Vince C

Wow! Congrats on a spawn in such a short time! I love South American Rams and cichlids! Hope you get fry soon!

Awesome! Will follow this thread and hope for success pics one day! Best of luck!

Congrats! Those stay top water right? Any plans to add any bottom dwellers to it also?

I love my pygmy corys - I think they would be fine in that substrate also. You just don't want anything sharp for their barbs. The only downside with the corys is that they do better in groups of 6 or more.

I know it doesn't make sense to purchase for most folks, but for smaller pieces I have used a vacuum pump that I have used for woodworking. leaving it under vacuum overnight pulls all the air out of it, and then when you release the vacuum it fills all the voids with water and most times now sinks instead of floating. For my larger pieces - I normally have weighed it down with a rock - or other piece of wood that doesn't float.

Welcome to the forum - i'm an East Coast guy also - just down in Georgia! Rummy Nose have always seemed like a neat fish to me also - have never kept any (yet) though.

I have used the Micro Pellets from Hikari with my Bolivian Rams and they do well with it - they definitely can swallow those.

I would 2nd the celestial pearl danios - they are on my bucket list to breed, and I hear great things about them in a smaller tank.

Once your tank is "cycled" it is actually a continual process. its not a faster process - but depending on the amount of beneficial bacteria it will adjust the amount that it can cycle in the same period so thats why it seems "faster". Also, I agree with the others. If it was me - I would dose with some ammonia to both feed the bacteria - and test the cycle. Best of luck in the new fish next week!

Depends on how long you are going to wait before adding fish. If the bacteria goes too long without “food” you could throw off the cycle. just remember when adding fish - don’t add too big of a bio load or it could be too much for the bacteria to handle also and end up with an ammonia spike. Easier to grow into it.

I second this. I have a few of these and have had 0 issues. I would say see if there is something they can do - since it’s only been 3 months - and either way replace it. Not worth the risk.

Once you get them big enough you could put them back in the larger tank if you don’t sell first. Also “how many can I keep in x tank” is prob going to be a debated topic here. Lol. I would say if they are guppy fry, and you have a cycled tank, and monitor your water/do frequent changes you will be fine. I personally grow out my guppy fry in a 40 breeder as it’s less maintenance/more room (since I have the space). Also I know alot of variables go into the amount of fry each drops. I would say from mine I regularly got about 12-15 every month or so. And with some natural losses/culling I would get about 8-10 raised.

Congrats on getting into breeding - guppies were my first as well - I would recommend the colony in the 30 - put a female in the breeder box when she looks close to dropping the fry, then trying to raise them up a bit in the 10 gallon. You will learn alot the first few rounds, on what signs to look for - what to avoid etc. Give yourself time, be prepared to make a few mistakes and get better each time! Also be prepared to spiral down the breeding tunnel into more fish! lol

Thanks for the info - those stands look great. I have decided to definitely make my own as well - just figured I would test the waters first before committing. Best of luck on your breeding also!

You could also just fill the tank with water for the week - and drain it when you are ready to move it next week. Might be a bit more work, but should remove the worries of the sand. I also use the BDBS in some of my tanks - it has always worked great!

I like the idea of a shorter list - where you can focus and become successful - and then always expand. It will also provide opportunities to learn from some guaranteed mistakes having more types to deal with. Best of luck - the more local breeders we have in the hobby the better!

Thanks for the recommendation - i just went and bought one - definitely looks like it will be a great addition to the collection!

I did watch Cory's video on the block rack - and I think since i'm wanting to fit more tanks into wall space and have them facing on edge instead of longwise - seems like I should just build a full 2x4 rack. Thanks for the help. I have watched some of The King of DIY make stands - but I think they were just for his large tanks - I will go search for his racks - thanks again!

If you end up making one - definitely keep us updated. For the tanks that I had been filling with buckets, I ended up buying a small pump from amazon and tubing. It allowed me to directionally point the tube away from the substrate making less churn, and also saved me from having to lift/pour all the buckets. Just another option that only runs ya $30 or so.

I figured that was the case. I had ordered some wood online before and was definitely underwhelmed by what actually showed up. I will definitely go try and find a good local place that has a better selection. Thanks!

I will definitely have to go check out Zenzos vids on this. Most of the home store shelving seems like it would work for the most part with the 20highs front to back easy, which is probably what I will mostly have - other than 40breeders/55 which would be longways of course. Thanks again @ScottieB

You mention specimen container - what if you took one - and on either side (left and right if its hanging on your tank) - and cut a rectangle with a dremel tool or something similar. Think similar to the hole that Dean cuts on his fry trays for sponges. This way you could hang the container on your tank - and the water would go out either side instead of straight down hopefully not disturbing the substrate - could even add course sponges in the holes to make it even more dispersed - but don't wanna slow the flow down too much so that you have to hold the buckets too long. Just a thought - would be interested to see if it would work.

Hey everyone - my multiple tank syndrome is getting worse 🙂 - and i'm looking at setting up a larger rack system for breeding with room to expand. I have seen everything from 2x4s on blocks - to home center shelving and beyond. Wanting to pick everyones brain on what you all have tried or would recommend - without blowing all the money on the rack - to save more for more tanks and breeding pairs. Thanks in advance!

Have you found all driftwood is typically safe? or is there things to look out for there as well - other than boiling it to reduce tannins if needed?

Such great info - Wanted to piggie back on the thanks for the insight. I have never done the Salt QT - will definitely be trying that on my next batch of guppies/livebearers I get in.