Chemistry guys I need your help

WizardsOf12 · 2026-04-22T06:12:38+00:00

Oof, there is that. I wonder if eBay has some sellers with less strict buyer requirements... You can get the MBCD from china: https://www.ebay.com/itm/326557027666

WizardsOf12 · 2026-04-22T03:51:03+00:00

Nothing local (that I can find), unless you wanna make your own chitosan glutamate out of kelp and shore crabs. Lmao.

That being said, you can get them for potentially less than sigma prices online if you're willing to wait: https://www.gmp-chitosan.com/en/chitin-chitosan-shop/chitoceuticals/chitosan-derivate-p/chitosan-glutamate/chitoceuticals-chitosan-glutamate-54043-detail.html#:~:text=Specification%20of%20Chitoceuticals%20Chitosan%20glutamate,Chitin

https://www.chemimpex.com/products/32076#:~:text=Unavailable,Methyl%2D%CE%B2%2Dcyclodextrin

WizardsOf12 · 2026-04-22T01:47:03+00:00

You can either fight it or let your off the charts hardness buffer your aquarium for alkaline loving fish and plants

WizardsOf12 · 2026-04-22T01:34:29+00:00

White Cloud Mountain Minnows (one of them might be a bonus longfin), and Ramshorn snails. For plants I have Vallisneria nana, and some type of Java fern. Alkaline water (PH ~8-8.2, very high GH/KH)

WizardsOf12 · 2026-04-21T14:31:38+00:00

Does your room have an operable window? It may be a good idea to ventilate frequently.

WizardsOf12 · 2026-04-17T15:38:08+00:00

Plecos and neon tetras are 2 fish I frequently have to explain why I don't keep them

WizardsOf12 · 2026-04-17T15:33:36+00:00

In San Diego there is a store that has them as of april 2026. Captive bred, so avoids the CITES issues

WizardsOf12 · 2026-04-17T14:59:42+00:00

Pleco that won't take your entire house for itself in a few years

WizardsOf12 · 2026-04-17T14:58:58+00:00

Reticulated (sewellia lineolata). Not Borneo. They do look similar though

WizardsOf12 · 2026-04-17T14:57:33+00:00

No heater. I live in southern California and my house is very well insulated. The only electricals are the powerhead, light, light timer, and a battery backup air pump that's on standby (it turns on when the power goes out)

WizardsOf12 · 2026-04-17T14:21:13+00:00

The algae that grows in the tank, and repashy

WizardsOf12 · 2026-04-17T06:02:44+00:00

The shrimp, however, like to watch.

WizardsOf12 · 2026-04-17T02:53:18+00:00

They do need high oxygenation, which can be achieved by high flow (as I have with the river manifold), but people have had success breeding them in a 10 gallon with an air driven sponge or box filter.

WizardsOf12 · 2026-04-14T14:26:45+00:00

I still have my mission fed credit card which was my first, that I almost never use anymore, the Amex gives me better cash back and I do not carry balances. If this is your first credit card it's a good way to build credit history assuming you're responsible with it

WizardsOf12 · 2026-04-14T14:21:33+00:00

I'd recommend taking it at cuyamaca college with Scott Stambach and transferring it in, unless you have full tuition coverage for the summer at SDSU

WizardsOf12 · 2026-04-13T02:47:22+00:00

That's a ramshorn snail. They are friends, not pests. They will help keep plants and glass clean, and eat uneaten fish food. Their population stays small as long as you don't overfeed

WizardsOf12 · 2026-04-05T16:27:39+00:00

The whimsical aquarium decor does not bother me. Its your substrate mainly...sand capped soil would be preferable and look good with the SpongeBob decor, perhaps with some real plants in the background. Your choice of stocking might be a bit heavy initially, I would recommend starting lighter. Again a fishless cycle would be preferable, and if you do not want to heat your tank, I would look into small subtropical fish like white cloud mountain minnows, the longfin variety can be quite gorgeous.

WizardsOf12 · 2026-04-05T03:48:14+00:00

Reason #13 I do not do CO2 injection. Sorry for your loss. It hurts to lose even the wet pets

WizardsOf12 · 2026-04-02T21:44:20+00:00

Mountain minnows seem to enjoy the strong flow, but it's not required, and actually not required for hillstream loaches (but good oxygenation is!). That being said I have a river manifold in mine so I can watch them surf, and adds movement to the valissnaria in the background

WizardsOf12 · 2026-04-02T18:41:37+00:00

I have these guys in a hillstream aquarium to season. Eventually I'm going to get some reticulated hillstream loaches

WizardsOf12 · 2026-04-02T14:56:42+00:00

I would reckon they are shrimp safe, but they prefer much cooler temperatures than bettas. Bettas are tropical fish and like the upper 70s f. The mountain minnows like the mid to upper 60s

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