# Lessons Learned Board?



## GulfCoastAquarian (Jul 30, 2002)

I think this is a great idea. I don't know if it merits a seperate forum, but I'll move this thread to the General Discussion forum and make it sticky. Let's discuss some of our early mistakes we made as newbies and what we could have done to avoid them.


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## Bert (Jun 21, 2003)

WOW I never thought this would become a sticky. Looks like I'm good for something after all  .


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## Wasserpest (Jun 12, 2003)

Great idea...

I honestly don't remember the mistakes I made as a newbie, like when I was 8 and had my first planted tanks. Nitrite spikes and CO2 reactors were not discovered yet :wink: Barely remember that the carpet was often wet because of one reason or another, and if the electrical connections (wires soldered together and "insulated" with band aid) got wet often the 220V made our hands flutter and my mother swear :lol: 

More recent lessons:

1) A fancy heater cable will not promote plant growth if you need a chiller for 9 months of the year, and the other 3 months the light bulbs keep the water temperatur cozy.

2) It's easy to DIY a decent hood, but wood is heavy, and there should be some thought put into how to open only part of it for feeding, instead of having to lift the whole thing each time.

3) Need to spend more thought in what gadgets to buy... often they end up unused in the garage. Sometimes it is better to spend more money upfront for some high quality equipment which will last many years, than going through various levels of junk.

4) I need a quarantine tank.

5) High light plants rarely grow well under low light conditions :lol: 

I am sure there are many more...


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## GulfCoastAquarian (Jul 30, 2002)

I had been keeping fish for fifteen plus years before I gave planted tanks a serious try so I avoided a lot of the common newbie mistakes, but I still made quite a few. 

1) With High Pressure CO2, I was a bit overeager and blasted my tank with 2 bubbles/second and killed a few fish before bringing the rate back to 0.5 bubbles/second. Start slow!

2) My one serious bout with Green Water was a result of the mistake of making far too many changes at the same time. Try to spread out maintenence over several days or weeks. I cleaned out my canister filter, uprooted quite a few plants (releasing Jobe Sticks dust everywhere) and removed a large mass of plants all in one evening. I don't think any one of these things would have caused Green Water. But doing too much at once is a sure way to cause problems.


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## Momotaro (Feb 21, 2003)

> if the electrical connections (wires soldered together and "insulated" with band aid) got wet often the 220V made our hands flutter and my mother swear


LOL



> Need to spend more thought in what gadgets to buy... often they end up unused in the garage. Sometimes it is better to spend more money upfront for some high quality equipment which will last many years, than going through various levels of junk.


Very true, advice that should be followed. However if we did, things might be a bit less interesting. :wink: 

Mike


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## GDominy (Jul 30, 2002)

I think my very worst lesson learned was after I moved to BC from Ontario. The lesson was short and painful.

*Chloramine does not dissapate the same way Chlorine does.*

The second bad lesson was also painful, however in more a of a "searing" sort of way;

*If you drop a power strip into your aquarium, do not plunge your arm in after it to retrieve it*

I really have NO idea what I was thinking with that one...


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## Bert (Jun 21, 2003)

> If you drop a power strip into your aquarium, do not plunge your arm in after it to retrieve it



Nice, that one must have been fun. BTW, how did it drop into the aquarium in the first place?

Bert


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## m.lemay (Jul 28, 2002)

This thread is a great Idea!

I almost killed my fish twice with excess CO2. The first was when I first hooked up my pressurised system. I couldn't get the needle valve to flow consistently. I had the bubble rate down to about 1bubble per 2 seconds which was keeping the co2 level pretty consistent at about 20ppm. I went to work and came back home and all my fish were gasping for air and some were simply gasping literally thier last breath at the bottom of the tank. After reading some posts, I learned that most needle valves function better at a pressure above 10-15 psi, which seemed counterintuitive. I hiked the pressure up to 20psi and I could get the needle valve down to about 2 bubbles per minute consistently. 
That was lesson #1: Never use the regulator to reduce the bubble rate, always reduce the bubble rate with the needle valve.

After that scare I bought a ph controller to avoid such situations, thinking the controller would shut off the co2 automatically below a certain PH level.

The second time, my little nephew came over for a couple of hours and decided he wanted to play with the pretty buttons on the PH controller that was mounted to the side of the stand. He had lowered the dial all the way down to 6.0. Again the fish were barely hanging on for dear life by the time I discovered that the controller had been fiddled with.
Lesson #2: KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN

Marcel


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## anonapersona (Oct 19, 2002)

Do not buy food in bulk. I bought 10 lbs of flake food for the pond. In the 5th year I began losing fish. After 8 years, I simply gave up and left the pond bare with a fountain. In the 10th year I restocked and the fish began to die. I finally threw out the last 3 lbs of flake food. Now I buy little bitty containers and toss it out in a year.


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## GulfCoastAquarian (Jul 30, 2002)

Excellent advice, anonapersona! I used to do the same thing, to try and save money. Although I used to have a lot more tanks (8 tanks, including African Cichlids, which consumed at least half of my food budget) the food still went bad after a year or two. Now I just buy small containers and feed a nice variety to all of my fish.


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## SNPiccolo5 (Oct 6, 2002)

I guess the first three lessons come from the same experience...

1. If you are at all impatient, get a pH controller for your CO2 and at first, set it so the pH will still be a bit higher than what you want it to be, then watch the fish and see what happens.

2. If a fish APPEARS to be dead due to CO2 overdose/oxygen deficiency, DO NOT GIVE UP!! I had 2 angelfish on their sides on the bottom of the tank, not moving, and they are swimming happily today. Some were swimming upside down, and one would keep "falling" back to the bottom. I didn't give up, and they are all normal today. 

3. When you have a CO2 overdose and are "ressurecting" fish, keep them as close to the top as possible (for more oxygen). For fish like dwarf plecos, if you have a breeder trap, those work well.

Lesson 4 will be one I will soon correct myself.

4. GET A CANISTER FILTER and have proper tank ciculation! They are a lot more versatile than a HOB or most others (unless you have a custom filter of some sort).

By the way, great idea bert! It should act like a begginer FAQ planted tank guide!

-Tim


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## fishpoop (Feb 27, 2003)

1-dont put big plecos in a small planted tank because they DIG, and are very hard to get out of the tank without destroying all your aquascaping
2-take your time and wash the hell out of your flourite!


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## Slaigar (Jun 8, 2003)

This board idea is a very good! I got a few horrible lessons of my own. I started this hobby just this year and I have probably killed enough fish, crabs and single shrimp for a lifetime- not that many, but it is quite a few.


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## Carpet-Pond (Aug 9, 2003)

If you have to take the strainer off the intake of your filter to clean the mess of sugar due to improper mixture of DIY c02 bottle with no drip box,
be sure to either turn off the filter and put the strainer back on, so your zebra danios don't swim up the intake and get grinded by the spinning assembly. :shock:


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## Wasserpest (Jun 12, 2003)

Eeewww. That sounds like a mess.

Although it hasn't happened to me yet, on the Krib I read some semi-funny reports of exploding CO2 DIY bottles. Good thing to remember that the produced pressure needs to go somewhere...

I had only once a slightly foaming DIY mix, when I added baking soda, which I never did again. But using a second bottle to wash the CO2 and count some bubbles is a good idea. The water in that second bottle smells always nasty, so I am sure it serves a good purpose.


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## cich (Aug 5, 2003)

that happened to my beta a long time ago.... there was NOTHING left of it  

--cich


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## marpole (Mar 12, 2003)

Nice idea for a thread!...

1) You can overfilter.... When converting my 5.5 gal q-tank into a small planted tank, I added a couple of sparkling gouramis with a hob 5-15 gallon filter. They were good for a week or so, but one increasingly hid, and got thin. Unfortunately I didn't decide it was too much flow until after he died. Now the same tank has four sparkling gouramis, three amanos and a sponge filter. They are active and usually front and center. Now I'm gathering the components to give them a little more real estate in a 10 gal.

2) Shrimp are travelin' fools... I don't really need to fill the 5.5 gal all the way to the top, and if I do the shrimp will depart on their travels. Keeping it down 1/2" or so keeps them in the tank.

3) Snails love crypts... they just hammered all the beautiful big leaves on the balansaes last night  . Even when you don't have a huge infestation they'll be going for those crypts.


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## metallhd (Aug 23, 2003)

Hi everyone, this is my first post. I am just amazed and inspired by all the tanks I've seen here - some are truly astounding. Anyway, my two cents as far as lessons learned are fairly simple:

1) African clawed frogs have claws - enough said?

2) Be careful what kind of pleco you buy lest you end up with a monster the lfs doesn't really want

3) Consider covering a side of the tank if it faces a sunny window - it's the el cheapo method of algae control

4) Buy your gear carefully - definitely shop around! In the mall where I live there are 2 stores, on on top of the other - the upstairs store has great fish prices but sickly fish, the downstairs store has great fish at the price you'd expect - where would you rather spend your money?


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## Bert (Jun 21, 2003)

I came up with the idea for the board so i guess I should post my own experence. 

- Never tell your mother she can choose what kind of fish she wants in your tank! See, my mother really likes Neon Tetras, so I told her she could put a group of 10 or so in my 10 gallon. Well, she just couldnt wat I guess. One day, out of the blue, she comes home with 11 Neons! I panic and scramble to get a tank set up for them. I got really mad with my mom and she had no idea why. I had just filled the tank the day before and had no plants. Luckley she also bought some plastic plants. I've been extreamly busy with family matters, remodeling out house, and setting up a cichlid tank so it was only this week that I was able to actually order the plants. Oh well, just thought I would share. 

Bert


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## wellbiz (Aug 6, 2003)

Things I learned the hard way...

Spend the extra money and buy the good components, (lighting, filtration)

Dont mess with the tank parameters every 5 minutes. Patience!

Dont add ferts to soon to a new tank unless you like green water and/or algea.

Jason....


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## Rabbit (Nov 14, 2003)

Be very careful around open topped aquariums. VERY careful.
I recently dropped a partially opened bottle of soda water into a 20gal. About a litre of heavily carbonated liquid leaked into it before I fished it out (not to mention the outgassing since it was under water and upside down). Fortunately only lost some of the fish from the sudden ph drop and CO2 overdose. (Someone calculated for me that apparently the CO2 levels had jumped to several hundred times higher than the fish can cope with. Plants seemed to like it anyway. Only time I ever saw pearling on the leaves.).


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## countrymouse (May 4, 2004)

Koolie loaches are escape artists, and koolie loach jerky isn't a pretty sight.

Good equipment up front is cheaper in the long run than accumulating lots of cheap equipment that didn't work. 

pH controlling chemicals are good ways to promote algae. Using them to change pH suddenly can inspire fish to jump out. 

Almost any fish will feed off the bottom. One betta in a tank full of bottom feeders will constantly overeat and die young. 

Murphy's laws also apply to our hobby. Pay attention.

Check the thermometer regularly - heaters really can get stuck on "on." 

Watching an aquarium is relaxing - if it's someone else's responsibility!


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## louisxyz (Apr 8, 2004)

Rabbit said:


> Be very careful around open topped aquariums. VERY careful.


That the advise I would give myself, when first setup my 90g, I fill the tank put the plants but did'nt put the hood back because I still had aquascape to do. I left it like this and went to put my girl to bed. While i was there I heard a big splash, running to the tank I saw the biggest cat fish ever, actualy, it was not fish, only cat. I consider leaving him there for the cycle, but my wife would'nt here about it. Don't know why, but the cat left the tank alone since :wink:


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## jake (Feb 20, 2004)

Lessons I've learned :

If you don't know what illness/disease a fish has, don't treat it until you do. Anti fungus tablets do not help cure ich. Enough of them will kill your fish, however. 

If you have 4 watts per gallon of compact fluorescent lighting, you really need to fertilize your plants somehow.

When you first plant a tank, don't wait until the algae has a foothold two months later to add the algae eating fish. Add the fish before you ever get the algae. 

Use some kind of method to get rid of snails and algae you get in from someone you don't know personally. If they say " You might get some hitchhikers" that translates to " Expect algae, duckweed, and snails within a month. I would like to share my problems with you if that's ok. "

When ordering live food, keep in mind the size of the fish. A keyhole cichlid running all around the tank playing keep away from the other keyholes with a worm sticking out of its mouth that looks like an anaconda in comparison to the keyhole is very, very funny but is not the most effective way to feed. 

If your loved one doesn't feed the fish or clean the tanks or do anything that resembles general maintenence or care of said fish and/or plants, then their advice is just that... advice. Swishing around an algae magnet for only 5 seconds and still managing to pick up some sand and get it in between the magnets and subsequently scratching the glass does not count as general care necessary in order to have a say-so. 

Do not tinker with the quick releases on a canister filter while the filter is in operation and all the valves on the quick releases are open. On that same token, do not remove said quick releases without first closing the valves. Also, take the intake or outflow tube out of the water before deciding to drain the water from the hose so you can clean the hose. After the small container you are using has overflowed and you are pinching the end of the hose, yelling for someone to pull the other end, which you can't reach, out of the water, this particular lesson will not need re-learning. 

If there is a substantial amount of dust on hardware boxes in a lfs, there is a good reason. That $145USD filter with the two inch coating of dust on the box is $89 dollars online with $12 shipping. 

If you have someone's kids around your house, make sure that they know your clown loaches and keyhole cichlids.. even the guppies will bite them if they open the lid to the tank. Their parents won't think it's funny their child is petrified of a guppy, but at least you won't have a half a loaf of bread floating in your 20L.


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## Wasserpest (Jun 12, 2003)

That brought back some memories... very true.

It's amazing how much water can spill out of a canister filter that is not properly closed :shock:


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## SCMurphy (Oct 21, 2003)

Murphy's rules of aquaristics

Gravity works. If you set something down and there is anyplace it can fall, it will.

Syphon tubes will not remain where you place them when operating. 

Every tank you own will break out in algae when people from the plant (fish) club are coming over.

A rare plant someone gives you will do beautifully until it dies the night before that person visits.

Rules I'd like to give people about their tanks.

Don't use your aquarium to test your test kits.

Don't start fertilizing until you have test kits.

Don't start fertilizing until you have plants.


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## Bert (Jun 21, 2003)

SCMurphy said:


> Murphy's rules of aquaristics
> 
> Syphon tubes will not remain where you place them when operating.


I think all of us bucket users have exprenced this more then once :lol: . 

Remember to change the mixture on your DIY CO2 often on your high light 10g tank. Unless you enjoy the look of hair algae hanging off of every plant in your tank :shock: . 

Bert


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## fedge (Mar 4, 2004)

Here's one more.. 

Don't listen to ANYTHING your LFS says if you notice them allowing people to buy neone tetras and gourami's to put in the same tank that has only been running about 2 weeks..!!!!

Also, if you think you know what your doing you probably don't.. 

Red Sea test kits may take LONGER than the suggested time to react properly...(redsea told me this little factiod!!!) Took 25 minutes for my Nitrate test kit to finish(well I went to the bathroom to wait for it)


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## chrisl (May 6, 2004)

Another, moved from Houston (warm tap water) to Berkeley Ca and didn't think to change out water w/ warmed appr. 78F water...It was more like 55F.. hehe 'killed' most my fish...put them in a bucket of warm water....and believe it or not, all but 2 cardinals lived 
Pay attention to small details lol


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## Fosty (Oct 17, 2003)

1: Don't fill a aquarium that you found in someone elses trash. 

Especially on the second story of your house without checking for leaks. 3 hours after you go to sleep you will be woken up be a fire alarm that the water leaking through the floor set off. Its amazing how long 10 gallons of water can stay between the gap between the floor and the ceiling.

2: Don't buy fish online or through aquabid when you agree to pay the shipping charges (unless you're rich). 

I ended up getting charged $85 shipping for for five angelfish that cost $15. Airborne Express's deal was that if it didn't get there by 10:30 the next morning that it would be free. It got there at 10:27. Needless to say I was not happy to get a bill for $85 (especially as a high school student without a job). THe worst part was the next week our LFS got new angelfish in that were nicer that the one's I got and only $3 each.


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## Shay (Apr 28, 2004)

Always use a check valve and don't unhook your DIY co2 bottle and forget to put it back on or decide to do it in the morning.:icon_redf If your lucky someone will notice that your fish are flashing emergency help signs as the water slowly siphons out onto the floor.


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## glass-gardens.com (Apr 14, 2004)

amazing how fast that little hose will drain a tank


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## Shay (Apr 28, 2004)

LOL. Your not kidding. I'm now shopping for new flooring to get the stench out of the room. Carpets and fishtanks don't mix.


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## Tres (Jan 27, 2004)

If you consider the fish in your aquarium to be valuable... whether because they are rare South American Dwarf Cichlids or because your wife thinks the pink guppies are cute, buy 2 heaters of the appropriate size for your aquarium and use them both. At the same time.
You would be surprised how fast the temperature in an aquarium can drop in an air conditioned environment. Having a backup heater in place WHEN your heater goes out is a lifesaver for your fish.
Lets face it.. the temperature in your aquairum has been the same exact temperature since the day after you put the heater in it... how often do you check the temperature now? Since the mercury hasnt moved in months, even years, are you even sure the thermometer works?
8^)~


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## amanda huggenkiss (Mar 3, 2004)

Shay said:


> Always use a check valve and don't unhook your DIY co2 bottle and forget to put it back on or decide to do it in the morning.:icon_redf If your lucky someone will notice that your fish are flashing emergency help signs as the water slowly siphons out onto the floor.


_Now_ you tell me!

Alternatively, if you know for a fact that aquarium water started to siphon into the CO2 bottle even before you unhooked it, don't assume that the hose will be safe just balancing on top of the aquarium and then walk away. Next time you look, there will be water all over the floor.


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## anonapersona (Oct 19, 2002)

*maintaining temperature*

I just learned that you can get 4'x8'styrofoam boards, 1/2 inch thick that are blue on one side. It is a nice blue, sort of shimmery. I've had each of these cut to fit the back of my largest aquariums to help maintain the temps in the tanks that are usually heated above room temp. For me here in Houston, that is only the discus tanks, but most of you probably work to keep tanks warm in the winter. Even one side with insulation makes a huge difference in temp stability I can really see the effect on the tall, thin 55 gallon.


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## secretagent (Mar 13, 2004)

I dont want to talk about IT! I had the WORST stench in My sisters and my room for a LONG time becasue of a co2 Accident and a damaged leaking tank! :icon_redf


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## pphx459 (Jun 25, 2004)

Couple things learned the hard way:

1) Couldn't resist the temptation. Added TOO many fishes at once - bought 30 fish at the same time while tank wasn't even cycled. Luckily the fishes didn't die but Algae was everywhere.. This brings up number 2.

2) Because the majority of the LFS's do not carry certain fish, I went ahead and got a whole bunch from one LFS thinking I might never find them again. One month later, the same LFS had many more...

3) Use a QUARANTINE tank! I am now paying the price for it. Since the fish are full of Ich. I don't know which batch of fish introduced the disease..


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## Poohbee (May 6, 2004)

Lesson just learned:

If you notice your output flow of water is going down and you clean the canister filter and the outflow is still down check the damn co2 external reactor =P...

Took me a few hours of trying to trouble shoot the canister filter only to notice that the damn external co2 reactor was clogged up with built up plant matter.


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## lamthuyduong (Aug 1, 2004)

This is great guys. I love reading your posts. I started a 10 gallon planted tank a month ago. No algae, plants are growing very fast. I do have one suggestion:

If you're buying plants online, look around and plan ahead on what you're going to buy, then order it from one "Single" store. So that you don't have to pay for separate shippings that might add up to hundreds of dollars.


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## fedge (Mar 4, 2004)

wELLL>...

Even the best plans can be layed to ruins... if your water is too hard or whatever to not support the plants well enough (something I and many have run into). Or the place you buy the plants that you so pain-stakingly researched out, replaces them with "other" plants...like what happend to me. Those "other" plants just do not grow well in my setup!! I wish I would have gotten what i ordered.


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## russdesnoyer (Oct 25, 2002)

Just a couple thoughts after several years of running high light, high nutrient tanks: too much potassium is very bad for plants and aquascaping goes right out the window at 5wpg!

Russ


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## Laith (Jul 7, 2004)

Never walk into a well run, well stocked LFS unless you either:

- need something specific
- don't have any money!

:icon_bigg 

I don't know how many times I wander into a good lfs and then end up buying some gadget or test or food or widget or tank or... :icon_roll 

For me its like a good bookstore: I get stuck inside and then come out with a bag of stuff! :icon_bigg


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## mpb (Jun 6, 2004)

Not all lessons should be about mistakes.
This is a lesson learned not from a mistake but from researching and trying it myself.

If you are setting up a planted tank, start adding the plants first and give some time for the plants to establish themselves. Only after you notice growth and roots developing that you should add fish. You will see that there will be no ammonia problems and cycling period.


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## catwoman (Aug 30, 2004)

I ended up with an infestation of hydra and plant-eating snails after putting untreated plants in my 10g tank. I tore down the tank and disinfected all of my plants (lost quite a few in the process). Now I soak new plants in Lime-It and then in potassium permanganate (available as Jungle Clear Water liquid).


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## zapus (May 26, 2004)

*Iron vs. manganese deficiency*

Iron and manganese deficiency both result in interveinal chlorosis (light green leaves with darker green veins). Adding extra iron when Mn is the deficiency only makes the problem worse, because excess iron inhibits uptake of Mn.


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## ksand (Oct 19, 2004)

*Lesson Learned: Amano Shrimp*

Amano Shrimp are regular little Houdinis, and can crawl quite some distance from their tanks. Why they do this, despite the fact that it is not in their best interest, is a mystery to me. :icon_frow


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## kzr750r1 (Jun 8, 2004)

*Don't bleach bath stem plants*

Just did this recently unfortunatly. I've not kept the balance (still working on it) nutriants and had alot of BBA on my ludwigia. So since this works for Anubis on ocassion figured what the hell.

Unfortunatly lost most of the leaves in a week and it's slowly recovering.

Now If I tried harder at balancing Macros the Ludwigia would probably have out grown the BBA on the old leaves...

We all live and learn. Great string.


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## Canoe2Can (Oct 31, 2004)

If you don't have a quarantine tank, get one and use it. I knew this, but didn't follow it and now I feel dumb as a rock for not. I bought a 1/2 dozen green neons from a local shop week and a half ago. They were in great shape and so in they went. I go back a few days ago and they had a fresh order. So I bought ten more, and put them right in. Now 7 are dead and #8 doesn't look good. Turns out they had some kind of parasite, probably gill flukes by the looks of things. And of course, I don't have a quarantine tank here (having recently moved, it's still stuck in storage). And of course, any medication I have for treating parasites says it will also kill plants. Live and learn, and then get a spare 10 gallon.


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## Biffe (Dec 13, 2004)

10 years break from aquarium hobby
new tank
wohoo Discus let's try those! ahmmm let's buy 20 to start with
another 5 year break!!


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## misa212 (Nov 19, 2004)

*aarrrgghhh*

If you use a heater you're not sure about, 1. you'll forget about it soon after you turn it on and 2. it'll overheat your tank so much that you'll be almost too embarrased to post about your mistake. Almost.


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

anonapersona said:


> Do not buy food in bulk. I bought 10 lbs of flake food for the pond. In the 5th year I began losing fish. After 8 years, I simply gave up and left the pond bare with a fountain. In the 10th year I restocked and the fish began to die. I finally threw out the last 3 lbs of flake food. Now I buy little bitty containers and toss it out in a year.


I got rid of these algae sticks I had from 1989 last year finally, they tasted good though.

Lessons I've learned:
Careful, you might end up working in aquatic plant research and outrunning gators to obtain samples("Stumpy" was the last Grad student I had....). You might say you'll never become one of "_those_ plant only people" only to fail miserably. You might end up with a BS, MS or PhD if you are not careful. 
I find I like plastic fish more and more, they are life like, easy to keep, never jump out. Flourish smells and looks a lot like Soy sauce. 

Regards, 
Tom Barr

www.BarrReport.com *the* place for plant information


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

ksand said:


> Amano Shrimp are regular little Houdinis, and can crawl quite some distance from their tanks. Why they do this, despite the fact that it is not in their best interest, is a mystery to me. :icon_frow


Amano said they are trying to come home to Japan.

Regards, 
Tom Barr

www.BarrReport.com


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## Momotaro (Feb 21, 2003)

> Amano said they are trying to come home to Japan.


AHHH! That would explain the tiny little passport!

Mike


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## derekkim (Apr 26, 2004)

Momotaro said:


> AHHH! That would explain the tiny little passport!
> 
> Mike


LOL!

I learned that you never should do water changes with your mom. You spill one drop, and thats one hell of a spanking you're getting.


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## observant_imp (Jun 30, 2004)

If you're suprised when a test reads 0, redo the test before dosing. For me, this is particularly true of nitrate--I never seem to shake the dang bottle long enough.


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## Fastdave289 (Jan 4, 2005)

*So many things to screw up!*

Started my first 10 gallon planted tank two days ago. DIY Co2, several wisteria, 3 wpg cfl, kitty litter substrate, osmocote fertilizer, medium sand on top. I haven't been involved in the sport for long, but your posts will allow me to console myself when things go FUBAR


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## Rex Grigg (Dec 10, 2002)

Fastdave289 said:


> Started my first 10 gallon planted tank two days ago. DIY Co2, several wisteria, 3 wpg cfl, kitty litter substrate, osmocote fertilizer, medium sand on top. I haven't been involved in the sport for long, but your posts will allow me to console myself when things go FUBAR



It shouldn't be long with Osmocote in the substrate.


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## SCMurphy (Oct 21, 2003)

Fastdave289 said:


> Started my first 10 gallon planted tank two days ago. DIY Co2, several wisteria, 3 wpg cfl, kitty litter substrate, osmocote fertilizer, medium sand on top. I haven't been involved in the sport for long, but your posts will allow me to console myself when things go FUBAR


It's amazing what people can dig up on the internet, Dan would be proud.
:icon_idea 
It's almost too perfect, is this a troll?


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## baj (Sep 16, 2004)

Momotaro said:


> AHHH! That would explain the tiny little passport!
> 
> Mike


..... and the "flying ducky" speedos.


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## TheSmJ (Sep 4, 2004)

Not sure if this has already been stated but: Don't pack your tank with a bunch of fast growing plants all at once! Instead, plant sparingly and let them fill out on their own. Use any trimmings you take to thicken any areas left.

You'll save both time planting AND money that way. Not to mention the end result will be much nicer!


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## Rex Grigg (Dec 10, 2002)

TheSmJ said:


> Not sure if this has already been stated but: Don't pack your tank with a bunch of fast growing plants all at once! Instead, plant sparingly and let them fill out on their own. Use any trimmings you take to thicken any areas left.
> 
> You'll save both time planting AND money that way. Not to mention the end result will be much nicer!


Unless of course you are doing a silent cycle on the tank. Then you do want to stuff it full of fast growers.


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## kzr750r1 (Jun 8, 2004)

observant_imp said:


> If you're suprised when a test reads 0, redo the test before dosing. For me, this is particularly true of nitrate--I never seem to shake the dang bottle long enough.


I have been blindly following my AP Nitrate kit doing the same thing. After purchasing a new kit I noticed the directions stating to shake the #2 bottle for 30 sec. DOH!  I could kick myself.

Interestng part is the tank is not choked down with algae. Swords are blooming like mad but have had irregular leaves lately. I wont be adding any Nitrate for a while. 

I was under the impression my tank was consuming around 3 to 5 ppm a day. Wrong...Back to square one. Balance is the goal.


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## Canoe2Can (Oct 31, 2004)

*The terror of duckweed*

Lesson learned: Unless you're sure you want it there permanently, never put duckweed in a tank.

A few months back I set up a 50 gallon tank for a solitary red-bellied pirahna. Wanting it to look somewhat natural, I put in some driftwood, floating water sprite, and duckweed. As I discovered, duckweed grows like mad. It soon covered the entire top of the tank and was choking out the water sprite. Every week I would remove some to keep it in check, but that got old. And as it would eventually die, the dead bits would clog up my filter. Worse yet, it always seemed to manage a way to transfer to my 45 gallon planted tank. Finally, I got fed up with it. I pulled out whatever water sprite had not succumbed to it and tried to wash the duckweed off. Then I spent about an hour trying to skim all the rest of it off the top of the tank. Never quite got all of it. Now every time I change water, I spend another five minutes or so trying to finish off the survivors, but I can never get it all. Good news is, it's at least in check and the water sprite is recovering nicely.


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## ayrsayle (Jan 9, 2005)

Any time there is ANY risk of disease in ANY of your tanks, be sure to sterilize anything changing tanks. or better yet... don't change them (laughs)

I changed a filter from my feeder fish tank, to my 10 gallon betta tank.... and both tanks came down with dropsy. It is my strong suspicion that the goldfish were the cause....


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## lumpyfunk (Dec 22, 2004)

If you tell someone how happy you are with how long your most expensive fish in your tank have lived and how well they are doing. . .they will die within the week.

Also if you have cats who like watching your fish. . . be aware of other things that may catch their fancy, in my case it was my c02 line they decided to play with and caused a ph swing :icon_redf :icon_redf


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## sawallace (Jan 24, 2005)

Most recent lessons:

SAE's jump out of tanks

Cannister filters make things easier in co2 injected tanks

When doing a WC, put the end of the hose in a bucket to guard against fish loss

Slow and steady is usually the best method

#1 mega, super, fantastic, best lesson..... PATIENTCE!


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## TINNGG (Mar 9, 2005)

Hi - new member here.

Thought I'd add my lessons...

1) If there are small children in the house, keep the test kits and drugs locked up.

2) Don't let *anybody* feed your fish without asking

3) Don't mix male and female jewelfish

4) Putting interesting and attractive ornaments in an aquarium will invite little fingers to play with them

5) A guppy is not a sheep, and a net is not a sheepdog - leave the fish in peace :icon_redf (I was 12 at the time)

6) Don't get distracted while filling the tank (at least the carpet doesn't seem to smell funny)

A useful lesson though - provided you can keep small fingers from messing with them, Legos and Megabloks do appear to be aquarium safe (and the megablok man o' war ship from the dragons series looks really cool)


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## glass-gardens.com (Apr 14, 2004)

TINNGG said:


> A useful lesson though - provided you can keep small fingers from messing with them, Legos and Megabloks do appear to be aquarium safe (and the megablok man o' war ship from the dragons series looks really cool)


And of course natural looking ......


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## TINNGG (Mar 9, 2005)

glass-gardens.com said:


> And of course natural looking ......


 :biggrin: To be sure, the brilliant red, blue, and yellow lego ship is *not* natural looking. Then again, it *is* a q/t tank so that wasn't a high priority. (actually, I just wanted to see if it was safe.)


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## awdturbo04 (Mar 12, 2004)

Dont buy used fish tanks. Baught a 55 from someone living in a trailer for 100 bucks. Came with stand light filters buckets everything. Put it on the third floor of the house. Week and a half later brother comes running down stairs saying your tank broke. Aperentaly the seal in the bottom busted. That was fun to catch with bucktes and syfon out really fast. funny thing was week later left for california for 2 weeks :icon_bigg


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## glass-gardens.com (Apr 14, 2004)

Not considering used aquariums is an excellent way to either limit the growth of your hobby or substantially increase the cost. I have two tanks I purchased new, the rest are all used. I do try to purchase used tanks that are filled at time of purchase, but if the glass is in good shape, I'm not going to turn it down.

But I don't take them home and set them up immediately either, I fill them in my shop and let them set for a week to check for leaks, any I find (rarely) are easily repaired, I just cut the old silicone away and redo the seams, never had a problem after a thorough test or reseal and I end getting a heck of a lot more bang for my buck. The only tank I ever had spring a serious leak after it was set up was a new tank. And I treat new tanks the same way I treat used ones so...


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## Bluzz_sky (Feb 18, 2005)

Dont buy cheap gravel thinking you save money coz you ended up spending more buying substrate suplement!! 
:eek5:


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## motifone (Nov 21, 2004)

Don't leave your tank unattended when refilling with a Python. There's nothing like leaving the room, getting distracted, and then snapping alert to the sound of water bleeding over the top of your tank like an infinity pool and flooding the ground.


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## TINNGG (Mar 9, 2005)

I didn't leave the room. I was netting angels out of my q/t tank just a few feet away.


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## Thanks (Oct 9, 2004)

dont mix male and female guppies. :fish: + :fish: ...............

:fish: :fish: :fish: ............ (the forum wouldnt let me put 10,000 fishies on)


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## RoseHawke (Mar 10, 2004)

When deciding how your AHS lighting kit is going to be arranged, take into consideration that if you've got two ballasts and four lights you MIGHT at some point want to run the lights separately in two banks. In a front and back formation. And not a left and right formation :icon_roll . 

I just spent a couple of hours yesterday re-arranging wires in my hood so that I could run half the lighting if I need/want to and _barely _had the wires long enough to do it like I wanted. Still not happy with it, it's not "pretty" ... but at least it works!


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## New 2 fish (Dec 26, 2004)

Platties do like to jump, esp. after water changes!
When buying an adapter to go from your kitchen sink faucet to a garden hose, get the metal one- not plastic.
Never buy 30 sagittaria for a 30g tank!!!!


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## GTApuffgal (Feb 7, 2005)

If you aren't getting much from your DIY yeast concoction, make sure the yeast is still good! I went out and bought a fresh jar of yeast a few days before I mixed up my first batch. Mixed er up and waited. Gave er a few shakes and got a few sad little bubbles. But I found myself going back and shaking and shaking... THEN I realized I had not indeed used the brand new yeast, but rather a jar that has probably been sitting in my pantry for around 3 years.

Take two! Mixed a fresh batch, switched out the bottles and within an hour, LOTS of activity. As of this morning I am at 30 ppm! Fresh yeast is your friend!!!

Kathy


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## ThatOneFish (Apr 10, 2005)

*Great Thread*

First Post, I'll make this short:
Use correct equipment, don't try to cut the nub off a 2 prong extension cord, to fit your 3 prong plug, you may just slip and end up with 3 stitches in your hand.
When using a Python, make sure nothing is clogging the drain (drinking glass), for you may find a kitchen full of water.


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## jhoetzl (Feb 7, 2005)

If you are drilling a round pipe (e.g. making a spraybar or adding to one), ensure that said round pipe is secured in something other than your hand. No further comment...


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## GTApuffgal (Feb 7, 2005)

Even if your very teensiest Oto is too big to get sucked into the intake of your AC150 this does not preclude his ability to wedge his tiny head up in there.

(5 hours later - sharing zucchini with Spot, the Clown Pleco... and admiring the ugly slice of sponge over the intake...)


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## Stu (Feb 16, 2004)

GTApuffgal said:


> Even if your very teensiest Oto is too big to get sucked into the intake of your AC150 this does not preclude his ability to wedge his tiny head up in there.


That reminds me of an experience...

Expect the unexpected;
Even if it would seem unlikely for an African Dwarf Frog to be able to fit (and get stuck) an Oto's head entirely in it's mouth, it doesn't mean it's impossible!


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## GTApuffgal (Feb 7, 2005)

Stu said:


> That reminds me of an experience...
> 
> Expect the unexpected;
> Even if it would seem unlikely for an African Dwarf Frog to be able to fit (and get stuck) an Oto's head entirely in it's mouth, it doesn't mean it's impossible!


OMG Stu - you're going to HAVE to share more on this one! What did you DO???


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## Stu (Feb 16, 2004)

This was when I had my only Otocinclus with my frogs in their 25 litre tank (Oto now happy as a sandbag in my planted 80 litre!).

I woke up one morning to find the largest female ADF (she always tried to eat anything that moves) at the top of the tank with the entire Oto's head in her mouth!








I started gently moving the pair to see if they would free themselves, but because of the Oto's rough, spiny head, it had actually got stuck, *and* more importantly, I couldn't simply pull on the Oto's tail to remove it from the frog.
In the end I had to carefully prise open the frog's mouth, at which point the Oto quickly swam away. Both were fine after the incident, and I thought they would learn from this freak occurence.

How wrong could I be!!








A couple of days later, the exact same frog had done exactly the same thing again!
After that, I decided to move the Oto into my other tank.









Everyone I've told can't (or wont) believe that a frog could actually end up like that, and many others easily keep ADF's with Oto's.

I also saw the Oto sucking on a frog's back on more than one occasion.... something else not often seen.









I might try another Oto in their tank at some point, as I have seen bigger species available around here recently, so I might be posting some more "observations" at some point!


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## darby504 (May 2, 2005)

Greetings from Wyoming. Great thread!

I finally learned to check the lot number of any test kit I might buy at the LFS. For Aquarium Pharmaceuticals tests kits, the last four digits of the lot number represent the month and year of manufacture. 

Therefore, the "substantial amount of dust" on the box at the LFS that jake mentioned also could mean your brand-new test kit was manufactured 5 (five!) years ago. Aquarium Pharmaceuticals emailed me the shelf life for their various kits if anyone's interested (but maybe I'm the only slow learner here :icon_redf ).


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