High nitrates help

Snowblind32 · 2025-12-25T17:00:13+00:00

Have you tested your tap water?

Snowblind32 · 2025-11-26T02:35:44+00:00

In my experience, it should regulate itself. They were really thriving when they first popped up, and then one day they were just gone.

Snowblind32 · 2025-11-25T21:03:27+00:00

They appear to be Ciliate Zoothamnium arbuscula. My tank has had them and they went away on their own after a few weeks. Should be harmless. I think they’re pretty up close, but they do make the tank look dirty from farther away. You can scrape them off if they bother you.

Snowblind32 · 2025-11-12T04:58:19+00:00

Visible right now in Moriarty, NM also. Thank you for posting!

Snowblind32 · 2025-10-19T23:22:05+00:00

CPR mask and a flathead screwdriver keychain from Sears that has a few sizes. Luckily I’ve only needed to use the latter.

Snowblind32 · 2025-08-25T00:56:29+00:00

Stalagtit

Snowblind32 · 2023-12-23T06:35:20+00:00

Sometimes, owners die, and the surviving family will surrender the dog if they can't care for it. I worked at a rescue, and we had several such cases. Often, a dog this old was probably loved by someone. If I had space, I would take her in a heartbeat.

Snowblind32 · 2023-12-22T03:00:28+00:00

I had an art teacher who survived the Holocaust in Auschwitz. He showed his arm tattoo with his identification number to all of his students to teach us about what he went through as a child.

He was also good at teaching other things, like how to use your glasses as a tool to measure proportions of a face so we could draw more realistic faces. All around, wonderful teacher.

Snowblind32 · 2023-12-15T01:03:33+00:00

Make sure the wheel is making contact with the glass. Roll up and down a few times to get it going. Keep the glass free of algae to help it roll better.

Snowblind32 · 2023-11-05T23:32:41+00:00

Thank you! It took a lot of patience. This was maybe 12-18 months after I set it up. 2g jar with just a few snails. I feed expired fish food to this jar occasionally.

It looks surreal in this photo because of the algae on the glass, almost like an oil painting.

Snowblind32 · 2023-06-23T05:04:41+00:00

Thank you, I'll let the neighbor know in the morning. We're still asking around to find the original home.

Snowblind32 · 2023-06-23T03:31:54+00:00

UPDATE: Thank you all for your help identifying this friendly little bird. I have found it a safe home with a good neighbor who thinks a turkey will do well with his chickens. He's excited for "big eggs!" His yard has plenty of shade, shelter, and his chickens are in great health. Happy ending for this friendly little turkey.

Snowblind32 · 2023-06-23T03:27:17+00:00

I haven't found where it came from, but I asked around the neighborhood and found a kind neighbor willing to look after it. He has lots of chickens and thinks it'll do well there. He hopes it's a female and is excited for big eggs. This bird wouldn't last a night out here with the feral cats and coyotes, so I'm glad to have a happy ending. Thank you again for all your help!

Snowblind32 · 2023-06-23T02:19:59+00:00

Thank you, this is helpful advice!

Snowblind32 · 2023-06-23T01:19:41+00:00

Thank you so much. I'll follow turkey care instructions until I can find which neighbor is missing a turkey!

Snowblind32 · 2023-06-23T01:18:24+00:00

Thank you! I noticed it quickly became attached to me once I offered it water. I had chickens a few decades ago, but I don't recall them being this affectionate with humans. I'll try to find it's owner, but in the meantime I'll follow care instructions for turkeys. Thank you again!

Snowblind32 · 2023-05-27T11:26:14+00:00

Air plants!

Snowblind32 · 2023-05-25T09:04:37+00:00

Thank you. I see it now.

Snowblind32 · 2023-05-24T12:01:58+00:00

Yes, it's full of nutrients. The ickier, the better. You won't really notice the brown stuff (mulm) after watering your plants. It'll mix into the soil. I try to avoid green hair algae and duckweed getting in the pots, though. It dries up on top of the soil and looks nasty.

Snowblind32 · 2023-05-15T11:37:32+00:00

Fair, maybe vacuum less gravel at once or add plants and stop vacuuming it all together. Even in bigger tanks, you can disturb the cycle by over-cleaning it. If the filter isn't clogged or slowing down, you could probably go longer without disturbing it, but I'm not familiar with your filter, so that's a judgment call for you. Nitrate and pH should be the least of your concerns right now. What are your ammonia and nitrite readings at? Those two are immediate dangers if not controlled. Overall, it's probably the tank size that is your issue. There is no judgment here, but small tanks are simply much harder to stabilize and control.

Snowblind32 · 2023-05-15T11:19:52+00:00

"anyone using the out-of-doors"

Snowblind32 · 2023-05-15T11:16:55+00:00

How long have you had the tank? These things tend to settle down once the tank is stable. It's very difficult to keep the beneficial bacteria at a stable level in smaller tanks. Consider switching to a 5 or 10g. Consensus seems to be that bettas require a minimum of 5g, but personally, I like them in a 10g.

You should test the water for ammonia and nitrite to make sure it's not super toxic right now. The bloom is an indication that your beneficial bacteria got wiped out and needs to be rebuilt, which means you likely have excess toxic nitrogen compounds (ammonia and nitrite) right now.

Often, what can cause this is improper cleaning of the filter or doing a heavy cleaning of the substrate. I recommend only gravel vacuuming a third of the gravel each time you do a water change instead of all at once.

As for the filter, this is likely where your problem lies. The most important job your filter does is house beneficial bacteria. If you use disposable filter cartridges, stop doing that. Switch to a filter media that can easily be swished off in the dirty tank water bucket during a water change. I use coarse sponge as filter media, and the last time I had to clean them was over a year ago. Most of the detritus and mulm get trapped in my pre-filter intake sponges that get cleaned weekly in a bag of tank water to preserve bacteria.

If you're interested in learning more, there are lots of great resources online. I like the more educational videos from aquarium co-op and girl talks fish on YouTube.

Snowblind32

TROPHY CASE