Socqua

I bought 4 neo shrimp, one of which was berried. I've been using Bacter AE almost the entire time. I certainly noticed they like to come out soon after feeding Bacter AE. I don't know if it's the food, them getting more comfortable, or the fact that I now have 15 shrimp (it's only been a month or so), but they definitely come out a lot and I can see 10+ at any given time.

@Irene has a good video on treatment below. There's a follow-up video too. I think she did an extra test on val which I think is less hardy than subwassertang(?). Do watch both videos they're very helpful. The tl;dw is probably try Alum, or maybe a gentler dip of H2O2. I hope it's okay for me to post a screengrab of the end of the second video below:

I'll fourth the Inkbirds, and just to add to that... They make a wifi controlled one, which is nice because if it goes over or under a set temp while you're away it will notify your phone. It will also alert you if it has been turned off for a certain amount of time, which is especially handy when you turn it off for a water change and forget to turn it back on (not from experience, of course! 🙂 ).

Regarding #1, you could probably just use long aquarium tweezers and rubberband or otherwise attach a towel to each side to damper the metal tongs. For small snails I've used a bulb syringe or turkey baster to suck them up (or to suction them up off the gravel a bit, and then net them). For #2, I don't have any great ideas. When I used to try to catch bait in a pond or creek we would have a large net, spread it around then lift together. Depending on your plant situation you could try just a larger net, put it around the bottom and lift it up all at once? Just a thought..

This just popped up in my feed, might be of some help for ideas: https://fishtankadvisor.com/aquarium-rocks/

Just curious, why no to guppies but endlers make your list? Male guppies/endlers are much prettier, so people often get just a male tank. If you mix you generally want 3F to 1M to help with aggression from the male. Also, they breed abundantly and rapidly.

See this similar post:

Check out the first link above!

The link for the 55 medium to high light says 48" Fluval 3.0, but it brings you to the 36" model when you click it, from the light requirement site: https://www.aquariumcoop.com/pages/led-aquarium-lighting IS: https://www.aquariumcoop.com/collections/lights/products/fluval-plant-3-0-led-light?variant=7437902413854 S/B (I think): https://www.aquariumcoop.com/collections/lights/products/fluval-plant-3-0-led-light?variant=7437902446622 Just thought you all would like to know. Feel free to delete this topic after you see it.

Is it definitely algae and not a nutrient deficiency? The fact that it doesn't rub off has me wondering..

I'm definitely not an expert on this so feel free to ignore. I doubt it's the good bacteria altering the pH down from 7.0 to 6.0; Bacteria doesn't "eat" pH. Bacteria can, I believe, alter pH by excreting acidic/alkaline organics. I haven't heard of this happening in a typical aquarium with good nitrifying bacteria. Nitrifying bacteria prefer a pH of around 7.0 or a little higher, so I think it's unlikely it would intentionally alter the pH to be more acidic. That said, a few questions/recommendations: 1) Do you have any fish yet? What's your reasoning for wanting to raise the pH? 2) You definitely should measure the KH. If that is low, your pH will swing much more rapidly. 3) Your driftwood would definitely drop the pH (assuming your KH is sufficiently low). You didn't happen to add the driftwood more recently? 4) Try putting your tap in a bucket and measuring it a few times over the course of a week (day1, day3, etc). See if it drops on its own. 5) Check your water authority quality report and see what they say about the pH of their water. Some sources can vary by a lot, and can depend on the season.

Yeah that looks awesome, I'd leave it 🙂 ... I still bet it dies in a couple weeks on its own.

Flip aquatics is one of the biggest online distributors that I know of, and they have 100% live arrival guarantee and all that. I would go with what @Daniel said. They definitely know what they are doing, and the risk of something happening is mostly on them. They'll likely ship one extra at least and I would expect they would insulate/heat/etc as needed. If they're willing to ship, I wouldn't hesitate. Though, if you can get your LFS to order some of what you want, that is probably ideal.

Had to google that just to be sure 😄 ... maybe not 100% true: Come Up for Air? Not These Insects, Which Carry a Bubble as ...

Wow that's good info; I did not know it fluctuated that much in a day. I did know CO2 affects pH, so I should have known lol. I assume that is in a fairly well planted tank? And in a tank with no plants the pH would be more steady? I've been super nervous to see my pH from my water supply vary from 7 up to 8 and then doing water changes and affecting the pH. Knowing that a change of 0.3-0.5 pH during a gradual water change is less than a typical day is really good info!

only one I know of:

I mentioned the inkbird earlier in this thread. Just hookup your heater to the inkbird thermostat and you can control the temperature remotely, monitor it, etc..

My understanding is that Bacter AE is primarily the food FOR the food. But I agree, it's also both; My guppies definitely eat the powder straight and I assume before the culture is activated. That said, their website contains this statement: The contained bacteria in Bacter AE Micro Powder cultures are activated as soon as they come into contact with water.

It should have come with a little measuring spoon, that's strange. Either way, this should help: https://www.glasgarten-aquarium.de/english/bacter_ae.html 1 measuring spoon = about 0.5g

I'm sorry I can't be more help, hopefully someone else can chime in. I know they will get darker usually and you can see their eyes closer to birth. Maybe it's natural for blue dream, fingers crossed for you!

odds of getting at least one Male and one Female depending on number of fish (assuming 50/50 m/f ratio): # fish 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 M+F odds 0.0% 50.0% 75.0% 87.5% 93.8% 96.9% 98.4% 99.2%

What kind of neo specifically? My blue rili carry yellowish eggs usually. The color usually isn't a concern from what I know. And when you say "turning white," were they originally a different color?

Thanks, I'm worried about this statement in the description, "It is a rather small, delicate plant and is known to thrive in medium to higher light conditions." If someone tells me I'd be fine in low light, it'd just be slower that'd be great. Or other options!

Are there any plants like Pearl Weed that will do well in low light conditions? Mainly to creep along rocks/driftwood like a ground cover, so ideally probably not a stem plant. And also something with actual leaves, so not a moss, but that stays small? Thanks!

Syracuse! (Sorry that's all I got, I have zero experience with crayfish in an aquarium). edit: actually, I will add something. This doesn't help you with your current predicament, but if you decide to change gears you can always trade in the crayfish and get some orange neocaridina shrimp instead.