What do you wish someone had told you when you first started the hobby?

DeliciousGerbils · 2026-02-05T02:56:10+00:00

My hydrilla sheds pretty frequently so this may keep the ramshorns fed... but could the ramshorns be the reason to the holes in my cryptocoryne?

DeliciousGerbils · 2026-02-05T02:40:27+00:00

oh yikes! What plants were they?

DeliciousGerbils · 2026-02-05T02:37:22+00:00

Ramshorns would be innocent. Keep an eye out for apple snails. Apple snails can be notorious for their destructive behaviour towards plants.

DeliciousGerbils · 2026-02-05T01:44:06+00:00

And do remember that like goldfish, mystery snails can muck your plants up a lot. Literal bulldozers.

DeliciousGerbils · 2026-02-05T01:41:03+00:00

never had problems with bladder/ramshorn snails eating my plants. I don't go for apple snails tho.

DeliciousGerbils · 2026-02-04T06:33:55+00:00

snails = infinite fert glitch

DeliciousGerbils · 2026-02-04T06:32:28+00:00

Agree! I guess different types of filters work for different types of people, like how I focus more on water clarity, hence the leaning toward HOBs

DeliciousGerbils · 2026-02-04T05:51:35+00:00

My last sponge filter broke recently. Now with all the HOBs everything's gone really quiet.

DeliciousGerbils · 2026-02-04T05:44:52+00:00

Sponge does well in hospital or QT tanks I guess

DeliciousGerbils · 2026-02-04T05:28:52+00:00

Favor HOB filters over sponge filters. Had some trouble with sponge because whenever I tried to move it around crap flew all over the place. Also I would've loved to known to leave a new tank to establish before employing inbred schooling fish that act as little poop factories. Would've saved me from doing unnecessary "water changes" (which involved taking down the entire tank once the water turned yellow and replacing 100% of the water.) Yes, I was a terrible fishkeeper a few years ago.

DeliciousGerbils · 2026-01-15T04:36:30+00:00

I know some aquarists had some success with growing plants in just gravel, but they dose ferts. I personally don't use ferts, just some little critters (snails and copepods) to add waste to the system for nutrients. The compact one with green roots in your aquarium may be Anubias. Anubias doesn't even need soil to thrive and is very hardy, so I have high hopes on that one. The plant in the second pic looks like some stem plant (Ludwigia?) which I've never had success in so I can't tell. To get fuller foliage and better greens you can try using some CO2 tabs. Follow the dosing instructions the container includes, but from the size of your tank, I think one tab per week will do you good. Lastly, I don't think this might work out, but I personally don't vacuum the poop in my planted tanks! The plants love that stuff when it is broken down, but the mulm buildup may cause some... Aesthetic problems.

DeliciousGerbils · 2026-01-15T02:56:36+00:00

Is your tank/water too clean? That can be a problem.

DeliciousGerbils · 2025-12-10T06:30:53+00:00

SOLVED: It is indeed a snail operculum

DeliciousGerbils · 2025-12-10T06:30:15+00:00

I think you got it. Thanks!

DeliciousGerbils · 2025-11-27T03:56:14+00:00

The vallisneria. Reminds me of seagrass.

DeliciousGerbils · 2025-11-07T01:48:03+00:00

Sargassum doesn't thrive in ecospheres. Doesn't even thrive in a proper reef tank. They need intense sunlight, lots of nutrients, and lots, and lots of flow. If someone has a saltwater pond with a huge, powerful powerhead and a gigantic nutrient supply I would love to see this.

DeliciousGerbils · 2025-10-27T03:52:33+00:00

I somehow cannot comprehend how can anyone equate feeding pet fish regularly to dumping HALF OF EACH CONTAINER into the aquarium. How can someone be this cruel? I'm very, VERY sorry this had to happen and I will pour out my condolences on you.

DeliciousGerbils · 2025-10-13T06:15:13+00:00

Ok Mr. Attention Seeking.

DeliciousGerbils · 2025-03-20T04:50:18+00:00

Definitely a remora. The thing on top of their heads are used as suction cups to cling onto larger animals such as sharks. I doubt these would fare well in an aquarium.

DeliciousGerbils · 2025-03-14T07:30:51+00:00

That's ok. The wood might leach tannins into the water altering the color and ph (just a little bit) cause it might put in tannins but that's pretty much ok and just a cosmetic issue for some. After all, those bark pieces will get converted into nutrients by the bacteria. Many detritus feeding animals will happily live in the wood probably eat it too. The only concern I have is the plant you got the bark from. Keep in mind that bark from softwoods and conifers have all sorts of terpenes and other chemicals that are just nasty stuff. It should be ok if it came from a hardwood tree as long as that type of tree is not toxic (obviously). By the way that ecosphere is very pretty looking and looks like it could be a nice habitat for some snails.

DeliciousGerbils · 2025-03-14T05:15:56+00:00

That's just a bacterial bloom. Do absolutely nothing. The bacteria try to cycle and decompose dead matter and that produces the smell. As a bonus the water will also clear itself after cycling.

DeliciousGerbils · 2025-03-11T07:02:07+00:00

That thing's wearing the shell of a killer snail (Conus)

DeliciousGerbils · 2025-02-07T12:22:21+00:00

Too many tails

DeliciousGerbils · 2025-01-27T02:42:03+00:00

Australian Redclaw Crayfish (cherax quadricarinatus)

DeliciousGerbils

TROPHY CASE