Fish Folk

That, my friend, is a new Java fern baby. Congratulations! Java ferns multiply by shooting fronds off of their leaf tips. The fuzzy brown are the roots that branch off of the mini rhizome. You'll eventually be able to reach in and gently peel the new plant away. It helps to start with a big, mature Java fern. I have a couple in my EBA grow-out tank... Then, if it is appropriately "distressed," young fernlets will grow off of leaf tips... Perhaps excess nitrate buildup helps? I am not entirely sure. I just notice that in any clean, controlled aquascaped environments, my Java ferns do not multiply. But in this greatly overstocked tank I get new ferns every month.

Yes! Notropis chrosomus (Rainbow shiners) and Enneacanthus obesus (Banded sunfish) Also in this tank, though not in this video, there are 4x Etheostoma caeruleum (Rainbow darters).

Thanks! You know, I think the best answers from experience should come from @WhitecloudDynasty who keeps, raises, and breeds them in outdoor tubs. My _guess_ is that they need to come in in the harsh winters out your way. They’ll do fine dipping down into the 50s, but sustained temps lower… I’m not sure.

If it's a BNP, that's breeding size for sure!

You certainly can breed BNPs in a 20 gal. I recommend some wood. Pleco caves are very popular for breeding too. The golden or Red strains are very attractive and popular. The greatest challenge is finding a pair that is mature and ready to breed. Ancistrus take awhile to mature, and if well kept, are a long-lived fish. Eggs are laid in a cave, crack, etc. I even have som playing eggs under dragon stone pieces. They'll hollow out space. Nature finds a way. Check to see if the CoOp sells a pleco cave. If not, I think Greg Sage at Select Aquatics sells some. The male guards the eggs and newly hatched fry in the cave awhile. He won't leave or eat much while he's guarding. No, parents do not eat fry. But other fish might. Best scenario is to breed them in a species-only set up. They do respond well to water changes. Mine breed well around 78-80 degrees Fahrenheit. Here's an impromptu journal I recently started on my BNPs' Just scrappy videos here and there... And here's a fun video my son made a few years ago when he entered BNPs for BAP with our fish club...

Not sure exactly. It's some sort of algae bloom. I take an old credit card and scrape it off while using mini siphon down to a bucket. You can clear a lot of it if you're patient. Now, the _cause of it_ is a combination of: (1) Lighting - photoperiod & intensity + (2) Nutrients - overfeeding, overstocking, over-fertilizing, and lack of competing plants to consume those nutrients + (3) Flow - sometimes stagnant places tend to attract certain types algae +/- (4) New Tank Syndrome - not sure if this is your situation, but most new tanks go through a period of algae growth before things find balance . . . you get the picture. Algae is normal in every aquarium. If you want to minimize it, you need to make sure that you've got plants that will use up the nutrients available, and you need to ensure that there aren't extra energy sources (e.g. lighting, fertilizers, etc) that algae can appropriate faster than or more easily than plants. And you've got to stay atop your aquarium maintenance. Everyone has their own rhythm. Having said all that . . . most all of my tanks are loaded with algae, because I'm a breeder. I like some algae. Baby fish thrive with it!

More plants! Loads more! I’d suggest a school of Glowlight Pygmy Barbs. And a Betta Imbellis (peaceful betta)

Gotta say, these guys are always fun for me to watch… Just lookin’ into my office tank a moment.

For a small set up, i actually like the Aqueon Quietflow air pumps. They are talk triangular shapes. The larger sizes have two outputs.

Gotcha! Never had chance to get close to F1. But I love Top Gear (TV programme). Crazy F. C. Barcelona fans in our home. Looking at your photos, is that Indian swampweed I see? (Hygrophilia polysperma)

Love this! Nice aquariums. Random Q for UK 🇬🇧… are you into Premier league?

Notropis rubricroceus Saffron Shiners

My vote? NOTHING. It's Perfect. I love this tank. Keep up the great work!

Gorgeous aquarium!

R. Shiner haul in Java box! I thought this pull would end up being a dud. NOPE!

Alrighty. I’ll play. To keep… Discus To breed… (1) German Blue Rams To breed… (2) Rainbow Shiners Honorable mentions… (1) Betta Imbellis (2) Emerald Killifish (3) Banded Darter

Beautiful! Very artful compositions. You’re cruising ahead. Great fun! I’m somewhere around 3-4 years into the hobby. My son got me started, and it became my midlife crisis. Have you found a fish club to join? That really helped us out. We started with goldfish… Got to discus… And most recently, I’m obsessed with cool-water U.S. Natives…

I felt pretty good about this one today! Mostly, I’m pleased with this stat..,

@FishyNV Lovely tank! I really enjoy the balance there. I was just on another post, discussing tannins. Have you ever considered adding a bunch of tannins to see if that might calm them? Or help get her in "the mood?" Your tank now... Might turn into something like this (but much better-looking than my guess here)...

@Atitagain has been working hard recently with larger-sized blackwater tanks. I'm copying this photo of his from his post, but linking his thread here. @Streetwise is a master with many things, excelling at smaller aquariums, natural designs. His tannin-tanks are fabulous studies. I also snitched a photo from his journal, which you can follow here. Several years ago, Scott Fellman was the guest speaker at our Fish Club. His entire presentation was on tannins -- something he blogs about a fair bit! He was really inspiring. I cannot say that I've ever really taken the full plunge. But I do like to add a tint to my tanks. Here's an Apisto Breeding set up with a little tannin-tint. I use Rooibos tea bags floated for 24 hrs to add tint (though not really as much true "tannin" as botanicals add). Catalpa leaves and Alder Cones are also my go-to items. It's barely visible, but my Discus get a touch of tint every time I change water...

Sounds nice! I think @Atitagain has been working with groups of Pea Puffers in a small colony-like set up. Maybe he'll chime in and offer suggestions. One thing to be prepared for: they can be really picky eaters.

I think you'll need to try to reattach that photo. Can't see anything right now . . . so . . . not dangerous! 🤣

@FishyNV I'll speculate a bit here. But the best thing for us to be most helpful would be to see photos and videos of your tank, the Rams, what this looks like. Do not worry about getting discouraging feedback on this forum. We're here to literally CARE for one another. I have been keeping and breeding Rams for a few years, and made certain observations concerning them that in part concur with others and at other times diverge. It's good to hear a variety of opinions too so no one tries too hard to bend your ear in one direction or another. I agree with @Lowells Fish Lab that Rams do not (as sometimes described) exclusively pair off for life with one partner. Males are opportunistic, and will breed with any female once she's ready. Herein lies the issue: Is your female mature but not past her prime? Is she healthy? Is she nourished properly, eating a variety of quality foods? Is her environment and water condition conducive for spawning? Is she cleared of any infections or parasites? IF your female is otherwise in excellent condition, and if her aquarium is properly prepared for spawning, then she will develop roe, and will be ready to spawn -- sometimes as frequently as every 2 weeks, but at _least_ once every month. To achieve this, I try to do the following: (1) I keep an amply planted tank, and one where the nitrogen cycle is in excellent condition. (2) I also water-change once per week, 25-50% (3) I keep the temperature warm -- at least 80-degrees Fahrenheit, but preferably warmer -- up to 85-degrees F. (4) I feed a variety of quality foods. I prefer live foods (baby brine shrimp, black worms) and frozen foods (spirulina brine shrimp, mysis shrimp, daphnia, and limited amount of blood worms). Some dry foods I prefer include Xtreme, Bug Bites and Omega One brands. You want your female to be fortified with proper vitamins so that she will produce roe. Take care, however, not to pollute your tank by overfeeding. (5) I arrange my tank with structural divisions so that females can find some rest if an aggressive male is bothering her during a time when she is not ready to spawn. Remember that Rams (Mikrogeophagus ramirezi) are largely bottom-dwellers that like to pick at the substrate. It is good to arrange wood, plants, stones, etc. from the substrate up so that there are some distinctly separated off portions of the aquarium for isolation. While this isn't absolutely essential -- many breeders like just a bare tank with some terracotta pieces -- I have found that a "busy" lower 1/3 of your tank's hardscape and flora does help Rams out. (6) I have found that Rams will spawn just fine in tanks with other fish, and do not need to be in an isolated tank. Many breeders prefer a smaller tank for a single pair -- that can work out great. But my most consistent spawns come in tanks of 20 gal. long, 40 breeder, or 55 gal. where there are lots of other fish. I always pull my eggs. Rams are highly social, and have a heap of fun in a "Ram-Packed" tank. Here's some Ram videos just showing different set ups for Ram's my son and I have kept over the last several years... Breeding Pair in a 20 long... Colony set up in a 55 gal, Opal Rams spawning... Golden Ram pair in a 29 gal tank... Golden-Blue Opal Rams in crowded 55 gal community tank... Golden Ram Fry grow-out tank (20 gal tall) with solo Discus photo-bombing... Rams spawning in a crowded 55 gal recently...

Looks like maybe hole in head disease. My Acaras are susceptible to that, especially when under stress. Sorry to see / hear. Lovely Rams! Maybe a touch of bacterial infection on fin edges. I’d water change and separate at least.

I want to encourage your efforts! You'll learn that anabantids (Gouramis, Bettas, etc) tend to produce very tiny fry that easily become prey to any other fish. Your best option is to allow the Gourami to spawn and raise fry in their own protected space. One thing that I've tried in the past is using Matten-filter aquarium-designed foam dividers to make a long sized tank into multiple tanks. For example, here is a 33 gal long... And this is what this tank looks like divided into three parts... You could try this with your 20 gal long. Place Platys on one side, and Honey Gourami on the other. Water can flow through the matten foam, so it maintains temperature. Plus it builds up bio. I just did this yesterday on the same tank pictured above which is now an Emerald Killifish colony / breeding tank on the left and an annual Killifish (Nothobranchius guentheri) breeding tank on the right...