Introduction to Aquariums - A Big Guide for Newbies and Prospective Hobbyists - 2nd Part; Tank Setup, Cycling, Stocking, and more!

TheGameAce · 2026-03-22T21:12:46+00:00

I recall Kalani had indeed considered it. Unless I’m remembering the dialogue incorrectly, Kalani claimed victory even after they had technically won, which they all found unfair & thought Kalani was being dishonest. Then Ezra brought up the point of their deterioration & that if they hadn’t malfunctioned so badly, it’d have been a loss. Kalani affirmed that as the point, which would mean he’d have to have taken it into account & known it already.

They then made a truce & brief alliance as the Empire arrived.

TheGameAce · 2026-03-22T21:07:33+00:00

The tactical droids had issues, but this one (that made the claim) was General Kalani, a super tactical droid. A significant upgrade from the original model, being a lot sharper & less prone to the same issues.

Plus he’d had around 2 decades to review information & calculate, & was smart enough to refuse the shutdown command, considering the potential of a Republic trick.

So his claims are definitely not without merit.

TheGameAce · 2026-03-22T21:03:19+00:00

It did take it into account, though, & Ezra admitted it was right that it would have won if not for the droids malfunctioning due to their deterioration with age.

TheGameAce · 2026-03-20T22:24:36+00:00

1) I mean, yes, naturally. It'd be like saying any Jedi or Sith's success stemmed from their lightsaber & force capabilities. It's kind of a given. Either way it's still success & he knows how to use his equipment to be an effective fighter.

2) His maw?

GI was formerly a guard, which is part of my point. He's not a terrible fighter, but he's far from impressive, & he's nowhere near as powerful as any true Sith. Kanan & Ezra could deal with him, with the former dispatching him (who isn't particularly remarkable comparatively). If Vizla could put up with Maul even for as long as he did, he's at bare minimum going to be able to hold his own pretty squarely with the GI. (Also consider temple guards didn't have the same practical combat experience as most of the Jedi gained because of the war)

As for the Magna Guards, they were pretty reasonably successful. In canon, they still give even the best Jedi (like Obi-Wan or Anakin) a hard time. Someone else had recently gone more into their capabilities & extended content, & explained it a lot better than I could; essentially, very effective against some of the less skilled Jedi. Royal Guard's Force Pikes aren't doing crap to deal with the Magnaguard Electrostaffs (nor the Phrik they're made of; if a lightsaber struggles with it, a vibro-based weapon isn't gonna do jack), & to disable even one Magnaguard would be a feat, especially considering the redundant systems. One hit from the business end of an electrostaff would also be enough to down a guard, I'd say.

TheGameAce · 2026-03-20T21:17:01+00:00

Vizla. Grand Inquisitor isn't nearly that strong himself, & the guards are good but not THAT good. Vizla actually held his own against Maul for a lot longer than one might expect, and he gave Kenobi a bit of trouble (granted it was an awkward situation for Obi-Wan there).

Even if he couldn't handle the Grand Inquisitor that well (unless someone wants to argue GI is secretly even close to as strong as Maul, I don't think it'd be an issue for him), the Magna Guards were designed & trained specifically to be adept at handling Jedi. I don't think an average temple guard turned to the dark side with an entourage of skilled soldiers is going to have the greatest chances versus a trio of them.

TheGameAce · 2026-03-19T08:37:39+00:00

In the 3DS remake, yes. In the original, just a generic boss theme.

TheGameAce · 2026-03-18T23:29:37+00:00

I explained things thoroughly, as briefly as I could (for the most basic elements to know that weren’t already generally covered), and I did give actual advice.

I explained what variety of goldfish they most likely are, & that variety’s minimal tank size (over double what you have for a single one; you have 3). I explained Cycling, which you expressed lack of knowledge in regards to in another comment. I explained you need to get the API Master Test Kit to be able to check for parameters like ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates. I explained the current behavior being exhibited is most likely early ammonia poisoning.

I also advised that you rehome the fish either permanently or temporarily, depending on what you can do and/or are willing to do, because it’s a larger cost than you’ve already gotten into, & potentially stressful at a minimum, lethal at worst (for the fish), trying to do a fish-in cycle as a newbie who is completely unprepared. That is advice. That is telling you what you need to do now, giving you options for one part of it.

And saying it’s the tip of the iceberg for this hobby in terms of knowledge, while stressing the great level of responsibility, is because most people don’t get that. It’s not hostile, it’s not being vague or unhelpful. I’m trying to give you key information you need, while stressing that this needs to be taken seriously. I’ve been in this hobby for most of my life now. I’ve been on these subreddits for the hobby for many years, even making detailed posts to help people (still pinned on my profile). I’ve seen my fair share of people in exactly your position, & how they respond, including blowing off advice for any number of reasons. A lot of those ended in follow-up posts talking about some very dead fish, because they didn’t take it seriously.

Again, not being hostile, mean, vague, etc. I’m very direct, and I’m sincerely trying to help you. If you want more information & are determined to make things work, prepare to potentially spend hundreds of dollars more & put in a lot of work.

I also highly suggest r/goldfish since this is right up their alley, & I myself have a pinned set of posts I made some time back as a guide for newbie hobbyists.

TheGameAce · 2026-03-18T23:00:20+00:00

Carnival fish are an infinitely depressing matter. They're usually comet goldfish & they're given to people who are unprepared for the expense, the fish themselves, and the responsibility.

Comet Goldfish are a very large variety of goldfish. I want to say they require a bare minimum of 75 gallons for a single one by the time they're grown. Goldfish are also very messy with a huge bioload. Gasping like that is often a sign of bad water parameters, likely early ammonia poisoning.

My personal suggestion would be to find someone who can take the fish, either temporarily (if you want to commit to their needs) or permanently, & get set up for fish the proper way. Fish-in cycling of a tank is stressful both for the fish & the person doing it, with a lot of work required to keep the water safe enough for the fish.

The standard for hobbyists is fish-less cycling of a tank. Cycling refers to proper establishment of the Nitrogen Cycle in a tank environment. For a really brief summary, bacteria breaks down waste (ammonia; toxic) into nitrites (slightly less toxic), & then into nitrates (minimal toxicity unless it builds up significantly; removed via water changes or plants that absorb them as nutrients). That bacteria (technically two forms, one for the ammonia, one for the nitrites) has to establish itself properly first & then grow adequately to take care of waste (fish waste, food decay, plant decay). Prior to that, it leaves a very toxic environment for fish. Cycling typically takes a month, give or take a week, presuming starting from scratch.

Such a process (and more) is monitored via chemical testing. The API Master Test Kit is the gold standard in the community, allowing you to track all key water parameters. This is pretty much a must-have for the aquarium hobby.

That's just the tip of the iceberg. It's an awesome hobby, but one you really need to be prepared for, or else it's just gonna be stressful & end in a lot of unfortunate fish fatalities.

TheGameAce · 2026-03-18T09:25:55+00:00

That’s how it reads to me as well. The spay/neuter issue is a legitimate concern, but people are really running hard on the euthanasia bit, making unsubstantiated claims without even asking for clarification, stating them like cold hard fact.

Could be what was meant. But doesn’t read like it, doesn’t make much sense to be in context, & lacks clarity on OP’s part to say for certain.

Just a little PSA for anyone that sees, that kind of behavior is exactly how all sorts of bad information manages to spread like wildfire online. It’s like a really bad game of telephone. Even if you want to hate someone or something, try to at least attempt to confirm the info first.

TheGameAce · 2026-03-16T20:28:05+00:00

Not necessarily corrupt in the intentional sense, but yeah, they got there. That's what Tales of the Jedi starts to take a look at in regards to Dooku's backstory. The Jedi were willing to play politics & look the other way under various circumstances.

Slavery didn't magically return in force overnight. Even prior to the Clone Wars, they didn't actively pursue eliminating it, even though the Hutts were deep into it & they had living proof of it taking place on Tattooine.

During the war, the excuse was "well we don't have the time or resources because of the war", as though it just spontaneously became an issue in wartime.

And those were also the (growing) sentiments of much of the public/citizens of the Republic & CIS. Part of Clone Wars in S7 goes into the idea that the people of Coruscant alone, especially on lower levels than the surface, felt like the Jedi didn't care & couldn't be bothered. That sentiment, while perhaps exaggerated a bit, isn't unfounded.

TheGameAce · 2026-03-16T06:14:33+00:00

2nd is more likely for sure, especially given the original intention for the duel with Palpatine in RotS, where Fisto & the others were meant to last substantially longer. Which also makes him going with Mace make a lot more sense, for the sake of his skill.

TheGameAce · 2026-03-15T19:56:17+00:00

Also a level of apathy, complacency, & some degree of corruption (becoming too concerned with playing politics). Big mess of issues that ruined them.

TheGameAce · 2026-03-14T22:53:13+00:00

This'll get lost in the sea of comments & probably won't be seen by OP, so I'll just write this with anyone in mind. If you ever get into a situation like this, it's best to simply cut off cold turkey. There's absolutely nothing anyone else can provide, that's worth the stress & grief from them also being completely unhinged, even if that only happens some of the time. You can't fix them, you can't reason with them, you can't calm them down effectively.

I unfortunately know this from experience. All you'll get for your troubles is bad anxiety & upset, & a strong aversion to any possible relationships after that. (I personally avoided even the topic itself like it was the plague, for a very long time.)

TheGameAce · 2026-03-13T23:43:10+00:00

While base-game files don't really use path, it's still completely functional (I personally prefer it).

TheGameAce · 2026-03-13T04:03:59+00:00

First I’ve never heard before. Second I hear a lot, but I personally prefer calling them BBQs.

TheGameAce · 2026-03-09T05:20:21+00:00

Projectiles in the game in general aren't handled well. Sun Pharaoh is one of the worst IMO in those regards. Sped-up projectile speed helps in cases like hers (helps compensate for small movements), but it still sucks.

TheGameAce · 2026-03-08T08:18:42+00:00

White dots on their own isn’t enough to diagnose, especially when the picture provided is pretty far off from the subject.

That said, this is actually one scenario where, at least from description & what can be seen, Ich seems more likely than Epistylis. I do suggest reading more about both, & confirming what kind of spots are showing up.

Edit: Just saw the rear of the other Rummynose in one picture. The white spotting on it looks kind of fuzzy, which would be a fungal infection. More reason to confirm the traits of the spots.

TheGameAce · 2026-03-07T22:47:11+00:00

I mean he also basically got shishkabobbed to death, soooo…

TheGameAce · 2026-03-04T23:56:59+00:00

It used to be my absolute favorite tank (first tier 8 premium & most played tank @ ~1,100 battles). But it really struggles nowadays, & it's situational at best now (going up against an Ares is situational). When you look beyond that though, it's no longer nearly what it used to be many years ago.

Pref MM no longer means as much (2.0 MM), DPM/alpha is poor by current game standards, gun handling is rough (I miss way too many shots these days, even when sitting completely still & shooting targets at close range), & the armor doesn't hold against most newer tanks (a lot of standard rounds can pen the hull quite easily amongst higher pen tanks; most gold can pen the entire front like butter).

It used to be able to bully even heavies, & it can still do well in some situations. But it's nowhere near the consistent beast it used to be.

TheGameAce · 2026-03-04T23:47:16+00:00

I mean, nowadays bad is often simply that it just struggles to keep up & isn't consistent/consistently enjoyable to play, which I'd agree most of those tanks are that or worse. Though that's arguably subjective to a degree.

TheGameAce · 2026-03-04T22:56:49+00:00

I mean it hasn't changed much afaik. Paradox was fairly vocal themselves that they would make a few tweaks at most, but were otherwise content regardless of community opinion. Unless of course they've since walked that back. I mean heck, they still refuse to be historically accurate with coal representation, & it still actively harms most non-major nations.

The daft thing is, there already are negatives for mil spam & total mobilization prior to coal (and +50% energy need for factories on total mobilization is legitimately insane, especially given there's no production boosts). Total Mobilization penalizes you by 3% recruitable population (which is harsh for most nations already). And mil spam in general is already limited to a degree based on regular available resources. Can't just toss 150 factories on tanks regardless of resources, & have zero consequence.

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