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Mozi
Apr 4, 2004

Forms change so fast
Time is moving past
Memory is smoke
Gonna get wider when I die
Nap Ghost
I set up my aquarium (using soil) two months ago, almost exactly. It's been filled since. This morning, I found a large earthworm crawling up the wisteria.

-_-

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Ashcans
Jan 2, 2006

Let's do the space-time warp again!

I need to find a stand for our aquarium. It's a fluval vista (8.5g) and it has a sort of rounded shape that makes me skeptical it will sit on a standard 20"x10" stand, as all these seem to be based on a straight rectangular footprint where the fluval vista is sort of curved. Am I wrong? If I'm right, what's a good stand for a non-standard tank shape? I don't think I can just buy any side table the right size, as most of them don't show any weight limits and I'm not going to test them the hard way.

Applebees Appetizer
Jan 23, 2006

So my shrimp disappeared, either the baby tilapia or jewel cichlid are eating them but I don't know which one. I'm thinking the tilapia because it's the aggressive one. It has already killed a killifish and a molly, so i think it's time for it to go back in the pond. The jewel cichlid is doing very well, he doesn't get aggressive at all unless we feed him then he gets a bit defensive about the food but other than that he's fine. Gonna get some more shrimp and see what happens, if it's the cichlid could be we're not feeding him enough. He's pretty healthy tho, nice and plump.

Also wanted to know something about chlorine treatment for water changes.....The smallest measurement in the cap (a tiny amount) is for 20 gallons and my entire tank is 20 gallons.....Will it hurt the fish if I use that much for a third to half change or should I use an eye dropper or something to get the correct tiny amount?

w00tmonger
Mar 9, 2011

F-F-FRIDAY NIGHT MOTHERFUCKERS

Ashcans posted:

I need to find a stand for our aquarium. It's a fluval vista (8.5g) and it has a sort of rounded shape that makes me skeptical it will sit on a standard 20"x10" stand, as all these seem to be based on a straight rectangular footprint where the fluval vista is sort of curved. Am I wrong? If I'm right, what's a good stand for a non-standard tank shape? I don't think I can just buy any side table the right size, as most of them don't show any weight limits and I'm not going to test them the hard way.

8.5 gallons of water is something like 80 lbs on its on. with everything else say 100. its not a massive tank if you wanted to put it on an end table but you'd definitely want a really sturdy one.

Stoca Zola
Jun 28, 2008

Applebees Appetizer posted:


Also wanted to know something about chlorine treatment for water changes.....The smallest measurement in the cap (a tiny amount) is for 20 gallons and my entire tank is 20 gallons.....Will it hurt the fish if I use that much for a third to half change or should I use an eye dropper or something to get the correct tiny amount?

Dechlorinator isn't harmful at the dosages you're looking at there. I kind of eyeball it myself, when I'm doing my pond water.

As a rule if something fits in a fish's mouth there is a good chance they'll try to eat it. Even their own babies, a lot of the time. Aggression doesn't really come into it, it's more an instinct. In a lot of my tanks if a fish near the surface poops, every fish on the way to the bottom will taste test the poop as it goes past in case it's food.

SocketWrench
Jul 8, 2012

by Fritz the Horse

STAC Goat posted:

For the first time since I started this process in January my tank is testing positive for nitrites and nitrates! This is weirdly exciting for me since I could never make this happen with the fishless cycle.

The ammonia's testing a little high so I'm going to do a quick and easy 1/4 water change. The water doesn't look cloudy and they aren't gasping for air but better safe than sorry. But I'm excited something's finally happening.

Just wait till you get giddy about some mundane sounding aquarium thing around your friends
"Hey. Fred. Hey, don't go to the store with Bob. He'll go down the fish aisle and lose it"

I never had much flow in my tank. The filter output was kinda blunted by me taking stoppers and stuff off, having the flow run against the glass, etc. I've been getting a lot of sediment build up on my plants, so I figured I'd set the outflows to run enough current through to "dust" the plants. Jesus, all the fish perked up, even the shrimp are scurrying around faster.
I got a few Kuhli Loaches too and they're killing me with a mix of laughter and paranoia. It's funny as hell watching them try to wedge themselves into the smallest gaps they can, but worrying me whether they'll always be able to scramble back out. One has a little hideout between a few pebbles next to the glass and just wriggles his way down through the substrate till he's all contorted

Applebees Appetizer posted:

So my shrimp disappeared, either the baby tilapia or jewel cichlid are eating them but I don't know which one. I'm thinking the tilapia because it's the aggressive one. It has already killed a killifish and a molly, so i think it's time for it to go back in the pond. The jewel cichlid is doing very well, he doesn't get aggressive at all unless we feed him then he gets a bit defensive about the food but other than that he's fine. Gonna get some more shrimp and see what happens, if it's the cichlid could be we're not feeding him enough. He's pretty healthy tho, nice and plump.

Also wanted to know something about chlorine treatment for water changes.....The smallest measurement in the cap (a tiny amount) is for 20 gallons and my entire tank is 20 gallons.....Will it hurt the fish if I use that much for a third to half change or should I use an eye dropper or something to get the correct tiny amount?

Cichlids of any type are supposed to be no goes for shrimp

SocketWrench fucked around with this message at 11:00 on Aug 1, 2018

Shakenbaker
Nov 14, 2005



Grimey Drawer
I was picking up some shrimp the other day and my local store had a fish that I'd never seen before, rainbow dace. Behold, a stock photo:



The fish looked much better in person but I couldn't find a decent picture.

They get stuck in my head and it turns out these things are actually native to the US. From what I saw of them they behave basically like danios, and their perimeters are about the same too. They won't work in current tank, but for years now I've had dreams of a cold water river setup, and these things look like a no brainer.

Applebees Appetizer
Jan 23, 2006

SocketWrench posted:

Cichlids of any type are supposed to be no goes for shrimp

Ok. Well since there is pretty much a never ending supply of shrimp from the same pond the fish came from I suppose I could use them as food in addition to bloodworms. All I gotta do is run the net through some weeds and I get a dozen shrimp :)

STAC Goat
Mar 12, 2008

Watching you sleep.

Butt first, let's
check the feeds.

One of my goldfish has... what looks like a dark bruise on his gill? It developed overnight as best as I can tell. Its a little tough to tell since in the last couple of days my light kind of broke so now I'm viewing them on a darker setting, but there's definitely a dark discoloration.

Internet suggests ammonia burns but I've been monitoring the tank and the levels have stayed low. My nitrite levels are a little high but I have nitrates now so I was hoping that would resolve itself and create the cycle. I did a 1/3rd water change anyway since its been almost a week since I've done one but the tank seems clean and levels seem low and the fish don't seen to be having any other problems.

I'm gonna go get some aquarium salt and see if the pet store has any ideas. Like generic antibiotics or something? I'm trying not to get too attached to my 30 cent goldfish but its too late for that and I gotta try and not kill them if they all have the bubonic plague.

I've also noticed some slightly pale discoloration in spots but it doesn't look like any of the ich photos or descriptions I've seen. But with this I'm worried I neglected that too easily.

STAC Goat fucked around with this message at 22:26 on Aug 4, 2018

SocketWrench
Jul 8, 2012

by Fritz the Horse
Might just be as simple as overcrowding stress on the fish. If I recall you had a group in a 5 gal. Even if the water's clean they can get stressed just because there's too many in such a small space. I mean keep in mind with 4 goldfish in there that's like less water than your average sized goldfish bowl per fish. And goldfish don't exactly thrive in those bowls.
I'm not gonna call it for sure as this being the problem, is he clamping fins or generally looking depressed/shying away from everything?

STAC Goat
Mar 12, 2008

Watching you sleep.

Butt first, let's
check the feeds.

He's pretty active. He's the fastest and most aggressive of the bunch. He and the other big guy kind of chase each other and swim around together real fast sometimes. My main concern before today was that I might be underfeeding him since he was always really aggressive at feeding time and kind of "dances" at the glass whenever he sees me.

The only one that's seemed at all withdrawn is the littlest guy who's always wandering off by himself. But I've chalked that up to his personality because he feeds and generally seems ok.

I'm probably gonna get a 10 gallon tank this week, if not bigger. I've heard everything people have said and now that the light is busted on this little one it kind of gets me past the "but a lighted hood seems expensive" hurdle.

CrashScreen
Nov 11, 2012

The discolouration is something that can happen to goldfish when they're stressed, to add to what SocketWrench is saying. The oldest one we have lost her colour when she was kept in an untreated tank for a long time, long before I took over care. I definitely recommend aiming for bigger, but even a 10 gallon will still be a big improvement.

I wouldn't worry too much about the aggression and dancing being signs of underfeeding them. While it's true that you could be (there's no harm in giving them a little bit more, so long as you're conscious of the impact that might have on water quality), it's not uncommon for goldfish to be aggressive during the feeding frenzy. I was guilty of overfeeding them at one point, but the two males still competed over the areas that would have most food. Stoca Zola also warned a few posts back in the thread not to trust a goldfish's dance. They like to beg for food even when they've been fed enough. You'll probably see it less if you keep a feeding routine going since goldfish are pretty good at figuring out when they can expect food. Back on the aggression though, I'd pay attention more if they showed any aggression outside of their feeding time. That's typically caused by stress (or breeding). Otherwise, it's probably fine.

e: Also, that "bruise" might still be an ammonia burn. Those tend to show up when the fish is recovering from a burn, so it could be from another day. It could also just simply be from a short spike in ammonia before.

STAC Goat
Mar 12, 2008

Watching you sleep.

Butt first, let's
check the feeds.

Yeah, I was overfeeding them at first and food was settling on the gravel and moss and they were pretty casual about feeding. I cut back a lot and now they go crazy when I feed them and dance at the glass. I assume that's good but I'm also trying to find the balance of like when they're genuinely hungry and need to be fed and when they're just being gluttonous. Like last night when I was going to bed they were chasing each other and picking at gravel and stuff so I thought I should feed them and they didn't seem into it at all. So I just didn't feed them when I got up and they seemed to eat everything and then get excited for an afternoon feeding. Trial and error.

I'll head out to the PetCo tomorrow and see what they have. My little local place just doesn't have much of a selection of anything, especially tanks. Hopefully I can get a good price on a 20 Gallon tank and hood but worst case I'll grab a 10 Gallon that should be able to get me through a few months before I save up and look for a holiday sale or something.

Maybe I'll pick up a single Beta for the 5 Gallon tank or keep it as a "quarantine tank" or something.

STAC Goat fucked around with this message at 00:03 on Aug 5, 2018

CrashScreen
Nov 11, 2012

STAC Goat posted:

Like last night when I was going to bed they were chasing each other and picking at gravel and stuff so I thought I should feed them and they didn't seem into it at all.

So, while I think this one is likely caused by the overcrowding, do you have any idea how old they are? Do any of them have white spots specifically around their gill cover or head?

STAC Goat
Mar 12, 2008

Watching you sleep.

Butt first, let's
check the feeds.

The second biggest one does, yeah. I have two big ones and two small ones. And the two big ones chase each other.

I think I know what you're about to tell me because I've been reading up about this stuff online. I've been looking up on "mating patterns" and "breeding seasons" and trying to figure out how to identify genders. I've been debating unplugging my heater since it seems like goldfish can handle cooler water and they breed in warmer.

SocketWrench
Jul 8, 2012

by Fritz the Horse

STAC Goat posted:

He's pretty active. He's the fastest and most aggressive of the bunch. He and the other big guy kind of chase each other and swim around together real fast sometimes.

Yeah, I'd lean way over to it being overcrowding. While they will play with each other, he might be locked in a state of constantly competing for space and food and like every living thing it eventually wears on it. I've had a Molly that did the same, constantly competing till he finally just got sick and eventually died because his immune system was so worn down (lethargic and fin rot).
Space and hiding spots will solve that though. Even just ask around or check garage sales and stuff. I bought my current 30gal off a coworker for 10 bucks. Heck, hang up a note on a board at work asking if anyone has a tank to sell. Even Ebay has 20 gal starter kits for like 80 bucks so you can get the basics for a larger tank all in one go and upgrade from there if needed.

STAC Goat
Mar 12, 2008

Watching you sleep.

Butt first, let's
check the feeds.

Went to PetCo today. 20 G tanks are $25 so I'm definitely getting that. Probably tomorrow. I'm cleaning space today and getting my poo poo a little better organized. Coming up with a shopping list of what I need. A hood/light. A filter. A heater. Gravel (debated sand but sounds like that's a bigger hassle). Some big decorative pieces so the fish can hide. I'll set it up and transfer my goldfish this week. That's the plan at least.

And I figure I'll funnel the water from the 5 G into the 20 G, transfer the sponge from the filter, and some pieces and the plants to the big tank to try and transfer my cycle/bacteria stuff. It seems like I finally have a "cycle" going so I don't want to waste that.

Then when that's done I'll figure out what I can use my 5 G tank for. Quarantine tank at the worst. Maybe I'll try to grow a few plants in it. Petco had ones that were cheap and looked dinky so might be worth a try. Or maybe a betta. But I don't think I'm doing new fish for another few weeks until after I'm sure by goldfish aren't dead.

I picked up some Aquarium salt and added it just to add a little protection if there's a virus or something in my tank. Tide them over until the transfer.

Sorry for telling you guys every step of my way if its become bothersome to have the clueless beginner asking dumb questions and acting like I'm discovering new stuff. I've just found your guys' insights and advice invaluable and I always work better when I'm thinking out loud and have a sounding board.

STAC Goat fucked around with this message at 20:51 on Aug 5, 2018

CrashScreen
Nov 11, 2012

I can guarantee you that nobody has an issue with you sharing everything and asking questions. I haven't even been in the hobby for a year yet, so I certainly can't take much issue with it, but it's part of the fun with the thread.

w00tmonger
Mar 9, 2011

F-F-FRIDAY NIGHT MOTHERFUCKERS

STAC Goat posted:

Went to PetCo today. 20 G tanks are $25 so I'm definitely getting that. Probably tomorrow. I'm cleaning space today and getting my poo poo a little better organized. Coming up with a shopping list of what I need. A hood/light. A filter. A heater. Gravel (debated sand but sounds like that's a bigger hassle). Some big decorative pieces so the fish can hide. I'll set it up and transfer my goldfish this week. That's the plan at least.

And I figure I'll funnel the water from the 5 G into the 20 G, transfer the sponge from the filter, and some pieces and the plants to the big tank to try and transfer my cycle/bacteria stuff. It seems like I finally have a "cycle" going so I don't want to waste that.

Then when that's done I'll figure out what I can use my 5 G tank for. Quarantine tank at the worst. Maybe I'll try to grow a few plants in it. Petco had ones that were cheap and looked dinky so might be worth a try. Or maybe a betta. But I don't think I'm doing new fish for another few weeks until after I'm sure by goldfish aren't dead.

I picked up some Aquarium salt and added it just to add a little protection if there's a virus or something in my tank. Tide them over until the transfer.

Sorry for telling you guys every step of my way if its become bothersome to have the clueless beginner asking dumb questions and acting like I'm discovering new stuff. I've just found your guys' insights and advice invaluable and I always work better when I'm thinking out loud and have a sounding board.

Get 1 tank well and sorted before you jump into a second. It would suck to be burnt out starting up 2 tanks at the same time. Getting a handle on the first will set you up for the second better though so definitely hold onto it

Stoca Zola
Jun 28, 2008

I agree but I also think the one tank to get started on and sorted should be the 20g. Oh, actually maybe that’s what you’re saying too? It wouldn’t hurt to try some easy plants in the 5g though.

STAC Goat
Mar 12, 2008

Watching you sleep.

Butt first, let's
check the feeds.

I must have spoken confusingly because I'm not setting up 2 new tanks, just 1.

The 5G is the one I have right now that seems to by cycling and staying clean but is too small for the goldfish. It has 4 goldfish, a bunch of moss balls, and a small anubias plant on some driftwood, along with some plastic plants and rocks. As discussed its clearly too crowded and causing my guys problems.

So I'm gonna buy a 20G tank this week and and set it up with gravel, water, filter, heater, thermostat, a couple of hiding places, and stress conditioner salt stuff. Transfer the anubias and moss balls and a couple of the plastic decorations to try and carry over the cycle. Take the sponge out of the filter in 5G and put it in the 20G one (and put a new one in the 5G). Following the suggestions you guys made when I first was setting up the 5G and said I should try and get ahold of stuff from an established tank. Then I'll move the goldfish.

After that I'm just wondering to do with the 5G and I'm thinking plants might be a safe experimentation for it until I'm ready for new fish (which I'm not thinking about at all until the goldfish have been settled at least into the fall or so). After that I might use the 5G as a quarantine tank for new fish or transfer the plants if they worked out. Use the 5G as kind of a halfway house for stuff. I just want to make use of it. I was even debating invertebrates or a reptile or something but I definitely don't want to do another new pet I know nothing about right now.

I won't even think of a 3rd tank until the winter when maybe I hint to friends and family what I'd really like for Christmas.

STAC Goat fucked around with this message at 01:47 on Aug 6, 2018

SocketWrench
Jul 8, 2012

by Fritz the Horse

STAC Goat posted:

Went to PetCo today. 20 G tanks are $25 so I'm definitely getting that. Probably tomorrow. I'm cleaning space today and getting my poo poo a little better organized. Coming up with a shopping list of what I need. A hood/light. A filter. A heater. Gravel (debated sand but sounds like that's a bigger hassle). Some big decorative pieces so the fish can hide. I'll set it up and transfer my goldfish this week. That's the plan at least.

And I figure I'll funnel the water from the 5 G into the 20 G, transfer the sponge from the filter, and some pieces and the plants to the big tank to try and transfer my cycle/bacteria stuff. It seems like I finally have a "cycle" going so I don't want to waste that.

Then when that's done I'll figure out what I can use my 5 G tank for. Quarantine tank at the worst. Maybe I'll try to grow a few plants in it. Petco had ones that were cheap and looked dinky so might be worth a try. Or maybe a betta. But I don't think I'm doing new fish for another few weeks until after I'm sure by goldfish aren't dead.

I picked up some Aquarium salt and added it just to add a little protection if there's a virus or something in my tank. Tide them over until the transfer.

Sorry for telling you guys every step of my way if its become bothersome to have the clueless beginner asking dumb questions and acting like I'm discovering new stuff. I've just found your guys' insights and advice invaluable and I always work better when I'm thinking out loud and have a sounding board.

Oh, very congrats on finding that tank and cheap. Your fish are gonna be really happy and now you're gonna have something to dump time into, heh

STAC Goat posted:

I was even debating invertebrates or a reptile or something but I definitely don't want to do another new pet I know nothing about right now.

Dump some shrimp in there. They're pretty much maintenance free (since they normally are the maintenance), especially if there's live plants in there. An algae wafer every now and then and once those guys get established they'll hypnotize you with their shrimpy ways and keep you glued to the tank. The only real thing to think on is adding a few new shrimp every year or so to keep the gene pool full. Eventually the shrimp will just inbreed till sterile otherwise

SocketWrench fucked around with this message at 04:21 on Aug 6, 2018

STAC Goat
Mar 12, 2008

Watching you sleep.

Butt first, let's
check the feeds.

Bad news, the fish with the black spot now has black on his fins. Things looking rough for him.

Good news, I bought my 20 G tank and set it up. I ended up spending more than I wanted but still an acceptable amount. Water's cloudy but I treated the water with 4x the treatment and have the filter running (a 40G one) so hopefully it clears it up.

Should I move the big guy to the big tank alone in case its a disease? Or move the 3 smaller ones and leave him alone in the 5G? Or just move them all together? Internet keeps telling me ammonia burns so I guess all I can do is water changes and move him to the big tank when it seems clean and reads for no ammonia? I feel really bad about the guy and just don't want the rest to get hurt, but if its ammonia/stress I guess its just a matter of moving then ASAP?

Stoca Zola
Jun 28, 2008

To stop the ammonia burns from getting worse, the fish needs to be in clean water with a larger amount of dilution and enough water changes so that ammonia doesn’t build up. My brief reading suggests that black patches could be the burns healing, but also goldfish pigmentation can change so sometimes black patches aren’t ammonia burns. One fish in 5 gallons is about the same as 4 fish in 20 gallons and you’ll still need to change water on both tanks if you keep fish in both tanks. I’d lean towards putting them all in the bigger tank just so you can concentrate on one thing at a time, and I’d also get a floating plant like water lettuce to help consume ammonia. I’d not recommend duck weed even though it’s a plant that consumes ammonia directly as I think the goldfish would eat it which defeats the purpose a bit and as well as that duckweed is fishtank herpes and I wouldn’t wish that on a new aquarist! Hornwort is another “floating” plant that can chew up fish wastes and help smooth out spikes when you’re trying to cycle a new tank. I’m putting it in quotes because it doesn’t have roots and it doesn’t sit on the surface but it should be fine just plopped in a tank no further preparation required.

Seeing black burn marks on only one fish does make me wonder if it’s not just pigmentation changes on that one fish, do you have any pictures? It is still possible that you’re seeing ammonia burns because I know when I’ve had nitrates build up too much in my rosy barb tank usually only one or two of them show any symptoms and there doesn’t seem to be much rhyme or reason to it.

Cowslips Warren
Oct 29, 2005

What use had they for tricks and cunning, living in the enemy's warren and paying his price?

Grimey Drawer
My friend just lost his ranchu. He's heartbroken and I can't figure out what happened, unless it was a swim bladder infection. 30 gallon tank, planted heavily, 1 goldfish, several endler's, and 4 bristlenose pleco juvies. Water changes once a week (I told him to do every other day).

Friday the goldie had a large red blotch on his side. Then some black dots. Water change daily, all other fish fine. But goldie started floating Sunday night, having problems with buoyancy, the red blotch getting smaller. Monday morning he was dead, and floating. And still floating Monday afternoon in another tank.

Other fish remain fine.

Stoca Zola
Jun 28, 2008

I wrote a longer reply but a crash ate it, so the short version is maybe he ate a non food object, which caused an intestinal blockage, which caused an internal bacterial infection (the red patch) and a build up of gasses from the bacteria (the floating). It’s the only thing I can think of that would affect only one fish and kill that quickly.

STAC Goat
Mar 12, 2008

Watching you sleep.

Butt first, let's
check the feeds.

Stoca Zola posted:


Seeing black burn marks on only one fish does make me wonder if it’s not just pigmentation changes on that one fish, do you have any pictures? It is still possible that you’re seeing ammonia burns because I know when I’ve had nitrates build up too much in my rosy barb tank usually only one or two of them show any symptoms and there doesn’t seem to be much rhyme or reason to it.

Here's the guy in his new home. It looks much more like "burns"/illness to me then any kind of natural pigmentation change.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjXzGhvSl2s

He's the biggest so maybe it just affected him quicker or something? I'll check the tank and make a water change tomorrow when I get up and keep at it daily until I see some kind of changes. But hopefully the bigger tank helps.

My new filter doesn't make many bubbles so I might get one of those pumps.

Cowslips Warren
Oct 29, 2005

What use had they for tricks and cunning, living in the enemy's warren and paying his price?

Grimey Drawer

Stoca Zola posted:

I wrote a longer reply but a crash ate it, so the short version is maybe he ate a non food object, which caused an intestinal blockage, which caused an internal bacterial infection (the red patch) and a build up of gasses from the bacteria (the floating). It’s the only thing I can think of that would affect only one fish and kill that quickly.

I just wonder what it was. He was on sand, no gravel, nothing he could mouth that would block him up.

SocketWrench
Jul 8, 2012

by Fritz the Horse
^ may have just been a large amount of sand while he was foraging. Same deal as feeding goldfish on the surface, they can develop issues from swallowing air, but it's kind of a such and such percent chance and in this case it just happened to hit the (un)lucky number

STAC Goat posted:

Here's the guy in his new home. It looks much more like "burns"/illness to me then any kind of natural pigmentation change.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjXzGhvSl2s

He's the biggest so maybe it just affected him quicker or something? I'll check the tank and make a water change tomorrow when I get up and keep at it daily until I see some kind of changes. But hopefully the bigger tank helps.

My new filter doesn't make many bubbles so I might get one of those pumps.

Those guys are beautiful....they look like miniature golden comets.
Don't worry too much about air pumps. The gas exchanges take place unnoticed on the surface. As long as your filter is running it should keep the water circulating

SocketWrench fucked around with this message at 09:45 on Aug 8, 2018

CrashScreen
Nov 11, 2012

STAC Goat posted:

Here's the guy in his new home. It looks much more like "burns"/illness to me then any kind of natural pigmentation change.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjXzGhvSl2s

He's the biggest so maybe it just affected him quicker or something? I'll check the tank and make a water change tomorrow when I get up and keep at it daily until I see some kind of changes. But hopefully the bigger tank helps.

My new filter doesn't make many bubbles so I might get one of those pumps.

That new home will help a lot. You'll find it a lot easier to keep the ammonia under control, that's for sure, but keep up on the regular water changes since you'll be cycling it for a while. I'm also going to second Stoca Zola's comment about water lettuce. It helps a lot, and the goldfish love it too (but not so much that they'll devour it as quickly as duck weed--our duck weed lasted like two days).

Also, they look great, and it'd be really nice to hear about how well they're thriving in the future.

r0ck0
Sep 12, 2004
r0ck0s p0zt m0d3rn lyf
Here's a video of my scarlet badis with a black worm.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyQt65OVmA8

Stoca Zola
Jun 28, 2008

I am laughing so hard at that little dude, he looks positively offended by that worm!

edit: I love the way he turns his back on it, stares at it when it hasn't gone away, then glares up at the camera.

Stoca Zola fucked around with this message at 18:28 on Aug 8, 2018

Shakenbaker
Nov 14, 2005



Grimey Drawer
I think my parrot's feather experiment is going well:



I pruned these plants down to the top of the refugium two and a half weeks ago. Eat poo poo, nitrates :hellyeah:

Thinking about making a compost bin because between this and the dwarf water lettuce I'm doing a fair bit of pruning.

Mozi
Apr 4, 2004

Forms change so fast
Time is moving past
Memory is smoke
Gonna get wider when I die
Nap Ghost
I think my nano tank has turned out rather well! Has about 40 shrimp in there you can't see...



That said... :getin:

STAC Goat
Mar 12, 2008

Watching you sleep.

Butt first, let's
check the feeds.

That tank looks awesome and is the kind of thing I'm hoping to do with mine. I think I'm going to head back to Petco this week and pick up 4 plants, 2 for each tank. I also might switch one of the small rocks in my big tank into the small tank and see if I can find a bigger rock like you have. My tank is so tall that it feels kind of empty. Plants and a bigger rock might change that.



In case anyone cares my big tank seems to be going well. I've been regularly monitoring and the ammonia levels have stayed low. I've been doing regular water changes but it barely even seems like it needs it. You guys were clearly right about the bigger tank and filter making it much cleaner. I'll keep at the daily tests and changes for awhile still to make sure. And the black marks on the one fish are beginning to fade while none of the rest are showing any bad signs. In fact they all seem to have gotten used to their new home and are enjoying it more, really swimming fast and wild around it.

SocketWrench
Jul 8, 2012

by Fritz the Horse

STAC Goat posted:

That tank looks awesome and is the kind of thing I'm hoping to do with mine. I think I'm going to head back to Petco this week and pick up 4 plants, 2 for each tank. I also might switch one of the small rocks in my big tank into the small tank and see if I can find a bigger rock like you have. My tank is so tall that it feels kind of empty. Plants and a bigger rock might change that.



In case anyone cares my big tank seems to be going well. I've been regularly monitoring and the ammonia levels have stayed low. I've been doing regular water changes but it barely even seems like it needs it. You guys were clearly right about the bigger tank and filter making it much cleaner. I'll keep at the daily tests and changes for awhile still to make sure. And the black marks on the one fish are beginning to fade while none of the rest are showing any bad signs. In fact they all seem to have gotten used to their new home and are enjoying it more, really swimming fast and wild around it.

That is awesome. They look like they're happier in there.

Just don't fall into the trap I have just this week. Yeah, I broke down and bought one of those 5 gal kits with the aim of dropping a Betta in there at some point. It's just gravel and a mix of fresh and the other tank water for now with some of the substrate dropped in the filter to get the cycle going. I think I'll move some of my baby java ferns over and plant some dwarf hairgrass

Stoca Zola
Jun 28, 2008


Awesome! I was looking at that stuff for building up terraces or something in one of my tanks but in typical style couldn’t find anywhere that would post it here or let me buy it in small amounts. Everything ends up being a massive compromise for me between what I want vs what I can actually get. I’m keen to see how it looks when you’re done, how are you planning to stock this tank? I think anything planted on or near that stuff would love getting its roots completely tangled up in it.

Someone locally is selling a 33g which is the same as a tank I already own, I know it fits on the rack I already have and I’m super torn about buying it and getting rid of 2 15g to make room for it. The inbuilt filter in the hood is nice and big, but the inbuilt light is pure garbage. But probably ideal for doing a sand and driftwood biotope type tank, there are plenty of fish from environments that just don’t have submerged plants. Decisions, decisions! Actually just thinking, the 33g would be a good temporary tank to move my “good” guppies into so that I can empty out their current tank, throw away the desk they’re on and put a proper stand in so I can get better use of the space.

My big tank is recovering from a new-tank algae situation due to the addition of good old pond snails. While the loaches gobble every rams horn they see, they leave the bladder snails alone so my anubias leaves are slowly being uncovered, the glass is being cleaned a little too. I’m also lightly dosing daily ferts now and I found my DIY CO2 set up and have that slowly trickling in. The tank is big enough that it will never hurt my fish, I had it running on a smaller tank and that possibility always worried me. Every plant seems happier now, even the moss has started making bright green shoots. This tank has the strongest lighting of any of my tanks and it’s the only tank I have ever had huge algae problems with. It’s all about getting the balance right, I think you really don’t need super bright lights or expensive soil if you are sticking to the basic low light low care plants. Some of my most successful plant overgrowths are in plain sand tanks with cheap eBay RGB led lights, I put plant cuttings in and get a vigorous mat of floating plant growth at the surface which the cory fry growing out seem to love hiding under.

STAC goat I’m glad your goldies are doing well in their new tank and things are starting to go smoothly for you!

Mozi
Apr 4, 2004

Forms change so fast
Time is moving past
Memory is smoke
Gonna get wider when I die
Nap Ghost

Stoca Zola posted:

Awesome! I was looking at that stuff for building up terraces or something in one of my tanks but in typical style couldn’t find anywhere that would post it here or let me buy it in small amounts. Everything ends up being a massive compromise for me between what I want vs what I can actually get. I’m keen to see how it looks when you’re done, how are you planning to stock this tank? I think anything planted on or near that stuff would love getting its roots completely tangled up in it.

Yeah, it was really hard to find, I bought it from Amazon here here and here. These are good but they are so thick and hard I can't cut them to change the dimensions, which is rather limiting. Might be able to get through them with a jigsaw, now that I think about it.

Anyways, here's what happened next!







The front is black sand and the back is Amazonia over an inch of my own soil. Pumice was used to fill up the scaffolding. I'll be planting cryptocorne parva for most of the back, with in the very back and wendtii around the filter. Anubias nana petite will be attached all over the cholla wood, buce and moss will be used to cover up the exposed scaffolding and I'll put some moss (fissidens, probably) up in the trees.

I'll have to see how the pH turns out after it's cycled, but I'll be stocking it with some form of dwarf shrimp, snails, a vampire shrimp, some otos, a dozen or so panda or pygmy corys, and finally either a school of chili rasboras or dwarf platys.

I'm quite excited!

Mozi fucked around with this message at 22:13 on Aug 11, 2018

STAC Goat
Mar 12, 2008

Watching you sleep.

Butt first, let's
check the feeds.

Oh wow. THAT's how you guys get those cool rear end looking tanks? You're arts and crafts terra forming wizards.

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Mozi
Apr 4, 2004

Forms change so fast
Time is moving past
Memory is smoke
Gonna get wider when I die
Nap Ghost
I hope this is how I get a cool looking tank, this is only my second one. But I have watched a lot of Youtube!

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