Andy's Fish Den

What temp do you have the water running? Do you have aeration going in the tank besides a single filter? How many Zebras are there, and how many caves, overhangs, hiding spots do you have for them? They like their water warm, in the 86-86 range and they also need plenty of water movement and aeration, most that I have seen and know keeping and breeding zebras have some sort of powerhead and airstone going in the tank. Good luck with them, and hopefully they start eating for you.

As someone else mentioned, they are both in the same lineage 9, so they will cross. I would encourage you not to cross them, separate the two species, and if you do ever try to sell these be sure to point out that they are a hybrid. Lineage 9 also includes aeneus and the different laser corydoras, so any of those will also cross. Intentionally hybridizing the cory cats is something that a lot of people discourage, the same with rainbow fish. I know a lot of people will go into an LFS and want to get a few of several different species of corydoras because there are so many nice ones, but it is better to keep one species to a tank.

I am lucky enough to have an eagle nest just off my property along the river. I can look out a front window or stand on my front porch with a pair of binoculars and watch the nest. The pair has been busy working on he nest, adding sticks and stuff to it, I think that eggs have been laid already, as it appears that the parents are taking turns sitting on them. there is no way of seeing how many as the DNR doesn't have a camera up on the tree or anything. Each of the last two years they have hatched out two babies, it is cool to watch them grow, birds grow so quickly.

I was just in my LFS yesterday and was talking to the owner, who is also a friend of mine, about these. He said that he has not seen moss balls on any list that he gets in a very long time. He said he gets one or two people asking every week about them, but he is unable to get them.

Get a python water change kit. It hooks to a sink and makes it easy to drain and fill. I have used one for years, and if I had to do the five gallon bucket method, I wouldn't have a tank bigger than 20 gallons. If you don't want to waste water when draining, you can just run the house into a bath tub or even out a window, letting gravity do its thing. https://www.amazon.com/Python-Aquarium-Maintenance-System-50-Feet/dp/B000255NXM/ref=sr_1_5?crid=3AT4S4TOB3O2N&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.28jg1ABWj1kdShoaiEUpZMccgcb_m8F7hcdeCRfts4UYOJX8lOOuGaofx0ZdYWVJ1TJroNwcVQmwqMJ21VSa9AIrhy2IX0kzI9e8jvrk4i6HL9ug2BH8C9rNjJtSe0O2eQWsDLX92By-suSepcA4u3l9kmQUOIZONufH9Q2sn9-yQiK6llmUYqDe8V5IPVfGXa_N79Prgk7PQwI_9H9A3n87d5v71OeMWD-rA2sOMe-Txy_sOFeX17CLAZk8mZF_2e5ts2jcbvxy0vrlaG-erhG3COGwvDcoFSqBGPK18Bs.6lSCDCv7UuW56WPZEoL7lNNkYDHT4MFqAgRp4MXP3zE&dib_tag=se&keywords=python%2Bwater%2Bchanger&qid=1709551739&sprefix=python%2Bwater%2Bchange%2Caps%2C106&sr=8-5&th=1

All four in the pic are males.

I have seen a couple different varieties in the few LFS I frequent, but I can not tell you whether they sell well. I do know that I have been to three fish club auctions this year so far, and there have been several bags of them that attracted quite a bit of bidders. The auction I went to this past weekend, there was a few bags with 6 fish in each that sold for $50+ per bag. I think a lot of the not selling good in the LFS is that most people going in may not realize what they are, and how a lot of the rice fish look a lot better when viewed from above. Maybe if the LFS owners and managers would have a display or something showing how good they look from above, they may be able to sell them better.

I am a board member of the Northwest Ohio Aquarium Society as well as a member of the Ohio Cichlid Association. I love being part of aquarium clubs, it opens a whole new dimension to the hobby as you mentioned.

The color of the water looks like it has tannins in it, not green from algae. How long has the wood been in the tank? Wood will release tannins into the water slowly over time, depending on what kid of wood it is, it can take a while to get all the tannins out of it. Carbon in the filter will help, along with water changes.

I was going to say the same thing that they looked like emersed leaves. If they were outer leaves, it is possible that they still are.

The top pic looks like one of the ones I have, I think it was called a red turquoise. Discus are one of my favorite fish to keep.

If you are wanting to grow live plants, the Fluval aquasky is not very good at it. I had one on a tank and struggled to get much growth out of anything. I am not sure about the other option that you listed.

I once cleaned a tank completely out of all water and substrate, filled the tank with the hottest water straight out of my tap, then a mild bleach solution, rinsed out several times to get rid of the bleach and smell. I then put in brand new substrate and decor, no plants. After a couple of weeks, there were some MTS in the tank. The only thing I can think of is that there were some little ones or eggs up under the top trim.

I have both wifi and non-wifi units. The wifi is nice because you can set the temp and other settings right from your phone or tablet, and I found it easier on the app rather than using the controller itself. I can open the app and check on the temps of my tanks from anywhere, as long as my wifi doesn't go out at home. you can set both a high and low temp warning that if the tank reaches those temps it will send you an alert. I can't attest to how it works because I haven't gotten an alert for it. There is also a setting to get an alert if the unit is heating for a set number of hours. I guess deciding which one to buy is whether you like more technology or not. You can set up multiple controllers on the app, I don't know if there is a max, I have two right now.

In the past when quarantining otocinclus, I have made some soilent green repashy gel and spread it on some rocks or wood and put it in the tank for them.