[Advice for a half-barrel water garden ?]

@macdaddy36 I live in Florida and I forgot about mosquitoes. This is an excellent point. 

[Vacation advice]

1- What do you have? 
2- Do you have an auto feeder? 

[skinny fish]

@Tropicalfishkeeping201 I use it basically all fish. On the site, you have options for whatever size and type of food to pair with the meds. I’ve always been pleased. 

[Advice for a half-barrel water garden ?]

Sounds good as long as it gets some fertilizer. 

[skinny fish]

I’ve gone through the same issues with various fish at times. I feed Rons medicated food and it worked every time. It’s a little tedious because you must gravel vac every other day while meds are fed, but usually half way through, you see a big difference. I used to use all sorts of meds, but now I just feed this stuff at the sight of anything that may be an issue. Has worked every time. 

[Aquahuna plants]

Honestly if that’s the case, you’re better off getting directly from a Florida farm, there are tons. 

[Boesemani Rainbow Fish]

@Tony s I’m pretty sure I know who you’re referring to. I live about an hour from them and it’s an impressive facility. They are very reputable for having excellent rainbows.

@ffi2013 there’s no real way to be 100% sure, but I’d assume they are a simple aquarium strain. Most rainbow fish genetics has been tampered with. There are 4-5 breeders that I’d trust 100% with genetic. 

[Boesemani Rainbow Fish]

What locale are your boesmani? I had a dozen or so Lake Aytinjo’s and the females looked better than males you see in most fish stores. 

[Test strip result]

As mentioned, you have super hard water. Personally I’d use that to my advantage and load up on hard water species. Lake Tangyanika has some incredible species. Although, you could keep basically anything in there. As @Tony s mentioned, acquire locally for best results. 

[Can I pet guppies?]

@lefty o that’s insane. Gars do not play. This may be the best thing I’ve heard all week. Respect 

[Food competition]

@AtomicSunfish Cichlids will definitely cichlid. 

[Can I pet guppies?]

I also will sometimes brush up against my flower horn, but for the most part, there is no benefit to the fish. If you are compelled to pet something, you may want to try a different pet. 

[What options do I have for a 55 gallon?]

Those cod’s are not going to eat with Kali Tawa’s and rummynose tetras in there. These are not shy fish, unlike the cpd’s and possibly even the gourami. 

[Food competition]

Impossible, those angels will snipe any food that hits that water. They’ll toss those guppies out of the way in no time. 

[Filter help]

If money is no object, get an fx6, you won’t regret it. There are ways to minimize flow. Especially with an Oscar and a pleco, you should be fine. I would use the spray bar as a must. 

[Discussion: do you like to use dirt in your tanks?]

Personally, I think there’s too many factors that can go wrong and be discouraging to the vast majority of begginers. If you like then do it because at the very least it’s an experiment that you can learn from. 

[“Linni” white cloud mountain minnows]

@beastie my guess is that the golds have been highly overbred. I’ve seen the same thing with my golds, some I call strawberries. However, my guess on this other line is like comparing apples to oranges. Also, looks good enough is very subjective. 

[Mistake and its consequences…]

When you say nitrifying bacteria, I’m assuming you’re talking about bacteria in a bottle? If so, do you add it every time you do a water change? In a heavily planted tank, I don’t understand the logic. 

[Mistake and its consequences…]

I run a large uv sterilizer on my goldfish pond and only have positive things to say about it. I think it’s probably something else. 

[Minimum tank size for Neolamprologus brichardi]

@Tony s Neolamprologus sexfasciatus, the spelling may be off. I also second the rare kribensis colony. 

[Minimum tank size for Neolamprologus brichardi]

Sounds good, be sure to have a ton of rock work from them to call home. If you more than a pair, I’d make very specific rock work territories. Super cool species and do your research because some stay smaller and are a bit calmer, while others are larger and can go looney. 

[Filtration Flow issue]

@Ryan1988 I have 5 geophagus Sveni, they get large and aren’t as docile as most think a geophagus can be. If you end up with 2 males, you’ll have issues. If they end up being male/female then your acara will have issues. They obtain  length of 10” so I’d probably leave them out of this tank. They also do best in groups. 

[Panda Cory in a 20 gallon high?]

@Mikon77 Dans fish shipping is usually $40, not sure why it would say $60 for you. If you stick around in the hobby long enough, you’ll learn that you get what you pay for. 

[Minimum tank size for Neolamprologus brichardi]

Brichardi are known as the brichardi death squad because a pair will form and they systematically murder everything else in the tank. I have a 75 gallon filled with daffodil and it they were all spawned from a pair. 

[“Linni” white cloud mountain minnows]

@PluckyD I’ve wondered the same thing. I’ve been tempted to buy them simply because they come from aquarium glaser, but never pulled the trigger.