[Seeking suggestions for nano fish that like to hide]

I’m working on designing and 3D printing aquarium decor with lots of hiding spaces. For photos and videos, I’d really like to show fish hiding/swimming in and out of the recesses (roughly 1.5x2” openings). I tried the decor with my chili rasboras, but they seem to prefer to swim around in the upper open water.

I’m looking for nano fish that would best make use of the decor. 

Fish I’ve considered:

-Kuhli loaches (love hiding in caves, but most sites recommend a 15+ gallon aquarium)

-Tail spot pygmy corries (do these gravitate toward caves, or prefer to swim mid-water?)

-Otocinclus (Not as cool looking as some others imo, but from what I can find, it seems like they like hiding caves )

Any other fish ideas? Thank you!

[Hello from Rochester, NY!]

On 1/14/2023 at 1:38 AM, Tonyp814 said:

I think your setup is so relaxing to look at. I am so used to having larger tanks but looking at this makes me want to expand my fish keeping hobby to nano tanks. I live on the PA border near Busti NY.

Thank you! I'd actually love to have a large tank someday. I live in an apartment, so I can't have more than a 10 gallon. I feel like both large and small have their own kinds of challenges. 

 

[Hello from Rochester, NY!]

On 1/13/2023 at 8:42 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

Welcome to the forum! Very nice tanks

Thank you! 😊

[Hello from Rochester, NY!]

On 1/13/2023 at 8:38 PM, smm333 said:

Welcome! That's really beautiful. I just got red rili shrimp,  and hope to experiment with breeding different colors down the road. It must be really exciting to see the various colors emerge!

Thank you! Red rilis are one of the coolest varieties imo. Do you have a picture of your rili's?

And yeah, it's so cool to see how the genes mix. Never know what I'm gonna get! I like to think that the wider gene pool keeps them healthier too

[Hello from Rochester, NY!]

 

On 1/13/2023 at 5:37 PM, Schuyler said:

Welcome! Your setup is so nice looking!

I know I've had my dad print me off some pieces for my aquarium 

What do you have in the vase as far as equipment? Any air stone or filter?

 

Thanks, Schuyler.

It's awesome that you have access to a 3D printer. It really comes in handy.

In my vase, I just have an airstone for circulation. I have deep substrate and a lot of live plants in there, including giant duckweed. Together, they do a great job of processing the waste. The duckweed is especially great at keeping the ecosystem in balance.

[Hello from Rochester, NY!]

On 1/13/2023 at 12:29 AM, ScandiDefense said:

Wow! Amazing looking tank and setup! I am a novice fish keeper with bare bottom tanks so i particularly envious of such beautiful tanks!!! 😁

Thank you! No bare bottoms in my fish room. I've got other rooms for that. 🍑

[Hello from Rochester, NY!]

Anyone else here from the Rochester, NY area?

These are my three main little aquariums on my custom-built shelf. I've been keeping fish since I was a kid, but have recently started getting into the world of aquascaping. I'm an Industrial Designer in my day job and I love designing and 3D printing my own aquarium decor and accessories. Here is a list of my pets right now:

6 gallon cube

• 4 ember tetras
• 2 golden tetras (these go by a few different names it seems)
• 1 very large neocaridina shrimp (he's the only one in this tank, so he really gets to feast)

1 gallon cube

• Too small for fish or shrimp

10 gallon

• Pygmy rasboras (my favorite of my fish)
• Neocaridina shrimp
  • Cherries
  • Blue rili
  • Clear

3 gallon vase (in a different room)

• This tank is pretty much my shrimp breeding experiment. I started with just black and red neocaridinas and they've bred to make clear, blue rili, red rili, more black, more cherries, and some brownish. There are dozens in this tank. I make sure to keep them fed. My favorite shrimp from this tank get moved to my "show" tanks on the shelf.

 I've been watching Cory's Youtube videos for awhile but never took the leap to join the forum. I'm looking forward to learning more from the community and contributing as well.

-Jeremiah