Yeah, I guess keeping on top of the water changes would be key.

Would removing the substrate help in reducing the nitrate level?

my bad, ammonia and nitrite are 0 mostly, 0.3 at max.

nitrates are 25 - 50, fluctuates so i cant give a proper answer, though on my test kit it says acceptable for freshwater species.

I just added in Danios General Aid, with aquarium salt, all at slightly half the recommended dosage level.

I take ...

Ammonia is a constant 0.

Nitrite and nitrite are close to 0, 0.3 at max, but I do frequent water changes to make up for it.

Im considering removing the gravel substrate and just putting in a few larger rocks/pebbles, I suspect im not vacuuming the substrate enough or properly. And I will be ...

Hey guys,

Recently my 4-5 inch RTC stopped eating altogether. I have always hand fed him, be it bloodworms or prawns or fish fillet. He always gobbled everything down.

Now he just wont eat anything.

He doesnt even show any sign of sickness, he patrols around the tank, moves decorations still ...

Hey guys, this idea occurred to me just a while ago.

Would it be posible to use a water siphon, and let the output go through a plastic container which is filled with filter medium, and allow the water to flow out from the container back into the tank via small holes cut at the bottom of the ...

hey mats, thx for the reply.

This are the reasons to why i asked the questions..

I was wondering since the overhead filter is bigger and longer, would it be better than a hob in terms of the amount of medium the water has to go through first thus making it better filtered? Anyways, does an ...

Hello guys,

I have some questions, hope you guys can answer them.

1) Is an overhead filter than a hang on back filter?

2) What are considered good resting places for fish? Would it be anything that can create a shadow?

Thx in advance.

Well yeah when the lights are on, he makes it look hard to do a u-turn. Switch off the lights, it takes less than a second or two, then its out on patrol.

Oh and they were nt kidding bout the rtc rearranging tank furnishings. I woke up and saw the plant in another corner, the pvc pipe facing other ...

I clean it myself.. I feed frozen blood worms, the leftovers float to the top..

1 more question, as stated above my rtc calls a pvc pipe his home. However, he is growing too big for the pipe. Hard to do a u-turn for him now. Can i remove it? Or will this just stress the fish?

Oh and i am glad to ...

thx for the replies guys.

I'm considering getting one of those air blowers / fans that can be clipped onto the aquarium and blow on the water, helping the evaporation process thus cooling the water.

1 more question, I noticed that there is "dust" settling on the pvc pipe which my fish calls his ...

Hey guys, i got another question.

This time its about temperature.

Right now my area is having some weird hot weather.

The stick on thermometer on the tank is at 32 degrees, sometimes up to 34.

My fish does not move at all, though i try to use common sense, at higher temps, O2 levels are lower ...

I have a small question.

I bought my RTC together with my friend, who also got one.

However, both our RTCs have different growth rate. Mine seems to be much larger and active than his. We bought it at almost the same size.

Im using a 2 FT tank currently, he is housing his in a 1.5Ft.

Anyone can ...

I hope you guys dont mind me posting questions in the form of replies to this topic.

But here's 1 more.

Shld I add a sucker fish / pleco (I AM VERY NOOBZ IN PLECOS) to my tank? I head sucker fishes and some plecos do tank maintenance by eating waste (doubt it). But ultimately would be nice for my ...

well i might consider replacing the live plant with a fake one, if it helps to deal with potential snail problems.

I would also like to thank everyone who has helped me thus far, I am now happy to say that my ammonia and nitrite levels are 0.

Thx guys for your replies, well it seems the snails only come in twos. Small problem.

One more question i hope you can kindly answer for me..

When i got my juvenile rtc, he often hid inside his cave (PVC pipe). I noticed recently he swims out much more, especially after feeding, the guy goes on a ...

Ok, once again i need advise..

I came home just now, turned on my room lights, then i saw 2 small creatures crawling on the side of the tank. Upon closer look, they turned out to be snails.. Im freaking out, did i do smth worng? I have a live plant in the tank, but its been 2.5 weeks with no ...

Whilst reading up on tanks, i came across some text that cloudy water caused by unsettled substrate is harmless to fish. The only downside is that its not pleasant to our eyes. A good filter will help clear the water fast. You might want to add fine wool as a filter medium, i read it traps sand well.

Thx for the reply Mats,

When i wash the filter media, just a rinse will do? Or thorough cleaning? And what timeline would be good for cleaning? Once in a month?

I noticed brown sludge on my filter medium, what is it? Do i clean it? Is it harmful to my fish? Water is still clear, tank is still cycling though im happy to say that ammonia is a constant 0. Nitrites are deatlt with daily water changes.

Thx Alot man. Appreciate it. Someday when i go pro i will help others

It is to my understanding that other filter materials like bio balls only provide surface area for bacteria to grow on. Do they have other use?

I meant whether the filter is sufficient enough to move all the water in the tank. My hob has the sponge filter materiel in it. Is that enough?

Thx, may i ask if using just one hob filter with more than 6X turnover rate is enough?

This is just an idea:

I have read somewhere on the net that fish which have had disease or parasites, may have been treated before. As such, they are immune to the bad things, although these virus or disease still exists qithin them.

It could be ur siren has suffered ich before, still is carrying ...

Hello again, i have some questions to ask.

I tested my water 12 hours after a 40% water change, ammonia is somewhere btw 0 and 0.25ppm. Nitrite, however, is at its most lethal levels, according to the test kit color code. Nitrates are at acceptable levEls. Is this a sign that the tank is cycling ...

Ah very well, lets not give up and hope the tank cycles itself soon enough.

Ok i will keep using the 15 gallons as the pros say. Still it sucks to see no improvement in tank water condition. Oh and if any1 is concerned, my baby rtc is fine, he is still active and still loves to be handfed. =]

Other questions:

Would reducing substrate help? What are ideal substrate levels ...

Pls dont take this the wrong way, im nt trying to be selfish or lazy. I want to do the move so that the tank cqn cycle faster. Qlthough the 5 gallon is nt cycled, its much easier And cost efficient to do water changes. Plus i was thinking of usin guppies to cycle, once the average 8 weeks of cycling ...

Haha its funny how a 2inch fish can be too much for a 15 gallon tank..

I have a 5 gallon spare tank, shld i move him there and cycle the 15 gallon fully?

Ok this is crazy, but at first my ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels were fine. But recently they all keep going up, ammonia highest is 0.25ppm, nitrite is a deep purple meaning its in lethal levels, while nitrate is still fine..

What is happening? Or is this just part of the cycling process? I ...