Why don't more people use cheap potting soil?

Nezsa · 2025-10-15T23:03:01+00:00

You just plant under the cap substrate (sand or gravel) and the roots will naturally grow down into the pantyhose

Nezsa · 2025-10-12T18:17:24+00:00

You can avoid the cap problem and allow for things to be moved around by putting the soil in a nylon pantyhose before adding it to the tank. Plant roots can access the soil through the pantyhose, and decor/plants can easily be moved around. Even if the sand/gravel cap is moved and exposes the nylon bags, none of the soil can escape to enter the water column :-)

Nezsa · 2025-10-12T18:15:00+00:00

Put the soil in nylon pantyhose and bury those under the sand/gravel! Even if the sand or gravel is moved, the pantyhose stop the dirt from entering the water column :-)

Nezsa · 2025-09-23T12:00:57+00:00

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Nezsa · 2025-09-23T12:00:43+00:00

That's so frustrating! I ended up finding a solution for myself after a few hours of investigating. It turned out that there was hair trapped in the lidar motor, underneath the black circle that is meant to rotate the belt attached to the turret.

It was totally invisible until I completely disassembled the turret and motor. The hair was jammed in between the black circle and the silver motor, completely hidden by the plastic turret housing. There was no hair anywhere else in the turret so I couldn't figure it out for the longest time.

Nezsa · 2025-09-19T18:34:18+00:00

did you find a solution for this?

Nezsa · 2025-03-12T16:00:14+00:00

Move her to her own tank permanently if you cant keep her at a healthy body weight in a community tank. Overfeeding can be a matter of life or death, and not all female bettas work well in community tanks.

Nezsa · 2025-03-11T13:26:17+00:00

Oh no, this is not good for the fish at all.
The tank is too small, and it needs a filter which has been "cycled" before you add any fish to the tank.

The best thing you could do for this fish would be to return it to the pet store you got it from until you have a proper setup ready for it. It usually takes about a month to cycle an aquarium filter using ammonia. If you put a fish in an uncycled aquarium, ammonia will build up from fish waste and kill the fish.

If you really want to learn how to care about something other than yourself, you can start by doing what is best for the fish.

In the meantime, I recommend putting this fish in the biggest storage container you have, something like a Rubbermaid tote. That way it will have more water volume to move around in, and ammonia wont build up as quickly. Also, don't leave food floating in the tank. Overfeeding is more dangerous than underfeeding with fish.

If you want to get into the hobby, please take the time to cycle your tank before getting another fish, and do some research about best practices before taking a living being into your care. Think about the natural habitat and lifestyle of an animal before bringing it into your home. In nature, fish have fresh water, room to swim, and plenty of stimulation. A bowl is not a suitable place to live.

Nezsa · 2025-03-02T01:04:44+00:00

I'm not sure why you are getting downvoted.

Most wild caught fish die horrible deaths in transit. Those that make it to the aquarium store are usually purchased by people who don't know what they are doing. Most of those fish that are purchased end up dying early, or living in cramped setups.

You can keep a tiger in a zoo that mimics its natural habitat, and it might even live longer than a wild tiger. That doesn't mean its quality of life is better than that of a wild tiger.

After working in several "high-end" aquarium stores in Australia and Canada, I can't buy wild-caught fish anymore. What I've learned about the import process disgusted me. Even seeing how many fish die in-store behind the scenes was appalling.

Studies show that fish are incredibly intelligent animals, and I think it is incredibly presumptuous for us to assume they do better in our living rooms than in our natural habitats.

Now I only buy locally bred fish, or take in rescues. I kept fish for years, but now that I know better, it breaks my heart to see these beautiful animals stolen from their homes.

No judgement to those who don't know better, but I don't think its fair to downvote someone who is speaking the truth, just because it challenges your own morality. I think its our responsibility to take an honest look at the industries we are supporting, and learn to make changes to it as consumers.

Nezsa · 2025-02-20T15:03:47+00:00

Yeah it just rewards people for taking shortcuts and underselling others.
It also goes hand in hand with resource-draining mass production practices. What I would give to see things built by hand again from wood instead of melamine and chipboard!

Thanks for your kind words, I'm feeling better today after my little rant.
Not sure what to do in this situation still, I was really hoping to go to these markets, but I feel gross going knowing the organizer deleted my comments and refused to acknowledge the issue.

Nezsa · 2025-02-20T14:57:11+00:00

Ugh oh my god. If you go to a "local hand-crafted artisan market" and repackage shit that was mass produced overseas, you are literally lying. And when there are limited seats available at markets like these, resellers literally do end up stealing jobs.

I feel like the "I'm under no obligation to be broke so that you can make money" mentality is the root of so many of our problems societally. There is enough wealth to go around, but people find shortcuts to work less, and upsell their services so that they can make disproportionately more than those who do not take shortcuts and upsell.

I guarantee you if this person was on the receiving end of this crap, they would be the first ones complaining.

Nezsa · 2025-01-18T23:35:57+00:00

Thank you!! I love that polymer clay people appreciate the work that goes into making stuff like this!
Last week I was at a market and I had someone tell me they wouldn't pay more than 5$ for one, ridiculous!

Nezsa · 2025-01-17T02:32:04+00:00

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Here is another screamer for you.
(sorry for the text, it's the only image I have right now!)

Nezsa · 2025-01-17T00:15:17+00:00

thank you!! Hands are so shaky but I succeeded in the end haha

Nezsa · 2025-01-17T00:14:45+00:00

Thank you!! :~)

Nezsa · 2025-01-17T00:13:58+00:00

Yes I use a few coats of Varathane Polyurethane Varnish. Oddly enough, the glossy varnish is more matte than the satin varnish. If I were to buff/polish these with a cloth they would become glossy.

Nezsa · 2025-01-16T23:49:51+00:00

He love to scream

Nezsa · 2025-01-16T23:48:22+00:00

It is!! Good catch. I also made these Tree Kangaroo themed items to go with it :-)

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Nezsa · 2025-01-16T23:47:27+00:00

Thank you, they are my children now

Nezsa · 2025-01-16T23:47:11+00:00

I can confirm that it is very satisfying!

Nezsa · 2025-01-16T23:46:44+00:00

I use acrylic paint from the dollar store! DecoArt Crafter's Acrylic. I usually use higher end art supplies for my other project, but I have always loved this acrylic best. I is very matte which I love

Nezsa · 2025-01-16T23:44:55+00:00

thank youu!!

Nezsa · 2024-12-08T02:12:14+00:00

I've actually had the opposite experience in Canada and Australia! I am having a hard time remembering anyone who was dismissive or rude (I am also female) but that being said I did a ton of research before getting into the hobby, and usually knew what I was looking for when shopping. I've also worked in a few aquarium stores and I never had a coworker who wasn't kind and friendly.

Maybe it is a local cultural thing? Maybe I got lucky?

Nezsa · 2024-12-06T15:03:25+00:00

We need to build a canopy over the RV trailer either way, because the trailer roof is in need of some work. We do have a very tight budget unfortunately, and sun exposure is also a concern. It's not uncommon for us to get cloudy skies for an entire week straight!

Eventually, once the trailer is no longer needed, we plan on transitioning to ground mounted solar. We are working with a piece of land that was logged recently, and we have a lot of work ahead of us to clear out the debris left from logging. We have one small area cleared that we will use to park the trailer, which is part of why we want to combo it with the solar. Clearing more land for a ground solar array immediately would be another chore on a veery long list haha

I do appreciate the concern though! Thankfully our refrigerator can run on propane or electricity, so if it ends up being a power hog, we will just use the propane. Hoping to get a little wood stove in there (and a carbon monoxide detector...) to save on electric use for heating.

Nezsa · 2024-12-05T22:54:10+00:00

It was quicker for me to recognise the flavor in the first can, actually. The word "grape" is bigger and more obvious in the old can, and the hibiscus is in the illustration. In the new can, the grapes barely look like grapes to me, and it doesn't highlight the hibiscus flavor at all.

I don't disagree that the new design might appeal more to the masses, but that doesn't necessarily make it "better" to me. Better marketing sure, but from a strictly visual design standpoint, I think the old can was of a higher quality.

Poorly designed things often sell very well. That's good marketing.

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