Recent content by MarioMarimo

more 2 cents: I keep plants in sand just fine. It is actually very coarse sand/granule size (i.e. between 1-3 mm). I have MTS to aerate and stir up the sand and I put Flourish root tabs in the sand for the plants to have more nutrients. I don't keep carpet plants, but my crypts don't mind the...

I would just like to say that I don't believe that all eco-complete are created equal. I purchased the Red EC and it is very sharp and angular volcanic rock. I don't know if the black is the same, but I didn't want to take the chance with the red EC being to sharp for cories, so I put the cories...

I have successfully kept ghost shrimp with one of my bettas. They are really good to have around because they will clean up and eat any food missed by the betta. Don't get too many though b/c they are territorial. One or two should be OK. I also keep a horned nerite snail with a betta. They...

I use coconut shell halves. Costco sells this desert which is sorbet inside of fruit "containers". They use lemon peel halves, coconut shell halves etc to serve the sorbet in. It is really nice because these coco shells are already symmetrically halved and scraped of the coco hairy-husk. I...

Hi, I currently have a 32 gallon (taller than wide) tank. It is sandy bottom with live plants. Residing in this tank are 6 black kuhli loaches, 11 White Cloud Mtn Minnows, and various MTS. I really really want to add some pygmy cories (about 6-8) to this set-up but I do not want to over stock...

I purchased the API master test kit and some Ammo Lock yesterday. My tanks yesterday (day 3) were both at 0ppm for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. The temps were 80 and 78 and the pH was 7.8 for both tanks. But just to be safe I did a 25% water change in the 10 gal and a ~35 or 40% water change...

Ok. Thanks for the advice everybody. I am thinking that Eco complete has a wide variety that it comes in because i see other posters pics who say that they have eco complete and it is much more rounded than mine. My eco complete (red) is definitely rough rock, and not very rounded. It is...

Thanks for the advice! I guess I will go get some more tests today. Last night my nitrates were at 0 ppm for both tanks but i guess that doesn't necessarily mean that the ammonia or nitrite is low too? I feel a little that I was swindled by my LFS guy who recommended that test to me. The...

I am new to cycling tanks, so this might be a bad suggestion, but i usually keep Mylasian Trumpet Snails in my tank gravel. What if you added some plants and some MTS into the tank and let it cycle like that? I think that the snails would produce some ammonia and get the cycle started and then...

Sort of. This is my second time setting up tanks. Any advice is good though. I have Eco complete (10 gal) with live cultures in one tank which might help to speed up the process for that one but the other tank is just a laterite/sand substrate (6 gal). I have some plants in each tank and one...

Hi all, I know that the break down order goes ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, then nitrogen. But what I want to know is: Which one is better to test for, especially in a new/cycling tank? Or should I test for both ammonia and nitrates? I currently have a nitrate test kit (NO3-) and the Ammonia...

But I thought that corys have to have a smooth substrate with rounded gravel or sand so that their barbels dont get chewed up?

Hi, I am setting up my 10 gal again after a dry spell. I purchased Eco-complete RED with live cultures etc and I have planted a C. Wendtii and an anubis plant as well as buying come bulbs for cultivating. I wanted to find a good substrate for plants and tried Eco-complete instead if my usual...