Life Any fishkeepers here? Saltwater or freshwater - Page 21

Silock · 11-16-2011, 04:02 AM

I'm looking at starting up a saltwater tank. Is there a good fish store in the KC area without driving out to Lawrence?

Silock · 01-21-2012, 12:08 AM

Well, that sucks. Oh well.

It's only been two days, and I still don't have my CO2 up and running, but just with the lightning, every plant looks like it's doing much better than earlier this week.

**Lumpy** · 01-21-2012, 12:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Silock

Well, that sucks. Oh well.

It's only been two days, and I still don't have my CO2 up and running, but just with the lightning, every plant looks like it's doing much better than earlier this week.

You could always put the plant in an indoor pot w/ Miracle Gro. That's what I did w/ mine and it's doing pretty well.

htismaqe · 01-21-2012, 07:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KC Fish

I need a new water testing kit. Any recommendations? I'd like to get a decent one this time.

Seachem, Red Sea, and API all make freshwater test kits (not 100% sure about Red Sea) and all 3 are pretty quality brands in general.

The API is probably the easiest to find.

htismaqe · 01-21-2012, 08:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Silock

Well, that sucks. Oh well.

It's only been two days, and I still don't have my CO2 up and running, but just with the lightning, every plant looks like it's doing much better than earlier this week.

Like Lumpy said, it happens. I've probably purchased a half dozen plants that I've ended up throwing away after the fact because they're not really submersible.

And I will tell you this when it comes to plants - light is THE single biggest contributor to the health and appearance of your plants.

Fertilizer is nice, quality substrate is good, and CO2 is a bonus but good lighting is an absolute MUST.

Silock · 01-21-2012, 11:11 PM

Got rid of those plants. Not worth the hassle of keeping them separate, so I just tossed them. Replaced them with another Water Sprite and two Pygmy Swords.

Also, got a Blank Mystery Snail to help keep the algae under control and to keep the mulm to a minimum. Not sure if they help with substrate turnover or not.

Got my DIY CO2 reactor working (I think). Yeast proofed much better than the last batch, so it should be producing CO2 by tomorrow. Just in case of a leak, I used aquarium sealer on the tube/cap connection.

htismaqe · 01-22-2012, 08:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Silock

Got rid of those plants. Not worth the hassle of keeping them separate, so I just tossed them. Replaced them with another Water Sprite and two Pygmy Swords.

Also, got a Blank Mystery Snail to help keep the algae under control and to keep the mulm to a minimum. Not sure if they help with substrate turnover or not.

Got my DIY CO2 reactor working (I think). Yeast proofed much better than the last batch, so it should be producing CO2 by tomorrow. Just in case of a leak, I used aquarium sealer on the tube/cap connection.

Snails are hit and miss when it comes to algae. They'll keep the green stuff down to a certain extent. They won't help with the black stuff (unless they're Nerite snails) but then again, nothing else really will either. Snails the reproduce might eventually contribute to algae, since they are poop machines.

Also, outside of Melanoid snails (burrowers), they probably won't affect substrate turnover much at all. Then again, that's what a small gravel vac is for.

On the DIY yeast reactor, keep in mind that most drink bottles (juice, gatorade, etc.) use polyethylene in the caps. Silicone caulk won't stick to it at all. Eventually, you will leak at the insertion point (it might leak right off the bat).

Instead, drill your insertion hole in the cap about 1/16" SMALLER than the outside diameter of your airline hose. Cut the hose at an angle to create a sharp point that will stick in the hole and pull it through. The mechanical seal created has worked perfectly for me every time, no caulk needed.

Also keep in mind that airline tubing will corrode under constant exposure to C02 - regular cheap tubing will get brittle after just a few weeks and silicone tubing will eventually too, although it takes a bit longer.

Silock · 01-22-2012, 12:44 PM

I drilled the hole smaller than the tubing and pulled it through. The sealant was just for a backup. It's not leaking at all. Not worried about the tubing cracking. That shit is cheap enough to replace every time.

I'm getting a bubble every 2-3 seconds right now.

Silock · 01-25-2012, 12:00 AM

Well, water params stabilized. Took a sample to the fish store and they said the water was almost perfect. So, I replaced the two dead Cardinals, and added a Rhino Pleco. I hope he doesn't destroy my plants too badly, but if he does it's okay because . . .

I'm about to get the setup for my African cichlid tank (30g long) going and I can put him in there. Got my limestone rocks to boil, and then the Eco-complete substrate to put in there, and it should be good to go fairly quickly.

One of the new Cardinals doesn't look too good still. Not a lot of color, and he isn't quite as active as the other 5. Maybe he's just taking a bit longer to get settled in, because he is schooling with them. I hope I don't wake up to more dead Tetras.

Silock · 01-30-2012, 08:01 PM

Got an outbreak of Ich

3 tetras down so far, the betta not looking good. I'll be surprised if any of them survive, TBH. The pleco is the only one without visible signs of it, although I'm fairly certain either it or the last two tetras in were the carriers.

Increased temp to 82, salted slightly. Removed snail, treating with QuICK Cure. At this point, I'm more worried about the plants. They're far more expensive to replace.

Silock · 02-02-2012, 01:37 AM

All tetras down. Betta isn't eating, and just hanging out near the surface, so he's probably a goner, too.

Pleco is doing fine, though. Still continuing on with the QuICK Cure and small water changes.

htismaqe · 02-02-2012, 06:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Silock

Got an outbreak of Ich

3 tetras down so far, the betta not looking good. I'll be surprised if any of them survive, TBH. The pleco is the only one without visible signs of it, although I'm fairly certain either it or the last two tetras in were the carriers.

Increased temp to 82, salted slightly. Removed snail, treating with QuICK Cure. At this point, I'm more worried about the plants. They're far more expensive to replace.

Be VERY careful with Quick Cure - it contains malachite green and formalin:

1) it can be very hard on your plants and
2) it can be very hard on your BACTERIA, causing a mini-cycle

Silock · 02-02-2012, 07:03 AM

Yeah, I'm not overdosing or anything. Following the directions exactly. Not really worried about causing a mini cycle. I don't have many fish left . . . Just the pleco because the betta is about to be a goner.

Silock · 02-02-2012, 09:09 PM

Jesus... this betta is a ****ing champ. He's still not out of the woods, but he's eating now. Swimming around a bit. If he survives, it will be amazing. Again.

Silock · 02-10-2012, 03:03 AM

Wow, amazing to see how small my plants were before the CO2 system went up and the lighting got better. They're growing like crazy now.

So, quick update...

Lost all 6 tetras to Ich. Continued with the treatment for the Pleco and the Betta. Both are doing fine now. Stopped medicating today.

I thought that the meds killed off my biofilter, as I got a pretty big ammonia spike a couple of days ago, but it's back to normal today. Nitrites are still an issue.

But, since the meds were stopped, I had to change the filter media. So, it's got fresh media, and I did a 90% water change. I ordered an active Mag Sponge filter from Angelsplus, as they've gotten superb reviews. From all accounts, they fully populate the tank within a couple of days with all the needed bacteria. I'm hoping this finally solves my cycling issue.

Removed the fake deadwood. Replaced it with real deadwood. The fake is going in the new 30 gallon tank. Not going to do a cichlid tank, after all. Going to do a larger 30g planted tank, with dwarf hairgrass carpeting. That should look great. Plants I can apparently do very well. Fish . . . well, it's a work in progress.

I saved the mystery snail, but it must have been pregnant when I brought it home. Ever since he got into the tank, I've had an explosion of snails. I thought the Ich meds would have killed them off, but apparently not. I had the mystery snail in quarantine, and when I went to put it back in the main tank, I saw it was covered in snail eggs. I removed them from the snail, and got as many eggs out of the tank as I could find. I know I missed some, though. Might have to buy a loach to take care of the snails.

So, I'll try to get some new pics tomorrow. The water is still super cloudy from disturbing the substrate from vacuuming and all the moving around I had to do with the plants to make room for the new sponge filter.

**Baby Lee** · 02-10-2012, 05:31 AM

"Keep a clean tank"
- A. Sipowicz

That's all I got.

11-16-2011, 04:02 AM
Silock MVP Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Overland Park Casino cash: $10020882	Any fishkeepers here? Saltwater or freshwater I'm looking at starting up a saltwater tank. Is there a good fish store in the KC area without driving out to Lawrence?
Posts: 19,908

01-21-2012, 12:08 AM	#301
Silock MVP Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Overland Park Casino cash: $10020882	Well, that sucks. Oh well. It's only been two days, and I still don't have my CO2 up and running, but just with the lightning, every plant looks like it's doing much better than earlier this week.
Posts: 19,908

01-21-2012, 11:11 PM	#305
Silock MVP Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Overland Park Casino cash: $10020882	Got rid of those plants. Not worth the hassle of keeping them separate, so I just tossed them. Replaced them with another Water Sprite and two Pygmy Swords. Also, got a Blank Mystery Snail to help keep the algae under control and to keep the mulm to a minimum. Not sure if they help with substrate turnover or not. Got my DIY CO2 reactor working (I think). Yeast proofed much better than the last batch, so it should be producing CO2 by tomorrow. Just in case of a leak, I used aquarium sealer on the tube/cap connection.
Posts: 19,908

01-22-2012, 12:44 PM	#307
Silock MVP Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Overland Park Casino cash: $10020882	I drilled the hole smaller than the tubing and pulled it through. The sealant was just for a backup. It's not leaking at all. Not worried about the tubing cracking. That shit is cheap enough to replace every time. I'm getting a bubble every 2-3 seconds right now.
Posts: 19,908

01-25-2012, 12:00 AM	#308
Silock MVP Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Overland Park Casino cash: $10020882	Well, water params stabilized. Took a sample to the fish store and they said the water was almost perfect. So, I replaced the two dead Cardinals, and added a Rhino Pleco. I hope he doesn't destroy my plants too badly, but if he does it's okay because . . . I'm about to get the setup for my African cichlid tank (30g long) going and I can put him in there. Got my limestone rocks to boil, and then the Eco-complete substrate to put in there, and it should be good to go fairly quickly. One of the new Cardinals doesn't look too good still. Not a lot of color, and he isn't quite as active as the other 5. Maybe he's just taking a bit longer to get settled in, because he is schooling with them. I hope I don't wake up to more dead Tetras.
Posts: 19,908

01-30-2012, 08:01 PM	#309
Silock MVP Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Overland Park Casino cash: $10020882	Got an outbreak of Ich 3 tetras down so far, the betta not looking good. I'll be surprised if any of them survive, TBH. The pleco is the only one without visible signs of it, although I'm fairly certain either it or the last two tetras in were the carriers. Increased temp to 82, salted slightly. Removed snail, treating with QuICK Cure. At this point, I'm more worried about the plants. They're far more expensive to replace.
Posts: 19,908

02-02-2012, 01:37 AM	#310
Silock MVP Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Overland Park Casino cash: $10020882	All tetras down. Betta isn't eating, and just hanging out near the surface, so he's probably a goner, too. Pleco is doing fine, though. Still continuing on with the QuICK Cure and small water changes.
Posts: 19,908

02-02-2012, 07:03 AM	#312
Silock MVP Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Overland Park Casino cash: $10020882	Yeah, I'm not overdosing or anything. Following the directions exactly. Not really worried about causing a mini cycle. I don't have many fish left . . . Just the pleco because the betta is about to be a goner.
Posts: 19,908

02-02-2012, 09:09 PM	#313
Silock MVP Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Overland Park Casino cash: $10020882	Jesus... this betta is a ****ing champ. He's still not out of the woods, but he's eating now. Swimming around a bit. If he survives, it will be amazing. Again.
Posts: 19,908

02-10-2012, 03:03 AM	#314
Silock MVP Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Overland Park Casino cash: $10020882	Wow, amazing to see how small my plants were before the CO2 system went up and the lighting got better. They're growing like crazy now. So, quick update... Lost all 6 tetras to Ich. Continued with the treatment for the Pleco and the Betta. Both are doing fine now. Stopped medicating today. I thought that the meds killed off my biofilter, as I got a pretty big ammonia spike a couple of days ago, but it's back to normal today. Nitrites are still an issue. But, since the meds were stopped, I had to change the filter media. So, it's got fresh media, and I did a 90% water change. I ordered an active Mag Sponge filter from Angelsplus, as they've gotten superb reviews. From all accounts, they fully populate the tank within a couple of days with all the needed bacteria. I'm hoping this finally solves my cycling issue. Removed the fake deadwood. Replaced it with real deadwood. The fake is going in the new 30 gallon tank. Not going to do a cichlid tank, after all. Going to do a larger 30g planted tank, with dwarf hairgrass carpeting. That should look great. Plants I can apparently do very well. Fish . . . well, it's a work in progress. I saved the mystery snail, but it must have been pregnant when I brought it home. Ever since he got into the tank, I've had an explosion of snails. I thought the Ich meds would have killed them off, but apparently not. I had the mystery snail in quarantine, and when I went to put it back in the main tank, I saw it was covered in snail eggs. I removed them from the snail, and got as many eggs out of the tank as I could find. I know I missed some, though. Might have to buy a loach to take care of the snails. So, I'll try to get some new pics tomorrow. The water is still super cloudy from disturbing the substrate from vacuuming and all the moving around I had to do with the plants to make room for the new sponge filter.
Posts: 19,908

02-10-2012, 05:31 AM	#315
Baby Lee Supporter Join Date: Aug 2000 Casino cash: $6838598	"Keep a clean tank" - A. Sipowicz That's all I got. __________________ We need the kind of courage that can withstand the subtle corruption of the cynics - E.W.
Posts: 95,642