My very first tank -- the adventures of a complete beginner

[DebinWhitmore]

Goldie, I am saddened to hear of your illness but heartened by the fact your treatments are working out so well for you. I have RA, another autoimmune pest. Same, if I stay on my meds and take care of myself I manage well. If not, woe is me. At times I do get a flare up but lately they have been far and few between. It does not seem to slow you down from working and enjoying life which is a huge plus! Glad that you are managing and wish you well in a new job search, and wifey too.

More oto fry!!!! How cool is that! Loved the photo, so darn tiny. Ever think of getting a little box to put them in? It would help ensure that you could get an adult or two or three. But it's nice to also let nature take it's course. You did have another reach it to adulthood if I recall correctly. Anyway, how fun!

Sounds like you and the neighbors made the most of a bad situation with the storm. Good excuse for a block party! Might be blustery outside but it's nice in warm in the company of friends shariing a bottle (or 2-3-4) of wine!

[cajunqn81]

Babies! How did I miss this...?

Probably because I was on a ladder painting the ceiling...

[wgoldfarb]

Hi everyone...sorry i have been away for so long. A bit overwhelmed with a bunch of stuff. My dad was in the hospital (he is ok now, and back home), and both my wife and I are looking for jobs at the same time, which is very time consuming. In my case the company I worked for was sold, and in my wife's case her company restructured and her dept was eliminated. This all happened within a few weeks of each other! So, we are both now busy looking and it's a full time job in itself.

I have more or less managed to keep up with the tank. The algae problem hasn't worsened, but the algae isn't going away... but tbh, I haven't really had time to research it. Al I have done is point the spray bar to decrease surface agitation, to minimize losses of CO2 caused by gas exchange at the surface. I monitored the tank closely for the next few days (worried about oxygen levels) and the fish didn't even seem to notice the change.

I also switched to Laura's approach of feeding every other day. The tank stays cleaner and nitrates stay much lower.

That's my summary for now. Boring, but in this hobby that's a good thing :-) I don't know how often I'll be able to check in here over the next few weeks, but I'll check in once in a while. I hope to be back in force once things at home return to normal.

[Silbar]

So glad you checked in here. We have all missed you. I'm sorry to hear about both job losses. That can be very stressful but I am sure that in time you will find a job that is just right for you! BTW, I used your cycling method with my last tank and I do believe that it shortened the cycle. Just wanted to give you some positive feedback. Hang in there and pop in whenever you can!

[Slaphppy7]

I've missed you alot goldy, sorry for the employment woes, but sometimes change is good.

Hoping you and your wife are gainfully employed soon.

[wgoldfarb]

Silbar, thanks for the feedback! I'm glad to hear my suggestion worked. Encourages me to finally get on with the bb starvation experiments I have been wanting to do with my qt... once I have the time (sigh)

Slap, thanks! It's good to be missed, except for the fact that it means I haven't been here. Thanks for the encouragement. I hope to be able to return in full force soon.

[BluewaterBoof]

Great to hear from you, Goldie. Miss your dad jokes :)

I think a lot of us can relate to the struggle and stress of being out of work like that. That's such a horrible position for one person to be in...i can't imagine what it's like to have both lose their jobs at the same time. I hope/pray that you guys get everything sorted out soon.

Your post has me rethinking my 55g. I had recently gotten an Eheim for it and have noticed a large spike in algae, particularly in the areas of the most flow. I never stopped to think about the possibility of having too much surface agitation. I had always assumed more is best, so I have my spray bar angled to where it maximizes the agitation. I will mess with it a bit tonight and see if that helps. Thanks for the info...I probably would have never considered that my increased agitation could be the culprit for the sudden appearance of all the algae!

[DebinWhitmore]

So good to see you stop in Goldy! Sorry for your troubles but glad your dad is ok. Like Silbar, I also did the wait 24 hours after ammonia went to 0 before redosing and it worked like a charm.

Best to you and your wife.

[RiversGirl]

Goldie! It is so good to see you!

I'm sorry for all the life hurdles going on for you and your family right now. I'm certain y'all will get things to line up again. Keep on keepin' on and you will get there!

[darkmerlin21]

Sorry to hear about your recent woes but I have no doubt you will both be gainfully employed quickly. And, like Matt said, sometimes change is a good thing. I'm glad to hear the tank is doing well and hope to see you around here more once you have a bit less on your plate!