Fish Lovers 3.0 [new poll]

[paleosuchus]

On what scale are those KH and GH readings and what do you use to test the water (test strips or drops)? 4 to 6 sounds like german scale, but just double checking as there are couple different scales used and they are very different when it comes to numbers. Though 0 is very very low on any scale. Do you have a water softner connected to your water source?
Short answer to are GH and KH important, yes and no. Most fish are not too picky about KH and GH, some species are. Bettas are pretty hardy and tolerate wide range. So while it's benefical for them that there are some minerals in the water, they aren't overly picky on amount. Though 0 does not sound good. As for KH keeping the pH stable, it's true, but not always so simple in practise. Raising KH can raise the pH, but will also depend on are there compounds present that could affect the pH one way or another. Raising GH technically should not alter pH.
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I've been using the API 5 in 1 test strips. I wasn't looking at the scale on the packet when I made that post, I was looking at a website so I think you are right those weren't american standards. I looked up a conversion table, so my water is between 0-30 ppm for GH and 0-40 ppm for KH.
Basically I've been using filtered tap water, let it sit with conditioner for 30 minutes, then I test it before putting it in the tank. When I test it, KH, GH, N02 & NO3 are all very low (since I guess its meant to be drinking water, there is not many large particles in it) I checked my unfiltered tap water and GH is 120-180 ppm even after conditioning. I forgot what KH was but I believe it was around 80 ppm. That seemed like a huge leep from 0 so I don't want to shock my fish with sudden change in water quality.
Is it worth investing in products to raise my KH and GH at the moment? My fish seems really healthy and happy so I don't want to upset him too much with water changes.

[Hime]

Test strips aren't the most reliable when it comes to testing hardness, but either way 0 to 30-40 ppm is pretty low reading, so I would say your tap water filter is picking up minerals from the water. Basically 120ppm is around 6,7 on german scale, which is not bad at all and most fish tolerate it. Harder water just doesn't taste so good for us people. lol Water conditioner makes the chlorine and chloramine, plus some heavy metals, harmless to the fish. So it really doesn't alter the water parameters in terms of hardness or pH. Some conditioners may tie ammonia and NO2 if used in larger amounts, which is good if you have cycle crash or tap water has those two.
Theoretically in long run if you use half filtered and half unfiltered water to do your water changes with I think you would be in the 'ideal' range of hardness and won't need to put money into the KH and GH products as basically your unfiltered tap water has those minerals in it. And when this change in hardness is done gradually via partial water changes once or twice a week, your fish won't be shocked of the change. This is of course assuming the unfiltered water doesn't have something that is very harmful that can't be dealt with water conditioner. But I'm not overly familiar with tap water filters so...

[paleosuchus]

Test strips aren't the most reliable when it comes to testing hardness, but either way 0 to 30-40 ppm is pretty low reading, so I would say your tap water filter is picking up minerals from the water. Basically 120ppm is around 6,7 on german scale, which is not bad at all and most fish tolerate it. Harder water just doesn't taste so good for us people. lol Water conditioner makes the chlorine and chloramine, plus some heavy metals, harmless to the fish. So it really doesn't alter the water parameters in terms of hardness or pH. Some conditioners may tie ammonia and NO2 if used in larger amounts, which is good if you have cycle crash or tap water has those two.
Theoretically in long run if you use half filtered and half unfiltered water to do your water changes with I think you would be in the 'ideal' range of hardness and won't need to put money into the KH and GH products as basically your unfiltered tap water has those minerals in it. And when this change in hardness is done gradually via partial water changes once or twice a week, your fish won't be shocked of the change. This is of course assuming the unfiltered water doesn't have something that is very harmful that can't be dealt with water conditioner. But I'm not overly familiar with tap water filters so...

Thanks so much! I'll try the half and half for his next water change and see if that makes a difference.

[StarryEmma]

Hey y’all, back again.
I’m still really new to fishkeeping and all, but I feel like I’ve done my research and that I’m at a good place with my current tank. It’s a little ol 10 gallon and I currently have a mystery snail, a dwarf sucker, and a Platy. I’ve had the sucker for several months now in this tank, and I’ve had the platy and the snail for about 2. I’ve had a fair share with trial and error with some other fish previously, so these are my survivors, and I hope to keep it that way. I have my water change/tank cleaning routine down, and I just added a few plants to the tank. I can’t remember the types of plants off the top of my head, but I made sure to get low-light/water column plants to try out. I am also in the process of adding some sponges to my filter, I’m just waiting on those bad boys to come in the mail.
Having only one platy at the moment eats at my heart because I know they are social fish who like to have their groups, but I am also fearful that I will have more fish casualties by adding more. I had 3 in the tank at one time, but two of them died after only a week. I feel it was because I added all of them too close together, so my tank couldn’t keep up.
I feel a little bit better because I have seen the platy and sucker fish interact in friendly ways before, but I would like to get the platy more platy friends.
Any thoughts?

[Stripe12]

adding one more platy should be fine based on what you said, but I’d make sure it’s the same gender of your current one.

[paleosuchus]

https://www.etsy.com/listing/681389809/ ... ck=1&frs=1

Y'all this betta t-shirt is so cute!
Another update-sorry if you're tired of hearing about my fish The 20 gallon tank didn't work out. It was seriously covered in mold from top to bottom and all the maintenace and new materials I'd have to buy would be 100's of dollars, plus the last fish in it died of fungal infection. I was too paranoid I'd miss a spot like around the edges and accidentally expose Bullet to a deadly fungus. So I'm going back to my original plan and saving up for a bigger tank for him.
I had 2 questions about his health- First, I've noticed between his scales a dark patch. It seems to be spreading. I read online this could be a "marble" gene and its nothing to worry about but I am still a bit concerned.
Second, I noticed the edges of his tail are turning clear. Some sources say this is also a marble gene, and others say its a sign his fins are getting bigger and the color will eventually fill in. Anyone have any experience with either of these happening to their fish? Was it anything to be concerned about?
Once again, I'm still figuring out how to attach photos of my fish so I will do that when I can.

[ғᴏʀᴇsᴛ★ᴄʀɪᴛᴛᴇʀ]

Finally had time to go to the fish store last week! Meet Atreyu, who lives together with his two endler friends Falcor and Artax. I'll add a nerite snail which I'm naming Morla and some racing ramshorn snails c; I though it was such a cute idea to have a Neverending story themed tank! Best childhood memory ever.


I also brought an Apistogramma borellii male home, but he's getting lady company next week when my local FS gets some more in. As well as the two last marginatus pencilfish in the store which I bought. They're also getting more friends next week.

[StarryEmma]

Forest Critter: those are that is a lovely Betta and cichlid I hope they enjoy their new homes!

So an update, I ended up getting two female platys for my male in my planted 10 gal. I been having success with my plants, so I though now would be a good time to introduce some females for my lonesome male platy. So I got everything ready and added the girls to the tank and everything was fine, they all seemed to get along and enjoy each other’s company. But then in the evening when I fed them, I noticed my male was becoming territorial over the top half of the tank, where all of the food is. I thought it would pass once they ate all of their food, but it’s been a few days and he still doesn’t like the girls to be near the surface of the water. He will chase them away if he catches them up there, but seems to be fine whenever they are near the bottom or grazing on the decor/plants. I, I don’t want to do anything drastic to fix this problem quite yet, but any suggestions? I am also pretty attached to the male because I’ve had him for the longest, and I really feel like it’s his tank, so I wouldn’t want to get rid of him.

[Spearow]

Well I haven't posted about this yet. My darling boy Atticus has passed away. It has been some time now, but I never posted an update on here. I'm sad to not have any fish right now but I think I need a break from the heartache after my fish previous to Atticus had a tumor and various other upsetting problems.

So, right now I'm fishless. I continued to care for my tank while my little golden inca snail was still alive and well. She was one of my favorite little critters to have, and I was worried about choosing another betta to house with her in the event it was aggressive. So I let her keep the whole tank to herself in her remaining days. She was such a joy to have. I loved her, she was my little sea monster. She and Atticus were so cool together and would often check each other out.

Ah I miss my crew, but I think for now I need a break from the aquarium life. </3

[Jun.]

Hi its me again
So I've decided not to go with blackwater since I'm just starting out with the fish keeping hobby and want to start simple so I know how much I can handle for future plans.

If I want to it to be simple (simple as in 'easy' to manage rather than simple looking) but still be able to create a nice aquascape, how many plants could I get away with having in the tank? Since it's a 20gal, I have a fair amount of space to work with.
Also, I don't remember if I mentioned this before, but I plan on getting a snail or 2 along with the betta to help with cleaning and to give my future betta some company.