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What a great "side hustle"! Your tanks all look awesome. Talking of notes for when I decide to try this! I'd imagine that it is a great way for some people to get hooked on fish keeping. You know, start with one of these nanos, then add a shrimp or two, and then decide they need something...

As I mentioned in my introduction, I spent a long time in the hospital, and a lot of it was very delicate. She spent almost all her non-work time in the hospital with me. In addition she had just started a very demanding job, and since I wasn't working (or even at home) she had to pick up the...

I have to do some reading first, but may pick your brain once I decide to take the plunge.

What an awesome thing to do for your daughter! I tried to get mine interested in fish keeping for a long time with no success. Something like this would have done the trick! I just saw your other jar journal too and may copy your idea down the line (imitation is the best form of flattery...

Just got to this journal, but I'm definitely sticking around. Beautiful tank! What is the stocking? I don't think I saw it anywhere.. or did I miss it? If you are still dealing with the BBA, I can vouch for the effectiveness of excel to kill it, as suggested by Badger. A while back I had a...

I just started following this journal. Sorry to hear you had so much trouble. I know this isn't what you had originally planned, but the tank looks really nice! The best laid plans... ;) As far as aqadvisor's 25% overstock, you are probably ok. For one, I believe aqadvisor is a bit...

This sounds like It will be an awesome tank and a very cool journal to follow! 150 gallons... I'm jealous! My 29g probably holds less water than your filter 😆

Beautiful tank. The angels look amazing, and I love the cories!

It's tricky. Built-in flashes usually don't help, because they create reflections and bad shadows. But other than that, I'm afraid I haven't figured it out either!

Since I normally water my household plants with plain tap water, I assume the water in the bucket for these plants does not need to be treated with prime?

I was thinking of just tossing them with the sand, but you are right, they deserve to live! There is also a crypt in fairly good shape! I probably won't be setting the tank up anytime soon. What would be a good way to keep these plants? We are talking about 3 very small plants, less than 3"...

Thank you, LaGrenouille, for the encouragement! To end the literature detour: there is a phenomenal documentary by Al Pacino, filmed in 1996, called "looking for Richard". It explains in detail the Richard III play, including the historical context, some of the more obscure language, and even...

There is No smell other than the mild "normal" aquarium smell (which I will describe as more or less "sweet"?), and the whiff of sulfur from yesterday when I filled the tank. The texture is another thing altogether. I'm donning gloves and full PPE 😁. My real concern are the silicone seals. I...

Yes, that's not a bad idea lol.

Ok. I scraped the glass as much as I could while the tank was still full, while the gunk was as wet as possible and so that most of that stuff would be siphoned out along with the water. I managed to get a lot of gunk off the walls and out with the water. I still have a bit of water left that I...

LOL. Not so much educated, but more "willing to do whatever it takes to avoid dealing with my tank" 😁 Hmmm... Does this mean my tank now must have a Shakespeare theme???? I let the full track sit overnight. Happy to report there are no leaks at all. I'm about to add bleach and empty it, but...

That. Was. Brilliant. I wish you could see the grin on my face right now. Your post made the entire tank ordeal worth it! English is not my native language, so I haven't really studied Shakespeare much, but I felt I had to craft a reply worthy of your efforts. Here is my attempt, although it...

After doing lots of other chores and procrastinating tending to my tank, I finally got around to it. I filled it to the brim to soften all the crud stuck to the walls, and to see if there are any leaks. For now there are no leaks anywhere 👍 I will let the tank sit for a few hours and then empty...

Hey slap! Slowly working my way through your journal. I remember your tanks from back when! Am I right that the 40b was a lot more densely planted... You must have some some culling/pruning, it looks really nice! And the 10 wasn't as densely planted then, looks very lush now! Or am I confusing...

Welcome to the forum! With eight tanks I think you can safely stop calling yourself a newbie ;)

I just read your journal, came here from your 10g Betta journal :). Nice looking tank! I love all the growth you are having. FWIW, I agree it looks better without the frogbit. From the pictures it seems you've added the rummynoses and cardinals? Are the black neons and gouramis in the tank yet?

Welcome to the forum. I'm quite new myself here, but acclimating quickly! The tank looks awesome already! As someone with zero aquascaping skills, I'm very eager to see what else you do with it.

LOL I admit I was tempted to throw it all out, but my pride got in the way. I wasn't about to let some puny bacteria beat me! d:D

Thank you for the encouragement :) I agree things are going well! Bleach is a common (powerful) household disinfectant, made mostly of Sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl). It kills most viruses and bacteria on contact. In Spanish it's called "cloro" or, when used as a laundry product, "blanqueador". I...

Today wasn't as smooth as yesterday. First I wanted to clean the lid using the vinegar soak + scrubbing that I used yesterday. The lid is a hinged glass lid, with a plastic section in the back that can be cut to make openings for hoses. When I picked up the lid the back plastic section...

It's almost 3 am here, so time for a break. Tomorrow I will tackle the tank lid and make a decision about tossing or cleaning the tank itself. Incidentally, if anyone thinks I should do more to ensure I have no more hydrogen-sulfide producing bacteria (if that is indeed what I had), please let...

Yes, I knew about soap and water, but thanks for the reminder anyway. :) I hadn't though to use magic erasers, what a great tip! I will definitely keep them handy! I hadn't even thought about the silicone seals! Ugh. I'm guessing whatever gunk got in them will be impossible to remove. At this...

I then turned, with a lot of anxiety, to the filter (an Eheim canister). It was full of water, so I placed it on the sink, and opened the valves on the quick-connects of both the intake and outflow hoses to let all the water out. Remember the mild sulfur smell I got from the water on the...

I started by taking apart the filter and heater and spent all afternoon cleaning those. By the time I took the pictures above I had already removed the hoses and filters, and did not think to take a picture of what they looked like. The filter intake, hoses and spray bar were just as encrusted...

Here is an early picture of my tank before I abandoned it. The picture isn't great, but will give you an idea of what it looked like. If I remember correctly at this point I had already added Otos, Red Phantoms and Green Neons, but the Cories and Endlers were yet to come: And now, please...