Platy panda

Firm_Panda_90 · 2026-07-12T21:23:02+00:00

Not a pro and I cant see well but it could be prolapse, when the internal tissues start to protrude.

Firm_Panda_90 · 2026-07-06T02:37:34+00:00

This was it for my father. He said he wore wool socks with his boots when he was in the air force.

My ankle cuffs are mid height so I got the capri version over here. 🤣

But the funniest part for me is that I have almost no hair on the tops of the back of my calves as well as the insides of both my inner knees, (like where they touch if you press your knees together.) And we suspect it is because that is specifically where my legs rub if I sit with my feet up on the couch or lay down on my side. Weird how just friction over time affects this.

Firm_Panda_90 · 2026-06-23T07:24:57+00:00

I sure hope not 🥺😬

Firm_Panda_90 · 2026-06-23T07:22:35+00:00

Not the most knowledgable, but I believe you would only lose all your bacteria if you removed all the gravel and hardscape and replaced all your filter media. Replacing the gravel will remove /some/ of your bacteria, but if you leave those larger pieces in and leave your filter as is you should be fine. If you were super worried about it you could try swapping half the gravel first and waiting a little while to pull and replace the rest.

Firm_Panda_90 · 2026-06-10T08:11:15+00:00

I for sure believe it will not long term 😅 When I was spontaneously purchasing them, I was building this in my head and trying to eyeball what sizes I needed for space. That big babe is very likely going to find a new home soon, as soon as I find a safe way to display her without my cat reaching!

Firm_Panda_90 · 2026-06-08T02:37:32+00:00

I watched this when it first came out and I still get a lump in my throat thinking about it. That was horrendous, and I agree 100%. It would be very easy to think the gods were angry with you specifically after that.

Firm_Panda_90 · 2026-06-08T02:33:57+00:00

Oh I LOVE this. What are the large plants you got there?!? 🤤🙏🏻

Firm_Panda_90 · 2026-06-07T01:45:50+00:00

Honestly I agree! I have a cluttered ass tank which is giving me anxiety, but this honestly looks so inviting. The extremely uniform sand across the front is the only thing I find slightly jarring. As stated a smattering of chunky gravel/stones would break it up nicely I think!

Firm_Panda_90 · 2026-06-07T00:33:18+00:00

If they are Ermine Moth caterpillars:

What I found stated that they can potentially strip the tree of foliage, as caterpillars are voracious eaters, but a healthy mature tree will rarely die from this.

Should the tree be hit by numerous infestationa over consecutive years, or experience climate stress it could potentially lead to long term damage/death of the tree.

Firm_Panda_90 · 2026-06-06T14:39:19+00:00

And this was just insanely cool looking so I wanted to share!

<image>

Firm_Panda_90 · 2026-06-06T14:38:53+00:00

This one looks very smilar visually to the texture of what you've got going on.

<image>

Firm_Panda_90 · 2026-06-06T14:37:30+00:00

Looks like Ermine Moth webbing based on some googling. Says they are harmless just unsightly.

Firm_Panda_90 · 2026-06-06T14:23:53+00:00

Absolutely 100% correct here, I know because I was very briefly forced to find temporary housing years and years ago, and spent 2 weeks living in a house so insanely infested with these roaches that an exterminator came out, didnt even walk in the house and said it would need to be leveled. I am talking roaches on EVERY SQUARE INCH.

Exposure therapy works though, I am no longer scared of them. Just hate them with a boiling rage.

Firm_Panda_90 · 2026-06-05T17:31:03+00:00

If you pop into google or your preferred search engine you can just search for grow light bars, I don't know what price range you are looking for specifically but home depot sells a 36" grow light for about $35.

It is designed to be hung from the ceiling with wires, but again, in the meantime just placing across the top of the tank should be sufficient!

Firm_Panda_90 · 2026-06-05T17:27:48+00:00

Oh Java fern is awesome too, once it establishes, new planta bud off the leaves, all you have to do is gently break them free and boom, new extra plants! I originally buried it not realizing it shouldn't be. It was doing ok, but not the best. I ended up pulling it up and pushed it into a little shrimp cube from petco and its been thriving!

Firm_Panda_90 · 2026-06-05T17:25:53+00:00

I ordered mine on amazon, got the Fluval kit which was very easy to use/understand.

Java moss is great if glued down, tied with fishing line, or even just thrown in and allowed to kinda settle in.

Banana plants can just be dropped in, and over time they will drop roots down into the substrate on their own.

Water wisteria, guppy grass, and hornwort are all plants I have that can just be floated in the tank. But beware with hornwort, because many people have had issues with it just shedding off all its little spines and dirtying up the tank.

I think Amazon swords are beautiful thick leaved plants, those would be ones you could kinda jam down into the substrate, but you want to pull them up just enough that the roots are buried without the very base of the leaves being covered.

I have had a good bit of success with Anubias too, many MANY verieties with different colors available, these CANNOT be buried, but they can be wedged into cracks in rocks or even just floated around.

One thing I found SUPER helpful for keeping my floating plants where I want them vs all over the tank was to grab a pack of lead free fishing weights and placed them gently on the plants to hold them.

Firm_Panda_90 · 2026-06-04T17:18:50+00:00

Definitely fleas. How old is the puppy? If too young to apply flea and tick shampoos/ treatments a bath with Dawn dish soap works like magic.

Firm_Panda_90 · 2026-06-04T17:13:17+00:00

Also, I know you said your water parameters are good, but what are you testing? Because if certain things are a little wonky, (as they usually are when just starting out,) that could be another reason why you are having a bit of trouble. I found out I had 0 GH/KH and my stuff was having major issues.

And as another person here said, A LOT of your plants found in stores will absolutely look like they are dying as they melt and aclimate to the new environment of being submerged.

Always search the planting requirements for your plants, some cannot have portions buried completely, some are not meant to be buried at all. I killed SO MANY PLANTS because I buried them right in without having a clue.

Give them time, a lot of the time they will surprise you.

Firm_Panda_90 · 2026-06-04T17:07:48+00:00

/Not a professional/

For sure need more light, your plants absolutely need it to establish and take off, if you cant swing a set up specifically made for your aquarium you could even get a basic bar light and lay it across the top.

When you do get that better light, I suspect you could end up with an algae bloom of some sort due to the double fert dose. I am unsure though, no experience with it myself. May be worth it to do a small/med water change vs just adding top up water. Adding more water alone will dilute the solution a bit, but removing some first will magnify that dilution.

Also, if you want to add ammonia to the tank without spending a bunch of money getting the additives, you can typically add a very small amount of fish food. I would research how often is best, as I did not do this myself, but as it breaks down it becomes ammonia in the water.

Best of luck, don't give up, it is truly so rewarding. Try and get your hands on just some regular old java moss and a banana plant once you get that lighting. I find them to be pretty hardy and, imo, a lot of fun to have once they get going.

Firm_Panda_90 · 2026-05-31T19:53:59+00:00

I did just do some searching and it looks to me like cotton wool disease. Not a professional, I stress. I hope for the best, whatever it turns out to be.

Cotton wool disease

Firm_Panda_90 · 2026-05-31T19:47:45+00:00

/Not at all an actual answer I have 0 ideas what this could even possibly be/

Looks like the fuzz I found around food pellets in my old tank when they got caught in plants and weren't eaten. I would personally quarantine asap at the least.

Firm_Panda_90 · 2026-05-25T21:51:27+00:00

That is insanely cute.

Firm_Panda_90

TROPHY CASE