Fish Folk

That Pipefish is amazing!

Very hard to tell. Could be a cyst. Keep an eye on all fish in that tank. If they burst from a tail, it could yield the fin rupture you later report.

Fins can rip for a number of reasons. No telling for sure if it was caused by the mark on you noticed before. Sometimes fish "flash" on surfaces if something is irritating their scales or fins. It's possible the guppy scraped the tail apart trying to sort of scratch and itch. But that's all wild speculation. Your issue now is that the damaged tail runs the risk of getting infected, and your fish is at some risk of getting stressed, growing lethargic, swimming improperly, etc. Lower causes of stress. Take care not to overfeed. Watch it carefully. Change out some water, and consider using something like Stress Coat for your water treatment. Many times, guppies recover and all is well. I've had a few go downhill though too. Just kind of part of the cycle of life.

A stunningly natural rock formation. Looks much like some rock outcroppings near where grew up trout fishing in Northeast PA. I get the appeal!

Personally, I just do sponges in tanks that size — usually two small ones in back corners. A cannister seems overkill until you move up a size. But they really are nice! I use an Oase cannister on a 45 gal, and love the flow.

Agreed, Diamond Tetras are lovely! I have yet to try: (1) Rainbow Emperor Tetras (2) Hummingbird Tetras (3) Red Phantom Tetras

They're tricky to come by. In truth, no one I know of has a system figured out. Mine did not make it due to some nasty bacterial infection that crashed the tank unexpectedly. For me, they never turned red / yellow. There are some US aquarists active online who are keeping them and might be able to help. Try visiting the NANFA Facebook page, and making a post about your interest. I'll add that, sadly, unless you're able to arrange for a trip stateside, that shipping fish into Canada has been tricky. I've wanted to ever so badly, but the paperwork was too much to handle.

Hard to say if this is a primary issue or a secondary injury-response infection. I'd guess there's a bacterial infection going on. My personal aquarist experience treating these is . . . 50-50 . . . You can try an API Product treatment as recommended. Maybe @Colu can offer more natural remedies. Clean water is important. I'd cut back a bit on feeding, and offer the aquarium multiple small water changes. Looking at your setup, I'd guess it's been running little while. Perhaps there's some added issues involving what is sometimes referred to as "old tank syndrome." We could break the internet with speculations on whether or not to gravel vac substrate. But probably best advice is just protect the fish, and keep things clean. Lower the lighting to prevent stress. Make sure your food is high quality. If dry food, not the bottom of a bottle. I'd get a hanging net breeder basket rather than a specimen container. Hopefully, the injury is not contagious.

Java Fern. Microsorum pteropus. Very easy rhizome aquarium plant. Do not bury the stalky-rhizome that it grows from underneath the substrate. Just gently let wedge it between hardscape, nudge it in a crevice, etc. Here's a helpful write up on the plant from ACO blog.

I would recommend against it. Zinc build up can kill fish. Here’s an article on that. I recommend a food-grade feeding stock tank from Tractor Supply. I use 40 gallon, but most serious tub folks buy larger than that…

Awesome! Looks great.

I’d try this.

Yes, that can work. I used three last year. If the sides are kicked, they'll crack. If you leave them out all winter, the ice may crack them. Not ideal, but pretty. Here's a journal I've kept featuring them... Here are a few of my favorite shots... Let me hasten to add that I HIGHLY recommend at least 40 gallon stock tanks / animal feeder tubs from Tractor Supply instead. Not as pretty, but far stronger. You need to drill two holes, about 1/4 inch in diameter about 1.5 inches below the edge so that water will drain out. Also, please read this book. It will save you all sorts of trouble...

Awesome shot!! Andrew Z is a great NANF wizard & photographer.

Excellent!

Great feedback from @anewbie. My son bred marble angels once. I made a post about that here… Otherwise, my experience is limited. Here’s a nice introductory video to several common angelfish types… Breeding Angelfish can become easy, but raising millions of fry is exhausting and space-consuming. Also, many times, buying a pair you love doesn’t guarantee the offspring will come out Looking like the parents. Commonly, Angels look like one or another of their “grandparents” — following Mendelian genetics.

So sorry to hear. It may be an injury to the swim bladder. Other possibilities too, but quite possibly related to the injury. I recommend keeping lights low / or filtered. maintain a clean environment -- don't over feed, and perform small water changes. This may take time to heal. Unless you're sure of some other illness, I do not recommend flooding the tank with medicine. Tagging @Colu for thoughts. Great sickness / injury diagnostic. Tagging @mountaintoppufferkeeper for extensive perspective on Puffers, injuries, and ideas. Hang in there @The Doug. We all understand that some of our fish are just fish . . . others are truly pets.

If you have soft water, and add a bunch of java moss, they may spawn over it. If she's loaded with eggs, she might lose girth if you can trigger the males to spawn over plants. I have found, however, that some tetras are actually ill and bloated with other causes.

Is the poop normally brown and average size? With worms, you'll usually notice a change in color to the fecal matter. IF the fish has found a constant source of food growing in the tank, it is possible that ... a lot is going in, and a lot is coming out. Keep the tank water-changed, and ensure that what you feed is fresh and nutritionally well-rounded.

Interesting! I've heard that shrimp skittles, breeding over time and multiple generations, will bend toward a colorless natural look. This Neocaridina selective breeding chart used to circulate here on the forum a lot...

Thanks for your question. If you don't mind, could you please share some more details about your situation and project goals? (1) Where are you located. Latitude and approximate altitude is fine if you'd rather keep your hometown private. This helps with approximating a gardening zone standard, which is determinative for what fish you choose to keep. (2) What species are you hoping to work with? Every species of fish has an ideal temperature window. If I recall correctly, most heaters are reliably effective for raising temperature ca. 10-degrees Fahrenheit above a consistent external temperature point. If your temperature falls below 50-degrees Fahrenheit consistently, you may struggle to keep your fish in a safe zone -- depending on what species you are interested in working with. Many outdoor tubbing enthusiasts bury 50% or more of their tub in the ground, allowing geothermal temperature balancing to assist. Unburied, tubs are prone to fluctuation more easily.

For true albinos, yes

Yes. I have seen a few for sale. But first, a note on "albinism" in fish. There are multiple traits that, to an untrained observer, can be easily mislabeled together as "albino." In fish, a light / white coloration to the fins and body combined with a red-colored eye are characteristic... There are many selectively bred leucistic Betta spelendens that are a lovely white, but lack true albinism... If you do purchase some, they may appreciate a lower aquarium lighting intensity and shorter photo period. I have never owned one (that I can recall). And, aside from the lighting, I am unaware or special needs.

(Pardon the enthusiasm… we don’t get out much, I guess… 🤣🤣🤣) With US Natives, small earthworms can be a delight to feed!

My photos aren’t great, but I bought a pair of Nanochromis parilus. Here’s the female…