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Yes, my daughter's 'pet' seems to be an MTS!

I think so. Mine has a few already that hitched a ride in on the plants. My daughter has taken one away in a pot with mostly tap water and some algae from my tank and it seems very happy, eating etc.

Nerites and other snails eat algae. And I think livebearers in general eat some (?), plus they like harder water. I don't know enough about the fish yet and forgot you are still cycling. Snails?

My tap water has a painfully low KH of 3, GH is 3 German, pH 7.4 to 8.8. And 20mg/l of Ca. I need a higher KH if I am to provide enough buffering of the pH for the fish. I am already selecting fish for soft water, hence no guppies even though they are such sweet little blighters :lol:

The only thing there I'm not doing is watching the fertiliser, but that's because I've only added it once. My plants are all bubbling nicely today, and the Salvinia natans has all grown longer roots. I think the tank might look less green now, but it could be the changed lighting. I'm pleased...

I have algae in my tank (also still cycling) but read that having plenty of live plants, not feeding them or minimally so, and added CO2 should help. That's what I'm trying at the moment, plus decreased lighting of course.

Just a thought, but what if you wrapped a wet/damp towel around the tank and then turned the fans on it?

I think Black widow tetras look good as an option, but they like the water slightly more acidic than out of my tap. I am adding CO2 using the inverted bottle method but guess I might have to acidify the water slightly other ways if necessary. Again, my water is a little too soft as well. But 6...

Hi Essjay. I'd like pearl danios but if the tank isn't right for them I'll get something else. Do you have any recommendations? Other than the extra gudgeons?

My daughter has lived in China and can verify that animal care is not as it is here. E.g. they sell key rings with live fish in the fob, they dye puppies different colours before sale. BUT their care within and of family members is better than it is in many other countries. Swings and...

Luckily there are a few shops around here, not many though. I'll look for a local breeder too. Thanks :)

I've removed 3 snails so far and am starting to think seriously about fish for when the time comes. I would really like a dwarf gourami and a peacock gudgeon, both of which, I gather, should be OK as singletons. Then 6 pearl danios will liven the place up! I hope my final water parameters suit...

I have an 80l tank (box size) in which I have some fine black gravelly substrate, bog wood, spider wood, a slate cave and a few rocks. I will also end up with about 7 species of plant, so well planted. According to SW Water my tap water parameters are pH 7.4 to 8.8 (I measured 6.8, but that was...

Well, thank you for all the suggestions regarding my plug. My filter is now up and running again without problems and hopefully the bacteria didn't die off.

I got all the drops of water out first, it's just residual moisture that I don't want to blow my filter if I plug it in. I'll risk it before bed though.

Thaks for the diagram @Essjay. I may show my age, but I had to learn how to wire one at school! BLue for Bottom Left etc.

Just seen you're from the US. We have different plugs here - roomy - with a gap between the flex and the plug and a way to open it (screw sheared though).

No fish yet, thankfully. Pouring out by the flex was straight from the attachment point of plug to flex.

I've bee wondering what people do with their fry if they don't have space to keep them as they grow?

I've ended up putting it in rice on top of the LED lights for warmth. Sadly drying with a rag resulted in a deluge (well, good amount of water, anyway) pouring out by the flex @Slaphppy7. As long as the bacteria will survive I don't mind the wait. I just don't want to go back to square 1...

I got water in my filter's plug and am now waiting a good 24hrs for it to dry out to be safe. Will the beneficial bacteria in the filter keep alive if the filter is submerged in the tank but not having a throughput?

Thank you for the explanation of CO2 measurement and findings, including in air. I am planning to try the inverted bottle method having reesearched it a bit further. I only have tiny aerosol bottles to work with, but if it goes well I'll see if we can get big canisters over here.

I'm getting a clear and consistent message on that one! ;) I'm doing a change tomorrow, just got the new water treated and sitting near a radiator to warm up. Good practise for when I get fish I think. I'll clean all the slime off into the old tank water and 'deslime' the spider wood too. Then...

I've bought some!

I think they are eating algae off the tank walls. Certainly the snail keeps pooing!

So, the tank is already occupied by 2 tiny snails (grr) and what I assume is a baby shrimp. My daughter drew it

Well, I have just had Sagittaria subulata, Eriocaulon cinereum and Taxiphyllium barbieri delivered. As for fish, whatever will suit the final tank parameters I think. I'd like a dwarf gourami but appreciate they have health issues.

Thank you, again. Very helpful. :)

Is it PolyFilter or Poly-Filter?

Thanks for the clarification! The media with the filter are biological and carbon, as you guessed. What would be better than the carbon? Should I use the space for extra filter media to use in my QT tank when I get new fish in future?

My filter just stopped working and on checking it I found all the exits and inlets appear to have bitty slime on them. I wiped it off a little by rubbing it with my finger and it is working fine again now. Should the slime be there? Is it just algae? Could it be related to the stuff oozing out...

That looks useful stuff!

Very interesting article, and one that certainly makes me reconsider my plans, but there is a fundamental problem with an article such as this one: it discusses, or even makes, scientific statements without any references. Maybe studies could and should be done on the back of such conjecture...

Oh. I was planning to avoid fish who prefer low lighting and I am indeed intending to have quite a few plants once I've finished. That was why I was planning to use a CO2 diffuser, it would just be an added benefit that it should contribute some acidification of the water. I shall appraise the...

I've wanted an aquarium for many years, and got much more serious last year but had nowhere to put one of a reasonable size. Since then I have moved house and have decided to have one in place of a woodburner (since they are so environmentally unfriendly). It won't keep me warm but I'll have...

Thanks for the tubing idea. I already have a floating plant (something natans?) but it does like to wander!

That might be why it would make the water cloudy, if it is a powder not reacting? Plus, I'm using ammonium chloride and not seeing any clouding. I bought it from Amazon - 'Tim's Aquatics'

I've just checked and your water temperature would need to be 36 degrees C to allow the reaction to make ammonia in the water.