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As they dissolve they will no doubt affect water chemistry, likely gH. I've always held that with some rare exceptions, a hobbyist is better served by 'living' with his/her source water as it is because when adding additives you can too easily end up 'chasing your tail' (so the speak) resulting...

Yes but the thread presented the opportunity to point out the potential perils of chloramine that many, if not most, hobbyists may not be aware of...and Chloramine is likely the future for many/most municipal water supplies as it's more effective at lower rates than chlorine. The days of larger...

It's likely you have chlorine OR chloramine, but not both. Chlorine was used for decades but it readily off gases making it less effective than chloramine. Often levels of chlorine were increased to better ensure it's effectiveness down the pipeline. Chloramine is a combination of chlorine and...

To my knowledge, API NitraZorb only adsorbs nitrates and has no effect on water hardness.

I come to this thread late and have not read every post. You CAN use hydrogen peroxide (H202) on decor that you can remove from the tank. I have put H202 in a spray bottle, liberally sprayed the decor, let sit for a few minutes, then rinse with tap water and put back in the tank. I DO NOT...

Redworms are great for larger fish or if you can handle chopping them up for smaller fish. I have become a fan of white worms. They are easy to culture, but require cooler temperatures than redworms as redworms do well at room temperature while white worms do best at 50-60°F. See Culturing White...

Mulm and Algae and Snails, Oh My!

Nitrazorb resin pouches is/was intended to use in filters to adsorb nitrates. To filter source water (like my little invention) you need to pass water through the resin slowly to ensure it has the residence time to remove the nitrates. Although the nitrazorb is recharged with ordinary salt...

It's pretty common these days to have somewhat high nitrates in source water, especially in agricultural areas. I had a heck of a time with my well water due to a 95 acre farmers field across the road. I believe they used to use a fair amount of chemical fertilizer. Fortunately for me another...

Redworms are easy and fun to culture... was a time I made tons of vermicompost for the garden - hands down the best fertilizer for plants. Worms process organic matter but derive their nutrition from bacteria and protozoa, some of which they actually culture in their own gullet. It has been...

I'm sorry for your loss. It reminds me of the time I setup an outdoor tank here in the Northeast and discovered a BULLFROG in the tank! I have no idea how many fish it consumed before I noticed and evicted him, but I'm sure he was "living large".

Brine shrimp

Like water sprite, water wisteria is a great fast growing plant... Although it can be floated, I used to plunk to stems into the sand and had it grow like a weed in my 60g display tank.

It's a valid question as is why is it important to maintain a consistent temperature or feed on a regular basis. After all, it's not always that way in nature. But then when you think about it, aren't we more comfortable and relaxed when we keep regular hours, are warm, and eat well? Otherwise...

Technically incorrect as nitrates are almost the last part of the nitrogen cycle where the last part would be anaerobic bacteria that convert nitrates into nitrogen gas. In SW tanks, this is done by anaerobic bacteria inside live rock. HOWEVER, it is very difficult to get/culture anaerobic...

Here is a link to a comprehensive article I wrote a few years ago now that involved a lot of research and feedback from manufacturer representatives: Commercial Fish Foods.

Perhaps if you have coarse gravel... I have sand and I never touch the substrate except for planting or moving any rooted plants. A very advanced biology develops in the substrate that is best left undisturbed. (see The Very Best Aquarium Filter). Vacuuming the substrate upsets the beneficial...

I come to this thread quite late, but thought I'd add my $.02 anyway... An ongoing misconception in the hobby is that beneficial bacteria only or primarily lives in the filter. And of course the makers of expensive bio medias want us to believe this so we continue to buy their products. Now the...

Can't we all just get along?

I dunno... there's a lot of guru wannabes out there in the interwebs giving all sorts of 'good' advice.

I play solitaire and/or listen to Mike Rowe's "The Way I Heard it". :)

I can't imagine losing my pocket computer camera cell phone! When I was a youngster, the computing power we have in our pockets would require the size of a two story house! And you went months without a replacement!!! Welcome back!

I'm no expert BUT no stranger to high nitrates (see My Nitrate Fight)! You might also find value in Lowering Aquarium Nitrates. So I agree that you must test your source water for nitrates as it's quite common these days, especially in agricultural areas to find high nitrates in source water...

I would also suggest using a coarse prefiltet on the inlet tube. ;-)

'Stuff' happens! Glad you saved him.

How to Move with an Aquarium

Charcoal has been used for decades to purify water. It is still effective but not really necessary in the aquarium. As a matter of fact if you have plants it may remove some of the nutrients the plants need for good growth. So you really don't need charcoal in modern aquariums. :)

I think my friend Byron would say that fish need a period of total darkness. That's probably most desirable but I have a 60 gallon in my living room and it tends to get some room light in the evening. But then again by one or 2:00 a.m. it's pretty dark.

Check the impeller to see if it's just stuck with gunk.

As mentioned ...supply and demand. As long as they're purchased breeders will produce them.

A caution about rainwater ... I live in the Northeastern United States and we have what's been referred to as acid rain. In many places these days there is enough air pollution to contaminate rain water, the degree of which might be debated. I also at one point attempted to collect rain water...

If you have an established tank (6 months or longer) you can use regular tap water and leverage a sprayer in the sink! It's a huge (often accepted) myth that beneficial bacteria only lives in the filter when in fact there is far more in the substrate... Filtration and Water Quality :)

I rinse the sand well before setting asside and have never had a problem with mold or mildew.

I just drain off as much water as possible, then it just sits in an open 5g bucket in a warm, dry spot and in time it dries out.

That's how it begins!!! - An Accidental Breeder

As @Byron mentioned, I have volumes written on Filtration and Water Quality on my website/blog... Now I used to think that because filters trap organic waste that will decompose and pollute the water that we were best severed by keeping it as clean as possible. But this notion is pretty much...

....And cause it to overheat and damage/melt the diaphragm.

Sorry for your loss. Sometimes 'stuff' happens and fish just die... I recently had several swordtails die prompting an Emergency Water Change. I have a lot of fish in this (110g stock) tank and discovered that I had foolishly been over feeding and just didn't notice/realize soon enough...

I have sand and all my tanks except for the 110 gallon stock tank. I never touch the sand although in many tanks I have Malaysian trumpet snails. Sand is great because fish waste and uneven food just doesn't get down under. And unlike what some believe I believe you should never stir the sand...

It may be some decomposing organic matter but it's too close to the surface really to be anaerobic. I think you could stir it without any negative results or you could just leave it.