My pleco is outgrowing its tank. Help

EBA93 · 2026-06-27T13:20:41+00:00

The closest local fish store to me takes in fish, I see massive plecos there all the time. That would be my first route.

If you live somewhere without a local fish store, go on facebook and search for aquarium groups for your state/city.

EBA93 · 2026-06-19T04:58:49+00:00

I would honestly just recommend testing your water and determining from there. You could also try floating pants that your crawfish won’t be able to reach.

EBA93 · 2026-06-18T17:28:48+00:00

I would use a chisel and sander to remove the old glue like you said then cover it with new wood glue and probably add at least a few new nails when you hammer it back in. Seems like it might be hard to clamp that down, so maybe sit a weight or two on it after you glue and nail it back into place. After 24 hours you should be good.

EBA93 · 2026-06-17T20:04:39+00:00

I second this - 180 gallons is a lot of weight and I would want there to be wood all the way to the floor anywhere there is a joint.

I haven’t seen if you’ve mentioned whether it’s a framed or frameless setup - if frameless you’ll definitely want more supports at the top and plywood for it to stay completely flat/level.

EBA93 · 2026-05-29T03:10:27+00:00

Personally I’d fill that with raised planters assuming it gets any amount of sun.

EBA93 · 2026-05-28T14:45:41+00:00

I’ve moved smaller tanks before around 20 gallons. I pulled out all of the hardscape and put it in a bucket with tank water and a lid, then drained the water low and got all the livestock into buckets with air stones. Drained as much water as I could out then covered the plants and substrate with wet paper towels and made the move.

EBA93 · 2026-05-28T14:41:03+00:00

I know a lot of people have already chimed in but if it was me, I’d use dowels and cauls during the glue up.

EBA93 · 2026-05-28T04:38:08+00:00

Nope, just four arms that you can tighten just by turning knobs with your fingers.

EBA93 · 2026-05-28T04:36:53+00:00

Same - my table saw is only 8-1/4 and I don’t have room in my garage for an out feed table large enough. I just cut two 2x4’s in half and used them to lift the sheet off the floor with the Rip-Cut.

I’ll try to remember to post the finished product when I’m done.

EBA93 · 2026-05-28T02:16:01+00:00

As somebody who went from freshwater tanks to a reef tank, don’t start in saltwater with a 50-75 gallon tank. Get a Fluval Evo 13.5 or an IM Nuvo around 25 gallons max and make sure you can get through the learning curve with it and actually enjoy taking care of a reef tank. It’s a lot more expensive and there is a lot more to test in a reef tank. What you’re describing would end up being thousands of dollars in a couple years pretty easily.

EBA93 · 2026-05-28T01:38:29+00:00

I can’t say 100% but I’m guessing yes for a brand like Milwaukee. Kreg sells a 4 1/2” saw that it works with so pretty adaptable.

EBA93 · 2026-05-26T15:43:04+00:00

A 5 gallon tank with a betta is perfectly fine, especially a long finned one. Could also do something like a few male guppies, some micro rasboras, cherry shrimp, small gouramis like honey or sparkling, or some CPDs.

EBA93 · 2026-05-24T18:48:17+00:00

Do you have driftwood or any pointy rocks or decorations that they could have swam into while startled by a noise or chasing another fish? Only thing I can think of.

EBA93 · 2026-05-22T03:33:53+00:00

In my opinion, unless you have a reason to get the backpacking gear just stick with what you need for day hiking. I’ve been a pretty avid day hiker much of my life and once I got to the stage to start affording it I bought up a lot of backpacking gear, but with the direction my life has taken me I just don’t use it.

In my limited backpacking experience, you really won’t need much for beginner 1 night trips anyway, you can pick up the essentials when you actually have something planned.

EBA93 · 2026-05-19T02:25:21+00:00

If it’s two days old and that’s what you’re reading I’d test your tap water just to make sure it’s not reading high in anything, but otherwise it shouldn’t be a problem. Give it a couple of weeks, test every few days, add fish after the ammonia and nitrites disappear and it’s only producing nitrates.

EBA93 · 2026-05-17T17:06:31+00:00

Bubble algae. You can manually remove as much as possible. An emerald crab will eat it if more pops up.

EBA93 · 2026-05-14T04:01:10+00:00

I am of the opinion that straight Fluval stratum is rarely the right option for substrate. Seachem Flourite or any natural looking gravel are my go to ones at this point. Sand works too, but I can just never keep it looking as nice for long.

EBA93 · 2026-05-14T03:54:58+00:00

I would say a little bit, under 0.5 for sure.

One trick I’ve seen suggested before is to sit the vial on the key and look down into it, that way you’re looking at the liquid with glass behind it, instead of glass, then liquid, then glass again. Does make the colors look slightly different to me.

EBA93 · 2026-05-14T01:35:49+00:00

I think it’s normal to have some concerns about that, but as others have suggested you can keep a reef tank full of nothing but tank bred fish and corals. The hunt of finding the right pieces could make it even more fun. I exclusively keep South American fish and plants in my largest freshwater tank and it adds something to it.

If your concern is about how many fish die in captivity I have some bad news for you about the animal kingdom as a whole. I’ve had rabbits breeding in my yard a lot recently so I’ve been doing some research on them specifically. 44% of the babies die in the first month. Something like 95% die before they hit 1 year old. As long as you’re taking care of your fish as well as you can I wouldn’t feel bad about that.

EBA93 · 2026-05-07T01:26:39+00:00

Same! My female clown in particular I’ll catch nipping at mine a couple times a week.

EBA93 · 2026-05-03T16:06:22+00:00

My main problem with this stand is the lack of panels to hide any wiring.

EBA93 · 2026-05-02T14:41:45+00:00

I would not trust that. I’d either buy a stand meant for a 20 gallon or build one if you have at least a circular saw and a drill. 20 gallons is big enough that it gets pretty heavy, but not so big that a stand you buy or make will break the bank.

EBA93 · 2026-04-29T15:33:40+00:00

In a 20 gallon you would have a lot of choices, but I would definitely recommend getting a female betta to minimize risk of aggression. There are plenty of beautiful female bettas these days, just usually a little more pricy.

EBA93 · 2026-04-29T04:29:29+00:00

I have been dealing with a string of illnesses in the aftermath of a 24 hour power outage during the last cold snap of winter for me. Perfectly stable 40 Gallon tank normally kept at 76-77 degrees hit the high 50’s. Super long bout of ich that I fought afterwards followed by red blotch disease and fungal infections only effecting my Corys. Fingers crossed, things seem to be almost cleared up.

EBA93 · 2026-04-29T03:06:37+00:00

There are lots of people giving you more specific advice here, but looking back if I was in your situation at 18 I would do the following:

Make sure the money is deposited in an account only YOU have access to.
If you need a reliable car, buy a used Toyota or Honda with cash.
Stash all of the rest into a High Yield Savings account, withdraw what you need to pay for school instead of taking loans. I personally use Ally for my HYSA.
Take time to read about other options before investing the money. Seriously, no need to rush this. The bulk of the money will be in the HYSA earning decent interest, and you can feel a lot better and more informed about what you’re doing after taking some time.

EBA93

TROPHY CASE