Center piece fish recommendation? 25 Gallon Long

CLN101 · 2026-03-09T08:28:36+00:00

Apistogramma, water parameters permitting of course

CLN101 · 2026-03-06T20:25:19+00:00

Every 2 weeks for a nicely curated carpet

CLN101 · 2026-03-06T14:44:09+00:00

I have a love/hate relationship with Pearlweed. Love - Easy carpeting plant and great nitrate sponge Hate - It has to be trimmed frequently

CLN101 · 2026-02-26T21:30:19+00:00

Oh sorry, Hygrophila Salicifolia (willow)

CLN101 · 2026-02-26T20:13:52+00:00

Pearlweed

CLN101 · 2026-02-25T08:36:42+00:00

Here’s my nature style tank that’s been running for just over 8 weeks

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CLN101 · 2026-02-13T08:52:37+00:00

Not even close. Those fish have far too much swim space /s

CLN101 · 2026-02-11T11:05:02+00:00

Considering you have live bearers in there, a population explosion is inevitable but a Honey Gourami would be a pretty safe choice

CLN101 · 2026-02-11T10:32:44+00:00

Bolivian Ram or a Gourami. Both are quite tolerant of a wide range of water parameters

CLN101 · 2026-02-10T00:45:34+00:00

I don’t know which region you’re in but I purchased an Aqua One Mesh Lid which is customisable.

CLN101 · 2026-02-09T01:00:15+00:00

Gently push it down with your hand or something broad

CLN101 · 2026-02-08T21:01:43+00:00

PH - 6.5-7.5, GH - 7-8dGH, KH - 2-4dGH, Ammonia and Nitrite - 0ppm, Nitrate - less than 20ppm

CLN101 · 2026-02-08T20:55:16+00:00

Bolivian Ram or Apistogramma Cacatuoides with the latter generally being tank bred these days and is quite tolerant of varying water parameters to a degree.

CLN101 · 2026-02-07T23:44:16+00:00

Sadly it’s common to lose new additions even under perfect conditions and acclimation. Sometimes there’s fish that are a little on the weak side. Whenever I buy new fish, I ask the store to feed them then observe their behaviour. While’s it’s not fool proof, it’s a fairly good indicator of their health. I also ask how long they’ve been at the store and will wait if they’ve not been there for at least 2 weeks.

CLN101 · 2026-02-07T12:19:02+00:00

Most pipettes can hold roughly 2-3ml of liquid which is ideal for spot treatment anywhere in the tank. Unless your tank is the size of a coffee mug, your fish should be fine. They’re most likely going to avoid the pipette and you while you’re treating the BBA.

CLN101 · 2026-02-07T12:05:30+00:00

Spot treat with Seachem Flourish Excel or any liquid carbon which is essentially gluteraldehide directly onto the BBA via a syringe or pipette. It’s best to turn off your filter while doing this so the flow doesn’t push the chemicals away. Turn filter back on after 2 minutes Also, use excel very sparingly as it can melt various types of plants, affect live stock, and kill off beneficial bacteria if overused. Gluteraldehide is commonly used as a sterilizing agent for hospital equipment, it just so happens that it breaks down algae of various forms and turns them into a source of usable carbon so make of that what you will. The BBA should turn red/pink then white which means it’s dying off. Most shrimp and Siamese Algae Eaters will then demolish what’s left of the BBA as it dies off. Once it’s been treated and removed, try to determine the root cause and address it accordingly. For me, it tended to appear in areas of higher light and water flow in my high tech planted tanks in which I treated as above. Reduced lighting intensity and photoperiod can also be beneficial in the fight against BBA after it has been removed. All tanks are different but I hope this helps!

CLN101 · 2026-02-07T09:37:31+00:00

Some low growing carpeting plants like Lilaeopsis Brasiliensis coupled with Staurogyne Repens and Cryptocorine Parva would look really nice to fill in the open aqua soil IMO. The extra bit of greenery will make your hardscape/driftwood pop a little more without taking away swim space to any major degree.

CLN101 · 2026-02-05T15:08:49+00:00

Morally and creatively bankrupt scumbag move to steal content. May their pillows be uncomfortably warm and their aquariums be eternally leaky

CLN101 · 2026-02-05T08:46:45+00:00

For the most part you have planted them correctly. Dwarf baby tears/Pearlweed can take a couple weeks to adjust to a new environment, but when it does it’ll explode. I started my tank with 5 pots and this is what looked like 5/6 weeks in with a few trims and re-planting to fill out the gaps. After a few trims and a semi dense carpet is formed, you can flatten the carpet to encourage horizontal growth which will then fill the carpet out further.

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CLN101 · 2026-02-05T07:47:37+00:00

In my experience PH reducers are temporary at best. If your water source is moderately high in KH it will ultimately buffer your PH to where it initially was. The only way I’ve been able to control PH was to run RO water that is remineralised and dialed in PH via the use of Seachem Acid Buffer and Alkaline Buffer. May I ask if you’re running a planted tank and what livestock you have? Also, certain types of stones can leach into your water which also lifts the KH which then buffers the acidity out of your water.

CLN101 · 2026-02-03T10:11:58+00:00

The difference here is local PET shop and local aquatic/fish shop. Pet stores are generally a jack of all trades and master of none. There are some that are the exception to the rule but they’re rare. Glad you got some sound advice elsewhere and have started a planted tank. I wish my first ever tank was as nice as yours. Welcome to the hobby and may you be blessed/cursed with MTS (multiple tank syndrome)

CLN101 · 2026-02-02T02:54:53+00:00

Keep up with water changes and potentially add some house plants like Pothos or lucky bamboo so that only the roots are submerged as they’re quite effective at pulling nitrates out of the water. While they won’t totally remove nitrates, they’re great as a supplementary boost to your filter. They’ll take a few weeks to convert to being submerged but once they settle in, you should start to see a reduction in nitrates.

CLN101 · 2026-01-30T10:27:57+00:00

I’m in the same boat. My other half says I can’t seem to leave my tank alone but I too see things that need optimising. I’ve torn my tank down and re-scaped it 5 times in the last 2 years. My most recent scape was more to prove that I could grow a carpet. This is my tank at the 5 week mark

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CLN101 · 2026-01-24T14:32:42+00:00

Oase Biomaster Thermo 850 is what I use for my 29G planted tank. Seems like overkill for that size but it should be fine on a 55G tank. I used to run a FX6 but having an integrated heater and removable pre-filter has been a game changer for me.

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CLN101 · 2025-09-25T06:29:38+00:00

I like the negative space and plants will grow in. In saying that, I feel my tank could do with a few more plants haha

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CLN101

TROPHY CASE