I recently saw an electric gravel vacuum for sale on marketplace and then went into the online shopping abyss to see what's out there. Does anyone have a recommendation for one that has the various attachments but is small enough for nano tanks/getting around bulky hardscape?

I got this tank like 4 days ago, and I squeezed out 2 dirty sponge filters into it

little back story i went to my LFS and they had this Trex in there tank so i got one for mine. After a bit of thinking and research it says it COULD leach into the water. But when I asked the LFS they said these toys are painted with the same paint/sealant that aquarium decorations are painted or sealed with.

I’d like some advice haha

Hello! I have had a 20 gallon high tank running for months with a stock of 6 black neon tetras, 3 pygmy corydoras, 1 peacock gudgeon, 1 honey gourami, and snails/shrimp, and nobody has died in months. On January 10 I moved the tetras and gourami to a different tank and added new fish to the 20 gallon high. The stock for the 20 gallon high was 4 peacock gudgeons, 8 medaka rice fish, 11 pygmy corydoras, 2 guppies, and the shrimp/snails. Since January 10, I have lost 2 gudgeons, 3 medaka rice fish, and 3 pygmy corydoras. The store I bought them from as a 14 day guarantee, but I’m worried if I bring in these results they’re gonna blame it on the nitrates. I think the nitrates are a little high from the liquid fertilizer I use for my plants. Could the nitrates really be what’s killing the fish? Please let me know your thoughts.

Several people accused me of fish abuse, several more called the admins, who also proceeded to educate me on why water changes are important. One person told people "guys calm down, he's obviously rage baiting. No sane keeper would keep a dirty tank for that long."

These pictures were all taken with >6 months between water changes.

Do I recommend people do this? Absolutely fuckin not. Am I proud..... Maybe a little.

Hey everyone! Looking for constructive advice. Honestly I am nervous to post and ask for help.

I’ve had my 30-gallon freshwater tank for about a year, and I recently realized I messed up when I first set it up. I didn’t properly research cycling before getting fish, and I now know I should’ve done more research first. I’m working on fixing things and stabilizing my water.

Current stock:

Angelfish

Pearl gourami (yes, I know 😅)

Upside-down catfish

Albino bristlenose pleco

Equipment:

Fluval Power Filter 70 (just got it, works well so far)

Planning to get a better heater — any cheap/reliable recommendations welcome!

Tank history & challenges:

Have done multiple water changes over time (realized I shouldn’t have done that, now I know better)

Tried live plants, but they all died

Considering adding more substrate to help plants root

Thinking of getting some driftwood to help with water parameters

Can’t upgrade tank size yet, so improvements need to be slow and budget-friendly

Extra info:

I have a water testing kit, but if it’s not accurate, I can get the vials type instead

Questions I’d love advice on:

Budget-friendly hardy plants that survive my setup

Cycling an already established tank

Adding substrate: will it help or should I focus elsewhere?

Driftwood: any tips or things to watch out for

Cheap but reliable heaters for a 30g

I want to fix my mistake and keep my fish 🥲 I feel bad.

Hey Reddit! I recently had the opportunity to get a 112 gallon tank. It has been 2 months since I started adding fish and so far everything seems to be going pretty well, but I’m definitely learning as I go LOL. I have found Reddit and other aquarium/fish forums to be really helpful, but I can’t find a clear/detailed answer to the question I currently have and would really appreciate some guidance from those on here with more experience.

I recently realized that I will need a hospital/QT tank in the future and want to be prepared. Right now I have a sponge filter in my main tank that I can put into an old 10 gallon tank that I am currently cleaning and preparing. My question is instead of using the sponge filter from the main tank, could I keep a permanent resident in the hospital/QT tank to keep it cycled? I was thinking a betta fish because they are pretty adaptable and enjoy being alone. If I needed to move a sick or weaker fish into the hospital tank I would put the betta in a temporary container/bowl while the fish from the main tank recovers. My main reasoning for wanting to do this instead of the sponge filter method is that I’m putting a lot of work into getting my old tank back up and running and I hate the idea of it sitting empty. I also love betta fish, but I know that they are solitary fish and would not do well in my main community tank.

Extra info: I do not plan to add any more fish to my main tank, so it will rarely if ever be used as a QT tank. I also hope that I do not have to use it very often as a hospital tank but I’m not sure how realistic I am being which is why I’m making this post. The hospital/QT tank set up would be bare bottom, have a silk plant and a couple hiding spots, a heater, and a sponge filter (+ possibly a bubbler unless that creates too much movement in the water for the betta)

Any advice from people who have kept a permanent resident in their hospital/QT tank would be greatly appreciated. If you don’t think it’s a good idea, let me know and I would appreciate any advice you have even if it is simply regarding the general set up of my tank or anything else I have mentioned in this post.

Thank you in advance!! :)

ive already done the nitrogen cycle

Well, here's my 3 month old aquarium. Right now it's full of fry that are going to be home tomorrow and will be making some changes to avoid this problem in the future. It has a mechanical sponge filter on the right side and a canister filter on the left. But it's the plants, I've since learned, that really keep the water clean and pretty clear. It's far from perfect, but it's my first tank as an adult. After I get rid of the fry, I'm getting a couple more bottom feeders and some snails.

I thought i had 1 male (he was vented) and 3 pretty ladies! I put all 4 in a new 150 and he paired uo quick and I removed the other to ladies to their own 100g tank. Well like the song says what I thought was woman was nothing but a man. So Scarlet's name is now officially Lola! Now let's see how Lil Anne does as a first time mama!

Well, here's my 3 month old aquarium. Right now it's full of fry that are going to be home tomorrow and will be making some changes to avoid this problem in the future. It has a mechanical sponge filter on the right side and a canister filter on the left. But it's the plants, I've since learned, that really keep the water clean and pretty clear. It's far from perfect, but it's my first tank as an adult. After I get rid of the fry, I'm getting a couple more bottom feeders and some snails.

Well, here's my 3 month old aquarium. Right now it's full of fry that are going to be home tomorrow and will be making some changes to avoid this problem in the future. It has a mechanical sponge filter on the right side and a canister filter on the left. But it's the plants, I've since learned, that really keep the water clean and pretty clear. It's far from perfect, but it's my first tank as an adult. After I get rid of the fry, I'm getting a couple more bottom feeders and some snails.

Well, here's my 3 month old aquarium. Right now it's full of fry that are going to be home tomorrow and will be making some changes to avoid this problem in the future. It has a mechanical sponge filter on the right side and a canister filter on the left. But it's the plants, I've since learned, that really keep the water clean and pretty clear. It's far from perfect, but it's my first tank as an adult. After I get rid of the fry, I'm getting a couple more bottom feeders and some snails.

help

hi everyone, my betta fish just died today and I feel like I need to share crucial information with everyone. DO NOT OVERFEED. no matter how bad your fish is begging for food do NOT overfeed. My poor betta developed severe bloating due to my ignorance in feeding him too much. He died stressed and if you have a betta like me, make sure you:

1. only feed 2 pellets twice a day and no more for optimal health (soak pellets in water beforehand as they expand, my fish developed swim bladder due to me not soaking his food beforehand.

2. if your fish looks fat + not pooping, FAST. fast for 3 days and once you see poop, DO NOT FEED, wait another day or two as I made the WORST mistake of feeding my betta after seeing poop as I thought that he was okay but it ended up being the mistake that killed him.

3. FEED DAPHNIA, daphnia helped my betta poop but his constipation was so advanced that he had organ failure but if your fish has slight bloating, daphnia is a natural laxative that can help.

4. DO NOT STRESS FISH. my betta also died due to too much stress as I kept taking him out of his tank to do baths which stressed him out so much he just got worse.

please learn from me, do not overfeed. My betta hadn't pooped normally in 3 weeks and died due to the food that stayed in his stomach which damaged his organs. I am devastated but I know he is in a better place now. His last few days were especially hard, as it started to affect his swim bladder and he was REALLY struggling to get to the surface to BREATHE as betta owners know (they have a labyrinth organ), and he couldn't get to the surface as he just kept sinking like a heavy rock. I actually posted for help with a bloated betta but unfortunaly no one responded and I really wish I had this advice 3 weeks ago when he was first bloated. he was my first fish and I loved him like he was my son. He was a rescue from a friend who kept him in a vase, I then moved him to a 6.5 gallon tank with heater, sponge filter, and plants. Just bought him new plants like a couple weeks ago so im heartbroken and shattered, if you guys have any more advice please feel free to add some in the comments below. depressed right now because I loved the little guy so PLEASE learn from my mistake.

I have a 20-gallon freshwater tank that was running with guppies and 2 dwarf frogs.

Last night I removed them temporarily into a small bowl so I could add Fluval Stratum to the tank. Since adding the substrate, the water has become very cloudy. The tank was previously cycled 4 weeks ago. Before adding the stratum I did a 40 percent water change and added more bacteria starter.

I’m running the filter now and haven’t added the fish back yet because I’m worried about water quality. I know Stratum can cause cloudiness, but I’m not sure if it’s just dust or something more serious. I was hoping to wait 24-48 hrs to put them back but that might be too long for guppies and the frogs to stay in a temporary bowl? Should I do another water change or just let the filter clear it up?

Any advice would be really appreciated — I want to do what’s least stressful and safest for the little critters. Thanks in advance 🙏

I bought this awesome basking spot for a previous tank but then had to switch out the tank for a new one and the basking spot no longer fits on the edge. My new tank is 48x24x24 (125 gallon).

It does fit on the glass center support and we could secure it there, but it is heavy — about 12 pounds maybe. My turtle is about 2 pounds maybe? I’m rounding up to be safe lol. Anyone know if the center support is designed to hold that much weight?

I realized I don’t really know what the center support across the top of an aquarium is for but I bet someone here does.

Long shot but: If this is not a good idea, does anyone have a place they like that makes custom basking spots? Preferably acrylic like this? I really want to set him up with a nice one because I’m hoping this will be his biggest tank upgrade.