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We'll be moving the goldfish into a 350 litre tank (about 93 US gallons), so we've decided to pick up two more goldfish. They're currently nice and comfy in our 64 litre tank (17 US gallons). I've gotten so used to our older goldfish that I forgot how small they can be. It's hard to believe the other three would have been that size within the past year. They're certainly an interesting pair, and not even two inches in size. Once they're a bit bigger (and won't fit into Blueberry's mouth) we'll be putting them into the 350 litre. After that, I think the next big move for any of the fish would be a pond, unless we get somewhere with a ground floor.  It didn't take my partner long to settle on names. This vibrant little one is Goji. He's just super energetic. The speed he snaps up food is pretty impressive.  This one is called River, who has an unfortunate abnormality I didn't spot in the shop. I wouldn't take them back though; I've already kind of bonded. River's face is also pretty adorable when they look at you face-on. This photo makes the abnormality look worse than it is though, but it's the clearest I've got. They're actually in mid-turn in this, so don't look too into the shape.  Basically, the issue is a deformity on the tailfin, and partially on the caudal peduncle. It just curves up a little bit, but it's not as noticeable as I expected it to be when I first noticed. River's bulked up a bit after eating more, but this area is still pretty thin in comparison to the others. It's only a small thing, and they're still fairly mobile, so I guess it's not a problem.  Meanwhile, the older fish just keep getting bigger and it's just incredible comparing their size to Lotus, the older one that once looked like a big goldfish. It's hard to get a photo of them together, since they're always gnawing away at plants in different areas of their current tank, so I snapped this at feeding time. e: I'm going to keep the older tank as quarantine, but this will completely free up the 64 litre. I'll probably look into the recommendations for fish that the thread gave me last year and finally start to fill that with something, though I may just give it to my partner to try her luck at her place and see if she can raise fish in it without complaints this time.
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Sep 7, 2018 20:23
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I'm worried about my beta in the 5G tank with 4 neon tetras. He hides a lot and doesn't seem to get food unless I doll out very deliberate multiple feedings and make sure he gets some after the tetras are all satisfied. My amateur impression is that the tetras are just too fast and active and my beta doesn't compete. When he does he seems to do fine and they don't seem to be fighting or anything, but he just doesn't seem to give it a try much. I'm debating temporarily moving the tetras into my goldfish tank. I know that's ill advised but (a) the tank seems very clean and cycled so I don't think that will be a short term problem, (b) the goldfish aren't big enough to see the tetras as food, I don't think, and (c) I figure I can get a heater with a thermostat I set around 70 that they can both live with. long term it might not be the best idea, especially since my goldfish keep getting bigger, but short term I might do it and give the beta the full 5G to himself and see if his behavior changes. Then if he seems better maybe I'll looking into some smaller/slower fish to share his home with. I guess its still early though and I should put them in my 3rd tank. I just don't have any of the equipment for that tank and I really don't feel like making another big cash drop right now. I could probably skip a light and just cover the tank in cellophane or something. I dunno. I'm just very curious to see if they get along with my goldfish. I'm still really focused on trying to find fulltime housemates for the goldfish. One fish store guy suggested zebra dannios but they looked like very tasty snack size for my big goldfish. Another fish store guy suggested a pleco or two but the internet suggests they might try and eat the slimy coat off the goldfish (pet store guy didn't think that would be a problem). Another pet store guy said he was keeping guppies with goldfish and they were fine but they really looked snack size and his goldfish were different/smaller than mine. I kind of wish I could find the same pet store guy. Somehow I've had conversations with like 20 different people in 3 different stores and only once have seen the same guy twice. And they all give different advice. I nearly bought this really cool black telescope goldfish but he was a tad pricey ($25, not expensive but enough for me to hesitate on a whim). Internet suggests he might be too slow to compete with food with my fast guys, but I feel like my tank is big enough I could get around that. Internet also suggests sharp objects could be a problem with his eyes and I have a bunch of rocks and plants that make me more worried. I'm debating it because I really liked him and think he'd look great in my tank. But I don't want to blind the poor guy. I'm gonna do a water change on the 5 G tomorrow so I'll finally get around to some pictures to share with you guys. My goldfish are gorgeous, growing, and happy and I really am in love with my beta and don't want to see him suffer.
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Sep 8, 2018 03:00
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Just from reading this stuff a lot the last week, Betas need 75-80F not 70, and they're supposed to be by themselves unless you get a tank like 10g or larger. Where did you read otherwise?
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Sep 8, 2018 06:33
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Driftwood in Korea was so cheap.
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Sep 8, 2018 06:39
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VelociBacon posted:Just from reading this stuff a lot the last week, Betas need 75-80F not 70, and they're supposed to be by themselves unless you get a tank like 10g or larger. Where did you read otherwise? The plan is to get the beta alone in the 5G tank that can stay up at 78. Thinking of moving the (4) tetras to the 20G (4) goldfish tank. Internet seems to say their range is 70-80 so they seem more capable of going in. But I should have said 75, not 70. The goldfish are already around 68 without a heater. It seems from the internet that they can handle a little warmer so I was thinking around the 75 mark. Like I said, I have a 10G I can use if it doesn't seem ok but its not set up right now, I'm a little low on cash, the goldfish tank seems well cycled, and I've been curious to see how they play with others. I should probably figure out exactly what kind of fish the tetras are, though. Even though they were all labeled "neon tetras" in the store there's 2 green and 2 red and they're definitely different fish (and not what the internet shows me when i google "neon tetra"). So I don't know if they have different needs. I'll do my best to figure it out before I make the move. edit: A little research says they're "Glofish Tetras" and like 72-80 and can handle as low as 64. So I think its doable. I guess my main concern would be... are my "goldfish flakes" and "tropical fish flakes" interchangeable or do I need some more balanced option? STAC Goat fucked around with this message at 07:31 on Sep 8, 2018 |
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Sep 8, 2018 07:20
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You might have got green neons and regular neons (paracheirodon simulans vs paracheirodon innesi) and they have very similar needs, although simulans can handle it much warmer. Can you feed your betta bloodworms via tweezers or similar? Also something like a Sera o-nip tab on the glass might distract the tetras enough to let the betta eat. For only 4 fish you’d probably only need a quarter of a tablet. You absolutely don’t have room for a pleco in your goldfish tank, they’re far too messy and get fairly big. Same with the other common goldfish tank mate the dojo loach but these might work in a future, much larger tank. If you really want a community with your goldfish, stick to the smaller cool water fish like white cloud minnows and zebra danios, they’re usually fast enough to avoid being eaten and if you have floating food for them and sinking for your goldfish you’ll avoid feeding issues. But try not to crowd your tank too much! I think four neons in with goldfish would probably be terrified, and you don’t want to compromise your goldfish by warming them up too much. It MIGHT work temporarily though, and ideally right now you want to get your betta situation sorted. Tetras in my experience get along much better in schools of 8-10 or more. I’d be looking at that third tank for what the minimum would be to get it going. Lights are more for plants and the viewer than for fish. So filter and heater? A cheap sponge filter could be seeded in one of your existing tanks and moved over to the third tank and it’s always useful to have a seeded sponge ready just in case. Just saw your post about flakes: the thing with fish food flakes is if they aren’t eaten fairly quickly after hitting the water, all the nutrients soak out of them. Pelleted food holds its nutrition for longer so then it’s just a matter of getting the right size pellets for your fish’s mouth, and floating or sinking depending on the habits of the fish. On the whole the main thing to look for is how much protein vs how much plant matter is in the food, goldfish probably should be fed more plant matter and tetras are usually more carnivorous, and it shouldn’t matter if you’re feeding them a variety of dried and frozen food anyway since you should cover all your nutritional bases that way. If you want to feed just one staple food, you’ve got to read the labels and pick a good suitable one. Stoca Zola fucked around with this message at 07:49 on Sep 8, 2018 |
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Sep 8, 2018 07:44
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Stoca Zola posted:
This is never an issue with my tetras. Even with all the frogbit (and that goddamned tag along duckweed) floating around as soon as the flakes touch the water it's a giant feeding frenzy. Every now and then I throw in some pellets but they are rarely eaten by the tetras. So the shrimp and loaches get'em. The twig catfish just.....does his thing, I guess. Occasionally he'll shuffle along an uplift tube, but most of the time just sticks to a bamboo stalk
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Sep 8, 2018 14:45
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Stoca Zola posted:You might have got green neons and regular neons (paracheirodon simulans vs paracheirodon innesi) and they have very similar needs, although simulans can handle it much warmer. Can you feed your betta bloodworms via tweezers or similar? Also something like a Sera o-nip tab on the glass might distract the tetras enough to let the betta eat. For only 4 fish you’d probably only need a quarter of a tablet. I probably have to educate myself about feeding more. When I got the goldfish I was all "what do they eat?" and they sold me a $4 thing of "goldfish flakes." When I got the tetras and beta I was all "Can they eat the same stuff?" and they sold me a $5 thing of "tropical fish flakes" he said his community tank of beta, tetras, and a frog all eat. On a whim I bought a small thing of freeze dried shrimp brine and I've been giving them as treats a few times since. So I'm really just kind of winging it. I should definitely do the proper resource and figure this out. Stoca Zola posted:You absolutely don’t have room for a pleco in your goldfish tank, they’re far too messy and get fairly big. Same with the other common goldfish tank mate the dojo loach but these might work in a future, much larger tank. If you really want a community with your goldfish, stick to the smaller cool water fish like white cloud minnows and zebra danios, they’re usually fast enough to avoid being eaten and if you have floating food for them and sinking for your goldfish you’ll avoid feeding issues. But try not to crowd your tank too much! I think four neons in with goldfish would probably be terrified, and you don’t want to compromise your goldfish by warming them up too much. It MIGHT work temporarily though, and ideally right now you want to get your betta situation sorted. Tetras in my experience get along much better in schools of 8-10 or more. I’d be looking at that third tank for what the minimum would be to get it going. Lights are more for plants and the viewer than for fish. So filter and heater? A cheap sponge filter could be seeded in one of your existing tanks and moved over to the third tank and it’s always useful to have a seeded sponge ready just in case. For now the tetras are still in the betta tank but I'm fighting the urge to move them as I speak. Basically I just want to make sure I can watch them for a few hours incase anything happens. And I should probably order a heater for either the goldifsh tank or the 10G safety net tank just incase. For now here's some poorly shot videos and pictures of them. The betta actually fed a little with the tetras during this filming, which is different. Not a lot but a little.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUVRt_OmA98 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQ5teCn2xi4 I added that dollar store potter in a couple of days ago to give the betta a place to hide and he seems to like it to get some relief from the other guys. edit: Ok, according to this video my "Glofish" are variations of "White Skirt Tetras." At least now I can look up actual specifics on care. Sounds like basically the same I was reading. Schools of 5+ preferred, 75-80 ideal, I should look for an app to keep track of this stuff or something... STAC Goat fucked around with this message at 23:22 on Sep 8, 2018 |
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Sep 8, 2018 23:08
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Heh, yeah, those things look nothing like neons. No wonder your betta doesn't eat, he's probably scared of them because they're as big as he is and quicker
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Sep 9, 2018 05:01
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Betas are pretty much a solo fish until you get a larger setup, and even then it's a bit up in the air what will work with it
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Sep 9, 2018 05:17
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I think the decision has been made that the betta is going to inherit that tank for his own for the immediate future. I won't try getting anything else in there until I'm 100% confident about him. Its just a question of whether the tetras move to the goldfish tank on a probational period or if i go and establish my third tank in 3 months. I just know if I do that I'll be all "Now I need more tetras so they can school in their tank and I can still get that black moor for the goldfish and I wonder which of them would like shrimp the most? And what about those tiny frogs?" Because I have to force myself to stop at some point.
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Sep 9, 2018 05:27
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I’ve got a google docs spreadsheet which I use to track my aquarium info, stuff like TDS and pH (I have gotten extremely lazy with this, too many tanks but I do check every few weeks) and when the water change is due/was done, how much I changed, any major events or changes. I also keep a list of various things I’ve been feeding in case I lose track. There are phone apps and maybe websites too that let you do many of these things but to get everything all in one place the spreadsheet was the easiest thing for me. Since they’re glofish white skirts a lot of my neon tetra advice doesn’t apply, they’re a fairly hardy fish so they will probably do better in with your goldfish than neons would. Definitely worth a try. That’s super cool seeing your betta hide in his cave, there’s nothing worse than adding something for your fish and then having them all avoid it like the plague or outright try to hide from it. I’m glad he likes it.
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Sep 9, 2018 05:42
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STAC Goat posted:I think the decision has been made that the betta is going to inherit that tank for his own for the immediate future. I won't try getting anything else in there until I'm 100% confident about him. you absolutely dont have to stop yourself at any point. in regards to bettas, my betta splendens lived in a variety of tanks at a variety of times and he was happiest in a heavily planted 20g with a few maculata and shrimp for him to harass occasionally (i probably ended up spending 300-400 on that 4 dollar fish) i also found a pair of imbellis betta (which i have been trying to find for about 2 years) and broke my number one rule of not impulse buying fish. they are however having a ball in my 35g planted endler/shrimp tank (and will hopefully prevent a frysplosion).
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Sep 9, 2018 06:31
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STAC Goat posted:I think the decision has been made that the betta is going to inherit that tank for his own for the immediate future. I won't try getting anything else in there until I'm 100% confident about him. You were warned about this
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Sep 9, 2018 14:17
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SocketWrench posted:You were warned about this big dong wanter posted:you absolutely dont have to stop yourself at any point. I think it really is worth getting a few extra tanks to keep fish, frogs or inverts in an environment that suits them and you get the rewarding experience of watching them living happy lives. It's much better than trying to throw everything into a big mismatched community (or worse, a small mismatched community). The issue I can see on the horizon for STACgoat is that the goldfish will need a bigger tank sooner rather than later, I'm thinking within a year or so which is soon relatively speaking since they could live for 10-15 years. If you do get a third tank it might be worth saving up for that one and then you'll have that 20g free that you can have tetras and other things in fairly comfortably. The alternative is to keep buying more tanks as you want/need them until you physically fill your home with them or run out of time to keep up with maintenance and water changes on them. I thought I was bad with 20 tanks projected by the end of this year, but LR Bretz from youtube has managed to fit 200+ tanks into his house - I think turning it into a business and breeding shrimp and fish was a secondary outcome of his tank addiction.
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Sep 9, 2018 17:07
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So my son went to catch some more shrimp for the tank and also caught a giant snail that he put in the tank, is this bad or ok?
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Sep 9, 2018 18:22
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Stoca Zola posted:I think it really is worth getting a few extra tanks to keep fish, frogs or inverts in an environment that suits them and you get the rewarding experience of watching them living happy lives. It's much better than trying to throw everything into a big mismatched community (or worse, a small mismatched community). The issue I can see on the horizon for STACgoat is that the goldfish will need a bigger tank sooner rather than later, I'm thinking within a year or so which is soon relatively speaking since they could live for 10-15 years. If you do get a third tank it might be worth saving up for that one and then you'll have that 20g free that you can have tetras and other things in fairly comfortably. Hoarders but for fishes
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Sep 9, 2018 18:27
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Applebees Appetizer posted:So my son went to catch some more shrimp for the tank and also caught a giant snail that he put in the tank, is this bad or ok? Good chance of getting parasites when you wild catch.
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Sep 9, 2018 20:00
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SocketWrench posted:Hoarders but for fishes My Mom teased me about becoming a hoarder with three tanks. I laughed and told her she could be concerned if I got into the teens.
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Sep 9, 2018 20:36
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Cowslips Warren posted:Good chance of getting parasites when you wild catch. 3/4 of the tank is wild with fish, shrimp and plants. I'm more worried about it destroying everything or having a thousand babies. It's huge.
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Sep 9, 2018 20:38
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My dumb yard tank has developed scuds  Plus it looks like the sword plants in it are trying to bloom, so that's kinda neat. I'm thinking about scooping some of the scuds out and raising a batch inside, and after a while releasing some into the refugiums I've got going on the back of my tank. Plus free live food for the fish
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Sep 9, 2018 23:45
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Discovered some eggs with black spots in them, so I made a makeshift hatchery in the 64 litre using a net until one arrives. Didn't really expect any eggs to survive this long, but it looks to me like they're ready to hatch or eat their egg or whatever. I'm out of my league at this point so I'm all over those internet guides. I don't know why this is unexpected, but they've been trying to breed for months and this is the first we've actually seen any of the aftermath. The filter had dozens of eggs spilled over the top of it outside the water as well.
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Sep 10, 2018 00:48
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Going to spoiler this just because it's an unhappy read and I don't want to bum anyone out. I came home this weekend and the fish feeder had worked, betta was swimming around as per normal, all good. I went out for dinner with my family who were in town for a wedding and when I came back I went to check on the fish but couldn't see him. I figured he was sleeping under the wood in the tank but when I used the flashlight on my phone to check I saw that he was in the bottom corner of the tank, dead, had gotten himself wedged in between the glass and the wood somehow (in an area I've seen him swim through/around dozens of times). I don't know what happened. I'm devastated and feel partially responsible for possibly creating a dangerous space in the tank without realizing. I wanted to poke my head in to thank the people in the thread who donated their time to help me out with advice over the last few pages. I get too attached to pets to have fish at this point - I'm not going to get another one. I don't know what I'll do with the tank yet.
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Sep 10, 2018 06:22
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 I think you did all the right things, it happens to all of us but that doesn't make it any easier. It won't hurt to keep a tank going in case you ever feel like you're ready to try again, maybe you could put a few ghost shrimp in to keep it bioactive and just let plants grow in it. Stoca Zola fucked around with this message at 08:54 on Sep 10, 2018 |
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Sep 10, 2018 08:24
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Stoca Zola posted:they could live for 10-15 years. Oh no, my goldfish is nine. It never occurred to me to think about their normal lifespans 
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Sep 10, 2018 08:53
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If well cared for some varieties can live to be 30, and the oldest known one was 43! They're not a short term commitment any way you slice it.
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Sep 10, 2018 09:07
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Stoca Zola posted:
Thanks. I'm not really wanting even shrimp at this point because I'll start naming them and dumb poo poo like that. I'll leave the tank going until I figure stuff out.
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Sep 10, 2018 16:54
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My tetras were looking bad today. Really lackadaisical, the tank was cloudy, and one of them seems like he got a chunk of his fin taken away. And one of them has spent the last couple of days just staring at his reflection in the back of the tank like he was having some kind of existential crisis. So I pulled the trigger and started moving everyone like crazy. First impressions, my tetras seem happier in the goldfish tank and the goldfish don't seem to mind them at all. I've already set up the 10 G tank for them and it just needs a hood, light, and heater (and for the dirt to settle down). I'll get that tomorrow and move them but I really like the look of a full tank. I know the goldfish are going to grow and I want to get a few more of the tetras to school, so I can't keep them together. But its reassured me that I want at least 1-2 more fish in my goldfish tank for sure. Either a school of small stuff like dannios or 1-2 big guys like the black moor. The beta is stuck in that lovely hanging thing for now but I'll move him as soon as his old tank settles down and clears up. I swapped the gravel and plants around and it made a mess of the water, but that should clear up in an hour or so. Maybe a little longer because of the lovely filter. For now I threw him a little shrimp in there so he can eat if he needs to. He's been picking at it so hopefully it satisfies him until I can move him back into the 5G. He seems to like the shrimp more than the flakes so I'll keep that in mind. But man, my tetras seem happier and more active than ever (and finally "schooling" a bit, I think) and my tank finally looks like I want it to. Even if I know it will be over by tomorrow. But hopefully they'll be happy in their 10G, the betta in his 5G, I can find something for the goldfish 20G, and then calm down for a minute and save some money and space and not become the fish hoarder I'm becoming. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9chmw0PWCpk STAC Goat fucked around with this message at 01:36 on Sep 11, 2018 |
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Sep 11, 2018 01:31
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Oh, man, I decided to put the betta in the 10G tank with some cellophane over it overnight (and the heater from the 5G tank) and he's just SO happy and active. I've never seen him like this. He's swimming all over the place and not hiding at all. He's been doing nothing but lurking in corners and at the bottom of the tank and in the cup or behind a rock or in plants since I got him. He's a brand new fish. I'm so sorry, Ostara. I'm sorry for torturing you like i did for so long. I'm debating buying another 10G for him and just abandoning the 5G entirely. I'll see how much the hoods/lights cost. Tetras still seem way better in the goldfish tank too, even without a heater. I'm still going to move them to A 10G tank but its amazing how different they're all acting outside the 5G tank. edit: Side note, I feel like even the goldfish are benefiting from this. They spend a lot of time usually just dancing at the glass and trying to get my attention (I assume) or reacting to the tv or something. I've debating getting them a curtain like a parrot. But the presence of guests in their house seems to occupy more of their attention or something. They're not messing with the tetras or anything but its almost like since there's poo poo happening in the tank besides them they're not so easily distracted by poo poo happening outside the tank. I mean, they're still desperately striving for attention and food like usual. Just a little less than normal. STAC Goat fucked around with this message at 03:29 on Sep 11, 2018 |
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Sep 11, 2018 03:11
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STAC Goat posted:But man, my tetras seem happier and more active than ever (and finally "schooling" a bit, I think) and my tank finally looks like I want it to. Even if I know it will be over by tomorrow. But hopefully they'll be happy in their 10G, the betta in his 5G, I can find something for the goldfish 20G, and then calm down for a minute and save some money and space and not become the fish hoarder I'm becoming. Yeah, schooling fish need room to school or they won't. They'll just float in place and ponder what life there is to live. STAC Goat posted:Oh, man, I decided to put the betta in the 10G tank with some cellophane over it overnight (and the heater from the 5G tank) and he's just SO happy and active. I've never seen him like this. He's swimming all over the place and not hiding at all. He's been doing nothing but lurking in corners and at the bottom of the tank and in the cup or behind a rock or in plants since I got him. He's a brand new fish. Well, yeah. You had him crowded into a small tank with those glofish. Now he has space again and lots of it, it's time to explore! VelociBacon posted:Going to spoiler this just because it's an unhappy read and I don't want to bum anyone out. Bah, that sucks man, I'm sorry to hear. That's nature dude. It can happen to anyone. Fish aren't exactly high on the ladder of life when it comes to critical thinking. I lost one of my big shubies because I had Pothos growing in the tank. He's always wriggling through the roots after food, but one day he got caught, panicked and tied himself up in it till he just drowned. On a related but brighter note, my betta finally came for the tank. The water they shipped him in looks like someone squeezed a turd into the bag and shook it first, but he came quick. Shipped on Saturday, showed up today before I left for work. Soon as he hit the water he went around tasting stuff to find food. I left the lights off when I came home so I wouldn't wake him and the other guys, but no, there he was staring me down as I walked in. One question though, I know bettas need to rest at times, my water has really no current except directly under the filter outflow. But I've seen those plastic leaves sold as betta hammocks, do they serve any purpose or are they just more flashy bullshit to sell to over zealous owners? SocketWrench fucked around with this message at 07:29 on Sep 11, 2018 |
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Sep 11, 2018 07:25
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You know what, I really like how these guys look together. The pink, yellow orange and green remind me of kool fruits lollies from my childhood; they're certainly not the neon unnatural horrors glofish are usually portrayed as. They're not natural looking but it's not in a bad way if that makes sense? Like a garden with different coloured tulips or something. I'm glad it's working better for you and your dudes, anyway. A guy posted to a facebook group that I'm in that he is going to bulk order some chili rasboras and was looking for expressions of interest for anyone who also wanted some, I had a quick look around and there really isn't anywhere selling chilis here. It's a fish I've wanted but had kind of given up on ever getting so I put my hand up for some even though I don't have a tank ready. I think I can throw something together though, if I finish breaking down the 15g crayfish tank and redistributing those crays. I bought new tubes for the light fitting and I should have a spare heater somewhere, and I have enough moss and plants in other tanks to get started with. Really not sure what to use for filtration though. I don't want anything too turbulent since they're such little fish. Maybe reuse the big sponge filter from the crays tank, which is driven by an aquael pat mini turned down low? I'll have to try it and see. SocketWrench posted:One question though, I know bettas need to rest at times, my water has really no current except directly under the filter outflow. But I've seen those plastic leaves sold as betta hammocks, do they serve any purpose or are they just more flashy bullshit to sell to over zealous owners? Stoca Zola fucked around with this message at 11:14 on Sep 11, 2018 |
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Sep 11, 2018 11:10
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Oh my god I want some black ranchus but I don't have any tank space for goldies. Also looks like my 4 axolotls are the worst gender combo: 3 males and 1 female. gently caress. The cute thing is when they got the full 55 gallon rather than just half of it, they all clumped in a pile and only one or two would venture to the other side.
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Sep 11, 2018 13:59
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So it's been about a month since I started this planted tank; it's dirt and a sand substrate (Walstad style). I tried not to make the sand too thick, but lately I've looked through the walls of the tank and seen what are clearly 'air' pockets in the soil. I was hoping it was CO2, but I poked the substrate to release some of it and judging by the smell there's no question that it's hydrogen sulfide, and thus the soil has become anaerobic. Is there anything I can do to ensure that the soil stays aerobic and doesn't endanger the livestock(shrimp) in the tank when the bubbles are occasionally released? Do I just have to keep an eye on it and release it manually by poking the substrate?
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Sep 12, 2018 02:00
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I have tried Malaysian trumpet snails to stir the substrate in some of my tanks but they have a maximum depth that they go to (about 3/4”) and for a walsted tank this might not be deep enough. Lots of people poke the substrate with a plastic chopstick to remove gas pockets. You don’t need to stir it up just methodically poke around to release any build up. There are people who claim that the gas can’t and doesn’t hurt anything, since it bubbles up and leaves the tank too quickly, and other people who claim that they’ve seen livestock suddenly drop dead from being in an area where they believe the gas has passed through the water and made the water bad. I don’t know what to believe as I haven’t really had tanks with deep enough substrate to see this sort of thing. I don’t think it can hurt to remove the gas though.
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Sep 12, 2018 02:16
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Is there something I should definitely be doing for my plants in the tanks? Like... they're all alive. There's some browning in leaves and stuff, and the goldfish have a habit to gently caress with things. They uprooted a whole plant last week, but I blame myself for planting them before I had tweezers and just not getting the roots deep enough. But in general I think they're doing okay. There's unquestionable growth as some of my plants are nearly at the top of the tank when they didn't start that way and they're starting to grow a bit around the hardscape (which I loving love). But if I'm honest I never really researched the plant thing. It felt like a whole other project and school to learn when I was already consumed with keeping the fish alive. (And to that extent, yes, I prune the dead leaves so it doesn't mess with the water along with the regular weekly water testing and changes.) I have this bottle of fertilizer the Petco guy said he used. But that's like the full extent of thought I've invested into them.
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Sep 12, 2018 02:33
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That fertiliser covers “micro” nutrients, that is, elements the plants need in only small quantities. You aren’t covering macro nutrients, otherwise known as NPK since it’s pretty much Nitrogen (comes from fish wastes in a fish tank), Phosphorus (maybe comes from fish food) and Potassium(K) which often doesn’t come from anywhere and so plants can start showing deficiencies. Some plants use a lot more K than others, and dosing too much N isn’t ideal for your fish. There are probably a ton of brands of aquarium safe macro fertilisers though, and there are also all in one ferts that cover both micro and macro nutrients in one product. It depends on your plants as some are fine with no extra dosing and get everything they need from fish poop, fish ammonia and nutrients from fish food. Some faster growing plants will still grow but show deficiencies if they aren’t getting what they need. Google image search for “aquarium plant deficiencies” to get a idea of what to be looking for in your own plants.
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Sep 12, 2018 02:52
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Stoca Zola posted:I have tried Malaysian trumpet snails to stir the substrate in some of my tanks but they have a maximum depth that they go to (about 3/4”) and for a walsted tank this might not be deep enough. Lots of people poke the substrate with a plastic chopstick to remove gas pockets. You don’t need to stir it up just methodically poke around to release any build up. There are people who claim that the gas can’t and doesn’t hurt anything, since it bubbles up and leaves the tank too quickly, and other people who claim that they’ve seen livestock suddenly drop dead from being in an area where they believe the gas has passed through the water and made the water bad. I don’t know what to believe as I haven’t really had tanks with deep enough substrate to see this sort of thing. I don’t think it can hurt to remove the gas though. I don't have any MTS (although a friend of mine has a massive infestation and I could certainly get some from her), just bladder snails. Aside from the nasty smell the shrimp all seem fine, so I'll just pay attention to it and poke it occasionally. The only thing I've heard is that my tight glass top might pose an issue because H2S is heavier than air and will just sit on top of the water if there isn't enough air circulation; I have a sponge filter in there but if I see anybody gasping for air I'll be sure to look into it.
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Sep 12, 2018 03:12
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I have some air pockets at the bottom of my first tank, so I just leave them alone and everything is fine. If I was starting from scratch I'd put some trumpet snails in but at this point I'd rather everything just stays where it is. Only risk would be if I pulled up my bigger plants, so not planning on doing that.
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Sep 12, 2018 17:20
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Any Canadians here with crustaceans? We need crayfish (2.5" - 3" long). The instructor wants marbled ones but I think those are regulated or banned? I dunno. I'm having a hell of a time getting any and they seem to be a huge ecological risk. Any crayfish of the required size would do. They don't need to be marbled. I'm having issues sourcing any at all.
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Sep 12, 2018 20:53
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Mak0rz posted:Any Canadians here with crustaceans? We need crayfish (2.5" - 3" long). The instructor wants marbled ones but I think those are regulated or banned? I dunno. I'm having a hell of a time getting any and they seem to be a huge ecological risk. Did you try shrimpfever? It looks like the marbled crayfish are out of stock, but they do have mini blue and mini orange in stock. I dunno, maybe you could write to see when they'll have marbled back in stock. http://www.shrimpfever.com/shop/crayfish-livestock-shrimp/marble-crayfish/ http://www.shrimpfever.com/shop/crayfish-livestock-shrimp/orange-crayfish/ http://www.shrimpfever.com/shop/crayfish-livestock-shrimp/mini-blue-crayfish/
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Sep 12, 2018 22:39
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