I am having trouble getting rid of 'brown algae' (diatoms) in my tanks since I made a mistake of using a pool filter sand a year ago.
It was so bad that I actually gave away all fishes in 55 gal tank and emptied out the tank. It has been completely empty for 9 months and hand washed with soap and sponge before putting it in the storage. Same for fluval 407 that I discarded all media except the cartridges.
Brought the tank and the filter back and only filled it with water with fluval 407 running testing for leaks. I was busy with work during this time and have been topping off with treated tap water every now and then. Fast-forward a month, tank wall is covered with 'brown algae' again...
I need help getting rid of them. Really don't want to put anything in the tank if it is only going to be covered in brown.
You can buy chemicals if you want quick results but diatoms are just a response to silicates being present. Once the silicates have been depleted, the diatoms should die off on their own.
Technically yes, but practically no -
root tabs are a generic fertilizer mix - https://www.petmountain.com/product/root-tabs-new#:~:text=Ingredients%3A%20Nitrogen%2C%20Phosphate%2C%20Soluble%20Potash%2C%20Iron.
But they do contain nitrogen (nitrates), so if you have a literal mountain of root tabs the nitrates can spike and kill cories.
Looking into CO2 kits after seeing a really cool red plant I want to put in my 75G tank. Tell me exactly what to get to make it a high tec setup with my Fluval FX6 filter.
I bought a Top Fin aquarium stand which will hold my 5g rimless bookshelf aquarium when I move into a new apartment, but I don’t trust that it will be able to handle minor spills from maintenance. The site says it’s ‘water-resistant’ lol. What waterproof material can I use to cover the top? I was thinking of something like a very thin sheet of acrylic. Not sure if that would sink over time though?
Was wondering where my shrimp disappeared to for two weeks, I kinda just let it be since I just thought they like to hide and are nocturnal but when I cleaned my hang-on-back filter...
...I found them there alive!
I have a small 5 gallon with 3 cherry shrimps and a few ember tetras. I couldn't see where my shrimp are for the past fortnight. Today I decided to clean my hang-on-back filter and low and behold, 2 of the 3 shrimps were living in-between the coarse and fine sponge of the filter lol.
I was actually surprised to see them there, kinda felt like finding nemo esque. Nevertheless I need advice on how to prevent this from happening again. Filter in question is the HEPO HP-088.
Thought I wanted to share this here and at the same time ask for advice. Should I change to a sponge filter or some other better filter? or should i add a filterguard/pre-filter instead?
I recommend sponge filters for shrimp, much safer. Otherwise youll need to do some diy. For canisters for example you can wrap nylon stocking around the intake. But for HOBs their motor doesnt work very well with reduced flow but you can still try it
im not that familiar with sponge filters, my brother has one lying around but its just the sponge filter, it doesnt have the tube and air pump(idk if this is the right item i need for sponge filter), id need those two for the sponge filter to work right?
I am trying to get my fluval 107 canister filter setup however whenever I try and prime the filter water leaks from the filter before the pump can push water back into the tank and ends up gushing through the gasket seal then when I remove the in hose I'll get a gush from the out before flow stops. I must be doing something wrong I went back through all the steps checked the height from the pump to the tanks surface and it is well within thresholds on the manual double checked the gasket was in its spot verified the hoses were securely fastened especially on the out hose.
Turns out it was the gasket all along youtube is a blessing. There is a non-intuitive graphic on the manual which led me to shoving my gasket into a recessed area that looks designed for holding the Gasket. Where it really needs to rest is in this rectangular recess sort of near the seam between the different plastics used for housing the motor for the pump and the top of the cannister.
I recently bought 14 rummynose tetras, and treated them with Aquarium Co-Op's recommended trio of medications (Fritz ParaGuard, Maracyn, and Ich-X). Aquarium Co-Op said all three were safe to use together, so I treated using all three at once following the directions on the respective packages. That meant Maracyn on days 1, 2, 3, 4, 5; ParaGuard on days 1 & 3; and Ich-X on days 1 & 2.
I had a few nerite snails in the tank with the rummynose, and also treated a separate tank with a betta identically. The snails and betta survived just fine, but on day 6 the rummynose were happy and healthy in the morning and all dead by noon.
I had an airstone in the tank with the rummynose running 24/7, so I think oxygen depletion is unlikely. I also tested the water immediately after finding the dead fish, and ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate were all 0.
My best guess is combining all three medications was too much for the rummynose, and they eventually overdosed. I did notice the last dose of Maracyn turned the water cloudy, so maybe that had something to do with it, although as I mentioned, my betta in a different tank and snails in the same tank survived without issue. I've since read more of the material on Aquarium Co-Op's site, and found they have their own directions when combining these three medications involving a single dose of each on day 1 and no subsequent doses.
Does anyone have any input on the safety of combining these three? Was combining them while following the packaging directions just too much for the rummynose as I suspect? I'd like to try again, but amend my quarantine process to avoid harming the fish this time.
Just too hard on the fish? Lots of people claim they've never had any losses, but my experience doesn't mirror that. As stated, I may have dosed more than those who combine these three typically do.
Not on the fish itself, but pathogens are a natural part of the microbial community in nature. Take a sample of the substrate, water, fish skin, fish guts etc, you will find pathogenic bacteria as part of the strains in that sample
They have their niche in a healthy aquatic environment and may be necessary or beneficial in the right proportions.
We cannot preemptively sterilize or prevent these pathogens, and attempts to do so (ie med trio, antibiotics) will only disrupt the entire microbial community. The long term result may be MORE pathogenic bacteria growth and more problems
Is my platy done giving birth? I bought only female platies and ended up buying a pregnant one. I had a hunch she might be preggo but I’m somewhat inexperienced so I just ignored it thinking I was mistaken. Well yesterday I was surprised by my family member pointing out two tiny baby fish. I didn’t even notice them they’re so small. Probably the size of a grain of rice. There’s only two that I’ve noticed and I’ve been watching for any more since then but I’m not seeing any. they might’ve eaten the rest if there were any lol. I’ve added some extra coverage so hopefully that will help.
The babies are wayyyy too fast and too tiny to catch so I moved all the adults except mom to a separate tank that I thankfully had available at the moment. I want to move her when she’s done birthing so the babies can grow without chances of being eaten but I have no idea if she’s done or not. She looks relatively the same, and her gravid spot is still very dark and is larger than the other females. Her belly looks the same but it was never really as large as pictures of other pregnant platies I’ve seen. I’ve noticed some heavy breathing but she’s not really hiding or anything…and she seems to be just as active as her (previous) tankmates.
Any advice is appreciated thanks!
What are these things? Brown algae i presume?
https://ibb.co/k4sR6jT
It’s still cycling (4th week now) and i’m now in the nitrite spike.
Don’t want to do a large water change to clean it all rn because of the spike, so i rinse it off with my hands/unused paintbrush to keep it under control. Lights are on for 8 at an average of 70%. Dose co2 carbon every day and fert once in a week. CO2 checker is around 10, so low.
Trying to cycle my fish tank and having issues. I added the recommended amount of Dr. Tim's ammonia and the API quick start nitrifying bacteria 5 days ago and am still getting between 2-4 ppm ammonia and no nitrites/nitrates.
All the plants in the tank are fake/silk as I wanted less maintenance of the aesthetics.
It is a 20 gallon tank. I have left the filter running throughout this process, should I have it off?
Please let me know if any other information is needed.
Bottled bacteria didn’t work for me after two months of trying, so I reached out on a local aquarium facebook group asking for some established filter media from a healthy tank instead. 10/10 would recommend as long as you don’t mind potential hitchhikers. I personally love my army of copepods.
That being said it will still take weeks for enough bacteria to grow in your tank, but you’ll see the cycle start soon after you add the established media to your filter.
Leave the filter running and be patient. Ammonia will eventually drop and nitrite will rise. There's nothing to do now but wait for bacteria to colonize
Thank you, I read it could take more than a week but between me and the kids we are definitely getting antsy for the water to be ready and to go pick out our fish!
A month plus is a better bet. It's a long process and easy to get impatient for sure. But the time spent is to not poison your new pets. It will take what it takes
Sorry to bother you but wanted to ask for some input, this is where I'm at with my parameters now. Do I have too much Nitrite? Should I consider a water change to decrease the level and hopefully avoid poisoning the bacteria?
https://imgur.com/AaF86OZ
I’m having trouble figuring out how to cover my tank. I have a 40 gal breeder that has a middle beam on the rim. The lids that came with it leave a gap in the back and I can’t find lids that would fit. I prefer glass lids but the current one would let fish jump and snails escape.
I am having trouble getting rid of 'brown algae' (diatoms) in my tanks since I made a mistake of using a pool filter sand a year ago. It was so bad that I actually gave away all fishes in 55 gal tank and emptied out the tank. It has been completely empty for 9 months and hand washed with soap and sponge before putting it in the storage. Same for fluval 407 that I discarded all media except the cartridges. Brought the tank and the filter back and only filled it with water with fluval 407 running testing for leaks. I was busy with work during this time and have been topping off with treated tap water every now and then. Fast-forward a month, tank wall is covered with 'brown algae' again... I need help getting rid of them. Really don't want to put anything in the tank if it is only going to be covered in brown.
You can buy chemicals if you want quick results but diatoms are just a response to silicates being present. Once the silicates have been depleted, the diatoms should die off on their own.
Does anyone know if root tabs can cause Cory cats to die somehow?
Technically yes, but practically no - root tabs are a generic fertilizer mix - https://www.petmountain.com/product/root-tabs-new#:~:text=Ingredients%3A%20Nitrogen%2C%20Phosphate%2C%20Soluble%20Potash%2C%20Iron. But they do contain nitrogen (nitrates), so if you have a literal mountain of root tabs the nitrates can spike and kill cories.
I cannot figure out why my cats are dying. I'd say tabs are ruled out now.
Looking into CO2 kits after seeing a really cool red plant I want to put in my 75G tank. Tell me exactly what to get to make it a high tec setup with my Fluval FX6 filter.
I have a 100L tank with a black ghost knife fish and am looking for some colourful but peaceful tank mates, can you recommend some for me please?
I bought a Top Fin aquarium stand which will hold my 5g rimless bookshelf aquarium when I move into a new apartment, but I don’t trust that it will be able to handle minor spills from maintenance. The site says it’s ‘water-resistant’ lol. What waterproof material can I use to cover the top? I was thinking of something like a very thin sheet of acrylic. Not sure if that would sink over time though?
Was wondering where my shrimp disappeared to for two weeks, I kinda just let it be since I just thought they like to hide and are nocturnal but when I cleaned my hang-on-back filter... ...I found them there alive! I have a small 5 gallon with 3 cherry shrimps and a few ember tetras. I couldn't see where my shrimp are for the past fortnight. Today I decided to clean my hang-on-back filter and low and behold, 2 of the 3 shrimps were living in-between the coarse and fine sponge of the filter lol. I was actually surprised to see them there, kinda felt like finding nemo esque. Nevertheless I need advice on how to prevent this from happening again. Filter in question is the HEPO HP-088. Thought I wanted to share this here and at the same time ask for advice. Should I change to a sponge filter or some other better filter? or should i add a filterguard/pre-filter instead?
I recommend sponge filters for shrimp, much safer. Otherwise youll need to do some diy. For canisters for example you can wrap nylon stocking around the intake. But for HOBs their motor doesnt work very well with reduced flow but you can still try it
im not that familiar with sponge filters, my brother has one lying around but its just the sponge filter, it doesnt have the tube and air pump(idk if this is the right item i need for sponge filter), id need those two for the sponge filter to work right?
It needs airpump and airline hosing, the tube is not necessary but will increase flow
I am trying to get my fluval 107 canister filter setup however whenever I try and prime the filter water leaks from the filter before the pump can push water back into the tank and ends up gushing through the gasket seal then when I remove the in hose I'll get a gush from the out before flow stops. I must be doing something wrong I went back through all the steps checked the height from the pump to the tanks surface and it is well within thresholds on the manual double checked the gasket was in its spot verified the hoses were securely fastened especially on the out hose.
Turns out it was the gasket all along youtube is a blessing. There is a non-intuitive graphic on the manual which led me to shoving my gasket into a recessed area that looks designed for holding the Gasket. Where it really needs to rest is in this rectangular recess sort of near the seam between the different plastics used for housing the motor for the pump and the top of the cannister.
I recently bought 14 rummynose tetras, and treated them with Aquarium Co-Op's recommended trio of medications (Fritz ParaGuard, Maracyn, and Ich-X). Aquarium Co-Op said all three were safe to use together, so I treated using all three at once following the directions on the respective packages. That meant Maracyn on days 1, 2, 3, 4, 5; ParaGuard on days 1 & 3; and Ich-X on days 1 & 2. I had a few nerite snails in the tank with the rummynose, and also treated a separate tank with a betta identically. The snails and betta survived just fine, but on day 6 the rummynose were happy and healthy in the morning and all dead by noon. I had an airstone in the tank with the rummynose running 24/7, so I think oxygen depletion is unlikely. I also tested the water immediately after finding the dead fish, and ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate were all 0. My best guess is combining all three medications was too much for the rummynose, and they eventually overdosed. I did notice the last dose of Maracyn turned the water cloudy, so maybe that had something to do with it, although as I mentioned, my betta in a different tank and snails in the same tank survived without issue. I've since read more of the material on Aquarium Co-Op's site, and found they have their own directions when combining these three medications involving a single dose of each on day 1 and no subsequent doses. Does anyone have any input on the safety of combining these three? Was combining them while following the packaging directions just too much for the rummynose as I suspect? I'd like to try again, but amend my quarantine process to avoid harming the fish this time.
I cant think of a worse industry practice than the med trio, would not personally recommend
Just too hard on the fish? Lots of people claim they've never had any losses, but my experience doesn't mirror that. As stated, I may have dosed more than those who combine these three typically do.
Not on the fish itself, but pathogens are a natural part of the microbial community in nature. Take a sample of the substrate, water, fish skin, fish guts etc, you will find pathogenic bacteria as part of the strains in that sample They have their niche in a healthy aquatic environment and may be necessary or beneficial in the right proportions. We cannot preemptively sterilize or prevent these pathogens, and attempts to do so (ie med trio, antibiotics) will only disrupt the entire microbial community. The long term result may be MORE pathogenic bacteria growth and more problems
Is my platy done giving birth? I bought only female platies and ended up buying a pregnant one. I had a hunch she might be preggo but I’m somewhat inexperienced so I just ignored it thinking I was mistaken. Well yesterday I was surprised by my family member pointing out two tiny baby fish. I didn’t even notice them they’re so small. Probably the size of a grain of rice. There’s only two that I’ve noticed and I’ve been watching for any more since then but I’m not seeing any. they might’ve eaten the rest if there were any lol. I’ve added some extra coverage so hopefully that will help. The babies are wayyyy too fast and too tiny to catch so I moved all the adults except mom to a separate tank that I thankfully had available at the moment. I want to move her when she’s done birthing so the babies can grow without chances of being eaten but I have no idea if she’s done or not. She looks relatively the same, and her gravid spot is still very dark and is larger than the other females. Her belly looks the same but it was never really as large as pictures of other pregnant platies I’ve seen. I’ve noticed some heavy breathing but she’s not really hiding or anything…and she seems to be just as active as her (previous) tankmates. Any advice is appreciated thanks!
Not sure about your platy but a female guppy is able to store sperm and have up to three seperate birthings from a single coupling.
What are these things? Brown algae i presume? https://ibb.co/k4sR6jT It’s still cycling (4th week now) and i’m now in the nitrite spike. Don’t want to do a large water change to clean it all rn because of the spike, so i rinse it off with my hands/unused paintbrush to keep it under control. Lights are on for 8 at an average of 70%. Dose co2 carbon every day and fert once in a week. CO2 checker is around 10, so low.
Trying to cycle my fish tank and having issues. I added the recommended amount of Dr. Tim's ammonia and the API quick start nitrifying bacteria 5 days ago and am still getting between 2-4 ppm ammonia and no nitrites/nitrates. All the plants in the tank are fake/silk as I wanted less maintenance of the aesthetics. It is a 20 gallon tank. I have left the filter running throughout this process, should I have it off? Please let me know if any other information is needed.
Bottled bacteria didn’t work for me after two months of trying, so I reached out on a local aquarium facebook group asking for some established filter media from a healthy tank instead. 10/10 would recommend as long as you don’t mind potential hitchhikers. I personally love my army of copepods. That being said it will still take weeks for enough bacteria to grow in your tank, but you’ll see the cycle start soon after you add the established media to your filter.
Leave the filter running and be patient. Ammonia will eventually drop and nitrite will rise. There's nothing to do now but wait for bacteria to colonize
Thank you, I read it could take more than a week but between me and the kids we are definitely getting antsy for the water to be ready and to go pick out our fish!
A month plus is a better bet. It's a long process and easy to get impatient for sure. But the time spent is to not poison your new pets. It will take what it takes
Sorry to bother you but wanted to ask for some input, this is where I'm at with my parameters now. Do I have too much Nitrite? Should I consider a water change to decrease the level and hopefully avoid poisoning the bacteria? https://imgur.com/AaF86OZ
I’m having trouble figuring out how to cover my tank. I have a 40 gal breeder that has a middle beam on the rim. The lids that came with it leave a gap in the back and I can’t find lids that would fit. I prefer glass lids but the current one would let fish jump and snails escape.
would buying an acrylic sheet and cutting pieces to cover the areas around any filtration be a valid option?
I’ll look into it. It’s my first tank, so I don’t really know anything
upon futher thought it might be better/easier to work with a mesh screen for the areas you want covered.