Schuyler

Some of the Aphyosemion Ocellotum fry are starting to hatch but I'm not sure if they should be hatching yet. They don't seem very developed yet but I'm not sure what's normal One of them didn't make it and has some kind of microorganism on/in it. It's not that gross but just in case I'll mark it a as a spoiler:

Big auction day for the GSAS This was my haul: That 20 gallon acrylic tank was the last item up for bid and I got it for $5. Buying it new would cost ~$300! It could use some cleanup though

Already showing signs of development! That was a fun surprise!

Last pick and there were two more for a grand total of 25 eggs. The parents are back in their 10g tank and now I've let the fry out of their fry tray because it seemed like it was a bit small for them. It looks like they're getting the first hints of color. Three of them seem to have learned to beg while the others hang out in the back near the sponge. In the coconut tank the flagfish are spawning and the Nothobranchius (Sparky) is confused and feels left out. He has gone from fighting the female flagfish to trying to spawn with her. Surprisingly the small male has been standing up to Sparky even though he's much smaller. I wonder if the hormones in the water has changed how Sparky is acting Then there's the Shelly tank which is constantly changing

That's a deep tank you'll want some real plants and/or plants that do well with low light Stuff like Amazon swords, crypts, and anubias. A bonus is that those type of plants are easier to maintain because you don't have to trim them like stem plants

What's been said any TDS vs GH is correct but if "all of the stuff" (TDS) is reading as less that "some of the stuff" (GH) then that sounds like one of those tests is wrong

None of the eggs turned blue so it looks like they're all viable. Last night we picked the moss again and found 9 more. So the total now is 23

Aww man that sucks! Did the GFI randomly trip and turn off the air/heat? I just saw some of these at the LFS today so when I saw it in your signature I was excited to see how it went. Do you or @mountaintoppufferkeeper know if they're social or can they be kept on their own? There definitely seem like cool fish

Thank you so much! I'm definitely proud of how it turned out and it was really fun doing the detective work and learning about they're natural habitat. Thanks! I actually signed up for the home show specifically to show this tank. Then when they came I completely forgot how to talk lol

14 eggs! How uncomfortable do you think it must have been for her to be carrying that many eggs at once? They showed a preference for the bottom mop that was towards the back of the tank: Then again it could just be that the mop is smaller so it was easier to spot the eggs. But despite being smaller there were a few more eggs on it. Now to test them with methylene blue to see if they're viable. I've recently read that methylene blue doesn't actually have much, if any, anti-fungal effect. What is actually useful for us spotting which eggs aren't viable. When the egg gets fertilized the "shell" hardens to prevent it from getting fertilized again. Eggs that aren't fertilized have a porous shell so the blue can get in and you know that the egg isn't good and we'll rot.

The most common ones are and what they look like - Seed shrimp: like tiny poppyseeds - Cyclops: like tiny elongated horseshoe crabs - Scuds: like little sand fleas - Daphnia: like a sesame seed with flappy arms They're free food for fish

If you want some inspiration, Project Piaba has lots of footage of fish in the Reo Negro like this one: This one is pretty good too: I guess it depends on what you mean by Amazon river aquascape. Are you trying to recreate a scene from the Amazon or more like something inspired by the Amazon?

Some new inhabitants: otos! We were at the pet store and my son was being to get another fish. I figured there was plenty of stuff growing on the glass for otos to feed on. I also got a new plant from a club meeting: limnophila aromatica Plus a random shrimp that has some cool coloration. It was clear except for a red nose: A bit hard to see but it's in the roots of the buce

I've reunited the Aphyosemion Ocellatum make with the female. With any luck there will be eggs on the mop in the morning. Under the right light it looked like you could see the eggs inside her Based on how she reacted when she saw him I'd guess she wants to get some of those eggs out.

I think one of the issues with temperature is oxygen levels. If you aren't able to cool it off you'll what to make sure there is plenty of aeration

The ziss hatchery has been running full time: My only complaint is that it's tricky to get them out. I hang it off the side of the rack so I can drain it through a net into a bucket. Here's the new 20 long that's finally getting established and the biofilms are settling down: Sparky the old Nothobranchius Guentheri is still going strong at 16 months and isn't showing signs of stopping anytime soon. The flagfish have grown substantially it feels like. I suspect they've been chowing down on all the growth on the coconut stems. With any luck they'll spawn, that would be fun. I've separated the female Aphyosemion Ocellatum back to the 5 gallon to condition her for spawning. The heater is turned off now to keep things cooler for her and since alder comes and leaves were added to get some tannins. All the other tanks:

I've been feeding lots of brine shrimp and white works as fry have been popping up. Some of them are a little more ambitious:

Just adding one last bit... If you can afford it, get a while bunch more pygmy corys. The more you have the more they'll interact and then when they school it will be that much cooler. I go through cycles of being worried that they're all dead, then during a water change they all school up and zoom around, and then they'll hang out sitting on leaves.

When I asked about breeding them, someone very experienced said that I could put my school of 20 into a 10 gallon tank as a bedding setup. I bet they would fare better as a group. I started with 9 and when I went up to 20 they started coming out way more. I suspect the employee is wary of people coming in, lying about their tank, killing fish, and then coming back in to get them replaced. Would cut them a bit of slack. At least they're on the cautious and animal welfare side.

Welcome fellow Washingtonian! If you're interested in in person stuff you should definitely check out the local fish club GSAS. We're having the big auction April 20th. You didn't have to be a member to come but if you are a member then you can auction stuff and get a portion of what they sell for. There's always some crazy deals and rare stuff you almost never find in stores. I got a gallon size ziplock bag of Süßwassertang for $5 once. More info here: https://www.gsas.org/?ID=197 I can't promise we'll be best friends or anything but I'd definitely say "hi". There are around six other people from this forum who are members of GSAS. They also have monthly meetings, a BBQ, and a holiday party. @tike have you been to any of the GSAS meetings/events?

I would keep the media in the bags in case you need to pull them out for some reason. You can also get a sheet of course sponge to replace the cartridges if that filter change with one. I normally just squeeze my sponge filters into a bucket of tank water during water changes. Then you can use that water for house plants or the garden. Figuring out a schedule is something you'll probably have to pay with to figure out. Weekly is probably overboard for your stocking level. You could probably get away with once a month. Just watch for if it looks like you're getting less flow.

Welcome! A while back @Cinnebuns was digging into ramshorn genetics too It's crazy how many color variations they'll throw out

While it's no Aquashella, GSAS is having their big yearly auction next month on Saturday April 20th (4/20). You didn't have to be a member to bid on stuff. They get a lot of great stuff and local stores as well as a few big names make donations (including Aquarium Co-op). If you go to one club event in the year then this is probably the one. https://www.gsas.org/?ID=197 There's also Fistoberfest in Portland that's been getting bigger every year. A while back the AGA has a convention in Seattle but I guess we're not big enough or centrally located enough to attract big conventions.

Welcome! Any special type of pleco or just a bristle nose?

That sounds like the 29 probably has some nutrient excess that the diatoms use and when the plant was moved the diatoms starved. Here's a handy chart someone on here shared a while back: