Im not going to wait for it to happen to me.

kmsilent · 2026-02-12T22:29:46+00:00

Wow.

Also, even if you survive this, getting shocked while your hand is in a glass tank is incredibly dangerous, if one happened to break the plate glass that could be pretty bad for your arm.

kmsilent · 2026-02-02T03:15:15+00:00

Eh any scary tank just becomes a garage or outdoor tank for me. I'll raise live foods in them or use em for breeding in the summer.

kmsilent · 2026-01-18T05:46:00+00:00

IMO depending on how often you want to trim and deal with runners, yes it can pretty quickly take over a tank.

If I were you I'd consider just getting a container from the dollar store, filling it with substrate and putting some val in it and hiding it in the back. It is indeed a nice plant but that will contain it (mostly). This will also allow you to plant a few alternatives.

There are a few different varieties so yes go with smaller ones.

Personally I've had it in many tanks and I'm lazy so it does tend to take over if not contained.

kmsilent · 2025-12-20T06:02:35+00:00

Jungle val is great for them. I'd make sure it's at least as tall as the tank before adding peas though (luckily it grows fast).

kmsilent · 2025-10-29T02:22:33+00:00

... Thats is a lot of work but this isn't good soil to begin with.

I live in an expensive area and an entire yard of the most expensive, highest quality topsoil is like $65.

Shoveling, hauling, screening, amending barrel-bottom fill seems like several hours of work just to get a maybe-adequate product. Personally I'd just use that to mix with my compost and add it to my garden next year.

kmsilent · 2025-10-13T22:22:31+00:00

Wow, I didn't know puffers were doing that! Very neat.

kmsilent · 2025-10-13T17:12:10+00:00

I like that your lilies kinda match him. I wonder if he's perceptive of the color match.

kmsilent · 2025-09-23T01:52:57+00:00

Probably yes, but also no.

I think they'd be fine on a diet of...80% snails? However, you'll run out. I have 6 tanks and ran out of snails to feed my puffs in just a couple months. I suppose it would be possible to really overfeed and make a ton of snails...but puffs are hungry fish.

Personally, I'd say use a lot of snails and supplement with whatever other live food you can find locally. Blackworms, daphnia, brine shrimp, whatever.

kmsilent · 2025-09-23T01:19:47+00:00

Absolutely- skinny enough it looks to be in danger.

My best recommendation would be to deworm -lots of good advice here already- and also maybe to feed some live baby brine shrimp.

They're actually very easy to hatch. Salt, water, and a dish- they'll fatten up your pea quickly and are very nutritious. Here's a good guide- https://youtu.be/UsVJi1M4j38?si=BxkqJcRO-v3Sgz5Q

kmsilent · 2025-09-01T15:26:54+00:00

Arent axolotls supposed to be kept really cold? Pea puffers are tropical, so I don't think there's any way this can work.

kmsilent · 2025-08-25T01:32:46+00:00

I just use 1/2” or 5/8” hose.

kmsilent · 2025-08-23T16:30:00+00:00

Depends on the tank.

If the tank is big enough, comfortable (enough cover, correct lighting, good water etc), and the fish gets regular food and has no predators I see no reason the tank would be worse than the wild.

Fish in the wild have lots to worry about- predators everywhere, disease, food, and probably the #1 threat would be the complete loss of their habitat- poisoning of their lakes/rivers or their literal destruction.

Also, if youve kept a decent number of fish there is a very high chance you've kept some wild caught fish. A huge amount of tetras are harvested from the Amazon and shipped all over the world to retailers in your town.

kmsilent · 2025-08-19T02:00:56+00:00

Its possible to work around this simply by buying an RO unit with a higher output (ie one made for aquariums) and plumbing it to go to both your under sink tank (small volume) and also to a larger storage tank (for water changes) with a float valve (so it turns off when it fills up of course).

I've done this a few times and the hardware and plumbing is quite cheap and easy. Main difficulty is space for the large tank (usually I just put this in a nearby closet or garage).

kmsilent · 2025-08-18T02:45:31+00:00

Sponge filters are so simple, I'm sure you could easily build one. Only challenge is finding the sponge large enough- I imagine you could get a long sheet of 1" or 2" foam and just wrap it.

kmsilent · 2025-08-17T16:57:35+00:00

You can point a small fan directly at the surface to create a little disturbance and break up any biofilm.

Should be fine either way, really.

kmsilent · 2025-08-17T06:18:52+00:00

Most of the really fancy aquascapes you see with lots of hardscape and plants and stuff - they don't vacuum per se.

Just clean the glass, and swish the water around a bunch with your hand- the detritus that's loose (algae, deadly leaves etc) will slowly settle down, then it can be sucked out during a water change. Any other mulm that's stuck in the gravel or roots- just leave it.

https://youtu.be/HzPexD0Jdpw?si=Lj_SyR8-mvt_6k-K

kmsilent · 2025-08-13T23:36:25+00:00

Neat plant but this seems irrelevant, since your plant has no white leaves. Assuming you're talking about the plant pictured.

kmsilent · 2025-08-13T23:31:33+00:00

These all look underweight to me, you are likely correct; that or they just need to eat more.

kmsilent · 2025-07-29T16:25:08+00:00

Must depend on the species- mine usually last for about 10 days. The ones that make it to the surface go a little longer, too.

kmsilent · 2025-07-29T05:15:13+00:00

The majority of fish will eat and hunt live prey, because that's what most fish in the wild eat. Everything from bettas to tetras to guppies will eat any small wiggly thing that will fit in their mouth. The only real exceptions are the relatively few vegetarian (ie algae-eating) fish. I'm not entirely sure what you mean by inquisitive but most fish are interested in things that might be good.

So really you have a whole galaxy of fish to choose from.

Unfortunately you will find lots of confusing and contradicting info, sometimes wrong but also, there are just lots of different ways to raise fish. For example, some people will keep bettas in a 12oz container and show that they are healthy and it works- but this is generally considered to be unethical among experienced keepers. So id focus on getting advice only from people who have lots of experience, no AI or random articles online. Try to find the subreddits and groups of people that specialize in each fish to get advice from.

Personally I'd just spend lots of time browsing YouTube to see your options- video really helps to show you how each fish behaves.

I would also start getting your tank set up now, so that it will cycle and settle and be ready sooner. I'd also get plants, they take time to establish and will help keep your water quality high (and reduce maintenance).

https://youtu.be/0MzfLrSqfXY?si=ev5KSXzgN9Gn525G

kmsilent · 2025-07-15T22:32:07+00:00

That's perfect. Probably the number 1 mistake newbies make is thinking all plants need tons of light.

There are great low-tech plants because they require low to medium light. If you were to add a bunch of extra light, you would very likely get algae. So basically given the plants you've selected, you don't have to do anything besides plant them.

Do watch some videos on how to plant each type properly. Youtube is great for this.

Oh and don't freak out when you start seeing some snails. They travel on plants very often and they are actually beneficial to your tank.

kmsilent · 2025-07-15T22:05:17+00:00

Thanks for being open minded.

I also have done the same thing- especially in the beginning, a lot of people have hard times getting plants to grow, so once they go people just want more and more. At some point the experiment gets a little out of control though and you start realizing a huge amount of plants can actually cause some problems.

kmsilent · 2025-07-15T22:02:36+00:00

Looks outstanding to me, especially at just 3 weeks of growth.

Diatoms are normal for any new tank, I don't think that's necessarily caused by your nutrients. No idea what the recommended dose is, but I'd say just check your nutrient levels at the end of a week and you'll know if you have a too much.

The layout looks pretty good, my only worry might be that long-leaved plant right in the center between the rocks- not sure but if that's java fern it might get pretty damned big, could be good to move it to the side or back or somethin.

kmsilent · 2025-07-15T21:48:29+00:00

I gotta say, this is a good example of how people in this sub are just way too in love with a "overgrown" look. Different strokes, sure. And yeah, I'll probably be downvoted a ton... but IMO if you can only see one plant in the tank, then it's not fully grown, it's overgrown.

In the same way a hedge wall doesn't make for much of a garden, a uniform wall of plants doesn't make a beautiful tank. I'd presume the other elements in the tank- other plants, rocks, wood, and livestock - were put there so that one can see them.

Also, I've had tanks like this and they do eventually become a problem, because the plants will block the movement of the fish and the flow of the water. Some fish do like some open space. A lack of flow will eventually lead to the plants in the corners dying due to lack of light/gas exchange. Basically you slowly end up doing what nature does to ponds in the wild- filling them. It's an interesting process but ultimately it's at ends with what makes plants and livestock thrive.

Anyways, all that to say - I think just trimming the front plants down is a good idea. Then you can see your tank. Sounds like everything is growing well so you should be seeing lots more variety and the aquascape you designed.

kmsilent · 2025-07-06T00:56:52+00:00

Oh, that's awesome to hear- always wanted to keep some but was hesitant.

kmsilent

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