fishddiction

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I had a very squealy reaction to this post and was forced to explain my sudden outburst to a whole room of people. Worth it.

Some cute goldie babies and just an absolute unit of boy.

All the babies so far are about an inch, inch and a half but this lad is well over 3 and i am just impressed.

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aquariums are all fun and games and you’re only gonna get one til you wake up with four tanks and have boxes of live plants and fertilizers in the mailbox while you’re looking at imported wild type bettas online and homebrewing almond leaf extract for blackwater and wonder when exactly you lost control of your life choices

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Kryptopterus vitreolus, known in the aquarium trade traditionally as the glass catfish and also as the ghost catfish or phantom catfish, is a small species of Asian glass catfish. It is endemic to Thailand, where found in rivers south of the Isthmus of Kra that drain into the Gulf of Thailand and river basins in the Cardamom Mountains.

Keep reading

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Hey guys just a quick reminder that

I

Love

My

Fish

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Um hi yes I’m feeling Personally Attacked

that moment you realize that you really want to pay a big amount of money to buy rocks and branches

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🐠 Fishblr Questions! 🐠

1. What was the first fish you ever owned? 2. What is your dream tank? 3. What is your favorite fish? 4. What was/is your most troublesome tank? 5. In your opinion, what is the best beginner fish? 6. What is your favorite fishblr blog? 7. Are there any fish that you dislike? 8. Planted tank or reef tank? 9. Favorite type of betta? 10. Favorite type of goldfish? 11. In your opinion, what fish should not be reccomended for beginners (but often is)? 12. Favorite species of shark? 13. What is the best brand/type of food? 14. Favorite invertebrate? 15. What would you do if you suddenly had an extra 200 gallon (757L) tank? 16. What would you do if you suddenly had an extra 10 gallon (37L) tank? 17. If you could remove any product from the shelves of a petstore (ex. Bettacube, ecosphere, fish bowls, etc.), what would it be and why? 18. Have you ever bred fish? 19. Gravel or sand? 20. Favorite non-fish animal? 21. Favorite fish fact? 22. What common myth about fish do you wish you could dispell? (Ex. Can live in bowls, 7 second memory, low maintenance, boring pet, throwaway pet, etc.) 23. Favorite type of filter? (Sponge, HOB, canister, etc.) 24. Do you start a siphon with a pump or with your mouth?

25. What do you think is the most beautiful fish? 26. What do you think is the most dangerous fish? 27. Best way to deal with an algae problem? 28. Natural or artificial decorations? 29. Saltwater, freshwater, or brackish? 30. How did you get into the aquarium hobby?

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Just added a bunch of rocks to my tank what do y’all think? 😊

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stop putting fish in bowls 2k18!!

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Marmalade, the Betta I got bae

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hmh? oh, don’t mind me, I’m just *evolves a flattened and streamlined body to withstand the current as I graze off of algal biofilm*

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Photo credit: @celestialhatter

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How to Cycle a Tank: Version 2.0

Brought to you by:

lokittyofcatsguard

Hi! I decided to remake this fairly popular post, as it was made a few years ago, and I’ve learned a lot more about cycling in that time! This is going to be a long, but hopefully informative post, so hear me out! There will also be significantly less swearing in this one as well. 

What is a “Cycle”?

So a “cycle” refers to the nitrogen cycle in aquatic environments. It looks like this:

There are two types of bacteria that colonize during the cycling process. Nitrosomonas and nitrobacter. Nitrosomonas convert the ammonia fish produce into nitrite, and nitrobacter convert the nitrite into nitrate. 

While the presence of any of the three can cause oxygen starvation, ammonia and nitrite are the easiest to accumulate to dangerous levels, and have the highest toxicity rate. 

Ammonia is produced by the fish and is toxic, to the point of causing damage to major organs if exposed to it for too long. It is either removed from the tank by water changes or through the nitrogen cycle. 

Nitrite is also extremely toxic, and its presence can cause a rise in a protein called methemoglobin, which essentially makes the blood unable to carry oxygen. It is either removed from the tank by water changes or through the nitrogen cycle. 

Nitrate is the least dastardly of the three stages of the nitrogen cycle. It is only toxic in higher numbers (over 40 ppm). It is only removed from the tank either by water changes, or by plants consuming it (which is why a densely planted tank tends to have better water quality than a tank with fake plants). 

So, How Do I Cycle a Tank?

I’M GLAD YOU ASKED

The Things You Will Need Are: 

a fish tank

a filter

dechlorinator

an API Freshwater Master Test kit

a bottle of pure ammonia (can be picked up at the 99c store) 

bottled beneficial bacteria

a cute lil notebook and pen

patience 

google 

Step One

Test your tap water! Ideally, your tap water should read:

0 ppm ammonia

0 ppm nitrite 

0 ppm nitrate

If it doesn’t have all zeroes to start out with, that’s okay! If your tap water has ammonia or nitrite when you start cycling, that’s fine! The bacteria you culture should take care of those as you cycle your tank. If your tap water has nitrate, keep that in mind as you cycle, as it might get a little confusing when you test the water. Take notes on your water quality as you go along. 

Step Two

Dose your tank with ammonia! 

Add ammonia to your tank until the test reads ~5 ppm. For me, using dollar store ammonia, that ended up being 5ml. Your ammonia might have a different concentration, so add little bits at a time and test. The test doesn’t have to read EXACTLY 5 ppm. A little more or a little less won’t hurt. Just keep in mind that too much more than 5 ppm can overwhelm bacteria that you might be growing and slow down the process, and too much less than 5 ppm can starve the bacteria and slow down the process. 

Step Three

Add beneficial bottled bacteria!

So, there’s a lot of debate on whether or not these things actually work. I personally think they’re worth the $7.00 you may drop on them, because they may just save you weeks of waiting and water testing. I personally used it to cycle my ten gallon, and it sped up the process enough to allow me to cycle the tank in two weeks versus five or six. The only brand I’ve used specifically is Imagitarium (a Petco brand), but, again, using it sped up my cycling process quite a bit. Just don’t bother faffing about with the instructions on the back if you’re using Imagitarium. Dump a bunch in until you feel like you’ve added enough. Just go with your gut on this. 

Step Four

Wait. 

Test a lot. Add more bacteria. Once the cycle gets going, you’re going to be looking at readings like:

3 ppm ammonia

1 ppm nitrite

1 ppm nitrate

Not those exactly, but something probably around that. Keep in mind, your tank is NOT cycled yet.  When your ammonia levels start to decrease, dose the tank back up to 5 ppm. Make sure you’re taking lots of notes on what you did, how much bacteria/ammonia you dosed the tank with, what your readings say for that particular day, etc. Keep in mind, this is a process that may take multiple weeks. 

“But Candace, how do I know when my tank is cycled?!”

You’ve waited. You’ve waited a LOT. But there’s really only one way to know if your tank is cycled. 

Your tests should read:

0 ppm ammonia

0 ppm nitrite

0 ppm nitrate

Once you get those readings, you need to do one more thing. Just one more thing. 

Dose your tank with ammonia again. Up to maybe 2 or 3 ppm. And wait 12 hours. If your bacteria have successfully converted the ammonia all the way to nitrate in 12 hours, your tank is cycled.  Do a 90% water change, and do some fish shopping. 

Tips and Tricks

Use an aquarium heater to get the tank to around 85 degrees Fahrenheit. This is around the ideal temperature for the reproduction of beneficial bacteria. You can lower the temperature to whatever it needs to be before the fish are put in. 

Adding plants before the cycling process is finished might skew your readings a little bit as the plants absorb nitrate from the water. If you want to add plants before the tank is finished cycling, make sure you note that and watch for changes in your nitrate tests. 

If anyone has any points I’ve got wrong, if they want to add anything, or have any other tips and tricks, they are welcome to reblog with more information! 

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I freaking love loaches

Loaches are so good

They come in pasta

pancake

and empanada

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