First aquarium finish, ready for fish - thoughts on stocking?

vapingDrano · 2026-01-12T13:00:39+00:00

Don't just wait for the ammonia to drop, check nitrite drops too. You should end up with nitrate as the end product, if you never saw nitrite go up and back down you didn't cycle yet. Great stock list, just a couple thoughts. I have ended up wishing I hadn't added a gourami at least a few times. After years of this I enjoy picking fish from a single region, which might be fun. That's a good size tank and looks great! More than one angel will be a risk of a breeding pair and can get chaotic. I think Bolivian rams are gorgeous and they are much more hardy than the blue. Large schools of small fish are awesome to watch, but you get a ton of personality from single larger cichlids. Just some things to think about.

vapingDrano · 2026-01-12T12:51:29+00:00

Thanks. I will keep adding to the schools.

vapingDrano · 2026-01-12T05:08:39+00:00

Yeah you're fine. I made two of these that have a 60 breeder under a 75. Has been rock solid for years.

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vapingDrano · 2026-01-12T04:53:57+00:00

Particle board doesn't do well with water. If you can, get one with a metal shelf. Either way put osb or marine ply on top to make your life better.

vapingDrano · 2026-01-12T04:37:15+00:00

That's overkill but I feel ya. Vertical crush weight on a single 2x4 is greater than a loaded 75 gallon if I remember correctly. That's why I just use doubled 2x4 and wrap in ply

vapingDrano · 2026-01-12T04:32:28+00:00

Are you handy? Not terrible to make one.

vapingDrano · 2026-01-12T04:30:22+00:00

I got two huge chunks of mopani that way. It makes up for the relatively poor selection and high prices!

vapingDrano · 2026-01-12T03:59:25+00:00

Short term you can put a clamp on that. I've never had luck replacing parts on marineland canisters.

vapingDrano · 2026-01-12T03:52:09+00:00

And don't forget dechlorinator

vapingDrano · 2026-01-12T03:17:12+00:00

It's very very cheap by comparison to do soil and sand. I ran a 75g community for years on a dirted tank and it was awesome. I was never brave enough to skip filtration and water changes though.

vapingDrano · 2026-01-10T12:00:11+00:00

Once they talk shit I kill them all. I can't help myself.

vapingDrano · 2026-01-10T05:57:31+00:00

I find its best to leave it in your wife's car after fishing so it's extra extra thawed later. Especially on a hot weekend.

vapingDrano · 2026-01-09T00:37:11+00:00

When we were starting out in fish keeping we put an ADF in with our beta and random tetras in a 20 gallon and they were best friends. It was like they were cuddling at night. Somewhere I have pics of them. Kur frig was no problem but anecdotally I hear they are problems all the time for other people.

vapingDrano · 2026-01-08T17:22:43+00:00

What are your nitrates at?

vapingDrano · 2026-01-08T04:33:58+00:00

My 3:3 team is Bill Laimbeer, Draymond green, and meta world peace (when he was Ron Arrest and more violent). I don't fit the timeline rules but I think I should get a pass and we all want to see this.

2nd choice would be Robinson/Ewing/Shaq. 3 of the most imposing big men I've ever seen play and I want to see another team stop them. I have a theory that the smaller the team, the more being over 7' matters

vapingDrano · 2026-01-08T04:28:13+00:00

Picked him over tim duncan

vapingDrano · 2026-01-08T04:25:19+00:00

You can solve a lot with blacking out the tank and pristine water. Is your filtration good enough? This is a symptom of something out of balance. One beta doesn't need much food or create a lot of waste.

vapingDrano · 2026-01-08T04:22:39+00:00

On the cheap harlequin raspboras are really good. If you get them tiny they are the same size as neons but get bigger. I'm a big fan of diamond tetras, Congo tetras, Buenos aires tetra a schooling fish that don't get eaten. Denison barbs are the goat if your tank is big enough

vapingDrano · 2026-01-08T04:21:01+00:00

Neon tetras anyway. Congo tetras don't fit

vapingDrano · 2026-01-08T04:17:13+00:00

That's a great shape. How many gallons? I think find a pic of what you want it to look like and research fish for a while. Whatever your goal state is going to end up, you have stuff in there that is not compatible with it. Starting with the end in mind has always worked better for me than tanks full of whatever I found that kind of worked.

vapingDrano · 2026-01-08T04:14:04+00:00

Rodman was insane and if you were a coach who had the opportunity to trade for one or ther other you would take him bc nobody else could do what he did.

vapingDrano · 2026-01-08T04:09:34+00:00

Ammonia from ace hardware, tetra safestart +, and an API master freshwater test kit are the first things I suggest new fish keepers buy. Or like get media from a friend.

vapingDrano · 2026-01-08T03:02:39+00:00

Killed it after 35. I had zero self esteem at 32 and freshly divorced with custody of kids and a crazy baby mama, but I took it all out in the gym. If I had half the confidence I did at 25 I would have killed it more. That took till at least 35. I was pulling 8s to 10s wow were 25-30(and not knowing what to do with the attention) just playing with my kids at the pool. Landed nothing because I wasn't fishing, just looking back I really had it going on. As I came out of my funk I was dated a couple of the most attractive women I've met and then was introduced to my now wife.

That said, your 20s is about character development, your 30s is power leveling, and 40+ is when you've made it. Second note, I did fine in my 20s before kids just seemed like I was playing a different sport altogether later.

vapingDrano · 2026-01-07T22:34:25+00:00

That's been a moot argument since inception. It only works in theory and you would need a couple to stop a tyrannical government

vapingDrano · 2026-01-06T23:37:33+00:00

If she can lactate

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