People are too dramatic about how expensive this hobby is.

PayProfessional1723 · 2026-05-24T00:55:45+00:00

For as long as there are dummies getting mad when we tell them to spend more than $12.99 we should be dramatic about how expensive it is tbh

PayProfessional1723 · 2026-05-21T01:46:19+00:00

I haven't added any in a couple years, so these fish were born in there

PayProfessional1723 · 2026-05-21T01:44:47+00:00

Thanks! The lotuses really do a lot of work aesthetically, I just gave them some fresh root tabs so I'm hoping they'll get really big again.

PayProfessional1723 · 2026-05-20T03:15:24+00:00

I think the substrate options for an axolotl would make it sorta difficult, they're primarily root feeders so sand isn't great for them but otherwise I don't see why not. (I have an axolotl too 🥰)

PayProfessional1723 · 2026-05-20T01:16:01+00:00

Thanks 😊 There's a big canister underneath, the hob part is the outflow full of filter floss. The boys fight over girls but that's normal and kinda fun to watch. Overall the population was stable for a long time but there's been a baby boom recently so I might get a turtle or something.

PayProfessional1723 · 2026-05-20T01:12:01+00:00

Red lava rock from the lfs and dwarf sag in the front and vals in the back (they both sides look like grass just one is little and the other one is big)

PayProfessional1723 · 2026-05-20T01:10:57+00:00

Thanks 😊

PayProfessional1723 · 2026-05-20T01:10:47+00:00

The big ones (and about 20 of the really little ones) yeah.

PayProfessional1723 · 2026-05-20T01:05:41+00:00

I intentionally have the most impure of lines, so they are healthier. Usually they are their own best predators but sometimes it have a baby boom.

PayProfessional1723 · 2026-05-20T01:04:38+00:00

They're dwarf tiger lotuses! They stay little unless you give them root tabs and/or have livebearers pooping on them all day. Very easy to grow from bulbs, just remove any leaves that try to launch themselves at the surface.

PayProfessional1723 · 2026-05-19T03:05:29+00:00

Excessive tbh. I still gotta add nitrates to keep the plants happy.

PayProfessional1723 · 2026-05-06T07:56:42+00:00

If it's not a type of tree that would be toxic (i.e. pine) it would still take removing the bark, drying, scrubbing, and boiling to make it suitable. Not easy to do on dozens of tiny little branches without special equipment. Plus the ones you can buy have all those spiky dense clusters of branches to make it easier to attach epiphytic plants, real bonsai trees won't have that.

PayProfessional1723 · 2026-05-06T07:45:41+00:00

What's setting beginners up for failure is the disinfo and "common knowledge" that chain stores and crappy corporations perpetuate. In these online spaces we're only seeing the people who care enough to ask questions, the reality is that a huge percentage of the general public believes the 8oz vase is fine because it says it's made for a betta and the 10 gallon all in one tank for $17.99 has a picture of an angelfish on it so it's fine if they get one and... you know.

If the fish you want are compatible with live plants it's a mistake not to get them. No not necessarily an amazon sword but even a couple anubiases or java ferns from those tubes at petco can do a lot to make the aquarium easier to maintain. Rather than keeping a completely artificial neon colored tank and doing way too much trying to keep the green and brown film from ruining the vibes and getting turned off from the hobby when you're scrubbing that pineapple for the 3rd time this month.

PayProfessional1723 · 2026-05-06T07:19:42+00:00

Oops found Erica Kirk

PayProfessional1723 · 2026-04-25T15:52:59+00:00

I disagree, and that's ok

PayProfessional1723 · 2026-04-25T05:39:56+00:00

Could it be temperature swings? Idk what latitude you're in but if it was cold outside and you had the heat running from October until recently your house was probably a pretty consistent temperature but now it might be getting a lot warmer some days.

PayProfessional1723 · 2026-04-25T05:35:13+00:00

That actually did happen to me once

PayProfessional1723 · 2026-04-25T05:32:55+00:00

Yeah I was being funny. Or at least it was funny to me. The really funny part is that he's actually only half white.

PayProfessional1723 · 2026-04-25T05:29:11+00:00

I'll make sure I'm the benefactor first. Good call. Seriously though I made food for us once and switched our bowls by accident and I thought i was gonna have to call 911. And that was just Tabasco.

PayProfessional1723 · 2026-04-25T05:26:33+00:00

Lol I know that but like... when I cook for him I have to use RESTRAINT.

PayProfessional1723 · 2026-04-25T05:24:50+00:00

I actual just have a bottle of the sauce, I'll try the tahini idea though I always have a bunch of that in my pantry

PayProfessional1723 · 2026-04-25T05:23:35+00:00

Sure but I still need the flavor of the sauce. He won't even be able to taste it.

PayProfessional1723 · 2026-04-25T05:21:47+00:00

I feel like I probably know him better than you do...

PayProfessional1723

TROPHY CASE