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Hi all, I could use some insight on this one. I have a clown killi tank. At present there are only 2 fully mature adults, one male and one female. There are a number of fry, and I'm working on getting more adults to add - I lost one of the original trio to jumping. So, the male had, from the time we got them about 2.5 months ago, been very visible all the time, out in front of the plants. He'd often chase the female off from the "good" feeding spot (meanwhile I was feeding her in a different spot) and generally pursue her like crazy or chase her much of the time. About 3 days ago he just sort of stopped being around as much. At first I thought perhaps he'd died but non, he's in there - he just stays inn the back much more of the time. He no longer chases the female every time she's within six inches of him. His tail color doesn't seem as bright. The female has kind of taken over the front-of-tank area and gets first dibs on the food. They both ignore the fry. Parameters should be fine; it's actually reading 0 nitrates in spite of the plants so I might need to add some fertilizer. Anyway, 0 ammonia/0 nitrITE/0 nitrATE, pH is 7.1 on my meter, 6.4 on ACO strip, and TDS 323ppm. Temp is room temp, which is currently 72F so on the lower side. None of these parameters are hugely different than they have been with the exception of temperature being about 2F cooler. Could it be the temperature? The ACO page says they do well at room temp. They had a heater that I gradually lowered to 72F and then removed (and then some critter pulled it out of my summer tub outside and it melted). I don't see any white patches or other markings. He seems to be eating as much as ever. Ideas/thoughts?

This is SO useful. Is there a way to bookmark posts? I couldn't find one but I might have to just print it out. Thank you for sharing this info! I've been adding vinegar eels for my annulatus fry but they're so small I can't tell if they are eating. I guess they must be since they're still alive....

They look like detritus worms to my naked eye on a non-microscope picture. Do you ever see them swim? Detritus worms move kind of like snakes - probably other critters do as well but these always entertain me. My rocket killi tank has the most, somehow, and they prefer to eat those over anything I offer (microworms, vinegar eels, baby brine shrimp, "fry crack" - dislike the name but most fish love it, repashy...) except live daphnia, frozen bloodworms, or crumbled Xtreme flakes. It is hilarious to watch them slurp them up like spaghetti - sometimes there's a bit of a fight involved. They're happy, I'm happy, the detritus worms are probably not as happy, but it works for us.

I recently set up a tank (which turned into 4 very quickly) after only having had a couple of bettas as an adult, the last one probably 5-6 years ago. I went with a dirted tank with Father Fish's recommended setup (I ran out of research time) - basically added ferts to the soil. I capped that with at least 2" of Black Diamond blasting sand. It took a while to cycle but it's been rock solid for 6 months with me moving plants in and out (pull them up very slooooooowly or cut roots as needed - I trim roots anyway so may as well do it to prevent soil being pulled up), more fish, etc. It's also 60 gallons, though probably more like 50 given the substrate and I leave a couple inches at the top for the mystery snails to lay eggs. I'm sure the volume helps but I can't complain about the stability so far and after the first day haven't had issues with it clouding the water. We did wet it VERY thoroughly to basically mud before putting it in the tank. Snails, plecos, and corys sift through the bottom constantly so it generally looks pretty clean. I also have a 5 gallon cube with rocket killis. Lots of stem plants, and about an inch of soil with 1.5" of sand on top. Only ramshorn and bladder snails in here for cleanup and so mulm forms on the substrate much more. There are quite a lot of detritus worms which the killis seem to prefer to any other food I offer with the exception of Xtreme flake food, lol. There are a few fry around as well, so I think they're happy. The parameters in this one also stay very steady, but it's not like there's a huge bioload, either. My 2 other tanks do not have soil, just crushed coral and the black diamond sand. I have found them to be more prone to ammonia or nitrite spikes, but that might be caused by some other factors. (10gal and 20 long.)

I'm so sorry for your loss. He was a very loved fish friend. Sometimes it seems like we have more time and then suddenly they're gone - it's hard even when you know it's coming soon. My thoughts are with Cory and the ACO family who are missing Murphy today.