Byron

For the record, I asked about those people you mentioned out of curiosity, certainly not because I doubted you were being genuine. I didn't need specific names but thank you for providing them. It is nice to know some of those people are still active.

Filter media meaning the blue casing that the white insert goes into or remove carbon from the white part and put it back in the blue casing? Im not real sure what the end product should be.

Hey Byron, Just had a quick question. Should i remove the white insert that holds the carbon out of my filter? My tank is cycling, lots of plants etc. I just read something recently about not having the carbon in a planted tank but havent really seen much info on it. Just curious. I also read i should basically never change that piece.
It is best not to use carbon in planted tanks as the carbon removes essential nutrients that the plants need, such as DOC (CO2 source). Filter media in general should be rinsed as needed to keep the water flow good, and only replaced when it falls apart or no longer performs its function. Byron.

I am having a dilemma with my 29 gallon community tank. Up to this point this tank had been going very well. I aquired 6 marble hatchetfish a couple weeks ago and within a few days 4 had died. The 2 remaining ones are doing quite well and look great BUT I now within three days have lost almost all of my ten neon tetras that I have had for at least 6 months. They are just dying off several a day. I noticed one of the two remaining ones has white cottony stuff on its head like ich. That is the only one that has shown any evidence of any disease before just dying. Do you have any idea what could be happening? Any suggestions for treatment? I now only have 2 young angelfish (that look and act fine), the 2 hatchetfish, 3 three-lined corys and 1 oto cat (I intended to add more otos soon) and a mess of cherry shrimp. This tank is heavily planted and all my water perimeters are fine. I am afraid if this is neon disease I have read about, the entire tank is doomed.
Thread started.

Hi Byron, just want to say thank you so much for all the articles you have written, to find this information written in a way that the average person can understand (without a chemistry/biology background) is truly a gold mine. I have so many fish books but none of them explain in detail the finer points and balance that we need to understand in order to give our fish the habitat they deserve.
Thank you for your kind words, they are much appreciated. B.

Bryon, yesterday I added 6 marble hatchetfish to my 29 gal community tank. It is heavily planted and everything has been doing great. I gradually added tank water to the hatchetfish and checked the pH in their bag. It was 7.2 and my tank is constantly 7.6 but the GH KH is between 50-100ppm. I can not get my pH lower. I have boxwood, oak leaves and have recently added Indian almond leaves. I am concerned my water might be too hard for the hatchetfish. Should I be concerned about this?
No, I see no issue. Even at its hardest, 100ppm is only 5 dGH, and I raise my GH to 5 and 6 dGH and I have a large group of wild-caught hatchetfish, both Marble and Black-winged. GH is actually the more important. The pH may lower as the tank matures; if you want to pursue this, start a thread in Freshwater Aquarium. B.

Thanks Bryon. I didn't find your response until today. I guess I didn't know where it was posted. I contacted the seller of the driftwood and he says the wood is NOT cedar. I have put the pieces I bought in the aquarium and so far, so good. How soon did you notice you had a problem when you had driftwood kill half your fish? What wood do you recommend?
If the wood begins to get real soft and basically rot, take it out. As for anything toxic in it, this is impossible to determine until it leaches out. I've only once had this occur in 20 years, and it was with some softish wood that in hindsight might have been cedar or similar. Since then I use Malaysian Driftwood, sometimes called ironwood; is it very dark brown, hard, and heavy, it sinks immediately. B.

I have a question about my 29 gallon tank cycling. I put 3 clown loaches in on Tuesday night (4-16). I have tested the water every 24 hours for the last 5 days (tonight will be day 6). I have the API freshwater master test kit. Every reading has been the same.

pH 7.4
ammonia .50 ppm
nitrite 0
nitrate 0

Is this normal? I have 11 live plants so maybe they are taking the ammonia but i have no nitrite or nitrate. Is the tank cycling? Am i just being impatient? Please let me know if this is normal or not. Thanks.
I am surprised at the ammonia. Plants will take up a lot of ammonia, and with sufficient plants and low fish load you will (or should) not see ammonia or nitrite at all, and nitrate may or may not show up eventually. Have you tested your tap water for ammonia? What plants are they? At this point, I suggest you post a thread in the forum so we can explore this better. BTW, clown loaches will grow much too large for this tank, you do realize that? B.

Hi Bryan, I just received 2 very lovely pieces of old driftwood I found on ebay that was advertised for aquarium use. It floats and one piece smells like cedar. It looks like it has been aged in water. Should it be safe to use? Thanks, Grannyfish
I would not put cedar in an aquarium. Being a very soft wood, it will quickly decompose. And being soft it also absorbs substances more than hard woods and these can be toxic and leech out quickly. I had this occur with wood from a store years ago, killed half my fish before I realized what it was. B.

Happy Birthday!!

Mondo is most definitely not aquatic. Although it looks nice, it won't last just as the others say. Its more for a situation where it to be grown emersed in a tank such as a water area and a land...

I've had both and the only difference I've seen is appearance. Maybe someone else with more experience will chime in. They both did well for me under low light.

I doubt that the tank has setup a cycle yet... ammonia with no nitrites and no nitrates looks like it has barely started. Water changes daily would be best. I assume that you are treating the water ...

Thanks as always Bryon! Grannyfish

Coralife 48 Inch Aqualight With 2-65W Actinic / 2-65W 10,000K Lamp Straight Pin Base (with fans)...

I wouldn't use salt, their freshwater fish not brackish. A raised temperature will speed up the cycle of Ich, go as high as you can without obvious signs of stress in the fish. Be aware that a...

Algae exists everywhere already, it's not a disease you can introduce or anything like that. Algae only presents itself when its two conditions are met, nutrients and light. By being in direct...

It's very unlikely that they will be able to get bigger yoyo in. The problem with many of these loaches is that they are wild caught, and don't readily breed in captivity. So the ones that are caught...

The key to things like this is knowing your fish's behavior. By observing them on a daily basis you will better be able to tell just what is heavy breathing and what is normal respiration. When I...

Welcome to the forum and the hobby! A 20 gal is a great started tropical community size. It's not too big and not too small. A neat little trick about this forum is if you see a fish or plant name...

Dropping a bead or bit of gravel into the #2 Nitrate bottle makes it easier to mix/shake more thoroughly.

I missed the part about live vs artificial plants. Personally I love live plants, and the benefits they give your fish are amazing in terms of water quality. If you decide to go with live plants you...

What is your tap water's ph, gh, and kh? This can help ascertain what fish may do best in your water. I also agree with fishmonger, livebearers do prefer a harder water, while tetras (neons in...

Many times, fish will have overlapping temperature, PH, and hardness requirements; however, that doesn't mean that the conditions are equally good for all of the fish. Tetras typically prefer softer,...

Healthy adult fish can go a week or more without eating. I've heard more nightmare stories about auto feeders, friends feeding, feeder blocks, it can be a big problem. Feed as usual, let them be...