[Cherry shrimp feeding while on vacation.]

They'd probably be okay for five weeks.  Five days certainly isn't a problem

[Guppy sourcing]

On 11/29/2022 at 3:13 PM, Theplatymaster said:

Where is the best place to get high-quality guppies? Is there a site? Or will the standard wholesaler stuff be fine at my LFS?

Try to find an LFS that buys fish from local breeders.  Those fish are likely to be healthier and generally more hardy than fish from the big fish farms.  I know I've struggled to keep commercially raised guppies alive longer than about 30 days, and I have read many reports from other fish keepers on this and other forums who have reported similar experiences.

[Any suggestions on where to pick up a 60/75gal or larger tank online?]

On 11/21/2022 at 11:28 PM, Brainsponge said:

Yea, we've been down in the mid 30's the last couple nights. I'm not confident enough to not heat when we get these cold snaps. Probably be back on the beach by the end of January. Even with a heater it sounds like those rubbermaid stock waterers out on the porch are the way to go for the Goldfish

I keep goldfish in cattle troughs to control algae and mosquito larvae.  They do just fine when there's a layer of ice on top for several days.

[how to feed fry in a community tank]

On 11/29/2022 at 12:51 PM, venzi said:

Oh i c.  So the fry tend to stay hidden.  So I need to ensure the foods reaches them.  The fry will likely not move out of the safety of their cover to grab food.

It depends on the species, and sometimes the strain within the species.  My dumbo mosaic guppies don't seem to bother fry at all, and it's not unusual to see fry feeding right beside adults.

On the other hand, albino koi guppies are relentless fry hunters.  I had three females and one male in the 5.5 gallon tank on my desk at work for quite a while.  The females would periodically be pregnant, and then not so much, but the whole time I kept them I only saw one fry, and I only saw it once.  The guy who owns the LFS where I got them told me they'd do that, but I did expect a few to survive.  I was wrong.

[Filter for a 40g breeder planted tank with nano fish]

I have a 40 gallon breeder tank with an Aqua-clear 50 HOB in one back corner and a sponge filter in the opposite one.  It works fine.  I don't have honey gourami in it, but I do have pearl gouramis.   The flow doesn't seem to bother them.  In a tank with a smaller footprint it might.

[Glutton for guppy punishment]

On 11/29/2022 at 6:56 AM, Guppysnail said:

I feel this but in the opposite direction. There are a dozen fish types that must have soft acidic water.  I want them so bad but have hard high ph water.  I’m not a water chemist either so I live through forum folks vicariously 🤣

Do you mind if I ask which those are?

[how to feed fry in a community tank]

The only fry I feed are guppy fry.  All the guppy tanks have a healthy amount of floating plants, so I feed the adults and juveniles in one corner of the tank and put the fry food toward the center.  It floats into all the nooks and crannies in and between the floating plants where the fry can find it and eat it in relative safety.

[Help me choose which tetras to add to my tank please!]

On 11/28/2022 at 10:38 PM, Karen B. said:

Do you have a video of your black neon tetras? 

I'm afraid not.  I've always been puzzled by the name though.  Mine have a horizontal stripe that's dark blue instead of black, with the neon lighter blue above it.

I've seen serpae tetras mentioned a few times.  They're another of my favorites, along with lemon tetras and pristella tetras.  They have all been very hardy for me in my hard 8.2 pH water.

[How often do you fast your fish?]

On 11/28/2022 at 9:35 PM, PineSong said:

My coworker asked for some of the fish that I raise and he set up a nice 20g in his office for them. I gave him a few male platies and several male guppies and some guppy grass.

The tank is one of those box store starter kits with a black lid and the tank sits right in a wall of window so gets a lot of light.

My coworker works a 4 day week so his fish go 3 days per week without being fed every single week unless I happen to be in his part of the building on Friday, in which case I feed them on Friday and they only fast over the weekend.

The tank has been set up for about a year, has completely filled with guppy grass more than once, has hardly any algae and the fish are fit as fiddles--his male guppies look much better than mine even though I bred his, too. The white rocks are still white. 

He also has a small army of large and healthy ramshorn snails. So, 4 days per week of food is enough for the fish, the snails, and the guppy grass!

 

 

I have a moderately planted (bordering on heavily planted) 5.5 gallon tank on my desk at work.  It has a light on a timer, but no filtration or air movement.  It is currently stocked with seven juvenile endlers, ranging from about half grown to pretty much full size, and God only knows how many shrimp.

I decided to take vacation time last Wednesday, so since Thursday was Thanksgiving, and we get the following Friday off for a holiday, the tank didn't get fed for five days.  When I got to work yesterday morning the fish were fine.  They acted hungry, but they always act hungry.

[How often do you fast your fish?]

I often skip one day per week, and sometimes two, and occasionally those two days are consecutive.

[Filtration of a plant-only tank... is it necessary?]

I hate to disagree with replies above, but I have a moderately 5.5 gallon tank on my desk that doesn't have a filter or air movement.  The only thing on it that requires power is a light.  It's been running since June of last year and doing just fine.  I change one gallon of water every week to ten days.

Shrimp are thriving, and it currently also has seven juvenile endlers, though I'll almost certainly bring them home when I'm not at work over the holidays.  As a disclaimer, with heavier stocking I'm not sure it would work.

[40 gallon community tank planning]

On 11/27/2022 at 1:34 AM, jcrabbit said:

Hi yall, I'm planning on getting a 40 gallon planted tank. I'd like to have a community tank with a few different fish. I have some assumptions I want to run through with the people here and get feedback.

1. It's not a good idea to keep RCS in a community tank. It sounds like this is possible, but it seems to make things harder for a beginner. Right now I am assuming it is best to plan for a community tank that will not include RCS, which allows for including some fish that are not shrimp friendly such as the silver tip tetra.
2. Fish are hardier/easier to keep than RCS, generally speaking. I.e., guppies will be easier to care for than shrimp, assuming timely water changes. i.e., start learning with fish before trying to setup a shrimp tank.
3. It's better to buy fish from a local aquarium store than online. The main assumption is that the local store will likely stock fish that will thrive with the local parameters. It also means a more limited selection of fish to choose from.

That's all for now.

Thanks!

 

1.   I wouldn't say it's best, but you probably won't see the shrimp very often.
2.   Not necessarily, and there are too many variables to give a definitive answer.
3.   I agree, but only if you mean a locally owned store that buys their fish from local breeders.  Big box stores, that get their fish from big commercial breeders, will often sell fish that won't thrive in local water conditions.  There are also many online sellers that raise what they sell.  If their water parameters are similar to yours then fish from them should do just fine.

[Help me choose which tetras to add to my tank please!]

You mentioned black neon tetras as one option.  They're one of my favorite fish.  They're attractive and very hardy.  I believe you'd be pleased with them.

[Water changes and benificial Bacteria]

On 11/28/2022 at 12:44 PM, Stephan1973 said:

Thanks.  The most I usually do is about 30% water change and once a month vacuum.  Filters only when due and cleaned in tank water. 

Some people may be shocked by this, but in well established tanks there's nothing wrong with rinsing filter media in tap water (please note the emphasis on well established).  

[What music are you listening to these days?]

On 11/28/2022 at 1:24 AM, Jungle Fan said:

Rockin' with Amadeus, Alannah Myles, and ZZ Top.

That Black Velvet song is a terrible ear worm.  I try to not even think about it.

[Fully Cycled?]

Hello,

It's my understanding that 0.25 ppm is within the margin of error, so as long as it isn't any higher than that I'd say go ahead and add a few fish.  Keep a close eye on parameters for a week or so, then add a few more.  Repeat until you're fully stocked.

[Hey y'all]

Welcome to the forum, also known as the MTS (Multiple Tank Syndrome) support group.

[Lowering water level to prevent jumping]

On 11/21/2022 at 11:53 PM, Rita said:

I'm totally aware this is a non answer so I'll apologize in advance... but I'm a big proponent for lids! My good friend who also keeps fish has lost 2 bettas recently from her 55 gal tank and her water is dropped 4 inches! It's just not worth in my opinion. I'd rather have a lid and give them the maximum amount of space possible by filling that tank up to the tippy top. Not to mention better heat retention and less evaporation. 😬

Low water levels are also a problem for those of us with hard water.  That's why I don't have any rimless tanks and keep my tanks full.  The black rims do a wonderful job of hiding hard water stains and residue.

[Major Water changes - Leave fish? or not to leave fish?]

I agree with @Guppysnail.  If just the stress of the water change killed the fish it would likely have also died from being netted and put into a different container, then netted out of it and put back.

[Does anyone know what this is?]

On 11/18/2022 at 3:35 PM, BigJ said:

That

I wondered if that was it, I really liked the look of the immature fully submerged ones. I guess I'll just settle for some kind of sword.

Cryptocoryne spiralis looks somewhat similar, or you might find another crypt variety that you like.

[Fish Picks]

Black neon tetras, if you're interested in a single species.

[Quikrete Play Sand?]

I used it in my first tank (at least it was play sand; I don't remember the brand name).  It had quite a bit of very small gravel in it.

I'm a big fan of using pool filter sand.  It's a little more expensive, but it's more uniform, and if you get a good brand it needs little to no rinsing.  

[Stocking Ideas for 2.5 gal shrimp tank (pic provided)]

Hello, and welcome to the forum.  I agree with the others about not adding any fish.

• I'd suggest adding one more male and several more female shrimp.
• More live plants would be good.  Something like java moss or susswassertang would be good.
• I see the tank has a heater.  If you want to maximize offspring that's okay, but for just shrimp you really don't need it.

On 11/17/2022 at 3:28 PM, Shotaling said:

. . . Also my first post so any extra aquarium info is greatly appreciated. Looking to learn as much as possible about the hobby even if I don't have a personal use for the information! Thank You!

 

Here is a link to some basic shrimp keeping information I put together a while ago if you'd like to take a look:  

 

[Does anyone know what this is?]

Cattail.  (I'm in southeast Texas, and it's pretty common.)

[Stocking Options for Fluval Flex 32.5]

On 11/17/2022 at 2:13 PM, zpayne10 said:

@JettsPapa I love the recommendation! I had never considered the rams, but a quick search...wow! They look incredible. Is it pretty easy to sex them to get a pair?

I believe it's somewhat difficult when they're young, but much easier when they approach maturity (much like most gouramis).