[What music are you listening to these days?]

On 7/16/2023 at 12:01 AM, Odd Duck said:

I’ve recently discovered this group that apparently focuses mostly on heavy metal Tolkienish dwarf music.  I had no idea I loved dwarf music, yet suddenly I do.

There's a combination of words I never thought I'd run across.

[Solo honey gourami or a trio in 20 long community tank]

On 7/14/2023 at 7:38 AM, BlackCrappieLover said:

I was considering adding neon tetras eventually, because they're my dad's favorite fish, but wasn't sure how big of a group I could get with the size of the tank and the other fish I have already.

I'm new when it comes to community tanks and stocking multiple species. I've only had my corys with shrimp for the last year, so I'm trying to be cautious about how much I put in the tank ^_^

I won't judge anyone who disagrees, but I would go with the trio.  As mentioned above, most gouramis (with dwarf gouramis being the notable exception) are social and do better in groups.

In the situation you described I don't think adding a trio of honey gouramis and eight or so neon tetras would be a problem.

[Yet another 45g stocking question]

Hello and welcome to the forum.  To start with, while they aren't shoaling fish, pearl gouramis are social, and often do better in groups than solo.  Because of that I'd encourage you to get several instead of just one.  I'd say a minimum of three, with one male and two females, but increasing it to five (still with females outnumbering males) would be better.

[Tropical fish aquariums in the news...]

To quote the article:  "An aquarium full of fish could generate as much CO2 as running a motorbike."

It could generate a great deal less also.

[Best fish bags?]

On 7/12/2023 at 8:28 AM, tolstoy21 said:

The goal in the end is to make sure there are no corners a fish can get trapped in during shipment. Whatever works to achieve this is legit. 

Bags with rounded corners work. Bags with square bottomed  can work.You can get rid of corners with an impulse sealer. You can use tape (like I do). You can use rubber bands, etc. Every method works, you just have to decide which is for you.

I tend to pick things based on a balancing act of cost and usability. I don't want to overspend, but I also don't want a bag that makes bagging fish more time consuming and labor intensive. Bagging is the one aspect of breeding fish that I don't care for.

I personally use tape because it's quick and easy. I saw Dean doing it in a video, and someone I buy from overseas sends fish to me packaged up just like I have depicted in above thread (like fish are in a burrito or a capsul). I believe Dan's Fish angles the corners with a sealer (or at least he used to).

I think one of the things that we need to be aware of that it's important to not have corners in the top of the bag. This is vital because we can't guarantee what way is up once the fish leave our hands and are in the hands of the shipper.

The tops of my bags are squared off because I use squared bags and an impulse sealer. I can take care of the bottom, but its not easy to round off the top once the bag is filled with O2. (So I solve this problem with tape).

If you use rubberbands or breather bags, then the top of the bag isn't an issue. So in this case a round-bottomed bag secured with a rubberband or tied off with a knot works quite well. 

For shrimp, I use round-bottomed breather bags and tie the tops with a knot.

When shipping shrimp, or fish in bags with corners, I typically invert one bag in the other.  That eliminates the corners.  This is with non-breathable bags, of course.

[Easiest way to initially fill a 75 gallon?]

On 7/11/2023 at 11:28 PM, Dork Fish said:

@nabokovfan87 Is there not a difference between outside hose tap and indoor sink tap?

Possibly, if you have a water softener, but otherwise it's all the same water.  I've stuck a hose through an open window to fill a tank a number of times, and water from the hose is all my outside tubs get (except for when it rains, of course).

[Favorite tacos?]

On 7/11/2023 at 9:52 AM, Guppysnail said:

. . . Topped with finely chopped lettuce, cabbage or brussel sprouts or radishes from the garden. 

Either asadero, Oaxaca, or cotija cheese. (Spelling???)
Living in Las Vegas I knew some women who showed me all different heirloom seasoning recipes for chicken, fish shrimp or beef to place in the taco. Of course I did not get the joy of home grown produce until I returned to PA. It makes all the difference in the richness of the flavors. 
One year I was given some fresh horseradish. I ground it into the tomato topping with shrimp and used red cabbage and radish topping. I think those were my all time favorite tacos. 

It may not be "authentic," but I like putting some fresh spinach on them instead of lettuce.

[Best fish bags?]

I've had good luck with these:  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09M6X73DR/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1.

They're 10" x 20", with rounded corners.  I use them to ship guppies; usually splitting 50 into three bags.  I add two cups of fresh water, two cups of tank water, and then as much air as I can get into the bag (roughly 1/3 water and 2/3 air).  I double bag and pack them with the bags upright in an insulated box.

They typically arrive two or three days after shipping with no deaths.

[Favorite tacos?]

On 7/7/2023 at 7:58 AM, TOtrees said:

Love a solid baja fish taco.

Unfortunately up here in Canadia we don’t have the Mexican/Latin diaspora that is in the US, at least not the same extent. Mexican restaurants can be found, and some are good/authentic, but they’re few and far between outside of a few locales. Taco stands and convenience stores restaurants just aren’t a thing. That’s the style I love, and will go out of my way for when I’m near one. 

In short, I’m jealous. 🙂

About 25 years ago when I was working in North Dakota a local took me to a Mexican restaurant in Bismarck.  I guess for people who never had the real thing it was okay, but I thought it had about as much flavor as plain boiled potatoes.

[C.A.R.E. Forum Anniversary Celebration]

On 7/6/2023 at 12:36 PM, Mmiller2001 said:

Lol, getting old.

Not me.  I have arrived there.

[Favorite tacos?]

I stop at a local convenience store for breakfast every morning.  They stay so busy that they have at least four, and sometimes five, people making and serving food.  Everything is homemade, including the tortillas.

I think my favorite is half beef fajita and half huevos y papas (eggs with potatoes), with refried beans and their tomatillo based salsa.

[Surface plants - how much is too much]

On 7/6/2023 at 7:57 AM, beastie said:

Will check the protein layer, so far i have not noticed any. Might be the shrimp and copious snails eat it?

Maybe.  I have a tank on my desk at work, stocked with guppies, shrimp, snails, and a dwarf Mexican crayfish, that doesn't have any mechanical filtration or water movement.  The only appliance it has is a light.  It never has a protein layer.

[20 gallon long set up]

No, I don't believe that is too many fish.  In fact you could probably add a few more of the diamond tetras.  I wouldn't add them all at once, of course.

[wow, this is an expensive hobby]

As you proceed with your MTS addiction (Multiple Tank Syndrome) I'd like to mention that the smart devices aren't strictly necessary, and a sturdy piece of used furniture from Goodwill will often make a perfectly serviceable stand.

[What music are you listening to these days?]

 

[Shrimp dying / everything else thriving?!]

On 7/2/2023 at 1:38 PM, Proy said:

Update 5:

Community tank is doing very well.

Blue Dream tank is also doing really well. Multiple berried shrimp, activity in the tank is really nice. Backed off my feedings and left them to scavenge a bit more. My only concern is a Nitrate level around 10ppm. It’s not too high but higher than I want. I’ve done 2 15% water changes and vacuumed the substrate since my last post and I can’t seem to budge the Nitrate level. I added another small batch of red root floaters to help. All other parameters are exactly where I want them. Currently very happy with this tank.

Sunkist/Pumpkin Tank is also doing well. I have not had any deaths for a while now. I also backed off on my feedings and forced them to scavenge a bit more. All parameters on this tank are spot on. Again multiple berried shrimp…This where my only concern is…I had a female molt and drop her eggs. I’m not really sure why she dropped them. She was somewhat small so I can only think that she dropped due to inexperience?? I managed to recover the eggs and have them in a makeshift egg tumbler. I ordered a real egg tumbler, hopefully I can save them.

Overall everything has drastically improved. I will continue posting updates as worthwhile info pops up. 
 

Thank you to all that offered their advice. A giant thank you to @nabokovfan87 for all the help and direction!!! 

I wouldn't worry about 10 ppm.  The shrimp in my tanks don't show any problems with it at 40 ppm.

[Plant suggestions]

On 7/1/2023 at 12:09 PM, KALgxh said:

. . . but I know its hard water in my area (152 PPM). As for moss, there is Java moss and newly added subwassertang in the tank already. I do have some extra rocks laying around, but for the hard scape already in the tank, most of its already covered with various plants. 

Just a heads-up, the subwassertang may dwindle down to where you think it's all dead, but then come back strong (at least that's what happened when I first got it, and I also have hard water).

[Fluval AQUACLEAR 20]

There may be some air trapped in the top of the intake tube.  If yes it will probably get better soon.

[The Future is Duckweed! - Interesting Read from the Washington Post]

On 6/27/2023 at 7:24 PM, lefty o said:

not gonna happen. im a carnivore, i dont eat grass!

So you're a second hand vegetarian?  (Cows eat grass and you eat cows.)

[The Future is Duckweed! - Interesting Read from the Washington Post]

For the record, duck weed is not pushing meat off my plate.

[Duckweed hack]

I couldn't find it the last time I looked, but I'm sure I once saw a youtube video where @Cory used a shop vac to suck it up.

[Anubias Barteri blooming!]

I have some in my 65 gallon tank that seem to be blooming every time I look at them, and they definitely aren't dying.

[High high Nitrates]

I didn't read through all the replies, though I did skim over them.  In any case, I doubt very much that nitrates killed the fish, unless it was well over 80 ppm.

[Shrimp dying / everything else thriving?!]

On 6/24/2023 at 12:59 PM, RonBFree said:

I have cherry shrimp in my endler tanks.  The adults do fine but baby shrimp must be eaten as the numbers don't grow

 

Shrimp did fine with endlers for me.  Maybe you don't have enough places for the babies to hide until they get large enough for the endlers to leave alone?

Or maybe your endlers just are different from mine.

[What are recommendations to keep shrimp?]

On 6/23/2023 at 8:03 PM, jasper5150 said:

Here is my recent test strip. Not too accurate but a general idea

Those numbers don't look any higher than mine, and probably lower (I know my pH is higher).  Red, yellow, and blue neocaridinas do just fine for me, though after several generations they may not be as large as they would in water with somewhat lower values.