpha is good(ish) also. Anabantids like Gouramis are good because they're evolved for smaller spaces like pools.

Frankly though, a 20h is pretty fucking small for any fish. I'd go for a heavily planted tank with Gouramis (Personally I like Cosby Blue or Pearl) with maybe a very small loach species or something.

>>2268940
>20h is pretty fucking small for any fish

I know. I got them when I was very new to fish. Wish I got some 20Ls instead.

>>2268940
>>2268961
About 4 inches longer than a 10 gallon and twice the water volume. Definitely not too small for a lot of the fish who are 2 inches and under. Cherry barbs, White Cloud Mountain minnows, some gouramis, and bettas just to name a few. Google some Asian fish that are around 1-2 inches. Tall tanks look nice planted.

>>2268878
>Hey
>guys
>what if we took a super colorful fish
>and just
>like
>bred ALL the color out of them?
>like
>zilch
>no color
>nada
>wouldn't that be so cooooool?

>>2268916
Barbs, rasboras, anabantids, minnows, danios...
The hobby is saturated with Asian fish, you're really spoiled for choice.

>>2269011
>what if we took a fish that's not generally colorful
>exploit it's genetics by inbreeding and crossbreeding
>to make it
>like
>way colorful
>and then just sell it
>to Americans
>and euros
>for money

Welcome to 90% of the fish trade anon. Most freshwater fish aren't super colorful until someone breeds a specific genetic mutation.

>>2269015
I wouldn't say 90%. there's a lot of wild caught fish that are brought in very colorful. Actually most of the fish trade is wild caught fish.

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>>2269015
Dunno what wild discus you're looking at that are less colorful than those things.

>>2268851
Alright thanks, it's a pain in the ass and ruining my silk plants because you can't really clean it off of those.

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I need an ID on this guy, pretty sure they are very common but the owner couldn't tell me what they are. It would be awesome if someone can confirm another fish too I'll post next.

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>>2269125
I was pretty sure these guys are bronze Corys but the owner was assuring me that they aren't, but also didn't know what they were.

Story in next post - don't read if you're squeamish, it will probably piss you off.

>>2269125
Feeder guppy.

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>>2269125
Here's mine. Assholes don't stop moving.

>>2268080
>>2268084
>>2268158
Nobody gives two shits except for (you).

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>>2269131
What the fuck are you one about faggot?

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>>2269127
Thank you, that was much faster than expected.

>>2269129
Much better picture than mine! I think this guy is fucked, because he is very placid.


>>2269125
>>2269126
Continued....
So a friend bough a bunch of Borax and was going to have her son kill these fish because she doesn't want them anymore, and as sort of a punishment for the son. I am taking her entire tank of fish and putting them in my tank. Issue is, I am only allowed to have a tank under 30 gallons, so I have a 29 gallon tank. I have not yet made the move, I am only preparing so far. I want the water to be as perfect as I can get it, because I have a feeling they are coming from a high ammonia tank. I plan on doing the slow water intro, and I want to get them all in there the same day.

>inb4 re-home them
I am still trying to rehome pictus catfish that I took off my mother (re: put it in a plastic bag on my doorstep). Most people who get fish off craigslist here are killing them in le funny ways, or are just incredibly inept and killing them. Especially when these guys aren't hard to find or expensive.

I will be taking her filter, but it's only for a 5g tank so I'm not sure how much more it will help, it sits on the ground though so that's nice. AqAdvisor is basically telling me to kill myself. I guess this is more of a rant than anything else. I just don't want that kid to feel shitty.

I don't understand why they say bettas are incompatible with the catfish and cory. Is it because they require different water conditions?

>>2269125
endler guppy

>>2269141
No. Because bettas are assholes. They're fine together. Kept a wild plakat with other types of catfish and barbs and it was fine.

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>Trying to create a carpet of dwarf baby tears surrounded by hair grass.
>Dwarff baby tears is growing great while the hair grass isn't growing, is stunted, covered in algae and keeps coming un rooted.

Who ever said that DBT was a hard plant to grow and DHG was easy must have been on drugs. I've found DBT hundreds of times easier to grow.

I'm trying to create this carpet in a tank with co2 and ferts. But I've also got a nano where I've carpeted DBT without co2, high light or any ferts

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

>>2269126
Looks like my corys.

>>2269125
It's an endler. It's probably a hybrid like most endlers in the hobby, but the black coloration differentiates it from a feeder guppy.

>>2269126
Bronze cories, though they're sometimes called green cories when they have better color like that.

>>2269141
The betta might go after the endler, since they're fairly brightly colored, but unless you have an unusually dickish one, he'll be fine with the others.

The pictus catfish is liable to eat the neons and the endler, though.

>5g filter
>sits on the floor
Pics? I've never heard of a 5 gallon canister filter.

>>2269048
Yeah, it is a pain if it starts coating fake plants or ornaments etc. Only thing you can really do there is occasionally take them out and give them a scrub with a toothbrush or something. It will pass.

>>2269126
Looks like a bronze Cory to me

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>>2269349
The betta is already living with the endler. Granted she did start with 3 and is now down to 1. I am a bit worried about my pictus eating everything, he's a bit fucking insane during feeding but he only goes up to the top when I forgot to feed him for a while, he mostly whizzes around the bottom.

>>2269349
Sorry I worded that poorly; the filter is for a 5 gallon tank, so I've been told. It is not 5 gallons itself. It looks like pic related

>>2269352
That's what I thought, I think the lady just doesn't know what she is talking about.

>>2269206
That's good to hear. This beta is close to death anyway so Im not too worried about it killing anything

>>2269048
Soaking them in a gallon of water with a couple tablespoons of bleach for ~15 min will kill the algae, but it may affect the color of the ornaments if you do it too often. Soak them in clean water with a heavy overdose of conditioner afterward.

>>2269371
Ah, okay, that makes more sense. I thought you meant it sat on the actual floor of the room, outside of the tank. Those types of filters are usually only for tanks 15+ gallons.

Can you keep more than one tank where you live? The endler and neons could go in their own 10 gallon. If your place stays around 72°F and above you shouldn't need a heater, either, though one wouldn't hurt. That would give you a but more room to fill out your schools, too, assuming you want to keep these fish.

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I need to figure out how to clean the inside of the overflows.

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My African dwarf frogs aren't eating I have them housed with a non aggressive betta in 10 gal tank but since I bought them a few days ago they just float around and don't seem to eat(haven't seen them eat see pellets floating) do I need to change their diet or what.

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>>2269392

>>2269382
Oh fuck that is pretty

>>2269381
I'm not allowed to have multiple tanks. I could probably get away with a bowl, but that won't be any better. The landlord is worried about cracks an leaks, especially since I'm on second floor

>>2269382
How did you manage to make those lids so perfect, with the little plastic corners?

>>2269392
>>2269395
Try sinking pellets, maybe with a feeding dish to keep them from getting lost in the rocks. You could also try frozen foods and see if they respond better to that.

>>2269443
Its too late ones belly up and the other is barley moving I just got them two days ago fuck I hate this I'm nearly in tears over these stupid things I tried so hard to keep them alive fucking fuck and now my fire bellied toads are trying to fuck again and I don't know how take care of tadpoles I'm in over my head with this frog shit all I did previously was keep a few bettas

>>2269447
I poked the toads with bamboo and they stopped fucking I have to get up every time I hear the female crying to get that horny little shit off of her

>>2269348
A guppy that is considered a cull used as a feeder when they breed the guppies with endlers to make cobra guppies I believe.

>>2269450
Also they're fancy culls. They resemble what a wild type guppy looks like as the genes are trying to revert so they're considered culls.

>>2269447
>let her lay eggs
>take them
>freeze them or feed them to your fish
and thats how you take care of tadpoles

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So i got a 60 gallon from petsmarts black friday deal. Im a noob so a couple questions if you guys dont mind.

1. I still havent decided what kind of fish to get but was wondering if i grew plants first wpuld the fish fuck up the plants or just ignore it

2. Can plants grow during the cycling phase?

3. I read some fish can survive during the cycling phase. Which and is a betta included?

Thanks in advance

REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE WHICH ONE OF YOU FAGGOTS STOLE ALL OF THE FUCKING AMANO SHRIMP AND CHERRY SHRIMP

Rate me
dora is stunted, and i've got another mystery catfish

http://aqadvisor.com/AqAdvisor.php?AquTankName=&AquListBoxTank=Choose&AquTankLength=30&AquTankDepth=12&AquTankHeight=16&AquListBoxFilter=All+Pond+Solutions+1400EF%2B&AquTextFilterRate=600+&AquListBoxFilter2=Choose&AquTextFilterRate2=N%2FA+&AquFilterString=rope&AquListBoxChooser=Ropefish+%28Erpetoichthys+calabaricus%29&AquTextBoxQuantity=&AquTextBoxRemoveQuantity=&FormSubmit=%3C+Remove&AquListBoxSelected=1+x+Ropefish+%28Erpetoichthys+calabaricus%29&AlreadySelected=200909300119%3A1%3A%3A%2C200912011163%3A1%3A%3A%2C200909300179%3A1%3A%3A%2C200909300033%3A1%3A%3A%2C201001041370%3A1%3A%3A&FilterMode=Display+all+species&AqTempUnit=C&AqVolUnit=L&AqLengthUnit=inch&AqSortType=cname&FilterQuantity=2&AqJuvMode=&AqSpeciesWindowSize=short&AqSearchMode=simple

Also does anyone know where to buy dwarf orange crayfish in south yorkshire?

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Are there any good Iwagumi tutorials with English audio? Everything is just music and subtitles what the heck

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>>2269490
Is it the 60 gallon tank with stand deal? I was thinking about getting one myself. I read on the reviews that if you want real plants you will need to upgrade the lighting and get a cannister filter.
Should I get it? Have a 2o gallon currently.

>>2269588
Yeah thats the one but im not sure about the rest im new to this sorry

>>2269490
Yes plants can grow during a cycling phase. But I would advise you to get seachem flourish or some other fertilizer so it's a nutrient rich environment while waiting for a cycle. Use a small grain sand if you don't want to deal with dirt and sand cap. There's also substrates that are specifically for plants but they're pricey.

You can do a fish in cycle. You just have to be careful and do small water changes about twice a week. I have never lost a fish during a fish in cycle. Still cycled in 6 weeks.

>inb4 some anon tries to argue that it will delay your cycle months to a year.

It won't. You'll still get your 6-8 week complete cycle done. But if you're worried look up fishless cycle method.

You may need to upgrade lights but if you grow low light plants you'll be fine. Lots of panted tank owners enjoy low light as it's less plant maintenance.

>>2269526
Some fish stores buy all them and take them back and mark them up. A fish store here got caught buying all petsmarts bichirs for $7 and selling them for $13

>>2269613
Ahh forgot the petsmart 60 gallon is pretty tall as well. You may need to upgrade to led like a finnex planted+ will work and are cheap.

Ordered a breeder box from Amazon for some corydoras schultzei eggs that keep getting eaten. Today I received 2 broken pieces of lava rock in the mail. gg amazon

Ive read that you can buy sand from home Depot but idk which one also how do you go about rinsing sand?

>>2269490
1. Get fish that are okay with plants and it'll be fine.

2. Yes, it can actually help the cycling process go more quickly.

3. There are several that can potentially survive, but it's less of a headache and less stressful for the fish if you just cycle without them. There's a link in OP explaining how to do it.

Some notes: the LEDs that kit comes with are only maybe going to grow the lowest of low light plants. You'll need something much stronger for most plants.
You're probably better off with two smaller HOB filters or a canister for that tank to get good water movement. The Marineland ones are half off today. They're not my favorite (king of noisy, wheel never works right), but they'll work okay, especially with the extender piece.

>>2269588
I'm personally not very fond of skinny, super tall tanks like that. They're an unbelievable pain in the ass to work in, you need stronger lights to compensate for the height, and it's harder to get good flow throughout the tank. I'd recommend the 46 bowfront, 65 "arch," or 75 gallon combos instead, but I know it's fewer gallons per dollar.

>>2269638
play sand. Put a hose in a bucket of it and leave it running for a bit while stirring so you can get as much silt out as possible. Otherwise it will destroy cartridge filters and be ugly...

>>2269646
Different anon, but I found some HtH pool filter sand half off and converting from a bare bottom turtle tank, so I'm a complete noob dealing with substrates. (I've read this brand is fine though)

Beyond rinsing, can you begin adding sand with the fish/turtle still inside and filters off, only livestock removed, or does the whole tank need to be drained, everything removed and torn down to add it?

Also how is sand maintenance wise in the long run?

>>2269642
Is the 65 gallon arch on sale?

>>2269674
All the ensembles are on sale. The 65 arch us the same height as the 60 gallon, but it's a lot wider, so it's at least easier to work on, and it actually gives you more swimming area for the fish.

>>2269638
>>2269666
"All purpose" or "playground" sand, if you're at Home Depot, but pool filter sand is also good.
To wash it, you can do like >>2269646 said, but that uses a lot of water. If you care about that sort of thing, you can put the sand in a container (a bucket works), fill it with water, stir the sand, let it settle for 30 seconds, dump the water, and repeat until the water comes up clear.
Spoiler: it'll take a LONG time.

For maintenance, it's nearly the same as gravel. If you make it crazy deep (>3") you'll have to poke for anaerobic bubbles once a month or so. You're also more likely to get diatom outbreaks from silica sand, which is almost all sand, for about a year. Algae eating fish and inverts can combat that pretty well, though.

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>>2269441
Emailed this to a window place, costed about $30.

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>>2269441
>>2269773
The plastic pieces were all 3d printed.

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>>2269773
what does the corner bit mean on the drawings? 30$ for the glass cut and assembled????

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Just got my first sps yesterday and it seems to be adjusting well. It was a small frag of Bird of Paradise acro. Hoping it grows to be like the pic.

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How kind of PetSmart to include 20 gallons' worth of water conditioner with the purchase of my 125 gallon tank.

>tfw want to get a 100g+ tank but also want to move at some point in the future
Life is suffering

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Any breed identification help on my cray?

>>2269931

Thanks for never failing to rotate pics mobile! 4chan is so lucky to have dedicated devs like Hiroshima!

>>2269931
That is a crawfish, I've eaten many

>>2269933
Do a small crop before posting and it won't lost sideways

>>2269931
freshwater snibsnab

>>2269945
When presented they sure look good, but I don't live anywhere near Louisiana so sadly I'll likely never try

>>2269950
Should I get a saltwater snibsnab when I move this snibsnab to my pond in the spring?

>>2269956
Crayfish have a dirty taste to them anyway

>>2268006
Hey guys. The pond in my backyard has drained and I found some neat looking driftwood pieces that would look great in my tank.

Is there any way I can prepare the driftwood to be tank safe?

>>2270017
boil or bake it

Boy just scored 5 gallon, 20 long, 29 gallon, 10 gallon, and going back for more for free.

>>2270055
That's all? Just boil it in a pot?

>>2270062
Yup it gets rid of any harmful bacteria and makes it safe for your fish

>>2270063
Sweet. I got like 15 or so pieces of driftwood from the lake. I'll boil them all by Monday and I'll put em up on ebay if anybody is interested

>>2270059
Update: ex gf broke into my house and smashed all my tanks. All but 5 fish are dead and about 500 gallons worth of water all over. All because I left her after finding out I was nothing more than a sugar daddy.

>>2270075
Yeah man, I totally want to buy your cooked lake garbage for money. Go fuck yourself

>>2270093
Did she still have a key to the house?

Otherwise report her ass to the cops

>>2270108
shit thats still enough damage to demand reparations
tanks and fish aside thats a lot of water damage

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I need some opinions
And some info

>3gal beverage dispenser, sealed. Java Moss in the back and wisteria to the left. Spider wood, a few creek stones, no real substrate other than snail poo. Not completely done with cycling I think. The white rock is coming off as soon as the wood is waterlogged.

I have a pretty good amount of baby pest snails in there, I also see different kinds of white worms, both wriggling and sticking to the sides and little white dots zipping by. How do I deal with all these creatures, planaria, etc? I threw an assassin in there the other day to see what happens.

Any suggestions on lighting? I just opened this up, pic related.
Mingdak LED Aquarium Light for Fish Tanks,18 Leds,7.5-inch,white https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00X84LMHK/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_apa_AUHoybPTE6CHX

Is a sponge filter sufficient?
It only runs when I'm not sleeping..
What should I put in it?
What can I do to make this setup better?
Also, one of my cherry shrimp in another tank has a raggedy tail and faded, the rest are fine. Age or illness?

you don't need to worry about planaria, nematodes and the like unless you start seeing issues in the tank like parasites. I have a crapload of microfauna in my tank and I like it that way.

that led bar won't do anything for plants- I like clamp lights with daylight CFLs for small tanks.

assuming you have no fish in there, a sponge filter is fine. running it only at night seriously limits the bacterial colony on the sponge- a healthy filter is running 24/7. I'd suggest housing the air pump in a box or finding a quieter one.

I wouldn't house anything in there besides inverts. are you able to test the water?

>>2270108
>>2270111
She did have a key. I have cameras at my entrance and police took the footage. Hoping for the bet.

>>2269773
>>2269774
Thanks for responding. The local window shop are gougers and I don't know anyone with a 3D printer, but I'll definitely keep it in mind.

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>>2268006
So we recently acquired a 60 gallon fishtank. My wife wants pink kissing gouramis so we have to design the tank around them, and generally speaking, I like stocking a tank with crustaceans, loaches, eels, things like that.

But since I can't really do that with this tank, I need some suggestions on tankmates that go well with kissing gouramis.

Anyone have these fish, or possibly have any ideas?

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Anyone have tips besides the main post for growing aquatic freshwater plants?
Its my first time and ive never done it before and im trying to understand it. Can plants grow in pool filter sand alone or should you have layers of subtrate?

>>2268006
>>Livestock and plants for sale - http://www.petsolutions.com/ http://www.aquabid.com
So what other sites do you guys use to order stock?

>>2270277
Depends on what kind of plants you want. So-called "high tech" plants aren't likely to grow very well in plain sand, but there's enough variety to choose from that'll be perfectly find in sand that it's really not a big deal if that's all you want to work with. A cheap and easy way to expand your selection a bit would be to use Osmocote+ root tabs from eBay. Liquid fertilizers and liquid carbon can get expensive long term on large ranks, but for a smaller beginner tank the convenience makes them worthwhile.

>>2270235
Tell her no

>>2270283
Thanks for the tips. Anyone else wanna add theirs?

>>2270277
I grow mine in rocks, so.....

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Can any of you guys help me identify these little things?
I've had them in my shrimp tank before but I found these in my canister filter tonight.

They sort look like Ostracods to me but I can't find any pictures of Ostracods that look like this. The biggest one is like the size of a pinhead, I have them under a magnifying glass here.
Thoughts?

>>2270301
How is that done?

>>2270314
I just planted them and they grew, they're in 1cm gravel and they don't give a fuck.

I got anubias, Amazon sword, java fern, cryptocorn and some sort of really fuckin tall things that look like giant grass blades, can't remember their name. I also got some miniature grass looking things in my shrimp tank, can't remember their name either but they do fine on black gravel from walmart.

I find that the best way to grow plants is just patience, everything you do will make a difference but you won't know for awhile because any change that doesn't straight up kill your plants will take days or weeks to show so just sit back and let them do their thing.

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>>2270164
>>2270164
>that led bar won't do anything for plants
Java moss and wisteria won't grow under this at all?
My limitation here is the lid, awkward shape and small opening top, so I'd want something that can rest on it so the light can flow through the hole. I was gonna submerge the led, but it looked bulky and dim in the water. Not completely satisfied with how it looks now.
Will this work? I'd probably spray paint it white on the outside so it doesn't stand out so much.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000HJDATW/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1480245206&sr=8-4&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=clamp+light&dpPl=1&dpID=41Dyfq05KFL&ref=plSrch

>running it only at night seriously limits the bacterial colony
:(
I didn't think it would be that bad. I'll definitely try out a quieter pump, but I don't think I'll be able to keep it on at night since it's next to the bed and I'm not the only one who hears it. Air pump suggestions are welcome.

>are you able to test the water?
I did a few days ago, from what I remember the water is pretty soft and on the acidic side. Water changes are pretty easy though with the spout on the bottom.

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>>2270335
Oh for God's sake stop talking to him he has his heads up his ass. You can grow java moss in a fucking toilet.

Your lighting is fine, just remember brighter light for shorter periods is always better than dimmer for longer periods. You can't switch between the two either. Depth kills brightness so shallow tanks are best for low light setups.

Pro tip, get you some cherry shrimp or trumpet snails to keep the moss clean and it will grow better.

I've never had luck with wisteria, my fish pick at them and they eventually fell apart. It was still alive when I tossed it though.

Pic related is my betta tank, he's probably upset cause I turned his light on in the middle of the night but w/e. I keep my newly sprouted pants in there while they grow bigger and it's just using a crappy light with 3 leds in it that I got from wall Mart. Don't let some asshole over sell you on lights, people do this shot all the time and it pisses me off, that's how you wind up with a shitload of green water.

>>2270290
You're a faggot anon

I don't need a 3rd crustacean tank

Who the fuck needs 60 gallons for snibsnabs.

>>2270392
I think you may be a gay man if you can't tell her no to two gay fish.

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>>2270335
The LEDs are fine for the moss. I grew thick, lush Xmas moss using a crappy 0.5W LED from a starter kit. Your link would be better for the wisteria, but wisteria tends to be a weird kind of hit and miss under any conditions ime. If it dies you can replace it with anubias, buce, or java fern and that would do okay.

If you're going to have a hole in the lid for the airline tubing anyway, why not get a small internal filter instead? Pic related costs about $7-10 and is damn near silent.

>>2270235
>>2270392
The reason kissing gourami "kiss" is because it's a display of aggression among territorial males. It's a really fuckawful reason to buy them.

>>2270335
>>2270465
Postscript: You could also just get some floating plants and leave it unfiltered.

>>2270474
>leave it unfiltered.
Don't listen to this retard please.
This is a bad idea, we use filters for a reason.

Anyone have any recommendations for saltwater fish for a 30-40 g corner tank? I want to start a salt water tank, but I am more into having one main fish, or just a few fish. I'm not too into the big schools of fish. I don't know yet if I'm going to get a 30g or 40g

My dream is to work my way up to a 150 gallon with a porcupine puffer, or maybe spiny box puffer.

What do you guys think of this: 6 hatchetfish, 6 peppered cories, 2 Bolivians rams, and some nerites in a 36g? It'll be heavily planted and they all inhabit different levels of the tank so

>>2270335
that light should be fine for java moss, not sure about the wisteria. unfortunately there's no info on led lights like that so you have to assume they don't put out much light plants can use. the clamp light you linked would be just fine, but I'd just use what you have unless your plants start dying.

running at night only really isn't that awful, especially since it has plants and is only lightly stocked. a tank like that would be fine with no filter.

>>2270341
>brighter light for shorter periods is always better than dimmer for longer periods
what?

>>2270481
in a tank like this the main reason for a filter is to prevent film from growing on the top.

Are under gravel filters any good?

Ok, so my mom visited my new apartment and helped me unpack. One of the plug sockets doesn't work so I had to connect my quarantine 10g filter to an extension cord. My mom thought it was unsightly but didn't know the other socket didn't work so she plugged the filter in. I know she meant well but FUCK

The filter must have been off for around 4 fucking hours. How much of my bacteria has died off?

>>2270797
I wouldn't worry about it unless your tank is overstocked.

>>2270659
they suck

>>2270526
that sounds really nice, but make sure the plants stay trimmed for the hatchetfish.

>>2270481
>calling Diana Walstad a retard
You need to seriously reevaluate yourself.

>>2270526
Sounds good.
Choosing a different kind of cory (sterbai, julii) would work better for temperature preferences, but that's a very minor point. Also mibd any gaps in the tank top, as hatchetfish are jumpers.
What kind of hatchets were you thinking of getting?

>>2270659
They work, but they limit you to using gravel as a substrate. The lift pipes aren't the prettiest things in the world and by the time you buy the pumps and everything it's not really that cheap. If you get the air-powered ones, the entire tank has to be completely disassembled to properly clean underneath them. Powerhead versions can run in reverse and blow the mulm up into the tank to clean it out.
My experience is that the only people who still use them are old timers who compulsively distrust "new" technology. I saw a shop that used them for the sake of keeping all the tanks' water separate, but even then, sponge filters work just as well and are a lot easier to deal with.

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>>2270341
>You can grow java moss in a fucking toilet.
Oh ok thanx, that's what I thought lol.
I have both, will definitely add soon. I did throw in that assassin snail to get rid of pest snails, I suppose I'll have to take that out.
Nice betta tank. I got a sick one from Walmart and haven't been confident to buy another since he died. Pic related, he was black and pink.
>>2270465
I actually have that filter in a 1.5gal with nothing but trumpet snails and same plants. I'll switch it out if the whisper air pump doesn't work. Thank you!
>>2270513
I have no suggestions, but puffers are the shit, m8.
>>2270548
>I'd just use what you have unless your plants start dying.
That's what I was planning, I had a regular desk lamp on it before and the wisteria was growing. I really don't wanna leave it without a filter because of the gross protein film. Thanks for your replies, anon.

>>2270659
No
there's no reason to use them unless it's the 90's when they were considered high tech.

>>2270845
he's right
once you start poisoning your fish to feed your plants you're no longer an aquarist
you're a gardener

nothing wrong with being a gardener, but people that keep fish aren't going to take your advice seriously.

>>2270897
it doesn't work that way unless it's not balanced.

>>2270902
sure, sure.

except plant growth is limited by CO2, not nitrogen compounds. So your fish are quietly choking to death on ammonia and such while your plants are waiting for the CO2 to absorb the poisons.
We could fix the problem by adding CO2, but of course that's also poisonous to fish and most other animals.

it isn't important, most people that are serious about their fish aren't going to be doing that shit is all. If you're recommending it we can be pretty sure you don't care about fish.

>>2270897
1. No
2. Who said anything about fish?

>>2270466
I've done a lot of research and I've seen that between two males the aggression they show eachother is a sign of territorial dominance that's relatively easy to resolve with large amounts of plants, real or fake. Also, I've read that them biting one another doesn't generally lead to permanent damage, but if you put them in a tank with other fish that aren't kissing gouramis by themselves, they'll nip at the other fish instead, which can lead to damage.

Basically if you want kissing gouramis you have to have at least two.

>>2270907
>2. Who said anything about fish?
ah, I see you're right.
/aq/ has gone full /plant/ now
that's some funny shit

>>2270906
>>2270909
Floating and emersed plants use CO2 from the atmosphere, and low levels of CO2 will enter the water regardless.
Bacteria colonies will still convert ammonia to nitrate in an unfiltered tank if it's stocked lightly enough, and excess levels of nitrate are easily mended through water changes, which are pretty easy on a tank with a spigot on the side.
Fish aren't the only animals you can put in an aquarium.

>>2270852
For some reason I didn't think about temp, good point
And preferably blackwing hatchetfish because according to something i read they prefer denser vegetation and jump slightly less than the other varieties but really whatever's at the fish store

>>2270913
>Bacteria colonies will still convert ammonia to nitrate in an unfiltered tank if it's stocked lightly enough
not without a filter, which was the argument that started this.

and the amount of CO2 absorbed at the surface isn't sufficient for plants to metabolize toxins from fertilized soil, that's why you generally need to add CO2 to get growth from ferts.

and while fish certainly aren't the only animals kept in tanks, most of the inverts you can buy are actually MORE sensitive to ammonia, nitrite, and CO2- not less.

>>2270924
>not without a filter
Yes without a filter.

>fertilized soil
Then don't use fertilized soil.

Inverts produce much less ammonia.

>>2270939
topsoil is naturally fertilized with organic matter, that's what soil is. Organic fertilizers.

Nitrifying bacteria are photophobic and aerobic, meaning they need a dark space with constant water flow. That doesn't exist in a tank without a filter.

In a walstad tank the soil alone is sufficient to overcome the metabolic needs of plants and bacteria, poisoning the water slowly over time.

water changes can fix this, but so can a filter.

either way it's not a good environment for animals because the food plants need is poison to animals.

>>2270945
>soil
Anon isn't using soil in his tank.

>aerobic
Means they need oxygen, which the plant roots provide.

>the food plants need is poison to animals
That's an oversimplification of the situation.

>>2270945
soil is a lot more than organic fertilizers m8

>>2270908
Or don't get two males. Derrrrrr.

How come Hemianthus callitrichoides is so popular when Micranthemum monte carlo looks pretty much the same (bigger leaves) and grows much quicker and will put up with no co2 and infrequent ferts?

Is it just because Hemianthus callitrichoides is hard to grow so you get to swing your dick around?

>>2271083
monte carlo is really popular too though

>>2270235
Instead of doing Kissing Gouramis, do a shoal of Pearl Gouramis. Get like 5-6, with 2 males and the rest females. Just as interesting behavior without the aggression, and you can still stock the things you want (crustaceans = shrimp, loaches/eels = Kuhlis)

>>2271115
I have 3 in a 55g and they do pick on each other so I don't know if I'd put 6 in a tank that's barely bigger. beautiful fish though.

>>2270948
>Anon isn't using soil in his tank.
I was talking about whether or not Diana walstad or whatever her name is, is a retard.

my point is that she's an excellent gardener and a shit fishkeeper.

like most great gardener she insists on poisoning any animals in her tanks.

>>2270948
>Means they need oxygen, which the plant roots provide.
ah, you're thinking of photosynthesis which takes place in the leaves, not the roots.

the roots engage in respiration, which is consuming oxygen and releasing CO2.

>>2271361
they were referring to the bacteria, not the plants.

>>2271359
it's just about the balance. walstad isn't about gardening, she's about the ecosystem.

What causes a fish to have a crooked spine? I transferred my glass cat I have had for a year from a 40g to a 5g without acclimating it, 2 days later its spine is curved. so was it due to stress?

didnt like the thing anyway

>>2271381
usually, deficiency or poor breeding. it's pretty common in female guppies.

>>2271383
well its not a guppy. and it never had a problem in the year i had it until immediately after i moved it

Looking to get a Christmas gift for my dad. He used to own salt water aquariums years ago and wants to get back into the hobby. I am thinking about an saltwater for dummies type book.

Anyone know of any good books or something that would be good to get for someone who is 'new' to saltwater?

>>2271397
I was just naming a fish it happens commonly in.

nearly all fish illness is caused by stress.

> TL;DR: given the choice should I return the fish to PetCo or Petsmart?

I bought three beta fish: two from Petco and one from Petsmart. There was one week difference between the buy times.

I quarantined all three for about a month. Two fish were fine and are happy in their now larger tanks. The third had Ich and after a long battle has died.

I can't find the third receipt but I still have the first two. I also can't remember which store the dead fish came from for sure! I think it was PetSmart.

Should I return the dead fish to Petco or Petsmart? Does it matter?

RIP little fishie. You tried... you tried...

>>2271501
you better call and ask first
they might not take the return without your receipt
especially since betta breeds vary so wildly in price

>>2271503
Yeah, I'll just call them in the morning. Chances are even if I can't find the exact receipt it's still on file as I used my credit card to buy the fish. I could also just use the more recent receipt of the two- it's still well within the 60 days return window at Petsmart.

Tanks for the feedback!

>>2271501
>>2271515
PetSmart's return policy is 14 days for live animals. I don't know if Petco has separate terms for live animals.

Anybody ever had a go with Killifish eggs?

They're apparently really hardy and can be air dried so they survive transport.

>>2269860
Bird of paradise aren't acropora. They are seriatapora, or birdsnest. Much easier to keep than acros. Keep it in high light and a bunch of flow, and it should be happy. Welcome to the reefing family.

>>2269860
Need a hand? Seems like you're just wanting to jerk off about having a salt water tank.

>>2270305
looks like seed shrimp to me
cute little fellers

Guys my corys fin Rot is getting worse, should I just kill myself? I can see signs of it on other cory fins now. I am a horrible fish keeper.

>>2271827
test your water!

>>2271829
I do and the only thing that is off is nitrates are high, but I do weekly water changes of like 25% or more, would high nitrates cause fin rot?

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>that BIGDUG feel when you setup heavy shelving
its going to look sick

>>2271831
naw should be alright. could just be your gravel is too sharp.

>>2271832
I just bought two steel shelves for $50. pretty hype although I'm worried they won't be able to hold the tanks I want..

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I just ordered a bunch of sp of bucephalandra and some moss. Gonna make a shrimp tank in a rimless 7 gallon cube I have (12 x 12 x 12). Would like it to be low tech, but can dose excel and I have a decent light (Finnex Fugeray planted+). Anyone have any ideas for a scape? I was thinking a moss wall, but I'm not really sure how to incorporate the buce into a scape. I'd like to have some fast growing stem plants somewhere to suck up nutrients because moss and buce are pretty slow growers. I think I'll use ADA amazonia as a substrate. I'd like it to be pretty heavily planted.

I have a bunch of carpeting plants kicking around (HC, Dwarf hair grass) and other low growing plants like staurogyne repens alternanthera reineckii mini, sagittaria subulata.

I just don't have any ideas right now. What would /an/ do with these options?

>>2271827
Nitrates would only exasperate a pre-existing issue. It's either an infection or a wound. In either case, step up your water change regimen and/or put your cory in a hospital tank.

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>>2271854
So daily?


So what type of sand would you guys reccommend, I remember someone mentioning awhile back one brand cause it looked nice and had large crystals or something.

Check it out my amano stole a whole hikari tab for himself

>>2271859
pool filter sand from Ace Hardware!

>>2271861
No that's not the brand :(

>>2271863
that's just what I have in my tank. I think it's great, nice big crystals and black speckles. it looks rad.

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>>2271865
Can you post a rad pick of it so I can see
?

>>2271870
it looks like trash because dirt got mixed in.

Shrimp are much more susceptible to ammonia poisoning than fish are right?
I'm trying to figure out why my betta is currently dying, but my shrimp are okay

he's been slowly getting more and more pale since I got him about two months ago though. is it possible he's just old?

I did a larger than usual water change a couple days ago because my nitrates and pH were getting high, but they seem higher now than they were before?

>>2271892
I've been watching him for a bit
he seems really bloated and he's having trouble keeping afloat
I just saw him swim up to the top because there was food, and then he sunk back to the bottom

he was fine when i went to bed yesterday and I've been away from home all day today

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Any tips on keeping Ghost Knife Fish?

I got this guy 2 days ago. First day he just hid under a rock, but I made this little cave for him.

He seems much happier even though the golden sucking catfish seems to wanna take this space over.

Any tips on how to get them comfortable moving around the tank?

>>2271893
digging around a little seem to indicate to me he might be constipated
I guess I'll have to go buy some peas tomorrow and see if I can get him to eat some

I've only been feeding him every other day but I guess I have to cut back on the freeze dried bloodworms some more

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What's wrong with my fish it has some white bump thing on top of it could it be ick? Also it just has the one white thing

>>2271929
welp he died
I don't think constipation would kill him in ~36 hours
I'll keep an eye on my shrimp, but they seem fine
of course my betta seemed fine too, until I hadn't seen him for about 24 hours and then he wasnt anymore

Probably a dumb question, but how wise is it to rinse out sand in a bathtub? (I'd do it outside but it's been raining heavily for days and expected to get much colder after the storms pass. Would also ask if doing it out in the rain is just as unwise)

It's filter sand for a 60g , if it means anything

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The fuck is up with this cory?

>>2271984
not ich. it's either an inury, fungus, parasitic cyst.

>>2272116
it's either a seal/cory hybrid or it's suffering from severe dropsy

>>2272027
you should do it in a bucket, but it doesn't really matter where.

>>2271925
>Any tips on keeping Ghost Knife Fish?
Generally the advice is "don't."

>Any tips on how to get them comfortable moving around the tank?
Turn the lights off.

What size tank is that?

>>2271666
confirmed devil trips.
your just butthurt

>>2272143
165 litres.

>>2269392
Mine love frozen bloodworm

What can meme corrys eat besides flakes I wana start feeding them better.

>>2272321
shrimp pellets and bloodworms.

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Had a 12 gallon planted tank for about a month now and it's been going great aside from my carpeting plants, half of them are dying?

Don't remember the name of them but here's a picture anyway.

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Did another small water change today, and may start doing them daily. I feel so bad for him :(

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so,,...... any help on snib snab breed identification

>>2272406
oh. that's not fin rot, that's anchor worms. I know you'll ask, so here http://www.fishdeals.com/fish_diseases/anchor_worms/

>>2272414
snibbedy snab :DDD

So now that my betta has died of what almost certainly dropsy
I have a mostly empty 2.5 gallon tank
Its got two amanos in it right now, thinking about adding some more inverts to it

will cherry shrimp get picked on?
any other suggestions?

>>2272416
Are you positive? Fuuuuck I've read the list of treatments have you ever dealt with this?

>>2272419
first: dropsy is a symptom, not a disease!

cherry shrimp and amanos are fine together.

other suggestions: rabbit snails (they are cute) and dwarf crayfish.

>>2272423
naw

>>2272423
sorry for the shitty reply, I've been drinking :^)

I have never dealt with it but I am fairly confident they are anchor worms. parasites are rarely a big deal: keep your water pristine, quarantine and treat the ones with visible parasites.

>>2272431
That's the thing I read the symptoms and I don't see anyworms, but I have seen the flashing and them rub against things infrequently

>>2272446
the picture you posted makes me 100% sure it's anchor worms.

>>2269371
Fuck I hate these things. Had one in a 5 gallon planted aquarium with shrimps and snails, and my shrimp would get sucked up and stuck to the grate under the filter, plus with a 5 gallon, I had a much lower level at which I could fill it.

>>2272414
Pracambarus sp., common snib snab.

>>2272424
Rabbit snails get pretty big. They might have trouble maneuvering a 2.5, depending on how it's decorated. MTS are basically the same thing, except smaller and brown.

>>2272419
Look into Thai micro crabs.

>>2272466
>half inch diameter including legs
wow thats really small

are there any fully aquatic crabs a little bigger than that?

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>>2272469
Half inch diameter is without the legs, speaking from experience.

>are there any fully aquatic crabs a little bigger than that?
Panther kreb, but I don't think they're recommended for tanks that small.

>>2272472
I just came across purple matano crabs, would one of those work?

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>>2272474
Never heard of them, and information seems scarce. I'd be wary of the "fully aquatic" label on something relatively new to the hobby.
I'd still recommend micro crabs. They're cute, and to be frank you have a really small tank.
Here's my old micro crab.

>>2272483
oh im aware how small it is, i was just hoping for something else comparable in size to these amanos.
these shits are like 2 inches long

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>When you have a lidless aquarium in winter and 1/4 of your tank ends up on the inside of your windows every morning.

>>2268150
That's pretty rad

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>>2272414
Nice snippy

>>2272381
Looks like glossostigma

Hi,
I have some gallon jug bottles with salt water in them ~35ppm.

The water eventually evaporates (very slowly.)

I want the salinity to remain the same. Can I just add freshwater when I want to raise the water level?

I (maybe mistakenly) believe the salt doesn't evaporate, so I assume adding freshwater will bring it back to normal. I'm curious if that's wrong. Thanks.

(This is not for animals. I wouldn't keep them in a gallon jug.)

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Hey guys. Got some new corals if anyone is interested. Coral count is up to 90 species in a 28 gallon now. Big new addition is a large green wellsophyllia (or trachyphyllia) that i traded some corals I grew for. Some other random pieces like red planet acros and such..

>>2272611
Just mark the original water line. If any evaporate, refill to that line. Salt never evaporates except through salt spray, but you wont have that. So just a simple fill line will do

>>2272654
Mind you, this tank was my first ever attempt at saltwater, and has been an extremely low cost build all the way through

>>2272656
how low cost are we talking here
because by my estimation even a low cost salt build is still going to run you almost a thousand dollars

>>2272752
The tank, lights, and all equipment used (rocks, sand included) cost me only about $200. I've probably spent close to $600 on livestock but have made about $400 back from selling coral frags. So around $400 altogether. I've definitely spent more on some freshwater tanks.

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>>2268006
Got a few cordydora for my guppy tank because it was filthy and the snails weren't cleaning it before the muck builds up. Two of them lay on their side at the bottom of the tank so I changed the water, cleaned the filter and all that jazz. The two sick ones died sadly but the third one never had any problems and was lively as ever. Some of my guppies died too when I added the cordydora but non have died since. Anyone know what happened?

>>2272466
aren't rabbit snails and MTS quite different? for starters MTS are nocturnal and hide under the substrate the rest of the time and they breed like crazy. rabbit snails reproduce like one a year, or something. I didn't realize they get large, I couldn't find any good info on how big they get.

>>2272787
corydoras need to be fed their own food- they don't clean up fish waste, just the occasional food that drops. they might have been wild caught and were already sick. did you test the water?

>>2269011
I would make a vaporwave song about these fish.

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Can anyone ID this cichlid? It came into the store barely alive and labeled as a red Texas cichlid. I'm not totally convinced.

>>2272920
looking at photos, I think it might actually be one. it's hard to identify sick fish when they lose all their markings.

>>2272920
It looks alot like a Texas red. It's clearly sick and malnourished though, it might not live unless you take proactive steps to save it.

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so I found some tablets to help with my anchor worms, but they are bad for my shrimp and may kill them. I don't want my shrimp to die, what can I do for them?

>>2272854
Yeah, I suppose you're right. They look similar and are both live bearers, so that's where my thinking was coming from.

I've gotten them by accident in most of my tanks and there are usually a few roaming around during the day. I've actually grown rather fond of them. The largest ones are about 1.2", compared to 3" for a full grown rabbit snails.

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>>2272930
>>2272932
Huh, cool. Thanks for the help.
It's actually been getting steadily better over the time we've had it. This pic is from a little over a week ago.
For whatever reason fish tend to do worse when we put them in the back room versus just leaving them on the floor, so I've just left it be and been feeding it bloodworms and crickets along with the regular pellets.

fucking diatoms reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

>>2272787
Sounds like lots of things went wrong

>>2272965
hilariously, I need MTS (the soil in my tank is badly compacted) but my local store doesn't have any every time I look for them. I have almost every other snail besides those.

>>2272959
what you want to do is quarantine- set up any decent size container with a bubbler and treat the fish there.

>>2272973
they'll go away within a few months! it's just part of a new tank.

>>2272991
I'll send you some if you give me a way to contact you.

>>2272973
What kind of substrate are you using?>>2272973

Looking for some help here...
In the past I was a passionate aquarium keeper but havent had anything for about 6 years. In the near future(6 months) Im aiming to get back into it seriously.
Does anyone here have any reccomendations for books that are a comprehensive guide to aquarium keeping and cover all the bases? I remember almost nothing and want to get a good understanding before I start buying equipment/fish and would love a physical book to learn from in the coming months.
Cheers

29 Gallon tank.
4 Painted platys. (+3~5 fry)
2 snails.
13 Neons (1 died)
3 Panda corys. (2 died in old tank, 1 from infection other just couldn't swim then died)

Today I found a dead cory with its eyes bulging out. I don't know whats going on with these corys they keep dying, I thought they were hardier than neons.

Temp at 79f because my eihem jager just won't change temps no matter what I do to it.

I feed flakes twice a day and a sinking wafer for the corys. (I see platys eating it more than corys)

Are my platys starving my cories to death?

Hey guys, I want to get your opinion on starting a small (5 gallon) aquarium.

I'm not really asking for y'all to do all the work for me, just wanted to ask some questions to people who know more than me.

1. Is 5 gallons too little for anything? I would like to get 1-3 animals, depending on how many would be comfortable in the tank.

2. I am looking at three different tanks, all the same internal reservoir (5 gal) and freshwater. One is hexagonal and taller than it is wide, one is a rectangular prism that is taller than it is wide, and the last is a rectangular prism that is wider than it is tall. If I would really like to have a small crab, which shape would best fit him?

3.Any other advice

I wanted to get the smaller aquarium to limit cost and because I have a small apartment, but if the environment wouldn't be humane/non stressful for the animals then I won't do it.

>>2273139
>1. Is 5 gallons too little for anything?
No. Guppies and several other small fish are ok in them, just don't get a lot. I keep 3 guppies in mine. Snails and shrimp and plants are good. There are a couple different fully aquatic crab choices too.

>rectangular prism that is wider than it is tall

I like these best. I have a tall 5gal and it's not great imo.

>>2273139
Always go for width over depth.

You can get plenty of shrimp in a 5gallon. like 5-10, or 1 betta and a cleaner fish like an oto catfish or a ghost/amano shrimp.

I don't know much about crab but I have a betta, some plants and a ghost shrimp in a 3 gallon with no issues. I change 25% water every 4 days a got a small filter and heater. Works well but I have to take care of the hair algey every couple weeks as the shrimp alone can't deal with it since its busy eating the flakes the betta doesn't get.

>>2273173
otos aren't a good fish for a tank this small. they also need a school of 5+

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>>2268006
what do you guys think is a good price for all of the val in my tank? I'm sick of it. there are at least 40 plants but who the heck knows

>>2273195
Can I have some as a Christmas present? ;-)

>>2273199
were you a good boy this year?

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>>2273202
For the majority I've been a good boy

>>2273139
1. There are several animals that will fit in a 5 gallon tank, but if you want a crab, that limits it. Thai micro crabs would be the best fit, but they would do best with shrimp and snails as the only tankmates. You could swing it with some smaller fish like endlers if you wanted to.
If you'd like an invert only tank, micro crabs, dwarf shrimp, and nerite snails would be a good stock.

2. You want the tank with the largest footprint. In this instance, it would be the wide prism.

3. Read through the OP link on cycling. Sensitive animals like dwarf shrimp and micro crabs will need the tank to be cycled before being introduced. Hardier ones like Bettas and endlers will survive the cycling process relatively unscathed if you're careful about feeding and water changes, but it's easier on the fish and good practice in general to cycle a tank prior to adding animals. Besides, you'll only ever have to do it once.

Where do you live? In the US, any tanks between 2.5 and 10 gallons end up costing about the same to set up.

>>2273173
Ghost shrimp aren't known for being good algae eaters. An amano shrimp or nerite snail would do a better job on the algae. Also, I agree with the other anon on otos. 5 gal is too small, especially for a beginner.

>>2272996
I've seen some interesting subscription magazines, but I don't know of anyone who reads books on keeping aquariums. Most people nowadays seem to just look up online articles on specific aspects of it until they're confident.
You can try lurking forums and just reading into topics that seem helpful.

>>2273090
Cories can be more susceptible to certain diseases due to being scaleless and bottom-dwelling. What are the water parameters? Are the wafers you're feeding algae wafers?

>>2272996
the only book I've heard of people reading is ecology of the planted tank by diana walstad, and obviously that's not for everyone.

>>2273208
I would but I need the money. I've got $25 to my name right now :(

>>2273243
>you'll only ever have to do it once
it's surprisingly easy for people to fuck up their cycle.

>>2273244
Reccomend any forums to lurk?
Thanks

>>2273406
the planted tank forum is top notch.

>>2270235
I have three kissing gouramis and they go well with pretty much any other type of gourami as well as angelfish

>>2271115
I've always had trouble keeping pearls together my current setup has just one male pearl after we gave the female to a friend who was getting into fish and the male has become a lot less aggressive and seems a lot more active too.

>>2271925
They are a pain in the ass, don't even bother unless you find a huge one and even then that's no guarantee that you'll have any easier of a time taking care of them.

>>2273195
that's a lot of plants

could I get a quote for 10-15 plants? I want to buy some but don't know if I want the whole lot.

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Redid my scape this morning.

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How are you supposed to add co2 to a planted tank? Ive been reading up on it but i just cant understand it. Its either a fucking huge gas canister that adds it to the tank or liquid co2? Please help i want to add plants without them dying

>>2272993
playsand.

I fucked up.

>>2273489
just get some dry ice
[spoiler]dont quote me on this though, my manager likes to throw in the dry ice we get from frozen mice boxes[/spoilersdontworkson/an/]

>>2273491
Yeah that'll do it. How big is your tank? In ascending order of size, otos, bristlenose plecos, and farlowella catfish are diatom control masters.

Do RCS reach a population balance or will the breed forever?

20g planted tank now has about 30-40 RCS, wat do

>>2273406
Pretty much any forum you go to is just going to be identification threads where everyone takes guesses

>>2273476
Love it. What's the plants on the right?

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Nerite cleaned the trap door snail in about 10 minutes. He has been covered in algae since I pulled him out of a lake months ago

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:-)

>>2268707
He's a gay fish

Just keep swimming buddy. He's so stressed he looks like an albino barb almost. He lost all 4 of his girlfriends to ich.

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>>2273527
Oops forgot image

>>2273244
Cories aren't scaleless retard, have you even looked at one?

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>>2273602
All catfish are scaleless.

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>>2273489
Buy the flu Val 88g c02 kit online, buy the adapter for the guage. You can now use standard paintball c02 tanks to inject c02, refill is cheap 3-4$ and only need to refill like every 6 months. Easy

>>2273439
for smaller numbers of plants I'd probably do $1/ea plus the cost of shipping. if they fit in a small box, flat rate is $6, so around $15-20?

>>2273489
you can diy, use a canister (big or small), or do liquid. you don't need it though, just depends on which plants you keep.

>>2273500
please don't add livestock for an issue that will go away on it's own in a few months.

>>2273504
I think that's fine. just don't feed them too much and they'll limit themselves.

is it okay to keep a golden gourami with my opaline gourami?

>>2273742
they're the same species, so generally it's fine. sometimes if you get two males in a smallish space they can be territorial though.

>>2273518
Thanks mate. Rotala rotundifolia if I remember correctly. It grows like crazy, I just got back from holidays and there was about twice as much of it as you can see there.

Should coral frag fags be hung?

>>2273693
You're talking about paying $60-80 for a kit, then only using parts that would have cost about $20 to buy separately.

>>2273698
Play sand has an enormous amount of excess silicates, so it takes much longer than usual for the diatoms to clear up. I used it on my axolotl tank and it took about 3 years before it was completely under control. I agree not to get any fish you aren't going to take care of, but that *should* go without saying.
Besides, the fish mentioned are all 10/10 and worth keeping on their own merit alone.

>>2273742
Trichopodus trichopterus are generally extremely territorial towards other gourami. Unless you have a 4ft+ tank, I wouldn't recommend it.
If you decide to give it a shot anyway, keep a close eye on them to look for aggression and have a backup plan.

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>>2273776
Doesn't really look like Rotala rotundifolia. Closer to Hygrophila polysperma.

>>2273805
I did it, they was in the same tank together at the store and have been raised together so I hope it goes well.

They are in with guppies as well and have no problem with the guppies atm

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Co2 FIRE EXTINGUISHER

THE ANSWER IS ALWAYS FIRE EXTINGUISHER

They last like a billion years between refills.

my new gourami is just sat at the bottom :(

he was fine earlier

I know this is a planted tank-oriented thread, but does anyone want to discuss saltwater tanks? I'm thinking of starting up a nano reef and I'm planning to keep softies, photosynthetic gorgonians, and easy lps.

>>2270282
https://aquaticarts.com
http://www.liveaquaria.com
reddit /r/aquaswap
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/

This is assuming you are in the States, I have no idea about anything international.

Just got my 33L. Gonna go pick up a sunsun canister for it today.

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>>2274009
Whoops.

Two questions from a dipshit who's only taken care of goldfish before:
>why are certain fish freshwater and others saltwater? what's in the water that lets them only survive in that specific type of water? why do saltwater fish die in freshwater and vice versa?
>does anyone here own sea stars? i always wanted a pet one as a kid.

>>2274014
>what's in the water that lets them only survive in that specific type of water
Salt

>>2274015
Why do they need the salt in the water to survive?

>>2274017
Osmosis

>>2273879
Somethings wrong with your water. probably low or high ph

>>2274009
>>2274011
I thought you meant a 33 liter at first.
Congrats, those tanks are kickass.

>>2273602
If you are this much of a dumbfuck, please don't post. Read, learn, and shut the fuck up.

>>2273912
Check out reef2reef or reefcentral if you want a good saltwater forum.

>>2274096
I've been already lurking on those two forums! I'm thinking of getting an a Fluval Evo 13.5 and then modding it a little.

New thread

>>2274180

>>2274180

>>2274180

>>2274011
I also thought you meant 33 litre. Looks mint anon.

>>2274182
Fuck off we havent reached bump limit

>>2274321
Lol what do you think the bump limit is?

>>2272654

How old is the system? You must have had it a while if your colonies have develooed his much.

>>2273912

Are you a beginner in saltwater? Because nanos are much harder to keep due to fast water pevel fluctuations.

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I wanna add 6 cory catfish to my 60 gallon tank. Its cycling rn but just planning ahead, can you mix species of corys? Like maybe 2 albino, 2 emerald, and 2 panda corys? Or would you have to keep them the same species?

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My tank actually

>>2273476
Such a little tank for altos