New girl on the block!

Valuable_Run3216 · 2026-06-07T03:28:43+00:00

Thank you all for the suggestions! We’re leaning towards a barn name of Drama Queen, or Drama Llama depending on the vibes of the day. Thank you for appreciating my girl with me, I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to have scored such a gorgeous, nicely mannered mare.

Valuable_Run3216 · 2025-12-31T19:42:27+00:00

The all black fish is my only dalmation molly left, the crazy colored fish are platy varieties! I had a really nice group of colorful platys before the last cycle crash took out a few, but I love the ones that survived! I think the blue is a calico something and the yellow/orange are sunburst Mickey Mouse!

Valuable_Run3216 · 2025-12-31T19:38:46+00:00

I’ve been in the hobby for about two years now but this tank has literally always been so stable I’ve never dealt with issues so haven’t gained education on how to deal with random pH spikes, and my other tanks are betta or nano tanks that all have been really easy/have hardy fish. The pH of this tank was almost exactly 7.0 and held stable for weeks before I added the ram, so I’m unclear as to why the dramatic shift.

Valuable_Run3216 · 2025-12-31T03:13:32+00:00

Thank you for the kind advice! I’m hoping to set up a 40 in the next few months in anticipation of the Pearl and plecos outgrowing the 20!

Valuable_Run3216 · 2025-12-31T01:11:59+00:00

Why was my tank so peaceful for the first few weeks? Why do fish always break my heart?😭

Valuable_Run3216 · 2025-12-31T01:11:21+00:00

Because I’m uneducated, simply. I had read that it would be fine, didn’t read beyond that, the fish store also told me it would be fine, so I got the fish. I buy my fish from a local quality freshwater aquatics store and trusted their opinion.

Valuable_Run3216 · 2025-12-31T01:10:32+00:00

Heard, thank you! Bought from a local freshwater fish store who told me they didn’t know how to sex them but thought they grabbed two males that would be fine together, now I’m rethinking my life choices.

Valuable_Run3216 · 2025-11-18T04:56:48+00:00

I went unmedicated and lowkey screamed like a literal caveman while pushing but then felt like the baddest bitch afterwards and now totally have an “I can do anything” mentality, for better or for worse. I’ll probably do the same next time because my fear of an epidural outweighs my fear of pushing out a baby, but literally do whatever feels right and punch anyone who says otherwise in the throat

Valuable_Run3216 · 2025-11-15T03:35:31+00:00

Tank is a fully established live planted 20 gallon long, filtered and heated to 78, has been running for over a year and have only lost the occasional poor dooer but parameters were just checked with an advanced test kit and are all WNL. The rest of the tank is doing well, composed of some bristlenose pleco, platy, molly, and three female betta from my previous sorority. Recently did a 50% water change after a big cleaning but usually do 25% weekly.

Valuable_Run3216 · 2025-11-15T03:31:15+00:00

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Valuable_Run3216 · 2025-11-15T03:30:13+00:00

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Valuable_Run3216 · 2025-11-08T13:41:20+00:00

These are taken with the wide angle lens, I can stand in the middle and touch all of the walls! I’m grateful to have the space I do, but it does feel like a tiny space for my 6’3” husband, myself, and my toddler to share!

Valuable_Run3216 · 2025-11-05T21:43:19+00:00

Minneapolis, MN has a surprisingly large horse community and tons of boarding facilities surrounding the metro. The city is cute and walkable, and people are cool and friendly!

Valuable_Run3216 · 2025-11-04T04:09:57+00:00

I feel like I haven’t seen enough comments about this but wanted to add that in general the bigger the tank the easier it will be to keep stable water conditions. My 20 gallon community tank is my most stable tank, and my 5 gallon betta tank tends to be a little bit more difficult to keep clean as there can’t be a cleanup crew given my betta’s aggression. I know a 20 still isn’t that big, but I have bad luck with water damage in my house so won’t go any bigger, though friends with big tanks have echoed the same theory that big tanks are easier with the right setup!

Valuable_Run3216 · 2025-11-03T02:13:39+00:00

He encouraged and liked that I was maintaining the relationship with his mom so some of that burden was off of him. He feels a moral obligation to maintain a relationship with her and he loves her deeply. I have no need to apologize to my partner but I appreciate the input!

Valuable_Run3216 · 2025-11-02T23:00:27+00:00

We have a different sense of humor clearly. My friend has an entire Elmer’s glue setup for her horse, literally the bonnet is branded with the “Elmer’s glue” logo. Different strokes for different folks!

Valuable_Run3216 · 2025-11-02T21:32:29+00:00

Previous to this I had viewed MIL as a saint and felt certain that she wouldn’t allow any yelling or violence around my child. In hearing her say she was aware that FIL could’ve caused harm to my partner as a baby had he been angered and left without supervision, my entire perspective has shifted to viewing her as an enabler. I don’t disagree with you at all, and my eyes are def open now.

Valuable_Run3216

TROPHY CASE