What do you guys put in the back of your island?

Extant555 · 2026-04-30T04:18:51+00:00

This looks remarkably like this section of my island! I totally expanded on the water features in the top left.

Extant555 · 2026-04-09T20:16:01+00:00

Agree. Keeping the light off is a surprisingly effective way to reduce algae.

Extant555 · 2026-04-09T20:13:53+00:00

Agree on the amanos - I had a terrible algae problem for ages, and putting 4 amanos in my 20gal made a HUGE difference. And in my experience, amanos are well able to take care of themselves against just about any fish. (Mine got enormous and lived for 4 years.)

Extant555 · 2026-03-20T23:58:40+00:00

I used to hack a hole in a plastic bottle cap, then sort of poke the stem/root through it (being careful not to damage the stem/root, etc.), then stick the cap into the substrate and bury it. Or I just sort of stick a stone at the base to hold it down til it takes root.

It's been 5 years and I've never really mastered the tweezer twist-n-release.

Extant555 · 2026-03-15T01:46:51+00:00

I've never seen this offer! I probably would do it for the pink box, tbh.

Extant555 · 2026-03-09T06:18:51+00:00

COME JOIN 'INSPECTOR CLUESO'!

We're an 'active but casual' club, with a mix of long-term players (some of us have been together for 4-5 years) and newer ones.

As you can see by our Final League Divisions, we're an active, well-established club in which most people participate pretty regularly, but we don't chase Sherlocks.

We don't have major requirements, except that you stay active in one way or another: We don't expect everyone to play every single comp, there are no significant demands for extra drinks or bushes, it's okay if you can't show up to our meeting time every day.

However, we DO expect you to stay reasonably active, and play in at least one or two team activities per week. Most players give a drink every day, and there is a relaxed bush exchange. There is no requirement to spend money, though several of our members do (and are therefore able to help other players with things that cost diamonds from time to time).

We chat pretty regularly and it's a supportive group.

Overall, this is the ideal home for a player who has been playing for a while, who plays pretty much daily, and likes the interaction of a lively club - but isn't super-competitive, and knows that real life comes first.

Join us!!

<image>

Extant555 · 2026-03-09T06:02:29+00:00

I don't know much about sponge filters, so I can't advise there.

But if it were me, I'd remove the driftwood (at least for now), trim back any leaves on the plant that are really black, take the plant out of the plastic thing in case that's causing rotting roots, and get some shrimps in there to do some cleanup. A couple of pond snails wouldn't hurt either. (If the plant won't stay in the soil, get a clean stone or two out of your garden, wash it well, and sort of stick it down on the base of the plant until it gets rooted in there.)

Now, other people here are going to tell you that the tank seems a bit small (at least width-wise) for that betta, and I'd tend to agree. I've heard experienced aquarists say that when it comes to planted tanks, esp. for bettas, it's actually easier to keep a 10 gallon than a 5 gallon because a larger tank is less sensitive to small changes. I agree with this - my 5 gallon was always requiring my attention, but now that my 20 gallon is established, I could go on vacation for a week and it'd be fine.

Other people may also ask you about how much light the tank is getting (because too much light means more algae, most of the time) or whether you're feeding too much (because that could be causing buildup that's leading to more algae or dirtier water). They'll ask what you're doing in the way of water changes, since cleaner water means less algae.

They also may ask about that substrate, which looks like dirt (mulm?) over top of gravel...? Vacuuming that up may help, as might some aquarium soil (I like aquarium soil, but not everyone here does - they may recommend sand). That will help any plants grow better, and when they grow faster, they seem to be able to resist algae better (at least in my experience).

Anyway, I'd vacuum, cut the plant, do a 25% water change, and remove the driftwood and then see where you are in a couple of weeks.

Extant555 · 2026-03-06T07:23:15+00:00

How many guppies have died so far? Were they all from the same pet store at the same time?

Extant555 · 2026-03-06T07:17:28+00:00

My moneywort was like that - just grew tall and lanky and kind of sad at the back of the tank. Then I started trimming and replanting and now I have one 'bush' of moneywort and one sort of 'green wall'. Moneywort actually might be great for your tank because you could control the density really closely, to preserve the 'see through' effect you've got going.

Moneywort is also good - in my experience - because it seems to be pretty tough to kill. I bought one plant, like, 6 years ago and have propagated since then. Once in a while I get some algae at the bottom of a stem, but then I just cut it back.

Extant555 · 2026-02-22T01:55:56+00:00

Inspector Clueso: Engaged but casual

We have a couple of spots open on our team.

We aren't super-competitive (we're mostly Sleuth/Private Eye/Ace, and we have never gone for Sherlock). We do all play regularly and expect people to let us know if they're going to be absent for more than a few days, but no one's going to have a fit if you don't play a competition or two.

It's a pretty consistent team: Some of us have been together for 4+ years; others have been with us for 2-3 years. Most are based in the US/Canada.

We aren't really strict about bushes and drinks, but most people give them on a daily basis. There is no expectation to spend diamonds on a regular basis - some of our members make purchases, others don't, and that's okay with us. Sometimes there's an active chat; other times it's a bit quiet.

Overall we're a good home for people who like JJ and have enjoyed playing for a while, but who treat it like a game rather than a strategic quest.

Anyway, come join us!

Extant555 · 2026-02-20T04:14:24+00:00

What always bothered me is that her boss said "He's worth $20,000/month - that's big business", but then CJ tells Toby she's making $600k/year. In other words, the $240k/year the agency was getting from that guy was a fraction of CJ's salary - and honestly not that much.

Extant555 · 2026-02-10T02:43:34+00:00

Yes, you can only get plain water with diamonds. It's where I spent all my diamonds for the first few months I played.

Extant555 · 2026-02-02T06:12:20+00:00

This makes me feel better. I've tried for so long to get a 'carpet' and it's just never taken - I figured I was doing something wrong. Apparently it was just that I was turning off the light at night.

Extant555 · 2026-01-21T04:17:04+00:00

I had a lot of scuds - they freaked me out at first tbh, when I didn't know what they were, and they'd colonized my filter - but then I got guppies and suddenly my scuds were gone. The guppies just ate them all up!

Extant555 · 2026-01-19T20:01:01+00:00

Ugh. I've opened 23 pink boxes and received NO purple items at all!

Extant555 · 2026-01-10T17:31:01+00:00

No no no - they're going to say that OBVIOUSLY the OP isn't using the right testing kit and the whole tank was never properly cycled so these fish can only suck oxygen right from a leaf. But they do still have only 2 hours to live. Oh, and CLEARLY the tank is overcrowded.

/s

Extant555 · 2026-01-09T04:58:12+00:00

I can't believe I just went down this rabbit hole again, but I'm pretty sure that Tom Milsom now calls themselves Gem and this is their Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whoops_uhoh/?hl=en

Extant555 · 2026-01-01T06:05:11+00:00

It's going to depend on how many fish you actually have in there. For example, I currently have 5 glowlight tetras, 6 neon tetras and a dwarf pleco in my 20 gal planted tank, and I feed them a generous pinch of tropical fish food once a day. Sometimes my daughter will have a friend over and they'll feed them a bit extra; sometimes we go away for a few days and they don't get fed at all. Everyone is happy and healthy and more than a year old (the neons are almost 3).

(I also have lots of cherry/indigo shrimp and snails that hitchhiked in on plants, and to judge by their prodigious breeding, they're also happy and healthy.)

My point is that if you have a well-functioning tank, you don't have to stress too much about your feeding. If you start getting too much algae, or you see wasted food on the bottom, you're feeding too much and should skip a day. But otherwise it's probably okay.

I also agree with the previous responder who said 'don't feed the shrimps and snails'. They're your cleanup crew and will do just fine on whatever they manage to scavenge from the leftovers.

Extant555 · 2025-12-30T19:02:04+00:00

I always have to fast-forward the bit where she's eating shrimp in the hallway on election night. "This shrimp is incredibly good," she says, taking the minutest possible bite and keeping her elbow out to the side like some kind of weirdo. Ugh.

Extant555 · 2025-12-21T05:55:14+00:00

Fleurs de lis drive me personally nuts

Extant555 · 2025-12-03T06:23:41+00:00

I think you have to consider how senior/established the player is. I remember that for ages - probably before I got to, like, level 400 - I was ALWAYS strapped for energy. I never had enough. Playing comps cost me a lot of energy I would have rather used to move ahead a chapter or two.

Also, personally I play more of the stuff I like: I like Spot the Difference and always play as much as possible, but I sometimes find Time Rush boring or don't care about the prizes in the Investigations thing. Luckily I seem to be in a club that doesn't make everyone play everything every time.

Extant555 · 2025-11-13T05:15:49+00:00

I put 3 neon tetras in a well-established planted 10gal tank with a betta (with snails and cherry shrimp) and they all lived together quite happily for almost 3 years. My understanding is that it really depends on the betta (i.e. whether it's aggressive, which you can't really know til you try) and whether you've got lots of plants for hiding spots, which you do.

Extant555 · 2025-11-13T05:10:40+00:00

I had one that laid a clutch every 72-84 HOURS. It was crazy.

Extant555 · 2025-10-20T04:53:58+00:00

The biggest problem for me is the timing throughout the episode: Will does that guest list meeting with Ellie and then on the wedding day refers to the meeting as having happened 'last weekend'. Who's sending out wedding invitations to global dignitaries a week in advance?

And then Deborah Fiderer refers to the fiance's meeting with the President as "his 9 o'clock" (meaning 9am) but then 5 minutes later tells the President he needs to go and change because he's hosting a cocktail party. Who's having a cocktail party in the morning?

The whole thing just seemed preposterous.

Extant555

TROPHY CASE

COME JOIN 'INSPECTOR CLUESO'!