ccc24

I feed out my active/eager fish as far to one side as I can. I put a ring feeding ring over there and I put all there favorites over there (about half of what they will be getting). On the other side I prep the slower fish food. Once I’ve got the pleco’s nori in a clip and ready to go, I drop the other half of the eager/fast fish food in the far side, clip in the pleco’s dinner and put in the distraction nori half way up the side. They eventually come around to the pleco’s food, but not before he’s been the first one to get a chance to eat it.

Agree. Definitely not their main diet and definitely before any cooking additives (oils, seasonings, etc). Just more wanting to toss in the end of the cucumber or the last few bites of carrots the kids aren’t going to eat. I’ve got finned garbage disposals in the tank (mollies) and those fish seem to eat type of food I throw in (flake, pellet, nori, frozen, fresh) that is a fish food. So I’m hopeful they will eat other food scraps.

Is there anything (within reason) you can’t feed fish in general due to it being poisonous or toxic to them? Like dogs and dark chocolate? I don’t plan on tossing a 32 ounce steak in but if a tomato needs to be eaten, I’d rather feed it to the fish than waste it. Or at the very least, feed them the left over scraps of cilantro & tomato from taco night. Right now, I’m going on the premise of them needing to encounter a version of it in nature (as in - they could run across raw vegetation (the tomato & cilantro) but not milk - so no cheese) but I’m curious if there are any foods that are always a no.

My rainbow fish (turquoise, bosemani, dwarf neon, Threadfin) are doing really well in my hard water.

Is the aquaeon light any good, really? I’m trying to figure out why the Monte Carlo in one of my tanks is thriving and one is just ok to meh. Scenario: I have 6g tank with an aquaeon clip on plant light with 3 Monte carlos, a single betta and random ramshorn snail hitchhikers. Plants: 3 Monte Carlo, random Christmas moss and 4 lucky bamboo growing out of the aquarium. At the same time I planted the 3 Monte Carlo in the 6g, I planted the 4th in a very heavily planted/stocked 55g with a finnex light and incidentally in a spot that gets shaded occasionally as other plants grow. The Monte Carlo were all in good shape when they were planted, I easy green all the tanks based on nitrate levels (I aim for 20ish ppm) and all were plants given 2 easy root tabs upon planting and on a monthly tab schedule. But the 3 in 6g are just ok, but the 1 in the 55g (that actually has a ton of competition for nutrients in all the other plants around it) is thriving. It looks great. All that to say - is it the light? I feel like maybe the aquaeon is not a great light at all, I was hoping that it being as close to the plants as it is, it would work but I’m doubting that now. Anyone switched light brands and found it was a huge determining factor on a tank that small?

So one of my display tanks is a hodge podge of “can’t be done together” species. It has bosemani rainbows, Threadfins, mollies, guppies, a gourami, a snowball pleco, a clown pleco, rosy barbs, serpae tetras, swordtails & two female bettas. Depending on who you ask, this is an awful idea or it’s just fine. It is extremely heavily planted (jungle would be an accurate description) and I purposely positioned the rocks to form barriers/hiding spots and we have 3 caves. It is a very active and definitely “experimental” to an extent - you can mix all kinds of stuff as long as you have a plan for if it doesn’t work out. If the gourami suddenly decides it must throw down with the betta everyday, fish gotta move around, but right now, it works. You got some great advice above. my thought (for what it’s worth) - If you are going to experiment try to minimize the factors that would cause it to fail. If you are going to try to species together that aren’t known for being best buds, at least get species that do well in your water and match what you have as far as aquarium design.

Pretty sure they stopped including them for free but that you can still buy them.

“What kind of fish is that?” ”You just picked these up at PetSMart?” *points to rare fish* (you know the one you stalked on the internet for weeks, checked stock, visited every store around hunting for) ”Why are there so many kinds of fish foods?”

An Aqua clear 50 will most likely through your betta all over the tank. That’s a ton of power for the average betta. Short of that betta being a female plakat (and even then, bettas aren’t the strongest swimmers). Honestly, a decent sponge filter should be plenty of filtration for 2 fish in a 20 gallon. If you want something to keep your water clear and the sponge filter isn’t cutting it, then you may be more interested in “scrubbing” your water. Maybe stock poly fill in a very small aquaclear. Or run a fine sponge and a coarse sponge. But bettas can’t take much as far as flow.

I use this one. hygger 400 GPH Quick Water Change Aquarium Pump Submersible Fountain Water Pump Fish Tank Circulation Pump with 2 Adaptors https://a.co/7yJNyZo

My husband pointed out with how small the tank is - I could just “cheat” and buy about 3 more and “boom, carpet.” I mean he’s not wrong. 😂

I can grow Me some hair algae. Probably my best aquatic skill. 😂 How did you get it to shape like that?

I have a hygger submersible pump off Amazon. I detach the python end (to get to the actual hose) and insert this in 7/8 fitting on the pump. I then walk the pump around the bottom of the tank (important note: I have gravel, not sand) and it will suck up any detritus that is kicked up. I’ve also just left it sitting in a corner for a straight water change. This actively pumps the water out (no reliance on gravity). I then reattach the python fitting with the hook and run water from my sink to refill the tank. The pump is much, much faster.

My dwarf rasboras are tee-tiny compared to everything else as they come so young from the store. Grown, they aren’t an immediate snack to most common fish but be prepared they might be when you first get them. My CPDs are active but not to a super high level. They are the smallest fish in the tank they are in, so they tend to be going in and out of the plants and concentrate in an area of cover (mine live behind/around my centerpiece decoration). My favorites are CPDs and clown killifish. You may also consider a large school of silver tip tetras…if you watch some of Cory’s store videos - they react as a school and follow your hand (very interactive). A 75 could definitely fit enough to get that behavior.

Yes, stray current can kill fish and some fish can endure it better than others.

Various killifish starting with clown killis. I’m more aiming for “replenishment” breeding to begin with (casual reproduction to have more by the time the original group reaches the end of their natural lifespans).

I can give that a whirl. I have at 6 as that seemed to be the balance that didn’t grow hair algae. Now that there are carpeting plants…maybe I can increase the light duration without growing hair algae.

What plant is guppy grass, actually? I’d love to pick some up but I’m not sure what to look up. And what is a “CRS rank?” (I feel like it’s got to be obvious but my coffee hasn’t kicked in yet).

I personally do a close inspection and then plant them. I’m concerned in my Q set-up that they wouldn’t survive. So I get them in substrate with root tabs, easy green, & timed plant lighting as soon as possible. if you’ve got the appropriate set up to Q, then it’s not going to hurt but if you don’t have the right set-up (such as my Q set-up doesn’t have an appropriate type light or lighting schedule for plants, I actually keep it dim to help the new fish de-stress) you could do more damage than good.

Not ACO (different Company) but this is how I now have a any ramshorn snails. Ironically, my trumpet snail came home with a fish purchase - guess the employee didn’t notice it in the specimen container or the bags and I couldn’t see it in the corner. I’ve only ever purchased my nerite snails 😂

I have planted Monte Carlo in a 6g cube. I have an aquaeon planted tank clip-on light. I have the light on a timer and it runs for 6 hours a day. I keep nitrates at 20-40ppm with easy green. I put root tabs (easy tabs) in the root balls when I planted them (and plan on placing new fertilizer tabs monthly). Inhabitants are a betta (Quasar) & 2 nerite snails (and an unspecified number of tiny ramshorn hitchhikers that could be one or five) This is my first foray with a carpeting plant - is there any other adjustments I should make or changes that would encourage carpeting? Anything I’m doing that would inhibit carpeting? completely unrelated - I do have brag on my sweet husband who custom 3D printed the castle to theme the tank to fit the room it is in (Board Games). It was originally meant as a shrimp hide (it has a spiral staircase from top to bottom that leads to the roof) but the betta immediately moved in.

I’m about to start my first intentional breeding set-up. That said, moss and I have a love/hate relationship. I love to buy it and it hates to grow. It never seems to get any bigger/expand. I’ve had some in a tank for 6 months and no change. If anything I think there might be less. That said I can grow other plants without much trouble, my Java ferns, Madagascar lace, water sprite, cabombas, etc are all quite happy. What other plant besides the popular mosses (tried both Java and Christmas - Christmas I can get to live, Java always dies) can I build the fry hide out of? I was leaning toward a thicket of cabomba but are there any downsides to that?

If it is gravel, I’d totally clean it, sun dry it in a thin layer (it’s summer in Texas atm, so this wouldn’t take 30 minutes right now 😂) and store in a bucket from the hardware store. Handy stuff to have around.

I’d see if you can pick up smaller buckets and keep them in the climate controlled area. The hardware stores around me sell 2 gallon, food safe buckets (so no weirdness leaching out) with lids that are much smaller and could be sealed. I’d also put some sponge in your tank now to cycle and put that in the bucket when you travel to help. Have some back up water on hand in case of spills.

Seems like a good diet to me. I think you are on the right path. Going to live foods, is something you could dabble in, but certainly isn’t required. My fish are with yours - none of them really like bug bites, no matter how small I crunch them up or how big the fish is (that can easily swallow them).