smmcgill

Hobbyist, I was just curious to see what the moss/crypt setup looked like. I have some java and flame mosses tied to some rocks, and was curious how you'd fill half a tank with the stuff. Thanks for the really detailed reply, I sure appreciate it. As a newb, I have been relying so much on what people say (for better or worse), as I learn and experience things for myself. So, when things like "use dechlorinator!" are said by almost everyone, a different opinion caught my attention. Thanks for explaining. Is this (off-gassing the chlorine) why some people "age" their water? One more question, if you don't mind: why the small water changes daily? To avoid disrupting the water parameters too much with fewer big changes? That's my guess, but I'm interested to see if I'm on the right trac .

As a newbie, thanks to those who are willing to share their knowledge and experience! The learning curve is steep, but it sure helps to learn from others who have 'been there, done that.'

Interesting! Not even dechlorinator? Patience... Hmph. Would you share a pic of your tank?

Hmmm, the lead-like thingies that I threw away after removing them from my bunches of stem plants...? Oops.

This is so cool! Thanks for sharing. How are the 3 oringinal fry doing now? And the new batch?

*snickers*

Where do you get said plant weights? Curious.

So, if the issue isn't straight-up Calgary water, maybe I'm having a water-quality issue. Out of curiosity, I tested the water in this tank today. Haven't done that for a while because it's a low tech planted tank with soil substrate and sand cap, after the initial few weeks, it was pretty stable. HOWEVER, today, it was not ideal: no ammonia, but around 0.3 mg/L nitrite, and 20-50 mg/L nitrate (that's as precise as my test kit is, and I couldn't really tell exactly which. Closer to 20.). Weird. I also found a dead shrimpy stuck in a plant. I had seen it there previously, but thought it was hiding. Oops, wonder how long it was dead? It was all soft and limp, so I think awhile. Is that why my shrimpies aren't getting bizzay, perhaps? Because the water sucks? And, does the water suck in part due to the dead carcass? Could one rotting dude contribute that much N?

Nice tank! Is it still up and running?

Hmm. Maybe I need to play some Kenny G for them? Candlelight?

Has anyone had success breeding red cherry shrimps in plain old Calgary tap water (heated and dechlorinated, of course)? I'm not trying to "breed" them in the sense of breeding and culling and selling; just wondering if my saddled females will ever HAVE EGGS, ALREADY!!! I WANT BABIES! LOL

I agree with ck, probably because he taught me, LOL: just stick them down into the substrate. I haven't had any trouble with stems (even small, skinny, rootless ones) coming out.

So far, so good! My tank is still stabilizing. I had a brief bout of hair algae due to excess iron and plants not being fully rooted to compete, but that all appears to be under control now. I'm curious what you did to get it under control?

Ah, I don't have any knowledge of the backend of these types of sites and apps, so thanks for the insight. Just thought I'd throw it out there since I'm a phone user.

Thanks for the welcomes! I'm hoping to be there January, fishclubgirl, so maybe we'll meet then.