Fish Folk

@Twood @Shadow Took a few shots of my Discus tank after a WC this eve. Just keeping 4x in this 55 gal. now with Rams & BNPs. They have really grown over time! I guess the blue-theme runs strong in this group. I do miss the red ones though …

Welcome aboard! Lovely aquariums. Thanks for sharing photos.

El Classico Americano, 07/29/2023. A wonderful night in Arlington, Texas for FC Barcelona fans… Pedri pass to Dembele on 1st goal ❤️ Frenkie de Jong with bench-clearing tackle 1st half 👊 Some new guy for Barça deciding to open his account with a bang 💥⚽️ Vini Jr. giving Sergino Dest a night to forget 😂

I have not noticed major issues with varied colors. Ram groups are touch-and-go.

Understandable. We respect Los Blancos. Moderic especially…

SCOTS WHA HAE!!! Amazing!! I shall don a ManU kit just for you. My son plays midfield. No delusions of grandeur here, but he has good taste in midfielders IMHO. My personal favorite, now retired, is Andres Iniesta. My eldest son loves Pedri. My middle boy… he likes forwards… talks most about Robert Lewendowski probably.

Awesome 😎 I think there might be drama between GBRs and EBAs. If they all grow up together from young, maybe Ok. Cichlids of all species tend to establish a pecking order in a tank. Eventually there will be a “tank boss” who keeps the peace. But con-specific species (cichlids that look enough alike) will fight it out, sometimes fatally.

No, I had EBAs + Discus then GBRs + Discus. I haven’t kept EBAs with GBRs. But I keep them all in the same parameters. We bred a LOT of EBAs…

I just order small ones from my LFS. Some of mine were 50-cent-piece sized. Other times, my LFS manager would give me a deal. Bear in mind that I spend plenty of money there. I live in northern Appalachia. No one wants to spend money on fish here. Hard to sell Discus at all. Out in D.C. I’ve seen Discus go for $300-$500 / ea. At fish club auction I’ve sold mine for $100+ / ea. I’ve kept mine with Electric Blue Acaras… And at other times bred Rams in the Discus tank…

Here are some photos of my cheapo Discus. I’ve never paid more than $40 bucks for one…

If you’re working with wild-caught Discus, they may require very specific parameters. Mine live fine with pH that varies from 7.6 down to 6.0. For breeding purposes, one key is very soft water. Most tanks with soft water drift lower with pH because the water lacks buffer. Stendkar Discus lines from German breeders are marketed as being able to thrive in more varied conditions. But all of mine come from Asian farms, and are just fine. The key difference with Discus is their need for a warm tropical tank environment, and the corresponding tendency for their slime coat to be sensitive to bacterial infections. Bacteria multiply where temperatures are warmer. This is why water must be changed out. But no need for more often than once a week… unless you’re raising 100+ Discus juveniles in a tiny tank, feeding beef heart 3x times daily…

I recommend investing in a good plant substrate. My favorite is Activ-Flora, black. But other colors are fine. Eco-Complete is excellent. Both brands are rather expensive. If you’re willing to be patient, you could use an inch of coarse black diamond blasting sand (will need to be washed out in a bucket for hours until no dust remains), push in a bunch of root tabs, then _cap_ with another inch or more of expensive planted substrate. That works as long as black is Ok. The marble chips aren’t really designed to be helpful. They might keep your pH elevated too.

Add a root tab. Lift base of roots nearer surface. If it’s buried too deep, the plant might be struggling to send out new leaves and runners.

Cichlids are fascinating. Many aquarists have a love-em / hate-em polarity of attitude towards keeping them. For me, I adore them all! There are several well known Cichlid clubs I read info from now and then: Greater Chicago Cichlid Association, snd Capital Cichlid Association. American Cichlid Association may host events too. Broadly, Cichlids can be divided into meta categories of “Old World Cichlids” (Africa), and “New World Cichlids” (Americas). Personally, I like to also think of size spectrum from large Tank-Busters to small Dwarf Cichlids. OLD WORLD CICHLIDS (AFRICA) Madagascar… There are very curious cichlids to be found in Madagascar. Most are “tank-busters” that require ca. 120 gallons or more. My favorite is this one: Paratilapia polleni / Starry-Night Cichlid Rift Lake Mbunas and Peacocks… When people say “African Cichlids,” they generally refer to either the commonly sold mbunas from Lake Malawi, or the ornamentally bred “Peacocks”. We kept a tank of mixed mbunas. As has been stated above, one breeding male will eventually assert dominance and rule the tank. Rule of thumb is stock heavily, buy them young, and provide ample hideouts. Loads of color options: Shell Dwellers… These are small, attractive niche-species. Typically kept in species-only groups, they’re a fun breeding project. I’ve never kept them, but enjoy seeing other’s enthusiasm about them. There are a number of varieties. I think this one is Lamprologus occellatus: West African River Cichlids… These are favorites of mine! Best known in the hobby are Kribensis. They’re small, but hardy. My son bred these a few years ago: I have recently gotten a pair of Dwarf Congo Cichlids — related to Kribs: NEW WORLD CICHLIDS (AMERICAS) Central American Cichlids are generally feisty, large species-only fish. They’re often just a one-fish-tank scenario: Jaguar Cichlid: Green Terror (very interactive!): Some medium-sized Central / South American species are easier to keep in a _hardy_ community tank. Firemouth Cichlids: My son bred these for BAP… Electric Blue Acaras: We bred hundreds of these… Check out Jim Cumming to see HUGE South American species. Most popular New World cichluds are (1) Dwarf Cichlids — Apistos, Rams, Laetacara, etc. Here’s a male GBR we raised: Here’s a natural-color Apistogramma agassizii my son kept: (2) Angelfish We bred some Marbles awhile back: (3) Discus Tricky to breed, but not hard to keep: I’ve had eggs once, but never fry:

I be like using very fine white rock rather than sand. But your idea could work. Might as well gave fun, right? I do love Yellow Labs. Great fish!

Depends entirely on the nature of your relationship. Start with, “I have a single Tiger Barb, and am wondering if you could help find him a new home?” I know my LFS well, and might share my whole story. We bred Kribs in a 20-long using Brilliant Rasboras as dithers. Worked great… BAP report video… Krib fry growing out…

Look at their retail price point. Expect little more than 1/2 of that for wholesale. Sometimes less.

I would ask my LFS if I could hand off a rogue Tiger Barb, then buy the new younger ones altogether separately.

I guess she’s still coming back off of injury sustained in April.

We’re going to watch FIFA Women’s World Cup, USA vs. NED tonight at 9 pm ET. Anyone else watching? I’ll cheer USA all the way, but my favorite player is Alexia from Spain. She sets up so many goals. Always assisting, OR making a golden pass-before-the-pass-before-the-goal. Attacking Midfielders are awesome! ⚽️

I change about 30% once a week. That’s it! I feed mostly frozen foods — Brine Shrimp, Mysis, Krill, Blood Worms. Every once in awhile I feed live foods — White worms, Black worms, Earthworms, etc.

I just buy cheap ones from Asian farms through my LFS. Wild-caught fish are always finicky. F1, F2, etc. get easier to accommodate to various parameters.

Why yes! Yes I have. Near enough to what you describe that I can confidently encourage you forward. I use a 55 gal and more recently a 40 gal. 75 gal is perfect though. I just never had the space. I use two large sponge filters, and added air-stones. I keep my tank ca. 83-87 degrees F. Here's the smaller 40 breeder I just set up. These are young Discus -- a trio that's been together awhile. I have a couple Rams and tetras in here too. Valisneria Americana, Anubias, Amazon Swords, Bronze Crypt, Tiger Lotus, Java Fern, and Aponogeton. I use two heaters, three sponge filters, and added air. Hot and flowing. pH is mid 7s (like yours). I also just use tap water. Here's my 55 gal. I've kept up to 7x Discus in here together. Got too crowded. Just two large Sponge filters. A hoard of Malaysian Trumpet Snails. I'm not going to say, "This is how you do it!" It's just an option that's worked out fine for a couple years...

I enjoyed “Sunken Gardens” by Karen Randall. Nice introduction to planted tanks. I swear by Ted Coletti’s “The Tub Pond Handbook.” ”Freshwater Fishes of Virginia” was a gift from a local Ichthyology professor. Amazing resource! Axelrod’s “The Allure of Discus” is nice

Well, you say you don't like Reson, Plastic or Wood . . . my recommendation would probably be something you'd rather not get. But I use this: I set up tall, reed-like plants on one side, and floating plants like water hyacinth and water lettuce in the center. I try to keep it partially shaded... I love livebearers outside for the summer. I do Guppies in one, and Swordtails in the other. At the end is a smaller ornamental tub that I'm trying out Pygmy Sunfish in this summer. The book I swear by is this one... Other's have kept interesting journals. I have kept a Tubbing Journal on the Forum here for awhile...