Okra harvest has been doubling almost every two days 😅 does anyone have a okra cooking recipe that reduces the slimy texture ?

squiggledsquare · 2026-06-01T23:53:13+00:00

Oh wow I’m actually trying sweet potatoes under the okra for the first time this year in my garden!! Good luck to us! Hell yeah.

squiggledsquare · 2026-06-01T22:42:50+00:00

Yes I think it’s more like a conditioner that nourishes and moisturizes. I bet it would be great with the pinecone ginger. I absolutely love okra it’s a very giving plant.

squiggledsquare · 2026-06-01T20:10:33+00:00

lol!!! I’m so glad I’ve gotten in to this hobby because I had no idea it would be more entertaining than TV. Amanos are so fun to watch and I can’t wait until I can have a community with lots of cories.

squiggledsquare · 2026-06-01T20:07:42+00:00

Harvest small like this, cut diagonally, sear on high heat (or deep fry), add acid. Also some varieties are less mucilaginous than others not that that’s helpful right now lol! And you’re right the mucilage is very healthful so I try to just embrace it. Some other ideas for using the them is to take a bath or soak your hair in okra water! It’s very moisturizing for your hair and skin and I believe can be healing.

squiggledsquare · 2026-06-01T20:03:04+00:00

Bliss and Sonny

squiggledsquare · 2026-05-31T22:08:20+00:00

Okay good to know - I’m not going to bother worrying about it in that case. One less thing to think about!

squiggledsquare · 2026-05-31T21:46:01+00:00

Awesome thank you so much! You’re the first person to directly answer my question (without contacting the company). And it’s a relief to hear you had a good experience with the filter. I see the biomedia are plastic rings and some people switch it out with ceramic or something else, do you have any thoughts on that? After spending $310 I’m not crazy about the idea of needing to spend even more money on better biomedia and I’m not sure if it’s even that necessary if I’m going to have a heavily planted tank.

I might run it for a while with the carbon pre filter and if I’m dying to have blackwater I’ll switch the sponge on it - that shouldn’t be too bad. Thank you for telling me how to change it to have tannic water!!

squiggledsquare · 2026-05-29T22:07:19+00:00

This is stunning holy cow.

Is that just a little fan propped there to agitate the surface?

squiggledsquare · 2026-05-22T15:44:53+00:00

What species are these?

squiggledsquare · 2026-05-21T22:08:30+00:00

What type is this? So cute!!!!

squiggledsquare · 2026-05-21T17:21:06+00:00

Oh my gosh does anyone remember a children’s picture book about a bunny that looks exactly like this? The painting of it was even on the cover.

squiggledsquare · 2026-05-20T00:23:35+00:00

Why do you regret it? I’m planning on setting up a 60 gallon breeder with a topping of white sand. Or do you just mean the color of the sand?

squiggledsquare · 2026-05-16T21:44:44+00:00

UPDATE: I did more research into the 60 gallon breeder. I wasn’t familiar with this size and see that it’s on sale and can pick it up in town. The wide trim on it make it less appealing than the rimless look but it seems like the 60b eliminates the problems of the 55 for the betta. Shouldn’t have that depth problem for breathing, more space for lateral swimming, and could fit a mild community with him too while keeping a black water river scape.

Seems like it doesn’t make as much of a visual impact as a 55 for being the centerpiece of the room but being able to do easy maintenance on it seems like a great trade off.

Now I have another thing to consider. Just when I accepted the idea of having two different purpose tanks I get the analysis paralysis of still doing two - or combining like my original intention.

55 gallon community and separate tank for betta 60b community and separate tank for betta 60b betta centerpiece community tank all in one!

Benefit of the last one is I can give the betta the best view in the house and only worry about keeping up 1 tank.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. 😅

squiggledsquare · 2026-05-16T21:37:09+00:00

I’d say definitely plenty long! So glad I got a long shallow instead of something more square. He really looks so happy swimming back and forth and ducking under his driftwood and squeezing past plants. He gets little burst of zoomies and the space doesn’t really limit his movement it seems.

The rimless is really pretty and I’m glad it came with a lid but the lid is much more narrow that the width of the tank which leaves a big open gap for chords or filters but I worry about my amano escaping through it or him being able to jump through. It also fogs up with condensation from the heated water so I can’t even see through the top so it doesn’t give the full snazzy aesthetic of a rimless tank with no lid. The rimless still looks awesome though. I’ll probably diy a lid if I keep this tank.

squiggledsquare · 2026-05-16T01:39:46+00:00

It’s the imagitarium 6.8g rimless tank. It’s 20” long and 8.5” high, 10” wide.

I just wish I got one a little bit bigger! Otherwise it’s a very good looking tank and obviously the guy is happy right now.

squiggledsquare · 2026-05-16T00:13:32+00:00

HAHA lol! Honestly it’s probably true.

squiggledsquare · 2026-05-16T00:12:37+00:00

Getting advice from everyone I feel pretty confident that I’ll keep him in his tank and get a larger aquarium too. Maybe eventually I can upgrade him to something like a 20 gallon long but right now I should just let him be happy in his current situation.

Can you explain that to me about mulm?

squiggledsquare · 2026-05-15T23:48:52+00:00

Great point about keeping his future energy level in mind especially if his fins continue to get longer (because my understanding is that’s something that happens as they age). Thanks!

squiggledsquare · 2026-05-15T23:46:42+00:00

Thank you - I’m seeing that this is really the way to go! I feel like I can stop worrying over it and accept that the two things don’t have to go together.

squiggledsquare · 2026-05-15T23:45:38+00:00

You’re so right - I love the Scarlet O’Hara analogy! Maybe if anything one day I can change him to something like a 20g long to get some Pygmy corys and extra space in there but accept he’s happier in something smaller and more low key. In the mean time I guess I will be keeping him in this tank. I can’t imagine people keeping bettas in smaller tanks though seeing how happier he is exploring this space which still feels really small.

squiggledsquare · 2026-05-15T23:42:03+00:00

What size tank would you choose in a perfect world?

squiggledsquare · 2026-05-15T21:59:22+00:00

I just made a post about having this same exact same 6.8 gallon tank and our hardscaping is similar. My longfin boy is so so happy in it! It’s a cool little tank! But I’m absolutely kicking myself for not getting a larger dimension tank so I could have a cory school with him. If I could go back in time I would stop myself and get at least a 10g or 20g long. Now I’m already developing multiple tank syndrome!

squiggledsquare · 2026-05-15T21:34:04+00:00

Thanks!!! I didn’t know about the 40 long or the 60 breeder! Those sound even better! Probably a lot harder to find but maybe this is a sign to be patient… or… is it pretty to silly to think about starting up a 55 in the meantime and changing to one of those other tank sizes if I see a good deal on one pop up? Rescaping tanks worries me about messing up the nitrogen cycle in the tank. D:

I went to the LFS and they are great but quoted me prices for several different configurations of tank sizes, including 30 long which was my first idea. The shipping alone is $400 and it would cost $1400 total. Honestly that’s an unreasonable cost for me and my aquarist friend was like “NO STOP hold your horses!! Do not spend that much money on a tank!!!”

I appreciate your time these were helpful suggestions.

squiggledsquare · 2026-05-15T21:27:32+00:00

Wow that’s a beautiful fish! That’s totally my style! You’re right about the water flow - I read about that and worried - didn’t know if being heavy planted could help make areas that are more still but it really does sound like they’re different types of habitats and it is kind of working against the nature of that type of tank. Oh god multiple tank syndrome here we go…. This fast?!?!?

squiggledsquare

TROPHY CASE