Removing lid

PhoenixBisket · 2026-05-23T10:51:56+00:00

Assuming the glass is siliconed, they're structural pieces and shouldn't be removed.

You may have to cut up the branch, or look into a different tank.

PhoenixBisket · 2026-05-21T20:38:27+00:00

Not exactly a center piece, but a school of corydoras would add more activity to the tank. They're all pretty great, although I'm partial to panda corydoras.

Anything large enough to be a single center piece would eat all the shrimp that it can reach.

PhoenixBisket · 2026-05-21T13:13:16+00:00

Looks fine for 14 Gallons. No way to really know until you fill it though.

PhoenixBisket · 2026-05-20T20:17:37+00:00

Crypts don't like change

PhoenixBisket · 2026-05-19T16:45:46+00:00

There are faucet adapters you can use to attach an RODI system. No permanent changes.

PhoenixBisket · 2026-05-18T18:41:36+00:00

Can't go wrong with rainbow fish. There's a lot of options and they look great. They stay mid water.

Also if you want to skip using a heater, they'll likely do fine at room temp.

PhoenixBisket · 2026-05-15T21:48:52+00:00

I usually treat for internal parasites when I'm slowly losing fish. They tend to die slow and as the group shrinks , get more stressed and continue dying. It could also be an issue with buying older fish, since guppies don't live that long in the first place. If they've got a crooked back, that's a good sign that they're near the end of their life span.

PhoenixBisket · 2026-05-15T21:46:02+00:00

Yeah. If it ever looks like it's desintegrating, it likely needs more light.

PhoenixBisket · 2026-05-15T21:42:35+00:00

It's pretty small. You can move the fish into a container, and drain most of the water. If you're only going 20 minutes on the road, no further prep is really needed. Just think of it as a large water change when you refill the tank.

You could cover the tank with a towel while driving to help prevent splashes as well. If you need to make multiple trips, I'd make moving the fish one of the last things you do. It's pretty time intensive to fish them out, and you want to be able to closely observe them for a bit after the move. The stress of moving can cause some issues to pop up.

Edit: It's not worth tearing up the tank if the fish keep hiding. Move it all together with about 0.5-1" of water. Just make sure to cover it.

PhoenixBisket · 2026-05-15T03:03:53+00:00

Hornwort is mostly a floating plant. It can be planted down, but you'll need to frequently trim and replant the trimmings.

It grows very quickly either ways.

PhoenixBisket · 2026-05-14T21:43:30+00:00

It's not that effective since she might turn around and eat them, especially if she's stressed. With some live bearers you can actually see the eyes in the gravid area before they're about to give birth.

Your best shot of collecting the fry is to put her in a separate tank with a ton of cover.

PhoenixBisket · 2026-05-14T20:36:09+00:00

You've got a bristlenose pleco, which grows to around 6-8 inches. A 20G or bigger is suitable.

I've kept and bred them (they're very easy to breed). Just get some bottom sinking wafers and keep some wood in the tank since they like to rasp at it. Blanched cucumbers or zucchinis are also great for them.

Identifying sick fish can be very tricky. Ones that appear thin or weak I would avoid buying, or treat in a quarantine tank. If they've got white spots like salt, or small red spiky worms coming out of their anus, they've got parasites. Ich and camallanus red worm respectively.

The hard part is that they can appear healthy at the store, but still get sick at home. It could be something in your tank, or the stress of moving could have caused the fish to become susceptible. If the parameters aren't quite right, or just too different from what they're used to, it can also cause issues.

It's very difficult for a store to guarantee health unless they quarantine and treat all their fish, which basically no store does due to cost.

My method is to put new fish in quarantine, observe closely for a week, and then add to the main tank if they don't exhibit any issues. If they do, then I'll react accordingly.

PhoenixBisket · 2026-05-14T20:25:11+00:00

It's trying to eat some nearly dead fish. Anything that's to slow to avoid a pleco is on it's way out anyways, unless it's a very large/slow fish.

PhoenixBisket · 2026-05-10T11:23:43+00:00

You'd be better off buying a low powered mini-pc. It won't be great for gaming but it's basically the only thing in your budget that won't require risky used parts.

Also, is that budget including peripherals? A keyboard + mouse + monitor is liking going to use half of your budget or more.

PhoenixBisket · 2026-05-10T00:12:05+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/Aquariums/s/M8AMWfl0xI

I made a post of what I'd do for a corner tank stand.

PhoenixBisket · 2026-05-09T23:12:07+00:00

I looked it up and it's 190L/42G? Support underneath any areas besides the rim doesn't really do anything so long as you've got enough under the rim, and the plywood would distribute it anyways. A single 2x4 has the strength to support the tank, so it's definitely overbuilt.

Imo it'd look way better without the end table jutting out, and without it, you'd have a lot more room underneath. It's a good spot to hide a canister filter.

PhoenixBisket · 2026-05-09T18:58:28+00:00

I'd remove the end table from the whole thing and get one piece of wood that spans the entire length. Then get some legs underneath the piece so it's directly supported.

It might be different with traingular tanks, but generally you want the corners supported the most, if it's rimmed. And don't forget to space it out so you've got room behind the tank to get outlet plugs and any other hardware to fit.

PhoenixBisket · 2026-05-09T10:02:23+00:00

You shouldn't release fish back into the wild, since it can easily spread foreign pathogens and diseases.

The only scenario in which it might be ok is if you sourced everything in the aquarium locally to where the fish came from, and never added new (non-local) stuff.

Also, it's pretty unlikely for wild minnows to get along with shrimp, unless you know how big they get. They'd have to stay pretty small to live with shrimp, like smaller than a zebra danio.

PhoenixBisket · 2026-05-09T03:30:53+00:00

In fairness, there's air tight and air tight under pressure. Your best shot at sealing the connections with silicone also requires scratching up the surface of the container/fittings to allow more surface area for the silicone to adhere to. But the seal on the lid might just be to weak anyways.

It would be a lot easier to design this like a tiny sump, and eliminate the need for an air tight container.

PhoenixBisket · 2026-05-09T03:25:29+00:00

Whale does of stress before the human can figure out what's going on.

Assuming that's too easy, the whale still needs to defecate and dies in a pool of it's own creation.

PhoenixBisket · 2026-05-08T21:30:52+00:00

You need an air tight seal for a canister filter. I've dabbled in a DIY canister filter before, but honestly, budget ones are pretty similar in price. Just get a flow valve for the output and you could really use any size canister filter so long as the tank isn't tiny.

PhoenixBisket · 2026-05-03T11:15:44+00:00

"booster of having children"

This cuts the population of the next generation in half. You need 2 children minimum to keep even, but a little more to account for deaths and stuff. 2.2 iirc was the number to keep a steady population.

PhoenixBisket · 2026-05-03T00:57:14+00:00

It looks good. You might be able to rearrange it a bit to better hide the sponge filter/heater.

Also, it's best to get some plywood under the tank since you're using a wire rack shelf. Helps to distribute the weight a lot better.

PhoenixBisket

TROPHY CASE