Recent content by fishwarrior

I use a water barrel, fill it up, treat it and have a pump that puts it into the tank and also top off water throughout the week.

There ought to be a - beginner fish keeper syndrome - article that talks about how a newbie will rush into things before they have an understanding of how it all works.  A list of do's and don'ts, the how to cycle comes later.   I think there should be two "Must Reads"  First an intro to fish...

A neon tetra dying should not be a surprise.  These fish are weak to begin with and require absolute best water quality.  You also need numbers since they are a schooling fish.  These aren't beginner fish IMOH.

Immediate water change will help, followed by some meds

I read somewhere that the fishes eye as the size of their stomach is an unsubstantiated myth.  I never did like the line "feed as much as they will eat in 3 mins, that doesn't really say anything.   Every fish and tank setup is unique.  Fish will eat 24 hours a day if you let them.  My fish are...

Your tank doesn't appear to be cycled, ammonia and nitrites should be = 0.  Do a water change at least 40-50%

Very nice pond, where is this located at?

A quick cure for ICK is raise the temp to 86.  Definitely need to get that cycle under control.  Toss in a capful or two of Prime for a quick fix, then do some water changes,  make sure the new water has conditioner.  Prime is great for emergencies, one time, I forgot to add the conditioner and...

I was also thinking if I had both pumps in the sump, one drawing water out and the other putting it back in, guess it will be more trouble than it's worth.  Time for plan B. going to build me a skippy filter using either a 5 gallon bucket or a water barrel.

One pump would be in the tank and act as an overflow moving the water to the sump below with another pump in the sump to move water back to the tank.  Both are mag 950 pumps.  I just hate oveflow boxes and all overflows in general.  Right now I'm using an Eshopps 1200 overflow box, want to get...

I always have my hands in the water.  I wash them first of course using Castile soap, never had a problem.  I often hand feed my fish and pet them, helps to establish a connection to the fish.  They all come to greet me like little puppies.  While it's true, there's a risk of contaminating the...

I'm thinking about converting my water barrel into a filter to replace my sump on my aquarium.  I was curious if the siphon break rules are same or different with a water barrel.  I would have a pipe going from barrel into tank for the outlet, when the pump shuts off, would that pipe be...

  Nice, that's a great idea, using the center and back supports, that should be plenty strong.

Do you have a picture of this built in filter?

I use to have the Hydor 300 Watt when I was using a canister, it's the best heater out there.  It takes a little more to setup, need to cut your hoses and have it vertical and such.  Once you get it done, it's very reliable and unlike a regular in tank heater, this one heats the water on contact...