/aq/ Aquarium General - Ram edition

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Bump limit REEEEEEEEEEE

What are good fish to keep for someone who has never kept and aquarium before?

>>2314292

You really want to think twice as to whether you want the commitment of having an aquarium before actually getting one. It's a lot of work.

>>2314292
>>2314303
This. It's a HUGE pain in the ass, since you're trying to keep a small biome alive, not just a fish. That being said, your best bet is a Betta. Don't believe anything a Petsmart/Petco employee tells you, they need a minimum 5 gallon tank to thrive.
Still, it's a huge pain, because the filter media will need to be changed out regularly, and water changes will be a weekly thing.

>>2314284
Any fellow reefers here? I'm trying to plan what fish to add to a 20 gallon, but it seems there's about 5 or 6 different ways of stocking saltwater. There's currently a pair of Ocellaris in the tank.

should gbr always look like ops pic related?
i have 2 females and they look pale sometimes and other times they look colorful

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>>2314291

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>>2314292

What >>2314305 said is true, but it's infinitely easier to keep a 10 gallon aquarium healthy than a 5, and infinitely easier to keep a 20 gallon aquarium healthy than a 10. The larger the volume of your tank, the less water quality will fluctuate which is easier on your fish.

Plus you can do so much cooler stuff with a 20 gallon long than you can do with a 5 or a 10.

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Not the best photo by far but the tank I've been working on.
40 Gallon 36 x 18 x 17 breeder
Artificial rock substrate bottom layer, black sand top layer substrate. Hardscaping of bog wood, quartz, sandstone, granite, and slate.
Ph of 7, 150 gh, temperature of 78F.
Plants are Wisteria, java moss, java ferns, anubias, and baby tears.
Animals are 2 Farlowella cats, 4 endler guppies, 8 guppies, 6 dwarf pencilfish, 1 ember (others diet from ich after I got them) 3 von rio tetras (same thing) , 1 blue tetra (same thing again) 6 strawberry rasboras,4 blue eyed kilifish, 7 Jurgen Schmidt's Badis than a few ramshorns that invaded. Biggest issue I'm having right now is hardscaping the tank. Been thinking of using obsidian or fossil slate but not sure how that would work out with the current substrate. Any suggestions?

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Firs for dead ghost shrimp

>>2314426
>ember tetras
my man

>have 2 male swordtails
>one is submissive but the other one keeps harassing all the time
>sub will probably die of stress soon :/

>>2314537
buy four females and start a breeding group shit will be tiiiiiight

>>2314292
I have a 10g with a betta, shrimp and some tetras and it's my first actual tank. Compared to the other animals I own (dogs, cats, rats, bunnies, chickens) I think they're pretty easy to deal with. Weekly water changes are easy enough, as is other basic tank maintenance. Like >>2314426 said, the bigger it is the easier it is to keep shit level. I like my betta a lot because he's very pretty and always fun to watch -- plus, it's very nice knowing that you probably saved it from suffocating in its own waste in some shitty little bowl. I also wouldn't really recommend a 5g for a betta. Ten gallon or larger is best. A betta can live in a 5 gallon, just like it "can" live in a bowl, but obviously it's going to be happier and healthier in a larger tank. And again, you can't really do shit with a tank that small. In a larger tank, you'll be able to add plants, inverts, and even peaceful fish if your betta will tolerate them. If I had the money and time, my betta would probably be living it the fuck up in a 40g planted right now.

>>2314543
already enough peeps in the tank and baby guppies as well..

>>2314259
Unless you have a very lightly stocked tank and a huge plant mass, nitrates are going to build up faster than the plants can use them.

>>2314303
>>2314305
The initial setup can be a pain, but keeping a low tech planted tank is piss easy after it cycles completely.

>it's a huge pain, because the filter media will need to be changed out regularly, and water changes will be a weekly thing
That's literally 15-20 minutes a week. How lazy are you?

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Your favorite fish you have kept so far? Mines still Mr. Chunky the Congo puffer

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What is this? It's been living in a big tub outside for a long time because it was too fast to be food. I didn't really expect it to survive the 100 degree highs or 20 degree lows, but it did, so I figure I oughtta take actual care of it.

>>2314554
Rosy red variant of Pimephales promelas
Just look up rosy red minnow for all the info you could ever want.

My fiddler crab keeps getting harassed by one of my Cichlids. So far he's doing a good job of defending himself but I'm afraid it's stressing him out. Anything I can do?

>>2314564
Get a puffer fish

>>2314554
Mmm my fish would be eat it yummy!

>>2314574
My tank is kind of overloaded as it is

>>2314581
Yeah the puffer will eat the crab

>>2314577
He could sure try. This guy's been a bit lucky with the whole "getting eaten" thing.
>>2314555
Thanks, anon. Sounds like they're pretty hardy and suited for outdoor living so I think i'll leave him right where he is. Maybe get him some pals.

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>>2314292
I started my first tank on this board on this thread 4-5 months back. Start with a 20 gallon long. Get fish meant for beginners. Get a water testing kit and some kind of water conditioner. I don't think it's as much work as other anons. The rewards are more than worth it. I started with albino corys, neon tetras a snail and wcmm's. Of course you don't want to put in all those fish at once, it's a gradual process

Also never get anchor worms.

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>>2314691

Got my pond tank set up!
I am replicating a seasonal Oregon pond using only locally gathered plants, and organisms.
So far the population in the tank consists of one eft, and an insane variety of invertebrates.
I have scuds, giant predatory red copepods, smaller white copepods that mainly just get eaten by the red ones, daphnia, ostracods, gammarus, hyallela, freshwater isopods... Planaria, Tubifex, snails, leeches, Aulophorus. I have a pretty closed-loop thing going here. No filtration or aeration, just lots of floating plants and emergent aquatic plants.

Can I get a good recommendation for a betta tank? I've been searching for days for a tank only to see they have shite reviews for bettas, and I would like more than "one with a heather and filter"

>>2314691
Post full tank

>>2314691
> implying one ever intends to get anchor worms

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Current project:
50 gallon
Ph - 6.8
GH - 40
KH -30
Substrate: Mineralized topsoil capped with silica sand
Flora: Myriophyllum sp. , anubias barteri, limnophila aquatica, ludwigia repens, micranthemum "Monte Carlo", bacopa monierri, red amazon sword, Amazon. Sword, broadleaf Amazon sword, hygrophila lancea, hygrophila salicifolia.
Fauna:
Tanicthys Albonubes - 13
Xyphophorus Helleri - 2
Otocinclus - 1
Three Spot Gourami - 2

>>2314704
Post pic

>>2314748
The Elive AquaDuo 3 and 10 look to be well made and are pretty aesthetic.
If you can find some old stock of Fluval's Ebi or Flora kits, those are also very nice if you remove the background and the filter. Otherwise, the Fluval Spec V is good as well.

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>>2314765
Excuse the dirty glass, I was moving shit around today.
The green plant up front with multiple stalks has been growing like crazy. Within the span of a week it sent up those two littler stems. Easily grows almost an inch every day
The one to the left is a fast one as well, the same day I had planted it, it moved all of its fronds upwards towards the light.

I am excited to post pics in the future, everything is filling in really fast

>>2314767
There isn't really any way that I can get good photos of the cool red copepods, they never stop moving, and the camera I use isn't good at macro shots.

>>2314767
Loving the whole vivarium spin. Nice looking biotope anon.

>>2314771
Thanks!

Could i get away with having 1 EB Jack Dempsey in a 30 gallon?

>>2314797
Sure. I kept a standard jack dempsey to full size in a 25 just fine, but I consider that minimal. Was also a single species tank with one specimen. Certainly not optimal, but doable.

>>2314748
Why don't you just buy a tank and put what you want in it? I'm not really sure what you're asking. Pretty much any tank is fine. If you go with that other anon's suggestion, go with the ten gallon. I personally would not keep any fish in something smaller than a 10g.

Posted this in the last thread by accident.
>>2314485

>>2314799
Hahahahahaha

Any saltfags here? I'm planning to make 20 gallon(high) FOWLR and wondering if it'll be too hard too maintain.

>>2314799
alright I'm gonna give it a try, I've heard a lot of electric blues only reach 7-8 anyway.

>>2314799
This. Who gives a fuck if a fish that reaches 10 inches is kept in a less than ideal tank. Man who gives a single fuck if you stunt it. All you elitist are annoying! Stop pestering me about big fish in small tanks! In the wild they could live in puddles!

>>2314797
Why do people want to "get away with" things involving animal care? If you want a pet, presumably you'd want it to be happy and healthy. What's the point of even getting one if you're just going to cut corners on their care?

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>>2314749
Your wish is my commad!

>>2314764
More otos

>>231>>2314827
Yeah, I was planning on picking up 3 or 4 more.

>>2314815
Damn dude, chill. Wasn't attacking anyone's fishkeeping habits. This is all opinion.

>>2314851
just ignore him.

in the wild fish have acres of water to swim in. sometimes miles. By that measure every fish tank is too small.

retards gonna retard

>>2314852
This! If I want I'll keep my fucking Oscar in a 10 gallon tank! Fuck you elitist!

>>2314852
What about the fish that actually live in deep puddles? I use to fish out all kinds of odd fish in a 1 foot wide hole that was even too deep for my foot to touch the bottom.

>>2314875
>autism

like i said EB Jack Dempsey only get 8"
are you really saying keeping an 8" fish in a 30" aquarium is inhumane? all fish keeping is inhumane if you think about it.

>>2314875
sure, and you can't keep a tang unless your tank is at least 10 miles wide.

in reality there's no law on what size tank you need to keep any fish in, just butt-hurt anons that think they know and get hilariously angry when people ignore their expert opinions.

like little ol' you.

>>2314877
>I use to fish out all kinds of odd fish in a 1 foot wide hole
do tell.

what kind of fish, and where is this fishing well located?

What Cichlids could I keep in a 25 gallon?
Am I limited to rams and smaller cichlids?

Just got a 10Gallon. What bottom dweller do you reccomend? Something a bit rarer than cories would be nice.

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Does anyone else find that the price of shrimp isn't reflective of how rare or difficult to breed they are?

I just bought some fire reds and I paid like $4 ea

>>2314886
Yeah, exactly, fuck off. A blue tang would be fine in a 40 gallon just like a Jack Dempsey would totally be fine in a 20g. There's no laws about neglecting fish, so who cares? Stop disrespecting my fishkeeping opinions.

>>2314890
Mainly sunfish and madtoms. It's in a creek by my childhood house. Last time I went some rednecks bulldozed half the creek for a dirt bike park they illegally made.

>>2314884
>>2314886
This. People can keep 8 inch fish with inadequate room. Fuck the elitist. Who gives a fuck. Fish don't have feelings and don't give a fuck. I'll keep a god damn alligator gar in a 5 gallon if I feel like it. Fuck off elitist!

>>2314998
Fucking cunts coming onto OUR thread and telling us how to raise OUR animals, right? Unbelievable. It's my fish, I think I know if it's happy. My betta has always been happy in the cup I bought him in, fuck off.

>>2314995
>>2314998
>>2315009
>samefagging this hard over a question
Jesus christ, calm the fuck down.

>>2314564
>fiddler crab
>cichlids
>in the same tank

Fucking what? Aren't fiddler crabs brackish and don't they require dry land?

You made terrible stocking decisions and now you're dealing with the consequences.

>>2315009
I stated an opinion you fucking sperg. "I" means opinion. I was saying that, wait here it is again, I personally think it is minimal.

He can keep his fish however he wants.

You, however, can go fuck yourself.

>>2314764
Looks good. Would look much better with a background on it.

>>2315055
Thanks. Still need to finish adding livestock, was thinking a black background, or gray to white horizontal gradient.

>>2314825
Usually I only like black backgrounds on tanks but that celestial thing you've got going on really works. Nice tank. I bet you're glad you started with a 20 long instead of a ten.

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>>2315030
What are you talking about Cletus? Thought you were my brother father? Check my common pleco in my 3 gallon hex!

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>>2314946
>>2314946
Check out shell dwellers from lake tanganyika. Pic related is L. ocellatus. They only get to be a few inches long and live and breed in empty snail shells. Super interesting fish. What are your tank's dimensions? If it's as long or longer than a 20 long, you might even have enough room to throw in a rock pile for a smaller julidochromis species.

>>2314953
You're pretty much limited to dwarf corys unless you buy a larger tank. maybe shrimp and snails, if you count those as bottom dwellers.

>>2315056
Your white clouds would show better colors over black and just kind of blend in over grey/white imo

>>2315068
Yeah, that's what I usually do. All my other tanks have black, was just exploring other options. Hard to argue with the classic choice. Haha

Guys, I've started a riparium in my aquarium and since then I've been having problems with nitrogen deficiency, especialy for the submerged species. Of course, this is due to the emersed plant that grow much faster and remove nitrogen derived compounds from water, but I've been struggling to find a pratical solution for this situation. Although since then I've been giving more ferts and fish food, things are not getting much better. Yesterday I removed the chacoal and also some biologic media from the filters. Is there a solution you would like to recomend me?

>>2315057
Thanks m8 and Yea starting with a 20 long is in finely easier

>>2315050
Well I'm returning the cichlids today

And the crab has land to chill on

>>2315083
Increase the nitrogen output by adding a messy fish. Or overfeeding, paired with snails or shrimp to ensure that the extra food converts to nitrogen is a good strategy. As long as something is eating something, it produces nitrogen.

Fertilizers are also an option, but that is a whole ballgame with plenty of risks

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Got weird stringy moss in my tank.

I didn't put it in there. It's just grown from nowhere.

>>2314974
They are priced by "gibe moni plox".

>>2315184
Neato. A family member of mine used to keep planted tanks, until he couldn't pay the electric bill.

>>2315184
Stuff is like duckweed. You don't see it when adding plants but is there and spreads.

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discovered a lone baby catfish in my aquarium a couple days ago

It's parents are a male high-fin peppered and a regular, small-finned peppered

what would this kind be called? medium-finned? named it Chimera

>>2315249
Well what species are you talking about?

So my 10 gallon tank has 1 fiddler crab, 1 rainbow shark, 2 corys, and 3 guppies. Do you think I could add more guppies or corys? Or am I at maximum capacity?

>>2315329
You need to take the rainbow shark out. They get 6 inches long.

>>2315329
That rainbow shark will get 6 inches long; it'll need a bigger tank than 10 gallons, so you're already well above maximum capacity. Also, fiddler crabs are actually a brackish-water species, despite whatever the petco employee told you.

>>2315331
ive got aquarium salt in there and hes got some land above the waterline to sit on. he seems to be doing ok. youre probably right though

>>2315330
so i should probably upgrade to a larger tank then. ok

>>2315334
>ive got aquarium salt in there
makes me laugh every time

>>2315335
yeah i know im a noob dude

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The cringe is real my dudes.

>>2314886
>in reality there's no law on what size tank you need to keep any fish in
Unless you're in Germany or Switzerland. Then there literally is a law on what size tank you need to keep a fish in.

>>2314953
Asian moth catfish, Hara jerdoni.

>>2315334
>should i upgrade to a larger tank then
Uhh.. Yeah? What else would you do? A basic google search tells me that they should be in a 50g. I don't know shit about salt tanks, but it also seems like common sense that saltwater/brackish animals and freshwater animals aren't compatible.
You should probably start doing research before you buy animals. All of your mistakes could've been avoided with about 3 google searches and and maybe 6 clicks. Being a "noob" isn't really an excuse for blatant ignorance. They're are living creatures; neglecting animals isn't the same as not knowing how to aim in call of duty. You're not a noob, you just don't care about your pets.

>>2315379
Misread the last part of your post, so ignore that. I thought you were literally asking if the solution to your tank being too small was to get a bigger tank.

>>2315379
>>2315380
its all good man. im just the guy trying to fix his roommates mistakes. I took back the two plecos and both cichlids, just trying to get the setup figured out. I'm really new to this and I'm behind on research, ill admit.

>>2315382
I was talking to you the other day. When the fuck was a fiddler crab added to the equation?

>>2315329
If you want to keep everything, try and get a 20 long or 29 gallon tank for the fish and keep the 10 gallon for the fiddler crab.

The fiddler crab needs marine salt, not aquarium salt. If you can get a hygrometer, it'll help you get the salinity right for the crab. The crab also needs a land area where it can come up out of the water.

The rainbow shark might start trying to nip the guppies' fins when he gets bigger. Guppies can handle brackish water, so you could keep them with the crab, but the crab might snibsneb them.

>>2315373
This. The hobby is taken very seriously over there. In America Cletus can walk into any shop and buy himself some fish that get over a foot long and shove it in a 10 gallon.

>>2315450
Do people that work in pet stores just care more? Are fish and aquarium supplies more expensive in Europe? A lot of times I feel like people know a fish is dead as soon as they sell it but don't give a shit because they need the cash.

>>2315472
>Do people that work in pet stores just care more?
The only way laws like that get passed is if the society in general supports them. The Germans and Swiss as a whole just care that much more about animals.

>Are fish and aquarium supplies more expensive in Europe?
Supplies definitely, but I don't know that that has anything to do with animal rights laws.

>A lot of times I feel like people know a fish is dead as soon as they sell it but don't give a shit because they need the cash.
The market in America makes it very difficult for a pet store to stay in business if they were to hold themselves up to those sort of standards. Cultural attitudes toward animal welfare are going to have to change overall, which is going to take time.

>>2315490
I would argue that the increase in price is a result of the regulation and higher standards. They can't sell as much stuff to retards so they have to increase the price of what they do sell to stay afloat.

I think you would see something similar in the states if smaller, local, more specialized stores didn't have to compete with petco and petsmart.

>>2315515
I believe the prices are similar in other European countries with less stringent laws, such as the UK.

>They can't sell as much stuff to retards
Manufacturers aren't making money from live fish in either case, if you're implying that they're compensating for losses there.
If you mean that their product portfolio is limited because they can't offer the myriad of small bowls and "betta tanks" that we see here, I think that would drive certain companies out of the market (Tetra, Aqueon) while having relatively little effect on others, like Fluval, who offer very few such products to begin with.

>>2315525
I mean the end retailer, a guy who owns a local fish store, isn't selling Betta bowls so he has to increase prices everywhere else.

My LFS has managed to acquire group of (what looks to be adult) axolotls.

Problem is, I am in a tropical country.

Are those axos kill? What a shame.

>>2315556
Chillers are always an option. If they were bred locally, they're probably fairly heat tolerant. Mine does okay when her tank gets about 75-ish in the summer.

What is that purple shit that grows over every surface in reef tanks?

I think it looks really ugly.

>>2315672
Coralline algae

>>2315390
My friend bought it and brought it over the other day.....

He said he used to have one and it did fine in fresh water but it's not working out

>>2315409
Thanks, I'll look on Craigslist for a larger tank

>>2315721
Batter the crab in tempura and serve it to your friend for dinner.

>>2315721
Pet supplies plus $1 per gallon

>>2315490
I get closer to leaving this shit country every day. Do people obey the laws, though? If I tried to put a common goldfish in a 10 gallon tank, would I actually catch any shit? In america there's some laws but nobody fucking gives a shit. You can report it, but nothing gets done even if it's very blatant animal cruelty. Our president basically said that it's ridiculous that dog food is regulated for safety, so that's about how good we're doing right now.

>>2315757
From what I've gathered most people obey the laws willingly. If you look at reviews for kits on German Amazon (using Google Translate), the views expressed are far different than the US version of the site. I really doubt the laws are actually enforced.

The actual law in Germany, iirc, states that vertebrate aquarium animals can't be kept in tanks smaller than 50(?) liters, except Betta, which can be kept in 4 liters.

It's kind of funny if you look at German aquarium packaging, because all of the five gallon kits have crystal red shrimp photoshopped into the tank instead of bala sharks and gourami.

Switzerland has an extra law stating that social animals (including goldfish and guinea pigs) MUST be kept with a companion, which lead to an interesting business arising of people loaning out animal companions for widowed guinea pigs and such.

I've been researching and binge watching Aquarium videos a lot the last couple of months and I've been wanting to start up the hobby my self, but I just don't have the money for all the supplies. I just got a new job today though that pays well so I hope I can get to start one up soon with my new increase in money

>>2315490
>The Germans and Swiss as a whole just care that much more about animals.
Unless evidence exists that their fish are happier or healthier then they don't care more.

they just anthropomorphize more. They protect their own feelings while not actually improving life for their pets.

>>2315838
Very happy to see you doing research before diving in. If you're content with something fairly quaint, the entry cost can be fairly low for a 5 or 10 gallon tank (~$60-80).

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125 gallon WIP. Dry start killed everything, so all new plants when I flooded it 3-ish weeks ago. Currently waiting for it to finish cycling.
A lot of temporary clutter as I get everything sorted out.

>>2315855
Yeah. My goldfish is perfectly healthy and happy in an AMERICAN bowl, just like god intended.

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>>2315876
you think you're being sarcastic but you're just being basic.

why wouldn't a goldfish be happy in a bowl? Is there any evidence goldfish are capable of happiness in a bowl or a tank?

because last time I read any fish ethology nobody was suggesting they experience happiness at all. If they do, you haven't explained why a bowl deprives them of that happiness while a box doesn't.

>>2315885
It'll die too soon in a bowl. Goldfish get 8 inches long, they need space to move and enough volume in the tank to handle the bioload.

>>2315885
Yeah, I know. There's absolutely no evidence that a fish that grows to be over a foot long is unhappy in a gallon of water that's never cleaned. Theres no scientific evidence animals have feelings, so that's why it's not important to meet their basic needs.

>>2315672
>I think it looks really ugly.
U WOT M8

>>2315888
>>2315889
world record for oldest pet fish is a goldfish that lived 43 years in a bowl.

checkmate, atheists.

>>2315898
The oldest known dog was vegan. Do you feed your dog a vegan diet?

>>2315904
nope, but I don't bitch at people that do.

that would be retarded.

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>>2315855
>they just anthropomorphize more
There is literally nothing wrong with anthropomorphizing fish.

>>2315919
I didn't say it's wrong.

I said it's just masturbation that doesn't help the fish.

>>2315919
>undertale
>in /aq/
There is truly no escape from that shit fandom. Today is a sad day.

>>2315249
Well, what kind of fins does it have?

>>2314284
What shrimp live the longest? It makes me sad when my ghost shrimp die.

>>2314292
Like another anon said, they are a lot of work. My dad has kept fish from his early teens and he learned the hard way about taking ANY variable into account. He ended up poisoning his marine fish to death with water contaminated with copper because his mum had just installed a new boiler (this is going back to the 70s)

On the other hand he had piranhas which he fed crab sticks because they wouldn't eat anything else (likely wild caught in those days)

>>2315955
Always wanted a few shrimp, what are they like to keep? I had a small crab as a kid and all he did was eat the neons and get sucked into the air filter and ripped apart.

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>>2315898
Wrooong. Goldfish are also arguably a variety of Koi.
http://fishlaboratory.com/fish/koi-hanako-longest-living-fish-ever

>>2315955
I have a bunch of amano shrimp that are going on three years old now.

>>2315979
>lot of work
>marine
>piranha
By George!? Ya don't say??

>>2315985
They remind me of aquatic crickets with nicer colors. They swim around through the water and it's relaxing to watch them mull around looking for food.

>>2316002
You're both idiots. Goldfish and koi aren't even in the same genus.

>>2316003
No need to get arsy about it, I was just giving you some irl examples about how hard fish can be to keep and I know you're probably not going to be keeping piranhas

>>2316004
But they are in the same family.

>>2315985
They're pretty easy to keep. I have them in a 10g with my betta and since I don't really have to even care for them, I can't say much about how easy they are to care for on their own. I can imagine it'd be piss easy to setup and maintain a nice looking shrimp tank, though. A lot of people put them in those shitty little 1 gallon "desktop aquariums" or fishbowls with live plants. Most people overlook them, but shrimp are great. They're pretty neat looking and I enjoy watching them go about their daily lives. They'd definitely be more like your tetras than your crab, though. A lot of fish will fuck them up without a second thought, so be careful if you put them in a community tank.
>>2316003
Cool. Maybe I'll try and find some next time i'm out. I assume they'll be fine with ghosties, since I can't really imagine shrimp fucking with other shrimp. I'm not even sure they could if they wanted to.

How disruptive is it to move a planted tank? I was thinking about starting one up, but I'll be moving in July or August. I'd love to get the tank started, but if I'd have to a lot of replanting and recycling, I'm thinking I might be better off waiting.

>>2316021
If they're rooted fairly well you'll be fine.

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>>2316040

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>>2316045

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http://www.opb.org/news/blog/ecotrope/new-species-of-underwater-mushroom-found-growing-in-the-rogue/

:D

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>>2316005
The situations are completely dissimilar.
>working at McDonald's would be really hard, my dad was a professional chef at a five star resort

>>2316011
Congo tetras are in the same family as goliath tigerfish. Don't mean shit.

>>2316021
It's really not that hard. You put the animals in a bucket, drain the water down to the substrate line, cover the tank in plastic wrap, and move it carefully while leaving all the plants in place.
It should recycle within a couple days, if not immediately.

>>2316048
>>2316051
Cool any pics? Can you eat them?

>>2316054
there's pics in the link
why would u want to eat them?
If they can be utilized in the hobby then they can be used for co2
its frickin rad

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>>2316055
Why didn't you post the picture when you posted the original link?

>>2316042
The tank would only be established for maybe three months. Is that enough time for plants like bacopa and anubias to develop decent roots?

>>2316058
With good lights and ferts, definitely. Dry start tanks only take three or four weeks to let the plants establish root systems.

>>2314292
Honestly, for price, hardiness, and overall personal preference I tell people that African cichlids are a good start. They are extremely tolerant of poor water conditions, are very active, are reasonably priced (for introductory specimens) and have beautiful colors.

But the best thing for you to do is go to your local fiah shop (LFS). Look around, listen to the people talk about their fish, ask questions. See what interests, what you can afford, and more importantly what would work with your home and lifestyle.

The anon above is totally correct about more volume being more stable, and you might be able to score some free equipment from these LFS (I've gotten free used filters, power heads and even lights!)

I have 3 tanks (2 fresh, and 1 reef salt) and the time sink is about 3-4 hours a week, but man is it worth it.

Also, don't be afraid to take chances. You WILL make mistakes and you WILL feel like a murderer, but make sure you learn from this. Go talk to your LFS about it. The more time you spend with your tanks the quicker you can avert disaster.

>>2314316
I have a 36g. I currently have 2 maroon clowns, and a flamehawk with a couple corals. I am planning on adding a cherub angel, and either cardinals or chromis. For the size of tank you are doing I would say a pair of clowns and either a school of chromis or a single nonschooling fish like a hawk, angel, or a fairy wrasse. I love wrasses, just never had any luck with them. Make sure you have a tight fitting lid.

>>2314808
Nah man. Super easy. The initial time and money investment will be slightly daunting, but starting planning now and adding stuff to wishlists online to get alerts when it's on sale. Make sure you cycle completely, and IMO buy at least half of your liverock cured (all would be better). It will speed up the cycle process and make sure that you are growing the right bacteria.

Find an LFS and hangout in there. Get an idea of what you like and research if it's compatible.

>>2315056
What I have been doing with all my new tanks is spray painting the backs black (outside, not inside before retards). I hate fucking around with the tape and shit.

Clearly, you can't do that now, but perhaps with your next upgrade...

>>2315672
Coralline algae, and it's like a medal of honor. It can be used as a basic barometer of tank health and how long it has been established.

Is brown spot algae normal for a new tank, my tanks about a week and a half old and there is a lot of bsa.

>>2316058
Anubias shouldn't be planted anyway

>>2316052
Ila ila ila. Fuck off.

>>2316082
I know it starts as a rhizome, but I thought anubias developed roots once it's had time to grow. Either way, my concern is whether it could handle all the agitation of a move without needing to be taken out of the tank.

Some plants arriving today including one that's been kind of hard to find. So excited!

>>2316083
Nope, you're just stupid and don't know anything apparently.

>>2316087
The roots could attach to your substrate. But won't be good enough to stay attached for a move. Mine are attached to lava rock.

>>2316093
No. I just don't like you ila.

>>2316095
Not ila, stupid. You dislike everyone who makes you look stupid?

>>2316100
I don't know who you're talking to. I'm not the same anon I just know it's you.

How autistic do you need to be to have a marine tank, say 90L?

I have a spare 90L tank and I'm eyeing up clown fish and fire shrimp.

I'm not NEET so I can't dedicate my every waking second to it. Maybe 30 minutes a week.

>>2316340
Marine inverts tend to be more delicate than fish. Captive bred clownfish are some of the hardiest fish in the entire saltwater hobby, really easy to care for. Since it doesn't sound like you want corals, maintenance is just going to be using a hygrometer to mix RO water with marine salt for water changes once a week or so, and occasionally topping off the tank with RO water. Maybe testing parameters every once in a while.
Cycling the tank before adding animals will make it less likely you'll have any major issues initially.

>>2316088
Thanks usps no update on shipping and its sitting at usps with delivery date for today but mail has already ran. Fuck me. Got a sensitive plant in there.

>>2316355
Do polyps count as corals? I want green stars and buttons.

Do you have to use RO water if you keep hardy livestock?

>>2316375
Now it comes. Got 2 boivianus, 3 balansae, and ordered two Madagascar lace but dude had one so he through I'm 2 rooting bulbs of the Madagascar

>>2316385
C. balansae is one of my favorite crypts. Boivianus rivals Clithon corona for lewd latin names in aquaria.

You really like plants with a lot of texture on the leaves, huh?

>>2316417
Yep. Even got a large crinum calimastratum

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Tell me about Bucephalandra

Is it a meme plant?

>>2316441
Great plant with meme prices. Market is getting flooded with it though.

>>2316446
>meme prices

Yeah why is it like $10 for a stem with 5 leaves?

>>2316447
Because I believe it was rarely in the hobby. People thought they could get some and make good money but everyone had the same idea. Now there's so much I don't see a reason for the prices.

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Is this setup ok for my betta fish?

He has a nerite snail in there for a friend, do I need to add in any specific stuff for him to sleep on?

>>2316470
Looks fine. I would personally add a few easy live plants. I've head great success with aponogeton bulbs from petco and my betta loved em.

>>2316472
I second this. My betta loved to swim through the plants. Even had a dwarf lily bulb with lots of pads and he loved it.

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Information post if anyone finds this useful.

Amano shrimps can live in cold water setups. This one has been going 8 months now.

Also you can carpet montecarlo without co2.

>>2316470
Put a background on there. Looks small enough that you could just use black construction paper if you wanted to.

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Put a background on my new 10g tank. Still cycling so only a betta in it for now.

>>2316518
>2017
>Not doing a fishless cycle

shake my damn head familia

>>2316528

what's problem if you want to cycle with some fish? (just curious, not arguing.)

>>2316528
Fishless cycles often don't even work. A single betta in a 10gallon cycling with daily water changes isn't going to do shit, especially with multiple plants eating up ammonia. It makes for a nice, smooth process. People only have problems when they put more fish in than the filter can handle.

>>2316531
The argument is that using fish to cycle is cruel. It can be, if you're an asshole who's putting 5 fish in a 5 gallon and expecting them to not get ammonia burns or poisoning.

The other option is putting pure ammonia in the tank, no fish. Again, pure ammonia is different from fish-waste-ammonia and won't produce quite the same bacteria, so it often takes longer to fully and properly cycle.

>>2316528
>2017
>being anti fish-cycling

Shiggydiggy

Ever since I cycled my first tank I've never bothered to cycle a tank again.

Just grab media from the canister filter of the cycled tank and put it in the new filter.

Not had issue yet.

>>2316544
>canister filter media

Is that like the biological filter material, like the (ceramic?) fluval biofilter tubes?

>>2316549
I usually throw a few ceramic bits and some sponge from an old filter into a new filter when cycling a new tank.

If you don't have an established tank you can get dirty filter media from your lfs.

>>2316544
Best way to do it imo

https://youtu.be/xPuTGVyiprI

>>2316540
But isn't it pretty bad for your fish to throw them into an uncycled tank regardless, though? I can't seeing it be very healthy or good for their lifespans.

3 Val gigantea, 1 Madagascar lace, 2 boivianus, cyperus helfri, 3 crypt balansae, about 20 crypt wendtii, and some alterna reineckii. Have dwarf sag coming as well. I fee I have too many crypt wendtii. Should I shove them all in one side of the tank and let the sag take over the other space? Tank 60 gallons. Got a boivianus in the corners. Let the vals make a background. Crinum calamistratum is center piece along with my dwarf lily which is putting up pads now. Madagascar lace I don't know where a good place would be. Maybe one of the front corners? looks like shit right now as nothing is filled in yet. Any suggestions of plant placement before it become permanent?

>>2316536
>with daily water changes
I love morons that don't know how a cycle works.

>>2316600

due to the nature of the foliage, madagascar lace is good for front or mid section. i love mine... wouldn't stick it in the back. no comment on the others

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>>2314551

My first real fish, Rocky Balbetta. He only lived about a year and a half but he was a total bro and was super forgiving of all the shitty mistakes I made when I first started aquarium keeping

hey an, I have an empty planted 55 gallon and my fiance wants a long eel-looking type fish. I don't want anything that uproots my plants, I don't mind anything that I have to feed live fish to, I do have a bunch of amanos in that tank, but I can move those elsewhere if it's a problem.

I've been looking into ropefish.
Any other suggestions or experiences with ropefish?

>>2314577
Rosey Reds contain Thiaminase which (through a chain of biological events) prevents the absorption of b12 and makes your fish mentally incmpetant

>>2314800
THIS

>>2314815
you give me tumors. Taking proper care of your pets is not "elitism". Keeping pets isn't a right it's a luxury and if you can't afford to do it right you shouldn't. Also literally no fish have ever lived in a puddle ever.

>>2315184
that a boyu ef-05? how do you rate it? I've got one but I only use it as a booster on my open top filter

>>2316103
>I just know it's you.
Then you're really bad at this game, because I'm still not ila. And honestly I don't even know what part of >>2316052 triggered your next-lvl autism in the first place.

>>2314825
this may be a stupid question but ive been seeing
those weird glass/plastic air containers more and more
the one suction cupped to the side, what is that?

>>2316610
Less than a goldfish!

>>2316617

co2 test bulb?

>>2316609
Just bro tier bichirs. I'd recommend a couple of them. They "play" with each other and enjoy company. get them some caves or something with holes they can go in and out of. Bichirs enjoy planted tanks.

>>2316609
Also if you're planted pretty well spiny eels won't burrow especially as they get older. Mine doesn't and comes out a lot more as I have been adding plants.

>>2316620
i guess so, i didnt know what it was before and i just started seeing them

>>2316614
thats obviously sarcasm dude

>>2316623

i sorta browsed them on amazon and the reviews weren't glowing... so haven't purchased one. none of my tanks are quite so planted as that one, though.

>>2314551
Mines mr. Bojangles, the dojo loach. Lets me pet him and he eats out of hand, Fucking love dojo loaches.

>>2316381
>Do polyps count as corals?
Yes, but I don't know enough about keeping corals to tell you what you'd need for them. Actinic or 50/50 lighting, at the very least.
Using tap water is going to make the parameters a bit wonky. Hardy species might not suffer, but it isn't ideal. Really you should consider an RO unit to be one of the costs of starting up a saltwater aquarium in general, unless you can get it bottled really cheap somewhere near you.

>>2316441
>>2316447
Buces are great, but not everybody likes the way they look. They're super hardy and some varieties have a blue tint or little white dots that almost make them look like they're sparkling. They're also epiphytes, which means you can just tie them to something and not have to worry about good soil or anything.
They're expensive because they grow stupidly slowly and they haven't been in the hobby long enough for there to be a huge supply available. They're starting to tissue culture them, though, so the prices are coming down.

>>2316600
IME C. wendtii and dwarf sag both melt pretty badly when they're first planted, so I'd plant both at medium density while expecting some die-off. I did crypts in the front corners with dwarf sag front and mid center in my tank, and I have C. balansae as a background plant in my other tank. I'd put the lily in front of the lace on the midground on one side and the A. boivianus closer to the back, off-center.

What size tank is it and what kind of hardscape do you have?

>>2316609
Ropefish or bichirs would be good, but you'd have to move the shrimp. Khuli loaches are also eel-looking and shrimp/plant safe, but much smaller.

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>>2316518
El Nino Fern (front left) has a reputation for dying if kept underwater.
Just keep an eye on the ammonia and nitrites while you're cycling it with the betta in there. If you can keep them both below 0.5 the betta should be fine.

>>2316536
>Fishless cycles often don't even work.
Don't know where you got that idea, but it's very wrong.

>daily water changes
For that setup, weekly or biweekly is plenty unless you're overfeeding.

>>2316540
>won't produce quite the same bacteria
If you have a source I'd be interested in it.
Otherwise using fish food or frozen seafood as an ammonia source would circumvent that.

>>2316598
Not ideal, but not as bad as people make it out to be. Pic has some more details, if you're interested.

quick question, where should i buy a 20 long
tank? is petsmart or petco reliable?or should i
go somewhere else?

>>2316639
Marineland 60 gallon. It's pretty tall. I've had the wendtii for awhile. Started with about 10 and I guess it kept putting out runners I didn't notice. Hardscape is a shitty cave made of a few rocks. I can't move it till I find something better or my raphael will have a shit fit.

>>2316645
petco has nice aqueon brand 20 longs and sometimes a dollar per gallon sale

>>2316641
OP of tank: Does it really? I've had one in my other tank for two years and it's just grown, only a few dead leaves. It was sold as Java Fern.

>>2316645
Look for one that says All Glass Aquariums or AGA on the bottom. Aqueon, Top Fin, and Grreat Choice are all made by them.
Tetra and Marineland tanks are made by Perfecto, which has a worse reputation.
PetSmart and Petco both do $1/gal sales on 20 longs, so that would be the time to get one.

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>>2316641
If it's the fern I'm thinking of its labeled as Asian water fern. I use to have one that got pretty big and lots of baby plants. Pic related.

>>2316536
This may be anecdotal evidence, but I did a fishless cycle following the guides in the sticky and it worked fine, I have lost no fish and post my tank here daily. I did have one dwarf gourami die, but he was a bitch who had iridovirus.

>>2316540
Dude just put in a tiny amount of fish flakes daily and that will cycle your tank, just watch for the ammonia spike, the nitrite spike and then your ammonia and nitrite will drop and nitrate will spike, then your gtg. There is literally NO reason to cycle your tank with fish unless your trying to stress them.

>>2316608
He wasn't forgiving anon, he had no choice. It was deal, or death.

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>>2316617
This is called a drop checker, it uses a solution to determine correct amount of c02 dissolved in water. I've yet to find a decent solution that works well with it. Many Chinese ones will say to mix solution with tank water, but this will give false readings. You must mix the solution with 4dkh water to unsure accurate results. I'm still experimenting with mine.

>>2316670
Your fry look gay. No problem bullying them.

>>2316673
dont be rude to the little specks you fucking cuntrag

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>decide to get my first aquarium and chose one betta as my first fish
>5 gal fluval spec
>heater and thermometer keeping 78 F
>2 anubias plants because live plants are soft and wont tear fins plus absorb some chemicals
>fluval aqua plus conditioner
>used tetra safe start to cycle
>sea chem ammonia indicator
>check water for nitrites and they are absent
>got the betta leaf bed and taught him how to use it now he sleeps on it every night
>feed betta pellets with good reviews

>put a finger in water
>he bites me

I thought with good conditions the betta will be like the fish on youtubes, swimming into owners palm and being calm and friendly but this guy is aggressive af and attacks my hand

>>2316696
I could easily hold them under my thumb.

>>2316697
that might just be his personality, i have 3 females
and theyre all extremely social and friendly towards me
i feed them bloodworms and keep their water around 76F

>>2316518
Goes to show how much of a difference a background makes on a tank. Looks awesome man keep it up.

>>2316492
>tfw cant buy freshwater shrimp in nz
I want some amano shrimp so fucking bad

>>2316666
you have been blessed by kek

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>>2316697
>expects a fish that's been bred for generations to be aggressive and fight to the death to be friendly and let him pet it

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What are some good, calm dither fish for clown loaches?

I have a 6 onespot barbs but they're pretty skittish, they do encourage the usually shy clowns to be more social but they almost immediately startle the loaches back into hiding too.

Is sand for pygmy cories a must, or will they be fine with small smooth gravel?

>>2316783
If it's smooth and absoutely no sharp edges it's okay. Problems come when they dig around in gravel and destroy their barbels. But smooth should be fine.

>>2316703
Yeah I think it's his personality
>>2316760
I thought they were bred to fight other males, not everything that gets into the tank. Like almost every he's larping as some sort of a shark, splashes and jumps on the pellets.

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What would be a good large-to-medium size fish to put in a 55 gal with some barbs and danios? I have them in with my small turtle (~2 inches) and I wanted just one larger fish to make the smaller ones pop. Obviously a fish that would get along with a turtle and will be swimming around a lot for me to see, and obviously one that won't mess with the other fish.

I was thinking something like an iridescent shark or silver dollar, but both of those grow a little too large and I believe prefer schools. I'm looking for something that will get no bigger than around 5-7 inches. Maybe some kind of less-aggressive cichlid or something?

>>2316810
Some of the smaller Bichers, honey gourami, mollies, maybe some shrimp.

>>2316817
Bichirs sit around too much, the turtle would stress it out and it would probably eat the danios

honey gouramis stay smaller than everything but the danios

mollies are going to be the same size, if not smaller, than the barbs

>shrimp
did you read my post

and anyway, I put ghost shrimp in there pretty consistently, my turtle makes pretty quick work of them

I really don't feel like you even read what I posted

>>2314284
Can the sound of the filter motor harm the fish? My filter has been louder then he'll recently and I swear my fish are acting more violently too

>>2316885
Maybe it's time to clean the impeller

Two Jewel Cichlids in a 25 gal, what do you think?

>>2316904
>not getting shell dwellers in a tank under 30g

>>2316067
It's got a glass cover. Do you think an Orangemarked Goby would do ok?

>>2315921
B0ss, I habe cancer

So aq.
I have a 55 gal with 8 panda corys, 8 neon tetras, 8 harlequin rasboras, 4 small juvenile BN plecos, 10 microrasboras and about 10 tiger endlers, some Red cherry shrimp and some pest snails. 0.0.20 ppm nitrate. Just a bout perfect 7ph. 4 ft long 2 high 1 deep. Am I full to the brim or can i get away with some more fish ?
Really like the idea of ember tetras, green neons or kuhlis would love all but dont think i have the room. Suggestions?
Side note before that one autist in the thread gets hes jimmys rustled i plan to only keep 1 BN plec as they grow up

>>2316894
How to get to impeller in aqua clear 1400 cannister ? Didnt realise you could take that part of the filter apart ?

>>2316993

>http://aqadvisor.com/

there you go brain storm and plan away

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>>2316913
This dude gets it

>>2316995
Yes sir.

>>2316986
orangemark gobies are sandsifters. In my shop we rarely have luck getting them to eat prepared foods, but thats fine cuz their in a 1,000g tank with well populated sandbed. in a small tank like yours, it would likely starve unless you can get it eating frozen or pellets

>>2317016
Suprisingly in the clear as far as stocking.
Its more of an opinion question though , as in will the kuhlis fuck with anything, or which is the superior tetra etc ?

>>2317080
Imo you shouldn't add another school of only 8 or so fish but expand the schools you've already got. Maybe even get rid of some of your current schooling fish and replace them with a larger group of a different species.
Ember tetras school tighter than neons, and are smaller so you can keep more of them.
The same can be said of Rasbora espei in comparison to harlequins.
A school of 20+ members of both or either would be really sweet in a heavily planted tank.

>>2316653
That's it's reputation, but those aren't hard and fast rules. Are you sure the plants from the two tanks are the same?
You can look up Bolbitis heteroclita for more info.

>>2316661
Water fern is Bolbitis heudlotii, which is a rather easy plant.

>>2316703
You're the guy with the white crowntail, right? Glad to hear they're all doing well.

>>2316810
>Obviously a fish that would get along with a turtle
Nothing, unless you're okay with the possibility of it becoming turtle food.

>>2317114
This. If you want fish get rid of the turtle .

>>2314564
Jesus
I'm an amateur and I knew to separate my cichlids from my fiddlers. Both can be aggressive. Both require different water.
Crabs have claws. Cichlids Are just big and tanky.
Gg
Shouldve researched first.

>>2316904
Nah. Kribs, apistos, or rams if you want color, shellies if you want super personality.

>>2316993
Since the khulis would only be sharing the tank with the cories and the plecos, they wouldn't bother anything. If you want more mid-swimmers, I agree with >>2317104. Bump up the current schools to at least 12 or 15. Besides, you already seem to have a good amount of red and orange in the tank, and green neons are just neon tetras with way less red.

>>2317123
I didn't buy the crab. Also it's not really my tank, it's my roommates

Could I keep bamboo shrimp, red cherries, and ghost shrimp in a 10 gallon tank together? The water requirements are pretty similar from what I can tell, I'm just a bit worried that having a high powered filter will mess with the ghost shrimp and the red cherries.

>>2317149
Get a sponge filter and Amano shrimp instead of ghosts. Ghost shrimp are just feeders desu

Do I need a filter if I'm just growing out plants in a 5 gallon tank till they're ready to go in another tank?

>>2316904
>>2317126

To add on to that, I would make the decision based on the parameters of your tap water. If it's softer and more neutral/acidic then go with a new world dwarf. If it's harder and more basic then go with shell dwellers.
It'll save you a ton of headache and money down the road. In my hometown we joked that our tap water was liquid rock and everyone that was an experienced aquarist kept African cichlids because it was so convenient. I knew one guy who kept discus and he said it was a bitch messing with RO units and trying to get water chemistry just right.

>>2317160
I know about ghost shrimp being feeders. I started with aquariums in general about a month and a half ago, so I went with really cheap shrimp just to see if I could actually do it (5/dollar).
Will the sponge filter interfere with the bamboo's ability to feed? I have a very gentle filter currently, and I was planning on upgrading to something with more power, but I'm not sure if that would make the waters too chaotic for the other shrimp.

>>2317164
Sponge filters are pretty much the least expensive and most gentle filtration option there is. They're also superb biological filters. I don't personally keep any shrimp but I really doubt you'll have any issues with an appropriately sized sponge filter.

>>2317165
I read that the bamboo shrimp will have trouble getting enough to eat if you go with a low-power filter, because there isn't enough water movement for them to filter through correctly. Is that not really an issue with sponge filters?
Just trying to get this right so that I don't accidentally starve my bamboo shrimp.

I got a new fish and its fins seem to be turning white at the edges which I assume is fin rot? What's the best way to treat that? I find it weird since none of the other new fish I've put in got this, just this one. And I'm sure he didn't have it at the store.

>>2317162
Also I'm going with dirt to get the plants to grow a bit quicker

>>2317180
My gut says you don't need a filter but still want an air stone or some kind of water circulation. I don't have any facts to back that up though, hopefully someone with more knowledge can give you a better answer.

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FESH!

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>>2317187

>>2317149
Bamboo shrimp don't need a super powerful filter as long as they have somewhere to perch in direct water flow. A 100 gph filter for a 10 gallon is fine for all those. Just put a sponge on the intake if you want to keep any baby shrimp.

Is this the same tank you've had set up for a year? It should be mature enough for the bamboo shrimp, but you might want to try and hunt down frozen cyclops just in case.

>>2317160
Bamboo shrimp need medium to high water flow.

>>2317162
It's not completely necessary, but it helps. A lot of plants appreciate water flow, and stagnant water can get depleted of CO2 more easily.

>>2317201
i see. its a 5 gallon if that makes a difference. i have a air pump somewhere. i want to try and make it highlight maybe medium with excel and grow out some nice fluffy crypts for my show tank as im trying to make a "forest" out of them. since my tank is so tall and the planted 24/7 gives almost medium light in my tank it is taking forever. but some of my crypts are putting out runners in this tank like they never have done before in my sand only tank. this one has 2 inches of eco complete. oh well. i will get it set up by tonight and see how it goes. well if my girlfriend can stay off my hotdog for at least 5 minutes haha. if it turns out well i may grow out plants to sell on a very small level and skrimps.

>>2317165
>Sponge filters are pretty much the least expensive
That's a meme. They're cheap if you already have an air pump laying around, but by the time you buy an air pump, tubing, and a check valve for it it's going to cost as much as a regular HOB or internal filter.

>They're also superb biological filters
They are, but ceramic biomedia media is better.

>>2315898
>one fish lived longer in a bowl, therefore all fish will live longer in bowls
Real dumb.

>>2316002
>Goldfish are also arguably a variety of Koi.
Real, real dumb.

>>2317104
This is good advice. Thank you

>shrimp moult in night
>Wake up to obese killi gardneri
They literally are both fat shitheads

One of my guppies died :( i was looking at him after I pulled him out of the tank and had pinkish-red gills. Ammonia poisoning? What could this be?

>>2317168
Not completely relevant but I have a shitty little external that I have the output pointing along the bottom of the tank for my shrimpos

>>2317286
>killi gardneri
Not sure what you expected. Mine will eat ghost shrimp half their size. I also made the mistake of trying to put an amano in there with them before I knew that. I think he lasted two days.

>>2317287
Did you test for ammonia?

>>2315184
Should be flame moss. Looks exactly like mine but mine hasn't gotten so stringy.

>>2315955
Amano and RCS, Ghost are just feeders that as a result of overall culture around them aren't really given a chance to last more then a month.

So get Amano or RCS, Amano don't breed outside of brackish, RCS are guppy tier at breeding. Neither is really going to die unless you really actually try to.

>>2316052
Looks like a tetra to me. Forced perspective.

>>2317359
I do believe you've missed the point there, champ.

>>2317120
or just stick with mollies/platies/guppies for endless food

>Tfw you wanna start up the aquarium hobby really bad but you apartment doesn't allow pets

>>2317426
keep plants
[spoiler]sneak in fish later[/spoiler]

>>2317426
Have you asked? I asked our landlord and they said fish are fine just no cats, dogs, farm animals, or exotic animals like reptiles or spiders. Even though fish are considered exotic.

>>2317426
Sometimes you can get away with it as the pet clause usually applies to cats,dogs, birds, etc.
Aquariums get sometimes listed as furniture/possessions instead (may require renter's insurance). Larger aquariums might be out of the question though

>>2317174
I think Artemis, salt, and garlic xtreme would go a long ways

>>2316381
Never ever ever ever ever use tap water.

Inb4 autistic commet.

Invertebrates are EXTREMELY sensitive to heavy metals that are commonly found in tap water. You could go a week to 10 years before seeing the issue, but over time things like copper (copper products are used to kill pest inverts) and other metals will build up and cause chaos in your tank. It will leach into the substrate and rocks and become slow release death.

You can get a RO water system if you're hard core, used distilled water, or most LFS sell RO water that you can use.

>>2317426
Even the strictest landlords I've talked to will allow tanks 10 gallons and under.

>>2317471
Then where the hell do I get water from?

>>2317471
>You can get a RO water system if you're hard core
RODI systems start at about $120 on ebay. Not at all expensive for someone that's going to dump thousands into a marine tank.

>>2316986
I agree with the other anon. Gobys are very finicky and can be fussy about their diet.

They are super beautiful, but they need special substrates and food to live.

If you are up to the challenge it could owrk, but be prepared to have to be very diligent. Sometimes lines of fish can be bred that are more apt to be domesticated.

>>2317475
They sell distilled water at grocery stores my dude. Next to bottled water

Can male and female bettas live together?

What's the minimum tank size?

I currently have four girls in a heated planted 30 gallon tank. Can one male join them or is that just a bad idea all around?

Thank you!

>>2317522
Bad idea. Plain and simple.

>>2317522
the females would all eat that male.

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so an old roommate left a 16g aquarium with me and i decided to clean it up. topped off the water and added some conditioner and let it run for about 6 hours but the water's lookin really bad. also had to clean out a bunch of dead plants. can anyone tell me what this might be and the best course of action? there were no fish in here for whatever reason.

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>>2317104
Hey I have wcmm's and neons, I really like my white clouds, and would like to replace my neons. Do you know if wcmm's behave differently in larger groups, or maybe 1 showpeice fish, and a couple more white clouds. Also replacing corys with some sterbia Cory soon, the albinos just don't look so great on light sand.

>>2317442
I want to stroke that fish

>>2317542
Nice. You just kicked up a lot of old debri. Maybe the roommate didn't rinse the gravel? Either way it'll settle if you want to keep the gravel. Do you want to keep fish?

>>2317554
White clouds will flare at each other and show nice colors in a larger group.

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>>2317542
Dump out all water, I would prob also remove substrate and just clean the whole thing.
Clean out filter with conditioned water, maybe add/replace some of the biomedia. Add fresh treated water, and I guess check if it's cycled, you'll need a water testing kit .

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>>2317557
I do see a fair bit of flaring and a few are the deepest prettiest red on the tail I swear it looks like silk. I have about 8-9 neons, if I were to donate them, ss
Should I get 8 more wcmm's or may 2-3 more and some other loner mid-town level swimmer?

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>>2317218
Replying to my own post. Went and dug up some dirt that I know no pesticides have been near it. Put it in the 5 gallon and put about 2 inches of dirt. Siphoned water from my 60 gallon into it and planted two c. wendtii that I won't lose any sleep over and a few stems of s. repens. Will see how it does. No cap on the dirt so it's murky. Leaving the pump off until all is settled and scoop out any floating debri. I'll cap it someday if I decide to keep shrimp but I'll check my params and test for toxins that would kill off any living creatures before I do so. I'm keeping the tank in my 60 gallon stand with two 13 inch marineland led bars. Hopefully enough light. If not I have a work lamp and bulbs.

>>2317522
If you're really about it you'll ditch the fancy bettas and pick up some wild types.

Mouthbrooding bettas are p. rad

>>2317561
Why not 8 more and whatever solitary fish? Just lose the tetras.

>>2317554

White clouds will also show better if the water temp is dropped a little bit. You could get rid of corys all together, add a powerhead, drop the temperature and set up a sweet Asian hillstream biotope tank. I don't know what else could chill with the loaches and white clouds.. but it would be a really sweet concept.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGQ20dtpDVY

>>2317563
Macrostoma stronk

>>2317554
>>2317567

This chick is pretty weird looking but her hillstream tank is pretty sweet and I'm sure her playlist is full of useful info if you want to go that route.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69pZa-3Rz1Q&list=PLfwHVhEoP8rpcyuJiZEUQutSVlINYaSoO&index=5

White clouds, a few hillstream loaches and gobies, an SAE and some amano shrimp would be a really cool tank.

Is it feasible to have an aquarium to keep crabs and/or lobster in for cooking? Say buy a crab, keep it for a few months, eat it, empty tank for a while, start the process again?

>>2317556
Eventually yeah. Not sure what yet but it seems like a good jumping off point.

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In summer

>>2317471
Bullshit. I use tap water in all of my nano shrimp tanks (2.5, 5, 10 gal). I pretreat my water with 1.5x recommended conditioner, wait 24 hours, then proceed to change with the treated water.

Been keeping shrimp for almost 10 years.

If you are on well water, that's a different story altogether. The watershed that provides to my neighborhood is fucking impeccable.

>>2317722
He's talking about saltwater

>>2317723
Oh shit. My bad.
Should have read back a bit.

>>2317542
Did he have a gravel vacuum? use it to suck as much junk out of the gravel as possible and change out all of the water.

>>2317554
Get more white clouds and some kind of centerpiece. Small gourami or dwarf cichlid, or a trio of swordtails.
If you do decide you want another school I'd suggest some variation of Danio rerio.
If you'd like to do an unheated tank you can replace the albino cories with peppered ones, which are temperate.

>>2317573
Msjinkzd is fucking great. She can look however she wants.

>>2317589
For what purpose? Just so you can have it fresh when you want it? I think it would be too much hassle, though. You'd have to set up a saltwater tank and deal with RO water and mixing salt to avoid possible heavy metal poisoning, which the shellfish would be sensitive to.
It would work a lot better with sunfish, tilapia, or crayfish if you have a big tank.

>>2317726
I just wanna see them big ol titties out of curiosity

>>2317301
Should have specified, bamboo shrimp twice their size, they ate the molts

>>2317726
I have a heater, may just get rid of neons and albinos, get sterbias, and more wcmm's and one rainbow fish, do they do ok solo?

>>2317871
Rainbow fish are schooling fish and do much better in schools.

>>2317891
Also extremely active and need lots of swimming room.

So quick question. When trying to feed my juvenile cories, my Bettas eat all their food before the cories can get to it. I've tried feeding my Bettas before but they still eat the cories food. How can I solve this?

Reeee bump limit not reached reeeee! I want tendies!!!

New thread: >>2317952

HELP ME /aq/
Just bought a tiny baby pea puffer about the length of your finger nail. I have him in a 5 gallon with 5 rcs. He treats them like they're cute objects to stare at.
My problem is that I can not get him eating. He does not respond to frozen blood worms. He will sometimes take a tiny nibble of one and then be done. What do? I don't want to lose him he's way cute

>>2317974
Go get feeder snails for him, puffers love snails

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THERE IS NO FEAR IN THIS DOJO.