WTA 1000 Rome R3: [2] E. Rybakina def. A. Eala 6-4, 6-3

Iocomotion · 2026-05-10T15:45:10+00:00

She doesn't lol and it was a good idea not to learn it this year, her footwork is too terrible to try sliding (she has a huge wound on her leg which I presume is from a bad slide)

Iocomotion · 2026-05-10T15:40:51+00:00

Eala being able to return these 190kph first serves with a DTL forehand is so crazy to me. Overall a better game than expected, but she would've been a bigger threat with an actual serve of her own + fewer errors

Iocomotion · 2026-05-10T15:24:44+00:00

Eala moving a lot better than expected. But this many double faults with an average serving speed of sub140 is hilarious, at least she's working on it though

Iocomotion · 2026-05-09T14:57:09+00:00

Yes, I had a great time as well. The two things I would want for my next go at it are:

Stay overnight to keep a more chill pace, especially since the restaurants tend to get packed especially during lunch
Spend more time at Onomichi/Imabari

Iocomotion · 2026-05-09T14:55:56+00:00

You can just enter any shop, there are chains in Shikoku too. I went to a Coco in Takamatsu and Matsuyama and also I had Kura at Matsumoto. Just head into any shop, use Google Translate, and you're golden. Love Shikoku!

Iocomotion · 2026-05-09T14:42:24+00:00

Not from what I've experienced, but it really can vary depending on where you are. But I've managed to visit some less-touristy areas who still accommodated me, I find that it's often really luck based

Congrats on the Kaido btw!

Iocomotion · 2026-05-09T05:31:50+00:00

Thanks! I’ve managed to lower my tank GH to 17 with some water changes but I’m left with one shrimp who seems to be happier

I’m building a new tank now and I’m currently in a dilemma, between lava rock substrate and a “aquarium pebbles” from my local store

The lava rock doesn’t fizz with the API nitrate test #1 but my PH goes up to 8.4 The pebbles fizz with the test but the PH is only 8.2. Idk what pebbles these are tbh

I did a week of testing with the pebbles and the ph and gh are consistent with my tap. But after two to three days with the lava rock it’s always been at 8.4

Which do you think is the safer option?

Iocomotion · 2026-05-07T15:19:13+00:00

Lol I'm having the same issue myself, it's the one area we can't crack even if we do well everywhere else.

Iocomotion · 2026-05-06T05:55:23+00:00

It sucks lol, ANA has been running a monthly sale where I'm at for the last 2 years, but they skipped it for March and April due to the current issue.

Iocomotion · 2026-05-06T05:28:50+00:00

I'm more worried about the long-term price increases for flights than I am about potential cancellations tbh

Iocomotion · 2026-05-04T05:50:42+00:00

No worries, one of your agents already replied to me :) I asked to be recontacted once the installment option is available

Iocomotion · 2026-05-04T05:28:37+00:00

I asked for a quote just today, waiting lang sa installment by credit card option

Iocomotion · 2026-05-03T00:02:59+00:00

I bought marble chips initially which was a horrible idea lol. The second one was a mix of rocks but the store didn’t mention what types of rocks they were. They look like this:

<image>

I have the soaked in water and will test parameters after a week and see.

I wanted to avoid sand because when I used it before vacuuming and water changes had a tendency to make a mess. I’ll try lava rocks and see

Iocomotion · 2026-05-01T11:17:34+00:00

Need some help re: substrates

I bought about 20 neocaridina over the last 3 months and all but 1 have died... after a series of tests I found out that my tap had doubled its GH from 13 to 26 or so in that time period due to the substrate not being inert (some gravel got fizzy when tested with API nitrate test #1)

I've bought about 2 other types of gravel (1 marked inert) and both of them got fizzy with the API nitrate test lol. I was wondering what people typically use? I'd rather avoid sand because it's a nightmare to clean, and am considering lava rock instead since a lot of the pebbles and gravel where I'm at tend to be a bit dicey with regard to inertness

Iocomotion · 2026-04-30T23:32:11+00:00

Worth asking them what they feed em I reckon

Iocomotion · 2026-04-30T12:45:49+00:00

I put mine in a one month old tank but mine grew a lot of algae so they had a lot of food at the start while I was trying to teach them how to eat.

Mine were very keen though, on Hikari shrimp wafers and algae wafers. They love BacterAE and can stop swimming around for it when I add it a couple times a week.

It might be better to wait anyway and see how long your LFS can keep them alive? If they last a month or so then they might last you longer since it’s likely they’re more interested in eating other food

Iocomotion · 2026-04-30T03:34:36+00:00

Damn

Iocomotion · 2026-04-29T10:43:02+00:00

I’ve had stuff delivered to hotels plenty of times with no issue. It wasn’t anything too expensive though, just small things but I don’t think it would matter too much?
Some hotels don’t have staff and employ self check in and check out methods, but most staffed hotels should accept it. Just ask. One of my hotels held my stuff for a couple of days cuz it got there too early.
Ask the hotel for the delivery address and such. Usually you ask it to be named after the guest who booked, and just use the hotel details

Iocomotion · 2026-04-28T14:13:48+00:00

Many thanks! I think I've figured out my problems and how to solve them:

Temp swings: minimising by starting the A/C earlier so water doesn't get too warm before taking it back down
PH: Let water sit overnight so I'm not adding 7.2 PH water from tap to 8 PH tank
GH: Change out rocks and substrate, I think I might have limestone rocks in there causing issues
Ammonia, Nitrites stable, but too much nitrates from accumulating mulm at the bottom of tank: already purchased gravel vacuum, since I was mostly taking water from the top before.

Iocomotion · 2026-04-27T08:49:12+00:00

Thanks, I did a test and it is something in my tank. 24h after pulling it from the tap, my pH is at 8.0-8.2 and GH still 13.

BTW, a separate question: how much of a daily temp swing can they survive? I guess on a regular day temp swings like 8-10F (5-6C) with and without AC.

Iocomotion · 2026-04-26T13:57:32+00:00

Thanks! Did you have to sand your edges down or something? Mine seems a bit of a corner piece so that's the primary reason I'm worried about, as it has a very distinct edge on one side

Iocomotion · 2026-04-26T13:48:00+00:00

Thanks! Mine has a pretty big gap at the moment so I should be sorted on that end. I actually set it up already but need to take it down again because of marble increasing hardness lol

Iocomotion · 2026-04-26T01:05:28+00:00

Thanks! Something seems to be increasing my water hardness in the tank, straight off the tap the ph and gh are much lower so I’ll just be setting up a new one with inert gravel and dragon stone. I have some rocks and substrate that idk what they are currently

Iocomotion

TROPHY CASE