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I have those pre-filters on all of my tanks with shrimp, fry or nano fish in them. They disperse the suction enough that my red cherry shrimp can crawl on the foam but aren't plastered to it. I have also put just a rectangular piece of sponge over the intakes and it accomplished the same thing...

You could install a pre-filter on the intake, or just put a piece of sponge on the intake tube. I have a pre-filter on the intake in my shrimp tank, but I have red cherry shrimp which are smaller.

I think 100L is equal to 26 gallons? If so, I think you are overstocked, especially with an algea eater (assume it is a plecostomus). The only way to reduce nitrates is through frequent water changes or adding rapidly growing plants. Yes, deep clean the gravel. I would suggest one...

I think water parameters change more rapidly and are less forgiving in a small tank. While larger tanks give you more options for fish, stocking options are still limited in a bigger tank, as not all fish prefer similar temps, water conditions etc. Over time I've added tanks (20 longs and 29...

I have pool filter sand in 6 of my tanks. It's inexpensive and has worked very well. My cories love it. I purchased mine at Menards, not Ace, but am assuming the Ace sand is similar. Rinse it well before you put it in the tank

Low light plants don't grow fast but can survive and flourish in a low light aquarium. Water sprite (wisteria) and anacharis are both plants that you can let float at the top (closer to the light) until they become established and then plant them in the substrate. Java fern and anubias both can...

My first tank was a 29 gallon in 1994. Undergravel filter, black mollies and a common pleco. The internet barely existed at the time so everything I learned was from books and other aquarists, and I knew nothing about fishless cycling. Amazingly, the mollies and pleco lived through a fish-in...

What kind/size heater is it and what is the size of the tank it's heating? Setting it at 72 and having a tank temp of 80 is a big difference. Such frequent cycling on and off doesn't seem right but it may be oversized for the tank.

When my tap water tested + for ammonia and nitrite after a flood a few years ago, I ran a HOB filter on a large rubber-made bin filled with water and used that water (0 ammonia and nitrite after being filtered overnight) for PWC's until my tap water was back to 0. But .15 ammonia is very slight...

I keep my pandas at 72, so I don't think the issue is temp related. Mine are also on pool filter sand, as are my juliis (they prefer warmer temps) so I think PFS is ok for cories. I agree that Pandas can be sensitive, and my guess would be water quality, although it sounds as if you do a good...

Not directly for my tanks, but I was constantly breaking the test tubes for the API tests and was too cheap to buy a test tube rack. My husband took a 2' x 6' cedar deck board about 15" long and drilled 32 circular holes the diameter of the test tubes, 8 rows of 4 holes (ammonia, nitrite...

Good catch! Oops - I meant to say anacharis stems can be buried or can float. Agreed that anubias rhizome shouldn't be buried - I tie mine to flat rocks. Sorry!

I had a planted tank with no fish in it that I didn't do regular water changes in, as I was planning to tear down the tank and start over. I dosed with ammonia to keep the filter cycled but did no water changes for quite some time, so the nitrate levels were off the charts. The anubias grew like...

In my low light tanks I use pool filter sand as a substrate. It's inexpensive and easy to clean and I think it looks very natural with the plants. If you use it, wash/rinse it really well first! I supplement with seachem flourish and flourish trace, as well as root tabs for the swords but...

What type of test are you using to check ammonia - strips or API liquid tests? If you've done significant water changes and your readings don't budge, could it be inaccurate test results? Do you clean your filter in tank water (dirty) when you do the water changes? Over zealous cleaning...

No advice on the guppy but wanted to comment on the plants. I have several low light planted tanks using just T-8 bulbs and my plants have flourished - java fern, wisteria/water sprite, anubius, anacharis, aponogeton (bulb plant) and prolific amazon swords. The swords are root feeders, so root...

I have had similar experiences and I attribute it to not shaking the second bottle of reagent well enough when initially using the test. If I haven't shaken it well enough during the initial uses, my readings are always too high when I am nearing the last 1/3 of the available tests in the...

I won't add to what the others have said about the fish, although I agree with all of the previous posts. But I did want to comment on the under gravel filters. It can be difficult to keep safe parameters with under gravel filters unless you are very faithful in doing water changes and...

I have eight tanks with sand substrate so I've mastered the technique but I wanted to offer the tip if she had never siphoned sand :) It's no fun to have a bucket full of wet sand the first time you attempt a water change!

I prefer pool filter sand It's inexpensive, and heavier than many of the colored sands (or resins) sold at many of the chain pet stores. Wash it really well before putting it in the tank and let it sit before you turn on the filter. Do you have a siphon to clean the bottom of the tank...

I enjoy many of the things others have already mentioned. I love the science aspect and working to create and support a healthy environment in my tanks. I love learning about both fish and plants. I enjoy watching my fish and plants thrive, and troubleshooting when problems arise. I hate...

Had a similar bump on a betta and it appeared to be a tumor. He remained healthy, active and eating for almost a year beyond when the tumor appeared, so it wasn't immediately fatal and he didn't appear to be in distress.

I have anacharis floating in a 10g low light tank and it's doing well, and the betta seems to enjoy hanging out in it

Panda cories tend to prefer slightly cooler temps. Mine have done best at 72F. I have juliis in a 20 long and they are very active and seem to have enough room.

What is the ammonia level of tap water? If all water is new, you might be seeing the .25 ammonia from a full tank of new tap water.