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I wonder if we all get minor ammonia spikes, but because a soft water tank is likely acidic we don't notice , and if we ever routinely test for ammonia, it has already stabilised.

I don't really advise this as the best way to do this.... but a bacterial bloom and/or an abnormal level of nitrate (or even ammonia/nitrite).... will let you know if you have overfed. The bacterial bloom more so because that's from food no-one wanted to eat. Elavated nitrogen could simply be...

well that is one of the things that prime does - so you are probably ok I don't know how normal a level that is for chloramine sorry. Maybe it means you should do smaller water changes more often - hopefully someone else will know. I tested my tap water yesterday and got zero ammonia, so I...

Looks good. Well done for not rushing it. I expect you will have better looking tank than I would because of that :)

lots of testing until things are stable, lots of water changing if necessary; it could be said if anything they are extremely robust given what we put them through - but essentially you are right

I always wondered if people exaggerate about unconditioned water killing their fish, I guess this shows some peoples water is worse than mine... If you use the calculator on this site for ammonia in a fishless cycle, maybe use a little less as your water company is kindly supplying some... and...

Tetra sells in the uk food for small mouths that comes with a little spoon. If you don't like the food - keep the spoon after you finish to use on bug bites or whatever. I have no idea how to advise about quantities though - so I am hoping someone else has some ideas to help me too. Fish like...

Going by the Nitrogen levels... I'm guessing (hoping) you have just started a fishless cycle. If that's the case, your high pH is caused by the ammonia. As the tank cycles, the pH should drop, in fact the nitrite in itself might cause a pH crash that you will need to do a water change for before...

Or use a very big bucket like those things builders use to carry rubble to the skip, those flexi-tub things. I've heard people with larger tanks have bought a brand new trash can or similar to treat the water in. If you guessing using the bottles cap like the instructions probably suggest - I...

Maybe don't overthink things, and just enjoy your fish. It's probably safer to err on the side of underfeeding, and even to not worry about the occasional short fast if you forget to feed them, or if you go on holiday or whatever. you will see if your fish are too skinny, or seem to lack...

I just try different foods and see if the fish like them. It's probably my imagination but the ones made from insects rather than fish seem to be preferred. Maybe it's the gross insect odour it has that they go mad for more. All fish I've ever had barring Otocinclus seem to go crazy for any...

I sort of off-set the two sponges so they were only squished in the middle of the cannister. I found a single sponge would contract when full of poop and the flow would just bypass it. But that was probably my fault for overstocking with a small filter. I was also trying floating plants at that...

I have no experience about keeping fish in wrong water parameters. I know many on here say it's bad and I understand why, so I'm inclined to agree. If your water is sorta medium you may be getting away with it - and obviously the lady you got them from seemed to have success. The correct answer...

wait.... I just read the thread through again. I hope I am confused - but are you adding Dr. Tims ammonia solution to a tank with fish in that you are feeding (perhaps overfeeding) with catfish pellets? If you have fish in the tank you test for ammonia everyday and do a large water change...

Should we feel sorry for the global population of fish shop workers getting the third degree tomorrow from people like us? :)

Looked at your photo again - the matrix bag looks more porous than the sponge if anything... Your idea is a god one - but honestly just two sponges might work as well or better. Apologies, I forgot that matrix is just plain old biological media, I wrote my above post thinking of seachem...

I like those cheap aquael kits - but the filter that comes with is very basic. Best cheap inadequate filter I have ever seen through. Usually they are even smaller and ask you to regularly replace a cartridge. What's good about that filter is the weird way the pump is at the intake, so it...

Mine are kinda the opposite of shy. I mean they don't terrify the tank like my dwarf gourami used to, everyone basically ignores them but they only hide from each other and even then only for the 2 seconds it takes for the male to turn around and do something else. A gourami is still a gourami.

I would be inclined to do a further water change to effectively do a 100% change (20% of 20% is 4%, so you are dumping out 96% of the ammonia without having to drain tank almost dry. I might also check my tap water water for ammonia but perhaps that is paranoia. That would partly depend on how...

I could be wrong but I always understood the main point of bubbles was that they suck the water to the surface and mix gases between water and air that way. So a non bubbly filter return or circulation pump pointing sorta up will do a similar job. Having said that I quit using venturi on my old...

another off topic answer sorry.... How the heck do you clean the inside of the glass to keep it all pretty? I'm not judging, I actually love the look of those cute little tanks, I'm just thinking practicalities. A Betta would look awesome in one... but is there an issue with lack of water...

i had a ram that used to patrol the tank and spend a minute shoaling with whoever almost as she was worried they were getting food she wasnt she even started sucking algae off strands of moss after she watched otos eat algae

so is the oily residue.... snake oil?

My theory is when fish gasp at the surface because of nitrite poisoning, years ago we would assume oxygen was low. Today we get a test kit kit out to rule out nitrite issues. I suppose the two issues are linked as the filter bacteria need an oxygen supply. Then we as aquarists like to confuse...

Sorry I'm a relative noob myself, my thermometer is just what was cheapest at amazon. I meant in winter months, I agree a heater at the the moment is unnecessary unless your research has suggested your fish want the water higher than room temperature or you want to treat ich or something. It may...

It probably gets colder at night unless you leave heating on (in the colder months of the year I mean), while you are wrapped up warm in a duvet.... The aquarium heater is to prevent temperature going too low during these times, and to minimise the size of fluctuations otherwise. I have seen...

I know fake decor has gone out of fashion lately (at least for proper grown up aquarists).... but the ship is cool. IMO the fishes needs to be considered first, but having checked the stuff Colin mentioned - the fish will like this no less than a "proper" set up with the caves created by boulders.

I think that's normal for non air conditioned houses when the weather is warm. And again in the winter. It's probably normal heat for your light too - but maybe wait till you are sure about that. The light and an internal pump motor will heal the water up a little I think. Either way temperature...

chilli rasbora, celestial pearl danio... but i dont know much about them either for all i know they need larger tank also

ok i see your point, but a chain store is not necessarily more guilty of this than any other business.... and if you disapprove of this the answer is not to go to an online retailer as they also need to make money. My point was simply to judge each store whether you like it individually and not...

thats why rats are cool pets and annoying pests they are small humans in rodent form in both personality and diet i used to feed mine a small bowl of whatever i was eating to make them feel included if they were free roaming a sure way to get em to run over to get put back in cage for night was...

Big chains are not necessarily bad. Try different ones, speak to staff. Pets at Home for example once refused to sell me shrimp because I answered the question are you driving straight home with "pretty much" as I don't like to lie. I mean, my stopping to visit my nephew for an hour is nothing...

The spawn at exactly midnight and base that on moonlight or something I vaguely remember reading. Commercial breeders use an atrificial pheremone and lights to trick a whole pond into getting jiggy unless I'm totally misinformed. I also vaguely remember reading there are huge farms with indoor...

I wonder if a fish shop buying same amt see similar deaths - and when we the customer buy the odd 4 we are getting the strong ones - that is unless i was right the first time round anyway

If most people think 30 litres is too small for these guys - might not it be better to decide on more appropriate stocking? Shrimps, various nano fish, a Betta even? and use those as his new friends until he passes? It's not ideal - but maybe better than subjecting the new young tetras to too...

This is strange. The gH and kH are relatively low. Is the highish pH which maybe the cardinals do not like the pH of you tap water or the pH your tank seems to stabilise at? My neons died off gradually over the course of a year or two, but everyone seems to reckon they are really delicate...

Ofc; thats what made me think of it but this thread been talking abt a whole bunch of unrelated stuff since then :P

While strictly speaking that's true I'm not convinced in terms of biomass this is overstocked. Small honey gourami are already 4 times bigger than a neon. Also look how much fish biomass has to go into a malawi tank. Or to put another way the 10 inches of gourami is a heck of a lot more fish...

Panda cories to fill the bottom sound nice. Some would say you are dangerously close to being overstocked at that point though, at least when the platy have babies. Not sure how platy will do in your soft water. Personally i would be tempted to fill the remaining space with a bigger shoal...

I bought my testkit from amazon ages ago - but i wish i hadn't as I'd rather support the LFS. Not only do they seem to know their stuff, but if they don't make money there will be no LFS for me to daydream about tanks I don't have yet. As an aside... I would have thought I'd hate the...