Old bread: >>2076178
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.petsolutions.com/ http://www.aquabid.com
>FUCKING GOOGLE-http://www.google.com
>>2078664
This thread isn't going to last long... Like really? A dead, rotting fish?
>>2078667
circle of life bro.
beauteous Papilio feasting on the fetid carcass of the invader.
>>2078667
Yum!
Delete this
Can a beginner get an Oscar?
>>2078685
no. you have to do drum up industry support for years and get cast in some blockbuster leading roles, followed by well-received drama
>>2078688
Kek
>>2078676
It's to late mate
Hey /aq/
what's the best way to house a dead fish butterfly tank?
>>2078706
well 2bqh Populus species are best to house Papilio species. So start with that. Probably bonsai Populus to fit in your tank. Consult with bugguy on how best to cultivate your bonsai Populus.
Next you'll need a dead fish. This is easy to come by, just purchase an live fish from your LFS and then follow /aq/'s advice on how to house and care for it. Within a day or two it should be dead and ready to feed to your Papilio species.
Lighting and filtration are critical. You figure it out.
>>2078664
My parents had a guy come and clean their tank/change the water today and now the fish are floating around breathing/opening their mouths quickly and not eating. They were all fine and happy before this water change. I've checked the water and all levels are fine, so I imagine it's the oxygen levels in the tank. Is there any way to check these or quickly add oxygen back to the water? How long does it take to mix the water and the oxygen together?
Or do you think there could be something else causing it?
>>2078728
Increase surface movement. Add an air stone.
>>2078728
it's really hard to deplete oxygen in regular water before adding it to your tank, I'd guess something else is the problem. Maybe he shocked them with temperature or pH or chlorine.
on a related note, anons in the previous thread seem convinced that changing water kills fish, so maybe they'll give you some good advice
>>2078732
I've made a stream that breaks the surface using an old pump. It's night time here now so all of the shops are closed. Should that surface movement suffice until I can go and get an air stone? The stream is fairly strong, but not too strong as to disturb the fish
>>2078733
I checked the pH and it was still sitting around 7.0, but it was really hot today so it could have been temperature. Would that cause the gasping? Two small fish had already died by the time I got there.
>>2078734
>Would that cause the gasping?
anything toxic or noxious in your tank will cause gasping.
whatever he did it was wrong. I'd change water again until they stop gasping. 100% water change over a day or two.
also, since your parents are apparently wealthy, don't worry about it. It's cheaper to replace fish than to hire some asshat to come kill them for you.
>>2078734
>Would that cause the gasping?
also, warmer water holds less oxygen than cooler water, so that's still a possibility.
If your fish have survived warm weather in the past that's probably not the problem though.
>>2078735
I'll do that water change.
I know that fish are easily replaceable, but I only recently moved out and couldn't take them with me. I was the one who always took care of them, and I've had some of the clown loaches that live in there for nearly ten years, so it's sad to see them like this.
>>2078736
Yeah, I'm an Ausfag, so there's lts of 40+ degree days they've lived through.
>>2078737
>lts of 40+ degree days they've lived through.
temperature and oxygen probably aren't the main problem then.
it's possible he changed the water with stale water that lacks oxygen. It happens. But either way a good water change should fix that.
don't do the change too fast, maybe change 50% slowly and then wait a few hours to see how they react before doing another 50.
be aware that if the gasping is because of poisoning from pH burns or some similar chemical cause they probably aren't going to survive.
>>2078737
should also consider the possibility that he "cleaned" your filter media and killed your biofilter.
that would also cause poisoning and gasping.
but in that case a water change isn't going to save them.
The Red Irian Rainbow's have pretty much lost all of their red and are now just really dull brown
>>2078738
Alright, thanks to the anons that helped. If this thread is still the general tomorrow I'll give an update
Anyone have suggestions for stocking a 10g aquarium? I wouldn't mind having something that needs live food as long as it's hardy.
>>2078856
Neolamprologus multifasciatus. Called "shellies," "multies," or Tanganyika shell-dwelling cichlids. Fairly hardy as long as you have hard water and you keep up with water changes.
>>2078859
Cichlids are boring as fuck in my opinion, they also go on a 24/7 roid rage if they happen to spawn.
I'd get a dwarf puffer.
>>2078856
Sparkling gourami, honey gourami, scarlet badis, Okefenokee pygmy sunfish, lyretail killifish, gardneri killifish, golden pencilfish, celestial pearl danio, cross-banded danio, habrosus/pygmy/dwarf cory...
>>2078887
Shell dwellers are interesting if you have a colony because they'll fight for territory. Whether or not a 10 gallon is big enough for a colony is another argument. They also dig around and rearrange the tank, which is fun to watch.
>Get RCS 3 months ago
>First female drops it's first shrimplets a few days ago
>It's berried again
Can I use coconut as substrate?
>>2078911
Coir? It'd buffer the pH pretty low, stain the really dark, and be easy for the fish to kick up/make a mess. Why were you looking into it?
>>2078940
Cause its what I have at the moment as far as substrate goes
So I dumped a bottle of tetra quick start into my 20 gallon tank that I have been cycling a week to make it go faster because apparently the the guy at the fish store must have been an astronaut because he was explaining to me the space magic of tetra quick start and how he uses it on everything even his subway sandwiches.
Anyway, point is after 2 days the nitrite levels are still dangerously high. Did the bottle do nothing? Is there another way to us it?
>>2078958
Patience. Keep your filter running and just wait a few days.
>>2078955
Go buy play sand from lowes or Home Depot. It's super cheap. You have to wash it before you use it though, or it will be super cloudy
>>2078958
The bacteria in those bottles usually die during transport, if not, they die due to their photo-sensitivity, they need to be added into the aquarium in a pitch black room.
>>2078961
Thanks for the tip, also by washing what do you mean
What kind of soil can I use in a aquarium that is safe for fish and skrimp?
>>2078967
Home Depot and Lowes sell 50 lb bags of pool filter sand for ~$5
I've got a lot of small holes appearing in the leaves of my plants.
Anyone know what they could be?
I have a ton of Assassin snails so it's not any pest snails.
>>2078887
Cichlids are interesting. Doubt you would be able to keep one. But I have a Congo puffer. The most violent of puffers. I left one of my glass tops open on my community tanks when I took a shit and I guess a golden wonder killie jumped out and my two year old snatched him up and put him in the only tank he could reach and it was the puffer tank. In seconds I had half a killie fish. Now puffer swims up to him whenever he is in the room.
>>2078989
1/2 is fine if you keep it bi-weekly or monthly. Personally for observation it's better to do small water changes weekly as much water you need to take out to siphon out detritus and other crap that adds nitrates and PO4 to the water column.
You be surprised how little water you actually need to take out to make a huge difference.
>>2079022
A grown man using a trip. Very sad.
>>2078955
Play sand, pool filter sand, and pea gravel are all affordable and easy to find aquarium substrates (~$4-10 for a 50 lb bag). If you're interested in doing a blackwater tank, you can lay a layer of coir on the bottom and cap it with an inch of gravel to keep it from blowing around the tank.
Silica sand (like those mentioned) tend to lead to chronic diatom (brown algae) outbreaks. A good algae eater could probably keep it in check, though.
For any one of those options, you'll need to use root tabs if you're looking into live plants. Search for Osmocote+ root tabs on eBay for some cheap ones that work well.
>>2078965
Put the sand in a bucket, run water over it, empty the water, repeat until it runs clear. Play sand has an enormous amount of dust in it, so if you put it straight in your tank, it'll be cloudy for days or weeks. Pool filter sand is less dusty, but a bit more expensive.
>>2078967
Miracle Gro organic soils seem to be a favorite among those who do fitted ranks. You'll need some gravel or sand to keep it weighed down
>>2079020
>Cichlids are interesting. Doubt you would be able to keep one.
Can't tell if bait or not.
I've bred Kribensis cichlids and had several generation of firemouth cichlids, so shush.
>did a water change yesterday
>water was nice and clear but after a test a little high in ammonia
>turn down the flow on my filter and unplug it
>do my cleaning and addnew water
>check the filter and all the water emptied out and I'm left with a dry filter
>wtf that's never happened
>no big deal I'll just prime it again
>plug it back it and it restarts
>thousands of pieces of loose debri and stuff from the filter go into my water
>water looks like shit now
It's cleared up somewhat now but left my water cloudy and still full of tiny bits of whatever, what should i do? another small water change? or do you think it will clear up eventually? I over filtrate so the filter should have cleaned it up now
>>2079066
That happens to me every time I just met the stuff
>>2078709
Next you'll need a dead fish. This is easy to come by, just purchase an live fish from your LFS and then follow /aq/'s advice on how to house and care for it.
>>2079080
Yeah I did that to get the big chunks out, little stuff went right thru and the motion with the net even going slow probably made matters worse, mixing all that around.
Fluval edge [haters gonna hate] 6 galons
Rate?
Also my shrimp keep diying. Why can this be?
>>2079146
>diying
What are they making?
>>2079157
ok shakespeare. they keep stop living.
>>2079157
First post to make me laugh on /an/
>>2078958
Do a â…“ water change
>>2078963
What is your source on this info?
>>2079240
A grown man using a trip
>>2078667
It's almost as if it were a joke or something. Oh well, back on the shortbus with you. This was a terrible place for a field trip.
>>2078728
I'm the anon from yesterday. Bought an air stone this morning and now this afternoon all of the fish are back to perfect. Luckily there weren't any more deaths either. Thanks to all of the anons that helped
How do I get my baby java ferns to grow, they have just been floating around for months in my dirt tank and not doing jack shit while everything else grows great! Can i try popping em down in soil or will that just kill them? Also, Im getting sick of the old javas in my sand/gravel tank, I can grow swords in it, and some anubias found their way into it, I need a replacement, I was thinking Wisteria when the weather gets warmer, but is there another plant that grows easy and bushy and jungle-y in ferted sand?
>>2078713
>>2078664
Wh...Why are there butterflies on the rotting fish?
Do butterflies eat flesh?!
Oh god, I think I just motion sickness from my world being flipped...
>>2079146
>shrimp keep diying. Why can this be?
Shrimp die that's what they do
Has there ever been a study into why shrimp seem to do better if you put them in a community tank and forget about them, instead of a dedicated tank where all the parameters are perfect?
>>2079304
Sucking the salty juices from the bloated corpse I think
>>2079311
I think it's the water equivalent of spiders hanging around porch and street lights. Basically, all that fish shit has a ton of crap growing around it, like moths to a bright light. So when the shrimp scavenge they can eat all the microbial crap. As well as the literal crap.
>>2079317
>Sucking the salty juices from the bloated corpse I think
>Sucking the salty juices from the bloated corpse
>sucking the salty juices
>Corpse
I WANT TO STAY IGNORANT AND INNOCENT
if a tiny fish disappears and its body doesn't float up do you guys search around for it or just let nature do its thing?
>>2079341
Let nature do it's thing. Hell, he's probably still alive and simply hiding somewhere.
I found an old 5 gallon long aquarium like pic related and I wonder what I can put in it. So far I was thinking of placing some plants which I can grow outside.
>>2078856
Get a bunch of scarlet badis
>>2079341
Last couple of times a fish died in my tank, I let my bottom feeders recycle him.
Not sure how advisable this is though
if i wanted to start a tank with one or two fish in it how basic could i get, could forgo substrate and most plants /over? how basic coud i get with filtration
>>2079269
Great! Make sure your parents never use that guy again. If he's from a company, tell their manager
>>2078728
>My parents had a guy come and clean their tank/change the water today
Fuck off billionaire.
So I'm the guy that always seems to have problems with red cherry shrimp since setting up a tank a few months ago.
I'm starting to think that cherry shrimp being hardy is a meme and they just breed so fast that people don't realise they're dying.
I have a male die off at least once a month. But my females get pregnant repeatedly, after they drop a batch of shrimplets they're berried again the next day.
It's only ever the males dying.
>>2079311
Perhaps the same reason Mexicans breed like cockroaches the worse conditions you put them in.
>>2079480
Lots of fish shops keep their displays completely barren with just a sponge filter. Not necessarily great for the fish if they're stressed by large open spaces, but something like live bearers isn't going to give a damn.
>>2079455
Mainly just bad because the fish could've died from disease/parasites. Otherwise, as long as they eat all of it, no problems.
Sooooooo. There's water inside of my heater and it's literally boiling, wat do?
>>2079557
>Water inside
How did this happen?
>>2079565
I took the heater out and replaced with a much smaller temporary one, I'll get a replacement tomorrow first thing in the morning.
I found a small crack in the middle, water was leaking in through that.
Fairly sure I dun goofed when I moved a lava rock earlier today to clean under it. Lesson learned I guess.
>>2079566
Can't it get to the electrics if water gets inside?
![IMG_0320[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/cq6j0Iv.jpg "IMG_0320[1].jpg")
Thinking about posting this green star polyp rock on my local saltwater hobbyist page. The rocks about the size of a softball, and nearly completely covered. What do you think a fair price for this would be?
>>2079573
Pretty sure that might've happened, all of my fish are crammed up in a corner, they've lost their colour and so on.
>>2079550
I would throw some rocks for structure in there
How difficult would it be to keep a native species or two in a minimal tank? Other then occationally water changes and feeding what else would I have to do?
Native species wouldn't require heating etc
Hey guys if I baked/boiled then cured some of this stuff would it be fine for a tank? It's just chipped construction wood, mostly pine, to my knowledge it's had no treat meant done to it, it's just chipped pine.
>>2079659
Wood floats
>>2078688
Checked
>tfw your plants turn into green stems overnight
if I find out who did this
>>2078734
Surface agitation is more important than air bubbles. Air stones are used so that it agitates the surface of your tank.
>>2079578
$20
>>2079659
Just don't get mad when your fish get cut up and stabbed
>>2079676
Shhh! Don't say that or some autist will have a attack and scream that bubbles do add air
>>2079659
Why would you would want wood chips in your aquarium?
>>2079710
Your silly
Week 6 of my tank. Moved some stuff around, cleaned up some more. Amazon swords are finally doing well now, with excel, nitrogen, and root tabs. Betta is doing the best of any betta I've had and finally started building his bubble nest after 6 weeks.
Some of the microanthetum browned after I moved it around a bit, what is the cause of this?..
I got 3 young kuhlis, and I love these things, when they aren't hiding all the time, going to get 3 more next Monday.
>>2079729
Maybe a ph swing from too big of a water change.
>>2079612
Native to where? And what species? Fathead minnows are North American, and you could keep them in a bare box of water with an air stone.
>leave for 2 weeks and let my sister take care of my shrimp tank
>come back
>tank is an overfed mess with a dead nail stuck in the filter pipe causing very little water to flow
>only 7 out of my 40 blue rili shrimp survived and they're all babies
>meanwhile 11/14 golden bee shrimp are still alive.
>two are even berried and there's also a lot of gb babies everywhere
I thought neocaridinas were supposed to be tougher, golden bees are literally a color variant of one of the most sensitive shrimp in the hobby.
>>2080021
>leave for 2 weeks and let my sister take care of my shrimp tank
Shit will always go bad if you do this because people just fucking overfeed. Get pill organizers next time and tell them to only use the portions in each section
Can large bamboo shrimp be safely housed with a breeding RCS colony?
Bamboo shrimp are filter feeders and therefore shouldn't eat the RCS but do they get aggressive?
I was at my lfs today and I've seen bamboo shrimp before but they have MASSIVE one in stock today which is a very bright red colour. I'm thinking of going back and buying it.
>>2080133
Went back there. Don't know if I got the same shrimp as I saw. It's not so red now but it is large. I know that these shrimps tend to change colour a lot. Also I doubt someone would have bought it in the 2 hours since I last saw it seeing as these are speciality shrimp
Is drip acclimation really the best method?
Because it's much slower than bag method it keeps the fish in unheated water for longer.
Even though you're dripping in water from your tank which should be heated, I often find the temperature in the acclimisation bucket is 2-3 degrees lower than the tank.
>>2080161
It's supposed to be really good for super sensitive stuff. If you get some hardy fish or corals you shouldn't have to do it. I just floated everything in my pico tank and haven't lost anything.
Anyone know what pleco this is ?
>>2080186
Gold nugget
It can't be a gold nugget don't those have a yellow edge around the fins?
>>2080186
Hypancistrus species, either L201 or H. contradens. Check planetcatfish for more pics.
Great guide
http://m.wikihow.com/Maintain-Salt-Water-Aquariums
>>2080242
Reading this guide is what made me the reef master I am today.
>>2080259
I had a practice tank for a full year before I felt confident enough to actually get a glass tank. Still have one of my fake plastic fish. He's almost a year and a half old now!
>>2080186
extremely trusting
How long does it take bamboo shrimp to become brave enough to come out?
Mine has been hiding in the corner for hours since I introduced it.
I just picked up a female guppy to start breeding my own feeder fish for my turtle
But anyway I'm worried my 6 gallon breeding tank might get too dirty, so my question is should I get small pleco or a few small shrimp to help clean the tank
Check out these freshwater flounders
>>2080301
Just do water changes. You definitely don't want pleco.
If you're breeding guppies for feeders, do it in a few rubbermaid tubs. You'll want to produce a few dozen each week, and you can't do that in 6 gallons.
>>2080302
Neat. But won't those eventually need to be transferred into saltwater? It'll be cool to see one those things in a reef tank 2bh
I've got some snails that died in a friends tank, their carcusses are still in the shell so i put them outside to "air out/rot out". Can i just leave them in my take and let them decompose in there? I have 3 live snails 8 r.cherry shrimp and two small starter fish but would live the additional decorations
>>2080308
....seriously? No. Ofcourse you don't want to willingly have rotten carcasses in your aquarium. Learn patience, or you time in this hobby will be very short.
>>2080306
They're brackish.
Freshwater flounders don't exist.
My fish are getting awfully bold lately. An oto cat "attacked" the siphon as I was cleaning the tank, kept chasing it and wouldn't fuck off. A kuhli loach nibbled my finger when I was arranging plants. Are they just super comfortable, or do they hate tank maintenance or something?
>>2080324
Probably just comfortable and not threatened by you.
>>2080242
It's been a while since I've seen something so awful.
Must have been since the last time I read a Wikihow article.
>>2080308
Hold the shell in a bucket of water and shake it until the corpse fallsfalls out. If it won't, just let it decompose in the bucket.
>>2080346
Guppies can live and even breed in saltwater.
>>2080370
You can keep the empty shells in the tank no problem, but it's not a good idea to allow the bodies to rot in the tank and foul the water. Ideally a shop wouldn't allow that to happen either, but you know how shops are.
>>2080324
Wish my Cardinal tetras would be that chill. Some one even enters the room an they hide.
>>2079480
Litterally a sponge filter and water.
Light if you wanna see, heater if tropical.
What's the most quiet HOB filter I can get for my 60 gallon tank?
>>2079997
northeast usa, planning on a few panfish , maybe a pickerel, bowfin, or eel
>>2080466
I like the Hagen/Fluval Aquaclear series. Nice huge space to put in your own filter media, and relatively quiet
>>2079317
Do you think butterflies would drink semen?
>>2080532
Seconding this. Hagen/Fluval beats the pants off pretty much every other HOB.
They last for years.
>>2080308
If you have other snails and cherry shrimp then the dead snail will get eaten.
What camera settings do you all use for your fish? I've been trying to get a pic of my shark, but she moves too fast, and they all turn out blurry.
Just cycled my first tank, 110litre
put in 5 green moss barbs today, shit is looking so good.
Going to get another 5 moss barbs next saturday, maby some bristlenosed catfish not sure
>>2080636
could use a few more hiding spots, not sure, hoping that all the plants thicken up and fill out the back
>>2080634
I like your driftwood. It has a really good shape to it.
So how do I go about removing pond snails without killing my rabbit and nerite snails?
>>2080637
>>2080636
How do you take such clear pictures of your tank? Mine are all shit tier. Also rate tank? The pics are REALLY bad, but I only have my tablet camera XD
1st pic is the feeding area. Next two will be the dark side.
>>2080650
Floating plants and hanging roots for the fish to hide in.
>>2080651
Hiding cave and more thick plants.It is darker than it looks here. I had to turn lights on around the tank just to take the picture.
>>2080653
Talk about a blackwater tank
>>2080650
I was using a proper camera held pretty close up to the glass, the photos from my phone didnt come out too great.
Try getting more light in the shots, might help out
>>2079146
How many butterflies are in your tank?
>>2080640
thanks, i was planning on doing the rule of 3rds and making a proper design but i just kind of smashed easy plants in there, im hoping they all fill out along the back
>>2079729
I like those layered rocks.
>>2080357
I thought that was Mollies...
>>2080661
Indeed I think it looks pretty cool. I have to keep cutting the floating stuff though. Otherwise it will cover the whole surface of the water.
I tried to grow a banana plant in the feeding area, but my rabbit snails keep eating it. I do want to grow something small there. Any recommendations for a small low light plant?
>>2080676
I have seen guppies acclimated to salt water. It is funny as hell.
>>2080706
a guppy reef... oh god..... That sounds so horrible I kind of want to do it....
>>2080748
They breed and feed your corals the algae they lived on.
>>2080706
Are there any accounts of guppies surviving more than two generations in saltwater?
>>2078899
FUCKING TEEN MOMS
>tap water pH is 8.4
>tanks pH are 6.8 or 7.0
I was under the impression that my tap water was at 7.6, but I must have been misremembering.
When I do 50% water changes, how much stress am I putting on my fish? Does the pH temporarily split the difference, ie raise to 7.6?
>>2080788
Tap water pH usually drops about a point or so over the course of a day as dissolved gasses evaporate. You could let the water sit overnight before doing a change if you're worries about it, but if the fish don't show any signs of stress I don't think it's really a concern.
>100 gallon aquarium at £70 with one minute of auction time left
>it goes from £70 to £210 in one bid
Why do people not know how to bid correctly in online auctions?
>>2080817
It's usually the person running the bid doing it from another account in hopes you'll pay more. It's against all rules.
>>2080676
Mollies can as well
>>2080631
One bala shark I'm guessing?
>>2080830
Red-tailed.
Just got a ridiculous deal on a 20 high. I have no plans for it yet. What cool things would you guys do with one in terms of stocking, etc?
>>2080876
Dwarf cichlids, or some livebearers,
So, I know rainbow sharks go surprisingly well with loaches, and even show schooling behaviour with them. (Hell, one guy reported his sharks sleeping sideways with his loaches.) But ahs anyone kept loaches with a flying fox, Epalzeorhynchos kalopterus? Do they act the same way as rainbow sharks?
Can schooling fish die from loneliness?
accidentally got a baby clown loach with some wood if you guys remember, have it in a tank with good temp and a few hiding spots, water quality is good but now it's dying. could it be from stress from not having a school?
>>2080634
breety good. congrats.
>>2080884
Yes, return it or buy more loaches
A lack of schooling indicates a danger or a threat to the fish, which stresses it.
Stress can weaken the immune system and cause harm to the fish.
>>2080884
Me again, fish die in my tank like this all the time. Get sluggish and lie on ground like they have swim bladder and then they die. Anyone know why?
ph is 7.5, whenever I test water quality it's good. Feed them bloodworms or vegetable shrimp stuff
Usually it's angelfish, those are weak from poor breeding right? Could that cause it. I had like 8 angelfish die in the past year and I don't see what I'm doing wrong
>>2080886
Alright thanks. Yeah I thought that was why. I was gonna give him to my lfs next week but it's too late now
Will different types of tetras school together?
I have 6 Gold Neon Tetras and want to get 6 Neon Tetras.
Also same question for sharks
Today I've notice one of my crayfish' main antenna is getting shorter (it's about half the size it was about a month ago, when I last checked him).
The main answer I get through search is iodine deficiency. It hasn't molt since I have caught him on October, could the deficiency be the reason?
Got a second marine tank (140l) that's currently being prepped and should be ready in a week or so.
Couple of questions:
Any cheaper solutions to live rock that don't look like fake shit? It's £10 a kilo her and as it's fairly tall tank, it'll need a lot of rock.
Second question, really would like a puffer but even though our local fish shop said they'd rehome a puffer that got too big after 4+ years, really don't want to do that. Any types of puffer which won't outgrow the tank?
>>2080898
>sharks
Unless you're talking about balas or torpedo barbs, sharks should be kept alone, they're territorial.
>>2080908
Really? Red tails can't be with balas? I thought they were community fish
>>2080915
Red tails can be with balas, since balas aren't actually sharks. But red tails can't be with other 'real sharks' such as other red tails, garras, flying foxes, rainbow sharks, SAEs or similar fish.
Red tails will have no aggression to balas, only other sharks. Balas are merely called sharks, but they're really just big barbs.
>>2080917
So just stick with one type of shark or just stick with one shark all together
>>2080923
A tank should only have one shark at a time, sharks will fight to the death, even other type of shark.
But balas aren't sharks, so they can be housed with red tails or other sharks. Balas also need groups of 5+, hope you have a 6' tank or larger.
>>2080933
Shit not quite that big
Got an answer to my tetra question though?
>>2080673
>butterflies
?
>>2080936
Yeah. tetra of different species will school together, but they school better with those of the same species. But, luckily for you, gold neons and neons are the same species, so will school normally and have no issues.
>>2080940
perfect, thank you so much for your help.
should i chop these off or just leave them, they are not getting that much light down the bottom, top looks allright and i have recently started dosing with liquid fertilizer, might have been abit too late though
>>2081021
Remove the old leaves.
So I've been running this new media filter and doing the Zeovit regime for more then a week now. It's suposetly an ultra low nutirient fliter that converts nitrogenous waste into food directly for corals by feeding bacteria a source of carbon. So far no issues, and I noticed a slight growth in corals but nothing dramatic.
Here's the pros.
-You only need to do a small water changer aprox. 10% a week to replenish trace elements.
-Coral growth seems to be better, I see more blue tips on acros and better extension.
-water calirity seems to be clearer as well as the skimmer output sucking more black crap out of the water.
-Nitrites and phosphates seem to be lower but I haven't tested. Mine are generally very low until I had to gas my tank with Bayer insecticide to deal with a very bad red bug infestation which also killed alot of my pods that eat detritus and algae.
Now the cons
-it's very unforgiving on the dosing, and over dosing under dosing usually ends up with massive cyano algae outbreaks. Or worse you can suck out all the oxygen in the water and kill everything.
-you must use activated carbon with this system.
-the zeolite media for the filter has to be replaced like every 6 weeks or so based on stock levels.
-In typical German manual fashion it isn't really described how the fuck any of this actually works. There's a broad idea but for the most part it's alot of voodoo.
- One of the two products you will be using constantly is Zeobak and ZeoStart 2 and 7. Zeoba which you dose every day doesn't come in larger .5L volumes. This is a pain in the ass becuase you have buy the small dropper bottle sizes constantly.
- zeostart and amino acid complex probably just fucking vinegar (again not much explanation how this all works).
>>2081051
Here's what the reactor looks like. The "zeolite" media is the gravel like chalky stuff at the bottom. Every day you have to "pump" it or agitate the media to dislodge build up on that goes to feed corals.
>>2080884
>but now it's dying.
Elaborate? Clown loaches will frequently "play dead." They lay on their sides and go pale for no reason. It's normal behavior for them.
>>2079304
Yes, butterflies are carnivores. Surprised? They only eat dead things though
>>2080876
So I will be getting a 10 gallon halfmoon tank soon and need some more ideas for stocking. The ideas I have at the moment are dwarf seahorses, an upgrade for my 2.5 pico reef, or a native tank.
How big of an impact does temperature have on water clarity?
I don't know if it's the temperature or something else, but ever since I slowly lowered the temperature my tank has been a bit clearer.
didnt fully rinse some new gravel, shit is cloudy as fuck. did a water change and the water is clearer now but seems like there is a layer of white on the glass and most of the plants.
going to do another water change this afternoon and try to suck as much as i can off the surfaces with the siphon.
fish dont seem to mind though.
>>2081088
its just dust settling, don't worry about about to much.
Stir up the water and increase the flow to the filters or sediment traps if possible with your setup.
>>2081090
thanks mate, its not too bad at the moment, just kind of whitish
You reckon these plants are too close together?
think i might need to spread them out abit more but i want it really thick so the fish can hide in there
>>2081093
No, they're not too close together. Moving them would just make everything worse, as you're disturbing (assumingly) newly established roots, making the plants even worse off.
What are you dosing in terms of liquid ferts and what's your nitrate?
>>2081102
tank just recently cycled, did a fish in cycle as i didnt know better and my son wanted something to look at, just put in 5 moss barbs and will put another 5 in next week.
this morning nitrate readings were at about 15ppm, 0 ammonia and ph about 6.5
got some florinmulti, put the reccomended amount in and the have been doing 3 drops per day.
Leaves on those plants and the other ones I posted earlier are dying down the bottom but i think its due to lack of light, the tops are looking really healthy though, lots of new growth.
I dont have any substrate other than gravel, have just jammed the stems in on all my plants and covered them up with gravel.
I also have a java fern that i tied to rocks and made a little rock mount out of, 1/2 of one of its leaves has gone quite clear but i see new rhizome growth down the bottom
>>2081105
I'm just guessing here, but, I don't think it's because of the lights. What type of lights are you running? Or better yet, do you know the name of them?
Judging by the leaf in the background (middle left), it looks like some kind of a deficiency.
Take a look at picture related and see if you can spot anything similar.
Deficiencies are overall very hard to determine, especially a nitrogen and/or co2, as they will mask all other deficiencies, so do a little googling around.
>>2081112
I have 2 different types of light,
A plantglo 60 led which is 26watt and I also have a fluro tube set up with a t8 18watt bulb that i got off a freind, think thats a plantglo as well
im currently using the LED as the tank was running abit hot with the fluro, plus the LED is abit stronger.
As you can see the long stick like ones are dying out abit on the top, the one in the middle was only recently planted and its looking allright, the ones on the far right are getting abit yellow down the bottom but up the top theres heaps of new growth
apart from that i have an anubis on a bit of driftwood I got from a freind, thats allready fully established, some little grass planted around the front and the java fern in its little rock pile
>>2081116
tank is 26 gallon / 110 litre, pump is 320litre per thingo. (min / hour?)
>>2081116
I'm just guessing again, but those leaves scream of nitrogen deficiency.
Considering that your tank is newly set up the nitrogen would have been very low for a while.
If you don't understand how nitrogen works, read up on Google, but always keep your nitrates at 10+ ppm, max 30-40.
The manufacturer of the LEDs claim it to be full spectrum, so that's not what's wrong.
>>2081120
thanks for the info, bio load would have been super low, probably still is with only 5 barbs.
I only got the fertilizer 2 days ago so hopefully it wasnt too late.
>>2081128
They'll get going, don't worry.
I've seen A LOT worse plants than that spring right back up.
Just remember to trim off the dead leaves.
>>2080907
well you could gather whatever kind of rock you have sitting around and then seed it with a little bit of live rock and eventually it'll be encrusted and look like any other live rock. If you go that route you probably want a porous limestone or maybe something volcanic but with neutral chemistry. You might be able to get what we call basement rock or dead rock for cheap as well. It's just live rock that has died.
I don't know of any marine puffers suitable for a 40g. They get largish and they're extremely messy eaters so they don't do well in tiny tanks.
you might instead consider freshwater dwarf puffers. Pea puffers or whatever they're called. Those will make it in a 40.
>>2081081
lowering the temp inhibits the reproduction of several tropical algae and bacteria that can cloud water.
is 29c too hot for barbs?
>>2081200
Probably. Unless you're keeping them with discus or something. Otherwise there's not much reason to go over 26.
>>2081220
I ideally want the water temp to be 24 but its getting super hot here during the day.
Im thinking of getting a little fan to clip on the side of the tank and blow on the water surface
>>2081219
florinmulti doesn't seem to contain phosphate or nitrogen, btw, so that could be part of it.
>>2081224
well they can probably survive at 29 for short periods of time. A few weeks or months out of the year probably isn't terrible. You just don't want it there all the time.
It mostly affects your stocking levels or bioload though.
Heat speeds up the fish's metabolism so they consume more oxygen, but it also reduces the water's ability to carry oxygen. So when it gets hot the water has less oxygen right when the fish are needing more.
Assuming you're not overstocked or near your tank's limit for oxygen use it will be fine.
So how about this.
I got a 10 gallon with cherry shrimp in it as well as a few white clouds.
One particular species of plant I have in there just...I don't really know.
They didn't die, but they lost like all but two of their leaves, and here's the kicker, no other plants were affected at all.
What's stranger, the dead leaves just denigrated completely into literally nothing. I'm taking like aquarium fairies came and magicked those things away over night, they are 100% gone and I removed nothing from the tank. What would cause this, anyone seen this before?
Pic related, it's one of the plants. Now it only has two leaves.
>>2081248
Cryptocoryne wendtii.
>What's stranger, the dead leaves just denigrated completely into literally nothing.
Cryptocoryne melt. It happens when there's a rapid change in parameters. But the leaves should grow back as long as their roots and rhizomes are undisturbed.
>>2081253
Thanks for the identification.
Strange thing is, there was no change. I had not changed water this week or anything. I took out a small light that I had I there, maybe cutting the par by a third or so but they were already looking terrible when I did that.
I did clean the glass really well before all that though cause it was liking really wild with lots of brown algae and such, maybe that did something to disturb the ecobalance of the tank.
>>2081255
You reduced the light levels when you removed the extra lighting and that caused them to melt.
>>2081237
for now its just 5 little moss barbs in a 110 litre tank, im planning on getting another 5 next saturday and maby 2 plecos, not sure.
Was keen on rummynose tetras, then serpae tetras and then when browsing the local LFS the moss barbs really grabbed my attention so im just going a single species tank
Was also keen on kuhli loaches but not sure
So far though the 5 barbs are so fun to watch, they are exploring all my areas and zooming around,. love them
>>2081262
They were already melted when I removed the light.
>>2081268
Then I don't know. Could be irregular water changes or fluctuating nutrient levels.
>>2081265
Plecos are unstoppable shit machines. 110 liters is large enough for a single smaller pleco (bristlenose, rubberlip, etc.) or a small group of otos.
>>2081285
Do i really need them? I hear they clean but also make a fair bit of waste themselves
Im thinking they are taking up precious space for more barbs.
maby i should get a snail or something instead
110 litres, im hoping for about 15 barbs if possible, heard they grow pretty big though so im not sure if thats too many
>>2081286
Nerite snails are a lot cleaner than pleco and can do as good a job. If you're conservative with your stocking and don't overfeed the tank, it's possible you won't even have any algae issues.
Moss (tiger) barbs can get about 5-6 cm and are deep bodied, so I wouldn't really suggest more than 8-10 in a 110 liter, and you may want to wait until the plants grow in a bit more before getting more barbs. Were you planning on doing anything other than the barbs?
I have an African cichlid tank with 5 demasoni and a zebra in my tank and I'm adding 5 Trophus duboisi. Do you think that will work out ok?
My pH is ~8.2 and the waters hard as fuck.
I'm more talking about aggression issues. Heard Malawi fish can be too aggressive for other lake fish but I don't know how true that is.
>>2081288
id be fine with just barbs to be honest.
the catfish would only be a utility for cleaning rather than actually wanting one.
I think ill just get 5 more barbs and stick with the 10 all up, its my first tank so i figured best to just go single species to keep things simple
I have the lights running 12 hours and feeding only 2nd day
>>2081297
Trash them. They're the fedoras of this fish hobby.
>>2081090
Hahahha look and laugh everyone. A full grown man using a trip code.
>>2080933
>only a 6ft tank for a school of balas
Top kekaroo! Minimum 300 gallons for a school of 3. Very very active fish.
Trying to catch this monster burying himself but I always miss it. He was in a substratless set up at my lfs for awhile. Every time I would go he would be swimming up to me. Eventually gave in over a week ago and just added sand and now he's super happy. Without sand they mimic rocks so he was just lying on the big rocks. Also drift wood is releasing tannins. I kinda like it.
>>2081345
Simple tank for a simple fish that is buried 80% of the time
>lights come on
>weird little streaks all over walls of tank that I don't remember being there
>find out what planaria are
Gross
>>2081339
I have no idea what that's supposed to mean
>>2081355
I think he means everyone had them and think they're super special fish because "lol very aggressive"
>>2081358
>had
What's the new trend then?
Either way I'm happy with my small Africans. I just was hoping to find out a bit more about mixing fit from different lakes
So what is the consensus on getting a freshwater clam to act as a natural filter for a dirty aquarium? Idiot friend got himself a 29 gallon kit and decided to put guppies in it the same day. He is the kind of ignorant moron that will stick a betta in a plain bowl on the window sill and only tops off the water. He never actually changes the water. The guppies breed uncontrollablly and friend is a vegetarian so he refuses to get something that will eat the babies to control the population nor will he kill some himself to thin them out himself. He thinks I am some fish expert because my aquarium is crystal clear and doesn't have 2 dead fish stuck to the filter intake. I think he read somewhere that clams are filter feeders and started asking me about it thinking that it will clean his water. I honestly don't know anything about clams.
>>2081360
I meant has. To answer your question it will be fine as long as they have similar water parameters in the wild.
>>2081362
They will but nothing's better than a filter. Faggot wouldn't have problems if he vaccumed it. They will also die if food supply runs out since they feed from the water column. Doubt he'd be interested in trying to feed it.
>>2081366
How do you feed a clam anyway? I kind of want one, but my tank is pretty clean
>>2080938
From the top part of the thread.
>butterflies on dead fish
>>2081397
Congo puffer.
>>2081051
Seems like just another thing that makes reefing more complex and expensive. I always try to keep it as simple as possible
>>2081433
That's the whole reason for reefing. It's nothing more than a dick measuring contest.
>>2081455
Its only a dick measuring contest when that one faggots brings out ruler during a circle jerk. Other then that it's okay to be jealous.
>>2081455
Well then my reef will lose :( I don't even run a protein skimmer most of the time. The only thing that makes mine anymore 'high tech' than my freshwater tanks is the collapsed sun (LED) I have over my tank.
Tiny dick
>>2081458
Vayeate, you should frag me off some of those beautiful acros XD
>>2081459
I don't really see why protein skimmers are considered so "over the top" even these days. It's the one piece of equipment that makes saltwater easier over FW.
Also I have a new client that has a newly setup tank that originally was going to be Saltwater but changed his mind to a native fish FW Tank. The tank is huge and hardlined from the massive purifier to the sewers for water changes. The skimmer isn't going to work for Freshwater other then an oxygenator but I was thinking about running it slightly wet as a continual "trickle" water change. Bad idea or good idea.
>>2081460
I would if I could I need to trim that blue acro that's over the red monti. It's going to eventually touch the monti.
Do you live in the DMV?
>>2081462
Trip codes are usually a bad idea unless you're OP
What's a good level of algae?
Is it just more algae equals more good, or is it a selective criteria?
