Recent content by JBlacksmith

Wow! That's a pretty great looking tank you have there. Where did you get the materials for modification? Are they just regular tubes from a hardware store? Right now I'm using a Top Fin 20 HOB (it's my quarantine tank). I've never had a tank this densely planted before, but at least the...

I know the topic of betta sororities has been discussed on various forums ad nauseam. . . But I was hoping someone on here might have some advice! How do you filter a heavily planted tank? I've added tons of plants (silk) and decorations to give each female plenty of hiding spots, but I'm...

Thanks so much for your help!

Thanks, that makes sense! Now, the easiest way for me to imagine this is a tank of certain dimensions housing one large fish of certain dimensions. In reality, I prefer to keep community aquariums. How do I go about filling in the little fish after I have fulfilled the large fish's needs? Would...

I have a question aimed toward the more experienced aquarists: I know that the one inch per one gallon guideline is just that, a guideline, and it is really only useful for fish of roughly two inches or smaller. How does one go about estimating stocking capacity when the fish are larger than...

I have some good news! I don't know if it was the antibiotics, lowering the water level, or probably both! But he is moving around more, and I finally got him to eat :) I melted some frozen brine shrimp in a cup full of tank water then used a turkey baster to deposit it right in front of his...

I have lowered his water to a little less than half way (after changing 85% of it), and he actually came out of hiding to go sit on top of his boat. So, I think I'm going to try and lower it a bit more :) He still looks pretty miserable, but I think that might be progress?

My tank has been running for at least five months, but I don't honestly remember how much longer than that because it has been a while. I have had him for a year and a half, but I think he's a few months older than two years. The only thing I can say might be an improvement is yesterday when I...

Request Help Tank size: 5.5 gallons pH: 7.8 ammonia: 0 ppm nitrite: 0 ppm nitrate: 0 ppm (Update: Retested 5.0 ppm) kH: n/a gH: n/a tank temp: 82F Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, color, location, fish behavior): Started with decreased appetite, decreased activity...

UPDATE   I tested the water: Ammonia 0 Nitrite 0 Nitrate 0   However, I just noticed that his gills are incredibly swollen and are protruding a bit. The picture isn't very good, but the arrow is pointing at a black area with a tiny bit of red showing underneath. This is his gill that is sticking...

I tried to give him some frozen brine shrimp, but he wasn't interested so it just sank to the bottom. I'll have to get back to you about the water so I can test it later today. Last time I tested it ammonia, nitrites, and even nitrates were all at 0. His heater has been working perfectly, too...

Hi all, I have had my male betta, Toby, for almost two years now. He did not grow after I got him, so I'm assuming he was already at least a year. Over the last few weeks it has been a struggle to get him interested in surfacing for food, and his roaming around the tank has pretty much stopped...

I am pretty fond of otocincluses (they sure are cute little fellas). I've only ever kept them in smaller tanks (10 gallons or less), so I am unsure of how efficient they are in tanks bigger than 10 gallons. I have found that the tank with my bristlenose ends up needing almost the same amount of...