NOLANANO

My 75g planted tank has been up and running for close to 3 years now and while the left side of my tank has looked good from day 1, I have struggled with the right side. I have always felt that it looked “messy” it unnatural depending on what I tried to do. I finally ponied the money to get a larger piece of wood and together with the wood that I already had, I was able to make some good progress. Its not completely finished as I still plan to get some jungle Val and maybe some dwarf sag to complete the look on that side but I am very happy with where it is. id also like some honest opinions on things that could make any part of the tank look better. before and after pics:

I don't think it would overstock from Bio Load perspective but I do think it'd drastically change the look of your tank. I think your stocking is great because the fish are visible but not EVERYWHERE. All the fish have room to maneuver and no single fish or school is overpowering. I think adding 10 more Rasbora would be very distracting. Thats just my 2 cents though.

I think you only posted this thread to show us how amazing your tank looks lol. I don't have any suggestions beyond what you have tried but Ido want to share a lesson I have learned during my aquarium journey. If something isn't making you happy or is stressing you out, get rid of it. Maybe someone in this thread can help you figure out the issue and you and the Rasboras can live happily ever after (I hope this for you). But if you can't figure out the issue and the glass surfing is causing you stress then maybe try to rehome or trade in the Rasboras. Recently I had this beautiful Albino Bristle nose Pleco that was a perfect specimen (like could have been in magazines, he was perfect) BUT he started eating my plants. Killed my Amazon sword, chopped all the leaves off my tiger lotus, and was doing a number on my Crypt Wenditii. Finally I decided it was time for him to go. I traded him in and the stress load that took off of my pate was immediately felt. Point being that these are animals and we can't always control their behaviors. Maybe our setup just isn't for them and someone else will have better luck.

Yes that looks like a bacterial bloom but I don't think that necessarily means you ruined your nitrogen cycle. I mean its possible you did but test the water daily to see if any Ammonia or Nitrites pop up and do water changes if they do. The water changes are gonna pro long the bacterial bloom but its necessary for your fish to not live in ammonia. Once the tank is cycled again then don't do any water changes until the water clears. If your tank never has any Ammonia or Nitrite I also suggest not changing any water until it clears.

Definitely a cichlid thing like @jwcarlson said. If you have a male and female, they might pair up and then the aggression will cease. If they don't pair and you have a larger tank for them than a 10G, you could get a second female to spread the aggression. If you have 2 males then they will always beef somewhat. If they are similar in size and aggression, they will divide the tank into territories and only battle if one comes too close to the territorial line. If one is more aggressive, he will claim the whole tank and the sub dominant male will be on the run/hiding.

My cories all sleep in the same corner and I think its because its the area with least amount of flow. When awake, they swim all around so its not lik ethe flow is too much elsewhere, they just know where its easiest to relax.

Yes and no. I have a heavily planted 75G tank I do get them to live and flouish and some even breed (though no babies make it to adulthood) BUT they all usually die iwthin 6 months for no explainable reason. They just start breathing heavy one day and die within a week. Or they just get skinny over time and die one day. I have done a ton of research on it and it seems to be one of 4 reasons but I can't know for sure: 1) The species is genetically weak due to inbreeding for better colors. 2) The fish are given hormones when they are fry to make their colors pop in the fish store but it also shortens their lifespan. 3) The fish only live for 2-3 years and may not be sold until they are a year or a year and a half because their colors may not fully come in until then. In this scenario the fish live a full life but I only get to keep them for the final 6 months. 4) I read on one blog that they are really susceptible to internal parasites and that blood worms (and most other worms too) tend to carry internal parasites due to how they are farmed. For my last batch of GBRs, I never fed them blood worms and while 5 of the 6 did die within 6 months, I have one gold Ram that's almost a year old. He is the sole ram in my tank at the moment. 4 of the other 5 died (I think) because I had a large male that was the tank boss and he stressed them out leading to them not eating as much and eventually perishing. I think the large male was sone of those hormone fish because he was the largest Ram I have ever owned and his colors were nuts. I think his life span was shortened due to that. The one gold ram I have just figured out how to work the system and outlasted the bully. As far as plants, get any type of floating plant or some kind of fast growing stem plant. Bacopa Caroliniana (Not sure if that spelled correctly) is super hardy and works great. You want plants that feed through the water column more than are root feeders. Another trick I learned is don't acclimate them for too long because they are stressed in the bag or in a bucket and once their stress levels hit a certain point, there is no return. I float them for 15-20 minutes and then drop them in. The idea being that any stress they have due to differing water conditions is less than the stress they will feel in the bag. Plus the bag is probably full of ammonia if they are shipped so opening the bag makes that water toxic. Keep the bag sealed, float, and then drop them in. I used to lose around 25% of my fish upon introduction when I did drip method or the cup full of water method of acclimating. Since switching to plop and drop, I have never lost a fish on introduction. Some pics of my rams:

How are the rams acting? I my experience they don't do well with any type of water impurity. Even if you have zero nitrites and Ammonia, just having Nitrates above like 10 ppm will make them struggle. I almost gave up on Rams because the first 3 times I tried them they died within 48 hours. I couldn't get them to stay alive for a prolonged period until I got faster growing stem plants and some floaters. Try the massive water change suggested and remove the worm debris and hope for the best. I'd highly suggest getting some plants if you want to keep rams. Also try to keep the water at 80+ degrees. Warmer is better.

Maybe I have been lucky but my secret has been to open the lid as seldom as possible. I just cleaned the filter last week for the first time in 18 months. I have a heavily planted tank so water quality was never an issue. If you don't mess with the seals, they don't break. Or maybe I am full of it and have just been lucky.

If you are looking for a budget cannister filter I have a Sun Sun and I've legit never seen clearer water than I have in my 75G. Everyone that I hears I have a sun sun tells me I need to upgrade because it will fail on me but its been going strong for going on 3 years now without any issues.

You know your cycle is done when the water tastes like Cotton Candy. Spit the water out, I was kidding. On a real note, I would say don't add any Ammonia if there is still ammonia showing up on your tests. I have never used the product you mentioned but the idea of a "fully cycled" tank is that it will convert Ammonia all the way into Nitrate in 24 hours. If Ammonia is still present then the nitrifying bacteria already has "food". Add more once the Ammonia is gone. Your tank will be fully cycled when you can add ammonia and the water 24 hours later and only detect Nitrate. If there is any Nitrite or Ammonia, your bacteria colony isn't sufficient. I usually do a fish in cycle to avoid the whole add ammonia or don't add ammonia scenario. Yes it takes a lot of work for the first couple of weeks as you have to do daily or every other day water changes but I find that it cycles the tank MUCH quicker and the ammonia source is natural.

I appreciate this thread. I was looking for a new fish food to try and I just ordered my free samples to check this product out. It might just be to LEGIT to Quit!

Just some guys being dudes.

Here are some pictures of the white nose reindeer.

at first the other rummynose called him names but then one foggy Christmas eve...he was still of no help cuz he was the only one without a red nose. They didn't accept him until they needed to run a stealth mission to steal some food from the cories and he was the only one that could go in undetected.

I spot treat with Seachem Excel. Any liquid Carbon will work. By spot treat, I mean that I take a child's medicine syringe (a pipet will work too) and I inject the Excel directly onto the BBA. I have to do this once every 6 months or so when the BBA starts to spread. The Excel kills it off but it eventually comes back. There is some underlying issue that is causing it in my (and your) tank but I can't figure it out. From what I have read it might be a Phosphorus deficiency? But I think its a light issue. I have my lights (Hygger lights) on for 6 hours every day and the BBA tends to only grow on plants and equipment near the top of the tank, close to the light. It starts slow but eventually it gets on everything so I just spot treat when I notice it and keep it in check.

I just wanted to start a thread to see if others also have anything going on in their tanks that would not be "normal" but doesn't seem like its bad. The things that sparked my interest in this topic is that I have 1 Rummynose tetra that has lost the color in his nose. I have had my school of 9 Rummynose for about a year and half, maybe 2 years and when I got them they all had very red noses. About 6 months ago, one of them lost the color in its nose. A reverse Rudolph if you will. At first I tested the water but the quality was fine and the rest of the Rummynose all had bright red noses so I thought maybe this one was just weak and would die soon. Well its been 6 months and this guy is still going strong. He eats and swims and schools with the other Tetra without any issues, he just doesn't have a red nose. Have any of you had similar quirky things happen with your fish that usually indicate an issue but are seemingly a one off?

This could also go sideways from the pea puffers side of things as well. Pea Puffers are nicknamed something like murder beans or something crazy like that because what they lack in size they make up for in gusto. I have never owned them so I can't speak from experience but everything written online says they should be a species only tank. ALTHOUGH, I have seen people on Youtube have pea puffers in somewhat of a community tank. Like all things in this hobby, it will depend on the fish, the setup, and the patience/experience of the fish keeper. If you do try this mix, be sure to report back on how it goes!

Awesome, I am glad I misread the situation a bit. I just hate when people try this hobby and end up bailing on it fairly quickly because they bit off more than they can chew. We all go too fast from time to time and its hard to slow down. Right now I want both Amazon Puffers and to maybe start a saltwater tank for some clowns in my empty 29G, not to mention wanting an 80G Waterbox rimless tank. Prioritizing and going slow if my plan. I am going to do the puffers first. I plan to order some around March but before then I need to figure out how to farm meal worms and I need to get the med trio so I can deworm them. Then depending on how that goes, I want to do the saltwater 29G with clowns maybe in October of 2024 or March of the following year. I need to slowly acquire some more equipment. And then I hope to be able to do the 80G Waterbox in the next 3-5 years. I hope to figure out how to do saltwater with my 29G and then have the Waterbox be a larger saltwater tank. Then I would have a 75G freshwater tank and a 80 gallon Saltwater tank.

Let me start by saying that you do not have to listen to my advice, your aquarium journey can be whatever you want it to be. BUT: Based on your recent post history, it seems to me like you may be trying to do too much too fast. I could be off base but it seems like you are fairly new to the hobby (maybe 6 months in?) and are already trying to start up multiple tank almost simultaneously. If memory serves me, you have about 3 tanks already with one or two more in the works? In the long run there is nothing wrong with having multiple tanks but as a beginner, it's very hard to manage all of that. When tanks are new (first 6 months to a year) they tend to be a little volatile. One day everything is fine, and the next your PH crashes or you have an Ammonia spike, or your heater gets water in it and sends an electrical current into the water (all things that happened to me), etc. When you have one tank, you can take on those issues one at a time and figure them out as they come. Once the tank "seasons" they tend to be much more stable and more or less run themselves (especially planted tanks). When you have multiple tanks all going through the "New Tank" issues all at once, it can become a whirlwind where you can't figure out what's going wrong and how to fix it. This is how a lot of well intentioned people get burned out and leave the hobby within their first year. My suggestion would be to slow down and try to consolidate what you have to one tank, maybe 2 if you have like a 29 or 55 gallon and then like 5 or ten gallon but even then I'd highly suggest one tank. Figure out which fish you have that 1) are most important to you, 2) fit in the tank that you have, and 3) can cohabitate with the other fish in the tank. Then trade in or re-home the rest. This large Pleco fits into the re-home or trade in category, its just too big and has a large bio load. Once you have everything down to 1 (or 2) tank(s), let that tank season for a year or so while you work through the trials and errors. I understand that setting up new tanks is exciting but that same energy could be channeled into making the sole tank much better. You could get new decor, maybe some rocks or drift wood, you could maybe try live plants (Me and many others on here can make suggestions for easy plants to start with), you could upgrade your light or filter or heater or any equipment, and you could maybe upgrade the substrate. None of these upgrades are necessary but they all take some research and are fun to figure out. After a year or so, then you can add another tank or two. By this point, you will know how to trouble shoot a lot of the issues you are running into and be able to better recognize when there is a problem, what the problem is, and how to fix it. The only other piece of advice I would give is to do more research before buying any fish. We have all gone to the LFS, saw something new and cool and bought it immediately only to figure out that it was a bad idea. After making those kinds of mistakes, you learn to slow down a bit and research the fish before buying them to make sure they are compatible with your parameters, your tank size, and your other fish that will be its tank mates. To me, mixing and matching and figuring out what would work best with what I have is tons of fun. Sure its frustrating when you can't get that awesome fish that you want but its super rewarding when not being able to get Fish A leads you to do more research and you find Fish B that is similar and works with your current stock. To summarize, when I read the tea leaves of your posts it seems like you are moving too quickly and trying to do too much too fast. This hobby takes patience and its the hardest part imo to learn but you (and your fish) will be much better for it in the long run if you slow down and enjoy the journey instead of being laser focused on the destination.

How big is the Pleco and what size tank? Also what type of Pleco?

The term "Algae Eater" is kind of bad PR for Plecos and snails and the like. Yes they will eat algae but they also need to be fed. You should be at the very least dropping an algae wafer into the tank once or twice a week, especially a newish tank with no visible algae. Also most Plecos need so sort of wood to chomp on as well as some meat in their diet to go along with algae. As adults, I find that most plecos stop eating the algae on the glass and decor anyway.

Live bearers are pretty adaptable in my experience so they would work fine in your tank. My favorite type is the Endler Livebearer, they are wildly entertaining to watch. They have awesome colors, come in a wide variety and stay pretty small compared to their guppy "cousins". Due to their small size, they won't be able to eat many (if any) of your shrimpletts and you'd be able to stock a larger number than its larger livebearer counterparts. You could do all males which have all the colors and watch them "duel" which means they dance and strut in front of each other. Or you could do males and females and have both the shrimp and Endlers breeding.

It could be the frog but it also could be due to the fish getting stuck between a rock or other decoration and the galss (or 2 decorations) and struggling to get free. Any chance this happened?

Municipal water supplies can use more or less chlorine or other additives depending on the time of year and quality of water. I had an issue for a while where I would do a water change and all my fish would swim to the surface and breath heavily within an hour despite me using a dechlorinator. The solution was to get an airstone and make sure there was plenty of gas exchange happening because there was something in the tap water that was suffocating the fish. The airstone allowed the "poison" to be extracted from the water quick enough to avoid harming my fish. This was not an issue for me for the first 2 years of having an aquarium and it seems to have subsided but now I always keep an airstone going and I double dose Prime every time I do a water change. The point being that just because your tap water was fine prior, it can change and you'll have to adapt your process.