The Amazing Aquarium Thread- Why is Fishy Sleeping Upside Down? - General

give me your catfish @Archival I just lost one of my albinos :c

from what ive read its from imbalanced co2. Weekly water changes introduces co2, and kicks algae growth into gear (because the plants suddenly have an abundance and then use it all up). Gluteraldhyde (excel) is generally directed to be bumped up by 5x after a big water change to inhibit the algal bloom I thought. I found a good calculator though Rotala Butterfly | Planted Aquarium Calculators & Information Had an EI low light dose calculator so I pretty much answered my own question. Its pretty darn handy, going to follow this strictly for a while and see how I go

Did a big trim of the plants today and moved some of the rocks around to try and get rid of the black beard growing on them, my fighting fish seems to be a little bit uncomfortable with there being heaps of open space and areas without the duckweed. He's been sitting like this for nearly 5 hours. https://files.facepunch.com/forum/upload/134138/d3f5dfbb-1f92-41e0-8ad5-8a204a285cce/Worry.jpg

Skrimpo scared me https://i.imgur.com/8k5M2ug.jpg

You lot are a terrible influence you know that? https://files.facepunch.com/forum/upload/134138/6a776644-0fda-4bc3-8b13-09c39f79f4bc/20180902_134917.jpg

I need to build a rack and put everything in one room to be completely honest. My room is incredibly humid from my puffer tank.

the mad lad actually fucken did it

I think i'll settle for just having more than one tank to start with, im actually getting another rack thats a heavy duty one since the one I showed isn't really going to support much. Plan at the moment is to put a 3ft tank on the lower run of a heavy duty one for a shrimp tank and then the 2ft on the second rung with the canister filter next to it. If I go completely mad I may use the top level for a bunch of small tanks with betta's in em....

I have a hood on the puffer tank because I couldn't find a good glass cover for it. There being a hood means there's a massive hole where the filter goes.

Oh boy, that would be hell in summer. No way you can get some glass cut at a hardware store?

I just came out of the summer lol

https://youtu.be/y_lihzQvkHE

My 'lotl finally moved into her new home today! https://files.facepunch.com/forum/upload/225195/c141bd51-605e-46c5-a431-92b4ea403b2d/20180905_151926.jpg https://files.facepunch.com/forum/upload/225195/3f47f267-ae19-455d-bb10-ffad0f175bd5/20180905_152039.jpg There's a couple of feeder minnows in there too; so far she doesn't bother with them unless they swim right up to her, but it should at least be more interesting for her than just earthworms all the time.

Is this BGA? https://files.facepunch.com/forum/upload/244344/8728fa98-b8b6-491a-b7bf-26fa61564d77/IMAG1410.jpg I have 30ppm nitrates and I have decent flow but possible high organic load

Unfortunately I have no clue azza In other news, has anyone had experience using a hamburg matten filter? Im going to be grabbing a 3ft tank to put in the centre of the rack. Planning on putting in shrimp and two or so dwarf gorami, the filter being primarily because it promotes grazing area for the shrimp. My only concern is that given its just a sponge would the surface area really be enough for bacteria to handle the tank? I suppose if not I can always stick a bunch of bio balls behind the wall....

I have the same stuff in my puffer tank, I have no idea what it is.

Yup its blue green algae, pulled some out and it smells very interesting. I suggest you have a try at taking some out and smelling it, if its bga, I found a lot of my new bacopa melting and old ambulia melting due to unknown reasons (possibly chlorides I added with KCL) combined with overfeeding. Seems like its due to high organic load/low nitrates/introduction to tank. https://files.facepunch.com/forum/upload/244344/06cb43c7-fca8-42d9-8a61-3649d80cf5a7/IMAG1414.jpg

I looked it up as soon as you asked, I don't even need to look at it again to tell. It comes out in clumps because that happens when I gravel vac. Time to buy some shit to kill the damn cyanobacteria. https://i.imgur.com/XetcYFv.jpg Try this? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000QSK31M/?tag=8121-20 Reviews and comments say it doesn't harm shrimps or snails so I'm hoping it'll be fine with my puffers, otos, and their two shrimp friends.

Wow thanks for the link Im going to grab some too

Oh boy here we go. On a related note fuck bunnings. I bought like $20 of black gravel for that upper tank only to find its actually tan rocks painted black, the paint of which comes off in water. Like what possible use would one have for gravel that is not going to somehow get wet? Plants put in it would die from the paint, anything outside you decorated it with would just turn tan because of the paint runoff. Who does this. https://files.facepunch.com/forum/upload/134138/e4fbb1cc-17a0-415f-a026-aff68d586fb3/20180909_162702.jpg

That sucks man. You should take the bag o rocks and return them, I bet they will do it. If I was you I would totally do a soil low tech tank (walstad maybe?) on the top one if the rocks have failed you

I was originally thinking of doing aquasoil with a cap but after talking with the guy at the store I decided just to see what would happen if I used an inert substrate. Planning for dwarf gorami and shrimps so hence the big ass matten filter on the side. Got a bunch of dragonstone to make some features for moss to grow on so that plus some of the plants from my catfish tank (and a couple new ones) should give a nice look. Currently have some dwarf hairgrass growing in a bottle in the other tank that ill put above once I actually have something for it to grow in.

Have you thought about blasting sand? It's inert and black, I saw an amazing aquarium a while back that used it. It's pretty cheap too

Thats actually pretty reasonable, I paid 3$ a kg for the gravel. Also I completely messed up with said gravel and binned the receipt immediately after buying it so I have no way of getting a refund on it, the brain work good without caffeine yes?

Eco complete also runs out of nutrients with root feeders doesn't it? But jeez, you'd better off going to a local LFS to grab it, I see it here cheapest at $50/9.1kg

Actually just seen some photos of the blasting sand, definitely getting that. It looks fantastic.

I used some sand made from crushing up basalt from Animal Planet, National Geographic, or something. It's in two of my tanks and plants are doing fine in them.

Honestly what substrate you use is irrelevant, use whatever looks best Inert substrates are nice in that not much stuff leeches into the water column, and just getting a pack of aquatic osmocote tablets is cheap as hell at bunnings for root tabs. (I have insane lush growth from all my root feeders)

Moving the other tank seems to have scared my betta a fair bit, he swims off to hide anytime I approach the tank now :c

I just transferred my Harlequin Rasboras to my main tank and came back after buying a lace fern to see 4 dead on the floor... There was a slight gap in the lid in the corner for grabbing the glass, but I have an aerator running underneath, they seemed to have played in it and jumped out. Rip little guys