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12-15-2007, 11:11 PM
Spent most of the day scrubbing the walls of the new-to-me 20g...dunno what the previous owner kept in it but there are what look like mineral deposits running all the way around about halfway down. I scrubbed and scrubbed with white vinegar and baking soda, and even spent twenty minutes scraping with a razor blade, but it didn't seem to make much difference so I think I'm looking at etching instead of deposits. So, I leveled the stand and filled the tank to test for leaks and to see if the marks are still visible when full. Sadly, they are, but not unless you're up close. So I'm hoping that they'll eventually go away on their own. I don't feel froggy enough to try anything more drastic for fear I'll contaminate the tank.
I shopped around town for better prices on the rest of the gear than the Petsmart website, and failed, so I boogied over to them and found that they will indeed pricematch...you just have to bring them a printout of the web page showing the lower price. Got my hood, filter, heater, gravel and a digital thermometer and saved almost a hundred bucks than if I'd just waltzed in off the street without a clue. Unpacked things and found the filter missing two critical parts, so back to Petsmart I go tomorrow for a replacement.
I'm holding off on decor for now...I'd kind of like to stay away from kitschy stuff like sunken ships and divers, and go with a natural scheme based on the species' in-the-wild habitat, if possible. Though I have to say the Greek temple ruins piece I saw today is tempting.
For fish I think I will be going back to the mom-and-pop store Fish Mania in East Ridge. I was impressed with their overall operation: shop was clean, fish looked healthy and the staff was very helpful and friendly even though I didn't buy what I came looking for. This compared to another store across town where the staff largely ignored me, and the entire place reeked. Plus, they've been in business for decades, so they must be doing something right.
While browsing their shop I saw a showcase tank with some disturbingly-large fish. I knew plecos could get big...but I've caught smaller stuff than this one in the Hiawassee. Yikes. Luckily my pleco is a bristlenose and they assured me he wouldn't get anywhere near that large.
Meanwhile, back in 10g land, I think I'm getting things back under control. Nitrate and ammonia levels are a little high still. I'll probably keep this one online, haven't decided yet...maybe move them over and get a betta...or maybe a small fleet of something? It would be cool to have something that schools.
I shopped around town for better prices on the rest of the gear than the Petsmart website, and failed, so I boogied over to them and found that they will indeed pricematch...you just have to bring them a printout of the web page showing the lower price. Got my hood, filter, heater, gravel and a digital thermometer and saved almost a hundred bucks than if I'd just waltzed in off the street without a clue. Unpacked things and found the filter missing two critical parts, so back to Petsmart I go tomorrow for a replacement.
I'm holding off on decor for now...I'd kind of like to stay away from kitschy stuff like sunken ships and divers, and go with a natural scheme based on the species' in-the-wild habitat, if possible. Though I have to say the Greek temple ruins piece I saw today is tempting.
For fish I think I will be going back to the mom-and-pop store Fish Mania in East Ridge. I was impressed with their overall operation: shop was clean, fish looked healthy and the staff was very helpful and friendly even though I didn't buy what I came looking for. This compared to another store across town where the staff largely ignored me, and the entire place reeked. Plus, they've been in business for decades, so they must be doing something right.
While browsing their shop I saw a showcase tank with some disturbingly-large fish. I knew plecos could get big...but I've caught smaller stuff than this one in the Hiawassee. Yikes. Luckily my pleco is a bristlenose and they assured me he wouldn't get anywhere near that large.
Meanwhile, back in 10g land, I think I'm getting things back under control. Nitrate and ammonia levels are a little high still. I'll probably keep this one online, haven't decided yet...maybe move them over and get a betta...or maybe a small fleet of something? It would be cool to have something that schools.