Posts by Avery

  • Power Cuts

    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).

  • How frequently do you have to add water to top off?

    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.

  • How big....?

    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).

  • Dirted tank questions

    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.

  • Did you have a protein skimmer to start with?

    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).

  • Cheap filters for all tank sizes?

    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.

  • Best time of day for feeding?

    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.

  • What brand of canister filter do you use?

    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).

  • What testing kits do you use?

    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.

  • Is my plant dying

    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.

  • Shrimp disease?

    Ironically all of the ones that appear green, and fertilized shrimp eggs - the ones that are clear are not fertilized. I’ll say an early congratulations since you’ll soon have little shrimp roaming around the tank.

  • HELP! Assassin snail reintroduction

    I would honestly probably do a full water change over the course of a week (so like 80% or so water changes for every day for a week) to make sure that medicine is out, while additionally using carbon or Purgien to soak any small amounts out too. I believe once you are done with this, I’d say it is 100% safe to add them back in.

  • Worms? Leeches?

    From zooming into the photo, those are planarian (basically little worms that are harmless but have the appearance of a tiny white leech). They are not snails who left their shells (no freshwater snail does this), and they are not harmful.

    You have them naturally as they are attracted to excess waste/food being in the tank. I’d recommend feeding about half of what you currently do and they will reduce/disappear (from above the substrate level) once that is done.

  • Can this hold tanks?

    Do you know the weight rating of the unit itself? A lot of times they have a maximum weight limit, and then it should tell you a per shelf limit (since that particle board/wood can only hold so much).

    From there it should be easy to tell if a fully stocked 10 gallon would work on multiple shelves.