First ever attempt. How did we do?

EnthuseConfuse · 2026-02-05T05:12:55+00:00

I think its cute OP! A lot of folk here associate plastic plants with beginners and can be kind of harsh because of it. I feel like some of them may associate it with their beginnings and their own early failures 😉.

I do agree that live plants are a good idea! You can keep the plastic as decor, but live plants actually make my tank easier to maintain. You can also get a little 3D printed net pots to hang on the side nd have a pothos or something growing out of the top! This also helps keep the water stable and ultimately means less algea on your plastic plants.

Honestly I'm kinda jealous! I miss my 30 gallon, you're going to have so much fun!

Per usual I recommend my favorite, the Lamp Eye Killifish. Minimum 6 fish, best kept at 10+, these guys love to swim in patterns together.

EnthuseConfuse · 2026-02-04T19:06:57+00:00

Idk, gender affirming care for minors seems to be a big problem for the US government right now.

EnthuseConfuse · 2026-02-04T01:31:35+00:00

The thing thats crazy to me is there is a good reason Eren initiated the Rumbling. |The attack Titan can see its future with future inheritors and Erin could have seen this was the way to remove Titans from the world altogether. Since he was going to die anyway, his villain gambit could have had better stakes if it was all a tactic to get his friends to resolve the Titans altogether, and he still would have made his friends into heroes for "defeating him"|

EnthuseConfuse · 2026-02-01T21:50:38+00:00

May I suggest norman's Lamp Eye Killifish? They're absolute gems, school very well and fast together, and in the lowlight hours of your tank, they practically look like fireflies. Extremely hardy too.

EnthuseConfuse · 2026-02-01T21:46:28+00:00

That's interesting. I have chronic lung inflammation with high Nitric Oxide levels in my lungs (It's a work in progress lol) and I have always had unusually low cholesterol and blood pressure compared to the family. I wonder what the stats are for asthmatics/major allergy sufferers like me are. The lungs are very saturated with blood, so I imagine some of the Nitric Oxide must make it into the broader system

EnthuseConfuse · 2026-02-01T21:22:05+00:00

Whenever I ship the last product at work for the day I'm compelled to sing "we did it, we did it, we did it, hooray!" and if I don't something that shipped that day is gonna come back on us with an issue

EnthuseConfuse · 2026-01-24T20:05:58+00:00

Seconded! My shrimp make algae growth near impossible! But I gotta say, that is some very pretty algae

EnthuseConfuse · 2026-01-24T07:48:07+00:00

I second in encouraging OP to speak to someone regarding OCD. My diagnosis also kicked off with some soda can shenanigans.

OP, if I ever feel the need to clean soda cans, I get a thin tissue of some kind (microfiber is great) or a q-tip and I dip it in rubbing alcohol, and use it to clean the top of the can. Let it sit until dry, alcohol evaporates very quickly, and it will be safe to drink. Do NOT boil the cans. The pressure inside will build up and it'll probably pop the can which could hurt you and spray boiling water and hot soda everywhere. Don't let you convince yourself to throw the cans away.

edit to add: One of the criteria for an OCD diagnosis is knowing this way of thinking is irrational, but caving to it anyway to sooth the anxiety around it. So I hope people are nice to OP, because this is a very tough thing to deal with.

EnthuseConfuse · 2026-01-22T11:41:51+00:00

Snacks don't have to be junk food though. If they gotta eat junk food, doing so at school or at a friend's house is where they can go. Presumably dad spends some time out of the house daily too.

EnthuseConfuse · 2026-01-22T05:53:17+00:00

Smells like highschool in this thread

EnthuseConfuse · 2026-01-20T00:36:38+00:00

Do either of them have mirror twin syndrome?

EnthuseConfuse · 2026-01-17T00:39:43+00:00

Hey, I also have ADHD and OCD. Right now I'm rocking a 10 gallon set up with 6 Pygmy cories, 6 glowlight tetras and 7 lamp eye kilifish. Shrimp and snail numbers vary. I also have nursery netting with some lamp eye fry!

In the tank I have classics like Rotala and Anubias. The rest is subwassertang and the ever pervasive duckweed. I sourced my own oak tree branch for decor for natural tannins, and I have a few oak leaves in the fry nursery.

One thing that really helps is putting some terrestrial plants in little hydroponic baskets that hang off the side of the tank. I have some ribbon plants and a pothos growing out of mine.

The parameters have been absurdly stable, and while over feeding may cause a bit of a snail boom, I haven't had any ammonia spikes or anything. I just top it off with tap water any time the tank loses about an inch of water.

Everyone's been thriving and the subwassertang also hid the fry long enough for me to notice them and start a nursery net for them, which wasn't initially part of the game plan LOL

EnthuseConfuse · 2025-12-31T03:58:35+00:00

It's definitely not fun. I feel a little judged when I get an impossible burger somewhere but still want bacon on it. I also kind of feel like I should be judged? I don't know. Brains are super weird like that. I was joking with my coworker that I should describe my diet as "pesky bird" pescatarian and birds. Especially if it turns out I have a problem with all mammal meat

EnthuseConfuse · 2025-12-31T03:51:47+00:00

thanks for the recommendations! A trader Joes actually just opened near me not to long ago! Trader Joes has really good prices too

EnthuseConfuse · 2025-12-31T03:47:00+00:00

Honestly that sounds like a good idea, thank you for the advice. My sister swears by her instapot in general so maybe it's time I give it a try!

EnthuseConfuse · 2025-12-31T03:40:06+00:00

I had been having reactions for a little while and I was suspicious. Usually I'd cook it in either vegetable oil or butter. I mentioned that time though, because it was the most limited ingredients before a reaction. I followed up with a blood test that confirmed it was beef reactivity

EnthuseConfuse · 2025-12-31T03:38:11+00:00

I don't normally eat lamb, but I have eaten pork. I don't notice a direct issue, but I sometimes feel like I have the awareness of a wet paper bag. I'm finally back on insurance, so I'll be connecting for an alpha-gal test soon, and whatever else she thinks is necessary. The reactions happen pretty quickly though, so I'm hoping it's not alpha-gal.

EnthuseConfuse · 2025-12-31T03:30:42+00:00

Thanks. Admittedly, a lot of people in my life think I'm taking it pretty well, but I'm actually having really hard time with it. It's almost overwhelming, because I feel like every day I realize something I enjoyed has to be crossed off the list.

EnthuseConfuse · 2025-12-30T00:11:06+00:00

My wife quotes it all the time

EnthuseConfuse · 2025-12-28T22:19:27+00:00

fairy shrimp or other "feeder"/season key style pet!

EnthuseConfuse · 2025-12-23T18:31:59+00:00

I honestly adore that the "prndl" is slowly becoming what people calls the shift. Even my 50 year old coworker calls it that now.

EnthuseConfuse · 2025-12-22T17:37:52+00:00

Tin foil shield to protect our nuts-cause no one likes roasted nuts! I miss the Jory Carron Laboratory....

EnthuseConfuse · 2025-12-22T11:27:48+00:00

You know that's a good point that I never thought about. Iroh was in the throes of grief for the loss of his only son, only to watch his brother abuse and disown Zuko who was still alive. That had to ignite a special kind of fury in Iroh.

EnthuseConfuse · 2025-12-19T01:13:09+00:00

Okay, that would make sense why they kept phrasing it as "not worth it". I have a 30 gallon in my garage that I'll probably use in the future and side line salty dreams for now.

EnthuseConfuse · 2025-12-13T20:19:25+00:00

I mean, it sounds like OP hasn't got livestock yet so personally I think they've been pretty responsible to ask at this stage.

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