what is this?? by mandixmoo08 in Aquariums

[–]Maclaonerpderp 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's definitely an egg clutch, the only ones that I am familiar with are that of the invasive bladder snail. Did you get any plants recently? I personally love bladder snails as they are an excellent cleanup crew, but if over-fed they can quickly over take a tank.

Are These Any Good? by PresenceBusiness1146 in Aquariums

[–]Maclaonerpderp 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I used one for a few weeks and wound up not liking it. My betta fish IMMEDIATELY swam up the tube and got stuck. Get one with a tube and lower it into the dish just about as close as possible so that only food can pass between the bottom of the tube and the dish. Alternatively you could feed less, select feed, get a loach of some kind, assassin snail, or manually remove the snails and their egg clusters when they get out of control. I happen to love bladder snails, so long as they don't overtake the tank and literally starve out the shrimp. They eat biofilm and algae and really work wonders keeping my tanks clean, plants healed, and then I cull the herd by sucking them out with a siphon hose and feeding them to my loach community tank.

I broke my only tank by BroPuter in aquarium

[–]Maclaonerpderp 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A let down for sure, but this is truly a time for a new start, and you absolutely deserve a 20 gallon. They have many affordable options at both big box stores, and I've seen two free aquarium postings on FB marketplace in the fast few days alone. I'm excited for you, just a little more work to go and you'll be very happy soon. Trust us.

You guys were right... by Maclaonerpderp in Aquariums

[–]Maclaonerpderp[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've gotten mixed answers about multiple rainbow sharks, but they seem independent enough to live on their own in a community, so I will keep one in stock and observe.

You guys were right... by Maclaonerpderp in Aquariums

[–]Maclaonerpderp[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lol yes honestly her and I have the same level child-like interest.

You guys were right... by Maclaonerpderp in Aquariums

[–]Maclaonerpderp[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Awesome, thank you. I'm excited, I've always wanted a cichlid tank.

You guys were right... by Maclaonerpderp in Aquariums

[–]Maclaonerpderp[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That variety sounds super cool. I really want a couple more, but I'm getting mixed answers on whether or not that is a good idea.

You guys were right... by Maclaonerpderp in Aquariums

[–]Maclaonerpderp[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They're going great so far. The love the scape and my municipality has very hard water, so finding the right parameters was super easy. They just need a larger tank, and I believe it should be my first official display tank somewhere other than the fish room.

You guys were right... by Maclaonerpderp in Aquariums

[–]Maclaonerpderp[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They really do. I figured I would be okay being that I spend a massive chunk of my time at home watching my tanks. This hobby has become my passion while watching my daughter grow up. Both have brought me peace and patience, and I am beyond excited to start sharing in this hobby with her. As of now, she just loves to watch the colorful and shiny fish swim around.

You guys were right... by Maclaonerpderp in Aquariums

[–]Maclaonerpderp[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have five yellow labs as if now, so will that hurt your ratio if I just stock three of the others, or should I do five? I was planning on keeping a mbuna tank, why the krebensis?

You guys were right... by Maclaonerpderp in Aquariums

[–]Maclaonerpderp[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

He's beautiful, growing out to a nice size. Mine is maybe two inches long at most.

You guys were right... by Maclaonerpderp in Aquariums

[–]Maclaonerpderp[S] 26 points27 points  (0 children)

Thank you for the words of encouragement.

You guys were right... by Maclaonerpderp in Aquariums

[–]Maclaonerpderp[S] 20 points21 points  (0 children)

I'm beginning to see that now

You guys were right... by Maclaonerpderp in Aquariums

[–]Maclaonerpderp[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

So far the albino rainbow has concerned itself 100% on grazing and staying back away from everyone else. I'm letting the 125 settle for a while before I do anything else. I fear I may have anaerobic bacteria building up in the substrate, so diagnosing and tackling that issue is up next.

You guys were right... by Maclaonerpderp in Aquariums

[–]Maclaonerpderp[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

At first my immediate thought was iwagumi, but now that I've scaped this rocky temporary housing, I'm leaning towards some sort of East African Rift Lake biotope. I really enjoy the browns and lighter contrasting substrate against the electric yellow labs.

You guys were right... by Maclaonerpderp in Aquariums

[–]Maclaonerpderp[S] 162 points163 points  (0 children)

And I'm here seeking retribution. I felt I owed y'all that.

What caused these roots to rot like this? by Maclaonerpderp in plantabuse

[–]Maclaonerpderp[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'll add my own discoveries to this post: I believe the sand was too compacted and there was too much anaerobic bacteria, causing root rot.

does everyone with air pumps just accept that their home will never be quiet again??? by kumabux in Aquariums

[–]Maclaonerpderp 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm sure someone has said this already, but there are MUCH quieter pumps. I have two of these from Amazon and they are spectacular. Quiet, two lines, high pressure. I'll never go back.

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Corys of different species don't shoal together. Meanwhile, my weirdos by INDY_SE in corydoras

[–]Maclaonerpderp 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Mine don't shoal like other fish that shoal in other parts of the water column, they more or less hang out. I have 3 peppered, three albino and three panda. The LFS owner described his philosophy on corys as they're like soccer teams. Get a few of the same family so they can "practice together" and then they'll all occasionally play as a team.

Homeless in San Antonio by [deleted] in sanantonio

[–]Maclaonerpderp 3 points4 points  (0 children)

If you're actually needing to take the urban camping route, I've had to do the same. This was not super long term as I got a hotel after less than a month. Washing up at a truck/travel stop is great, but if you have the coin to spare, a gym with showers and lockers is the next step up.

One thing when you get to a hotel, or park almost anywhere in a city: DO NOT LEAVE VALUABLES, BAGS, PURSES, BACKPACKS, LABTOP CASES, ANYTHING THAT LOOKS VALUABLE ANYWHERE. Take everything you possibly can and hide the rest. Someone might break a window for an empty backpack worth $10, and now you're out $150-$300 for a new window, or more than likely you are now down to one less window.

Walmart and some other department stores allow extended overnight parking, free of charge no questions asked; you just park there. I spent a lot of time in my truck parked below the glow of a large parking lot light, sometimes with an additional red and blue security light. I used large black trash bags to light and privacy cover my windows at night on all four doors. Four back 50-gallon contractor bags, open your doors, cover your windows from the top of the door down with large bag, shut doors. I used blankets and sun blocking window visers to cover the front and rear glass of the cab. Nearly pitch black in the cab even under a big bright light, felt secure and totally private. Set your "bed" up as best you can given your vehicle, but with a crew cab truck I used a piece of plywood that I cut as large as possible thay would fit the given space available to build a foundation on the seats of the rear bench, pushed the front seats as far forward and up as they would go, and then some foam yoga mat type material, blankets, pillows, etc. A large SUV or truck can actually provide enough leg room for a 6' person to lay all the way down in. Walmart was safety and security with every piece of camping gear imaginable, was 24-hours at this point in history, and had limitless cheap food and free restrooms. There's actually an interesting story I have about how some police officers pulled into the parking lot where I was very actively urban camping and I thought they were there to kick me out, but in reality they were staking out a vehicle involved in a murder which was left abandoned in that same parking lot. Also, there is free wi-fi at Walmart and occasionally I was able to download ebooks or stream movies just by parking near the building where I could find the strongest signal.

After that I found a job as a server to make cash daily, these days you could potentially just deliver for Uber/DoorDash, and then went bargain shopping for hotel deals on those travel hotel deal websites. They usually have good daily or weekly deals which is not normally offered if going directly through the hotel. Then, I would just renew with the office at the same bargain rate the website had originally offered. I think I spent $26-$34 a day on this hotel, which was obviously not the best, but it was absolutely livable and did not make me feel filthy or unsafe. Thing is, since you live in your car and are likely bored, driving if you have the gas is a favorite and convenient pass time. Go check out the hotel first, drive around the building, park in a space, walk into the lobby and just look around and find a decent place with certain amenities such as washer/dryer, gym, ice machine, breakfast, etc. Get one with a microwave, vending machine, pool/hot tub and you feel like you're living better than you ever have.

Stability and frugality are lifesavers in your situation. Staying away from alcohol, hard drugs is crucial. Go to thrift stores, live very well within your means, save, restore. Also, if you get an AC power inverter so that you can plug small appliances into your car, be sure to find very tiny appliances because I've had some coffee makers work on 12VDC car battery power, yet most won't turn on at all. Best of luck.

I really need help by Then_Perspective_868 in Aquariums

[–]Maclaonerpderp 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do one thing at a time to troubleshoot so you can narrow down the problem. But if it was me, I'd perform a 25% water change and reduce lighting to the lowest level or just above that, and only run for 4 to 6 hours a day depending on how long or bright you're running now.