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Stoca Zola
Jun 28, 2008

Wow that's absolutely nuts! The bacteria must have no competition for whatever it's feeding from. Wiping stuff down with peroxide would help and is fairly safe/rinses off easily. I do think you could do with more surface agitation if a film like that is able to build up. Kind of cool being able to see how the flow has pushed the film, it really hasn't pushed it much! What food does Max eat?

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Bollock Monkey
Jan 21, 2007

The Almighty
I can't move the filter any closer to the surface because otherwise the intake doesn't work properly or something and it starts making lots of noise and not doing so well! We feed salmon pellets every other day. I never see any left over but I suppose they could be breaking up and being mixed with the sand. I also wonder if Max sometimes poos in one of the ornaments (he has a submarine hide) but then steps in it and so that's mixing in and causing issues? His poos are fairly solid and easy to scoop, but if they happen in the night and get smooshed before they can be removed then I suppose that might be a factor.

Stoca Zola
Jun 28, 2008

I know exactly what you mean re: filters too close to the surface, I have one that jams and gurgles, I think the case isn't snug and it draws in air through a seam which makes the impeller rattle around or something. What you might be able to do is find an elbow piece from something like gardening irrigation fittings, in a size which can be slipped on to the existing filter outlet. You don't need to make it point straight up like a fountain, but just angling it slightly more to the surface can make a big difference. Another way to get the same effect is using a piece of flexible hose, if you heat it up and bend it while it's hot it keeps a little of the bend which is all you need to direct the flow differently. Or even adding something like a spray bar angled slightly upwards could help. That film is bad enough that it has to be affecting oxygen exchange.



edited to add:

I found a weird fry in the tank that I'd been quarantining the loaches in. I had thought it was a guppy fry, popped it in the breeder box to keep an eye on it and feed it up because it looked a little skinny. It's eating well, but it can't be a guppy fry. It's eyes are too small and it's not swimming right, and its fins don't look right. So either its a stray rosy barb fry that survived spawning in that tank, or maybe a danio fry which I guess I could have carried over to that tank when I transfered some duckweed for the rosy barbs to eat (thats before I emptied them out and used that tank for quarantine). It's a real long straight stiff looking fry, with small eyes. I don't think it could be a loach fry! Hopefully I can keep it alive to find out what it is.

Stoca Zola fucked around with this message at 14:22 on Apr 30, 2017

Kibbles n Shits
Apr 8, 2006

burgerpug.png


Fun Shoe
Is $40 for a used 29 gallon tank with a lid a decent deal? Looking to buy my first one soon and I'm totally unfamiliar with what used tanks are worth.

Edit: Never mind, I just found out I'm getting hooked up with a 55 gallon tank for free next weekend! :woop:

Kibbles n Shits fucked around with this message at 15:25 on Apr 30, 2017

Facebook Aunt
Oct 4, 2008

wiggle wiggle




Bollock Monkey posted:

I can't move the filter any closer to the surface because otherwise the intake doesn't work properly or something and it starts making lots of noise and not doing so well! We feed salmon pellets every other day. I never see any left over but I suppose they could be breaking up and being mixed with the sand. I also wonder if Max sometimes poos in one of the ornaments (he has a submarine hide) but then steps in it and so that's mixing in and causing issues? His poos are fairly solid and easy to scoop, but if they happen in the night and get smooshed before they can be removed then I suppose that might be a factor.

Could you add an air stone? Since all it is doing is agitating the water the smallest and cheapest air pump would be fine, and you can turn it off once the problem is gone if the air pump hum bothers you. Or you could hook it up to a sponge filter for an extra kick of biological and mechanical filtration, and emergency backup in case the main filter up and dies one night.

Azuth0667
Sep 20, 2011

By the word of Zoroaster, no business decision is poor when it involves Ahura Mazda.

Kibbles n Shits posted:

Is $40 for a used 29 gallon tank with a lid a decent deal? Looking to buy my first one soon and I'm totally unfamiliar with what used tanks are worth.

Edit: Never mind, I just found out I'm getting hooked up with a 55 gallon tank for free next weekend! :woop:

I always figured 1$/gal was reasonable for a good glass tank unless you get something unique like curved glass or starphire glass.

Fish Noise
Jul 25, 2012

IT'S ME, BURROWS!

IT WAS ME ALL ALONG, BURROWS!

RandomPauI posted:

Edit 2: It might be cheaper to just get a filter with a smaller internal footprint or an external footprint. These look promising.

Tetra 26316 Whisper Filter PF10, 5-10-Gallon
https://www.amazon.com/United-Pet-Group-Tetra-Whisper/dp/B00W5TFH3E

Aqueon Quietflow Internal Power Filter
https://www.amazon.com/Aqueon-10-Gallon-QuietFlow-Internal-Filter/dp/B00AWV4R8I

Zoo Med Nano 10 External Canister Filter
https://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-External-Canister-Gallons/dp/B005DGHRU2

Rio Mini 90 Internal Power Filter for Aquarium
https://www.amazon.com/Rio-Internal-Power-Filter-Aquarium/dp/B0002DGT78

Marina Slim S10 Power Filter
https://www.amazon.com/Marina-A285-S10-Power-Filter/dp/B0032G8TPW
The mini canister and both of those internals will generally require unplugging and moving the whole thing to the sink or into a bucket for cleaning, unless you splice your own cutoffs and connectors into the mini canister's hoses, or pull off the filter parts of the internals right there in the tank which is going to make a mess. The older internals with easily accessible cartridges tend to run a little larger, like the Tetra Whispers and Fluval Us, but it looks like there's a lot of various Whisper-style internals from Aqueon or API or Marina now that might suit you.
And as Facebook Aunt said, there's always sponge filters.

:wtc:

Bollock Monkey
Jan 21, 2007

The Almighty

Facebook Aunt posted:

Could you add an air stone? Since all it is doing is agitating the water the smallest and cheapest air pump would be fine, and you can turn it off once the problem is gone if the air pump hum bothers you.

We had an air stone but it was really upsetting Max so we took it out. He seemed to think it was the enemy.

Took out all the ornaments today and gave them a good scrub with dish soap and lots of tap water. I also agitated the sand and cleaned the filter, then did a big water change. It's all still settling now, but fingers crossed this helps else I don't know what to do! It's such a weird problem to have.

Stoca Zola
Jun 28, 2008

Hmm using detergent in an aquarium situation is usually a bad idea, it's extremely hard to rinse it all off. I hope you did rinse everything very well because detergents are a good way to kill everything in a tank not just the bacteria.

Kibbles n Shits
Apr 8, 2006

burgerpug.png


Fun Shoe
Edit: Rephrased my question

Should I buy a sponge filter on top of a normal power filter? I was thinking about buying the Fluval C4 for my upcoming 55 gallon tank but I'm not clear on whether or not it will provide sufficient biological filtration.

Kibbles n Shits fucked around with this message at 00:31 on May 1, 2017

Azuth0667
Sep 20, 2011

By the word of Zoroaster, no business decision is poor when it involves Ahura Mazda.

Kibbles n Shits posted:

Edit: Rephrased my question

Should I buy a sponge filter on top of a normal power filter? I was thinking about buying the Fluval C4 for my upcoming 55 gallon tank but I'm not clear on whether or not it will provide sufficient biological filtration.

Yeah its a good idea, I like to run one or two in each of my 10+ gallon tanks.

RandomPauI
Nov 24, 2006


Grimey Drawer
Welp, it looks like Bullet escaped from the tank at some point. The lid has two big holes in it, one for the feeder and one for the filter. I generally keep them covered with a folded up pillow-case, towel, or napkin. But it's not 24/7.

I don't like the idea of having to hunt around for her corpse but I hadn't seen her since the morning. This is just starting to hit emotionally, but it feels like that'll have to wait.

Edit: I've only been able to do a few minutes of searching at a time before feeling painfully anxious.

RandomPauI fucked around with this message at 04:31 on May 1, 2017

Facebook Aunt
Oct 4, 2008

wiggle wiggle




RandomPauI posted:

Welp, it looks like Bullet escaped from the tank at some point. The lid has two big holes in it, one for the feeder and one for the filter. I generally keep them covered with a folded up pillow-case, towel, or napkin. But it's not 24/7.

I don't like the idea of having to hunt around for her corpse but I hadn't seen her since the morning. This is just starting to hit emotionally, but it feels like that'll have to wait.

Edit: I've only been able to do a few minutes of searching at a time before feeling painfully anxious.

Oh man I'm so sorry. No chance of a damp spot near the tank where he might survive?

Stoca Zola
Jun 28, 2008

Oh no! I guess she definitely isn't hiding somewhere in the tank? Behind or under the filter? I hope you find her soon.

RandomPauI
Nov 24, 2006


Grimey Drawer
The dampest spot outside the tank would be the humidifier, but it's sealed closed.

I didn't add a background to the tank so I could specifically turn the tank around to see if Bullet was hiding in the back or to the sides.

She wasn't in the filter but she liked to hang around there and that'd be an easy way for her to get out if something startled her.

I changed the filter after I noticed she'd escaped and after 30 minutes passed; it was covered in stray coconut matter.

Just to be clear, I don't always keep the front hole covered but I do keep the back hole covered almost all of the time.

Facebook Aunt
Oct 4, 2008

wiggle wiggle




Anyone with cherry shrimp experience? When they die are they floaters or sinkers? I bought 8 on wednesday and added them to my 35 gallon planted tank with lots of tunnels and caves, java moss and leaf litter. Lots of biofilm on the driftwood, and tiny detritus in the substrate. The filter intakes are protected by sponge pre-filters. All water parameters are within those recommended for cherry shrimp.

These guys are tiny, not full grown so less than an inch long, and hard to spot. In the last couple days I only ever see one at a time. I know there are at least two, because I'm seeing at least a big round one (probably female) and a much more slender one (probably male). They seem calm and healthy when I spot them. Given that the tank should be disneyland for shrimp, it is entirely possible they are living it up in the sheltered areas and just not venturing into the well-lit central area during the day. 8 might not be enough for them to feel 'safe' in the open area during the day. Maybe in a few months they will mature and make babies and I'll suddenly have lots of shrimps. Or maybe 6 died in the sheltered areas and were eaten by their buddies. :ohdear: No ammonia spike, but then 6 tiny shrimp in 35 gallons might not make a noticeable blip.

The only other thing in the tank is 9 neon tetras, who are also young and under 1" long, so not nearly big enough to swallow a shrimp. (Well, maybe a newly hatched shrimp, but not the young adults I have). When I've seen a shrimp out and about the neons show no interest in him.


Any thoughts?


RandomPauI
Nov 24, 2006


Grimey Drawer
I found Bullet: she got between the bed and the wall. She was dead from dehydration. I made good-faith efforts to give her a nice life and to keep her safe but they weren't enough.

I wrote a letter of complaint to them but the Tetra's website isn't accepting complaints for some reason. I want to blame the fish tank company for having a poorly designed lid but this feels completely my fault.

gay picnic defence
Oct 5, 2009


I'M CONCERNED ABOUT A NUMBER OF THINGS
It's feeding day for the blackfish today. He's just engulfed two goldfish and now gives the occasional burp which send a little flurry of scales out his gills. One of the lumps in his stomach was giving a few twitches for a minute or two as well which was pretty :black101:, but it wasn't enough and now he's slurping down the brine shrimp I put in there for the white clouds. His poop gets a metallic sheen a few days after eating goldfish too which is kinda funny

Azuth0667
Sep 20, 2011

By the word of Zoroaster, no business decision is poor when it involves Ahura Mazda.

Facebook Aunt posted:

Anyone with cherry shrimp experience? When they die are they floaters or sinkers? I bought 8 on wednesday and added them to my 35 gallon planted tank with lots of tunnels and caves, java moss and leaf litter. Lots of biofilm on the driftwood, and tiny detritus in the substrate. The filter intakes are protected by sponge pre-filters. All water parameters are within those recommended for cherry shrimp.

These guys are tiny, not full grown so less than an inch long, and hard to spot. In the last couple days I only ever see one at a time. I know there are at least two, because I'm seeing at least a big round one (probably female) and a much more slender one (probably male). They seem calm and healthy when I spot them. Given that the tank should be disneyland for shrimp, it is entirely possible they are living it up in the sheltered areas and just not venturing into the well-lit central area during the day. 8 might not be enough for them to feel 'safe' in the open area during the day. Maybe in a few months they will mature and make babies and I'll suddenly have lots of shrimps. Or maybe 6 died in the sheltered areas and were eaten by their buddies. :ohdear: No ammonia spike, but then 6 tiny shrimp in 35 gallons might not make a noticeable blip.

The only other thing in the tank is 9 neon tetras, who are also young and under 1" long, so not nearly big enough to swallow a shrimp. (Well, maybe a newly hatched shrimp, but not the young adults I have). When I've seen a shrimp out and about the neons show no interest in him.


Any thoughts?




When my cherries die they don't float and they get a pink opaque look. You have a nice setup for those shrimp with a lot of hiding places for them so I wouldn't count on them being dead. What's the temperature in that tank?

Azuth0667 fucked around with this message at 15:00 on May 1, 2017

Stoca Zola
Jun 28, 2008

Facebook Aunt posted:

Anyone with cherry shrimp experience? When they die are they floaters or sinkers?
...
Any thoughts?

Dead shrimp tend to stay on the bottom, and in my heavily planted tank the dead ones still seem to end up out in the open. They go white like cooked shrimp when they're dead, and if you aren't quick the other shrimp will try to eat the dead ones. I think your shrimp have enough cover but they're hiding due to the tetras. The shrimp might get bolder as they grow and as their numbers increase and as the plant cover also increases, but also the fish might still harrass the shrimp if they get hungry/bored. I don't think its unworkable though! Even once they start breeding the baby shrimp are very good at hiding and won't necessarily all get eaten.

RandomPauI posted:

I found Bullet: she got between the bed and the wall. She was dead from dehydration. I made good-faith efforts to give her a nice life and to keep her safe but they weren't enough.

I wrote a letter of complaint to them but the Tetra's website isn't accepting complaints for some reason. I want to blame the fish tank company for having a poorly designed lid but this feels completely my fault.

I'm sorry for your loss. I know it feels horrible but you did the best you could with the equipment and knowledge that you had. A sad part of the aquarium hobby is the early learning curve, which frequently involves the loss of tiny aquatic lives, either through disease, malnutrition or overfeeding, bad advice from pet stores, poor maintenance practices, and you've managed to avoid all of those. As far as I'm concerned you're a good fish keeper, you've been genuinely educating yourself about how to do things right. And the more experience and knowledge you accumulate the easier it will get, the less trouble you will have. I really hope this tragedy doesn't put you off from fish/frog keeping.

RandomPauI
Nov 24, 2006


Grimey Drawer
It hasn't, but this definitely caused some nightmares last night.

Facebook Aunt
Oct 4, 2008

wiggle wiggle




Azuth0667 posted:

When my cherries die they don't float and they get a pink opaque look. You have a nice setup for those shrimp with a lot of hiding places for them so I wouldn't count on them being dead. What's the temperature in that tank?

24 Celsius, which should be right in the sweet spot.


Stoca Zola posted:

Dead shrimp tend to stay on the bottom, and in my heavily planted tank the dead ones still seem to end up out in the open. They go white like cooked shrimp when they're dead, and if you aren't quick the other shrimp will try to eat the dead ones. I think your shrimp have enough cover but they're hiding due to the tetras. The shrimp might get bolder as they grow and as their numbers increase and as the plant cover also increases, but also the fish might still harrass the shrimp if they get hungry/bored. I don't think its unworkable though! Even once they start breeding the baby shrimp are very good at hiding and won't necessarily all get eaten.

Good to hear.

I have an empty ten gallon tank set up for isolation, aging water, and cat drinking fountain. I might move the tetras over there and see if that makes the shrimp bolder.

Bollock Monkey
Jan 21, 2007

The Almighty

Stoca Zola posted:

Hmm using detergent in an aquarium situation is usually a bad idea, it's extremely hard to rinse it all off. I hope you did rinse everything very well because detergents are a good way to kill everything in a tank not just the bacteria.

It was well rinsed, and Max seems happy enough 24 hours in. And the film hasn't yet returned...

What should we do since we hosed up? :(

Bollock Monkey fucked around with this message at 22:06 on May 1, 2017

Azuth0667
Sep 20, 2011

By the word of Zoroaster, no business decision is poor when it involves Ahura Mazda.

Facebook Aunt posted:

24 Celsius, which should be right in the sweet spot.


Good to hear.

I have an empty ten gallon tank set up for isolation, aging water, and cat drinking fountain. I might move the tetras over there and see if that makes the shrimp bolder.

Yeah 24C is good you should be fine for temperature and they should be happily breeding in that.

Stoca Zola
Jun 28, 2008

Bollock Monkey posted:

It was well rinsed, and Max seems happy enough 24 hours in. And the film hasn't yet returned...

What should we do since we hosed up? :(

It worked and Max is okay so I guess you didn't gently caress up? You probably rinsed it super good enough. I don't actually know the mechanism for why detergents are bad for fish, just that it's a rule of thumb that anything that has touched detergent shouldn't go anywhere near a fish tank. It might be because you don't know what other additives are in it, fragrances, preservatives, antibacterial agents etc which could be poisonous. Might be the way the detergent changes the surface tension of the water affects the way aquatic creatures breathe? Maybe what kills fish doesn't kill axolotls?

I'm glad you have no more film anyway!

Stoca Zola
Jun 28, 2008

Mid February:


I counted around 60 shrimp at this point.


Only two and a half months later:

I wouldn't bother even starting to count.

A close up on that front right corner:

The other corner is about the same, I dropped a couple of viformo tabs in a while ago which brought everyone out for the picture.

What's changed?
I pulled out 4 of the 6 vals from the back left, they are just too big for such a small tank. The leaves were around 1.5 meters long, which is nearly 5 feet. I added a second sponge filter, and I cut back a lot of the moss, then used the cuttings to make a moss log which is balanced between the two sponge filters. I also added a little ceramic pot with moss and a piece of java fern attached to it, which gives a cave like space for shrimp to hide in for moulting. Lastly I added a small piece of susswassertang as it will provide a lot of cover once it grows in. The crypts are massive, they grow way faster than any crypt I have anywhere else. I added a single malaysian trumpet snail as I was worried that the tightly packed black sand would get stinky so there are a few snails now hopefully helping to stir up the substrate a little. The original owner of this shrimp colony told me to feed them 3 small algae wafers every day, at 60 shrimps this was enough for the wafer to disappear in a couple of hours. The original owner was also using straight rainwater with a hardness of only 30ppm. I have changed the diet of these shrimp to be a bit more varied, including: repashy gel, fry food, crustacean loops, better quality algae wafers, crushed spirulina flake, powdered freeze dried brine shrimp, o-nip, viformo and tetra color bits. I've also gradually raised the hardness of their water to 150-160ppm.

I didn't make these changes specifically trying to make the shrimp breed like crazy, they're just doing that by themselves. I think it does help when you start with a bigger number of shrimp, as they really are social and seem to do a lot better when in a larger group. I've only pulled out one or two dead shrimp in the time I've had this tank although I'm worried it will be more if I don't split the colony soon.

Stoca Zola fucked around with this message at 17:30 on May 2, 2017

Bulky Bartokomous
Nov 3, 2006

In Mypos, only the strong survive.

Two nights ago when I was cleaning my 20g community I forgot to unplug the filter before yanking out the media and it shot a bunch of crap in the tank. This was after I JUST finished a 10% water change. I figured the newly cleaned filter would just suck most of it back up, NBD.

Yesterday I got home from work and my two neons were dead, pandas gulping, clown pleco in a weird spot. Water was milky white, and smelled like sulphur! I did a 50% water change and noticed if I stick my finger in the sand bed, bubbles pop out. The tank has been up and running for 2 years. I've never experienced this sulphur smell before, in any tank. Good times.

Facebook Aunt
Oct 4, 2008

wiggle wiggle




Stoca Zola posted:

Mid February:


I counted around 60 shrimp at this point.


Only two and a half months later:




Awesome. Their famous fertility is also the main reason I was willing to include tiny fish in my aquarium with the shrimp. Some of the juvenile shrimp would get eaten, but the colony would survive. And since it's a tall tank having something swimming around in the middle area would look more interesting.

Years ago I learned with guppies that trying to save every baby leads to it's own kind of disaster. Eventually I put in enough plants and ornaments that some fry would survive even if I didn't try to isolate them. When the adult population was small more fry would survive, when the adult population was high fewer fry would survive. And for about 8 years I had a sort of guppy homeostasis.

Oh well, the 9 tetras are in a 10 gallon tank for now. If I have a ridiculous abundance of shrimp later I can move them back.

Cats are a little concerned that there are now fish in their water dish. (The do have a real water dish, of course, but the filtered agitated water in the tank is far more attractive than the bowl in the kitchen).

Stoca Zola
Jun 28, 2008

I wish mine would drink the clean tank water, they seem to love the gross brown stuff from the bucket where I've cleaned the filter. Caught one of my cats rolling on a piece of stolen used filter floss like it was catnip earlier on.

Bulky Bartokomous posted:

...bad filter event...
Bulky B that's bad luck about your stink water. Sorry you lost your neons and I hope your other guys hold on. I would have thought the filter would suck up the gunk too, but obviously whatever it was was delicious for bacteria. I don't know if the sand can be blamed, it does get anoxic under there but the bubbles that come out aren't in contact with the water long enough for any H2S to dissolve. Up until recently I had a glass foodbowl in my sandbottom tank to keep the tabs in one spot while the corys nommed on them, and it wouldn't take long for the sand to get visibly anoxic and grey/black and gross under the dish. So I'd move it, let the bubbles out etc but the panda corys would rush that filthy patch of sand and snort through it with glee, with no apparent ill effects. You didn't have a spray of ground up snail go through your tank maybe, after being sucked through the filter? It's a pretty fast downhill spiral for a 20g established tank so I can't work out why it would happen without some huge burst of nutrient for the bacterial bloom to occur.

Stoca Zola fucked around with this message at 17:44 on May 2, 2017

Kibbles n Shits
Apr 8, 2006

burgerpug.png


Fun Shoe
How many fish are too few to stock a tank with? My tank is 55 gallons and I want to add 4 or 5 corys to start with but will they sustain the tank? Also speaking of corys, will they be okay with enough artificial plants to hide in? I don't want to go down the planted rabbit hole yet because I'm still learning about fish stuff.

Enos Cabell
Nov 3, 2004


Speaking of boiling rocks, just saw this news video come across my FB feed:

https://www.facebook.com/tenadelaide/videos/1440615992669809/

Stoca Zola
Jun 28, 2008

Kibbles n Shits posted:

How many fish are too few to stock a tank with? My tank is 55 gallons and I want to add 4 or 5 corys to start with but will they sustain the tank? Also speaking of corys, will they be okay with enough artificial plants to hide in? I don't want to go down the planted rabbit hole yet because I'm still learning about fish stuff.

Your filter will only grow enough bacteria to process the waste that is there in the tank. You can't get extra or spare unless you buy it and add it and then it will just starve anyway. It's fine to "understock" a tank and gradually add more fish as you are ready, the filter will catch up and water changing and using water conditioners will help you get there. But you should still try to get the nitrogen cycle going in your tank before you add fish. Use a bit of food to provide the starter waste.

A lot of corys come from environments that have leaf litter and sand on the bottom and no plants. They get comfort from being in a group moreso from having plants to hide under, you could probably give them a coconut house or similar cave so they've got dark cover if they need it. Mine tend to derp around in the open and go in their cave to sleep, although some of them just sleep wherever. I think a 55 gallon tank is a great beginner tank, you've got lots of room to try different fish and different plants and lots of water to keep things stable. And it will last you a long time as you grow as a hobbyist. Corys are a good starter fish too, they're super cute but they tend to stay on the bottom so a) your tank might look a bit empty! b) it's pretty important to keep the bottom clean so that the corys don't get infected barbels. Rounded small gravel or silica sand works well, Tahitian moon sand or other sharp gravel is a bit too abrasive. Although I think keeping it clean and clear of wastes is the number one important thing over the texture.

Don't forget to post pictures of your tank as you start out. It's really handy being able to look back and see how things have changed.

Kibbles n Shits
Apr 8, 2006

burgerpug.png


Fun Shoe
Oh yea, I'll definitely be cycling the tank correctly before anything alive goes in. I just wasn't sure if there was a "minimum biomass" required for a given tank size. Eventually I want to add some plants if it can be done without disturbing the water parameters, but I'm already feeling overwhelmed just selecting aquarium hardware and fish. Can't wait to get it up and running though!

Kibbles n Shits
Apr 8, 2006

burgerpug.png


Fun Shoe
Okay, one more newbie question and I think I'll have this sorted out. I'm too stupid to choose a filter. Here's a few I was looking at.

SunSun 303b

Enheim Classic

And some non-canister alternatives

AquaClear 110

Marineland Emperor 400

Fluval C4

Maybe two of these?

Marineland Penguin Power Filter

Ostensibly the SunSun303b looks like the best value and gets decent priase, though I have concerns over quality. I can't afford to dump 55 gallons of water on my hardwood floor because some cheap hose connector or something came apart. I just want the "best" filter for under $100 for my community aquarium that will keep the water clean and the fishes happy.

Kibbles n Shits fucked around with this message at 04:25 on May 3, 2017

Azuth0667
Sep 20, 2011

By the word of Zoroaster, no business decision is poor when it involves Ahura Mazda.
I like canisters and I have one of those sunsuns you listed. Its quiet and has been running with no problems for about a year and a half. Only issue I have is its a bit underpowered and I wouldn't use it for more than 80 gallons.

Synthbuttrange
May 6, 2007

The only thing about them is make sure you turn the right valves as you're cleaning. There's been more than one fish goon that has emptied out their tank with a canister.

Stoca Zola
Jun 28, 2008

WTF, got out of the shower today in time to hear the doorbell, answered the door and the post man thrusted a box labeled "Handle with care, live fish" into my hands. Already late for work and now I have a box of 10 unexpected rasboras to deal with. The heat pack was still warm but the water the fish were in was almost icy. None dead, but one in each bag is floating belly up and really struggling. There were two bags of 5 so I opened one to get a TDS reading -it had 600+ppm of *something* hopefully stress zyme or similar, not ammonia. I did a plop and drop style transfer which resulted in one fish going in full floater mode while the others were okay. Poked the floater a bit and he rallied and swam off. The other bag I'd set floating trying to warm it up but the inhabitants were all starting to go belly up. I ended up cutting the bag open, sloshing a bit of water in to ease the transfer, then tipping the whole bag in. Seemed more important to get them into known good conditions than wait and see if they'd die before they got warm.

The wonkiest one went limp and got sucked up against the filter sponge but luckily I spotted him before I left for work and turned it off​ long enough for him to swim away. I've been getting text updates from my partner who is home today and it sounds like they have all brightened up now, even the worst one.

4pm rolls around and I get an email with the tracking info for my order :psyduck:

I did order these fish, but I had arranged with them not to send them until later in the week when I would be off work and able to deal with them. No idea what went wrong with the process but somehow it only took 24 hours for them to arrive vs over 48 last time I bought from this seller.

gay picnic defence
Oct 5, 2009


I'M CONCERNED ABOUT A NUMBER OF THINGS
Sounds like fun. I was amazed when I saw you could order live fish online. Where do you get those ones from?

Stoca Zola
Jun 28, 2008

Since I'm in non-metro SA there's really only Coburg aquarium (cheap fish, sometimes sick/skinny, not much variety) or Livefish.com (wider range, more expensive, healthier fish, but they tend to take longer to ship since its further away) that post here, most of the eastern states online fish places either won't post that far or charge an exhorbitant amount for you to pick your fish up from the nearest metro airport. Although I got my striped raphaels from somewhere else now that I think about it, they only do African cichlids and fish that could conceivably survive living with said cichlids - looked it up, that was Aquaholics Online, I haven't bought much from them fishwise and I think they are relatively new to selling fish online. I had a place in Perth post me some worms too, not sure if they would have posted fish but I just wanted worms for fish food. OH! Dave from Aquagreen in the NT specialises in native fish, he'll post to SA too although I think his work circumstances have changed so they don't have as much stock as they used to. I've bought plants, shrimp and feral guppies from him. He's a bit conservation oriented, and gives money back to the traditional owners of the land where he collects his fish from. He's got a bunch of feral betta that he's collected so when my Fluval Spec V is free I might buy a betta from him. The feral guppies have been really good and I really like the idea of keeping a fish that was scooped out of a ditch on the side of the road.

How's the blackfish's ich going?

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Stoca Zola
Jun 28, 2008

I forgot to actually say:
I've bought peacock gudgeons, corydoras, tetras from both Coburg and Livefish. My loaches, shrimp (chameleon, darwin rednose and riffles) and rasboras came from Livefish. My original cherry shrimp I got off gumtree from a guy in Adelaide. I think in all, the ambient weather conditions and the transit time have made the biggest difference to survival rate than where I got them from. Even with hot/cold packs and being sent in polystyrene esky-type boxes they get trashed by being too hot or too cold so where possible I've only been buying fish during mild 25-30º weather. Coburg Aquarium post in the morning and the box arrives here the following afternoon and that is fairly tolerable for most fish. The corys I had from livefish came in a bit more haggard from the extra day in shipping. The weird thing is, this box of rasbora came from Melbourne not QLD so maybe Livefish have a second location now?

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