Maggie

Oops, sorry - missed your final list!

My otocats pretty much stay hidden in the bottom, but they come on the glass at night, and occasionally do a lap or two with the rasboras in the evening or early morning.

I do water changes 10-15% twice a week, and double that if I miss one. If I had a 10 gallon going, which I will soon, I'd do 20-30% twice a week. I don't feel it's necessary to do it so often, just easier for me since I don't have a python.

Maintenance on the 45. I changed out the heater to a Fluval adjustable one. Scraped the front glass of algae - there wasn't much there but it was starting to inhibit the view a bit. Re-did the floating plant corrals. Still not happy but it's better than it was before (took up too much top). I will try to fix them another day. Did 15% water change. And the hardest part - cleaned the glass lid. It's hard because of the length, and I don't have a lot of room in my kitchen or bathroom to clean it (no other sinks in house). It looks so good now! I also cut a bit more of the plastic part since it wasn't cut properly the first time. My rasboras were traumatized by all the work and especially the heater change, since now they won't fit between the new heater and the glass, so I installed it sideways so hopefully nobody will try and get stuck. Lights turned off for a few hours so they can settle down. Its amazing how curious and cautious they are. They always inspect new and scary things in a tight formation. Tonight they'll get one of their favorite treats for dinner - frozen daphnia.

I wouldn't worry about them not moving. Mine go through long periods in one spot or one area, then at other times they fly around as if they're in a shrimp relay race. When my female was carrying eggs, she was more sedentary. I think it's a lot of work constantly holding those eggs in. Interesting little creatures. I still haven't seen a single baby shrimp yet from this last batch, and only 3 from the prior batch survived. ☹

Is she moving her swimerettes alot? If she does, that's a good sign she is holding eggs in there. They also pick at them, turn them, and rearrange them constantly, especially as they grow. Eventually you'll know for sure! Shrimps are good mamas (till the kids leave "home", anyway).

That sounds similar to what I do, except for me it's part of my exercise regimen to lug water repeatedly. 😀 I have a bad back with episodes of sciatica, and need to move a lot, as the minute I sit down it starts hurting.

Well please ring me up if you need to get rid of any females from your project! My tank is pH 7.4, temp 72-75 (that's my 20L). All that's in there now are dwarf danios and shrimp. 🙂

I had a betta and some kind of algae eater long ago (decades), then jobs (full and many 2nd part time jobs), 3 kids, bad marriage, and not a dime of extra money, well you know the story. I worked for a lawyer who had fish, and I loved them. She acquired a betta in a bowl and I convinced her to get another aquarium and heater for him, as he was too cold and to me, a betta needs more than a bowl of water. This was upstate NY, indoor spaces are generally never more than 68-70 in the winter - too cold for a betta, Nancy!! I wanted fish real bad after that, but couldn't afford it. Fast forward a few years. I moved down to Maryland for a better job a few years after my youngest graduated high school, and saved up enough money to be able to retire at age 60. I never knew any life as an adult except work work work, and I wanted to experience something else. Then I said NOW WHAT? Covid took away alot of ideas, but I could surely get an aquarium and do well, right? So let's go! Did research for about a month... Tank 1 - 45 gallon. Has my favorite fish - harlequin rasboras, plus otocinclus catfish, and recently, blue bolt shrimp. See post above by @TheDukeAnumber1 for my current BOTS situation! It's starting to improve through more controlled feeding plus manual removal. At least they do provide a service, just don't want 10,000 of them! I have concrete plans for 2 new surprise additions to this tank, and then it will be compete. I will probably have to remove the blue bolts to another tank and if so, I have a plastic 5 gallon minibow in storage for that. Sigh. Or maybe eventually in with betta if he is mellow. Tank 2 - 20L. I started because on a whim I bought dwarf emerald danios and then found out they need cooler water and higher pH than the rasboras. An excuse for a second tank! Then came yellow shrimp tankmates. Currently waiting for more fish... Tank 3 - 10 gallon. While looking for more fish for the 20L, I had a betta idea. So this is currently in build for a betta which I am planning to buy in the next few days. Quarantine/hospital tank - 10 gallon, not currently in use. All of this brings me joy, keeps me busy, and forces me to do physical and mental work. I don't even want to do anything else right now, as I also enjoy just looking at them for hours at a time. Down time is something that was sorely missing from my working life. Fish have brought me true happiness.

That didn't take long! Are the female dwarfs peaceful like female powder blue dwarfs and honeys? They are rather on the plain side, but their fins and movements are really lovely, and they seem a tad larger than honeys. It seems like many females would be culled, since you mentioned that your LFS only sell males (I've seen that at my LFS with powder blue dwarfs, too). I'm asking all this as I am looking at gouramis for my 20L. I love gouramis but am concerned about aggression issues with having both sexes in there. I never even saw a female dwarf until your video!

Ok, someone on here is going to crack the "nerite snail breeding code", and I'm here for it! It sounds like a long, tedious process - can money be made from it?

New betta video (searches frantically) - ??

It's hard to tell from your pic. Up close do they look like this with a "forked" head? If so, then it's hydra.

Unless a product is specifically made and labeled for consumption by humans, companies generally avoid saying "sure, go ahead and use it" because they do not want lawsuits. However, that does not mean it is not safe for use on human food, just that the production was not done with human safety measures in place. It's the same with fish food (and all pet food) and especially fish meds (label specifically says not for use on fish that will be consumed by people). Its about the production method and some level of concern for human health, but mostly to avoid legal liability.

It's hard to tell from that angle. You'll see her caressing her eggs with her swimerettes and it soon becomes real obvious as they grow.

I soak my pellet and flake food before feeding the rasboras, as they are voracious and seem to take in too much air grabbing from the surface before the food sinks. It immediately sinks after soaking for just a few seconds in about a half cup of dechlorinated, warmed water, and I slowly pour it in as they eat.

@quirkylemon103I don't know, just assumed they did! Yikes...

I've read never to boil rocks as well. I just rinsed my rocks (also bought from LFS) in tap water to get rid of dust, the same as with aquarium gravel and had no issue in 3 different tanks.

New aquarist: "How does this chain pet store stay in business selling tanks for $1/gallon? I can get a 55 gallon tank for only $55!!!" Manager: "Hold my accessories..." ($638 later...)

Welcome and congrats on your new arrival! You're in the right place for respectful fish talk. Please keep us posted on your little one's aquarium including pics if you're so inclined! The Coop also has a YouTube channel packed with great info from short instructions on specific subjects, be they species profiles, how-tos, or product reviews/demonstrations; to long livestreams where A-Z could be discussed. Irene (Girl Talks Fish f/k/a A Gamer's Wife on YouTube) also has great info on nano tanks (max 20 gallons). Best of luck!

Anubias is quickly becoming my favorite. I have A. gold coin in one tank, and A. barteri and golden in quarantine now, going into another tank. They are versatile and seem almost indestructible.

Sorry to hear about your loss! If you're still considering a gourami for a centerpiece once your tank has stabilized, Cory has a "top 5 peaceful gouramis" video on the Coop's YouTube page. I believe the female powder blue dwarf is on that list.

I do already know it. They're in two different tanks. 🙂 My yellows are in with the dwarf danios, pH and hardness higher, temp slightly lower. The blue bolts are in with rhe rasboras, pH 6.6, softer, and temp warmer.

I have a cheap Penn Plax plastic breeder box. It works ok, but I attached a piece of fishing line to reduce the possibility of it tipping. I only bought it in case of emergency (finding fry of egg scatterers) and use it now for my danios. If I were going to breed purposely, I'd get a better box.

I just found a great use for these straws! I didn't realize they were so flexible, so I was wondering what to do with them. It turns out they make great sturdy plant corrals! A little piece of airline tubing conveniently fits inside to connect the ends, or additional straws. Because it sits slightly higher on the water line, I think it will hold floaters better, especially the babies that always seem to escape. I'm testing one to see if it's going to need a dab of silicone sealant. I don't think it will because the fit is snug. Wow, this forum helps one's creative side, doesn't it?