Tony s

When I paint, I use black acrylic with a roller. Primarily because it’s very soft. And can be relatively easy to remove. Takes a couple of coats to get it just right though. I guess I like to keep my options open?

With how fast the clown went, I'd see about getting them on the food medication. Just to be sure. I'd use the most floaty small pellet for it, Again, sorry about the clown. They're just so similar in appearance. But usually ich is much slower to be fatal. The treatments are very similar, luckily. Salt and ich-x with the meds to take care of the bacterial issue

It's along the same veins as the catapa leaves. It's not a medication. It's more like a weak tea soak. This situation is probably it's best use. My thought with the breeder box is to keep him, was to keep him isolated and calm. And not using up his energy. Quarantine tank could work here. especially if he's being harassed. Not even sure if they make a breeder big enough

Salt is a good start. I'd add a few catapa leaves in there. Both the salt and the catapa have anti-microbial properties in them. Other than that, maybe a breeder box to limit his activity for a couple of days. if there is one big enough. Other than that, watch for reddening and signs of infection

Sorry for your loss. Salt is fine at the one tablespoon per 5 gallons rate. It’s higher than that they can’t take. You could back it down to 1 to 10 gallons. If your other animals are not showing symptoms, I might not do anything. Just keep a close watch on them for a while. The fact that it killed so quickly leads me to believe it was epistylis. Treatment is basically the same. Except for the food recipe.

I have them in several tanks. They really don’t do much. Kind of just a background. Have never fouled the water. Eat a small bit of algae. Na big issue. Kind of like animal duckweed. They come in on plants usually. Although, sometimes you can never tell. Just like I found our first ramshorn. We have 1. No idea at all where he came from. Haven’t been any additions for several months.

If you do the biotope, it’s almost a no plant plan. Possibly some floaters on top, try this from Jason Adams. These are some of favorites. One of the things he’s known for Just for a look at the biotope

They’re on my looking at doing list. So been studying them. They’re a rift lake fish and do really well in high ph, hard water. They can do communities. But usually are kept with other Lake Tanganyika fish. Sort of a biotope. Best I’ve seen has a shell dweller on the bottom in sand. Then Julidochromis in a rock pile on the side. Then something like cyprichromis leptosomis for the open water. Or neolamprologus leleupi. If you really want to jazz it up, add some calvus or compessiceps. They’re also cool, have a menacing look for a small fish. they’ve mostly carnivorous, so unlike most African fish, plants will work. They may have too much attitude for peaceful fish. for a relatively easy set of pictures, try the pictures at imperial tropicals. The transcriptus Gombe is cool looking and the marksmithi

None of these appear overly sensitive to harder water. Only the limia and shrimp would be affected by softer water.

And I know with ours, they can special order what you want. at least within reason.

This is by design of course. And they do lose money on each one they sell. The whole point is to get you in the door and spend money where it makes them more profit. Not much profit in glass boxes. Even the professionals use that sale. I'm lucky, My lfs is comparable to the big box on the 75g I'm looking at. If you're not looking at stands or kits, you can really see there's not much money in glass.

I believe above 4 it actually inhibits the cycle or stops it completely. You’ll need to do at least a 50% water change to reduce your ammonia in half

Mine do that. And use the hob as a drinking fountain. But they do like their fish tv. Basically anything that can be grown hydroponically works there. Monstera on top is cool. Prayer plant, spider plants. You could even do some veggies if you give them enough support. For support on the bottom, you can use egg crate or potho carries

You're doing fine. It's a biological process. Meaning results are variable. We raise livestock (not fish) and although the treatments are the same from animal to animal. The results often aren't. We have a disease called parasuis. It causes swelling of the brain stem. For younger animals it puts them down on the ground. doing what we call paddling. where they're trying to run but being on their side. We give a shot of dexamethasone and amoxicillin. Some animals come out of it. Some never do. So, you're doing okay. You're learning, me too. It can be more of a process or a feeling of what works sometimes. It's definitely not a 2 +2 =4 kind of thing

That does look like ich. I would get some ich-x and some aquarium salt. I wouldn’t necessarily raise temperature. There are 2 things look like ich. If it’s epistylis. Heat makes speeds it up and that could lose your fish. I don’t believe clown plecos are horribly salt sensitive. A rate of 3 tablespoons per gallon of water should work in a heavy planted tank 1 to 5. Watch the salt. When you’re doing water changes, only add salt to the quantity of water you’re changing. Salt builds up and doesn’t evaporate and to double check. @Colu