[Captive Bred Otocinculus]

I’m not sure if @xXInkedPhoenixXis selling offspring but has managed to captive breed them. Blows my mind how since I can’t get them to live long enough to get romantic in my wife’s tanks. 

[Clown pleco and driftwood]

I have 2 clown plecos in both my 40 long and 60 gallon. Both have driftwood in them and after more than 2 years I can’t see any damage on the wood at all. They do keep it clean but that’s it. I just wish I would see them more than once every 6 months.

[Aquarium Co Op Stickers]

Stickers or no stickers, Aquarium Co-op is the first place I look for any items I need for my aquariums. It was nice while it lasted but I'll give up the stickers for a savings on the shipping. I don't mind buying the stickers I want as an add on to the items I need. Thanks to @Cory for helping bring so many great items to us in the aquarium hobby. I'm loving the new heaters!

[Injured betta and unhappy Yoyo loach - Tank harmony shattered]

They should be fine in the 5 gallon during QT. Can you add some caves and maybe some items from your cycled tank (plastic plants or rocks)? This will help with cycling the 5 gallon as well as providing hiding spots for the loaches. Watch your water in the QT tank (water changes as needed) and everything should go fine. I really hope this works for you. Having loaches in your tank is one of my greatest enjoyments as they are so funny and do a great job cleaning up all the uneaten food. Best of luck and keep us posted on how thing go.

 

[Injured betta and unhappy Yoyo loach - Tank harmony shattered]

I’m sorry to hear about your betta! I hope he recovers quickly with no lasting issues! 
I’m not saying your loach did it but I have seen them act in unkind ways when stressed. I think adding 2 more loaches will help him be more outgoing and less inclined to look at the other tank inhabitants in general. 
I know you are worried about upsetting the balance of your tank by adding more fish. Currently, how much change occurs to your nitrates between water changes based on your current feeding and stock level? Maybe any increase caused by 2 more fish can be negated by more frequent water changes, if needed.

Normally, I wouldn’t recommend this but taking your betta’s health in consideration, I would get 2 more loaches and then put them and your 1 remaining loach in quarantine together.  It will accomplish a few things at once. First, your betta will be safer if the loach was to blame. Second, the 3 loaches will be put together in a completely neutral environment where no one has the home field advantage that might cause issues. They will be able to bond together and establish their hierarchy without stressing the rest of your established tanks residents. Lastly, it shouldn’t hurt your current loach’s health going through a couple rounds of deworming with the 2 new ones  while they are in QT. 
I’m think this is what I would do if faced with your predicament. Good luck with whatever you end up doing and keep us all posted on how your betta is doing.

[Loss of a fishy friend]

@hannah662parker IMO you have a suitable tank size for more loaches. Since I’m not sure what filtration you are using or how many other fish you have I can’t recommend how many you can safely add. I have a 40 long (same footprint as your 33) with UG filter and 2 power heads as well as 2 Ehiem 2213s and a 6 inch bubble stone. At one point I had 21 loaches in the tank with some african cichlids and a red tail shark. My water stayed at 0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrite, and 10-15 Nitrate as long as I kept that set-up. I do weekly water changes of 50%.  I’m sure plenty of people will say my tank is overstocked and etc. but it worked for me and my fish thrived in it. Having loaches is a lot of fun and I won’t have a tank without a school of them swimming around entertaining me. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

[Loss of a fishy friend]

So sorry for your loss! It hurts after so many years of caring and loving them. He was a very pretty guy! Loaches are so easy to get attached to as they seem to like to interact with their humans. This will happen to all of us if we stay in the hobby long enough and it will never make sense why they jump out of their tank. I hope your new Yoyos bring you lots of joy!

[Snail eaters for 30 gal]

You can look at Striata Botia as well. They love to eat snails and get along well with all types of fish. They also don’t get really big (about 3 1/2 inches) and a group of 5 or 6 would fit well in a 30 gallon IMO. 

[What is your favourite fish species?]

I love all the botias/loaches but my all time favorite fish is the RedTail Shark.  They are like a box of chocolates, you never know what personality you are going to get.

[Non-Fish Pets]

On 5/9/2022 at 9:22 AM, hannah662parker said:

My fiancé and I currently have my dog and adopted our first cat together. My dog was bought from a mall pet store for me when I was a teen by my parents and most definitely came from a puppy mill, so she has a lot of temperament issues. I am allergic to dogs and can only have certain breeds, so my parents were uneducated and didn't think they could adopt a "mutt" at that time. This is Ellie, our Shih-Tzu/Bichon Frise.

She's my best friend, and I truly believe she has the intellect of a toddler. She's so emotionally tuned in to her surroundings, and greatly suffers from anxiety and resource guarding. Once my fiancé and I got our own house and she became an only dog (my moms dog stayed at my parents' house) she really blossomed. She's played with toys for the first time in her life. I knew she could live with a cat once she got adjusted so we adopted our little grey cat Charmy.She is the sweetest cat I've ever met, and is extremely vocal and affectionate. She really made us a little family. We adopted her from the animal shelter I volunteer at, and she was born with only 1 eye. They found her very sick with her kittens dead inside her, so she had to have an emergency spay.

We had to get Ellie in-home training to help her adjust to living with a cat, and we have to feed Ellie super expensive subscription food (The Farmer's Dog) so she doesn't starve herself so she can stand guard over her kibble, but with all that combined we've finally got the happiest pets. They even lay together sometimes, which is HUGE for Ellie. Charmy is so sweet of course and would cuddle with her all day if she could, but Ellie isn't about that. Most nights she warns her away, but sometimes Ellie even lets Charmy sleep in bed with us. I'm sure I didn't explain it all the best, but replying to this thread made me really just want to brag on my girl because of how far she has come, I'm so proud of her. Like @xXInkedPhoenixX with their rat and @Guppysnail with their dragon, I don't think I'll ever be able to have another dog after Ellie. My fiancé and I talk about it a lot, and emotions combined with the toll it takes on me physically (I'm still allergic to her but it's manageable), I'm not sure we'll have a dog again. She loves my fiancé so much too, she really is like our child. We've been together since we were 15 and I got Ellie when I was 14, so she's know him almost her whole life. Thanks for letting me gush about my kids 💜

Charmy is so beautiful! So glad you were able to give her an awesome forever home! You're a great mom to deal with your allergies so you can show Ellie all the love you have!

[Non-Fish Pets]

Rats make great pets, although for far to short a time! I had them when I was younger and my wife had them when I met her. Now we have 2 dogs, 4 cats, a horse and a cow. I can't imagine a life without all these great animals.

Frog

 

Bubba

 

Wink (The one-eyed cat. That's how he came to us)

 

Cochise

 

Rosie

[Over stocked?]

On 5/7/2022 at 6:38 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

This is a very loaded question. If you're using an online calculator the answer would inveritably be yes. (because mine would all but 1 be overstocked according to it). 

The question to me is: Are the fish able to move about freely and are healthy without disease and brilliantly (for them) colored and everyone getting along (any signs of aggression that is sometimes a sign of overcrowding)? Are the plants happy and growing? Do I have any regular or persistent water parameter issues that would cause either or both of the other things issues (consistently tests 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite and a healthy ammount of Nitrate)? Is the maintenance of this (possibly overstocked) tank too much for me to handle or would it quickly go south if it had no maintenance for a day or two?

If the answers are all to the postive then, no, your tank is not overstocked. 

This is the best answer I have read on any forum. There are so many variables that come into play that there is no black or white answer. Thanks for spelling out what so many of us are thinking but can't explain it so clearly.

[Aquashella Dallas]

My wife and I will be there both days. We went last year and had a great time. V.I.P. tickets are the way to go since you get a better chance to talk to your favorite YouTube folks.