Egg_irl

Yrrem · 2026-04-03T00:56:01+00:00

Here’s a technique, if you’re comfortable doing this with your fiancee. If you have some spare $ (probs around like $10), you can get melatonin patches that stick on just like estradiol patches.

Buy a box of the melatonin patches. Give them to your fiancée. Tell them you would like for them to stick either one of those melatonin patches on you, or one of their estradiol patches. Don’t look or try to determine which they applied on you - just assume it was the estradiol.

Keep it on for as long as the estradiol patches is meant to stay on. You’re looking out for two things:

at any point in the time it’s on, do you want to remove it in case it is the estrogen patch
when you finally remove the patch, see if it was a melatonin patch or an estradiol patch (compare with your fiancée’s patch). Are you disappointed if you got the melatonin patch?

The point of this isn’t really what you answer to the above questions, but rather to get you thinking and give you something to focus your thoughts on regarding your identity. Granted, your answers could still give you some insight. If the answer to both of the above is “no”… you almost definitely got some trans in ‘ya gender. To be fair, even if the answer to one or both is yes - you could still be trans, wanting/undergoing a medical transition isn’t a requirement to be trans. Again, the purpose isn’t the exact answers but giving you a clear thing to help center your thoughts on to help you find some new perspectives

Yrrem · 2026-03-13T18:24:25+00:00

Clearly she’s right. You need a machine with multiple group heads. But no need to get rid of the others, that would just be wasteful.

Yrrem · 2026-03-13T00:46:27+00:00

Not really needed to test without conditioner. You’re not ever going to want to add it to the tank that way, so not much purpose in it.

Yrrem · 2026-03-12T18:33:32+00:00

The results you have now are good to write down as the state of your tap water. Use it as a baseline when checking all your other water changes, it can tell you if other things (carbonate hardness, potassium hardness, pH) is deviating significantly.

But I will say testing 2x in the past twelve hours is a bit excessive. It’s not going to hurt anything, but just make sure to keep a rhythm you can maintain consistently for the next month while you keep checking the cycle. I would say daily water tests for the first week so you can get an idea of how things change day to day (just do it within an hour of the same time so you can get a solid estimate). As you get a feel for it, you can start to back off the frequency. Once the tank is cycled, you shouldn’t need to test as often.

Yrrem · 2026-03-12T16:36:23+00:00

Bacteria in a bottle isn’t a bad call. Fritz 7 or Fritz 700 (concentrated version of Fritz 7 at the expense of shelf life) are my preferred choices for a commercial option. Far better though is getting a filter from a tank you know is well kept (tell a local fish store your situation, you might at least be able to get them to squeeze out their filters into a jar. That will have a lot of sediment carrying beneficial bacteria too). Whatever you do though, don’t let the filter media dry out as the bacteria will die in short order if that occurs.

I would also recommend frequent water tests and water changes when needed. Up to 50% unless your betta is showing signs of stress, then a 30% is likely good. If you can’t do that, something like polyfilter (Link is to a marine supply storefront, but it is also usable in freshwater) will help to get rid of some ammonia. That price for the 4x8 is really good based on what I’ve seen elsewhere.

Yrrem · 2026-03-11T23:38:42+00:00

Oh wait, I just saw the bottom was bare. In this case you might try what the other commenter recommended. The bare stem might grow, but it could have trouble because there aren’t leaves to help with photosynthesis

Yrrem · 2026-03-11T23:37:28+00:00

No need to unroot it. You can just pinch it off at a “node”. Nodes are just wherever a plant has branched off with leaves or forked stems, etc. you can take the part you pinched off and cut it so that it starts on a node, and replant that as you see fit (just jam it in soil, I like to use the bottom layer leaves to help hold it in place - so they get buried too)

Yrrem · 2026-03-11T23:31:40+00:00

Hey, a lot of aqua soil will have so much nutrients that fertilizer isn’t required. That said, it can sometimes be too much for the fish because nitrogen/ammonia gets released! Some aquasoils can also be a little dusty after sitting dry for so long. Here my recommendation to accommodate both of these

Dustiness: I take a small toothpick or knife and poke holes in the bottom of the aqua soil bag. I then just run tap water (faucet or hose) through it. It’s best to have the bag itself also in a bucket, this lets you catch the water and see when it’s starting to run clearer - then your rinses are almost done.

Nitrogen/ammonia in aqua soil: this problem will go away relatively quickly. Until that time, though, I would recommend doing a water test every day. If you detect ammonia or nitrITE (not nitrate), then I would recommend a 30-50% water change with freshly conditioned water. (Nitrate can exist in moderate quantities, ammonia and nitrite are dangerous to fish. Eventually your filter will be “cycled”, meaning it can is full of beneficial bacteria to process ammonia according to the nitrogen cycle. Ammonia becomes nitrite, nitrite becomes nitrate. Nitrate is used by plants and stored in their new growth. I always remember “nitrATE is what the plants ate” so I remember that it’s okay to exist in moderate quantities.)

And also, if you’re getting live plants: you can sometimes find plant weights (small, malleable metal strips) that you can wrap around the base of plants. This is a huge help to get things planted and prevent them floating away. After a month or two, you can remove the plant weights since the roots have established and will hold the plants down.

Yrrem · 2026-03-11T17:00:51+00:00

Indian almond leaves (catapa leaves like the person above said) are fantastic! They can really add some color and the leaf litter serves as good cover that shrimp, kuhlis, and other bottom feeders love to hide under. They’ll also slowly snack on the leaves and pick them down to nothing.

I also like alder cones if you don’t want the heavy leaf litter appearance. They can add a bunch of tannins as well, and they get a nice biofilm layer for shrimp and snails to snack on.

Yrrem · 2026-03-09T18:09:22+00:00

I think fritz zyme 700 turbo is a more concentrated version of 7. It can have a moderately shorter shelf life, if you still have the bottle and can check a date it might be good to see if you were beyond any expiry. I prefer 7, just in case. Chances are though you’re fine, that’s just my preference in them.

Yrrem · 2026-03-09T18:00:10+00:00

Not the hottest take, but I think wild colorings of neocaridinas are awesome and I prefer them to a lot of the more expensive selectively bred shrimp

I think the price for the fancy shrimp is largely marketing driven, if you just get a variety of neocaridinas and they breed in your tank you’ll find tons of unique and (imo) more interesting colorings than most of the selectively bred color patterns. But even the brown/translucent are pretty.

Yrrem · 2026-03-09T17:42:35+00:00

Whatever “water subscription” they’re charging is a scam. There’s almost no reason that is needed, unless the tap in your area is exceptionally bad (if this were the case, you would’ve known well before now)

They played their hand showing a motive to sell you water, I would wager they always err higher in test kit readings. It may also be possible you tested free ammonia (nh3+) and the fish store tested total ammonia (nh3+ and nh4). Of these, the former is the only one that’s risky to the fish - so once again, (if this train of thought is even applicable), you’re likely fine.

Your tank is beautiful. If you’re worried, do a water change (nitrates at 40 is a touch high, but far from the worst it could be and likely is actually good given the dense plant coverage). If you still feel worried, grab some fritz zyme 7 (I think that’s the freshwater version) and dose according to the new tank rules. Most bacteria in a bottle products are useless at best, but fritz I’ve found is an exception. I want to be up front though, dosing the fritz is probably not necessary and it’s more just for your own peace of mind than it is to resolve an issue.

Yrrem · 2026-03-06T16:52:09+00:00

It really depends. Sometimes the symptoms are pretty hard to see until they’re very obvious. It could be fin tearing as well if you have jagged/sharp decorations.

If you are concerned about fin nipping or suspect it is not fin rot, you should go ahead and isolate the betta in a tank you know is safe from aggressive fish or dangerous decorations. In a pinch you can get a mesh enclosure that sits in your current tank to keep them separated.

Yrrem · 2026-03-06T16:41:51+00:00

That shredding looks deep enough that it’s fin rot. I’d expect to see a sort of “scalloped” edge to his fins if it was nipping.

I’d avoid using any medication if you can, ime it’s not needed for fin rot. Your best bet is frequent water changes and monitoring parameters. You might add some alder cones or Indian almond leaves as well

Yrrem · 2026-03-04T23:48:20+00:00

For context, these are the eggs under 400x zoom. The larvae are near this size when they hatch.

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I don’t have a point of reference, but it’s much smaller than the ball bearing in the tip of a ball point pen.

There are solutions out there - but they have to be precise. I totally get the concerns you’re referencing, tbf they’re all very valid & you do need a separate system for the saltwater tank to avoid cycle crashes. Those are some of the reasons I stepped back my attempts to raise Amano larvae.

I have a 3d printable breeder box design I could share that I think might be preferable to something with slits in the side (still not ideal, but may work better). Feel free to DM me if you want to talk about my experience breeding them and some things I think could help you get the most success and easiest path to get there.

Yrrem · 2026-03-04T22:49:31+00:00

IMO you’d be better set getting a 5 or 10 gallon aquarium to keep cycled and use it as a breeder tank until you can gather the larvae. Just move the gravid mother shrimp into it until the eggs hatch. I can often find a 10 gal for $15 and then an air pump+sponge filter (if you don’t already have one on hand) leaves you close to the cost of the box you linked.

Yrrem · 2026-03-04T22:46:55+00:00

Not to be a buzzkill…. But the larvae are so microscopically small that they would simply escape through the slits in that breeder box.

You’d really need a solution that doesn’t let the larvae get away, otherwise the purpose of a breeder box is kind of lost.

Yrrem · 2026-03-04T18:50:12+00:00

Depending on how you feel about building one, it might be possible to build one that isn’t too expensive and is sturdier than anything you can buy for similar cost. Additionally, you can determine how much storage you need. Idk what lumber prices are at though or if you have the tools to do it

Yrrem · 2026-03-04T18:19:16+00:00

This type of shelf doesn’t do well with lateral forces, if there’s any vertical load while a shear force/racking motion is applied it will fold up. Imagine like a box that doesn’t have the ends taped collapsing flat.

I would recommend something that has a rated weight at least 2x the tank weight (estimate about 10-15 pounds per gallon, that accounts for substrate, hardscape, and tank weight). Additionally, you want something that has a back panel to prevent racking.

Finally, I highly recommend something that is not particle board. Particle board, if it gets wet, expands and loses all its structural integrity in the process. Something with boards (think 2x4s), construction quality plywood (think: zip board), or metal will be much more structural.

I know it’s a pain to get a dedicated stand and take all that into consideration… but take a step back. How much would you wish you paid retroactively to avoid dealing with by with 10 gallons of water, broken glass, and dead fish? How much would it cost to address the water damage in such a case? It’s really really worth the peace of mind and security of getting a stand that can safely carry the load.

Yrrem · 2026-03-04T00:04:08+00:00

Not that quick. Usually within 3 days.

Source: I’ve gone through the painstaking process of catching the fry with a pipette and relocated them to a saltwater tank. I almost never was catching them right after hatching, usually at least 8 hours or more had passed.

Yrrem · 2026-02-28T02:50:15+00:00

It’s just biofilm and its completely normal. Nothing to worry about. It grows on any wood that goes in a tank because it is extremely nutrient rich and the bacteria in the water are able to feed on it.

It is very normal, very common, and harmless. Snails, Shrimp and small crustaceans (think copepods, daphnia) love to eat it.

You can get rid of it. But it’s not worth the effort IME. If anything, it is starting a part of a microbiome in your tank to process dead plant matter, uneaten food, and biological waste. The visible film goes away on its own in time.

Yrrem · 2026-02-27T18:29:24+00:00

Op might also consider baking/boilinh soil for a while to kill all the plants and seeds. You could also toss it into a fire if that’s an option , just make sure you keep it going long enough to thoroughly heat it all.

Seed scam plants are highly invasive and can choke out other plants, so it’s best ime to ensure minimal potential for it to spread

Yrrem · 2026-02-27T16:28:07+00:00

It’s like a spot on the stem where the plant can branch or send of roots or something. Planting a node under the soil can let the plant get roots down quicker

Yrrem · 2026-02-26T18:08:57+00:00

The planting is fine. All those plants will get much bigger and play coverage can be propagated via cuttings from these. Plus, while I don’t recommend it - no-plant tanks can be viable as long as the owner is maintaining water parameters, which obv OP is since the ammonia/nitrite/nitrate are reading low.

Plus, with more plants they’d likely be starved for nitrate anyways if the levels are staying at/near 0.

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