mynameisnobody

You’ll also have to modify the overflows to not suck up your fish/shrimp/snails, whatever.

The snails are probably getting all the food leaving the shrimplets with none. That’s most likely the cause if you have a giant increase of snails.

Yes the best deal I got at an auction was a dozen gold laser corydoras for $50, but that was about 6-7 years ago.

Who told you ordering online was a bad idea? It wouldn’t be the people selling those cherry shrimp for $95? Also are you sure they are ordinary cherry shrimp, there are tons of varieties of shrimp.

1- increase corydoras numbers 2- feed the oto’s well. Usually oto’s don’t last long in a new aquarium. They feed on growth in the aquarium. I don’t think you’ll have enough in a 10 gallon to feed both. I have 1 oto in a 40 and he’s doing great, no bother to any guppies or fry. 3- money pit? You just started, you have no idea how intense this statement can get when things go abruptly wrong. That’s what usually evolves into a long time keeper or having tried aquariums. This hobby probably has one of the shortest turn arounds in the US at least. Many are deterred because of bad information. Can you keep those 3 in an aquarium? Sure. Can I raise my daughter in a cave? Sure. These are both bad ideas, although technically possible.

I would. Also those platies could be pregnant if they’ve been in an aquarium with a male, so you may have way more than you expected soon. Only time will tell. ps platies are some of my faves, they’re highly entertaining and imo gorgeous. The vast array of colors and nibbling on algae in the aquarium ain’t so bad either.

Those are going to be some sad mollies. 😢

Coated in superglue and used as filter floss are the 2 extremes. You should be fine, but sitting in my hob waiting to shred into the aquarium, not so much.

Bristlenose pleco’s all reach the same basic size. Long fins or not.

@Galabar with the thickness of gauze, it would literally do close to nothing before become too dirty for water to pass through it. Also it will break down, and fall into the aquarium in pieces. This is sort of like, you can make a pizza with a match, but you probably shouldn’t.

Free is awesome, gold occelatus as tankmates not so much. They can be quite territorial and I’d imagine they’d take turn eating each others fry if any decide to breed. Wow, I wish I had friends like that.

Wow, adult Compreciseps are a rarity. Congrats, not sure how much you paid, but those pairs would sell for quite a bit. What size aquarium are they in? Do they have tank mates?

I definitely wouldn’t do that. Once it gets kicked into your aquarium, it’ll be a struggle to get it out.

Here’s the thing, what exactly are you trying to accomplish? If you want a community tank then 1 angelfish will do fine as long as its tank mates can’t fit in its mouth. Once you start tossing 6 angels in (which is a number given for the probability of getting a pair), you now are entering a breeding tank and then all bets are off. The reason I ask where did you buy is because the DOA should be replaced if bought from a reputable breeder.

All bets are off when cichlids breed. Angelfish are incredible fish, but very difficult to keep in numbers other than a pair. Why did you only have 4 of 6 after shipping? Be sure to buy from a quality breeder and this first mis step would be prevented. I can also tell you the female died because of breeding rituals and territories, I can guarantee it’s not from a broken heart.

@Gastroplod I agree totally. Cheaper? Yes. Better? Not really. @TinaPax-Peeks I don’t play the state lottery nor the personality lottery, I keep species only aquariums. I won’t go smaller than 75 gallons. Even then, fish sometimes aren’t compatible. Personality has much less to do with it than territory, breeding, hierarchy issues, etc. If smaller aquariums are your thing then by all means, go for it and enjoy. However, as this is documented for future newbies, it’s important to highlight how fast things can go wrong in a small aquarium as opposed to its larger counterpart. Add the newbie factor and I’d always recommend a beginner begin with a minimum 20-29 gallon. I understand I am probably in the minority on this forum.

@TinaPax-Peeks it’s good that you are enjoying a smaller aquarium, but when you hear that larger aquariums are easier, more versatile, less maintenance, believe it. Experience will teach you lots if you stick around long enough.

Quarantine or not, water changes will get intense at some point or another. Things pop up and all of a sudden your usual maintenance got longer and much more expensive. Welcome to the hobby. It’s a great hobby, but cheap it is not.

If you bought fish from a breeder, the chances of inbreeding are high, for livebearers it’s almost definitive.

What kind of substrate? You can try Malaysian trumpet snails, these are the only ones that have a chance of surviving. Everything else is either to soft (pest/bladder) or too big and will be seen as a play toy. As carpintis grow, anything that moves in that tank will get their attention. If you post a photo of the tank, there may be certain things you can do to ensure a handful survive.

If you want to see fry and have more of a shell colony, go multi, if you want much less fry with the possibility of fry being raised in the tank, also less shells, more rock work, then caudopunctatus.

My guess is the darker substrate pulls the darker colors out of the fish. Place them on regular sand and you’ll get a lighter fish. This is crucial with rainbow fish keepers and various others.

For rainbows, I’d suggest pseudomugils. There are various pseudo’s to choose from. 40breeder is not quite long enough to get the most out of melanotaenia, chilatherina, or glossolepis. Possibly Kali Tawa’s or praecox could definitely work. You get the most spectacular displays with a longer aquarium when it comes to rainbows.

8-10 corydoras of your choosing, just be sure it’s the same species.

@Mordecai13 you can do what you choose, personally my air pumps are always on, no matter what I’m keeping. I can always lower the air some if an inhabitant isn’t a fan of the flow.