New thread → >>2051316
Discuss anything aquarium related here, including inhabitants, decor and issues.
Google is your friend.
Feel free to ask questions but know that there are a lot of resources out there that could answer your question a lot faster and accurately than /an/.
Make sure to include these things in your post before asking because we can't help you if we don't have the full picture:
-tank size
-parameters
-any and all inhabitants + how long you've had them
Links:
>How to cycle your tank: http://pastebin.com/x4WnB0Ah
>General aquarium care sheets - http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/
>Livestock and plants for sale - http://www.liveaquaria.com/ http://www.aquabid.com
>FUCKING GOOGLE - http://www.google.com
First for your substrate is shit
>>2053137
>"Oh, look son! It's an aquatic penis! Better stay away from it, they are incredibly shy, fragile creatures."
![IMG_0121[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/WnGomR1.jpg "IMG_0121[1].jpg")
Reef dump
>>2053140
>when you've been on the foreplay for days and you finally stick it in
![IMG_0106[2].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/Gb5skI4.jpg "IMG_0106[2].jpg")
Zoanthid rock of death. For any that may not know, each of these polyps on this rock contain a toxin called Palytoxin, which is the most deadly organic toxin known to science so far. 1 Gram of each of those polyps is enough to kill over 120 fully grown men.
>>2053148
I rescued .3 mollys from my drug dealer today
>>2053154
And you put that in your fish tank?
Damn son, you have balls.
>>2053148
stfu bait.
>>2053154
Well, the pulsing xenia doesn't contain palytoxin, but the other 8 species on that rock do (probably)
>>2053140
That's not an aquatic penis. This is an aquatic penis.
And this is what you do with an aquatic penis.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txdGMMOlgho&t=158
He's so ugly he's cute
>>2053154
Did you rescue these from petco? :^)
>>2053156
As long as you wash your hands after every time you put your hand in the tank, and most importantly when you touch them, and it's a non issue. Also cant put your hand in the tank if theres a cut on it. I know of a lady who was fragging zoas one day, went home and went to sleep, rubbed her eye during the night, and woke up blind in one eye. She now has a glass eye.
>>2053161
naw, cuz fuck petco. I wish every fish in their tanks would drop dead, not for the sake of the poor fishes, but maybe they'll realize their not the kind of company that should be selling live animals like that. Not that they ever would.. It's just a fantasy of mine. Although nothing pisses me off more when I go to petco and they have a shitty fucking frag rack, with corals that are half covered in cyano and dying.
>>2053162
>I want something in my tank that can kill me
But why
>>2053160
naw, just ugly.
>>2053164
We should start with grocery stores first that sell fish.
>>2053166
No. He's so ugly he's cute :)
>>2053165
a lot of the stuff that goes in marine tanks can kill you or seriously injure you.
>>2053169
None of my shrimp have tried to slit my throat yet m8
>>2053165
Because they're incredibly beautiful. You'd be shocked at the number of things in the average reef that can kill you. Zoa's just happen to be the most deadly. I've gotten sick from not washing my hands (incredibly stupidly) after fragging montiporas, and they're not really even known for being toxic. I assume at this point that just about everything in my reef could kill me, because I know better.
>>2053170
I've had emerald crabs break skin on my fingers. Clownfish aggressively biting my hand to get it out of their territory, and coral make me sick. Pretty sure my tank wants to kill me. But thats why I'll forever hold them prisoner in their glass cage! MUAHAHAHAHAHA
>>2053170
the day aint over.
actually the only dangerous shrimps I know of are thumbsplitters. Worst they'll do is make you get a couple stitches.
Got this boy. They're pretty neat.
>>2053177
is that a ram?
>>2053176
Pretty sure i have one somewhere in my reef. I've heard clicking late at night, and one of my pom poms and emerald crabs have 'mysteriously' died, with cracked shells.
>>2053177
I notice that these started popping up on /aq/ pretty frequently right around the time PetSmart started carrying them.
>>2053181
blue acara, i believe. Not my fish though.
>>2053182
set a trap maybe.
I like them. I like swimming over a reef and hearing them popping like popcorn all around me. Never see them, but you can hear them everywhere.
>>2053185
Also not him, but yeah. Specifically the "electric" blue variety. The wild types are rather less gaudy imo.
>>2053186
Honestly, if i do have one I'll probably just let him grow into adulthood, and keep him as a pet. he appears to be a smasher and not a spearer, since I've never had a fish die, and the only casualty has been the crabs. In my tank, literally anything can eat/kill eachother and I don't care, as long as nothing harms my coral. Once something hurts my corals, its game over.
>>2053188
Wow, thats a beautiful fish. Much prefer the wild type.
>>2053189
I went the other route. I've always liked marine angels more than the corals they like to nibble.
If I have any corals in my tank it's just because my fish don't like to eat that type.
>>2053196
I'm a horticulture student, so I'm just naturally drawn to things that grow and accentuate the landscape. I really only keep fish in my tank so that when a friend comes over and looks at my tank they dont go, 'this is a fish tank right? well where are all the fish?'. The cubicus boxfish will be the first fish I've actually wanted. Hopefully he doesn't nip corals, but i do expect him to eat all my featherdusters, which is unfortunate since I have 7 species, and their absolutely beautiful animals. Cubicus boxfish are just to fuckin cute to ignore.
>>2053184
No. They're pretty new if I remember correctly. Mine came from a local business called fishy business.
I'm interested in building a tank for a zebra moray but I can't get a clear answer on what size tank it needs at its adult size.
I have heard between 150 and 500, but I don't know which of these is close to an educated, right answer.
Any opinions?
>>2053209
A 150 would be fine if he's the only inhabitant. Moray's aren't incredibly active, and don't really need a lot of room. Just be prepared (and I'm sure you are aware of this) to eel proof your tank. They are escape masters, and most of the ones that I've known in captivity have died via floor surfing because of improperly sealed tanks. I think the reason why they want such big tanks for them is because they eat a lot, and their messy eaters so they foul water quickly. Just get a very good skimmer and do frequent small water changes and a smaller tank should be just fine.
>>2053202
I've never had the guts to try a boxfish just cuz of the stories of them wiping out entire tanks with poison.
I don't know if it's true, just never wanted to find out. They are cute as hell though.
>>2053209
also remember to glue your rocks in place, monster fish will knock rocks over and kill themselves or break the tank.
actually so will turbo snails. So it's not a bad idea no matter what you keep.
>>2053219
I've always heard that to. The only times I've heard of that happening is when the fish was new to the tank (like less than 1 month), which to me suggests that the toxin is diet based, and after they leave behind their wild caught diet and switch over to what we feed, the toxin will slowly disappear. That's purely conjecture though, and have absolutely no scientific basis for that, just my personal observations. To that end though, I have my cubicus on hold at my favorite fish store (the people that work there and insanely nice, and we've become friends. The owners wife runs up to me and gives me a hug whenever I walk in, and the other women there gives me free coral like everytime I'm there) But it's chilling in their tanks right now, and by the time I pick it up it'll of been there for about two weeks, so I'm hoping it should be fine. The toxin only effects fish though, so my corals and inverts will be fine if the worst happens, except for the following ammonia/nitrite spike.
>>2053222
speaking of that, does anyone else truly love their LFS? Mine has never given me bad advice, and has always steered me towards making the correct, prudent choice for my reef. They don't have the greatest selection, but they will try very hard to get you whatever species you want. I've never gone in and out of that store without hanging around and talking for at least an hour, with the longest being over 5 hours at this store.
>>2053222
makes sense.
the only stories I've read were of toxins released when the fish died. Either way it seems pretty rare.
>>2053224
and after being a customer for over 8 months, I always get around a 25% discount, and they give me free coral literally every time i walk out of that place. Half the time they dont even tell me, and i get home and find a shroom or a zoa colony in my bag.
>>2053225
Worth the risk IMO, especially if you run carbon. I run 4x the amount of carbon thats typically suggested for a reef my size solely to cut down on allelopathy from being a mixed reef. Growth rate was pretty slow before I ran 1lb of carbon, but after two months of doing that my corals have exploded.
>>2053228
I take it you don't subscribe to the view that carbon microparticles play a role in bleaching then?
are you running active or passive? I usually have a sock of carbon sitting in my sump, but I'm not running water through it.
>>2053188
The wild types are boring looking.
>>2053202
Are going to rescue him from petco? :^)
>>2053188
Electric blue are a natural color morph and found in the wild as well
>>2053229
>I take it you don't subscribe to the view that carbon microparticles play a role in bleaching then?
No not really. I just use high quality carbon and wash it thoroughly. I keep it in a sock in my sump, but the water does have to pass directly through the carbon.
It may be worth noting that you shouldn't take any advice from me as far as maintaining a reef goes. I've never once seen someone operate a reef the way I do mine, and while I've haven't a single casualty (not including deaths from aggressive hitchhikers, which I've had two of those deaths, but I don't really count them because that's pretty well beyond my control) in the 8 months I've run this mixed reef, I'm afraid if someone tried to do it the way I do they would crash and burn quickly. That being said, my growth rates are off the charts, and everything is perfectly happy and healthy, and most importantly, I haven't killed any precious coral.
>>2053232
hehe, no. I wouldn't ever dare put a fish from petco into my reef. I'm a big subscriber to the concept of the disease triangle though, and believe that's partly why I'm so succesful (thus far), and have had no problem adding diseased animals in the past and healing them, but I don't want that water anywhere near my tank.
>>2053041
Thanks a lot for the help man. I really appreciate the effort you took to be so detailed.
Anyone here know where I can get some sugar kelp for a cold water aquarium? Can't find anyone who sells live kelp of any kind, but I keep seeing blogs and stuff of people who have some.
Also rare macro algae sites welcome.
>>2053239
I don't usually take advice from anyone, but I'm always interested in how people do stuff.
I can't remember if I've asked you before... I think I have. Did I ask if you were supplementing calcium?
seems like you said just reef supplements and water changes?
>>2053245
Yo, I tried familia.
If you check on the planted tank (the forum), they have a useful thread on what fixtures produce what amount of PAR, and more detailed explanations of the concepts.
>>2053246
Rescue it from petco. It's the newest meme everyone falls for.
>>2053246
I've seen a good selection on ebay sometimes.
For the anon with the cool betta :3
>>2053247
I don't add and supplements whatsoever. What I do is I have my DIY skimmer set to wetskim about a quarter gallon of water a day, and so I just replace the skimmer water with brand new fresh saltwater. I guess you could call it supplementing, but I'm supplementing literally every mineral that's found in NSW. The only supplementing I'd consider would be KALK, but even that I'm leery about. I don't even own a single test kit, not for nitrates, not for calcium. Nothing. I'm very in tune with my reef though, and can diagnose an issue just by looking at it. That's basically why I don't think other people should try to reef the way I do it. If your not in tune with your environment and solely rely on test kits to tell you what's happening, you really have very little basic knowledge of your ecosystem (not that I'm saying this about you at all, by no means am I calling you unknowledgable). If I had to pick someone that I style my maintenance after, it would be Mr. Tyree himself.
>>2053255
Probably 2/3s of the time I don't even run my skimmer, I only run it whenever I get a layer of protein buildup on the surface of the water. I rely a lot on the various sponges I keep in my tank. I have one large sponge that's about baseball sized, and 4 other species of sponges scattered throughout the tank. I probably have several hundred sponges in the 30g tank. Which is also something that many reefers will tell you NOT to do, because they believe that sponges will eat everything in the water column to the point of starvation, and then die, leaving some noxious poison (supposedly). I also don't subscribe to that. Maybe some sponges are highly toxic, but I don't think it's common, and like all other toxins in my tank, I always have my 1lb bag of carbon to back me up if anything goes wrong.
>>2053255
holistic reefkeeping, I like it.
I think I'd be checking salinity all the time to make sure I wasn't covering up evaporation with the stuff I was changing via skimmer.
No, I don't test parameters, but as I said I also don't really keep reefs. If there happens to be corals on my rocks so be it, and if I see an LPS I really like I might buy it, but I mostly raise fish.
>>2053261
yeah, I've never had a problem with sponges.
I didn't even realize I had them for a few years until they started getting so big they couldn't hide under the rocks anymore.
they're nice for getting rid of silica and they filter pretty well. Any healthy tank should have them.
>>2053251
The whole hobby is a meme. I don't see what's wrong with keeping kelp.
>>2053262
I check salinity about every other day. I know my tank evaps only about a cup of water a day, so I just add that cup of water along with my replacement saltwater for the day, and I'm good. I actually don't even have a refractometer either. I only have a crappy hydrometer that always reads .002 to high. As you can tell, I'm extremely high tech ;). I do have 165w LEDs over my reef though, but I do think I had better growth with my 10k 150w halide, but the color is much better under the LED, and I get away from having to have a fan blow over the top of my water to keep the temp down. When I ran halides every day i would evap as much as a half gallon a day
>>2053263
Every good reef should have sponges. Most of the time, you can't even see them like you said. I broke open a piece of liverock one time to remove some aiptasia (tank is now aiptasia free, although it was never an epidemic, i had 3 polyps show up, and I entombed one in super glue and removed the rock the other two were sitting on) But when i cracked open the rock it was just filled with cavities that had many many featherdusters, sponges, and other benthic filter feeders. I believe strongly in filter feeding, and algae growth being crucial to the stability and health of a reef. As well as biodiversity. My latest species count went up to 76 individuals species living in my 30g tank, with only roughly half of those being coral based. That is part of the reason why I feel in love with reefkeeping. If you told me a year ago that you can keep that many species in a 30g tank, I probably would've gone off on myself for being a terrible owner, and over populating, and having such a huge bioload. But if you keep everything in proper balance (which really means letting it balance itself, because humans suck at trying to balance an ecosystem) and understand how the ocean naturally deals with ammonia & phosphates, it's incredibly rewarding. I find a new species about every week, even after 8 months of operation. Whether it's a new coral that mysteriously appeared, a new species of snail (i have over 10 species at last count) a new featherduster, or whatever, it's fascinating to watch this life unfold in my fucking bedroom.
>>2053188
They are both beautiful for different reasons. The only fish I consider gaudy are mutant inbred abominations like bubble eye goldfish.
![IMG_0148[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/0Z5XIio.jpg "IMG_0148[1].jpg")
Bamping with a picture of one of my stomatella's, the newest species of snail to be found it my tank. He's on the bottom left corner of that brain coral. Their like half slug half snail. They have a tiny shell on their back that they can't retreat into, so its basically useless.
>>2053292
You have inspired me to reveal my reef to you.
I have three images. Here is my P. bipinnata, the only coral in the tank.
>>2053295
Wow, these are some big images.
My clown. Nothing unusual here.
>>2053296
And for that one coldwater anon, some graciliaria hayi, a nice little red algae.
I apologize for my bigness.
>>2053301
I got this gorg in the beginning of January, and I had some strange water issue so it is just now displaying that PE, so no growth yet, it is almost touching the glass as it is, so I'm not desperate for it to get any bigger. Now I ain't trying to shill, but this is where I got all that stuff from save the fish, obviously. The only reason I'm linking this is because he seems to measure order proportions in pints, I filled my entire Innovative marine 38 with one rather stringent order of algae.
http://live-plants.com/
>>2053306
Thats an awesome site! I may have to order some gorgs from them in the meantime before I start a macro tank. A macro tank sure would be fun, and I'm sure it's a little less maintenance than your standard FOWLR. I've had corals do that before in the past too, I had an SPS that sat with the tiniest little polyps for like 3 months, and I thought that that was just how it looks, fast forward another 3 months, and it's turned a neon green color, as well as having so much PE that I can't even see the skeleton most of the time now.
this >>2053333 poster realizing I posted in the wrong thread
pls respond
>>2053296
I'm guessing you rescued him from petco?
>>2053335
Small Cardinal tetras look nice in a small planted tank
>>2053351
Most nice planted tanks have a big school of Cardinal tetras. That's what I've seen.
>>2053351
PEGOOOO:D:D:D
>>2053335
To go off of my post in the other thread and actually suggest fish *types* instead of species: microrasboras (Boraras spp., Espeis not being a "micro," but small enough for a 10 gallon), blue eye fish (Pseudomugil spp.), any of the 3 small cory species (pygmaeus, habrosus, or hastatus), white cloud/Vietnamese white clouds, or khuli loaches (those last two are specific, but also extremely common).
Other species suggestion I have are marbled hatchetfish, or threadfin rainbowfish, if you can find them.
Like an idiot I posted this to the last thread after this was made
I'm new to CO2 other than the liquid CO2 booster I use
What does this come with and what else does it need? A CO2 canister?
Does it hook up directly to my external filter?
http://www.sera.de/en/products/in_category/technical-cosub2sub-equipment-5162/product/sera-flore-co2-active-reactor-500-1000.html
>>2053361
have cory already and Khulis will probably fuck up my plants.
any specific reasons for these fish? looking mostly for interesting habits or tendencies. I have fish to watch them interact with each other and the environment, if that makes any sense. Im thinking guppies at this point since they're pretty cool. how are platys?
>>2053160
Hell of an underbite, even for a betta.
>>2053368
yeah, that's just the device for mixing CO2 with your water. So it needs all the rest of the system - CO2 canister, valves, plumbing.
it looks like it should plumb directly into your filter. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong here, but presumably you'd want it plumbed after your filter, on your filter effluent.
>>2053380
No. He's got a normal mouth bruh. You got a underbite.
>>2053380
You don't know nothing about these niggers. What they are is the original fighting fish.
>>2053380
Look at his mouth mane. It's not an underbite.
Sop guys,
What kinds if small fish can live in like 3 inches of water??
>>2053432
Most killifish. We get them in our ditches around here when it rains
>>2053432
Some but I feel they would be very miserable unless ample swimming area and very small so they can at least swim upwards. So basically nano fish. Fish that max out at 1 inch otherwise don't own any fish.
>>2053457
Fish will freak out if they can barely swim up or down or completely vertical. Try oscars.
>>2053457
Here's a question: why do you even want a fish in 3 inches of water?
hello aquarists
i recently set up a 350 litre for my pleco. its still growing in so he's not moved across yet but im thinking what else I can put in there with him.
He's probably fully grown at about 16 inches as I've had him 10 years or so. because of his size and wanting to give him a bit of space to turn it's not going to be a super densely planted tank. I've got driftwood and some plants and rocks and stuff.
I was thinking a shoal of tiger barbs would be quite nice as they are active and wont be stressed by not having too much cover. I could go with angels also.
What would you put in there with my pleco? I want to get a balance between attractive fish and activity as the tanks in quite a prominent place in my house
Bought a ghost knife the other day and he's made his home behind the filter. He seems to stay behind there all day and doesn't come out during feeding time. He might be coming out to graze at night, but I'm not sure. Is there a way I can make him come out during feeding to make sure he's eating? I've watched them all for a few days and I don't think any of my other fish would be bullying him
>>2053494
In a 90G you can do pretty much anything you want. Tiger barbs are fun, but they're also really common. What's your water like? I'd try to go with some peaceful/semi-aggressive cichlids. Herotilapia multispinosa are very pretty and undemanding.
>>2053503
Buy something called a ghost tube. It's a clear tube he will go in and feel secure but you can still see him. Or make your own.
>>2053511
I've found these to be neat. The past week with him has been great. Though they cost a good amount of money.
Do you have to keep trimming dwarf sag for it to carpet?
I ordered some dwarf sag from one vender and what I received were very long (10cm) almost val like plants.
These have not spread out in my aquarium at all but have been growing.
I ordered some dwarf sag from another vender and got a large section of turf that were impossible to seperate by hand as the plants were all rooted very thickly together. They were about 3cm high.
>>2053526
So this is what I got in the first instance.
I got 10 seperate plants like this.
>>2053530
This is what I got in the second instance.
The second instance is how I expect dwarf sag to look like.
>>2053494
Get angels. They're just so happy in tanks that large. My angels were practically like dogs. If I got distracted talking to someone while I was feeding, they'd spit water at me. They since outgrew they're 55g tank, and are now living happily in a 2000g greenhouse pond
>>2053439
That's what I would do, I have a weakness for puffers. Morays are fun, but reclusive, so you won't see him much, but the puffer will always be checking out what's going in the room the tanks in. Would definitely go for the largest possible tank if you wanna do eel/puffer, due to how quickly those to will fuck up your water
>>2053524
will look into it. desu i don't give 2 shits if i dont see him, im tempted to make a rocky cave as im keen to keep the tank looking "natural"
>>2053511
yeah this was my thinking. water's stable but naturally really quite hard due to my location. desu i can't really be bothered with discus though they would be fun one day
Might go with cichlids, I've never been that fond of the rocky look of most cichlid tanks so im trying to keep it as planted as the pleco will tolerate
>>2053549
does sound fun, i've actually not kept angels since I was a kid and tried to keep them in a community tank. They never caused any problems but weren't that happy. Would be fun to give them the space and tank they would like. My only worry is that they would prefer more densely planted than I'm going to have
>>2053531
Give it time, and co2, and toss in an iron nail if you can. It grows better with some iron. It also does well with a pinch of seasalt. It stays shorter with more light and co2. It grows slow until it is in a connected clump. It makes runners when it's cramped. You can get faster growth with a pot that has bubbles going through it, but that works for any plant usually.
The first type is the low light, the second is just under more ideal conditions. But the first and second are the same species, and habit, just one had less light and nutrient.
>>2053154
Well, botulinum toxin is actually the most potent organic toxin known, with a 2 nanogram kill range. That means a gram could kill half a billion people.
Oh shit, guys
I think my heater caught ich!
>that stupid fucking snail...
>>2053611
>>2053432
Triops are made to live in shallow puddles
Loaches have been kept in extremely shallow water in experiments
Word of advice. Never use cat litter with ammonia remover in it to get rid of ammonia in your tank. I put it in a sock then when I woke up they were dead.
>>2053669
>Never use cat litter with ammonia remover in it to get rid of ammonia in your tank
I thought this was obvious...
>>2053671
I thought it'd be fine. The litter is clay and ammonia remover is same as the liquid stuff.
>>2053672
I would assume it has other ingredients, like deodorizers.
>>2053371
If you already have cories, are you sure you have room for another schooling fish?
Khuli loaches are fine with plants unless their really easy to knock out of the substrate. They're fun to watch noodle around the tank and you can sometimes find them coiled up together in a cute little pile.
Microrasboras are kind of slightly more interesting tetras. They're a bit more active and less common. Espeis I just really like the look of.
Pseudomugil spp, marbled hatchetfish, and threadfin rainbowfish have a really unique look to them, in addition to being beautiful. If you get threadfins, you can watch the males "flash" their dorsal fins at rival males and potential mates, which looks both cool and really funny.
White clouds are really active and fun to watch zoom around the tank.
If you don't actually want a schooling fish and just want something that's interesting to watch, guppies/platies/Endlers are all good choices. Depending on what else you have, sparkling gourami are some of my favorite fish. They'll find something interesting in the dirt and point their body at it vertically to get a better look, them chow down. They also "croak" (it's more like a clicking noise) when they're content.
So a random bubble nest appeared in my rank but all I have are corys, RCS, and ADF. Do they just sometimes happen randomly?
>>2053678
>tfw local pet shop just sold out of gourami for like a month
Yeah I'm just gonna get some guppies I think
>>2053503
get some frozen bloodworms and try hand feeding it. thats how i got mine to start coming out
what do you enjoy about your tank /aq/?
Personally, I can sit up close and stare at the little guys for hours just going about their life
Just got a 3.7 gallon tank with a small pump/filter/heater and I've fitted it with gravel and some live plants after letting it circulate for 2 days. I'm interested in some non-fish animals and was thinking of snails and shrimp or snails and a larger crayfish. The tank is freshwater btw.
Anyone have experience with these pets? Any other neat, low maintenance animal suggestions would be cool too.
I grew up with multiple 50-100gallon tanks that my parents kept, so I'm not completely foreign to the care.
thanks guys/
>>2053711
Get Red Cherry shrimp. easy to take care of, breed like crazy.
>>2053714
Awesome, how many would you recommend starting with for a 3.7ga?
>>2053711
Opae ula would be a great choice if you don't mind messing with brackish water.
>>2053711
Crayfish will kill and devour everything. So unless you just want the one crayfish that'd work pretty well.
>>2053710
I like getting stoned and watching them
Sometimes I put on music and its like they are swimming to it.
>>2053710
Exactly the same, it's like a lovely escape as well as being fascinating.
I like how stupid they are sometimes also. For example I had a platy spawning in my community tank and left them to it, one is still alive and is a semi adult, and now spends his time displaying to and courting a young female ram.
the absolute madman
Nerite eggs only hatch in brackish water right? I got a second one for my pico reef the other day and it decided to cover my glass with eggs. Also, post pics of nano/pico reefs.
>>2053717
I'd try and find like 3-5 berried females. Berried means they are carrying fertilized eggs. Basically youll have like 100+ adult shrimp in 3 months if you do that. Otherwise, get like 5 females and 2-3 males. Much more expensive that way though
What are some relatively small fish that are easy to take care of? Just good starter fish?
>>2053714
I'm actually glad i stumbled on this thread.
I have a ten gallon tank that will become available soon, since I'm moving my leopard gecko to a 20 long after i finish the foam rock wall (of which i'll have enough foam and cement to make another smaller background and terrain for the 10). I was thinking of getting Amano or Cherry shrimp and maybe some Corys because I hear they cohab well as long as the shrimp have their hiding places. any thoughts on this or better shrimp/fish combos?
>>2053699
Sometimes they'll form on their own if there's a slight film on top of the water and moderate water movement.
>>2053962
guppies, neon/cardinal tetras, platties/mollies
>>2053990
make sure the foam will be safe in water
>>2053990
Cories go with everything, but you'll want at least five of the same species to make sure they're happy. They're tiny little friendly tanks that will outlive almost anything. By the way, "Green", "Copper" and "Albino" are all actually the same species. All other cories are actually different species even if they look similar (ex: peppered vs spotted).
If you don't want cories, small schooling fish like white cloud minnows (not the rosy ones!) or neon tetras are also fine. One male betta fish or three female bettas is also a pretty safe bet around shrimp though you'll have to keep an eye on the females as they will squabble at first until they decide on a pecking order and all bettas do get sick easily requiring a heated tank and nice, clean water.
>>2053741
Regular crayfish get way too big. A solo or pair of dwarf crays would be okay, and may or may not leave shrimp/snails alone.
>>2053962
Zebra danios, white cloud mountain minnows, platies, Endlers.
>>2053990
If you're going to do cories with shrimp I'd suggest getting about ten of one of the three small species (habrosus, hastatus, pygmaeus). Amano shrimp are easier to care for and keep healthy than Neocaridina shrimp (like cherries) ime, but amanos don't breed in freshwater and don't have the nice colors. Amanos like to clean your hand when you put it in the tank, and the females get absolutely massive compared to Neos, which is pretty sweet. Amano shrimp are also dicks and bullies. I love it.
So I put Grim & Grom into my tank on the 1st of this month and the water was clear like the pictured showed. Now on the 3rd the water has turned to the shade of tea like the below picture shows.
My fish shop said that it's supposed to happen because that's the condition the gold green corys like and because I'm establishing the bacterial environment for them. They said the faint smell will go away once everything is in order.
So as much as I want to trust the 20 year old kid with gauged earnings and an iguana on his shoulder eating something out of the untrimmed neckbeard of reassurance, I come to you 4chan.
Is everything ok for my little guys?
>>2054092
How long did the tank run before putting the fish in? Have you had the ammonia/nitrate/nitrite levels tested?
>>2054105
Tank was running a few days before the introduction of fish.
>>2054092
I would trust the faggot over you only buying two corys instead of a school.
>>2054140
Guy said I shouldn't get more than 2 for a 5 gallon tank.
>>2054142
Not even one should ever be in a 5 gallon. 20 gallon long minimum. So no one knows what they're talking about Jesus Christ bruh. If your tank isn't cycled it's going through the process. Do a small water change everyday. I have 6 emerald cory in my 30 gallon and they're cooler in a school.
>>2053990
>>2053990
If you want your red cherry shrimp to breed like crazy and have a massive colony of 300+ shrimp in that ten gallon, then having almost any type of fish is absolutely not acceptable. The only fish that you can truly safely keep without harming freshly hatched shrimplets are Oto's. Because Oto's kick fuckin ass. But literally every other fish you can think of that goes in a 10 gallon will eat RCS shrimplets. I have literally watched my school of 6 pygmy cories devour all the shrimplets from 5 berried females. I had two shrimplets survive by the time i removed the cories. Granted the tank wasnt heavily planted, but it definitely had ample vegetation. If teeny tiny pygmy cories will eat baby RCS, everything will.
>>2054146
Well I'm getting a 20 gallon tank on Friday. Should I cycle it then buy some more fish and just put them all in it?
![IMG_0155[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/bEcBllU.jpg "IMG_0155[1].jpg")
>>2053710
I love to get home from a long day at the greenhouse, get really stoned, and let my cleaner shrimp clean the dirt out of my fingernails for me. After multiple seasons of doing this for a straight 30 minutes, I've decided that the shrimp must use some type of anesthetic, because gradually my entire hand will get very numb and tingly, starting from my finger. Cleaner shrimp rock.
>>2054023
Is that okay to do in a tank?
>>2054121
Oh jesus christ, it's not even cycled properly?!!!!
>>2054155
I don't think it's the shrimp, I think it's the fact that you are submersing your hand in a cold ass freezing tank.
>>2054153
You can do whatever you want baby.
>>2054155
>putting your dirty hands in salt water tank
Can anyone help me sex my rams? 1, 2, and 3 are in quarantine right now. 4 is in my main tank.
I thought 1, 2, and 3 were all female, but now I'm doubting it. 3 usually hides in the back. When he/she comes out to eat, 2 usually chases it around until it goes to the back of the tank again.
>>2054208
They all look like your mom
>>2054121
RRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
>>2054214
I held back my brutal bullying of this poor soul, you can do it too anon.
I believe in you.
>>2054219
>>2054121
When a tank is first set up, it goes through a cycling process where beneficial nitrifying bacteria grow inside the filter and gravel. It can take anywhere from 4 to 8 weeks, left to its own devices. During that time, ammonia and nitrite levels are going to rise, which could be causing the cloudiness and odor. They'll go away on their own given enough time, but they can build up to toxic levels extremely quickly, especially in a 5 gallon tank.
For the record, your fish shop is full of baloney.
>>2054142
If a tank is too small for a proper school, it's too small for a schooling fish, period.
>>2054153
In my opinion your best course of action at this point would be to return the cories until you get the 20 gallon tank and get it set up.
>>2054212
That's a greater insult to the fish than it is to my mom.
>>2054208
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZNoQLn880Q
>>2054158
Why wouldn't it be?
>>2054232
Because people touch gross stuff all the time that could be potentially bad for fish.
Hey guys I'm cycling a new aquarium I bought secondhand last night. I got the whole thing (25 gal tank, heater, 2 filters, stand and gravel for $70, Australian). Cleaned it, darted it and planted it, threw my remaining 6 minnows from my shrimp tank in to cycle it, I need to get a Crapton more plants for me to be happy with it, but how is it looking for now?
>>2054239
This is the stock list, I will substitute any of those except the embers and the otos for celestial pearl danios if I can find somewhere in Melbourne that stocks them.
my 7.5 reef.
Well, some of it.
>>2054230
Thanks for the video. Looking at the vents it looks like I have F M F M. Hope they don't cause each other too much trouble once they're all together.
>>2054092
Return the fish.
Buy a big filter. No carbon. Stick filter floss inserts into filter, let it run on an empty tank for a few weeks.
Throw fish food into take every 1-2 days.
In 6 weeks take your water to be tested. 0 ammonia 0 nitrite = safe for fish.
>>2054274
Yeah I'm getting my LED's and driftwood as well as the rest of the plants on Saturday. My problem with big stuff is that I'm putting my shrimp in there too so I don't want them eaten, mostly to make room for a betta in the shrimp tank. And yeah the tank is what you said.
>>2054289
Ah, okay. The rummynose would likely pose a problem with the shrimp. I think you should still stick with one or two schools, given the smaller tank footprint, and simply make the schools larger. Eg. 15 white clouds, 15 CPDs. The fish seem happier that way.
>>2054307
Cool ill drop the rummies. And possibly the minnows for some Celestial Peral danios (as I said they are rare here). So with the rummies, being the largest fish, dropped I can afford to built 2 schools to 15 fish, the endlers don't school anyway so is 15 neons and 15 embers sounding good?
Are German blue rams really harder to take care of than Bolivian rams?
My lfs has both, and I was considering getting a pair of either one or the other (not necissarily breeding) for my 30 gallon.
I've read that GBRs can't handle hard water, but I've seen where people have had it work too...
I don't have much in my tank right now, just 2 meme tetras, 2 cory cats and a swordtail. Ideally, I would like to add in a couple Mexican dwarf crayfish as well as get my numbers back up on tetras and cories.
>>2053204
>fishy business
oiii dudes, whatt's that meme about some fishtank plant? I can't remember :(
>>2054196
I Don't know how warm you keep your house, but mines always colder then my tanks. That's why we have heaters, not chillers dumb dumb
>>2054259
Nice softies you got there!!
>>2054321
GBR get sick much more easily in harder water from what I've seen. If your tap is normally 7.0 or under I doubt you'll have many problems with them. Note that just getting a male and female won't necessarily guarantee that they'll pair off.
I'd focus on building your schools as a first priority.
Do you think a Nano Aquarium is fun? I want a aquarium but keep it as cheap as possible (student).
![IMG_0162[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/n4ZoYbg.jpg "IMG_0162[1].jpg")
>>2054546
I love my nano
>>2054571
Looks really cool, but otos should be kept in groups.
>>2054577
I've had this Oto for three years in many different tanks. He had a group, but he's the only survivor, been two years by himself now and he's just as happy as ever.
>>2054239
Get like a sword plant
They grow really fast and give you that background you need.
>>2054314
Sounds good for stocking. I think I'd go nuts resisting getting a "centerpiece," haha. Maybe if you get a really tight lid for the tank you can get a bamboo shrimp.
>>2054401
I thought the same at first, but they're a very different species. Get about 3x the size and much more aggressive, though still not as aggressive as many other cichlids.
>>2054546
Anything 10 gallons or under if going to cost close to the same to start up and run (if you're in the US, at least). Within $20-30, at least.
Nanos are cool, though. They have a certain appeal of their own. Here's my 1.8 gallon shrimp tank.
>>2054546
>>2054638
And this is a 1.3 gallon I had from a couple years ago.
>>2054606
Ill be putting a black background behind the glass anyway. How does scarlet ludwigia sound instead of a sword? Or could I just get both really.
>>2054401
Psp is having dollar a gallon sale. The acaras get quite a bit bigger than Rams.
>>2054269
>this meme again
>>2054208
Did you rescue them from petco?
What fish should I put in my tank? preferably a schooling one
36 gallon, I have 3 angelfish and a raphael cat. I have some glass cats but I hate them and wanna give them to my lfs and get some kind of school instead
>>2054638
This looks really nice. What is that moss and the floating plants?
>>2054677
Are you implying that he should just let the ammonia levels rise on their own with the two cories in that five gallon?
>>2054707
Moss is marimo, torn up and tied to slate for weight. The floating plants are Salvinia minima. There's also a section behind the vertical skate that's planted with ribbon dracaena that you can't see in that picture.
You should get bleeding heart tetras. Not sure if they'll get big enough to avoid being eaten by the catfish, though.
>Tank keeps getting 1 degree hotter unless I turn it up to 24
I set it to 22 its 23 when I come home
I set it to 22.5 it's 23.5 when I come home
I set it to 23 it's 24
Only when I set it to 24 it remains at 24. But 24 is too hot for crystals.
So either I keep it at 24 which is too hot for crystals or i have a 1 degree swing between day and night which is unsuitable for crystals...
>>2054766
>organisms never experience temperature changes in the wild
Nigga, pls. They have behavioural responses to deal with that.
>>2054768
correct anon, they'll live just fine but they may not breed with daily temp swings
let it be noted i am not the anon with the rcs
>>2054655
You could totally get both.
Amazon swords I know for sure are fast. I get a new leaf a day it seems like.
Are Cryptocoryne wendtii always really slow growing? My tank is full of them and I have seen almost no changes in them in the last three months. Currently using cool daylight CFL, 50 watts per gallon.
>>2054828
Reflectors? Also if your using that much light and not using co2 your not actually taking advantage of those lights at all
>>2054830
Some reflectors around the light source pointed mostly towards the center of the tank. Oddly, the cryptis around the corners (little reflected light) seem to be growing faster than the rest. The name is appropriate: these plants are cryptic and weird.
is Co2 safe for use around fish? Wouldn't it cause an algae explosion? Not sure on this stuff as I've never used it before.
![IMG_0163[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/WC0PD6f.jpg "IMG_0163[1].jpg")
>>2054835
I would try to raise the height of your fixture to help more evenly distribute the light, as well as lessen it's intensity a little bit. Co2 can be harmful to inhabitants when the light isnt running, because because it can drop you Ph really hard, but that only really happens if your using injection Co2. I use a passive Co2 system. It's dead simple. I basically use a soda bottle as an airtight 'bell' to capture all the Co2 produced by a milk gallon below my tank thats fermenting sugar water, making Co2. It works very well in my experience, and you dont really have to worry about oversaturating the water with this method, as long as the surface area being exposed to co2 isn't MASSIVE (like over 20% of your tanks surface area), you should be able to pull it off with no problems. All it will do is make you plants be able to absorb more energy from the intense lighting you have. I guarantee you will see growth improvement, but you probably still won't get pearling, for that you need the perfect concentration of light/co2, and with your intense light itll take a lot.
My whole Passive Co2 system cost me all of 8 dollars for airline tubing, and yeast. Everything else is shit you have around your house.
>>2054828
crypts are heavy root feeders, try some diy osmocote root ferts
>>2054740
Yes, that's exactly what he's implying.
>>2054954
Wouldn't your "passive Co2" basically be worthless?
How many bubbles per second are you getting?
>>2054965
I get about 2 large bubbles out of the airline every second. But it all gets collected in the bell, which basically is filled with pure co2, and from there, i force water to pass through the pure Co2 area, gas exchange happens, and the resulting water is enriched with co2
>>2054966
could you take pics of the in tank part of the system?
>>2054972
oh whoops
>>2054970
It might be kinda hard to see whats going on in that picture. Basically theres just the top to a soda bottle as the bell, and a plug i shoved i there to keep the bell below the waterline. Didn't permanently affix it yet because i'm not sure if i want a larger bell or not.
>>2054974
This is the Co2 setup I've run on all of my planted tanks over the years after I used injection Co2 once and found it to be to expensive. Running passive co2 barely costs anything, and it's still fairly effective. My plants in that tank are pearling right now.
>>2054976
im just having trouble seeing where it is in relation to the rest of the aquarium
![IMG_0164[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/7lpgpob.jpg "IMG_0164[1].jpg")
>>2054980
Top down view of my tank. It's an all in one saltwater tank, so it is setup with and overflow area, and a 'sump' section. I have the Co2 under the blue lid, which is where the overflow is,so the water comes crashing down, and in it's turbulence, gets co2 mixed in.
>>2054985
I should clarify. It's a freshwater planted tank with pea puffers, so absolutely no salt is in the water. But it's designed as a saltwater tank.
>>2054985
How often do you have to refill whatever is breaking down, and could you take a full shot of the tank?
![IMG_0165[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/6X4BD8B.jpg "IMG_0165[1].jpg")
>>2054993
I have to refill the 1 gallon jug with sugar water about every 2 weeks, 3 cups of sugar.
>>2055005
if youre using yeast you might want to consider this method, just a suggestion. nothing wrong with using what's been working for you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JzvfHO31Ug
>>2055010
Thats pretty cool. But I usually am actually using the co2 generated from beer that I'm brewing. Usually when I make a 5 gallon batch of beer I'll set aside 1 gallon of it to fuck around with and secondary ferment with extra ingredients, and I just use that Co2 :) Waste not, want not.
>>2055011
woah man that is probably the coolest c02 system in the hobby congratz
![IMG_0166[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/2GFEiSk.jpg "IMG_0166[1].jpg")
>>2055016
Glass half full of my homebrewed Dunkelweizen :). You could say i like DIY stuff...
>>2054421
>meme tetras
>meme shrimp
>meme marimo moss balls
Or, alternatively:
>meme java moss
>>2054828
That sucks. Mine grew almost 3 times the size in 3 months and live in the darker part of my tank.
>>2054740
He probably shouldn't have corys at all in a 5 gallon.
>>2055019
What is that plant in your fish tank? The broad leafed one? It looks identical to a plant my mom keeps in a pot in front of our sliding glass door.
![IMG_0167[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/yp7puCd.jpg "IMG_0167[1].jpg")
>>2055136
This guy? It's some type of aquatic elephant ear, that i took a cutting off of from my university botany greenhouse's pond. Very likely that you mother has one, their commonly grown in greenhouses for ornamental pots.
>>2055147
My mom's original plant has split off into so many new roots that we have two separate pots with multiple bulbs in them. Does yours have bulbs?
Also, if I do get a fish tank soon, would I be able to successfully transfer one or two of my mom's plants to the tank? Or would they melt/die off from being grown in a pot and air their whole lives?
>>2053159
ironic considering worst korea is the only nation besides the US/ MENA countries that mass-mutilates their dicks.
>>2055159
They may not be the aquatic variety, but that's not for sure. I know you can grow water hyacinth in containers easily just as you can grow them in water, so it may be true for the elephant ears to. You'll just have to see. Mine started as a little tuber/runner from a much much larger mother plant. It will have to be a short tank though. Mine was just barely able to breach the surface in time. They aren't able to live underwater, and need to build up energy to reach higher and higher with every shoot. So if it's a tall tank, it will probably melt and die before the leaves are able to breach the surface, and be dry.
>>2055220
Take it to /b/
Post your tanks m8s
>>2055223
Fucking hell how do you delete images on mobile?
>>2055223
Your rooms messy as fuck.
Anyways........ My reef tank
>>2055223
>>2055224
Just found an empty tank out on the street going to clean it and check if theres any leaks.
Is there a specific way I should clean it or will warm water and scrubbing do fine?
>>2055223
Here's mine I was working on today.
you can see it needs a bit of repair, so I was inside it cleaning out old sand and fish shit.
>>2055240
Vinegar works well
>>2055251
Oh yeah, didn't even think of that, thanks.
Alright guys it's me again with the 27 gal cycling tank. I'm in the club that looks after the animals here at school. Im sorta the fish guy by default because I have tanks at home and read a fuckton on tanks and fish (I get way too over eager with shit when I get into something new). We had a 80 gal with an Oscar a jack Dempsey and a Pleco. Over the summer holidays both the Oscar and the Dempsey dies, leaving us with a bare 90. The Pleco has since been moved and I've been allocated to reshape the tank. I've been given $500 AUS to do it. I was thinking of making an Amazon biotope. Here is my idea.
Replace the 5(!) inch thick gravel later with sand with a layer of ph lowering substrate below. Get a fuck ton of Amazon swords and a big driftwood piece with some other plants. The stock with 3 koi Angels, 2 bristlenose Plecos, 8 corys, 10 marbled hatchets and 8-10 emperor tetras. Then build a secure lid for the hatchets. How does that sound good?
Keep in mind I'm going Angels over discus because it's a school tank so they need to be hardy enough to survive after I leave.
>>2055253
Sorry, to clarify, it's a 90 not an 80
>>2055240
Vinegar, or barkeeper's friend.
>>2055249
Why even bother repairing it? Why not just replace that whole panel?
>>2054239
You should of made a custom background.
It takes about a month though for it to work.
>>2055262
Replacing it would cost a couple thousand dollars and take months of work pulling the tank apart and rebuilding it.
I can patch over it for a couple hundred dollars and a couple days work.
>>2055266
But won't you run the risk of it cracking and splintering even more?
>>2055270
yeah, I'm going to do a flexible patch.
I'm thinking about 1/2" thick silicone in three layers with cloth in between two layers. That way it's flexible enough to bend if the tank shatters more but strong enough not to rip.
I don't think the bottom will break more though. That happened because of a leak at the center hole. I'm not going to let that happen again.
>>2055272
>tfw fellow anon has a fishtank large enough to hold an orgy within.
>tfw currently too poor to afford a tank.
I hope the patch works and you can buy a shit ton of cool fish for it.
You'll continue posting pics, right?
Posting pick of my tank.
Home to 3 long finned zebra danios.
One male 2 girls.
Use to have many more fish like carfish but they kept trapping themselves in the area between the filter and custom background and killing themselves Getting stuck. Had Amano shrimp in here for a while but they kept escaping and dying. Did have a rubber lip Pleco but he passed away recently and I'm not sure how it why. Use to have 7 danios in here but some kept trying to jump into the filter and they would miss and jump out if the tank. Lotta casualties.
>>2055273
Yeah, I post as it moves along. I've got a couple days of boring prep work next. Scraping off extra silicone on the seals and then some serious cleaning before I can start with the glue.
>>2055249
Why do aquariums even have glass bottoms?
>>2055283
Glass is remarkably strong.
Also it doesn't bend much. And it's waterproof.
so all around it's a pretty good thing to make the bottom out of. Mine just failed because the stand got wet and warped upwards in the middle. If I'd had the good sense to waterproof the top of the stand I wouldn't have had this problem.
>>2055253
>How does that sound good?
Sounds good to me. Perhaps even a bit understocked.
>>2055286
Should have used acrylic bottom.
How long with it take for a population of mixed fancy guppies to start showing wild type patterns and shorter fins?
>>2055305
glass and acrylic expand and contract at different rates, so for a tank that big you can't mix the two.
I probably should've made the top sheet of the stand out of plastic or metal or something though.
>>2055105
Yeah, mine are shooting off runners after 3 months in dirt/osmocote with daily doses of Excel and a 3w desk lamp, no fish, just snails. The Crypt Spiralis is 1.5x the size of the tank and the (i think) Undulata (reddish purple, tall stems, crinkle edges) is growing a new leaf after a month of shitty planting on my behalf, I think im just gonna call this nano experiment the Crypt Keeper. Are there anymore common crypts/anubias etc that would do good in a low light dirt tank? Im trying to get a hold of Anubias Nana but I have no hardscape to lash it to atm, Also, would a CPO crayfish snippy up crypts or would I just have to settle for some neo's that may or not make it.
>>2055307
Depends how long the guppy that gave birth to them to show colors. There's no definite answers. Mine took 6 weeks but had another batch show color in 2-3 weeks.
>>2055107
HEY! My lil Cories are having hella fun in my 5gal right now atm. Its bloodworm day, their favorite day.
