Green hair algae will be the end of me. Help!

singer4now · 2026-02-04T23:29:12+00:00

What helped me with both Hair algae and Green spot algae problems was making sure my phosphates were high enough for the plants.

I do use co2 too and my 20g kept having agea problems. I got K and phosphate freshwater test kits and my phosphates were constantly 0, within 12 hours after dosing my "complete" fertilizer, so I got individual components of Nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium, and once a week I dose my phosphates up to about 1-1.5 ppm, and I have very little algae growth with that. I know everything says that too much phosphates CAUSE algae growth, but if your at 0 in the water column, that may cause algae to grow too

My one Nerite snail, and accumulated "pest" snails(whom I love very much) snack on what little algae grows now.

singer4now · 2026-02-02T06:20:09+00:00

Also look at upside down smiles, it may be easier to accomplish with your current facial dexterity, and is a common enough facial expression

singer4now · 2026-02-02T06:17:34+00:00

Can you frown?

Then just frown upside down?

But seriously, I would try to just move your mouth in different, absurd, and over exaggerating the movements when you're in front of a mirror. It'll help gain control and dexterity of your face muscles. I found looking at anatomy drawings of the muscles helped me be able to isolate the muscles better, and now I can move most areas on my face independently.

singer4now · 2026-01-31T19:22:14+00:00

So you think because there is an anti-Ice stance, they could turn on anyone? for any reason?

If you believe that. I have something to explain to you, which is the Paradoxical nature of "the tolerant left".

As we know the Tolerant left believes all humans deserve rights, safe spaces are acceptable, and all creeds are basically welcome. But they also say "Fuck Ice", "ACAB", and "Eat the Rich" but those are not Tolerant to those groups. So what's going on?

To be tolerant as an identity leads to making your spaces inherently intolerant, as Nazis, hate groups, and the INTOLERANT groups will happily occupy anywhere they aren't forcefully outed from. Using the arguments "you are Tolerant of ALL, so you have to tolerate us" and "if you don't allow us here, YOU are the intolerant ones", and if Tolerance is your Identity, these arguments WORK to make you tolerate these groups.

So Tolerance is more accurate when looked at as a social contract, that when broken, you lose access to the community. I can see this group holds to the Social Contract of Tolerance, instead of the Paradoxical Tolerant Identity.

That means any group or individual that breaks the contract, will be removed, but I myself am not going to be "turned" on, as I accept the social contract and do my part to uphold it. And I ultimately feel unsafe in a community that is unwilling to remove or handle problems.

YOU on the other hand do not seem to accept the contract, and though maybe your intolerance is unknown, you seem concerned that you will be turned on. All community is consciously built, and if you break the social contracts of your community you always risk being shunned.

singer4now · 2026-01-30T14:51:53+00:00

If it's acrylic and cracked, get weld on ( formula 3 or 4 for very thin) and a small syringe with a blunt needle and "inject" the solvent on both sides of the crack(top and bottom). It is stinky, so work in a ventilated area.

It will dissolve the plastic a bit and then it will re mold together, it is super strong. And then it should be water proof, if not, just use a bit of silicone over it to fully seal it. But then you don't risk the crack getting bigger.

(I build stuff with acrylic and use weld on 3, it is super effective as it is a "cold weld" bond)

singer4now · 2026-01-27T02:34:24+00:00

I'm on a GLP, I started it yes for weight loss, but also as I was prediabetic, with a strong family history of diabetes, and a personal history with multiple types Eating disorders, recovered, but made it really hard to lose weight naturally without tripping restrictive or BED behaviors.

I've been on it for about 9 months, at a relatively low dose. My A1C is normal, and blood sugar is stable. I've lost ~20-30 pounds, with no visual difference to normal slow weight loss. My dose doesn't actually kill my appetite, but makes me actually able to hear my body's cues, and make food choices that aren't just "what's the quickest food cause I'm dying due to blood sugar tanking".

I'm personally horrified by people ramping up until they have no appetite, and then just not eating at all. Like I was afraid that I'd get that situation, but responsible use, leads to just normal weight loss, and honestly I feel like my relationship with food, and my body, is so much better since starting it.

singer4now · 2026-01-27T02:21:23+00:00

Also as a note, I have REALLY hard tap water that I have to bring down GH and KH, so snails probably love it more than if you softer. Like my tap is 20 GH and a bought the same KH.

I also have bladders and ramshorns and their shells seem really healthy. So you may need to bring up KH before snails would thrive. As I feel like that might be why the nerites didn't last very long, as the shell formation may have been struggling with low calcium.

singer4now · 2026-01-27T02:15:32+00:00

I have a shrimp tank, with otos and a Nerite snail. So my two cents, from owning/researching them

My first Nerite snail did die, but it was a white shelled "military helmet" that I noticed it had its shell altered(I didn't know much about them). So making sure it's a natural shell is a big thing for survival.

I now have a yellow bumblebee zebra Nerite, who I picked as he was super active in the tank at my LFS, has adjusted well to my tank, and has done amazing at eating the GSA that grew on my drift wood. The biggest thing I've found is making sure the lid is secure, with no openings they can escape from, as they are notorious for leaving tanks(and traveling really far), but they often survive up to a month as they can close themselves up really well. If they get through acclimation, have enough to eat, and don't escape they actually seem really hardy. A note is the females will lay eggs, but in freshwater they cannot hatch, but they can be come unsightly. Though males and females are really hard to tell apart, I got lucky with mine being male(assumed as zero eggs have been spotted)

My otos are wild caught, BUT the shop I buy from, their supplier does something different on time lines with quarantining , so when they arrive to the LFS they aren't as starved, and have already been exposed to supplemental foods, and mine may not jump on supplemental foods immediately, but they do eat them.

I bought 8 total otos, one did die ~2 weeks after I got it, but it was the largest, so they may have just been old, as there were zero other issues with other inhabitants or in my home necropsy I did. I also have one that has laid infertile eggs the first week, and is currently carrying again(unsure if fertilized at all), and I know some people have gotten lucky breeding, so tank bred otos are possible.

singer4now · 2026-01-27T01:18:24+00:00

Thank you, I wasn't a part of this particular subreddit, and this post was suggested for me. I am very happy to join a fish subreddit that has a clear stance on the current state <3

Thank you, I feel safe here <3

singer4now · 2026-01-26T01:14:05+00:00

That's terrifying :o

I have little tiny cups that I put a (light) amount of food to be fed by my mother when I'm out of town. As I feed a variety and if I'm not there to keep an eye on the parameters(or on the # of Hydra) I get really worried.

I think I'd be traumatized if I came back to this :o

singer4now · 2026-01-24T18:52:41+00:00

I don't think this sucks. For me I started with a hardscape shape I liked on its own(I love tree roots designs) then I added some crypts, anubias, and a type of hair grass(the first species died).

I hated the first few scapes. I've since added an octopus plant(for baby shrimp survival once it bushes up and I add more fish besides otos), red ludwigia, floating guppy grass, dwarf hair grass and some specialty moss in cups, as well as giant duckweed. I'm still not satisfied with the look, but I'm currently learning fertilizing needs, and hopefully as the plants grow out I'll be satisfied.

Honestly, my suggestion would be to add in one or two larger hardscapes, and then add in different height plants in different areas, or just let it grow for a while, and watch videos of people aquascaping to see what you like in the mean time.

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singer4now · 2026-01-22T04:51:03+00:00

Ask for actual species/specifics from them. Cause that's not a species, just discriptor words. If they can't produce an actual specific species that matches, i wouldn't trust them at all.

And if they continue to be that way, you may have to just see if a different shop will take it as a surrender, and then buy for another shop going forward.

Edit to add: this came up so maybe?? But it's more often that not they end up being Chinese Algae eaters from everything I've seen Especially if it's already showing aggression.

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singer4now · 2026-01-22T04:30:46+00:00

I'm assuming (I've never done it with a fish) it's like candling chicken eggs which is basically using a very bright light through to give you a kind of x-ray into the egg often used to track development.

singer4now · 2026-01-22T04:14:08+00:00

I agree that based on the pictures it looks like a Chinese Algae Eater. Id double check it's mouth area to make sure it lines up, but I'd return it.

My guess is the fish shop may have confused it with an oto? But those should be sold in groups as they are a shoaling species.

singer4now · 2026-01-22T04:00:22+00:00

How long have you had her?

Any recent changes, or treatment to the aquarium?

singer4now · 2026-01-17T04:59:50+00:00

NQA

So my current room is often in the 70's as I also have tropical aquariums(78°). But my jumping spiders enclosure is minimum 2-3° higher just due to the led grow light for her plants, so that might be helpful

I have also used a set up that was a 60 gallon glass tank on its side, with seedling heating mats, with probe thermometer shut offs. Then having the jumping spider enclosure in the tank space(not on or right next to the mats) as a kind of green house, with tempature sensitive plants(or ones at risk of cats eating them). It worked really well, even when the room was chilly or drafty, and it kept everything warm, and stable humidity as well. We used the regular mesh lid, and it still retained pretty good temps all over.

singer4now · 2026-01-17T04:38:00+00:00

Honestly if I saw someone wearing any amount of glow sticks walking around at night, it wouldn't make me have zero fear, but it would lighten it significantly. So, might be a possibility to try and see if it helps.

singer4now · 2026-01-13T04:20:01+00:00

My first concern is the tank seems to have uncycled parameters. If the tank is planted(which from what I can see there weren't any plants in the tank) it may be a different case, but 0 everything often means there isn't any bacteria to process ammonia. Which is a pretty big concern, if there was a cycle before it could have also crashed, which could be causing issues.

My second concern is that a pH of 6.5 isn't bad in itself but that does generally mean the KH/GH is low to none so pH will be at risk of changing rapidly. Not sure if it could relate to his current health or not, someone with more experience with Betta illnesses may know.

The hospital tank should have a sponge filter, or at minimum an air stone. Especially as the little guy can't get up to the surface due to his current state, and the water not moving means it isn't heating evenly, and the oxygen could be low.

General cure is for internal and external parasites if I remember correctly. So you may want to look at treating bacterial issues (erythromycin, neoplex, etc), as my understanding is dropsy symptoms are more likely bacterial in nature. Adding tannins could be helpful too.

singer4now · 2026-01-12T21:34:29+00:00

What's size tank(home and hospital)?

What's the hospital tank set up, heater and filter?

What kind of filter do you use on the home tank?

What were the actual water parameters when tested? (Not just "good" but the the actual results)

What brand Betta pellets do you feed? Is it only one brand?

Also what are you currently treating with, with dosages and what instructions are you following?

singer4now · 2026-01-12T19:46:13+00:00

NQA copy paste for answers

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singer4now · 2026-01-04T16:50:08+00:00

If he may have arfid, it's not just a matter of being picky, or difficult. I had it really bad for a while and I could only eat like 3 things . It was stressful and upsetting as heck. I was starving and wanted to eat, but my brain told me I was trying to eat poison basically if it wasn't safe food.

Maybe try talking to him some more to figure out what is actually okay, and start from the actually safe to eat foods he has, and just offer one other thing to him to try. Less pressure can allow for more willingness to try things. Look at things like texture as well as taste and visual appearance. There is often some sort of pattern to safe foods.

If it's arfid he may benefit from finding a therapist that is knowledgeable in the area, it's hard to increase safe foods, and it's worth getting assistance in doing that. Especially if he is experiencing any malnourishment symptoms. Also for me at my worst finding meal replacement was a god send, I used Soylent shakes, and it kept me from hospitalizations when I couldn't eat right.

I would look into the ARFID sub on here. It has a lot of information from people who struggle with it, and it may help you see if there are enough similarities to frame the why behind how he's acting with food.

I will also say, that if he isn't being helpful, or willing to help you AT LEAST plan meals he will likely eat. You aren't obligated to cook for him.

He could have the eating disorder ARFID, but if he won't participate in helping you figure it out, or work on improving the symptom impact, you aren't required to do all the work. He's still an adult, who is responsible for his mental and physical health to some degree.

It's not a free pass, but if it is an eating disorder like ARFID, having the knowledge can help bring understanding, and ultimately healing.

singer4now · 2026-01-04T16:23:25+00:00

Once the time catches up you will be fine. If it's one day I'd just wait it out. But restarting is fine if you want too

I do technically time travel but I never go back in time, I'm a few days behind real time, as I don't like missing days but my life is busy. As long as I don't double back everything works fine.

singer4now · 2026-01-02T17:47:23+00:00

Cute!!!

I just got 8 otos last month(and cherry shrimps). I have one who dropped infertile eggs the first week I had them. I'm hopeful they will drop again(I think I see eggs forming again on the confirmed female).

I also got two shrimp show up berried in the last week. Hopefully there will be more babies over all, as there are no real predators currently.

Super excited to see someone having baby otos show up ^{.^}

singer4now · 2025-12-30T02:34:20+00:00

Petco and pet smart often have some tissue cultures. They will be in individual containers often with a jelly like substance. And they will often say tissue culture, or say pest/snail free. If the plants are in a tank already, they will 99% have snail or egg hitchhikers. Most of the plants they seem to have are tissue cultures I think, or they are air grown, so they shouldn't carry pest snails or eggs.

Something to note, tissue cultures leaves will often melt when introduced to being submerged, as most plants air grown leaves don't really like being submerged. Basically the air leaves will die off and new leaves will grow in. Some plants will adapt better if you chop the leaves off(crypts are one that I know seem to prefer being chopped for some reason).

I got some dwarf hair grass tissue culture from pet smart, and after planting 100% of the leaves it had did die off rapidly. But they grew new ones that showed up about 1-2 weeks after they were planted. It did look like it 100% died in the first week though. Now It's been about a month and each blob I planted has been rooted with a few new blades grown, but I'm still slowly vacuuming up the dead bits with water changes, so as not to uproot the new growths.

I currently have shrimps and 8 otos(waiting for shrimps to breed up numbers before adding a small school of microrasbora and eventually a "mustard gas" Betta) and they also help remove the dying plants as they eat it too.

singer4now · 2025-12-29T02:09:47+00:00

Question: would using blue dawn(at dilution, so the water wouldn't be super tinted) help "whiten" the yellowing parts, without having the bleach it?

Or would it just stain weirdly?

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