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Murphy's law. So now we must reseal, or perhaps Santa brings a new glass box. Oh well.... 'Stuff' happens. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

What you really want is a high quality commercial food as the staple, then add some frozen or live foods as treats. Here's a deep dive into commercial fish foods that took a fair amount of time to put together! Frozen foods can be a bit expensive. If you're up for a real challenge and have the...

I thought I'd take a minute to wish all you 'fish friends' a Merry Christmas. I hope you and yours have happy and safe holidays. With all the gift giving, don't forget your finned friends...maybe a extra water change, or some frozen brine shrimp. :)

Not just no, But HE$$ NO! These things. in my opinion, are just no good! They provide little if any nutrition and only serve to cloud water. Either use a real auto-feeder or go without anything.

I've had great success with Eheim everyday feeders. As a matter of fact I have two running right now feeding fry 4x a day. I crush high quality flake food and you need to adjust for proper output amounts. For adult fish, I'd only set it for delivery once or twice a day...and the everyday feeder...

Use caution with salt if you have living plants. For treating ich with temperature of 86°F for 2 weeks, I found a simple solution. Instead of meds, have an extra heater on hand. I set the temperature by adjusting the heater in a bucket of water to achieve a consistent 86°F. If/when ich rears...

There was a time, long ago, in a 'fishroom' far away that I was nearly obsessed with testing the water in several tanks. But once tanks are established and you have a routine maintenance schedule (e.g you've figured out the required volume/frequency of necessary partial water changes - testing...

Good point - I was thinking when he said avg selling price, he meant to him not retail...could be he meant avg retail selling price.... And you're correct. Typically, here in the states, a hobbyist/breeder will get 1/3 retail price. :)

When a tank is fully cycled you would not detect any measurable amount of ammonia. So is this a new tank setup? In any case, you hold the vial against the white background of the card as natural (or phone) light will reduce the color in the vial.

Wow, $8 a fish wholesale... petty jealousy here! lol ;-)

Ouch. Murphy's Law strikes again....or maybe yer on the naughty list! Sorry for your bad luck...time for a new tank! :)

A few things jump out at me here.... > Your tank is only a month old and likely won't stabilize for a few more months. > You already have a fair number of fish for a relatively new 50g tank. > I feel that long term 25-50% monthly (especially w/o living plants) is not enough to maintain high...

I agree with the above as most cats don't like water!!! (okay I'd just use a finer net for 'plop and drop' as you don't want shop or shipping water in your tank.)

Just my $.02, but... If it was me, I'd remove the fish into a 5g bucket, then remove all the gravel, add 2-4" of sand, - either pool filter or play sand. After the 'dust' settled, I'd add the fish back in.

I tend to be a 'fan' of snails as they perform an important part of natural aquarium maintenance. See: Mulm, and Algae, and Snails, Oh My! As mentioned, if/when there's an over population it is most often a case of overfeeding as the population rises and falls with available organic matter...

I'm with @Essjay and @Byron (and others). If you're de-chlorinating in a bucket or barrel then you typically only need the exact amount for the water to be processed. Refilling directly in the tank (e.g. Python like) is questionable. Manufacturers recommend treating for the entire tank volume...

I know there are some that feel that a 'dirt' tank has benefit, but I tend to think of it as a mucky mess. Father Time swears by pond mud covered with gravel. I tend to favor 3-4" of sand - either pool filter or play sand. The particle size of sand is such that waste and uneaten food doesn't...

I'm surprised to see a 4 month old post brought back... Ah, but the canister filter is not the only game in town and really is best suited for larger tanks. There are many good HOB's, sponge filters, and even undergravel filters that are all still good filters in many situations. Sumps are...

canceled the post

Truth be told, lights are more for us to view the fish than for the fish. There are many parts of the amazon with a fair canape of trees shading the water. In some cases in the rainy season, there is quite the cloud cover. Now there could be a problem (e.g. finding food) with total darkness...

I just added a video to my article Partial Water Changes - Fast and Easy so I thought I would post here. As all fishkeepers know, routine partial water changes are very important in maintaining a high water quality. Many hobbyists start out with a siphon and bucket(s). But this gets old quick...

I have several articles on my first hand experience culturing daphnia... Culturing Daphnia The Outdoor Daphnia Bins Daphnia Take 2 And here is an article on Daphnia by Greg Sage of Select Aquatics of Erie Co. The answer to the crash question is YES, it can be avoided - I very rarely ever have...

Not sure I understand the question. If there's any water circulation between the tank and the breeder box, the temperature inside the breeder box should be the same or very close to the tank water temperature.

I discovered over the years, that commercial bio-medias just didn't live up to their marketing hype. So all of my filters (4 Aquaclear HOBs and 1 HW 304B canister) are filled completely with sponge material as sponge is not only excellent at mechanical filtration, but also excellent at...

I agree with @Colin_T but since it appears to be a fine sand substrate I might have a go at removing the affected sand. This does not address the root cause, but does 'surgically' remove offending material. In time, with proper care, a balance should be achieved that prohibits blue/green 'algae'. :)

That's an interesting secondary filter setup. What's inside the Aquaclear filter? Many hobbyists have fish that in the wild often live in fast moving streams so they attempt to duplicate flow. In fact, although of course there are some wild caught fish from the Amazon and Rio Negro rivers, many...

I think I'd find a better place, or buy a stand, and buy a standard glass aquarium.

If it was me, I'd tear it down, do a good cleanup, and restart. I'd run any hardscape through the DW with bleach. Plants I'd spray with hydrogen peroxide, rinse and set aside. The gravel or sand would get a good cleaning. Refill with fresh, clean, conditioned water.

I raise swordtails (cousins to the platy) a feed crushed high quality flake food about 4 times a day. I also feed live foods (daphnia and white worms as they grow). I use Eheim Everyday feeders to ensure that they're fed routinely.

Power Failure It's always good to have battery operated air pumps on hand to ensure that the water remains oxygenated. For external filters, you might suspend any bio-media inside the tank (although not so necessary in a well established tank). Temperature is only an issue if/when it's cold out...

Some folks think that you need to keep the tap running when using a Python to remove water from a tank. However, once the siphon starts, the tap can be turned off! Now for many, an inexpensive submersible pump is the way to go. Add some quick disconnects and you're really cooking. :)

Isn't 5 liters 1.3~ gallons? How about putting 5 liters of RO water into a 5G bucket by the aquarium, then add 5 liters of warm tap water and use an inexpensive submersible pump (or a small container as a scoop) to refill the aquarium.

Many hobbyists still use a method called drip acclimation when adding new fish in the theory that the fish will be better acclimated if/when there's a different water chemistry. In reality, it takes fish weeks, sometimes longer, to adjust to a different water chemistry. Although you might only...

Sponge filters are amazing for biological filtration, but not so much for mechanical filtration. However, as @Colin_T pointed out, floating or suspended debris are likely the result of excess food...so stop it! <grins> A HOB or canister filter (large tanks) can aid with water quality as...

A really bad idea. Would you keep a small animal in a cage and never expect to clean the cage?! In nature, fresh water is renewed ALL the time. Many times I have stood at Niagara Falls and marveled at the millions of gallons of water that is CONSTANTLY flowing between the Great Lakes. The...

Your welcome. Many hobbyists believe that beneficial bacteria only lives in the bio-media in their filters. Manufacturers have pushed this thinking and claim that their bio-media is better than the rest because of the increased surface area. Nonsense I tell you...nonsense. In the established...

I have a LOT of water sprite and a fair amount of "inherited" duckweed (a blessing and a curse <g>).

As others have mentioned, it sounds to me that you can just use tap water of the appropriate temperature and conditioned as/if necessary for chlorine/chloramine.

I suggest you buck up and go 'cold turkey'! :)

I'd suggest you stop drinking the aquarium water and you'll be fine! <grins> :cool: