Hello (brief intro)

[Recluse]

Welcome to AC, Recluse! I am also a fishless cycle practitioner BUT fish in cycles done properly by experienced people seem perfectly acceptable too. And you seem to fit the bill there! I am a big fan of WCMMs, seriously under rated fish! I especially like the long fin/meteor variety.

Curious, do you use a bucket to change water? And have you ever kept saltwater fish?

Thank you I really appreciate that
Yeah I'm often in the awkward position of having some people ask me why I only have a few tiny fish in my tank, and on the other side which asks...why I have any fish at all at this stage

Yeah White Clouds are great aren't they? To me they are every bit as beautiful and fun to have as some of the more popular species.
Another underrated fish are the Fathead Minnows. But the way the rosy-reds are treated at stores is beyond appalling.
My brother works at a nature center in Virginia, and they maintain many native species of fish and reptiles which he is in charge of. I wish I had access to the Fatheads they keep there Some of the healthiest minnows I've ever seen.

For water changes I do have a couple buckets, but normally use two 5 gallon tubs for the old dirty water, rinsing and alternating. They are easy for me to carry to the utility sink if I have 3 gal in each.
For the new water I use two 5 gallon water jugs, which I added some gallon level marks, normally keeping just over 3 gallons of treated water in each.
Buckets are convenient, but the handles tend to dig into my fingers when full...I'm not getting any younger haha

I've actually never had a saltwater aquarium. I do enjoy reading about them though, as they look so beautiful in pictures... and at one time several years ago I came close to setting one up.

Thanks again for the welcome!

 

[myswtsins]

lol I think we can all relate to those kinds of questions. I usually keep small fish even in big tanks so "why don't you have any BIG fish with all that room in there?" and when I kept Mbunas they hated strangers so even though there were 30 big fish in the tank it looked like nothing but a bunch of rocks when people came over!

I had a hunch you used buckets! All these years of hauling buckets? I discovered the python system shortly after getting into the hobby and never looked back! I use my own modified hoses now for filling (and have plans to modify them more soon actually) and am lucky enough to be able to drain right out the windows and doors. I'm even looking into adding permanent plumbing for one or two of my tanks for semi automatic WCs. I really admire your dedication and consistency!

 

[Recluse]

lol I think we can all relate to those kinds of questions. I usually keep small fish even in big tanks so "why don't you have any BIG fish with all that room in there?" and when I kept Mbunas they hated strangers so even though there were 30 big fish in the tank it looked like nothing but a bunch of rocks when people came over!

I had a hunch you used buckets! All these years of hauling buckets? I discovered the python system shortly after getting into the hobby and never looked back! I use my own modified hoses now for filling (and have plans to modify them more soon actually) and am lucky enough to be able to drain right out the windows and doors. I'm even looking into adding permanent plumbing for one or two of my tanks for semi automatic WCs. I really admire your dedication and consistency!

Oh there have been many times when I wished I could drain out a nearby window
I've considered the python system that attaches to the faucet. Something I'll definitely look into if (probably when) I add more aquariums.
Years ago I discovered how addictive the hobby is...but after 10 months, with the long distance move, I'm going to attempt to take it slow this time...we'll see how long that lasts haha. I'll likely end up with another 3 tanks by the end of the year

 

[myswtsins]

Oh yes, very addicting! I am down to 4 tanks (and the pond) at the moment, although none of them are really stocked but I am working on that...always working on something in this hobby!

Good luck with your cycle and see you around the forum!