macdaddy36

Quick update I got my QT setup because I ordered some new fish yesterday 8x Inpaichthys kerri, AKA Blue Emperor/Royal/Kerri Tetra and 2x Reticulated Hill-stream Loach They will both go in 10 gallon QT but longterm the Kerri tetra will go in the cube and the loaches will probably end up in the 20 high. The 20 high actually has an Aquaclear 30 HOB, fluval 107, and sponge filter so there is a decent amount of flow. I also ordered some plants which were Red flame sword, red melon sword, crypt spiralis, and anubias something or other Can anyone who has hillstream loaches comment on what they eat? Right now I have repashy soilent green and lots of algae. The loaches will be having a shorter QT because I want to get them into the algae tank quickly.

You can if you want to, but that Amazon sword in the middle should fill up the space pretty quickly.

Aquaneat light of that size probably $15

What the heck is that thing!?

I like the nicrew and aquaneat LEDs for the price. The nicrews are adjustable and have timers but the aquaneats are cheaper and brighter. Both are on amazon. I’m not sure about nicer, more expensive lights. I’d imagine the co-op lights are great though:

Could you post a link?

My fish go crazy for fluval bug bites and xtreme nano pellets.

Moneywort is a medium light plant so I don’t think those kit lights are enough to grow it. I see you have gravel right now but if you get a nutrients rich substrate you could try crypts. Also, if this is a new plant it might be melting and then coming back.

Most endlers in the hobby aren't "pure" endlers, and yours likely weren't either unless you purchased "n class" endlers, which are generally more expensive and difficult to find. Because of this I don't see why further crossing them would be an issue. I do think it is important to preserve the original "natural" variants/type locations of endlers since they are threatened by pollution and hybridization in the wild.

I think that endlers get their own name for conservation reasons, since they are under threat in the wild.

I like aqua clear filters. You can look them up on amazon

I think that as it breaks down the fish poop and plant waste replenishes it, unless its in an environment where not much waste is created (like a shrimp tank, or a tank with just chili rasbora for example)

Looks to me like fungus which grows on new wood in tanks. I have some in my new - ish 25 gallon cube right now. Look up “driftwood fungus aquarium” on google to see more pictures. How long has your tank been set up and/or how long have you had this driftwood?

On Sunday the polycarbonate finally arrived so I was able to finish the lid and canopy. Here is what the whole tank looks like now: I am pretty confident that these splash tetra are C. callolepis. Unfortunately, the fish don’t jump out of the water to spawn like C. arnoldi do, although they are still interesting. Here is the dominant male patrolling his territory: I have an empty 10 gallon so I might try to breed them because I only have 3. They aren’t a well documented species so it could be tricky though. Here are the apistogramma: I am pretty confident they are a pair. They rarely squabble anymore, they are always together, and they both mostly stay on the right side of the tank where there cave is (conveniently next to my bed so it is easy to watch them) You might notice the water is filled with particles and there are lots of tannins. I am going to order an internal filter with some filter floss and also clean my old purigen to try to minimize this. There are lots of diatoms too. I am going to chalk this up to it being a newish tank still and try to get through. I’m thinking of more fish for this tank, which will probably be hillstream loaches, or maybe black neon or blue emperor tetra. Things I am still hoping to get: Salvinia and more manzanita wood to cover the surface for the splash tetra. I suck a growing floating plants. I have killed water lettuce and duckweed. I think its because they get killed by constantly being attacked by the filter lol.

@HelplessNewbie You reacted before I even finished the writing the post haha

I want to make an outline of how I made the lid and canopy for my 25 gallon cube. There aren’t really any premade lids available for this size tank in the U.S. so I thought it could be helpful. This is also a very budget friendly lid. For me it only cost ~$25 This will mostly focus on how I made the lid. The canopy I made to match the stand and there are a bunch of ways to do it. Materials I used: Polycarbonate, Acrylic Adhesive Hinges, Handle (Command Hooks) For the command hooks I did not use those exact ones since I already had some in the "save for later" drawer. Basically, the Polycarbonate fits between the canopy and the tank. The canopy has a small lip which covers the polycarbonate to make it invisible. The canopy opens like this: The actually hinging portion of the lid only is about 6 inches long so the rest of the lid is basically storage where I have my lights and air pump. Here is how you open the lid: The hinging part has a lip which hangs over the other non-moving part of the lid to keep it in place. Thanks for reading!

Do you have sand, aquasoil, gravel? I currently have 2 amazon sword in different tanks growing in fluval stratum in meshed bags, capped with sand. They grow really well. The older one was has been growing out of the same aquasoil for 2 years.

With pretty much any canister filter you will need a pre-filter sponge. Also with just tiny chili rasbora and shrimp be aware that anything more than a simple sponge filter is way overkill. I like the Fluval 107, although with its large intake it probably won’t be much of an aesthetic improvement over you HOB. The best thing to do would be to try to hide it with hardscape and plants. I don’t have any comments about other canisters since the 107 is the only one I have. Also, how deep is you 17 gallon cube? In my 20 gallon high (16 inch deep) the 107 intake basically touches the substrate. If I had to guess its probably 13 inches long. I am not sure if the 207 intake is even longer. I watched a video on these one time. Aren’t they like crazy expensive?

What lighting are you using?

@Myersc1989 has njisseni, not panduro. I was just using my experience with panduro as an example because I know they are closely related. Does everything you said about the panduro still apply to njisseni?

Crenicichla sp. Xingu I AKA Orange pike from Brazil A certain online seller who steenfott regularly makes videos has stocked them before

If its working in a 60 gallon you should be good. Have fun with it and when you have some time I’d love to see you post some pictures of the njisseni!

This seems like a great plan and that It will be a great tank! 3 pairs of Apistogramma, especially nijsseni in a 125 still might have some issues. I have A. panduro, which are members of the same complex and are very closely related to njisseni and I would hesitate to put more than one pair in any tank less than 4 feet. You have a 6 foot tank (I think), so I would think that you could probably get away with it. I have never kept my panduro with other apistos but so far the have attacked (and done damage to): Honey Gourami and each other, and killed Beckford's Pencilfish, guppies and endlers. In such a large tank, especially one with decent height your tank mates will probably be fine (except for maybe the corys, but probably fine) I say you try the 3 pairs. Make sure to add them all at the same time and build sufficient cover and territorial boundaries. Also, continue to monitor them even after they have settled in, as when they mature and start breeding their aggression can increase. Most importantly, make sure you have a backup plan if there are issues. @anewbie has more experience with apistogramma in large tank than I do, so they will probably have more advice.

I don’t regret buying it. It is good but over kill and if I had to do it again I would probably just get another aquaclear. The good news is that when I upgrade my tank to a bigger size this and the sponge filter I have with still be enough filtration.

I don’t think there is a good reason to use salt unless you are treating something, especially because treating new fish could stress them out further.