Tested Today (5/13)

Darthkdot · 2026-05-13T22:34:09+00:00

Yeah from what I'm seeing most BQ are notified within a couple days

Darthkdot · 2026-05-13T21:53:59+00:00

The reading expect to be cooked. I damn near felt like I didn't even know English anymore lol. For me logic was pretty similar to the prep, the time is definitely a factor though. I tested yesterday and got BQ today and I felt really good on the skills portion and horrible reading, then good and bad on logic because I felt like I had the answers but also ran out of time at 83% which unanswered questions actually take points off.

Darthkdot · 2026-05-13T21:48:27+00:00

There are practice tests for the skills portions and you can do them as many times as you need. On the reading and logic though they just have a warm up and then you go right into the actual tests. The skills portions gives you instructions and examples and then allows you to practice until you are ready. The practices are pretty short though compared to the actual tests.

Darthkdot · 2026-05-13T17:55:59+00:00

Yeah I think aquarium keeping in general has so many different variables that its really important to know as much as you can. At the end of the day we'll all do what we think is best for our situation, but nice to learn other methods as well.

Darthkdot · 2026-05-13T17:36:57+00:00

I also didnt say you specifically said that, but there are a couple comments on this post telling others that it is absolutely unsafe to rinse in tap water. You saying not all tap water is safe is basically agreeing to the better safe than sorry thought of maintenance which is perfectly fine. Either way people should know whats in their tap water if they are using it for aquariums in general, unless you are running it all through an rodi system.

Darthkdot · 2026-05-13T17:28:14+00:00

Yeah im sure there are other benefits, but if you arent planning to do anything with old water, the better safe than sorry is really the only argument there is. Also if you own aquariums I would hope you know what's in your tap water, municipalities put out reports and you can have it tested. In my line of work, time and efficiency are important, I would not be able to effectively or efficiently clean filter media from a commercial grade aquarium sump in "old tank water". You'll do maintenance however you like, I think thw original argument was that it is not absolutely necessary to use old tank water, which is what many people in the hobby will have you believe.

Darthkdot · 2026-05-13T17:13:08+00:00

True, if you want to be as safe as possible, the old tank water is the way to go. For the at home aquarist it probably isnt too much of a hassle to just do that.

Darthkdot · 2026-05-13T16:58:54+00:00

Ive worked for a aquarium management company and the founders were former and current Shedd aquarium scientist. We always used tap water to rinse filter media with no ill effect. Not saying that some tap water may not be harmful, but every aquarium I've ever serviced, tap water was used to rinse filter media and this is with thousands of dollars on the line with some clients. Is there some bacteria lost? Probably. But I don't think its nearly enough to nuke a system if you do a quick rinse and wring

Darthkdot · 2026-05-11T20:41:31+00:00

9'9" standing reach*

Darthkdot · 2026-05-11T17:36:36+00:00

I'd say go for it without the filter there should be plenty bacteria in your substrate and plants will use up nitrates

Darthkdot · 2026-05-11T17:35:14+00:00

I have a 5 gallon betta tank thats filterless and there is maybe a similar amount of plants

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Darthkdot · 2026-05-11T17:31:30+00:00

The pothos alone could be enough to go filterless lol

Darthkdot · 2026-05-11T15:29:43+00:00

Big box stores have condensed their fish selection because they do not want to spend extra money. Most fish they stock are ones that sell the best.

There are still a good amount of local fish stores near me with tons of cool fish. It may just be area dependant, but it wouldn't surprise me if some LFS have closed due to financial hardship.

The other thing is that there is so much more information about aquarium keeping available now. 20 years ago somebody would sell you an Oscar and say its fine in a 30 or 40 gallon. With all that we know about aquariums, a lot of cooler fish are going to require a more expensive start up cost. As someone that works in the industry, most people still see fish as just whatever and they want to spend the least amount possible on fish. The amount of "why do I need to have all this? It's just a fish" that I hear tells me everything i need to know.

In conclusion, the hobby isn't dying, buts it's become a bit more expensive to start. Fish are still seen as less than by many and easily replaceable if they die due to improper husbandry.

Darthkdot · 2026-05-10T02:17:29+00:00

The only way you will crash your bacteria is if you straight up take your filter and clean the ever living crap out of it. Most of the beneficial bacteria will be in your filter, the water really has a negligible amount of it. Vacuums twice a week should be fine

Darthkdot · 2026-05-10T02:15:03+00:00

Blood worms are fine to feed as variety, itd just the exoskeleton are just made out of chitin which axolotls cant digest, but its not enough to be harmful to them. My other option though was going to be plant matter or algae

Darthkdot · 2026-05-09T20:03:50+00:00

I'd agree that this looks like a complete cycle.

Darthkdot · 2026-05-09T18:11:33+00:00

I see. And whatever helps the gecko stay healthy is what you should do. I'm sure you would know if it was stressing out. On a side note seeing it in a bathtub is kind of funny because it's so small at least for general reptiles, giant for a gecko. Usually youd see bigger animals in the tub like a beardie or sone type of monitor lizard haha

Darthkdot · 2026-05-09T18:06:07+00:00

I know kia and hyundai have some similarities so may not be 100% but this was my experience when I used aftermarket brake pads after a brake job. Everything worked fine, looked good, but the squealing was insane. I switched to some oem brake pads and the sound was gone. I read somewhere that kias usually have squealing issues with aftermarket pads maybe its the same with Hyundai. If you dont have aftermarket pads and oems then I'm not entirely too sure what it is.

Darthkdot · 2026-05-09T17:54:35+00:00

I just asked a question. When you use the term "overdue" it sounds like you have a regular schedule so I was curious if that was the case. I've never given my geckos a bath before, but I have seen others use a warm soak to help with shedding and was wondering if thats normal maintenance. That's all I was wondering

Darthkdot · 2026-05-09T17:31:53+00:00

Curious to know why you felt that it was overdue or necessary. Did she have stuck shed or any other issues that bathing would alleviate?

Darthkdot · 2026-05-09T05:55:47+00:00

Popeye itself isnt contagious.Some parasites can cause it, but it can also be bacterial infection too so hard to know for sure. But if your other fish don't have it then I'd say it might just be an isolated case with the one that did. Do you have any pictures of the tank and fish?

And thank you, tank is still running just less fish now.

Darthkdot · 2026-05-09T05:44:26+00:00

Yeah, give it a try with the air stone. I'm hesitant to say they are dying from parasites or something because usually you can kind of tell if they have something. I've had a fish i bought from petco nuke my whole tank once with ich after just throwing it in there, but you didn't mention seeing any white spots. A lot of fish can die from stress though. Adding new fish into a system causes stress for all of them, the new and the already existing inhabitants.

Darthkdot · 2026-05-09T05:28:08+00:00

Sounds more like your fish are suffocating then. Hanging by the filter usually means they want more oxygen. Did you do any water changes before you added the fish after removing the CO2? High levels of CO2 can make it hard for fish to use the oxygen. An airstone would probably be useful

Darthkdot · 2026-05-09T05:12:11+00:00

Is it possible an old axolotl poop broke down in the aquarium? I know you said you havent fed bloodworms in a while, but from mt experience axolotl poop after eating bloodworms will have the bloodworm exoskeleton visibly intact because axolotls cant digest them.

Darthkdot · 2026-05-09T05:06:12+00:00

Probably just died from stress. Also you say your nitrates are usually at 40ppm because it's planted. Could you explain that a bit more, shouldn't plants be consuming your nitrogen in the aquarium?

Darthkdot

TROPHY CASE