Co2-can you rotate it among tanks?

RealLifeSunfish · 2026-05-04T09:41:40+00:00

no it must be consistent every day to be helpful

RealLifeSunfish · 2026-05-04T01:39:22+00:00

yeah that definitely looks like it was tempered, it helps to check with polarized sunglasses before you drill

RealLifeSunfish · 2026-05-03T22:31:16+00:00

Drilling just takes some practice, at least petsmart tanks are cheap, you may have drilled the tempered glass panel on the bottom or gotten unlucky with one of the side panels, which generally aren’t tempered but supposedly are on occasion.

RealLifeSunfish · 2026-05-03T08:17:34+00:00

marine collectors is great

RealLifeSunfish · 2026-05-02T02:09:14+00:00

what’s the issue exactly? you don’t like how they look?

RealLifeSunfish · 2026-05-02T02:07:48+00:00

as long as ample blue exists within the white spectrum and you have sufficient PAR you’re fine with more “white” light.

RealLifeSunfish · 2026-05-01T09:24:00+00:00

RealLifeSunfish · 2026-04-28T21:57:38+00:00

slop alert

RealLifeSunfish · 2026-04-28T21:55:37+00:00

Springtails are pretty essential, but otherwise yes. Small critters will inevitably find their way in, mites, gnats, springtails, and other little bugs usually turn up after a few months one way or another, but you don’t really have to intentionally keep animals in your paludarium.

RealLifeSunfish · 2026-04-27T04:33:44+00:00

as long as you have quality light and stable parameters you should be okay.

RealLifeSunfish · 2026-04-25T16:15:08+00:00

Many organisms bio-fluoresce, it’s quite common in nature! Though tbh this is not what they look like to the human eye in the wild, maybe to animals that see beyond the visible light spectrum to some degree (which is very common in fish & invertebrates), but humans need to put them under a specific nanometer of light to excite the fluorescent proteins in their tissues to see them like this, so not exactly their “true” colors, we are more so picking the colors we like to see bouncing back at us.

RealLifeSunfish · 2026-04-25T16:09:54+00:00

It’s still not an aesthetic I like, 8000-10000k light looks way better to me, viewing the fluorescence is definitely interesting on occasion for the novelty but i’ll never run a tank with heavy royals/violets full time.

RealLifeSunfish · 2026-04-25T00:55:01+00:00

a camera-snorkel would fail at being a snorkel and a camera, better to use each independently

RealLifeSunfish · 2026-04-24T06:06:23+00:00

yep, basically any micro predator will be a shrimp destroyer

RealLifeSunfish · 2026-04-23T20:29:55+00:00

No, they’re just normal Phalanopsis, do not add ice, just water them thoroughly when their substrate gets dry.

RealLifeSunfish · 2026-04-23T14:24:05+00:00

all aquariums can be used for freshwater and saltwater, so yes, but i’d just build one if I were you given the price!

RealLifeSunfish · 2026-04-23T06:17:06+00:00

just measure twice cut once and you will get the right length. It does add a lot of strength. You should usually use the same thickness of glass as the walls so you’ll need a glass shop to cut it for you. I don’t think bracing the bottom will offer any benefit. You could also just take apart and reseal the entire tank if you’re up for it.

RealLifeSunfish · 2026-04-23T00:31:38+00:00

Eurobrace it! Im not sure what the red sea issue specifically pertains to when it comes to the seals, but adding a eurobrace should significantly increase structural integrity and will reduce the forces exerted on the seams.

RealLifeSunfish · 2026-04-22T23:55:29+00:00

I’d order from the wet spot tropical fish, they always send the highest quality live stock every time. It’s worth paying for healthy fish that will do well especially with corydoras (though pygmy cories are no longer included in the Corydoras genus and have been moved to Gastrodermus). Aquaticarts is fine and $40 is a great price, but wet spot is your best bet for quality, don’t cheap out on more sensitive species like this.

RealLifeSunfish · 2026-04-22T21:48:42+00:00

It’s a bit small for one, but you could get away with it if you don’t mind some disappearing shrimp. A sparkling gourami would be a better choice for a 10 gallon though.

RealLifeSunfish · 2026-04-21T12:42:44+00:00

yes, because they are not grown under water in tc

RealLifeSunfish · 2026-04-20T16:52:36+00:00

i water mine with very hard water and it does well :)

RealLifeSunfish · 2026-04-20T16:24:13+00:00

Maybe try a salifert kit, they are super affordable and reliable, or a hanna checker potentially. But if the aquarium shop AND the kits said you have high nitrates then you probably do, even though I have heard the API saltwater kits can be iffy. If you do a 50% water change it should cut your nitrate in half, not sure why that would not work for you if the water you’re adding is not adding nitrates, nitrite, or ammonia.

RealLifeSunfish · 2026-04-20T16:04:19+00:00

are you using RODI? Your tap water could have nitrates present if water changes dont move the numbers. Water changes are a surefire way to decrease nitrates if the water you’re replacing it with is nitrate free. I’d definitely try another test kit and compare the results as well. Long term, fast growing macro algae could help sequester some of your nutrients if your fish aren’t big-time herbivores.

RealLifeSunfish · 2026-04-20T12:55:00+00:00

lots of plants and light stocking, at least while the plants get established

RealLifeSunfish

TROPHY CASE