NOLANANO

I bought a marine land 75G from PETCO and it’s been up and running for a year with no issues. I think the key it to make sure all the seals look uniform and smooth when you unbox it. And do a water test in your backyard at the same time. If it holds water, it should be good.

Are those “celestial rams”? I saw some on aquabid and I think they are a cross between electric blue and long fin rams. They look really good.

I had my rams with neon tetra, rummynose tetra, and panda cories. I’ve heard mixed reviews about cories though. Some people say that rams don’t tolerate them in their territory but I have not found this to be the case in my own experience.

The sleepy fish thread got me thinking that it would be fun for everyone to post a pic of their most elusive fish in their tank(s). mine are my Julii Cory Cats that almost always stay hidden. I see my plecos FAR more often than I see these guys. The only time I get to really see them is if I sit a few feet away from the tank and don’t move. ANY movement and they scurry off to the back to hide. I was at my tank for 45 minutes and managed to only get one usable picture of a single fish lol.

unless I read this wrong, this seems like you are just adding an extra step to the process you are already doing. If you are gonna collect the snails (I assume with the green beans) why put them in a tank to be eaten when you could just throw them away? I guess my point is that you still won't be removing them from main tank any quicker than you already are and if you don't find the current method to be satisfactory, I am not sure you will find the "new" method any better at population control.

Panda Cory snuggle party!

Thanks for sharing that video, I think I will pass on these guys and wait for some GBRs or some Apistos that strike my fancy.

That’s my thought as well. I guess I’m not versed enough in the history of GBRs to know if they were bred to be smaller in stature or if these would be considered a different species or sub species? Lil similar to how the Bolivian ram is the same but different. I’m intrigued by them considering my LFS has been out of GBRs for quite some time. My only pause is if I will eventually be disappointed if they don’t color up very much. on the flip side, I have had trouble getting my GBRs to live for longer than a year so maybe some wild caught rams would be better? I truly torn on whether I should get these guys or not.

My LFS has some rams for sale that are listed as "Blue Rams" but they are chunkier than GBRs but have more of a bluish shimmer than Bolivian Rams. After doing some research, I believe that they are Colombian Rams. Has anyone had any experience with these before? There is very little information on them on the internet so any information would be helpful.

I haven't noticed this correlation but it does make sense as keeping Rams to their full life span has been difficult. I am glad you brought this to my attention and I will definitely monitor this going forward. Also I trust KFS as a good source of knowledge so if he is making this correlation and posting it on the internet, I would trust that he has a high confidence level in his assessment.

For stem plants, I do not find this to be the case but for one of my crypts, the roots did grow into the bag and make it difficult to move. The caveat is that this particular crypt was in the same spot for about a full year.

You can put the aquasoil in filter media bags and then cap with whatever substrate you want to see on top. This will keep the aqua soil from rising to the top.

This is the most likely answer.

I had an Apisto Trifacita go missing. I went on vacation for 3 days and when I returned he was gone. Tank had a lid and I never found his body anywhere so I don't think he jumped out. And I was only gone for 3 days so I find it hard to believe that the other fish ate him to the point that he vanished in that short amount of time. I have since broken down that setup and still no bones or anything was found. No clue what happened.

report back with how it goes. I have tried scarlet temple twice but both times it melted away. Maybe the easy planter is the way to go to make it work.

I am not sure, I have one in an 82 degree formerly GBR set up and at one point I had growth issues out of my other plants and thought the Tiger Lotus was the issue so I removed it and put it in a tank that I was in the process of breaking down that had no heater, light, or filter running, and was about 72 degrees. It was able to survive in that tank (and even grow more) for about a month before I figured out my real issue and moved it back to my larger tank. Point being that once they sprout, I think they are super hardy which may explain why one plant is thriving while another bulb won't sprout. Also I have read that if it doesn't sprout after a few weeks, to flip the bulb over. Sometimes we mistakenly place them upside down.

If for some reason the washcloth idea doesn't fit you needs, I have seen someone put the air pump in their cabinet or whatever storage area their stand provides and then put essentially filter foam on all the walls of the storage area to absorb the sound but his issue was the combo of both his air pump and his cannister filter being too loud.

This is my feelings about this as well. I know that it was originally stated that they didn't want to change filtration but this seems like a square peg, round hole kind of deal. The multis are gonna dig and given that the under gravel filter sucks all the debris into the gravel its gonna cause a mess, the easiest solution would be to change filtration. It doesn't have to be a sponge filter either. A HOB would work and so would an internal filter that sticks to the wall.

If we are suggesting Gouramis, my personal favorite is the Pearl Gourami. I don't know how they do alone but I used to have a pair in a 29G and they did great. I currently have 3 (1M and 2F) in my 75G and they are majestic. The Males have a bright orange chest and lots of shimmering scales on their sides. The females are bit more drab but they are just as elegant.

I agree with everything he said. I have Panda Cories that are doing wonderful now but I originally bought 8 when I set up my tank and only 2 survived the first month. Those 2 are still going strong with 6 new friends 2 years later though. I also think the Endlers are a good centerpiece fish and they love to display for one another. They love to compete. Even if there are no females in the tank, they will compete for the love of the game. lol Another potential plus is that they are smaller than Guppies so you could potentially do the Endlers AND a Betta. Just make sure you check Aquadvisor to make sure your stocking fits your tank.

I don't have an undergravel filter so correct me if I am wrong about how they work but don't they just suck the water through the gravel and the gravel bed acts as mechanical filtration? Meaning there are no sponges or fliter floss or anything like that, just the gravel, right? If I have that correct, then the beneficial bacteria living on the gravel should be just fine seeing as the gravel will still be in the tank (theoretically at least). And why not just keep the undergravel filter going and just add a sponge filter in addition? Does the undergravel filter being on make the amount the multis are kicking up worse? I am thinking that it couldn't hurt to have both filters going seeing as the fish are likely to dig no matter what you do so you would just be adding to the filtration's capacity to clear the water. Like I said, I don't have an undergravel filter so my thoughts are based 100% on theory, just thought I would add my two cents in case it helps you think it through.

The counter to this would be that you are being just as controlling by just doing what you want without consideration of the other person's feelings. Unlike other hobbies, ours takes up real estate in a home so our significant others have to concede not just time and money but also space inside their dwelling. I just think the "I'll do whatever I want and they can deal with it" attitude does not respect their opinion and is likely to cause further resentment toward the OP's hobby. I think the best scenario is to try to formulate a plan or compromise with the significant other. If he only wants a single tank in the house (my wife feels the same way) maybe he would be ok with you just upgrading the tank you have as opposed to getting a second tank. Or maybe you can convince him that one more tank is fine. But I definitely think that you should get him to at least accept the idea even if he's not thrilled about it.

From my (limited) experience and from what I have read, the Borelli are one of the smallest and least aggressive Apisto species. I did notice from your pictures that the female Borelli is bright yellow which is its breeding colors, that could be an explanation as to why those were a little more active.