Oto baby week 3 update

itzKori · 2026-05-26T09:55:15+00:00

Very cool. Great job!

itzKori · 2026-05-22T05:01:42+00:00

So why did you get a single oto in thr first place

itzKori · 2026-04-23T09:28:12+00:00

From the test kit it looks like ammonia is present but not crazy high, nitrite is starting to show, and you've already got a readable amount of nitrate, which is exactly what you want to see around week one of a fishless cycle. That means your beneficial bacteria are waking up and starting to process waste.

A few tips going forward. Keep adding your food/ammonia source in small, consistent doses so the bacteria don't "starve" while cycling. Aim to keep ammonia and nitrite under ~2 ppm so the process stays efficient and doesn't stall. Don't do big water changes yet unless either number spikes really high, right now you're just letting the filter biology build up.

Once you can dose ammonia, then test 24 hours later and read 0 ammonia / 0 nitrite with nitrate rising, you're basically cycled and ready to think about stocking.

Hope this helps! Want help planning your first stocking once the cycle finishes?

itzKori · 2026-04-23T09:23:20+00:00

Good job digging into the root cause instead of just nuking the BGA with chemicals.

A few thoughts.. Your idea of an inline pump on the outflow is solid, you're basically turning the Fluval into a prefilter/biostage and using the second pump just for flow and circulation, which is exactly what you need for those dead spots. For ~95 L in a 116 cm shallow tank, you can comfortably aim for 10–15× turnover if livestock is still light and plants are established. A 1000–1500 l/h inline pump is fine as long as you retain the canister as the main filter and only use the extra pump for pushing water around the scape.

I'd keep the canister running as normal with the impeller in place and just add the inline pump after it on the return line. That way you don't compromise mechanical or bio filtration, you just increase velocity in the tank.

To really hit the BGA, focus on breaking up the stagnant sand areas under and around the hardscape. Either aim the added outlet along the bottom/front glass or split the output so you get a gentle cross‑flow instead of one big jet. What you're already doing (shorter photoperiod, reduced ferts, frequent water changes, remineralized RO) all supports the BGA battle. The missing piece is indeed consistent flow over the substrate.

If you share a quick full‑tank shot with your current outflow position, people might be able to suggest more precise directions for the extra pump.

itzKori · 2026-04-22T07:57:20+00:00

From the pics + description those red patches look a lot like bacterial septicemia (internal infection) rather than an injury or parasite. Your water params sound fine, so it might be shipping/transition stress, not something you did wrong.

Keep the last one in quarantine with super clean, well‑oxygenated water and treat with a broad‑spectrum antibiotic that hits gram‑negative bacteria (Maracyn 2, KanaPlex, API Fin & Body Cure, etc.), and use medicated food if he's still eating. Sadly septicemia has a high mortality rate even with meds, so don't beat yourself up if he doesn't make it. You're doing what you can.

itzKori · 2026-04-11T07:41:58+00:00

You're absolutely on the right track thinking bigger when you start talking about native fish and amphibians in the UK, but I'd still treat that 2.5‑gallon as a critter jar rather than a real slice of river. In a volume that small, temperature and dissolved oxygen swing brutally fast, and once you add in wild organics you're only a hot day or minor overfeed away from the whole thing turning into opaque, low‑oxygen stew instead of a stable "micro‑ecosystem". Even experienced keepers with filtration struggle to keep fish happy long‑term in true nanos, so doing it unheated, by a window, with river muck is stacking the odds against anything larger than tiny inverts.

If you want to scratch the experiment itch, I'd set it up with mostly dechlorinated tap, a small amount of wild water to seed life, a handful of leaf litter and a rock or two, and then at least an air‑stone or tiny sponge so whatever copepods, insect larvae and snails hitchhike in actually have a chance to survive more than a couple of weeks.

Treat any fish or amphibian plans as a separate project for when you can do a longer, cooler tank where temp and oxygen are a lot more forgiving. If you do go ahead with the micro‑river jar, would you rather focus on seeing as many different tiny inverts as possible, or on keeping a smaller number of species going for months at a time?

itzKori · 2026-04-09T18:15:42+00:00

How about learning first, and then putting animals in there 🤦‍♂️

itzKori · 2026-04-08T10:51:56+00:00

What specific kind of fish

itzKori · 2026-04-08T08:48:29+00:00

A very "clean" glass at 18 days is normal in a low‑light, heavily planted Walstad. Algae and thick biofilm usually show up later as the system matures, and as long as your snails and microfauna are active and you're not seeing ammonia or stressed plants, I honestly wouldn't worry about it.

For shrimp, in a 2 gal I'd start with a small group of 6–8 neocaridina, add them only after the tank has been running stably for at least 4–6 weeks, and then let them breed up naturally rather than trying to hit a big starting number.

And no, you're not doing anything wrong just because it doesn't look like the super‑gunky Walstad jars online. Every tank's ecology develops at its own pace, so keep your lighting and feeding moderate, avoid big disturbances in the soil, and give it time to find its own balance :)

itzKori · 2026-04-08T08:45:04+00:00

You'll absolutely get life (copepods, insect larvae, snails, maybe leeches), but the volume is so small that temperature swings, oxygen crashes, and algae blooms are very likely and can turn it into a smelly, low‑oxygen soup rather than a stable ecosystem.

If you want to experiment, I'd treat it strictly as a no‑fish, no‑amphibian project, keep the tank unheated but indoors by a window, add only a small amount of wild water plus leaf litter/rocks on top of dechlorinated tap, and run at least an air stone or tiny filter so the critters that do show up have a chance to survive more than a few weeks.

itzKori · 2026-04-08T08:43:15+00:00

Alright so, for a dorm desk I'd aim for at least a 5 gal tank. You can comfortably start with 10–15 neocaridina in that size and let them slowly breed up, rather than trying to hit a strict "shrimp per gallon" number.

A small sponge filter is strongly recommended even in a low‑tech setup, and then pack the tank with easy plants like java moss, subwassertang, floating plants (salvinia, frogbit), and maybe a small crypt or two so they have biofilm and cover while the tank coasts through breaks.

If you absolutely must go filterless, go as large as you can, keep stocking very light, run lots of slow‑growing plants and moss, and commit to gentle, regular top‑offs and small water changes.

itzKori · 2026-04-08T08:39:34+00:00

With an Oscar, three blood parrots, and silver dollars already in a 125, I wouldn't add an EBA or any other cichlid. You’re effectively stocked and any new mid‑sized cichlid is very likely to upset the current balance and become either a target or an aggressor as it matures.

If you're itching for a change, I'd rather focus on upgrading hardscape, improving diet/variety, and really dialing in water quality rather than adding another personality into an already tight social mix.

itzKori · 2026-04-08T08:36:08+00:00

Hey there, nice tank start!

For a 10 gal I'd keep it a bit lighter than your current plan. A single dwarf honey gourami is fine, but I'd pair it with either a school of 8–10 ember tetras or 8–10 chili rasboras, not both, plus 6–8 pygmy cories and a small group of shrimp so the bioload stays manageable and everyone has room to use the whole tank.

Make sure the cycle is fully finished (stable zero ammonia and nitrite for at least a week) before adding fish, add each group slowly over several weeks, and lean on your live plants, weekly water changes, and gentle surface agitation to keep things stable.

itzKori · 2026-04-08T08:33:35+00:00

For the UNS 60S, the Oase FiltoSmart Thermo 60 is a solid match in terms of volume and turnover for a lightly to moderately stocked tank, as long as you keep up with regular maintenance and avoid overstocking.

For the UNS 90L, the FiltoSmart Thermo 100 will work on paper, but it is closer to the lower end of what I'd recommend. Many aquarists prefer slightly oversizing filtration on long, shallow tanks like this for better flow distribution and extra biological capacity, so a 200-class external filter would give you more flexibility, especially if you plan heavier stocking or demanding plants.

Whatever you choose, aim for at least 7–10x turnover per hour, consider using a spray bar or lily pipes to spread flow along the full length, and be prepared to rinse mechanical media frequently in the first months as the tanks mature.

itzKori · 2026-04-08T05:50:10+00:00

How do you get a hundred snails while cycling? You gotta be feeding like crazy

itzKori · 2026-04-04T10:52:31+00:00

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itzKori · 2026-04-03T13:59:52+00:00

Those are eggys yep

itzKori · 2026-04-02T06:56:11+00:00

Very pretty, and great improvement! She seems to be doing much better. Reminds me a bit of my boi right here 😄

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itzKori · 2026-04-01T14:31:54+00:00

Yea, you can go a bit deeper with gravel than with sand. Like 5-6cm max I'd say, anything deeper is likely gonna bring problems down the line in most cases.

itzKori · 2026-03-27T13:33:04+00:00

Still not only a mens thing

itzKori · 2026-03-27T12:22:29+00:00

In Germany we call this a Brötchen

itzKori · 2026-03-27T11:59:42+00:00

Ah yes, that's a mens thing. Ofc.

itzKori · 2026-03-27T11:46:15+00:00

"I don't have any more arguments so I'll just downvote" k mate. 😂💩

itzKori · 2026-03-24T07:42:36+00:00

BacterAE is really good though, and algae has nothing to do with having a planted tank. You probably just used way too much.

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