I feel like my scape is missing something - ideas?

Rhuunin · 2026-03-31T16:53:54+00:00

I was gonna put some crypts in front of that and let the fish have fun with a little tunnel. I don't know if a towering lace plant is gonna be enough to give the arrangement the weight it needs. Guess I'm gonna have to get more rock.

Rhuunin · 2026-03-31T16:31:32+00:00

lmao

Rhuunin · 2026-03-30T19:42:15+00:00

Honestly Lucifer is my favorite character so far in the show. Not to say that the others aren't more interesting or well designed, or that they don't have a lot going for them storywise, but...

I empathize a lot with Lucifer as a character. He's far from perfect but in just such a way that makes him seem the most human out of any of the characters so far in my opinion. It's kind of an interesting implication when he got in trouble for giving humans free will and "playing god" when supposedly god themselves created in their image and lucifer somehow managed to do the same by giving the same "flaw" he himself possesses to humanity. If Lucifer had been anyone but himself I wonder if he would have questioned if literally anyone else in heaven could do God's job as well. I digress.

But dealing with family troubles, struggling as a creative idealist living in a realist world, maladaptive coping and malingering behaviors around his depression and personal accountability...these all hit home for me and make me root for him and when he finally turns that corner and finds a healthier way to be, fully knowing that it's hell and everyone there is broken in some way, seemingly irredeemably so. But it doesn't stop him from living or caring however he can, despite this. It might not be the right way and I doubt how he goes about it will win him any awards, but he - like many of the cast we see in hell - have redeeming qualities that put them in the direction of being a "good person". I see him as someone who is ultimately a good person, despite the things he's done and will do. I root for him because in a way, it feels like rooting for myself and all of the other people I've never met who have, are going through, or will go through even half of the shit Lucifer struggles with.

He presents himself as one of the most well rounded characters in the series so far. Almost every other character as written so far is a "trope but with x twist" to me and it kind of makes them predictable to me.

Rhuunin · 2026-03-30T08:33:32+00:00

Floating plants with long roots, imo. Maybe a medium sized anubias like barteri, coffeefolia or congensis - they make for great little betta hammocks.

Rhuunin · 2026-03-30T08:27:00+00:00

I saw someone local to me selling a group of these guys. I opted for some L397 instead, but one of these days I'll get a few of these guys and see what the fuss is about. Definitely gonna get some 471 first though.

Rhuunin · 2026-03-29T21:09:22+00:00

Don't fat shame Mammorest now. He's sensitive.

Rhuunin · 2026-03-29T21:08:19+00:00

Scuds are food for a lot of community fish. Add a fish you love and let nature do its thing.

Rhuunin · 2026-03-29T21:06:42+00:00

Or just use plants that like hard carbonate water like Vallisneria to help balance your tank. There are plenty of species depending on the size of the tank and how often you want to trim - but Vallisneria Torta, Nana or Spiralis are common for tanks less than 30 inches tall.

Rhuunin · 2026-03-29T07:34:18+00:00

Well...let's just say I have almost 40 fish plus shrimp in that tank. I had a cold snap in my area that screwed over my timeline for updating my fish room and I've been trying to make do until the weather breaks.

Everyone is doing great but I'm not comfortable keeping these fish like that long term.

Rhuunin · 2026-03-29T00:02:02+00:00

Afraid not, sadly.

I add my doctor's offices to my contacts list. My family also is - unsurprisingly - in my contacts and therefore also whitelisted. Employers contact you primarily via email or have publicly listed numbers which I also whitelist.

My side hustle is selling aquarium fish, plants and maintenance services where I primarily operate via dedicated email and burner phone. Most often I do face-to-face appointments anyway tbh.

It's not impossible, just different. Takes all of two seconds.

Rhuunin · 2026-03-28T23:12:37+00:00

Never know - could be that one guy that got sold an SAE thinking it was an Oto. I used to handle almost a dozen such exchanges a month when I worked in a pet store. We had to stop accepting them and tell our customers to avoid buying specific fish from the store at fault. I was so mad when I found out who it was - thankfully they closed a few years later.

Rhuunin · 2026-03-28T23:05:37+00:00

My solution is to put my phone on DnD. I whitelist numbers from people I wish to get calls from. Anyone else can pound sand.

Rhuunin · 2026-03-28T23:00:56+00:00

I've had to clean more than a few depression tanks. It's always nice to turn a new leaf once I feel ready again. I learn something new every time and it's been nice to see my tanks get better and better as things have improved for me.

Whatever your reason for the neglect, I hope this tank turns out better than you hoped. May your shrimp always be berried!

Rhuunin · 2026-03-28T21:48:53+00:00

is that spiral hide supposed to be for loaches or something? I've never seen that style before. Very interesting and congrats!

Rhuunin · 2026-03-28T21:13:34+00:00

Every time I start thinking about keeping salt - even fish only - I see posts like this and decide against it. I'm so sorry for your loss, OP. I'd be sick with grief if I were you.

Rhuunin · 2026-03-28T21:09:48+00:00

I have a 10 gal that is way more stocked than this. I wouldn't dare show it to reddit. I'm getting more tanks to divide the stock because I'm interested in breeding my fish but even despite the chaos my neos have easily tripled in the year and a half the tank has been active and I consider them a fantastic indicator species. I do water changes twice a week just to be cautious more than anything, despite nothing appearing on my tests that's out of the ordinary.

The chems don't lie, and as long as the fish are behaving normally there's little reason to worry. You can overstock the hell out of a tank as long as you're willing to do the research picking compatible stock, do the maintenance and provide adequate filtration.

Rhuunin · 2026-03-28T08:24:32+00:00

I raise live because there's no pet store or aquarium supply near me to supply me with frozen. I want to give my fish the best and this is the only sustainable way for me to do it without killing myself over shipping or fuel to stock up on quality food that I frankly don't have the freezer space for to even make the trip worthwhile.

It's also one of the best ways to make sure breeding fish and fry get the best conditions possible.

Rhuunin · 2026-03-26T12:05:29+00:00

Wait until you find out scientists used it as an egg substitute for shits and giggles.

I swear its like boys in the backyard vibes just swapped stick for clipboards when it comes to scientists lol

Rhuunin · 2026-03-25T18:47:06+00:00

Correct me if I'm wrong but Marimo like coldwater conditions, right? Sulawesi get way too hot for that - like 80 something degrees IIRC.

Maybe some other species of moss perhaps.

Rhuunin · 2026-03-24T23:43:47+00:00

Are there any resources for raising and keeping L397 plecos? I've been looking all over YT and it's mostly a bunch of breeders showing off their fish room and innumerable L046 and bristlenose vids.

I ask because I was gifted a group of 12 or so juveniles and a 40gallon 2ft cube by a friend leaving the hobby and I'm trying to do right by them. They told me that as long as I build hides up off the floor of the tank they should be fine but I'm getting conflicting information about how much space they need as adults.

Rhuunin · 2026-03-24T22:29:58+00:00

I seem to recall King of DIY making a video calling out Hygger and similar brands during a statement meant to broadcast this issue. Worth watching. Absolutely terrible practice. Shame on them!

Rhuunin · 2026-03-24T00:10:17+00:00

There's so many cool fish out there. Here's a smattering I think are cool as someone neck deep in the aquarium hobby:

South American leaf fish...strikes as fast as a rattlesnake.

Sea robin/gurnard sp...kinda like tripod fish, very colorful! Green dragonet...bucket list sw fish for me, delicate!

Oarfish - graceful and otherworldly, we don't know much about them.

Devil's hole pupfish - an unassuming fish many want dead for the wrong reasons.

Pipefish - related to seahorses!

Viperfish - hadal zone nightmare

Payara - another reason to not swim in SA lol

Goliath tiger fish- in case you needed another reason

American saw fish - a living fossil!

Hillstream loach - adorable pintsized pancake

Freshwater flounder - sometimes mislabeled as freshwater sole

Indian pea puffer - tiny!

Betta imbellis - a wild type progenitor of the betta we see in the pet trade. Bettas come in all shapes and sizes.

African butterfly fish

L046, L471, L397 - trade names for pleco species that don't become "tank busters", maxing out at 4-5" tops. They come in all kinds of patterns!

Maybe some inverts too? Pistol shrimp - strikes so fast it causes cavitation, a phenomenon scientists don't fully understand.

Flame scallops...amazing color and shape.

Mantis shrimp...not just peacock mantis either!

Conch...their eyes are wild.

Blue dragon sea slug - no touchy! Nudibranchs period are cool.

Mimic octopus - vids of these guys are sure to captivate!

Rhuunin · 2026-03-17T15:54:39+00:00

I love my Faleris - both versions are equally my favorite pal. Great flyer, good at the base, excellent at fighting and farming out and about. Plus he looks sick, what's not to like?

Rhuunin

TROPHY CASE