Posts by Avery

We do have an article on this on treatment and causes, but would for sure do some large water changes and then treat with the medicine that this recommends; Fin Rot

I’ve have them before, but would definitely recommend that you setup the whole enclosure to what they need (water, also land area that has possibly dirt in it/mud).

They are pretty cool, make interesting noises when trying to call for their mates, but just one that you can watch and not really touch (similar to turtles in a sense).

Many people suggest using a mixture, dependent on your algae that is growing and how big your tank is.

I always highly recommend Malaysian trumpet snails since they are hidden during the day, Otocinclus catfish, some shrimp, or even going as far as possibly as other fish branded as algae eaters.

The biggest thing to note is that just because they fall under the algae eater group, they require more than algae as a food source. Even Plecos which are known as the algae eating fish, do require protein in their diet or they will start sucking the slime coats off of other fish (similar to how Chinese algae eaters do this over time for the same reason).

I’d honestly avoid a pleco since they tend to be high waste fish, and a majority of them get bigger than the small juvenile size that is sold in stores. I’d also highly recommend to first figuring out why your tank has algae and trying to control it, as buying a fish to do that may not work out fully (since they could not eat that specific type or won’t be able to keep up with the amount of algae that gets grown).

Red algae is pretty rare in a freshwater tank, and is commonly found in saltwater tanks (think of it as their version of how common green algae is in freshwater tanks).

As far as it being the same - kind of, but not exactly. The one that grows in freshwater would never survive in saltwater, even though they have the same appearance it’s a different type of algae all together.

I don’t think that there are any animals that specifically eat the waste from another animal. Many think that snails or shrimp do, but what they really are doing is picking apart the waste for the uneaten parts of food to consume.

Same can be said for catfish or algae eaters, as they are looking for the pieces of food that nah gather with waste but aren’t specifically waste.

I wouldn’t recommend hiring someone unless it’s a huge tank with monster related fish (as they may think you are food).

Most people clean their tanks once a month or twice a month depending on their water change schedules - and it really just involves taking a cloth and rubbing away any algae from the glass and decorations, using a gravel vacuum to suck up extra waste/uneaten food, and also making sure the water splashes that have dried on the lids and sides aren’t built up too much.

I recommend to always have some type of backup power supply, mostly those UPS type of units so at worst you can run a heater or chiller for a long period and maybe flick the filter on and off to prevent the beneficial bacteria from dying off (maybe even a small battery operated air pump to mix the water surface to get a good gas exchange going as well).

I mostly have to add water (about a gallon and a half) to my turtle tank every 3-4 days due to the open top (no lid), heat generated from the heating lamp, and a fan that is blowing from the vaulted ceiling like 95% of the time.

All of my other tanks have lids, and maybe need 1/2 a gallon added to them once every 2 weeks or so.

I would honestly say, the bigger the better. Normally 20 gallons or more is better since it gives you more room and water in case parameters swing, and the more water you have the harder it is to poison them vis the nitrogen cycle dependent on if you are doing fish in (or fish out).

Exactly as Gilbert said - white spots normally means Ich - in some cases however, it can be other things. If you could take a photo it would help to identify it better.

I also just use white vinegar, the original magic erasers, and water/elbow grease to get rid of those hard water stains. I know people use chemicals, but I normally stay away from those since making sure it doesn't leech into the silicone or the tank's glass.

Quote from NoFishBefore

Do you ever plan to sell off some of those snails or give them away? I could totally see you helping others since people want like $15 on eBay for like 10 snails.

I’ve thought about it, although I might honestly give them away to members on here if they pay for the postage stamp depending on how many they need.

I mostly use Seachem Prime since I’ve found it to be pretty much top of the line.

I can give it a shot to answers your questions;

1) No cap is needed but is useful if you don’t want to sift through the soil to remove wood or anything extra that is normally added in

2) You need to use organic soil as others will contain chemicals which are beneficial to plants but poisonous to fish, snails, or/and shrimp.

3) You will want to plant heavily since if you do not, you will end up with ammonia and then nitrite spikes due to the soil decomposing under water for few years.

Quote from NoFishBefore

I’ve seen these for freshwater tanks too, is it really needed to have or is it just for saltwater because you have to make waves which make the foam?

It’s really used to get rid of protein since it does foam up, and way more on saltwater than freshwater (freshwater only really gets a protein build up if the water is too still or if there are foods being fed that are leaching a lot of protein into the water).

Like Brosj said, really sponge filters work for any tank size.

For smaller tanks, many just use a sponge filter or a smaller hang on the back. Some brands include Aqueon, Aquaclear, Fluval, Eheim (used to have smaller filters).

For medium tanks, mostly recommend hang on the back or canister filters. Some brands include Aqueon, Top Fin (for canister filter), Eheim, Aquaclear, SunSun, Marineland.

For big tanks, mostly recommend canister filters or sumps. Some brands include Eheim, SunSun, Marineland, Fluval, Penn-Plax, API.

I never really thought about setting a specific schedule since in the wild, they kind of get food whenever they want or whenever their food source comes into play. I probably mostly feed in the afternoon or evening, but never have really had it with like a 30 minute window or so every day.

I personally have used Eheim (even when Petsmart rebranded them under their own Top Fin name), SunSun (and the various off brand names it is also under), and Marineland canister filters. For the best results, Eheim is the way to go. But for the best overall value on a low budget, I’d totally recommend SunSun (what I personally go with on a vast majority of my own tanks).

I tend to just recommend and go with the overall master saltwater test kit unless you want to test specifically elements/chemicals. It tends to be a better bang for the buck overall, whereas buying them all individually would cost a lot more due to them needing to package it, etc.

Nope! That is Java Fern and it actually propagates using leaves that will grow roots on them (those brown patches with the brown roots). After awhile the leave will either separate on its own or you can pull it apart and it will be a new plant by itself.