Old bread: >>2099353
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
>>2101074
So what's the difference between being "not hardy" and having a "high mortality rate".
Because I've had 3 zebra danios that are marketed as "hardy" die on me while no otos have died.
Favorite shark species anons?
Mine is thresher and tiger sharks
Can someone help me identify what's wrong with this fish? Found him swimming near the top of the tank this morning and he's got white stuff on his body. I can't tell if it's ick, fungus, or just a general infection.
I'll post the front view in a sec, that's where he's really fucked up
>>2101172
What are some interesting fish I could put in an unheated 20L I have lying around?
Tank temp will range from 24 degrees in the day during summer to 18 degrees at night in winter.
>>2101111
The difference there is anecdotal evidence versus broad correlation.
>>2101175
>Keeping fish in under 30L tanks
>>2101183
Fine for a betta
>When your otos shoal together
:3
>>2101175
Heterandria formosa.
>Introduce 2 platys to tank
>They both keep doing massive long poos
>Not my gourami is doing them too
Is it just a coincidence?
Google says stringy WHITE poos mean internal parasites but these are brown.
Do you guys think 3 African dwarf frogs in a 5.5 gal is overstocked?
Sponge filter with lots of floaters
>>2101246
92%
2
%
>Bought 10 neons
>All but 3 died
>Bought 10 rummy nose tetra
>All but 2 died
>Bought 5 zebra danios
>3 died
>Bought 10 glowlight tetra
>1 has died so far
Why can I never keep a school alive? My tank is made up of survivors.
>>2101250
>bought 4 yoyo loach
>all but 1 dies
>it survives a power outage and being alone for months due to evacuation from neighborhoodl fire
>its still alive and 15+ years old
This thing will not die [spoiler]it's also the only reason i even have the aquarium still running because i'm in a bad spot in life and don't want to dedicate to aquarium until it gets better but i'm afraid of whoever i give the fish to being a piece of shit[/spoiler]
>>2101278
>not going back to your hour for months knowing you have live animals
The fuck?
>>2101281
House* auto correct is going to cause me to blow my Brian's out
>>2101250
fish establish a pecking order and pick on all the ones below them. Even schooling fish do this. So the lowest ranking fish gets harassed to death and once he's gone the next one gets it. And on and on until there's only one bully left.
in a big tank you can avoid this by having tons of fish and lots of places to swim off to. That confuses the bullies and they have trouble concentrating on just one fish.
also small fish just die a lot for no obvious reason. It's part of their charm.
>>2101279
I've only spent that much on queen angels, passer angels and Australian harlequin tuskfish.
most saltwater fish are in the $30 range. Except the more common damsels. Those are like $3-$5 most of the time.
Seen at my local fish shop
Anyone keeping these?
>>2101290
I've kept them before.
they do well in an established reef tank with lots of plankton, or next to corals that you feed.
All mine end up getting hauled out of the rocks and eaten by fish or crabs eventually. So it sort of depends on what kind of fish you keep. They're easy prey.
>"Hmm I've been keeping aquariums for a year now, maybe it's time to try marine"
>Go to lfs
>£40 for a piece of coral
Nope
>>2101301
The coral is the cheapest part of a saltwater setup.
>>2101301
it's a lot cheaper if you don't just start off keeping corals.
but yeah, ultimately if you can't take £500 and light it on fire just to watch the pretty fire you're probably not going to like marine tanks.
>>2101194
Not at 18°C it's not.
>>2101172
I dunno but test water conditions to be sure.
I'd use an eSha product of some kind but ill go with a fungus
>>2101246
I think most care guides would consider that reasonable, but I've read that it's best not to use air pumps with them because the vibrations of the bubbles can bother their sensitive "ears."
>>2101250
I've got kind of the same thing going on. I have two cherry barbs, one espei, and one featherfin rainbowfish.
They all seem content, though. I don't have the heart to give them up.
>>2101290
Tubeworms? Simplistic marine water conditions save copper and make sure youre providing filter food for intervertebrates (dissolving frozen or liquid is best)
>>2101242
>brown
Constipation, feed more daphnia and de-shelled boiled peas.
>>2101281
Pretty sure by "alone" he meant it was the only fish in the tank.
>>2101314
Thanks. I've dosed the tank (I already have some fungal treatment) and now I'm considering what to do with him. I have another tank and it's a 10 gallon with ottos and dwarf Cory catfish. That thing is a cichlid (I can't remember the name though). I also have a old 10 gallon, drained with nothing in it.
Would it be fine to quarantine him in an uncycled tank with old filter media? I can't risk my cories like that.
>>2101282
>'House* auto correct is going to cause me to blow my Brian's out'
>'Brian's'
>>2101329
It looks like an OB or some kind of Metraclima but the photos are blurry and I'm tired.
Again, testing the water with the old filter media is a good idea. Keep the feeding down.
>tfw your tanks are all either too small or too aggressive for Blue Rams
I just want bright blue qts
>>2101075
How big of an Aquarium would I need for a Narwhal?
>>2101357
They're not that aggressive try having Convict Cichlids.
>>2101362
No, I meant my tanks are too aggressive for the rams to survive in.
I have a cichlid tank and yeah, it has convicts. I really regret it. They are fucking assholes and they won't stop making more little assholes.
>>2101368
Oh okay my mistake wouldn't want those beautiful rams to get hurt.
I feel you though man, I have a 40 gallon breeder with a bunch of 1-2 inch convicts that i don't know what to do with, some of them are getting real nice looking though and i cant part with some.
>>2101376
Yeah. I'm not sure if I should give them to a pet store or put them on Craigslist or what. They're everywhere. And then I need to get rid of one of my adults. But again, not sure how.
On the bright side, my dragon blood peacock cichlids are also breeding well. But not to such an extent that it's annoying, like with the convicts.
>>2101358
An ocean. Not meant to be in captivity
>>2101380
No animals are meant for captivity
>>2101381
But yet here we are️
>>2101386
Indeed so how big of an Aquarion do we need for a Narwhal
>>2101389
At least 10x there length in length and height with an ocean pumping in freshwater and chiller. Or just leave them in the wild. You can buy dolphins legally online.
>>2101389
An ocean. Not meant to be in captivity.
>>2101230
>When your otos dog pile one of your kuhlis
>>2101381
That's up for debate. The red tailed shark wouldn't exist anymore if it wasn't for our tanks.
Someone posted this in an earlier thread - an someone tell me what it is and if it can live with RCS
So my wife bought me a 40 gallon breeder today. Once I build a stand and sump. I don't know what to put in in. What kind of fish would be awesome in a 40 breeder?
>>2101448
a little marine fowlr, or a reef if you have money for the lights (~$200)
>>2101448
how did you get a wife?
>>2101467
Honestly I ask my self that question every day, shr has a good paying job and keeps me as a house husband, every so often she comes home from work with a new aquarium or video game console. She turned me into a NEET, but whatever.
>>2101472
damn m8, good for you!
>>2101452
>(~$200)
>$95
ebay and china are shaking the hobby up.
>>2101476
For a 40 gallon breeder you will need two 165w LEDs, which will cost 180-200. A single 165w LED will not cut it on the length of the 40 breeder. One is barely enough on my 30 cube
>>2101448
South American leaf fish.
>>2101477
>A single 165w LED will not cut it on the length of the 40 breeder.
I have one on my 60g and it burns algae and corals to death in a nice cone-shaped path that covers 1/3 of the tank. It would seriously incinerate anything in a 40b.
>>2101448
Protip: Don't do saltwater if you have never done salt before. Salt is a pain in the ass.
> 40 gal ideas
Chichlids and Loaches (schools of both)
Shallow water/blackwater tank
Many Corydoras and colorful shrimp (pic related)
Aquascaping (think gardening only underwater)
You can do smaller fish in larger numbers or multiple kinds of smaller fish if there are smaller fish you like but can't decide between. Bigger tanks don't have to mean bigger fish, it just means more space for fish.
>>2100872
>pleco
...
>doesn't clean glass
Are you retarded?
>it doesn't pick up matter or turn up rocks
Are you retarded?
>it just just hides and eats algae wafers
Are you a legit fucking retard?
>they breed easily
Have you actually bred plecos?
>popular with aquarium owners who think they are serious and trying for a natural look but didn't do any actual research
You literally have zero fucking clue about anything you're talking about.
Why do retards like you feel the need to share your worthless opinion anyways? You are so far off base you should be ashamed.
>>2101537
> Defending "Welfare Queens"
>>2101321
>Pooing more
>It's constipation
What?
>>2101443
Warning: They're highly boring
Bamboo shrimps are similar and a lot more entertaining.
>>2101537
Plecos are little shit factories that don't clean your tank at all.
Fuck off already tripfag
>>2101183
Crafish??
>>2101544
There's so many types of plecos. Bristlenose for example eat diatoms and whatever is on the glass and aren't as shitty as most plecos. While some like l200 hide all day and will only come out at night and scavenge. The common pleco is a shit factory and as they get older they get lazier and will eat everything and produce more waste.
>>2101536
>Don't do saltwater if you have never done salt before.
>Just let the whole hobby die out completely.
Real solid ideology you got there.
>>2101572
Saltwater is cancer now. 90% of the time all you here at stores and others is brag about how much there setup cost and not about the actual tank. It's nothing more than a dick measuring contest.
>>2101577
We don't usually brag to each other about how much our tanks cost. Not for long anyways. There's always someone out there with a more expensive tank, and lots of people spend amounts you wouldn't believe.
if anyone should brag it's this quiet anon here:
>>2101477
If they have the cube reef I'm thinking of that thing's fucking amazing.
I don't care what it cost, it's just an outstanding nanoreef. Obviously took some dedication, it's gorgeous.
>>2101572
>>2101577
I work in a fish shop and desu its better to try and frighten every moron parroting NEMO with the price and effort entailed then to just sell them willy nilly at the expense of lives. Money and effort shouldn't put off those legitimately interested and usually it doesnt.
The right people will do it but a lot of wrong people will try also
>>2101583
I'll sell to whoever I want and happy to make a profit.
>>2101249
It's an estimate, aqadvisor is the most shit at calculating stock especially when biological filtration can't be estimated as well.
>>2101326
>being alone for months due to evacuation
I think he meant he actually left it because he had to.
>>2101544
My bristlenose completely eradicated the severe brown algae issue in my tank within a matter of days.
>>2101611
You're allowed to go back after a fire. Especially after a neighbors fire.
>>2101489
...That's why the have dimmers built in anon. Also, the 'Cone' covering 1/3 of the tank IS the reason why you need more. Most people don't like that look and would rather have full light across their entire tank.
>>2101536
>Don't do saltwater if you have never done salt before. Salt is a pain in the ass
Then how are people supposed to try and keep a marine tank in the first place if they should never try?
>>2101580
This is my reef, if thats the one your talking about... It's about a year and a half old, and has only cost me about $700. It was 1,000 initially, but I've been selling coral frags from the tank now and have made a considerable amount by doing that. I give away like half the frags, and sell the others..
Question here,
Can I put a pleco, a frog, some shrimp, and some snails in the same tank? What kind of shrimp/frog/snails would be good that are easy to find? And what else would go good with those things?
>>2101661
Frog will eat the shrimp
>>2101668
what animals can you put with frogs in the tank?
>>2101676
What kind of frogs we talking about?
Just got a 25gallon tank after thinking about it for months, after cycling it I'd like to put a couple of female bettas and maybe some other fish? I have no experience with them and I always hear they're difficult to take care of and very territorial
the plan of having a shrimp army is out of the question
>>2101683
Male bettas are the angry assholes. Having a betta female sorority is fine unless one goes on a murdeorus one rage which is rare.
>>2101686
How many females per group? I've heard from 2 maximum to 5-6 per school, having 25gallons I dont want to overpopulate the tank
>>2101687
For that tank size I would stick to 3 maybe 4 depending on dimensions.
>>2101687
Sororities need 4-5 minimum to succeed. Your tank size is fine for that. Just have plenty of cover and plants or fake plants to block line of sight just in case of aggression. As long as you keep water clean and feed 1-2 times a day sometimes skipping days you'll be good. The younger they are the better.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsHQS5NPRL8
>>2101691
Kill it with fire!
>>2101691
shit son i feel dirty now i need a shower
>>2101691
Disliked cause that's what you wanted
What to do with a constantly constipated bristlenose pleco? I feed him hikari wafers from now and then and cucumber.
His belly is huge and he only shits once or twice every week in large clumps.
>>2101703
If he's really constipated throw him a pea. What size and how big of a wafer is he eating?
>>2101706
The regular size, I break them in half as they're way too huge otherwise. He doesn't eat them all for himself, I've got an oto helping him out.
>>2101713
How big is the pleco?
>>2101719
4-5cm
>>2101722
Cut the wafer down even smaller. He is probably over eating. Don't feed for a few days or a week. He will live and try a pea. It will clear him up. Been in the same place.
>>2101729
Thank you.
Should I boil the pea, remove the shell etc or do I just throw it all in there?
>>2101734
You can remove the shell to help the pleco get to the pea easier. And a quick boil yes.
>>2101729
>He is probably over eating.
Unlikely. The time it takes for a pleco to shit out what it eats is about 45 minutes. They're basically straight pipes.
>>2101734
Shelled and thawed is plenty. Unless you're having some for yourself, boiling a single pea is a bit silly. You can microwave it in a couple ounces of water if you're concerned about it being soft enough.
>>2101691
I know almost nothing about aquariums here, but something about how erratic the fishing are moving around seems off to me
whats going on there?
>>2101172
It's White spot! Not good!
>>2101661
There's at least one anon here who has an African dwarf frog with cherry shrimp without issue. He says the frog is too dumb to actually catch the shrimp. YMMV. You could put the shrimp in a couple months before the frog to let them breed and build up their numbers.
A pleco would get big, might try and eat the shrimp, may outcompete others for food, and could injure the frog if it ran into it, so I don't think that's a good idea.
Otocinclus would be a better bet, but they prefer company, often die for little to no reason, and after skimming through testimonials re: ADFs with otos, it seems like you might run into trouble there, too.
Ramshorn, pond, and bladder snails are the easiest to take care of, but they can reproduce out of control of there's a lot of excess food in the tank. Nerite snails are nearly as easy and won't reproduce. I wouldn't suggest horned nerites with the frog.
A well-established 10 gallon tank would be an absolute bare minimum for a colony of cherry shrimp, one or two ADFs, three otos, and one or two nerites. It could be difficult to keep all of the animals well fed while also keeping the tank clean. A 24 inch tank (15 or 20 gallons) would be much easier to take care of.
>>2101815
He has incompatible tropical and coldwater fish together in the same tank and the tank is astronomically overstocked.
>>2101819
that makes sense, I did notice an overabundance of shitmonsters swimming around
>>2101301
Im a marine fanboy and love saltwater setups but yeah dont even try unless you have a few grand your willing to part with
You can do it cheaper than that but if you want to get the corals/fish you want you need to get saving
>>2101389
without exaggerating you would likely need a 1000000 gallon tank, at least 20ft deep
To keep one comfortably into adulthood I mean
>>2101681
west African bull frogs
>Started with RCS a year ago in a nano tank and never really got anywhere
>They hardly ever bred and when they did I'd just get mass die offs a few months later
>Probably had 20 at most at any one time
>Finally just get tired of it and buy a cheap 20 gallon tank off craigslist which is unusually large for a shrimp tank
>Put my 5 remaining RCS in the tank
>Finally crack the code of breeding RCS and my females are getting pregnant every month
>Now have hundreds of low grade RCS that are worth fuck all and are pretty boring to look at
Really wish I'd got some carbon rillis or blue velvets or something
>>2101774
Plecos can very easily over eat.
![20160415_213707[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/SVifKDg.jpg "20160415_213707[1].jpg")
Speaking of my shrimp tank seems like it's missing something on the background. Looks a bit empty.
Any idea what it's missing?
>>2101661
>Pleco
As long the tank is 65-100 gallons, don't stuff a one feet shit/killing machine in a tank unless you want water quality problems.
>A frog
Frogs will eat the shrimp, risk not worth taking since you need a colony of shrimp first.
>Some shrimp, and some snails
Sure
>What kind of shrimp/frog/snails would be good that are easy to find?
Ghost Shrimp(produces larvae) and Red Cherry Shrimp(produces miniature adults)
Nerite Snails(won't repopulate in a freshwater due to saltwater requirements), Ramshorn Snails, Malaysian Trumpet Snails. Pond/Bladder snails if you want snail orgies all over the tank plus shredded plants.
>And what else would go good with these things?
Nanofish, maybe a betta if it's docile. Really depends on tank size.
>>2101855
>now have hundreds of low grade RCS that are worth fuck all and are pretty boring to look at
Cull the terribly colored ones and allow the pretty ones to breed, it's easy.
>>2101904
Tall/medium background plants, along with decent sized middle/front plants.
Why don't more people keep Opae Ula?
They're redder than the highest grade cherries and they're more hardy apparently.
Also they live 20 years.
>>2101836
That'd be like 20mil at least...
I need to work harder
>>2101916
Because brackish. Most people get skittish when it comes to keeping salinity in check.
>>2101926
I don't think they give much of a shit on the salt content of the water.
They can go a year in between feedings
Brackish water just lets them breed.
>>2101916
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhK5yd5SqVM
They look pretty cool too
>>2101586
Theres like two customers i actually like selling things to and thats only because they buy big fish.
Saying that, im fairly sure hes keeping a Golden Cobra Snakehead and a Bullseye together in spite of advice, let alone the Gulper Catfish he bought of us last week and the Mbu a month or so earlier.
>>2101916
Also no filter or heater.
And you don't need to do water changes, ever.
I don't know how they survive the ammonia build up but people have said they've kept them ever 5 years in a tank with no filter and old top offs to refresh the water.
>>2101916
I had them a while back in a sponge filtered tank. They never ate the algae discs and shrimp food I gave them and only picked off the biofilm growing on the lava rocks in their tank. I tried cultivating some surface algae for them to feed on but it never took off and they ended up starving after a while. I also never got them to breed.
I'm considering unleashing red ramshorns on one of my tanks to add a bit more interest and colour. Will I regret it?
I can always transfer some Assassin snails over from my colony to kill them all if I need to.
>>2101940
You could always sell the extras.
>>2101931
Multiple tanks. This in USA?
>>2101940
> Ramshorns
Probably. They eat a lot despite being little, breed a lot, and they're really tiny so they won't add much anyway. They don't sell for much of anything considering they're a "pest snail." Maybe consider adding a different, larger snail like some nerites? Nerites shouldn't be able to breed without brackish/salty water so you can get a few of them safely. They do clear algae fast, though, so don't be shy to feed them wafers now and then.
Personally, I find tiny snails only add interest to tiny tanks. Bigger tanks need bigger snails.
Has anyone thought of having an aquarium with nothing in it but plants?
It's the ultimate conclusion of the planted aquarium trend.
>>2101982
Yes. It's called "aquascaping".
The problem with doing pure aquascaping with zero animals is that it require s LOT more care than if animals were involved as you aren't getting Co2 and fertilizer the animals would have provided. Some people don't care citing that an animal-free tank is a cleaner tank with zero risk of things getting messed up by the critters. Some people literally just use fish to decorate the plants and pick the plants first adding the fish later.
Be careful: Aquascaping often makes use of semi-aquatics and false aquatics that must either be rotated out every other month so they can "breathe" or they must not be fully submerged or they will die. Example plants include Mondo Grass, Lucky Bamboo, Star Moss, and Japanese Variegated Rush.
Got myself a used 66 gal for a pretty good price. I have a smaller community tank already so I was thinking of going for some predators. Maybe some dwarf snakeheads. Any of you have any experience or advice?
>>2101999
Where are you from?
Have a spare 5 gallon tank lying around, thinking of doing something like this and having white clouds and celestial danios no heater.
>>2102010
Okay. Dwarf snakeheads are neat and you will love them.
>>2102014
Awesome. The tank is 140cm long so there should be plenty of space for a pair. Any tank mates I can have with them or should i not have more than the snakeheads in this size tank?
>>2102017
Just snakeheads is the only thing I've kept with them. They'll eat whatever will fit in there mouths sometimes more.
>>2102020
Thought as much. How many is reasonable to keep? Stick with two or is four okay in this size tank?
>>2102009
That will work. You can get away with moss on the rocks, marimo, and other nice little plants as well. More plants means less stress on the fish so make a little forest.
>>2102022
I've only had two at a time with no problems. You can add a third and see if there's any problems and just return the other.
Anyway to make this tank tackier?
>>2102029
A nice layer of clove oil would look super tacky
>>2102029
a little guy in a diver suit or one of those no fishing signs
>>2102028
Worth a try I guess. I've tried figuring out what and when to feed. Only decent answer I find is that beef heart is too fat for them and that they can eat dried food but prefer something more fresh. What did you feed with?
>>2102029
Glow in the dark jellyfish. Light up bubbler. A film of Algae.
>>2102029
Treasure chest that blows bubbles.
>>2102034
Weird my reply was deleted. Anyway beef heart would kill them. Mix of live and frozen foods. Cut up tilapia and other fish, mussel meat, insects, and what not.
Can you make decent money from breeding RCS? Also anyone have some good tips/infographics for making my first tanks, in terms of landscaping etc so I don't get a ugly as fuck tank?
>>2102051
>Can you make decent money from breeding RCS
What's decent money?
There's loads of people selling them on craigslist for 50 cents each but how can you build a company around someone who buys 10 RCS from you that will be able to compete with you in 6 months?
>>2102058
I mean if I selectively breed them to make them extremely red or "high grade"
>>2102029
Toss in a dragon dildo and you're golden.
>>2101906
>all plecos are one feet shit/killing machines
>>2101916
They're tiny, they breed slower than RCS, and they're brackish/salt water. Besides, if they were to gain popularity someone in Hawaii would probably fish them to extinction. We don't need that.
>>2101113
My favorite shark is the Salmon shark. Those bad asses are endothermic.
>>2102009
>no heater
What temperature does it get in winter?
>white clouds and celestial danios
5.5 gallons would be tight for just one of those, let alone both.
Sunset shot.
>>2102089
I would trust the miniature pleco species, plecos should be a meme along with the tetras.
>My dad has 5 fish stuffed into a 1.5 gal tank.
>Try to tell him that tanks that small aren't really fit for fish as they need room to swim.
>He doesn't give a fuck.
>>2101940
i keep these in all my tanks. they keep everything clean as fuck, and their young feed my pea puffers. they do breed quickly, so i end up giving plenty away too. i have had nothing but good experience with them.
>>2102155
>plecos a meme
Found the retard
>>2101819
This is what butthurt noobs actually believe.
It's a far more beautiful tank than anything else I've seen posted here.
There are things called filters and water changes, apparently the majority of posters here don't know what those are.
>>2102009
co2 injection for a 5 gallon?
You probably don't have enough dedication to cultivate plants like that.
>>2102051
You can barely make decent money breeding discus so uh, absolutely not.
Neet?
>>2101819
those particular goldfish do fine in water up to about 79F.
so they're pretty easy to keep in a tropical community tank.
>>2102220
Just keep it off.
>>2102201
>thinks tacky is beautiful
Found the nigger
How fast does Java moss grow? Like in a window with partial sun (4-6 hours a day)?
>>2102266
All moss grows really fucking slow.
Whenever I buy some online I usually have to wait 4 months before it even adjusts to my water and shows signs of growing.
>Nitrates are bad and poisonous to fish! We need to remove nitrates!
>Nitrates are good and plants need them! We must add more nitrates!
Explain....
>>2102294
the idea is that the plants will consume the nitrates, ammonia, co2 and other things that are poisonous to fish faster than the fish will be harmed by them.
essentially the plants are biological filtration even more effective and efficient than nitrifying bacteria. In a perfect world they consume toxins faster than the fish can produce them.
in reality a lot of planted tanks are mildly toxic to fish, but most aquarium fish can handle quite a bit of poisoning.
>>2102065
You cull to MAINTAIN grade, not improve grade.
If you want high grade RCS you need to start with high grade.
>>2102301
On a related note I think that the genes that determine grade are recessive, as in both parents need them.
I added some high grade painted fire red females to a tank fill of low grade cherry males expecting to get mid grade sakuras. But they still gave birth to low grade.
>>2102291
> Buy online, water differences
Does it still grow slow if you got it at the LFS and it has been acclimated to your local water for awhile now?
>>2102311
I've never bought moss from stores as it's overpriced and they tend to only have java moss.
I've got Taiwan moss, Creeping moss, weeping moss, Java moss, spiky moss, fissidens and flame moss in my tank.
Taiwan moss grows quite quick but it needs a few months to start to grow. So does Java moss, flame moss.
Fissidens, Creeping and Weeping have taken 6 months before they even show hints of growing.
Something like this would be a years worth of growth.
>People recommend 10x turnover rate per hour
>Air driven filters barely do 1x turnover per hour
Is turnover not as important as people claim?
>>2102325
10x for hob filters
3x for canisters
Air driven filters like sponge filters work so well because all the aeration the beneficial bacteria is getting. The more oxygen the more effective.
>>2102325
Turnover depends on your bioload. You have a normal tropical community tank and you'll only need 3-5x turnover rate it using hang on back. But for fish that produce a lot of waste you'll need a higher turn over rate. But different types of filters require different rates. I run 525gph canister on my 55gallon.
>>2102337
It's just shrimp
>Reduce the diameter of my hose from 16mm to 12mm
>The flow rate DECREASES
But it should increase because now the water has to travel faster and at a higher pressure.
>>2102337
>Turnover depends on your bioload.
Nigga what?
Turnover rate is merely how many times your water is filtered in an hour. It has nothing to do with your cycling of ammonia to nitrates, except that a decent amount of your BB is in the filter pad, but running more water through it faster does NOT make it remove the ammonia quicker.
The only way that turnover rate actually would effect that is if you where using ammonia/phos absorbing filter pads. But the pads will also become ineffective much quicker.
>>2102294
You're oversimplifying. Generally you want to keep nitrates at a certain level, not just blindly add as much nitrate as you can.
Most plants uptake ammonia and nitrite much better than nitrate anyway, we just supplement nitrate because it isn't as bad for fish.
>go to lfs to get hose fittings
>everything is a mix of imperial metric and internal and external diameter measurements
Ah yes very good.
>>2102301
If this were even remotely true, cherry shrimp wouldn't exist to begin with.
>>2102442
Maybe if he was breeding them on an industrial scale
>Put new plants in shrimp tank
>Shrimp start going mad, swimming around and bumping into the glass.
Wtf.
>>2102461
also a lot of them are swimming up to near the top to hang out
>>2102200
I haven't met anyone who kept a pleco in proper conditions, a year or two later and they're about a foot long in a 40 gallon tank, miniature plecos are alright but it's a fucking meme nowadays.
Shrimp are now swimming around madly and then falling to the ground help!
All I've done is added a new plant!
>>2102464
40g breeders are for growing out fry so yea all your "friends" that were keeping adult fish in them are retards.
>>2102476
DECHLORINATED FUCK ME
>>2102447
Cherry shrimp were developed by hobbyists, not farms.
If you're just pointing out that the idea of making "good money" off of breeding increasingly higher grade shrimp is ridiculous, then yeah that much is apparent.
>>2102476
>Were the plants treated with copper based medicine
Why would they be? That would kill shrimp and be irresponsible to sell.
Did a 30% water change
>>2102486
>"Snail-free" plants ;)
Why would anyone use snail killing chemicals when assasin snails exist?
>>2102483
probably have to nuke your tank now, 30% wc might not do anything
well at least for me
>>2102487
I've pondered over this and came up with the conclusion that big brands don't care to the average consumer.
>>2102171
>dad buys 55 gallon a couple years ago
>has me come over to help him clean it
>he throws out the filters despite being in fine condition
>he tells me he does that every time he cleans
>mfw
>>2102483
Do much more then a 30%. Do a 50% every two hours, 4 times.
Obviously something very bad came in with the water your plant was in or something. So you must dilute the shit out of it via many successive large water changes.
If they all die is there any way I can hold the plant seller responsible?
>>2102493
Depends on where you bought them.
Most likely no, did it mention anything on the plant that it was not invert-safe or was treated with snail killer?
Ok I just phoned the shop up and asked if they treat their plants with copper and if they're safe for shrimp. They said they don't treat them with anything.
Which makes sense because they also sell shrimp at the store.
But that doesn't explain why my shrimp are going mental.
>>2102495
Parameters?
>>2102497
Ammonia is slightly higher than 0 but less than 0.25ppm could be beause I've put a new cannister filter on and it's taking a bit to get going (I seeded it with old media)
Nitrites are zero
Nitrate is 5ppm
They've stopped swimming around like mad now they're all huddling together in the corners of the tank though. Non seem to have actually died.
Could they just be scared or something?
I added a load of plants and then decided I didn't like them so tore them out. That's when they started going crazy.
>>2102509
Any amount of ammonia is deadly, as long they're not lying dead I would just keep an eye.
>>2102511
Stired in some prime to remove the ammonia, might do another water change later
Hey at least if they all die I've just lost hundreds of low grade cherries.
I could start again with something more interesting like carbon rillis or blue velvets
>At lfs
>Decide to take another look at marine stuff
>£24 for a shrimp
ha ha no
>>2102518
literally shrimp hitler
>>2102529
We must secure a future for our blue shrimp children.
Seems like I've lost about 20 baby shrimp.
All adults seem fine.
Still not idea what's caused this.
>buy one panda garra to test if my shark will attack them
>he's fine with it and is completely passive towards them
>buy a group, £10 a fish, confident that he's fine with garras
>shark decides to wait until I spend £50 on fish and now hates the garras and chases them all over the tank
Just fuck my shit up
20L p.h 7.4
no ammonia or nirite
temperature around 80
lost 2 cory cats within a month of each other. It's been a about 2 weeks since last death I believe they were over feed . I now have a dying platy, she is about 2 years old. Started eating less and being very weak bout a weak okay. She is currently too weak to swim off the bottom of the tank. the 4 other platys and my last catfish all seem fine
>>2101966
Uk. And i love that my job basically lets me order in whatever weird shit i want
>>2102495
If they're a reseller then the place they got their plants from may have treated them, or, if they're imported, they could have been treated to prevent "nonnative pests" from being brought in.
Sellers don't necessarily know very much about where their stock comes from or what's been done to it.
>>2102580
>20L
20 liters or 20 gallon long?
>no ammonia or nirite
What about nitrate?
>>2102483
This shit is why you swish all new plants/decorations in a large ass bucket full of clean dechlorinated water very thoroughly BEFORE you add them to your tank.
>>2102565
You said it yourself, you just got rid of your old filter, and there is ammonia in your tank water now. Plus, on top of it all, you just got rid of a boatload of ammonia absorbing plants.
Face it, anon, you dun goofed. And now your tank is going to have to cycle all over again.
>>2102637
20 gallon long and there's not enough nirate to read the test. there's lots of plants... I think my platy may just be old
I ordered some valisneria from aquabid. The guy sent me extras. Dozens of extras. I know have like 80 val, many of them a foot tall ;_; they won't all fit in my tank wat do
>>2102653
crown yourself king of the jungle val and trim the top
>>2102653
Get a large container, or bowl, it can be "pretty" or not, doesn't matter.
Get some substrate and go full walstad with the extra vals. Get a little air pump powered sponge filter going on in there. Whenever you do a water change in your tank empty half of the water in your walstad and replace it with water from the tank. That way the beneficial bacteria colony will be kept alive.
Hell, you can even go full out and eventually make it a cute quarantine/shrimp/snail tank. This way you will always have some extra plants on hand, a safe container in case a fish gets sick, and some back up beneficial bacteria in case of emergencies.
>>2102495
Are they actually dying, or are your shrimp just freaking out a bit because their habitat just got rearranged?
>>2102687
20 juvenile shrimp died, parameter change.
>>2102653
Go to your local hobby store, like hobby lobby or something, and get some 1 1/2 foot tall cylindrical vases, put sand in the bottom of them, plant the tallest vals, and set in some natural sun. Add red cherry shrimp later on and have a bunch of cyclindrical vases filled with pretty vals and colorful shrimps, the sell them. Or keep them everywhere around your house.
I've been keeping 15 or so RCS in a half gallon vase with nothing else but java moss and they've been doing great for months, starting to breed now. Haven't even done a water change either. Just throw some snails in at the start to keep the glass clear, and your good.
>>2102705
Adding to this, use soil with the substrate. Make it walstad method
>>2102708
That'd work really well I bet. Especially if it was a 2 foot vase, with a good 4 inchs of soil and a one inch sand cap. Then add a tall val in the middle, and maybe something like dwarf baby tears or some other carpeting low light plant all around the val. That'd look amazing after a few months. Especially if it had some nice shrimp, like blackberries or orange rilis. I'd pay $100 for that, if it had a strong colony
>>2102464
>miniature plecos
Just by this I can judge your opinion is worthless in this hobby
>>2102747
Not him, but he could easily have been referring to stuff like bristlenose plecs. It isn't like there aren't small plecos.
>>2102748
His wording makes him seem uneducated. Bristlenose can reach 6 inches no problem.
>>2102486
>Ancistrus
There are Hypancistrus, Chaetostoma, and Panaqolus species that stay as small or smaller than typical Ancistrus species.
>>2102748
>It isn't like there aren't small plecos.
That's kind of the point. Tons of pleco species on the market stay small (if you're considering bristlenose small). "Miniature pleco" is just an outright stupid thing to say. It's like saying "cars are stupid, but midsize sedans are all right."
>>2102765
Either way the right pleco will be beneficial and add a touch of neat. /Aq/ only knows of two. Common and bristlenose. They think those are the only two pleco to exist.
>>2102771
>/Aq/ only knows of two
Still almost too generous.
Seems like every thread there's someone jumping down an anon's throat because they say they have a pleco and the first, last, and only assumption is that anon has a common in a 30 gallon tank.
>>2102798
>>2102771
You two are asshats. I, for one, am a huge fan of the clown peckoltia. Solitary, and only maxing out around 3 inches? Best fucking algae eater you can have. Not to mention they are gorgeous.
Besides, the only time I have ever seen anyone assume a pleco is a certain species is when they are referring to otto cats.
>>2102809
Twig catfish? Those things look neat as hell.
So I don't want to buy those filter packets for my hob filters anymore so I'm making my own am I missing anything else necessary:
Sponge
Sack of carbon
I want a cool rock cave for my tank but I can't think of how to do it. Anyone have any pics of some cool ass rock caves? I need inspiration
>>2102830
Apparently there is two different species. The only real difference I can tell between them is that one has long flowing tendrils on it's tail fins while the other has short tail fins.
>>2102851
No pics, but all you need to do is go collect rocks, test them with vinegar to make sure they won't dissolve, then cut up a clear plastic bottle, and super glue the rocks to the outside. Oh, and use a lighter to smooth out the edges of the bottle so your fish won't be cut on the sharp edges.
>>2102315
Oh. I was asking about Java Moss in particular. I know most mosses are slow... except for Java Moss. I have heard it can overtake a tank! Some plants I got from the LFS had some Java moss mixed in. I ried hard to pick out the java moss and wash the plants off before planting them. I'm hoping the green I'm seeing among my rocks now is just algae. Algae I can deal with (Snails ahoy!) but Java moss... I dunno.
>>2102805
>implying plecos aren't my favorite species
>implying you think you schooled me
Come back again!
>>2102853
Way more than two. 27 in Farlowella, 15 in the closely related Sturisoma, which are also sometimes called "twig catfish."
>>2102879
Holy shit, please tell me these magnificent beasts are social and I can keep a horde of them in my aquarium.
>>2102888
You'll have to keep a steady supply of zucchini for them, but they're peaceful with each other.
>>2102879
I want
>>2101111
>mfw people say shrimp are hardy and easy to keep.
Yeah they're hardy alright until that slight parameter change, that wouldn't effect the weakest fish, wipes out half the tank.
>>2103021
you can make yourself sound LEET by doing something relatively difficult and then bragging about how easy it was. /aq/ does this all day.
>keeping plants is easy
>keeping shrimp is easy
>keeping corals is easy
>keeping discus is easy
"easy" is a relative thing.
>Have a trace of ammonia in my tank water last night
>Setup an additional filter with some active media from a cannister filter
>Still have traces of ammonia in the morning
I don't get it, the tank should instantly cycle. I've added all the necessary bacteria in the media.
![20160417_103357[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/475h9wz.jpg "20160417_103357[1].jpg")
So what's the verdict?
Left is tank water and right is tap water.
They both look like they're showing 0.25 but there's no ammonia in tap water.
![20160417_103406[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/JJO3A2N.jpg "20160417_103406[1].jpg")
>>2103085
Under flash they look yellower
>>2103023
Some plants are easy but most are hard to keep alive
Some shrimp are easy to keep but seems lots die easy for no reason
Growing corals is much easier than growing and maintaining a planted tank
Keeping discus has become easier
>have 5 amanos with cherry shrimp
>threw in a huge chunk of an algae wafer yesterday night for the amanos to eat
>break down an algae wafer into 5 pieces for the red cherry shrimp
>all 5 amanos steal and hog it for themselves
looks like something won't be eating today
>>2103085
if a test kit is hard to read you don't ever need to decide which level to read it at. What you have to decide is whether the difference is insignificant or you have to throw it away and buy a new kit.
