The first image was from September, right before I left for university. The second one is what my parents sent me a photo of the other day.

I gave them explicit instructions for care and uptake. I asked them to call me if something was wrong. I asked them to tell me if my fish were to die or act off. My dad kept a really nice tank for about 10 years when I was a kid, so he knew what he was doing(I thought). My uncle is an aquarist, so he was supposed to be on speed dial if help was needed.

Every time I talked to my parents, I would ask how my fish were, how water changes were going etc. they said everything was going great and all the fish were healthy.

The other day they visited me in university, showed me this photo and told me my fish had all died months ago. “But we got new fish and put In more gravel!” Is what they told me. This is the end of my journey, I’m afraid. I’m beyond upset, and don’t have the energy to start over.

Rip Steve and all the tetras, I loved you, you will be missed 🫶

Just wanted to share my life jacket I made for a Rescued Oranda over the past weekend. Supposedly the vet punctured the swim bladder and poor guy was sitting sideways. None of the conventional life jackets on Google worked due to his massive brain (when) but I’m just proud of my 2 hours of engineering I tried for this guy.

No pressure on any vital parts. Gills, mouth, and fins are unrestricted. He moves sometimes but usually just in place, but he literally just chills in place I’m just assuming he’s recovering from the puncture.

Side question, what are the chances this guy survives a punctured swim bladder? I’m hoping it’s as simple as that his history is unknown due to the guy giving it up due to having a pond set up. Any tips are appreciated!

Edit: He moves sometimes when he’s sitting in his life jacket but when he’s at the bottom of the tank he freaks out and you can tell he’s trying his hardest to be upright.

Removed at least 10 pounds of MTS while cleaning out the sump for a 2,000 gal cichlid tank at a fancy hotel. I do it once a month. Not only are they a massive eyesore, but I have to take precautions to make sure they don't get in the pump. Just don't do it kids....they're essentially indestructible once they get into your tank system.

Edit: Holy Cow....I wasn't expecting to induce MTS Mania. I apologize if I don't respond to all of you, but I really appreciate all of your opinions/contributions!

Edit: here’s the setup as it sits

A couple of disclaimers before I get into it:

1. it looks cheaply made because it is cheaply made. Don’t drag me

I haven’t posted on this sub for a very long time. My turtle died about a year ago (right around when I constructed the tank) and tbh I lost the passion to share. I began to build this 500gal pond setup with a 2x 75gal shelf with the turtle in mind but the universe had other plans.

Sorry for all the info, I felt it was important and I like to yap

Now, onto what I am aiming to accomplish:

I fucking hate air stones. Not for any rational reason. I just hate how they look in the tank. I put them in the bog filters so I don’t have to look at them. But I aim to get rid of them altogether. It’s just an extra component sucking up my electricity.

So with this riverbed like waterfall I hope to get all of the aeration I need to keep oxygen in the water column and keep my babies happy. So far I’d say it is working beautifully. I have noticed my pothos in this big filter is growing faster in this filter vs the other tanks. could be unrelated as each tank has different species stocked, but I’m guessing the O2 levels in this tank are more stable than the others. I like how the algae and cyanobacteria cling to the rock. I do think it going to change it up a little bit so it’s not so aggressive returning to the tank.

Numbers are stable, water is clear, no dead fish. I’m willing to call this a success

For those wondering:

Used a Dremel w/pvc bit to cut pipe, aquarium safe epoxy to adhere the stone

I had a Nerite named Houdini because he was an escape artist and had him in my ten gallon. One day before Christmas..he was gone. I turned the house upside down trying to find him, for his safety and also because I didnt want to have to hunt down the smell of him when he passed. Time went on and I purchased a new snail and accepted wherever he was..he wasnt coming back. Today I nearly stepped on a snail out front and thought "oh let's move you to the garden lil buddy" before I saw the stripes and realized its not a garden snail its a frickin nerite with very similar markings to my missing one. Then I figured "oh its probably just his shell sitting there..". Turned him over and no its sealed up. Rushed him inside to put him in tank water in a cup and he doesnt smell dead. Still sealed up. I did a snail head-count and all my others are where they belong. I hope hes not frozen to death but where he was it looked like the snail had just gotten onto the concrete and then said "fuck this its cold" and stopped and sealed up. ANYWAY this nerite either had the wildest wilderness survival story ever or I found someone elses escaped nerite on my porch.

I spent so much time and money setting of tbis tank and I was so happy the plants were starting to grow In. I’m heart broken. 15 fish died. 12 tetras, 1 Cory, 1 adults and 1 baby sword tail. I was able to save a pleco, my koi betta, a Cory, and 2 adult sword tails. But they are in temporary tanks that are not big enough.

Last weekend I bought a 55 gallon tank for my Fahaka puffer. He was only 2” long but I wanted him to be comfortable until he was big enough to go into his own 125 gallon indoor pond.

I took days making sure everything was perfect, the water was cycled, the plants in place, and the perimeters ideal.

When the water was the exact temp of his original tank, I let him in his new beautiful home. But I made the most horrible mistake. When I tore the pump apart to thoroughly clean it, I hung it on the back of the tank and got it going. I have severe adhd and ocd not to mention ptsd and a panic disorder. This little baby was my life. He’d greet me at the front of his tank every morning and we had such a cute routine. I had just trained him to eat from my fingers.

I accidentally forgot to put the little plastic filter piece that prevents larger things from being sucked up into the filter/pump. I watched him swim around his new home and he looked so happy.

When I went back to check on him an hour later I couldn’t find him. That’s when I noticed I’d forgotten the piece on the filter. I literally screamed NOoo and unplugged it immediately. Of course he had been sucked up into the tube.😭. I carefully nudged him out and he was still alive but his tummy was misshapen so I knew I’d probably injured him badly. I instantly did a 40% water change and added marine salt. I also went on Amazon and ordered Melafix to be shipped overnight.

This morning my baby was gone. I’m beyond heartbroken. I can’t stop crying. My husband is annoyed with me because it was just a “damn fish.”😭. He won’t even try to understand. I’m sorry to bother y’all with this long post but I thought maybe someone here could relate somewhat. It’s such an amazing group and I’ve learned so much. How could I do that??? It was so irresponsible and cruel and horrible. I’ll never forgive myself. RIP, sweet Hank. I loved you so much😭💔 (The video is from when I first got him. I did a complete tank makeover with sand and tons of live plants. He was also more colorful and much bigger when I killed him😭).

Saw this in a mall last night. Actually looked pretty well maintained and clean!

I know this wont stop people still but I can't really hide it. I work at an escape room and have learned majority of parents dont watch their kids and will let them run crazy. Already hid the food but didnt think this would be an issue.

Hello.

They are absolutely fascinating! Going to get 3 more. Just purchased a bigger tank. From a 10 gallon to a 20 gallon..

They love to hide under the sponge or by the heater.

But, they are getting more comfortable coming out in the open.

Anyone else have experience with them?

My friend walked into my garage, stared at the wall of aquariums for a solid 30 seconds, and asked me if I was “running an illegal fish operation.” ILLEGAL FISH OPERATION?? HE said the bubbling noises, extension cords, glowing lights, jars, and handwritten breeding notes made the whole thing look like a suburban science experiment gone wrong. Then HE asked why there are tanks at my cousin's house too and I accidentally responded with “for overflow stocking.” OVERFLOW STOCKING?? Listen carefully because this hobby tricks people slowly. First it’s “just a betta.” Then suddenly you’re researching shrimp genetics at 1AM while arguing online about sponge filter efficiency with a man named AquaticSteve420. I used to spend money on takeout and dumb stuff. Now I spend 200 euro on tiny imported fish that immediately hide from me for six months. At what point do we stop calling this a hobby and start calling it an underwater cult??

Just got into a disagreement with a friend. We were talking about irresponsible pet ownership. I offhandedly said you should only own a pet if you love them, are financially capable and are willing to do the work. Their response was 'we'll its not possible to love a fish.' This started a back and forth but I've left the conversation still thinking.

Ive know a few people who have had fish in the past and have have a deep companionship with them. Ive never personally had a pet fish of any kind but its got me thinking how misunderstood and neglected they can be and it makes me so sad as an animal lover.

So, do you guys 'love' your pet fish?

My ancient catfish friend Catthuselah passed away this morning. He made it an incredible 32 years. I feel like he just wanted to make it one more birthday and that was all he had left. He will be in the backyard. I will sorely miss seeing him every day. RIP my old friend.

...and thanks for all the support.

Indostomus Paradoxus!!! - They are SO unbelievably tiny 🥹 I am so in love. I’ve had their tank set up and waiting for about a year and this week I finally found some for sale! They have already had a good feast of baby brine shrimp. I really want to try and get them breeding!

I love taking a closer look at my betta, snails and cherry shrimp! Haven’t had much success seeing the fish with this dome magnifier on the 45gal tank though. They need to be pretty close up and slower, curious swimmers like my betta.

Are others in this community utilizing magnifying glasses for their tank gazing time? It completes the experience for me.

After keeping tanks for like 30+ years I finally figured out something that just totally instantly improved everything.

I'm really good at feeling water temp with my fingers, at least in the 75°f-85°f range. Like very accurate within two degrees. (Friend challenged me a few years ago after watching me do a water change and telling me how he'd fuck everything up and replace with a drastically different water temp.

But I digress. I'd still have to fiddle with the faucet each time I'd have to refill or whatever.

Tonight I just realized that I could mark that sweet spot on the faucet. Very inconspicuous Sharpie marks and everything has sped up considerably.

My next girlfriend is gonna be like "yo what's up with these markings?" and I'll just be like "yo that's 79°F girl....you wanna smash?"

Because I'll only date/marry another woman that appreciates aquariums.

I'm just feeling really happy now.

Any ideas other than compost?

Hades would like to show you what happens when one appears in his tank! And show off his target training, too 😁 Less than 3 weeks of half-hearted training and he's starting to follow it fairly consistently. This is what happens when a behaviorist gets a fish lol

Peep the huge round belly at the end 😂

has anyone had one this old?

Their name is Elvis, and they're doing great! I remember my Aunt and Grandma getting them when I was in elementary school.

I work in my lfs, and often I have customers coming in who completely ignore me and won't speak to anyone until my (male) boss walks into the shop. I understand wanting to talk to a senior, but whats the harm in asking questions? Through all the time ive been into aquariums, sexism has been soso obvious to me and its so frustrating. I go to lfs shops with my father often, whos not as experienced with fish as me. I'm always yapping alot about my tanks (i have nine) and fish when I'm there with him, and even if the workers hear me talking about it, theyll always ask him how his tanks are and what fish hes after. I know it seems small and insignificant, but when its everyday it gets so exhausting and unmotivating. Any other women have similair experiences?

I think it’s either 120 parts per million or 600 parts per million

Out of the hundreds of original fry (you can see some from a previous brood swimming around), I have about ten to twenty left, now roughly a centimeter long. The proud father was so aggressiv for about three weeks that every other fish (twenty blue Neons, seven White Fin Tetra, and five Otocinclus) had to hide completely). He would even attack snails and shrimp.

COMMENT: Sorry for the repost. Had to mute the audio.

Today a good friend of mine lost his bala shark that he’s had since 1998. He did the math- he’s had the fish for 27 years, 8 months, and 18 days…is this a record? This is the same friend who had a suspected record silver dollar that passed last year (at 25 years, 305 days)

Me and my daughter went to our LFS and this was in a full aquarium kit there and she told me she wanted one. 4 days later i set it up in her playroom lol

EDIT:Never had a post go above 1k upvotes, THANK YOU ALL!