Posts by Avery

We currently have had a third-party do status uptime checks (and page load speed tests) from around the world at a set interval. So far it appears that this trend is keeping (unfortunately) steady from around 2AM MST to around 4-6AM MST.

In short; this has nothing to do with you, but rather is a database resource contention issue with our hosting provider. I’ve already set the caching limit to the highest setting with our CDN and have enabled AMP to prevent those errors from showing on our static set of pages - but anything forum related, registering, logging in, searching, or changing settings will trigger this around those times (as your requesting dynamic content instead).

From doing some digging, it appears that for whatever reason the hosting provider we are using has their database server pegged throughout that time, which prevents some of the required queries we need to load content, gather dynamic elements, and more. I’ve already started the process to move our database to another system (this time, only bound by if there are hardware failures) and am just finalizing the security processes required along with other alerting types. So far this is roughly 1-2 weeks away, before I will migrate everything over (should only take 15-30minutes of downtime) for it to start spinning on our dedicated system and resources.

100% agree, the bigger the better when it’s your first time with saltwater. Ideally anything above 40-55 gallons would be ideal since it has more room for you to get used to doing water changes, testing for various things, and making sure the lighting is right for anything you plan on keeping.

As the poll states, do you personally use an air pump on your tanks and if so why?

If you use an air pump for a sponge filter, I would exclude that usage since it has a dual purpose (for both the filter and to create bubbles).

Quote from Andy

How can you tell if it’s normal vs a disease or something? Like does fin rot turn pieces darker or some other diseases?

Most diseases will end up either fraying the fins, or if it’s a color change, will either change to white (like a fuzzy white), red/pink (due to sores and blood), or black (dependent of its it’s a fungal issue). In almost all cases though, the behavior of the fish will have changed (hides more, eats less, less active, etc). Although color is a good sign of a disease, there are other aspects you can notice by simply watching that fish for a small period of time that would be more detailed and informative on what they may have.

With a vast variety of different diseases that are out there, and the ones that are somewhat common in the marine hobby, what was your first disease that you had?

Stores normally have then exposed and closer to the light so it’s easier for them to sell, while also allowing for you, the buyer, to inspect them fully. Plus the closer you are, the more vibrant you can see their colorations and any possible issues they may have.

Ironically, with saltwater tanks many people prefer not to use a glass lid (but do have a hood to prevent jumpers from being able to jump out) since it traps heat (good for freshwater tanks but not so much saltwater tanks), and any level of salt buildup on the lids would prevent enough light from being able to go in the tank.

If you have a fish or inhabitant that is not known to jump (or long finned/slow), then using a lid or hood isn’t really required. For one that may jump when scared, it’s recommended to at least have a big good to prevent so (while also hiding your lighting equipment).

You can use heat or the medicine approach, but if you use medicine make sure to take out any carbon in your filter(s) otherwise the carbon will soak it up and it won’t be in the tank for the fish.

I wouldn’t specifically say that they are necessary, but they are highly beneficial. Plants can soak up some ammonia, nitrite, and more specifically nitrate which is the last bioproduct from the nitrogen cycle and normally is only removed using water changes.

Plus it adds in some hiding spots for smaller fish, those that are aggressive can get spots to rest in, and it really adds to their natural behavior compared to fake plants that don’t sway or feel the same for fish.

Yes, that is the perfect sign of a fish that is heavily infected with Ich (or also known as Ick). Please read out article on this as it recommends various different treatment methods since some people don’t like using medicine, and others prefer to use heat.

Ich (Ichthyophthirius multifiliis)

Quote from mkiaig

I like the styles, but is there a way to change colors for links? Half the time the text on mobile looks like it isn’t a link but it really is and vice versa.

Good suggestion that I ironically was thinking on changing too as on any device links appear exactly the same as regular text. This can be super confusing when viewing some of the pages as no one knows if they are a link or if it is just regular text.

I’ll work on changing this out later today for all of the colorations, thank you!

Quote from rkhlbj1897

how are those tanks setup wise? Like was the Gourami your original intention or was it a backup plan since other fish don’t like the horizontal space?

Ironically when I first started this up I wanted to do a bunch of Betta fry, but that didn’t work out due to the shipment place not having any (way before COVID). Then I went with a bunch of fathead minnows but over time they died off due to parasites (was trying to treat but I got them from a bad source overall). Lastly it was used as a grow out tank for CAEs (Chinese Algae Eaters) and then once that was done I just went with a lone Gourami. I may add in other fish or something else over time, but for now he appears pretty happy and content by himself.

I personally have not used it as I find there are other methods to take care of algae then just dumping a product in.

I know that some fish do not do well with it at all, and others have even said that if you dose even a tad over it will kill all of your fish (but others have said this isn’t the case).

And that wraps up the contest entry period - we’ll be counting all of the valid results before assigning them to a random number and releasing who won. Stay tuned in the next coming day for that result.

Good luck to everyone who has entered successfully!

We have finally received the update from Tapatalk that has resolved this!

I’ll look into fixing this permission issue so that you can close your own threads vs. having to request or wait for a moderator to do so.

Once this has been resolved I’ll close this thread out - thanks!

Closing this as the author has noted it has been sold (one of one item).

Quote from Brosj

Any hints on when the next one will be by chance?

We’re still awaiting for a few more weeks before we hear any rumored dates - stay tuned!

Ironically I’ve asked my locale store about this a handful of times. I know they have them in their distribution centers as of a few weeks ago - but for some reason they have yet to ship them out to the stores themselves. Not sure if they are trying to breed them within the chain to lower cost (internally) while boosting profits, or if they are planning on something else entirely.

A lot of time fish will change color as they mature and age out. This can be slight changes, up to a full on color change (such as going from white/black coloration to gold for example).

Other times they can change color due to them showing dominance in the fish (cichlids are known to do this as the most dominant fish will be a more unique color) or due to their gender (Auratus cichlids for example).

With everything going on ranging from the various wild fires, to extreme heat in some regions, it can be HUGELY important to have a backup plan in case there are any rolling power outages in your area. Some of the following are either short term or long term solutions, that kind of have their own set of pros and cons.

• Battery Powered - A lot of equipment can be found in a battery powered form, such as small water fans (to circulate the water around) to even air pumps. These devices are really only limited to the number of batteries that you can carry on hand.
• Backup UPS - These are those devices you normally find with higher end electronics, or with computers. These are huge batteries that can power devices for a short period of time to a very long period of time dependent on the amount of wattage you require. Sadly, once they are out of battery usage there isn't a way to recharge them unless you have another way to feed them power specifically.
• Generators - This is a long term solution and normally is found in higher end setups (such as for saltwater tanks, or aquarium companies) that allow for you to power everything as long as you have enough fuel to keep them running.

As far as heaters, I have yet to find a heater that works and is battery powered. You may need to get a UPS, or try to find a better solution (dependent on your area, make a fire and use river rocks and heat them and then place them into your tank if its extremely cold outside - just make sure to watch the water temperature so it doesn't overheat or get way to hot fast).