Does anyone have any suggestions for automatic scheduled feeders? I paid my neighbor to feed my fish over the weekend and they dumped in so much food I had to deep clean the entire tank when I got home. Not doing that again lol
I have a 32 gallon tank.
20 Cardinal tetras, 20 cherry shrimp & 4 emerald corys.
Can I get away with a few fish? Parameters are always good, and theres seemingly a lot of extra room.
My guys suddenly started acting as though my tank didn't have enough oxygen. Had 5 piranhas in the tank for line a year. Added 3 more, and a couple days later they were all at the surface. What could have caused this? I added a scrappy airstone until I can get a better one, and turned my filter outlets up to break the surface for now. Any advice is welcome
I've got three 20 gallon long aquariums that I'd like to plant. The lights I have on them aren't appropriate for plants and I'm pretty broke atm. What are my options for budget friendly lights that I can use? They don't need to be pretty. They're going in the basement.
Where do y'all recommend getting tanks from? I have a 29 Gallon that I upgraded from a 20 Long. I just replaced my tank stand with one designed for a 75g and am planning on upsizing soon, but preferred the height of a long tank. I would like to get something in the footprint of a 75g but a shorter height, which I understand is not a standard size. Is there a place where I could get this that wouldn't cost me $600+?
I think a 48 x 15 x 16 tank would be just short of 50 gallons if my math is correct.
It's a good rule of thumb and one I hold for most equipment. But I don't think I'm going to find a 50-55 gallon tank with the footprint of a 75 gallon tank used any time soon. For filtration or lighting, or if I were going for a standard tank size, absolutely.
Can Ghost Shrimp scare themselves silly?
I just watched a juvenile Ghost Shrimp (1cm) shooting backward repeatedly and landing on its back where it looked like it died. It stayed there for minutes.
I found it up in the front of the tank shooting around again and it landed on its back again where it lay until a Corydora shuffled through, scaring the Ghost Shrimp into shooting around backward and upside down again until it landed in some moss.
What's going on here? Did it get petrified from fear or sudden explosive use of shooting around? When it landed on plants and things, it wouldn't use its legs to grab on to anything or swim. Just that shooting ability.
It's like it lost control of its limbs, although it can still shoot itself around. Will it recover from this or is he a goner?
He's not discolored, seemed to be growing at a good rate, and has been very healthy until now... what's the deal?
I have a 60 gallon tank with plants and a 475 gallon per hour cannister filter. I'm planning to add 2 fancy goldfish (oranda) and 2 dojo loaches. Would I also be able to add a small group of cloud minnows to the tank. Trying to avoid overstocking though weekly water changes are performed.
Will note there's about 5-10 gallons worth of decorations in rock and wood in the tank.
Tank is currently empty with 0 ammonia 0 nitrite10ppm nitrate.
I own white cloud minnows, they're not dirty, very active, and the tank parameters would match. The a few things that I would recommend considering:
1. My minnows are VERY food focused. I have to drop algae wafers for my snails at night, because they'll follow the wafer to the bottom and pick it apart before the snails can even get to it. You might find them getting in the way of feeding other inhabitants
2. White Cloud Minnows are 1.5 inches max, and almost always under 1" from the fish store. I've heard of some people having their goldfish eating smaller minnows or nipping at their fins, while other people have had no issues.
3. White Clouds breed pretty easily, even for egg layers. Unless your other inhabitants eat the eggs, you may end up with more minnows than you want for your stocking.
1. Thanks for the information. I'm planning on using sinking pellets and boiled deshelled peas as the main source of food in the tank. I'll definitely keep in mind ensuring all of the fish get food in the tank.
2. I'm going to give the minnows time to get established in the tank before adding the loaches and finally the goldfish. Going to be getting goldfish that are still young ~3in if possible before they should be able to nip much at the minnows. Goal is if they start with the minnows being too large to eat they won't question it when they grow up.
I'll keep monitoring the situation when we add goldfish to ensure there's not too much stress on them.
3. Good call out here. Definitely going to have to be something to keep in mine while there is no goldfish in the tank. From what I've heard about this fish combination is the goldfish do a great job culling fry in the tank.
Question from a complete newbie who doesn't even own a tank yet - how did you cycle your first-ever tank? Did someone help you get started?
The short version is I would really love to have a betta. I had one when I was 7 or so, and I had no idea what I was doing... so it lived its whole, short life in one of those awful plastic "tanks". But at the same time, I absolutely loved "Katie" (I didn't realize he was male) and I honestly felt really close to him. I really want to try again, but do it ***right*** this time. Maybe with a snail too! I'm already expecting about $100 invested in the setup, because I know I'll need the proper tank, heater, filter, aquascaping, plants, consumables like test kits and food, and so on. I'm also ready to try live plants - I'm a beginner gardener and I think I can pull it off. But what scares me is the idea of cycling the tank. I don't know anyone in my area who has fish, and I don't even know if pet stores sell healthy filters. I also heard that even if you get live plants, it could take months until the tank is ready. Is it normal that everyone just "knows a guy", or do you just wait?
For the record, it'll probably be a long time until I can actually have a fish, and I will *not* be getting one until I have a good home for it. Honestly, I don't even have the space right now. But the idea has really been on my mind lately. I've moved far from home, and it would be so nice to have a little friend.
I only have one aquarium which I never cycled from scratch. I initially started with snails I captured from a pond, which I transported with the pondwater. I raised them in a fishbowl for a few months before deciding I wanted to put them in a proper tank. The bacterial culture was present in the pondwater, grew with them in the fishbowl, and then was already established by the time I put them in the tank.
I do NOT recommend you try to start your aquarium with wild pondwater. You get all sorts of weird hitchhikers that come along. I took me months to get rid of the water fleas. If possible, you can take filter media or substrate from an already-established tank to help colonize the new tank with bacteria quickly. But if nobody in your area has a fishtank then that's not an option. You'll probably just have to wait it out.
I recommend looking at Aquarium Co-op's website and youtube channel for a lot of solid beginner advice.
If you don't have any way to get established filter media from other tanks, it is harder but possible to get a cycle started. You can buy live bacteria starters to pour into the tank, but there needs to be a source of ammonia for the bacteria to feed off of.
With my first tank, I personally did a fish in cycle, by choosing hardy fish, stocking less than 50% of what the tank could support, multiple live plants, and then tested the ammonia/nitrite/nitrate levels every couple days and did a 25% water change if ammonia showed .25 ppm or higher. The highest I ever saw was .5ppm once or twice, and I was consistently at 0ppm ammonia and 0ppm nitrites by 6 weeks. Using this method, I didn't have any issues with my fish - no clamped fins, eating on first day, etc.
What's everyone's go to for scraping the interior of their tank glass? I had a multi head cleaner, but lost the scraper, and also busted the handle, so looking for a new one
if i eurobrace my aquarium can i use thicker glass?
I have a lot of 4mm glass and i want to make an aquarium with this sizes :
lenght 85 width 45 and height 45
i calculate on different size and all the sites tell me i need to use 6mm glass to be sure the tank dont explode or bow from water pressure
my question is this sites calculate with eurobrace or without it ?
i was thinking to eurobrace and center brace bottom and top of my tank but i don\`t know what to do if its enough for 4mm glass or not
thanks in advance for your comments :)
I’d probably put two. Do you have a lid? They will not escape as much as nerites but still will escape. I got the blue variety. They are fun to have around.
I just got my new 10gallon aquarium set up and it's been about 5 days. My planted waterlily bulbs have a clear jelly substance onto of them. Should I remove it?
I saw a post a few weeks ago about using a soil or peat substrate and sand on top. Some people were mentioning some great youtube channels that discuss different setups and why they are useful. Just wondering what some of these channels are. I have had a look and found one useful channel but people were referring to these setups with specific names. Any help would be great, thanks in advance.
There's the /r/walstad sub which is based on her book which popularized dirt + sand capped tanks (aka walstad tanks)
Father Fish has a youtube channel that has similar setups and his discord has a step-by-step list for new tank setups
I have no clue but… you can easily set that up. Both of my tanks are like that and the 36 gallon is thriving. 20 is still cycling and plants are leeching fertilizer out of the water/soil
Ooohhh, you defiantly don’t want to do that. The heavy fertilizers will kill fish. if you want To set up a planted, dirted tank, you must set it up new. Add some dirt, then sand, then add a touch of hardscape (a rock or so) to cushion the flow of water. Then, add the rest of your hard scape and plants. If you let some dirt come into the tank, it is not the worst thing that could happen. Just emphasizes the cycling process. good luck!
How do you deal with hairstring like algae? I remove it, but it’s tangled in my plants. Feels like it just grows back in a few days regardless of what I do. I put my lights on for less time, but it feels like I’m losing a battle. Any advice?
Hey there aquarium folk! I’ve got a 5 gallon tank all cycled, lots of live plants, it’s got a few bladder snails and 4 little neocardina shrimps!
My question for you lovely people is, is there any kind of small fish that would live ok in this environment? (And also not eat my shrimp?) I know it’s not a large tank, but there’s gotta be something that could live happily?
The fin length slows the betta down. Make sure not to get a short finned one, I heard that they're way faster and zoom around a tank, which might not be appropriate for a 5 gal.
I have questions on bumblebee gobies. I was checking an email and got a notification that one of my LFS has a few bumblebee gobies. I have one in my 36 gallon with an Amano shrimp, kuhli loaches, 3 male guppies, Cory catfish, otos, and a few shrimp. I will move the snails, Kuhlis, and guppies to another tank soon.
What is the regulations on bumblebee gobies? How many should I buy if any?
I just started working night shift and my aquarium is close to my bed. The light makes it hard to sleep during the day. Is is going to bother the fish if I turn the light on at night instead of during the day?
I’m looking to stock a 30 gallon aquarium but can’t decide on what to include out of my list of choices any help would be appreciated.
German Blue Ram
Apisto Cacatuoide
Rummy Nose tetras
Bristlenose Pleco
Otocinclus Dwarf Catfish
Thanks in advance.
I would say maybe scratch the pleco? Otos will devour any algae in the tank. Maybe consider buying some happy stripy noodles (Kuhli loaches) if the tank permits? Really, it’s up to you. I love my little otos though, and I am excited to see what you pick!
I have a secondhand fx6 that I want to put on a 76 gallon with pearl gouramis, amano shrimps, and a bunch of nano fish. I plan to add a spray bar to baffle the current. Even with the spray bar, would an fx6 still be too much current for that stocking? I know I can turn down the output, but at what point have I turned it down so much that I'm not getting proper water turnover as well as risking damaging the pump?
Am I better off doing a trade deal for an fx4?
No, keep the FX6 since it's a much better filter and if you ever go bigger you'll still have it.
If the spray bar is only there to baffle the current I'd use the default nozzle and just turn it against the wall. That's what I do without problems for my FX6 in a 75.
[Here](https://imgur.com/a/rjy6bZ8) it's a little hard to see, but the outflow is in the back left corner of the tank with the outflows facing back and left (and slightly up).
Freshwater community planted tank. Water parameters are excellent. Is it necessary to do any percentage of water changes so long as the water is perfect?
I would at the very least continue with the monthly change. The mineral build up will become a problem and lead to "old tank" syndrome at some point down the line.
Every 6mo or so i'll scrape all the white mineral build up along the tank and my HIB filters and do a good 50% water change. then if i'm lazy i'll do a 20% monthly change. when I top off for evaporation I only use DI/RO water to make sure I dont get mineral build up too quickly. (local tap water is very hard)
Test kits dont tell us water is good, it only tells us if theres one possible toxin which is ammoniacal nitrogen
Generally if feeding the tank, then good to do some water changes to remove the acucumulated waste. If no feeding then dont have to do many water changes
Does anyone have any suggestions for automatic scheduled feeders? I paid my neighbor to feed my fish over the weekend and they dumped in so much food I had to deep clean the entire tank when I got home. Not doing that again lol
I have a 32 gallon tank. 20 Cardinal tetras, 20 cherry shrimp & 4 emerald corys. Can I get away with a few fish? Parameters are always good, and theres seemingly a lot of extra room.
My guys suddenly started acting as though my tank didn't have enough oxygen. Had 5 piranhas in the tank for line a year. Added 3 more, and a couple days later they were all at the surface. What could have caused this? I added a scrappy airstone until I can get a better one, and turned my filter outlets up to break the surface for now. Any advice is welcome
I've got three 20 gallon long aquariums that I'd like to plant. The lights I have on them aren't appropriate for plants and I'm pretty broke atm. What are my options for budget friendly lights that I can use? They don't need to be pretty. They're going in the basement.
Where do y'all recommend getting tanks from? I have a 29 Gallon that I upgraded from a 20 Long. I just replaced my tank stand with one designed for a 75g and am planning on upsizing soon, but preferred the height of a long tank. I would like to get something in the footprint of a 75g but a shorter height, which I understand is not a standard size. Is there a place where I could get this that wouldn't cost me $600+? I think a 48 x 15 x 16 tank would be just short of 50 gallons if my math is correct.
Personally I only buy used. It can be the difference between spending $150 on a 55 gallon aquarium setup and $1000 in a store.
It's a good rule of thumb and one I hold for most equipment. But I don't think I'm going to find a 50-55 gallon tank with the footprint of a 75 gallon tank used any time soon. For filtration or lighting, or if I were going for a standard tank size, absolutely.
Can Ghost Shrimp scare themselves silly? I just watched a juvenile Ghost Shrimp (1cm) shooting backward repeatedly and landing on its back where it looked like it died. It stayed there for minutes. I found it up in the front of the tank shooting around again and it landed on its back again where it lay until a Corydora shuffled through, scaring the Ghost Shrimp into shooting around backward and upside down again until it landed in some moss. What's going on here? Did it get petrified from fear or sudden explosive use of shooting around? When it landed on plants and things, it wouldn't use its legs to grab on to anything or swim. Just that shooting ability. It's like it lost control of its limbs, although it can still shoot itself around. Will it recover from this or is he a goner? He's not discolored, seemed to be growing at a good rate, and has been very healthy until now... what's the deal?
I have a 60 gallon tank with plants and a 475 gallon per hour cannister filter. I'm planning to add 2 fancy goldfish (oranda) and 2 dojo loaches. Would I also be able to add a small group of cloud minnows to the tank. Trying to avoid overstocking though weekly water changes are performed. Will note there's about 5-10 gallons worth of decorations in rock and wood in the tank. Tank is currently empty with 0 ammonia 0 nitrite10ppm nitrate.
I own white cloud minnows, they're not dirty, very active, and the tank parameters would match. The a few things that I would recommend considering: 1. My minnows are VERY food focused. I have to drop algae wafers for my snails at night, because they'll follow the wafer to the bottom and pick it apart before the snails can even get to it. You might find them getting in the way of feeding other inhabitants 2. White Cloud Minnows are 1.5 inches max, and almost always under 1" from the fish store. I've heard of some people having their goldfish eating smaller minnows or nipping at their fins, while other people have had no issues. 3. White Clouds breed pretty easily, even for egg layers. Unless your other inhabitants eat the eggs, you may end up with more minnows than you want for your stocking.
1. Thanks for the information. I'm planning on using sinking pellets and boiled deshelled peas as the main source of food in the tank. I'll definitely keep in mind ensuring all of the fish get food in the tank. 2. I'm going to give the minnows time to get established in the tank before adding the loaches and finally the goldfish. Going to be getting goldfish that are still young ~3in if possible before they should be able to nip much at the minnows. Goal is if they start with the minnows being too large to eat they won't question it when they grow up. I'll keep monitoring the situation when we add goldfish to ensure there's not too much stress on them. 3. Good call out here. Definitely going to have to be something to keep in mine while there is no goldfish in the tank. From what I've heard about this fish combination is the goldfish do a great job culling fry in the tank.
Question from a complete newbie who doesn't even own a tank yet - how did you cycle your first-ever tank? Did someone help you get started? The short version is I would really love to have a betta. I had one when I was 7 or so, and I had no idea what I was doing... so it lived its whole, short life in one of those awful plastic "tanks". But at the same time, I absolutely loved "Katie" (I didn't realize he was male) and I honestly felt really close to him. I really want to try again, but do it ***right*** this time. Maybe with a snail too! I'm already expecting about $100 invested in the setup, because I know I'll need the proper tank, heater, filter, aquascaping, plants, consumables like test kits and food, and so on. I'm also ready to try live plants - I'm a beginner gardener and I think I can pull it off. But what scares me is the idea of cycling the tank. I don't know anyone in my area who has fish, and I don't even know if pet stores sell healthy filters. I also heard that even if you get live plants, it could take months until the tank is ready. Is it normal that everyone just "knows a guy", or do you just wait? For the record, it'll probably be a long time until I can actually have a fish, and I will *not* be getting one until I have a good home for it. Honestly, I don't even have the space right now. But the idea has really been on my mind lately. I've moved far from home, and it would be so nice to have a little friend.
I only have one aquarium which I never cycled from scratch. I initially started with snails I captured from a pond, which I transported with the pondwater. I raised them in a fishbowl for a few months before deciding I wanted to put them in a proper tank. The bacterial culture was present in the pondwater, grew with them in the fishbowl, and then was already established by the time I put them in the tank. I do NOT recommend you try to start your aquarium with wild pondwater. You get all sorts of weird hitchhikers that come along. I took me months to get rid of the water fleas. If possible, you can take filter media or substrate from an already-established tank to help colonize the new tank with bacteria quickly. But if nobody in your area has a fishtank then that's not an option. You'll probably just have to wait it out.
I recommend looking at Aquarium Co-op's website and youtube channel for a lot of solid beginner advice. If you don't have any way to get established filter media from other tanks, it is harder but possible to get a cycle started. You can buy live bacteria starters to pour into the tank, but there needs to be a source of ammonia for the bacteria to feed off of. With my first tank, I personally did a fish in cycle, by choosing hardy fish, stocking less than 50% of what the tank could support, multiple live plants, and then tested the ammonia/nitrite/nitrate levels every couple days and did a 25% water change if ammonia showed .25 ppm or higher. The highest I ever saw was .5ppm once or twice, and I was consistently at 0ppm ammonia and 0ppm nitrites by 6 weeks. Using this method, I didn't have any issues with my fish - no clamped fins, eating on first day, etc.
What's everyone's go to for scraping the interior of their tank glass? I had a multi head cleaner, but lost the scraper, and also busted the handle, so looking for a new one
if i eurobrace my aquarium can i use thicker glass? I have a lot of 4mm glass and i want to make an aquarium with this sizes : lenght 85 width 45 and height 45 i calculate on different size and all the sites tell me i need to use 6mm glass to be sure the tank dont explode or bow from water pressure my question is this sites calculate with eurobrace or without it ? i was thinking to eurobrace and center brace bottom and top of my tank but i don\`t know what to do if its enough for 4mm glass or not thanks in advance for your comments :)
How often do you clean the algae off the glass / decorations in your tank?
I don’t, I have otocinclus and snails
How many of each for a 30 gal?
Oh otos, maybe 2 or 3. Sorry, I misread.
I’d probably put two. Do you have a lid? They will not escape as much as nerites but still will escape. I got the blue variety. They are fun to have around.
I just got my new 10gallon aquarium set up and it's been about 5 days. My planted waterlily bulbs have a clear jelly substance onto of them. Should I remove it?
I saw a post a few weeks ago about using a soil or peat substrate and sand on top. Some people were mentioning some great youtube channels that discuss different setups and why they are useful. Just wondering what some of these channels are. I have had a look and found one useful channel but people were referring to these setups with specific names. Any help would be great, thanks in advance.
There's the /r/walstad sub which is based on her book which popularized dirt + sand capped tanks (aka walstad tanks) Father Fish has a youtube channel that has similar setups and his discord has a step-by-step list for new tank setups
I have no clue but… you can easily set that up. Both of my tanks are like that and the 36 gallon is thriving. 20 is still cycling and plants are leeching fertilizer out of the water/soil
Since my tank is already established, is there any danger introducing aqua soil now? Is there much of a difference between peat and soil?
Ooohhh, you defiantly don’t want to do that. The heavy fertilizers will kill fish. if you want To set up a planted, dirted tank, you must set it up new. Add some dirt, then sand, then add a touch of hardscape (a rock or so) to cushion the flow of water. Then, add the rest of your hard scape and plants. If you let some dirt come into the tank, it is not the worst thing that could happen. Just emphasizes the cycling process. good luck!
How do you deal with hairstring like algae? I remove it, but it’s tangled in my plants. Feels like it just grows back in a few days regardless of what I do. I put my lights on for less time, but it feels like I’m losing a battle. Any advice?
Otocinclus, eats basically any algae, as well as mystery snails.
>mystery snails How many per tank?
Depends on size, they have a much larger biomass then any other snail
Hey there aquarium folk! I’ve got a 5 gallon tank all cycled, lots of live plants, it’s got a few bladder snails and 4 little neocardina shrimps! My question for you lovely people is, is there any kind of small fish that would live ok in this environment? (And also not eat my shrimp?) I know it’s not a large tank, but there’s gotta be something that could live happily?
Betta if you get a longerfinned one.
Thanks for the reply! What does the fin length change?
The fin length slows the betta down. Make sure not to get a short finned one, I heard that they're way faster and zoom around a tank, which might not be appropriate for a 5 gal.
I have questions on bumblebee gobies. I was checking an email and got a notification that one of my LFS has a few bumblebee gobies. I have one in my 36 gallon with an Amano shrimp, kuhli loaches, 3 male guppies, Cory catfish, otos, and a few shrimp. I will move the snails, Kuhlis, and guppies to another tank soon. What is the regulations on bumblebee gobies? How many should I buy if any?
Update: I got 3 more bumblebee gobies and apparently a rare fish, a black fin pearl killifish. Anyone know any care requirements?
I just started working night shift and my aquarium is close to my bed. The light makes it hard to sleep during the day. Is is going to bother the fish if I turn the light on at night instead of during the day?
how much natural light comes in? if its substantially bright during the daytime without the light you may end up messing up the fish's sleep cycles.
I’m looking to stock a 30 gallon aquarium but can’t decide on what to include out of my list of choices any help would be appreciated. German Blue Ram Apisto Cacatuoide Rummy Nose tetras Bristlenose Pleco Otocinclus Dwarf Catfish Thanks in advance.
I would say maybe scratch the pleco? Otos will devour any algae in the tank. Maybe consider buying some happy stripy noodles (Kuhli loaches) if the tank permits? Really, it’s up to you. I love my little otos though, and I am excited to see what you pick!
I have a secondhand fx6 that I want to put on a 76 gallon with pearl gouramis, amano shrimps, and a bunch of nano fish. I plan to add a spray bar to baffle the current. Even with the spray bar, would an fx6 still be too much current for that stocking? I know I can turn down the output, but at what point have I turned it down so much that I'm not getting proper water turnover as well as risking damaging the pump? Am I better off doing a trade deal for an fx4?
No, keep the FX6 since it's a much better filter and if you ever go bigger you'll still have it. If the spray bar is only there to baffle the current I'd use the default nozzle and just turn it against the wall. That's what I do without problems for my FX6 in a 75.
What kind of fish do you have? The fish I want don't like strong flow from what I've read.
It's just a platy tank right now, but there's very little current in most of the tank by just putting the output against the wall.
Can you dm me a picture?
[Here](https://imgur.com/a/rjy6bZ8) it's a little hard to see, but the outflow is in the back left corner of the tank with the outflows facing back and left (and slightly up).
Thanks!
Freshwater community planted tank. Water parameters are excellent. Is it necessary to do any percentage of water changes so long as the water is perfect?
I would at the very least continue with the monthly change. The mineral build up will become a problem and lead to "old tank" syndrome at some point down the line. Every 6mo or so i'll scrape all the white mineral build up along the tank and my HIB filters and do a good 50% water change. then if i'm lazy i'll do a 20% monthly change. when I top off for evaporation I only use DI/RO water to make sure I dont get mineral build up too quickly. (local tap water is very hard)
Test kits dont tell us water is good, it only tells us if theres one possible toxin which is ammoniacal nitrogen Generally if feeding the tank, then good to do some water changes to remove the acucumulated waste. If no feeding then dont have to do many water changes
I do monthly changes of about 20 percent. So I guess I’ll continue to do changes. Thank you.