lefty o

while sad, you will likely lose a few fish along the way. i can virtually guarantee you anyone who has done this hobby for 6 months or more has killed fish. it happens, and is part of the learning curve. we're here to help, as we've been there before.

bristlenose pleco's are fun once or twice.

vile , supernatural life form in your tank, id call the ghostbusters! just make sure they dont cross the streams!!!

yes, they can and will throw colors that you think they should not. when line breeding this is why they cull. say batch one throws 10 desired fish, and 4 not desired. they cull those 4. then they breed back the new females to the father (the original mother is taken out of the picture). now in theory this female would have 12 of the desired color babies and 2 non desireable. they would cull the 2, and repeat the process. over time the non desireable trait will become less common. it can, and will pop up because the gene is always there. dont make the whole line breeding thing into rocket science (you could , but why), just keep eliminating the ones that dont fit the desired traits as they pop up. nature can boggle the mind. look at squirrels, it takes 2 to breed that have a recessive black gene to produce white offspring. screwy aint it?!🤪

i myself would not rush into a water change, as if the water source is the issue you will just be putting in a fresh case. another partial dose of dechlorinator might not be a bad idea, just to be safe. do the fish look stressed, gasping for air, etc?

the more plants the better, and try not to over feed. i know we all want to see them little buggers get fed and grow up, but over feeding leads to more cleaning, which leads to more chances of sucking up or harming the babies. no reason a turkey baster couldnt work to clean a little of the gravel, and remove some water.

ammonia or chlorine are my first 2 things to look for with red gills.

boy do i know that feeling. OP, welcome to the forum.

just about any plant is fine with gravel for a substrate. if you want an easy no brainer. any of the crypt wentti's. a little shot of easy green or similar now and then, and they will spread like crazy after a while.

you can also mix crushed coral into your substrate. as long as it is in the aquariums water, it will do what its supposed to.

plants in as soon as possible. they do nothing but good things for a tank.

could probably use some calcium in the water. needed by both shrimp, and fish.

many generations of inbreeeding, and crossbreeding lead to oddball colors popping up now and then..

ive always put it in 5 gallon buckets, and left it in the garage with lid off for a few weeks for it to dry off. then snap a lid on, and stuff it out in the shed. just be sure it is dry before sealing it.

plenty of size for what you want, and for a centerpiece, it really depends on the individual fish. size, and temperment. i do agree with the other, something swimming on the bottom would look nice and help balance out the tank.

welcome to the forum.

i think you are ready to slowly add some fish. numbers look good, you have plants, are growing algae, and have some snail activity. that to me means the tank is viable.

looks like they stirred up a bunch of fine sediment out of the substrate. you could add more mechanical filtration, or do some additional gravel vac/water changes. with enough filtration or water changes, the fine sediment should abate after some time.

i put them inside the door of the stand i built for my 55. out of sight for every day needs, but when in and out of the cabinet doing fish tank stuff, they are there to be seen. sorry i have no modern items that take digital pictures. yes , im a bit of a relic before my time, as i was reminded earlier today.🤩

about 2 years.

as mentioned above, those are great, but about any plant that will lend structure to the tank, and a place for micro-organisms to grow on, is great for guppy fry.

id put the gravel in a 5 gallon bucket, and flush that out real well. place the empty tank somewhere safe, and give it a few day leak test.

3 paleateus in a 10g, id not worry at all.

some people leave them in the pots indefinately. a few weeks waiting in the pots wont harm them. keep em in water and be sure they get some light, and they will be fine.

farrowella. or however its spelled.