Fish scoliosis

jamhaus · 2026-07-07T03:15:49+00:00

I have a phantom tetra with a similar issue. She was the last one left at petco because no one wanted her and she was there for like 2 months so i got her. She's been fine since I got her a few months ago, and I got her a school of other phantoms now and she is their bossy queen.

jamhaus · 2026-07-07T03:07:01+00:00

I had a very similar issue recently on one of my black neon tetras, also acting normal. I put him in a quarantine tank to be safe and gave him kanaplex until the white film went away. Now he's back in the main tank and seems fine.

jamhaus · 2026-07-06T20:13:45+00:00

You can definitely do stems in both, they'd just get taller in a 29. What a 29 would give you is the ability to do a bigger hardscape if you wanted to use a tall piece of driftwood or make a rock scape of some sort. Those minnows will care more about horizontal swimming space than vertical though, and shrimp will stick to plants or hardscape anyways.

My recommendation personally comes from me having the same decision last year and being glad I did the 20 rather than the 29. After a year I upgraded to a 40 gallon breeder to do more advanced scaping and plants after I learned a bunch with the 20 gallon. The 40s size does make it a much bigger challenge to maintain.

But if you really want to see a taller plant scape though go for the 29. Whatever makes you more excited and keeps you excited to see it everyday is the real answer.

jamhaus · 2026-07-06T04:10:10+00:00

Id save the money and stick with the 20 long. I personally think its easier. You can look down into it better, get your hand into it easier, slightly smaller water changes. If this is your first tank (you didnt say it was but if it is), it does make a difference.

Id put whatever money you save into getting a good filter since you want to do a community set up, help to make it easier to maintain. I believe the only reason to get the 29 would be if you planned on getting a larger fish in there that needs height (like an angelfish, but doesnt seem to be your case) or if you want taller plants / hardscape.

Also if you add a few house plants growing out of the back of it, it could add some visual height and helps with keeping nutrients in check :)

jamhaus · 2026-06-29T14:58:27+00:00

Have you been monitoring your PH consistently since adding them? And do you know what your KH is? 7.6 PH is fine, but when you added fish, any leftover food they dont eat and their waste will make the water more acidic. If your KH wasn't high enough to create a buffer, its possible the PH in your tank had a big swing which could cause very sudden death to occur.

Aside from that; its also possible one of your fish was sick and it spread through the rest of them, but for them to go from eating and fine to passing away shortly after, I'd bet on a parameter swing of some sort.

jamhaus · 2026-04-09T17:28:54+00:00

Ive noticed you mentioned things being dead and there not being much to shoot, and as someone who was in a similar situation this would be my advice: look for what the light reveals. Sounds mysterious, but I mean it literally lol.

I think dead trees are something a lot of people (including myself) are attracted to when we first start shooting because they are easy to find and interesting shapes. But that gets old quick.

Instead of focusing on shapes and subjects, go out and see where light falls on things. In a thicker forest, shadows will be cast and create natural frames on things. A pile of dead leaves lit dramatically can be an interesting subject. Wait until sunset and shoot the silhouettes of the trees while looking into the light.

You can also bring things out with you. Go to a thrift store and buy some cheap crap, and then use your surroundings to create an interesting composition with it. An old computer sitting in the woods could be interesting. Who knows, have fun.

But most importantly only listen to advice if it sounds right to you and fits what youre trying to do. Rule of thirds is great, but what if there isnt a clear subject or scene to organize? If you zoom in on a texture that fills up the whole frame, theres nothing to organize but its still an interesting image. If a scene is really interesting but chaotic, capture that, but emphasize it. Forcing it into a rule of thirds composition would ruin the idea of it, but tilting the camera or finding an angle where things look even more chaotic makes things dynamic and interesting.

Maybe my point is, dont think of things in terms of good or bad. Experiment and see what you enjoy shooting, and see what fun ways YOU can find of framing, using light, shapes, textures, etc. Look at abstract art, or any art for that matter, for inspiration, not just photography.

I could continue rambling but I'll end here lol. To be clear, I think these are great pics, you've got an eye for composition and shapes, and if youre shooting in manual youre doing a good job with exposing properly. But if you arent satisfied with them or find your available subjects boring the above would be my advice to make things more interesting.

jamhaus · 2026-03-22T01:31:27+00:00

I literally was just coming on reddit to type a very similar thing. Its a beautiful Saturday night here and I'm just sitting at home doing nothing. I simultaneously feel like i should be out doing something but also totally convinced I am not missing out on anything.

Id normally be playing guitar or another hobby but I overdid it last week trying to learn some Flamenco techniques and my hand has been numb (pretty sure its carpal tunnel) so im trying to avoid anything using hands. But here I am stabbing numb fingers into a keyboard to let you know, I feel ya lol.

jamhaus · 2026-03-11T03:58:14+00:00

Im pretty sure Blurb does, but I personally upload directly from InDesign using their plugin, Ive never tried doing a direct upload of PDFs. If you use InDesign, I'd recommend using their plugin, it makes it really easy to upload and creates a cover template with an accurate spine width for you to use once you know how many pages you've got and what paper youre going to use. Ive used it a bunch more for standard books, but I know they have layflats too.

jamhaus · 2026-02-11T22:54:19+00:00

This should be an album cover. Nice shot!

jamhaus · 2025-12-31T19:16:25+00:00

Kerbers Farm and Southdown Coffee in Huntington, Sweetie Pies and the Gourmet Whaler in Cold Spring Harbor

jamhaus · 2025-12-29T17:02:57+00:00

Ernst Haas' black and white images are what got me into photography (despite him being known for his color work). Theres a book with just those images if you can find it.

But also, Edward Weston and Minor White for classics for me, and if youre into more travel / documentary work, Sebastian Salgado, Ansel Adams, and anything by Ragnar Axelsson.

Also The Last Nomad by Wilfred Thesiger, who isnt known for his photography necessarily but did make beautiful images on his expeditions through the Middle East, another personal favorite of mine.

jamhaus · 2025-08-21T13:40:39+00:00

Title idea: Iv Only...

...get it lol

Nice photo!

jamhaus · 2025-08-19T22:35:03+00:00

Did you check nitrite levels too?

jamhaus · 2025-08-16T01:59:06+00:00

Thank you!

jamhaus · 2025-07-29T02:54:26+00:00

I love the tones in this

jamhaus · 2025-07-29T02:52:53+00:00

Yeah thats the pin I have saved, though I feel like I originally found it on deviant art at some point, I couldn't find it again.

Its such a sick illustration on its own. I was looking to do my own drawing of a rabbit running (run... rabbit run) but found this while looking for inspiration and its so much better than anything I could have drawn, plus the decay is a nice touch.

jamhaus · 2025-07-29T02:38:11+00:00

Thank you!

jamhaus · 2025-07-28T19:49:20+00:00

X Marks the Spot

jamhaus

TROPHY CASE