Bill Calvert

I live in central Pennsylvania. I guess that would be important info for what woods are available haha! I have access to lots of maple, birch, oak, hickory, and sycamore, but other than sycamore, I'm not sure what would be safe in the tank.

I'm looking to create a native species only north american biotope tank with naturalistic hardscape materials. What types of hardwoods can I use safely to create this effect, and how can I prepare them to be used in the tank?

Could be a caddis fly larva. They are a close relative of moths, and a favorite food of trout and other stream fish, especially the adult flies. They form a protective shell out of silk and debris from their environment (like rocks, sticks, stems, silt, etc.) and sometimes secrete silk in self defense. They mainly eat detritus and mulm so they shouldn't be a threat to your fish.

@laritheloud That's all I'm hoping for. I don't plan on breeding tetras for profit or anything, but it would be nice if the populations could keep themselves going!

I currently have a community 40 breeder in my classroom that has been established since October 2020. I have 10 ember tetras, 9 harlequin rasboras, 6 glowlight tetras, 4 panda corys, and one female bristlenose pleco, with a few mystery snails and a large population of Malaysian trumpet snails. I have noticed on several occasions each species of tetra showing signs of breeding and spawning, with the current spawners being the rasboras. Is there any chance I could successfully hatch tetra fry in this setup and have them live? I know tetra eggs tend to be light sensitive, but my fish are laying eggs under plant leaves and in a stone cave in the tank, so I was hoping it could work. None of the fish are aggressive and there is plenty of cover in the tank. Could I get babies in the main tank, or would I need a separate low light setup for the spawning pairs?

I managed to nearly kill java moss recently (not out of the woods yet).