Recent content by glassbird

I need suggestions for plastic plants that are not going to fade and then fall apart after a few years in a fresh water tank. I had plastic plants in tanks decades ago that held up very well, but recent purchases from the SAME manufacturer are fading and shedding like mad after just 3-4 years of...

I have never seen a gray core in a terra cotta pot, and I have broken a few in my time. Just being described as terracotta on a receipt does not mean that it is real terracotta...that could be a very loosely used term, or just a description of the color. Can you post a pic of this item?

Two thoughts that I can contribute... If the cat can simply step onto the top and then walk around it, you have less chance of him breaking something or knocking something loose compared to a cat that can jump DOWN onto the tank, or jump UP onto the top. Both of these actions result in more...

Several light coats of black, painted on the outside of the back. Allow plenty of drying time between each coat (overnight, if you can stand it). I used latex on my 75 gallon and it looks great 8 years later. Put the tank face down, so the side to be painted is facing up....and clean the glass...

Try craft mesh. It comes in colors, likw brown, black, and green, that can blend into the tank decor. I use black. You can use zip ties to form a cylindrical shield 2-3 inches out away from the intake. This will keep anyone from being sucked into the filter, or even up against it. The holes are...

I am hoping that the OP can give us some additional information about the pond. More info may assist all of us to be more helpful.

Huh? Sorry to be dense, but I do not understand! By "space between media", do you mean build in gaps between the different types of media? I did that, with pieces of egg crate supporting the scrubbies above the lava rock, and the DIY filter media above the scrubbies. An as an update...my DIY...

Both of the answers above are correct. A 1 gallon tank is too small for even one goldfish, never mind four! An air pump is not a filter, and goldfish produce a lot of waste for their size...they need a filter, and a good one. Their waste is raising the ammonia levels in that tank very fast...

Unless you live in a warm part of the world, at only 2 feet deep, I would expect the pond to freeze all the way to the bottom. Very few fish can survive that. My two ponds are each 2 feet deep (100 gallons each). They are frozen blocks of ice for 3-4 months. I bring all my fish in and...

Way, way, too small for koi. They will outgrow it size-wise (and filter-wise) very quickly. And then you will join the ranks of people who are trying to give away fish to a "good home". The fish mentioned by chagoi are good choices. How cold does it get in the winter where you live? Is the...

How long has the fish been doing this? How long have you had the fish? What do you feed? It could be a water quality issue from overcrowding, but it could also be a food problem. Fancy goldfish can develop swim bladder disease which is thought to be caused by many things, especially incorrect...

I need help, advice, maybe just some sympathy? I have a 100 gallon Rubbermaid stock tank in my basement. It is used 6 months out of the year to house my pond comets during the winter when their ponds outside freeze solid. This is the third winter that the stock tank has been in use. No...

LyndaB's post is right on the money. The link provided there is something you need to read ASAP. "Cycling" is a WHOLE lot more than letting the tank run for 72 hours. That was a foolish bit of advice from your local petsmart. Be very wary of ANY advice from the LFS. Get your information here...

Although the common goldfish might be able to survive outside, it would be helpful to know how big the original pond was, if it was a hard-sided pond, where the pond was located (hard winters vs. easy winters) and how deep it was. A small, hard-sided pond in an area where the water would freeze...

...and just for future knowledge, the beneficial bacteri is not in the water itself. Transferring water from your 20 gallon to your 55 gallon did very little good. The vast majority of the bacteria are in your filter and gravel. Did you transfer the filter? Because that would have been helpful.