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.

Sorry to post on an ancient thread, BUT, thank you!!!! So helpful.

Hi mods and admins, any chance of getting this forum onto Tapatalk?

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LOL, thanks ck. Yup, deskstops rule... As big, expensive paperweights!

Not quite: that one shows an incandescent hood, and mine's LED. I was reading through the photography/uploading pics threads just before you responded. I'm using my phone (desktop? do people still use those? Haha), and the mobile version of AA, so I don't think i have the icons you mentioned. I'll keep looking.

It's a Top Fin 5 gallon starter kit with LED hood... I can't find it online, oddly enough, but I bought it at Petsmart. How do I attach a pic?

What's the lighting requirement for flame moss? This tank has only the stock LED hood that came with the tank, and I don't have the option to change that right now.

I have a 5 gallon non-planted tank with 3 little African Dwarf frogs. I'm currently using a small Cascade HOB (Cascade 20, I think) filter with a sponge pre-filter to keep little legs and feet safe. However, I'm getting a ton of particulate matter floating around in the tank, which obviously isn't getting past the sponge. Can anyone suggest a better method of protecting froggies from the intake, that will still allow some mechanical filtration to happen?

Thanks ckmullin! I hear you're a resident planted tank guru. Can I pick your brain sometime? I have some general planted tank questions.

Hi all, Just wanted to drop in and introduce myself, since I've been lurking and learning from all of you for a little while now. I got into aquaria by accident: my daughter wanted a pet, my husband is allergic to most furry things, so we went to Petsmart and got her 3 goldfish and a 3 gallon tank. (Wait to stone me until i finish the story!) Well, after one of the little guys promptly died ("he" had a big black mark on his sides near his dorsal fin, leading me to believe he was unwell before I got him... I hope), I started doing some reading and research, have reconnected with my biology background, and have thoroughly taken over my daughter's "pets", LOL. I found a new big-tank home for the other two goldfish and have since begun my MTS journey... I have three tanks: one 5-g planted Walstad-type shrimp tank with red cherries, one 5-g not (yet) planted tank with a few African Dwarf frogs, and one 10-g Walstad-type planted tank with some guppies. I haven't been so excited to watch plants and animals grow since undergrad! I was referred to AA by a member I met while buying plants from him (hi Rick!), and am hoping to meet some more folks nearby (I'm in Calgary). I'm looking forward to joining the Calgary Aquarium Society in the new year, also. Thanks and looking forward to meeting you all! -Stephanie