JettsPapa

No, but keep an eye on it and do a water change if it gets much higher. That's not a problem. I'm perfectly fine with 40 ppm. I don't believe it's really needed now, but if it will help your mind it certainly won't hurt anything. That's a very good question. If nitrites are high enough to show up when tested I would definitely recommend doing a water change.

Being 62, it's probably not surprising that I like mostly older music, but when I listen to Pandora on Shuffle (based on my stations) I never know what's coming next. It could be Bonnie Raitt, or Hank Williams Sr., or John Lee Hooker, or Stevie Ray Vaughan, or John Prine, or Jerry Jeff Walker, or Bonnie Bishop, or Ray Wylie Hubbard, or Ray Price, or CCR, or Gene Watson, or Lynyrd Skynyrd, or Freddy Fender, or Otis Redding, or Albert Collins, or Junior Brown, or Cody Jinks, or . . .

They're one of my favorite fish. I currently have somewhere around 15 in my 40 gallon breeder tank. They're especially attractive in planted tanks since their colors contrast nicely with green foliage.

I did. There are none closer than a 4-hour drive.

I would love to get involved with one, but as far as I don't know there aren't any in my area (southeast Texas).

That's understandable. I only tried it because someone was breaking down a tank and wanted to get rid of them and I didn't have a better place for them (there were two, but one died a year or so after I got them). Mine seems to be intimidated by the other fish, especially when I feed frozen blood worms. It likes them, but will pull away if the other fish get too close. I understand this isn't always typical behavior.

Welcome, and I'm jealous. The only egg layers that have reproduced for me were rainbowfish. I'd love for my corys to raise fry, but I've never even seen eggs. Pea puffers are fun to watch. I have one in my 40 gallon community tank.

I use black poster board, cut to fit and secured to the tank with black electrical tape (all of my tanks have black rims, so the tape doesn't show).

You get told that anyone who does fish-in cycling, even when done with regular water changes to keep the ammonia and nitrites very low, is cruelty to animals. 1) The "hardy" fish don't get burned if the water is changed when needed. 2) This also doesn't happen if the water is changed when needed. It's my understanding, from multiple sources, that with low pH the ammonia toxicity is so low that it's not an issue.

As long as the fish keeper is diligent about doing water changes during a fish-in cycle, I don't see a problem with it. There are some people who vehemently disagree (I will leave it at that so I don't get in trouble).

Welcome to the forum. The pictures aren't loading for me, but the small bubbles will go away on their own. Like many other things in this hobby, patience is key.

Welcome to the forum. As far as I know al guppies are the same species, but just different color and fin type strains, so no, it really won't matter, but beware, if you get her some "friends" you will likely soon be overrun with guppies. If you want guppies I'd recommend re-homing her and getting a group of males instead, if you have room. Or just get more chili rasboras. The longer I keep fish the more I enjoy watching larger groups of a single species of fish instead of many different kinds.

Seedlings are notoriously difficult to identify. You may need to wait until it gets larger, but regardless of where it came from, I'd think it's likely to be a terrestrial plant instead of aquatic, and if that's the case I don't expect it to survive longer.

If left floating it will also grow into a dense mass that makes great hiding places for shrimp and fry.

If you're planting trees, most terrestrial ornamental plants, or some aquatic plants (like crypts and swords) that's good advice. For aquatic stem plants that grow from cuttings it doesn't hurt a thing, and especially pearl weed. It will likely be difficult to get it to stay rooted without putting some of the leaves below the top of the substrate.

I'm not sure what you mean "a paint suited better for this application," since the only thing you mentioned is the color. Did you mean is black the best choice? If yes, that depends on you. If you are asking about what kind of paint to use, I'd probably use a semi-gloss enamel.

My Cryptocoryne usteriana is prolific about sending out runners. On the other hand, my Cryptocoryne spiralis has never sent out one.

If it behaves like mine, it will send up a long shoot, with a number of nodes. Flowers will sprout at each node. When it's finished blooming leaves will start to appear, and finally roots. When the roots are long enough you can cut the stem on each side and you have new plants. It could easily be six or so.

I have set up several tanks using dry cow manure, either by itself or with potting soil, topped with sand. Plants do well in it. However, I probably wouldn't do it again unless the tank is strictly for display. I frequently pull plants up to sell, and it makes a mess when I pull them up out of the dirt.

Why? Read what you enjoy and don't stress over it. If you enjoy reading the books you term crap then I contend they aren't crap and you aren't wasting your time. It's very easy. I define the "correct" books instead of letting other people do it. If I like them, they're correct. If I don't like them then they aren't correct.

If you don't mind shipping when they get old enough I might know someone who'd be interested in buying a dozen or so.

Swords typically get too large for a ten gallon tank. I wouldn't recommend getting one. I almost always recommend crypts for people looking for plant ideas. They come in a wide variety of sizes and leaf colors, are hardy (though there may be an initial melting back period), and are readily available at any place that sells aquatic plants. Cryptocoryne wendtii is probably the most common, and would be a good choice for a tank your size.

It's not uncommon for mature shrimp to struggle adapting to new water parameters. Hopefully at least one or two females will last long enough to hatch eggs. Newly hatched shrimp should be just fine.

I haven't noticed that either one is easier. And I don't know that a lid is strictly necessary. I have ten tanks with shrimp, only one has a lid (mostly to keep the rainbowfish from jumping out), and I rarely find a shrimp that has jumped out.

As others have said, you can have a wide variety of fish with those parameters. I have quite a few in my tanks, and my water is harder than yours, with higher pH.