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I’m growing a colony of Jungle Endlers. It’s a slow process… because I basically let a pair of Nanochromis parilus snack on unlucky fry. But enough survive. Here’s a few of the fellas… It’s a jungle where they live …

Most of my posts have been about fish death, so I am pleased to post one with some life to it. Make sure you read to the end though. Amongst the two first mystery snails that I picked up from the local pet store (big chain) along with some Danios, it turned out that one of them was male and the other was female! While it is often thought that snails are sexless, it turns out that Apple/Mystery snails do actually have distinct sexes! As a result, the female mystery snail laid a first clutch of eggs! And then a second. In my excitement, I did my research and decided to follow the guidance to incubate them. The first clutch eventually hatched and I tried breaking apart the clutch in a breeder basket to assist. However, I decided it would be best to move the basket to a separate aquarium to ensure they were protected from the fish. However, it was during this period that I lost sight of all the baby snails. After adding food and waiting for evidence of the baby snails, it became evident that none were appearing. As you can see, the basket was getting rather filthy and dirty. I figured out how to clean the breeder basket, and in the process, found about 13 baby snail shells. None had survived. As for the second clutch, I thought I initially saw some baby snails, but it turned out to just be worms. After more than a month, it was determined to not be viable. Unfortunately, this mama snail passed away. She had the added challenge of a hurt foot that she had burned in an accident in the 55 gallon tank. I imagine that took a toll on her. This happened before she started laying her 2 clutches. However, the male snail survived and we acquired 4 more mystery snails. At least 3 of them are female, and I suspect all 4 might be. And as soon as they were introduced into the 40 gallon aquarium with our existing mystery snails, they started mating with our male mystery snail. As a result, we started to see a lot of clutches appear in the aquarium! After a couple weeks of ongoing egg laying, the first clutch has hatched!! It wasn't even the first clutch laid. It turned out that the clutch behind the filter hatched first, and tonight we have our first live baby mystery snails in the 40 gallon aquarium!!!!

Combined the two batches of CPDs down into a single, but bigger, tray. These are about a month old. My phone did some weird stuff, so I can't get an accurate count. But I think it's close to 60 total. I tried to spawn them this weekend and got ZERO eggs. Which is strange. I'll give them another spin this weekend. They're certainly spawning in the tank, saw some eggs in the plants.

Hello all! Just hearing about this and super excited to try it. Is it effective against pretty much every unwanted 'thing' when purchasing an aquatic plant? Not just snails, but parasites/bacteria/any other unwanted nasties that can come with a plant and harm your fish?

The Malaysian trumpet snail population has been ramping up in Geppetto’s tank. Not an issue. What could be a potential issue though, is that they are feeding from the surface. My guy has been careful about eating his food and not the snails (which are the same size as his pellets), but I do worry that he might eat one by mistake and have a blockage. As well as his need to breathe from the surface. I want that to be easy for him. Here are some photos of the surface feeding snails: So folks, my lifelong dream of having a gravel made of MTS will not come to fruition after all. Hence, I removed the snails from the tank and siphoned the substrate, which was loaded with decayed catappa, which the MTS love. All (known) MTS were moved to my Walstad jar, which is currently having a bit of an algae problem. So, win win for all involved. The siphoning was so messy with the broken down catappa, so I used a paste/powder type clarifier product suggested by @Guppysnail along with a 10g HOB and floss. Just for fun I took photos every 15 minutes. Then I took the HOB off after an hour since Geppetto doesn’t like current. I added a rooibos organic tea bag to the tank to bring tannins back in, as well as an SMALL piece of catappa leaf for the shrimps. When they eat that, they can have another one, but I want to control the organics in the tank right now. The tank should be clear by morning. Also here are some juvenile shrimps that were born in the tank. Geppetto doesn’t pay any attention to the shrimp anymore. And then a bonus pic (from the other tank) of Cadet going to town on some broccoli.

I asked my director and she said that it's dragon and phoenix. She wasn't able to translate it directly but she was talking about the shape of a dragon and wings of a phoenix. She's 100% Japanese

Mine have a fluval 407 canister turned low with the outflow half in half out of the water, two airstones and an aquaclear 50 turned low and so clogged with plant roots it’s more of a trickle than a flow. They are in a 29. They are not poor swimmers like betta but not strong swimmers either. With their body shape being tall and flat the can get blown around . When I first added them I saw this happen and quickly adjusted all filters to low. they are slower retiring fish and right now I believe you have to many platy which are much higher activity for them to be really comfortable. They stay mostly upper level but do enjoy forays into mud and lower sections. One your tank thins out a bit and flow adjustment is made they would do great.

I can't tell if it's metal or glass. If it's metal you might be able to scrub off some of it with a scotchbrite pad, but it's likely to scratch the metal a bit. Scotchbrite would also work for glass.

@Sweetpickles is the glass damaged? localized issues like that (hot spots) which block the flow could damage the heater. In one of the photos it almost looks like melted plastic, but I just wanted to ask / verify that the heater itself was structurally sound (externally) from what you could tell. they have ones designed for acrylic.

Hooray! Congratulations! Check out my mystery snail journal link below if you want to see the procedure I followed for raising them. Baby snails will first go after biofilm, so a powdery food such as fry food, powdered (not prepared) Repashy, or bacter ae will be a great start for them. However, water quality is key, so I would test every day to ensure success. As they grow their bioload can throw off parameters. Note: the first food I used was hard boiled egg yolk. I would not use that again because it was way too messy and fouls the water quickly.

I use light grate along the back instead of the plastic strip that comes with glass lids. That idea came from @dasaltemelosguy

Tagging @Guppysnail for photos of her emersed aquaponic aquariums. I keep one Aquaponics setup designed by a friend who is producing these for industry trial... Water is drawn through a custom-designed sponge filter, and pumped up into the reservoir. From there, it drains down on the other side, creating a natural flow in the aquarium. I feed the plants up top a weekly diet of liquid plant fertilizers (e.g. Easy Green, etc.) But you can just get some specially-designed aquarium baskets to hang on the inside / back. Roots will grow down into the water column. Use Lava Rock to hold the plants in place. I buy Lava Rock from Lowes -- pretty cheap. It is porous, and therefore builds up bio over time. I do recommend adding air for flow, and aerobic bacteria colony benefit. If you're keeping the tank cold . . . my goodness . . . you should set up a NANF tank (North American Native Fish). But if you're new to the hobby, maybe go easy at first. Here are NANF species I keep... Rainbow Shiner (Notropis chrosomus -- native to Alabama): Tomorrow, I am receiving two pairs of Orangethroat Darters (Etheostoma spectabile) by mail: They're very interesting! I've kept NANF in a 29 gal for some time. Here's a still video shot I took some time back...

Got it filled. Not the permanent setup, but will see what pairs up hopefully. Shipping was rough on them, winter storm delayed them and they showed up at about 64 degrees. They were all pecking at a bit of brine shrimp tonight, though. And they seemed to perk up with a little salt. I've never kept rams before so we'll see how this goes. One gold and five pitch blacks.

Hi there! I am looking into all the supplies I will need to maintain a 29 gallon tank, both above and below water. 🙂I am an aquarium newbie so feel free to offer any advice and recommendations! I am thinking of doing a cold water tank with live plants, cherry shrimp, a reticulated hillstream loach, and celestial pearl danios. The AquaSprouts garden comes with a water pump which carries the water to the plants growing above. Since the water is constantly cycling, and there are live plants on both levels, I am wondering if an air pump is necessary? Are there any cold water starter kits with supplies that you recommend, or particular parts or products you think would be great for this setup?

A few months back my tap water changed and I noticed the pH in a couple of my smaller tanks (2.5 and 10 gallons) kept crashing seemingly randomly. After doing some testing I discovered that my KH was extremely low, causing the pH to drop from 7.2 to almost 6 in less than a day. I have since resolved this issue with crushed coral in those tanks, however my two larger tanks (29&60 gallons) haven’t experienced this problem, which I believe to be a result of the seiryu stone I have in these tanks. My tap water comes out at 7.2 pH, 2 KH, and 2 GH. I have not tested aged tap water, but I am going to set out some to age today and will update on that. After testing the largest tank today, the parameters within it are 7.2 pH, 3 KH, and 6 GH. The substrate is a layer of gravel capped in pool filter sand and the only other hardscape is Malaysian drift wood. Filtered by 2 larger co-op sponge filters. Is it true that the seiryu stone is causing the increase, and should I do something else to buffer the KH and GH to prevent a pH crash? I’m wary to add aragonite sand or crushed coral to this tank because it houses my 3 African butterfly fish, which I know prefer more acidic and soft water. Thanks for the advice!

We got my daughters a 20 gallon aquarium for Christmas (but let's face it, it's just as much for me and my husband as it is for them). I had fish when I was younger, but it's been a while and a lot has changed since then. After a lot of research, I think we are going to go with Corydoras, Danios, and a rainbow fish for the show piece (not all at once obviously). My questions are: Does it sound like a good combination of fish? Is this too many for a 20 gallon? Which ones are the hardiest (to get first)? Thank you so much and I am so glad I have found this site and community! I have been binge watching the YouTube videos!

They're only about 7-10 days apart and of not dissimilar size. Well, at least I don't forsee any risk. I guess I'll find out. I don't think CPDs are capable of growing fast. 😄 I got some trays on Amazon and some from Walmart. Let me dig up links. Unfortunately, the ones I got on Amazon were all the bigger size, which is OK when I "upgrade" the tray. But too big for initial spawns. The smaller trays from Walmart. Actually quite a bit cheaper than when I bought them right now: https://www.walmart.com/ip/iDesign-Linus-Plastic-Fridge-and-Freezer-Organizer-Bin-with-Handle-11-5-x-4-x-3-5-Clear/28212825 There hasn't ever been small ones that I've seen on Amazon. But there's the middle and larger size. The middle size is worth having one of, I think. The big ones are too big, probably. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002BRXYQW/

I need to talk to someone who raises brine shrimp to full growth, Thanx

Yo yo! Here we are on a Thursday this time. My schedule FINALLY got back to normal last week, just to have it disrupted this week. Gotta love it, but when the owner of the company says “I scheduled this inspection on Wednesday and I want you to come with me” you say yes and just take a different day off, lol. We have a meeting tomorrow where the owner is to lay out his 10 year plan to us and what he wants to accomplish each quarter over the next 3 years. I’m stoked. I’ve wanted this for so long. I thrive on structure, and I want to ensure that what I’m doing today serves the goals for this quarter, this year, next year, the next 3 years, the next 5 years, etc. I’m pumped. Enough about all of that, though. We’re here for fish and tanks. Knocked out all the maintenance today. Water changed everything, and man does it continue to feel good to not have to mess with air stones every single week! These air collars and flow kits are so legit. After everything was maintained and cleaned up I fertilized everything. I then boiled some botanicals for the blackwater tanks and got those in the tanks once they cooled down. I cleaned everything up so well that my girl didn’t even think I worked on the tanks today, lmaoooo. I’ll take it. I feel like I’m finally rounding the corner on the algae on the Pea Puffer tank. It’s been a struggle, but I feel like I’m getting somewhere. I trimmed up the algae covered plants and I’m hoping that helps. The Crinum is now just one single sprig and I’m hoping it comes back. We’ll see. I feel like we’re getting somewhere, though. Im starting to turn the tide on the green water in the cube as well. I did water changes 3 days in a row on that tank, and then left it until today. Still green, but not as green as it was. I’ll do another water change on Saturday when I’m off next and then monitor from there. Again, it feels good to be turning the corner. I can’t wait to see that tank clear again with no floating plants! I removed a bunch of plants from the 55 Angel tank. The top right side was COMPLETELY covered in Water lettuce so I got rid of most of that. Trimmed back the Jungle Val that was dying and removed the algae covered sections. I removed some Amazon Sword leaves to give the fish some space. I also found a dead Cardinal Tetra when removing the Water Lettuce, so that’s a bummer, but a bit expected at this point. I have 2 diy c02 canisters that I make c02 with citric acid and baking soda. A few weeks ago, one of the solenoids broke and I thought I might have to replace the whole thing. Doing some Amazon shopping I found a replacement solenoid and bubble counter that was a different brand from the original. I decided to take the chance and I’m glad that I did. When it first arrived I thought that it didn’t fit and I was pretty bummed, but, I was able to remove a nut and it all came together. Mixed up some c02, plugged the bad boy in, and I’m glad to report that it works! $20 repair vs. ~$120 for a new unit, so that’s rad. I didn’t take any pics today during maintenance, but I snapped a few before I started typing this out: Pea Puffer tank. Getting somewhere with the algae. Bacopa I bought a couple weeks back is starting to grow so I’m excited about that. 6 gallon cube. Still a little hazy, but we’re getting there. 20 long Blackwater. Still loving this tank. 29 Blackwater tank. Bacopa in here is starting to take hold, too. Angel tank thinned out. Still pretty dark in the middle but that’s fine. I’ve been contemplating a couple of changes, but I’m not sold on them yet. Here’s what I’ve been thinking about: -Still waiting on the Black Neons. As soon as the LFS gets them we’ll be set. -I’ve removed 1 ACO dual outlet pump and I’m about to remove the second. The pump just doesn’t put out the air I want it to in conjunction with the air collar and easy flow kit. It’s fine right now, but it’s hard knowing it could be better. Contemplating this one hard, and I’m leaning towards replacing the second one. At that point I just won’t have the battery back up, but I’ll obviously hang on to the pumps and use them if there is ever a power outage. -I have a wavemaker that a random old dude I met from Craigslist gave me. He hooked me up with some Water Lettuce and I’m pretty sure I hooked him up with some Platies. It was a couple of years ago. I’m thinking about adding that to the 55 Angel tank to better distribute the c02. I’m not sold yet, though. We’ll see. -I’ve thought about removing the sand in the middle of the Pea Puffer tank to replace with gravel. Plants just simply do not do well for me in sand, and I could have more plants in the center with gravel. Maybe one day, but for now I wanna continue getting this algae under control. It’s hard not to think that more plants could help with the algae problems, though. -I wouldn’t mind adding some fish to the 20 high, I just don’t know what to add. Right now it’s just Julii Cories and 2 Bolivian Rams, so the top is completely bare. I’ve thought about Cherry Barbs many, many times. Idk yet. We’ll see. Update: I was checking out the Pea Puffer tank I noticed that the drop checker has actually changed color for once! This is the first time I have seen a drop checker legitimately green. I’ve looked at it and went “I think that’s probably a different color blue”, but today it’s definitely a green color I’m not sure what changed. Bubble count is the same. Filtration is the same. The ONLY thing that changed is I trimmed back some of the plants. Perhaps that has changed the flow a little bit and is allowing more c02 to reach that side of the tank. I think that wraps it up for this week. Cheers, my friends!

Sounds like I solved my problem on accident then. I appreciate the reply!

I have found that freezing cucumbers is not a good idea because they become slimy and soft when defrosted. However, I have had success with freezing zucchini and broccoli to use for my fish. I don't blanch the vegetables before freezing because the defrosting process will soften them. I slice the veggies into portions and freeze them individually on a plate. Once they are completely frozen, I transfer them to a freezer bag. They will stay fresh for a couple of months.

I love corydoras they are so fun and goofy 😄 I would suggest danios as the hardiest to introduce first

I am not a fish breeder. I'm just very excited to find new life in my 20gal! Last Friday I was peering into my little eco system and saw some swift movement. I couldn't believe what I was seeing!! Two baby corydoras!! I have 3 adults. 1 of them is probably about 4yrs and the other 2 are only about 1yr. I never expected any babies. I have never seen their eggs. And I have a Panda garra that I was sure would eat any babies. I think it was he that wiped out my shrimp colony. He seems to be leaving the corys alone and they do have little crevices to hide in. I also recently have had one mountain minnow fry survive. Just an exited new fish baby momma sharing!

What size 20gallon? Is it a 20high (24x12x16) or a 20long (30x12x12) or a different size? A longer tank will allow you to keep larger faster fish like praecox rainbowfish.

sorry cant help, my limited japanese didnt cover that, and it was over 30 yrs ago, so i remember none.😎

They are adorable!! Probably my favorite fish!! I love watching them look for food! I have peppered Cory's and they seem so shy. Never see them during the day. Congratulations on your babies!!

Yes, seiryu does increase kh and gh and I don't use it because of this issue. Not sure how long it will keep raising the ph but from what I've read at other forums, it's a long time specially if you're trying to achieve a specific ph. So if a ph crash is your only concern, having seiryu in the tank will prevent that.

That’s awesome congratulations! My Pandas have been BUSY! I’m not trying to breed them at this time and I got 7 new babies swimming around! Super cute and exciting.

I did use a scotchbrite! Thank you!! And a kitchen too bc I couldn't find a razor. Good as new!! Whew! I was worried about fire, electrocution ect. Thank you all!! Good as new!!

Hi All, A few weeks ago i lost my betta and ive been looking for a new centerpiece fish. @Guppysnailhas got me convinced i should give honey gouarmis a try and they sound like great fish. I only have one problem. Filtration on my tank is a medium ACO sponge filter with the easy flow kit, and an aquaclear 50 running at full blast with a baffle. Now most of the fish in my tank love flow (cories, panda garra) or don't care (platies) so this setup works great. However when doing research on Honey Gouarmis im seeing they come from low-flow marshes, which does not suit my tank. Does anyone have any experiences with Honey Gouarmis in a high flow setup, or do they specifically need low flow, or do they just not care?

I’m going to keep MISC journals about Livebearers here. I’m growing out Swordtails spawned outdoors last summer… They have some NANF tankmates - Gulf Coast Pygmy Sunfish (egg layers)… The adult brooders are in a separate aquaponic set up… They also share space with a different NANF species, the Bluefin Killifish (also an egg layer)…. Also enjoying an ongoing breeding group of “Precious Metals” Guppies…

So far it looks fine. I havnt gotten all the crud off yet. I will have to look for the razor for acrylic! Thanks. The more I chip away at this the more I see that the heater is looking brand new again!

@LionheartsGhostI am so sorry. I had a horrible event last winter with a stray wild bunny and a power strip. Lost my breeding group of irrubesco and essentially my whole fish room. My sympathies! In these carefully curated environments that we sink so much love and attention on for something without and outside our control like a weather event to take out fish it’s just so difficult. I’ve been through it many times over the years but doesn’t make it any less frustrating.

@Fish Folkwith your sons tank all that algae and overgrowth he may have a better survival rate! looking forward to more livebearers content!

Always love starting with Not So Sad Bowl update. Presently housing a pair of Pea Puffers, 3 common Otos, 3 SAEs and it’s been a fun aquascaping challenge. Deep substrate with an integrated UGF. Plants are an interesting mix - Crinum front and center, moss carpet up front, mix of rhizome plants, dwarf sag, little po lets of crypts, I’ve really enjoyed the challenge of it’s limitations. I haven’t discussed my fishroom in awhile. I got a better RODI system from an online retailer and finally got it setup. Rated for 100 gpd but that’s at 60 psi and out the tap I’m in at 40. So I’m probably getting 60% of what it’s capable of. I’m considering a pump to boost up the PSI to 60-90 psi. That’s about $100-140 which brings up an interesting topic….Financing my hobby is something I’ve become more conscious of. I’ve realized over time the impact it can have on other parts of our family life. So in the last 6 months I now scrimp and save from selling plants, fish, shrimp and excess tanks and equipment to fund the majority of the hobby. It’s been enlightening. I and others have spoken about how limitations can bring on more creative and interesting avenues in the hobby. It’s a good challenge. I’m feeling a lot of gratitude towards what I have, what I’ve achieved and what’s ahead. Much of what I have in the fishroom has been obtained locally. I’m not buying, selling and shipping online. I’ve stuck with the club and our PNW online communities. Shipping is god awful expensive, hard on the animals and yields so many challenges on the receiving end in terms of husbandry- I work crazy hours as an NP less crazy then I was (down from 60+ to 40-50 now) but I have to keep a balance between my families needs and my hobbies needs. I think during the pandemic this got twisted for me. It’s taken me years to sort through that. I’ve now got 4 active breeding setups in the fish room. All are planted and I’m harvesting plants from them. I have one tank beside these 4 that’s plant only with lagenandra meboldi red, nurii crypts, AR, and a moss I can’t remember the name of. 1. 60 breeder, it’s a deep sand substrate with a UGF, an Eheim canister and powerhead/sponge filter combos. It’s got a breeding colony of diamond tetras, a colony of mixed ancistrus (plain LF, plain SF, lemon blue eyes, calico sf, and albino) about 6 adults 2 f/4 m and 7 juveniles all LBE, and 12 gold laser corys. The diamonds have 5 generations and they now number about 20 individuals, 6 adults, 14+ juvies and probably 10 more babies hiding 2. 40 breeder, 7 super red ancistrus with LF genes, 20 Japanese blue gold guppies some with double sword genes and 12+ tangerine tiger shrimp. 3. 20 long, 30 adult cherry and bloody Mary shrimp, 10 blue aura tiger shrimp, 5-7 Sulawesi orange foot rabbit snails baby baby’s not even 1/2 “, and lots of ramshorns. 4. 20 high, 5 (2:3 m:f) adult Santa Claus guppies and 20+ fry, 6 L519 juvies, blood Mary shrimp, Malawa shrimp and some Aura blue tigers. Here’s video of 3 of the setups. Hope everyone stays warm along with their tanks! Have fun!

I SWEAR.... no joke.... feels like a solid 200 shrimp in the tank. I was just in awe sitting there staring at these things go bonkers. Here is one, born today. I watched the female kick out the baby shrimp and she had one that didn't want to be released. 😂 Beyond that, it's moving day!!! I moved 6 tiny corydoras and a few more cull shrimp while I was in the tank. Just really fun to sit and enjoy the tanks.... it really is. There are few things I enjoy more than the shrimp and corydoras. No wonder that's all I've had in the tanks for so many years and just been in awe each time I sit and watch. So yep! Thank you shrimp groomers for your help raising up these fry. It was really fun to see Riddick in mom mode and helping show them the ropes.

If anybody has a homie in Vietnam willing to ship me some wild ones let me know lol

As it's only affecting the eye if it doesn't progress in the next couple of weeks I think it would be fine put him with other fish

Thanks. I'm thinking 3 10 gallon tanks with 1 sponge filter each. One tank with no inputs (control), one with just ammonia, and one with ammonia and nitrite (if I can find a good source).

Given that the curing salt is only 6.25% sodium nitrite (with the rest being sodium chloride), I would probably agree. I'm not sure how much would be needed to achieve 2ppm nitrite.

You could mix bypassed water with distilled water to lower the bypassed GH and you would be in a better place. That would lower that real high GH and eliminate the sodium. It’s extra work but the plants will be much happier. You could increase water change amount but go longer between intervals to make the extra work not as “ tedious ‘. Say 50% change a month. I personally would do 25% each week for 4 weeks then after go with 50% once a month.

To give you an idea.... My light schedule for anubias, which grows extremely similar to Java fern, in a 29G aquarium is about 25-35% maximum. I would also recommend capping the blue at a max of 5% to try and curb algae. When it comes to a night mode you'd want the light to be off to minimize algae as well. Right now, your light window is 9.30-21.30 which puts you at about 12 hours. The general guideline is a max of about 8 hours. Anything longer almost always encourages algae. Now.... Your tank is using the Aquasky light. Please be sure to check this out as a starting resource. I have also used the aquasky in my tank for several years, but have moved on to the planted 3.0 lights. Ferns have been known to be potassium hogs. All of that being said I think the place to start is algae removal and reduction and give the plants a fighting chance to outcompete it. A hydrogen peroxide treatment on the plants wouldn't be a bad place to start. There's also the jurijs method where you soak the plants for 3 days in an algaecide solution like flourish excel (or easy carbon). I am sure that's a lot to digest and may lead to further questions. Please feel free to tag me and ask for any further elaboration. Yeah. You'd want to go ahead and make sure the rhizomes are good to go, not rotting, and that the leaves themselves aren't dying as a result.

Java fern, (and other ferns) produce babies when they are stressed. There is something also to be said about youtube aqua scappers. Many of these videos are not from your standard run of the mill hobbyist. They are tv quality productions and include a staff to make that video look effortless, as if a single person was responsible for everything in said video.

Also I find these helpful for determining species.

Hello! In the past I have tried to breed C. Irrubesco, always with no luck. But recently I have had some accidental luck with C. Lorteti. I will post some videos. Last Saturday my Lorteti’s spawned around 2 pm. Four days later in the evening I spotted fry in the tank. I added a hang on breeder net with some Java moss. I used a turkey baster to suck them out. I counted 38 but there were many I got doubles and didn’t count because I lost sight of them in the baster so i think the number was closer to 50. The next morning I was only able to observe a handful in the net. Yesterday only a few. And today only a few. I am afraid most of them passed away. I have to admit that this was totally unexpected and I have no resources to take care of them. I have been feeding a tiny pinch of first bites 3 times a day because it is all I had on hand for baby fish. But I cannot observe them actually eating the first bites. My tank is a year old and I’m sure there is plenty of micro organisms in the water but I’m not sure they can make it through the net mesh. I have since bought a hang on breeder that pumps water through, a brine shrimp hatchery and eggs, and a micro worm starter for future occurrences and am waiting for them to arrive. I also put a small Tupperware under their spawning area so I can harvest eggs instead of fry. My tank was 11 months old when I introduce the Lorteti’s. Prior to that the tank was empty for about six months due to me loosing all my Irrubesco’s due to me improperly setting up a surface skimmer and them getting sucked in. So I took a break. The tank was completely filled with snails at the introduction with them being non visible by morning. I have 5 Lorteti’s, 3 males of different ages and sizes and 2 young adult females. Water is extremely hard, ppm 300-400 from faucet. Faucet water has a ph of 9.5 but tank stays between 7.5 and 8.5 depending on how close to water changes. Current ph is 7.6. No sign of ammonia. I can test nitrate and nitrite if requested. I feed them frozen brine shrimp every morning and cycle between mysis shrimp and bloodworms every evening. I feed them snails whenever I can, I would say once a month. But I often see baby snails in the tank and they might possibly be colonizing in secret. The dominant male was dancing with his preferred female for maybe a week or so prior to spawning but it was never as long and vigorous as the day of spawning. 3 days before spawning I left my light on all night. The next two days he did not try to initiate spawning.The day after I set my light back to the timer so it runs 5:30 am to 8:30 pm. The third day after resetting was spawning day. I realized that he didn’t initiate spawning until about a week after I had originally set the timer to 5:30-8:30. Possibly an important environmental factor. At first male did not follow female to spawn but made sure the other three Lorteti’s were banished to the far corner. After spawning dad banished mom and remained close to the eggs to guard them, never letting the others near and hardly came out to eat other then what floated near his area. I never saw the eggs after they dropped to the substrate. Dad was quite visibly upset while I was harvesting fry with the baster. My tank is a 40 gallon breeder. The temperature stays at 78 degrees throughout the day but drops to 75 and even as low as 73 some nights. Video 1 shows the dance Video 2 shows spawning, in high quality and brightness turned all the way up you can just view the eggs sputter down at 10 seconds

Here is York eating a green bean.

SNAILS ARE HATCHING RIGHT NOW!!! @Guppysnail

As it turns out, York was pranked by Hampshire*. 😂 She laid eggs on York throughout the day. York usually sleeps on the sand, but today she slept on the glass, and that’s prime egg-laying territory for Hampshire. Hampshire “decorates” regularly. See the shenanigans that go on while I’m at work?! Here’s a photo of Hampshire eating a zucchini. She usually ignores any food I put in the tank, but seems she likes this one. *nerite Update: these were limpets, not nerite eggs. Limpets are beneficial organisms.

5/30 Yawn, stretch… ⛅ Brew coffee.. ☕ Good morning, fishies! Good morning, snails! Wait, what?!! Another clutch?! A lot bigger this time. Tinge of fear & panic hits right between the shoulder blades. And then this little voice in my head whispers softly, “Greater success rate.” At least this time it is on the front glass of the tank. Welp, let’s do it. 👍 This is happening. Since the first clutch so small, I will incubate this one too. Also here is a pic of York carrying her carrot. 🙂 I told you she’s a character!