CorydorasEthan

Same here! I used mine to transport my new Siamese algae eaters and pearl gourami home. Me too. It was really nice for a few days and then suddenly the weather drops way down. But I don't think my parents would let me order any more plants anyways. They say I have enough already...

I second @Bentley Pascoe and @H.K.Luterman. Yes I had this whenever I put wood in water. I'm pretty sure snails, guppies, endlers, otos, and other algae eating types will eat it.

Okay here's an update: The day after I posted this topic my gourami stopped acting lethargic and was back to normal. He was hungry as usual and came up to the glass when I walk by the tank. I haven't noticed the parasites on anyone right now, but my cories, siamese algae eaters, and some guppies still rub/itch themselves against the sand occasionally. Could these fish also have internal parasites, or is this just something they always do? My albino cories and guppies have done this for at least four months now without any problems. But then again, I have to consider the sudden death of my bristlenose pleco (who didn't scratch herself she showed no symptoms, so she might have had parasites or maybe not). What are your guy's thoughts on this matter? Thanks.

@Pakal Hobbits?: (Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin) A Cory-tet.

Do you want individual names for each, or a name designated to the whole group?

I second what @Levi_Aquatics said.

Oh wow! I'll have to keep a closer eye on my cories then, just in case!

In my experience, Corydoras don't each any other fish (I've kept C. paleatus, C. aeneus, C. venezuelanus, C. trilineatus, and C. pygmaeus). Their main food in the wild is worms and insects in the riverbed, and only occasionally the already dead bodies of other fish. So what might have happened is that your ember tetras died (maybe of disease, something like that?) and the emerald green cories ate the bodies before you could find them. I haven't kept emerald green cories (Brochis splendens) yet though, so maybe they do occasionally eat other fish, as they are of a different genus and are also much larger. But, it might be that your ember tetras are alive, because a large group of tetras is always hard to count. Are there a lot of hiding spaces in the aquarium? Hope this helps.

About what @Steph’s Fish and Plants said I completely agree with the pygmy cory thing. In my experience, pygmy cories (Corydoras pygmaeus) do stay near the bottom, but will occasionally school midwater (depends on how many you get the more there are, the more they will swim midwater. For example I only have 5 so they mostly hide away or stay on the bottom, while swimming along the glass midwater only to play occasionally). Either way, I wouldn't be concerned with vertical space when it comes to these. So they are (along with C. hastatus and C. habrosus) a great choice for your tank. They will also add a lot of activity and playfullness to the aquarium that a small child would love to watch, as long as you get enough of them. Also, about larger cories and guppies. I have my peppered cories and their offspring (Corydoras paleatus), albino cories (Corydoras aeneus), venezuelan cory (Corydoras spec.), and pygmy cories (Corydoras pygmaeus) in my 29 gallon with breeding guppies and Endler's livebearers and they don't eat any of the babies. Female peppered cory vs. pygmy cory size: Female peppered cory (farther) vs. male peppered cory (closer) size: These pcitures are just here to give an idea of how big the cories are while they still don't eat any of the guppy fry. As you can see, the large and small cories alike are in the tank with guppies and Endler's livebearers (and hybrids) of all sizes + fry and don't eat anyone. For these cories, I would be more concerned with space, as they probably need at least 30 inches along the bottom of the aquarium. Anyway, onto the stocking plan. I am assuming you are going for the effect of a lot of smaller community fish while also for breeding purposes, so here is my suggestion: 2 Trios of guppies you picked out 8 or more small corydoras species (C. pygmaeus, C. hastatus, C. habrosus, maybe even C. panda). These might also breed, but the eggs/babies require more maintenance than livebearers like guppies. Snails as clean up. Small snails like nerites are great for algae, while pond/bladder snails, malaysian trumpet snails, and ramshorn snails will all breed like crazy, but you won't get much value from them. If you don't like snails, try Amano shrimp, which don't breed, or cherry shrimp, that breed a lot and are worth quite a bit I've heard. But that is just my suggestions and experiences. They might be different for other people, so feel free to check with other members and heed to their advice, as I have only been in the hobby for a year and a half or so. Hope this helps. Good luck!

Wow nice! Has your school orchestra gone to any national competitions yet? My orchestra teacher was very competitive and she really liked to push us to new levels. She had us go to a number of district and state competitions/workshops and then we went to Orlando to compete in a big national one where we won second place. Now that I am in high school, the freshman orchestra I am in is really kind of boring compared to the middle school class. At least its less work, because I have a lot more homework this year!

Cello, studying animals, guinea pigs, science olympiad. You can kind of tell my interests by looking at my bookshelf. I have way too many animal encyclopedias... (amongst other things like fish and guinea pig guides, history books, field guides, birwatching guides, and only some novels). The medals and trophies are from science olympiad (mostly ecology related events), Battle of the Books (my parents forced me to do this at first, but I kept going. I didn't necessarily like it that much but I was only in it to win the medals and the trophies. Now that I am way past elementary school I don't do it anymore), and cross country. My fishkeeping hobby started only a few years ago, but has now dominated over my other hobbies for the time being.

Wow those tanks look awesome! Welcome!

Okay, so over the past few months, my fish have been healthly, but I always noticed them rubbing their sides against the sand (guppies, cories, and algae eaters). I also had a bristlenose pleco and a pearl gourami in the aquarium, but they didn't rub themselves against the sand. Two days ago, the pleco suddenly died, but everyone else in the tank was fine. Just yesterday, the gourami stopped eating and only swam around in a small area in his aquarium. Yesterday night, I noticed something hanging out of him that wasn't feces. I think it's a parasite. Does anyone know of any medications I can use to get rid of this parasite? I watched a video by Cory on Fritz Paracleanse, but it is not at my PetSmart or PetCo. Would you think it would be at a local store (I live nowhere near the Co-Op)? Also, if not, are there any other medications to try? And are they fry and egg safe (I have guppy fry and cory eggs)? Thanks.

Tetra-Angelfish problem: Only some tetras will nip at long fins of fish. It really depends on what type you get. For example, I heard that silver-tip tetras and serpae tetras are fin-nippers. But things like neon tetras will just get eaten by a large angelfish. I don't think GloFish tetras (a variant of the Black Widow Tetra) will nip fins. They are very peaceful and should make great tank mates for angelfish. More tetras that you could also try are the glowlight tetra (not a GloFish, but a naturally occuring fish), rosy tetra, green fire tetra, blue columbian tetra, black neon tetra, lampeye tetra, pristella x-ray tetra, lemon tetra, diamond tetra, emperor tetra, and rummynose tetra. If you are looking for more schooling fish other than tetras, try zebra danios, white cloud mountain minnows, harlequin rasboras, guppies, Endler's livebearers, or cherry barbs (even though they are barbs, they do not nip fins like tiger barbs). Even Corydoras catfish are great schooling fish to add a lot of activity to your aquarium. Apistogramma: since your fish store is not selling you one, and you want more bottom action, just get more Sterbai Corydoras. All corydoras species are schooling fish and need groups of at least 6 to start being pretty active. They will be very fun to watch, and will add all the activity you need to your bottom level. In addition, they have bright orange fins to add the color you wanted from the Apistogramma. And if you decide not to get your angelfish, try pygmy corydoras as well. They are tiny little catfish that are silver and black, and will school midwater like tetras and will also hang out down on the bottom like other corydoras. The trick with these guys is to get a large school, preferably around 10 or more. I have 5 in my 29 gallon right now, but I am planning on adding more, as they are a little shy without a big enough group. If you still wanted a cichlid fish, go for the Bolivian Ram cichlid, which is a dwarf cichlid as well. I think these would also be a great fit for your community. "Clean Up Crew": Also, just a side note, but earlier you mentioned Corydoras as a clean up crew. Although they are scavengers, they also do need to be fed on a regular basis (not just Corydoras, but all fish, clean up crew or not). Provide catfish wafers for them (they are not algae eaters) and they will be happy. For fish that do eat algae, try a school of Otocinclus catfish (tiny pleco-like fish that school like Corydoras, so at least three of these in a group), Bristlenose pleco, rubber-lip pleco, hillstream loach, or siamese algae eater (this one does not have a suckermouth, but instead grabs algae off of surfaces, and is great at eradicating black beard algae and hair algae). Again, although these fish do eat algae, they also do need to be fed after the algae that they eat is cleaned up (they all eat different types of algae, and will not eat some types). Provide them with vegetable based food after they clean up all the algae (although most of them are omnivores and will eat pretty much anything you put in the tank). Gourami: about the blue gourami you were talking about. Are you meaning the Two-Spot Blue Gourami (Trichopodus trichopterus) or the Powder Blue Dwarf Gourami (Colisa lalia)? If you are talking about the former, I would recommend against this, as they can be pretty aggressive (depends on the individual). Here is a picture of one. For a more peaceful gourami, try pearl gourami. They look just as pretty, and are much less aggressive (mine doesn't even eat guppy fry). But as with all gourami, they can be a bit food aggressive. Mine nips my corydoras only during feeding, so I would still watch out with these guys. Here is a picture of one. But if you are talking about the Powder Blue Dwarf Gourami, I think it would be fine in your tank. While, those are my suggestions. Hope they help. Good luck!

@ArneDoug I would recommend against using the mesh one, just in case. Some of my baby peppered cories got stuck under them and died without me noticing (there were like 30 of them in the basket). Also, one tip: don't release baby cories into the tank before they are big enough! (I know you probably are smart enough not to do this, but I was just sharing it because I learned this the hard way!) I released them into my 29 gallon peaceful community early because I thought they were more at risk getting stuck in the mesh breeder basket. The poor little guys didn't stand a chance competing for food, or avoiding all the much bigger adult cories and pleco in the aquarium. Only 3 out of 30 survived. Hope this helps. Raising baby cories is a fun experience! Good luck!

These are not my fish of course! It's just a video I found worth sharing with you guys. Another reason why Corydoras should never be kept alone in an aquarium!

I just recently got into plants as well. I haven't had an easy planter before, but here are a few of my suggestions: Crytocoryne species. They are great low light plants that come in a variety of colors (red, bronze, greed, pink). Different species grow different sizes. I would recommend Cryptocoryne wedtii (great for foreground and very hardy, mine thrives and sends out runners in pool filter sand with no fertilizer except fish poop), but I heard many accounts from other people of Cryptocoryne lutea being their favorite. Vallisneria or Sagittaria species. They are both quickly reproducing plants, forming a wall of green in your aquarium. Vallisneria looks more like seaweed or seagrass (but better), and Sagittaria looks like terrestrial grass. The former grows taller and the latter is smaller, and they are good for low-light tanks. Java Fern: this is a great plant, the one I recommend for beginners, and can grow in almost anything. I've planted mine on wood, rocks, gravel, and pool filter sand, and it does fine in all. So I would say it would do fine in an easy planter. Floating plants are great too, as you don't need a planter or substrate. You could do guppy grass, water sprite, water wisteria, water lettuce, amazon frogbit, redroot floaters, or even duckweed (but this clogs the filter, I wouldn't recommend it). Other plants that I haven't kept yet but I heard people have recommend are anubias species, which grow similar to Java fern. But that's my suggestions. About the substrate problem, I wouldn't be too worried about excess food in the aquarium. Guppies will eat a lot of food, and will pick around in the substrate for more. Of course, with the addition of plants comes snails, which are a great clean up crew (if you don't like snails, try Corydoras catfish or kuhli loaches, both of which are scavengers, but also require dedicated feeding). So in my opinion, substrate wouldn't hurt at all. Hope this helps.

My little sister's betta aquarium had two nerite snails in it, and one escaped out the lid and died in a dark box it had crawled into, so we couldn't find it, despite having looked everywhere (it was out for at least 2 weeks, probably more). The second nerite snail escaped multiple times, and we found it trying to head for the exit of the room. We put him back in and he was fine. He likes to stay out of water in the tank (above the surface and sometimes in the filter), so I did a little research and apparently they live in mangroves (brackish areas with lots of aquatic trees between rivers and estuaries). They are aquatic snails, but they can spend a long time out of water. Just make sure you have a lid and cover the openings so that he doesn't escape again. Maybe provide little areas above water in the aquarium, while still enclosed in the tank (like floating plants/dwarf aquarium lily, tall rocks or wood that barely stick out of the water, etc.) So I wouldn't worry too much if he has been gone for a couple of days out of water. Hope this helps.

Yes you can add more. I agree with @Larrimore you should add more cories they are bottom dwellers while also schooling fish. Get around 4 or 5 more of the same species you already have.

Make it a planted breeding tank for pygmy cories. I haven't tried it yet, but I heard that they don't eat their eggs or their young so the school will just build up naturally over time. So it would be planted, a breeding tank, and a single species tank.

What @Levi_Aquatics said, I don't think any fish should be kept specifically for cleaning, they should be kept as pets. But it is certainly fine to keep pets that also help a bit with getting rid of algae. A common pleco (Hypostomus plecostomus) or a sailfin pleco (Pterygoplichthys gibbiceps) would work fine for eating a bit of algae depending on your tank size. Probably at least a 100 gallons for these guys.

Sorry to hear this. Don't worry, every fishkeeper goes through something like this when they first start the hobby. One question, where are you buying fish from?

My guppy-endler hybrids can be caught by hand when feeding, but true Endler's livebearer males are extemely hard to catch in a large aquarium. In any size aquarium, use flake food to entice them and then quickly scoop them up with a net. But I don't think taking them out is necessary. Just add a couple more guppies. Endler's livebearer males usually chase other fish that look or seem similar to female Endler's livebearers (basically most livebearers that are bigger than them).

That's not BBA. Those are roots. It is the way a Java fern reproduces. New plantlets with their own set of leaves and roots will grow off the tips of other leaves. Once they are big enough, you could pluck them off your main fern and plant these elsewhere in the aquarium. It may be a little hard to see, but here is my main Java fern. It is growing plantlets on the leaves, but I recently took a few and planted them elsewhere. Here are some of the leaflets. They can be attatched to anything in the aquarium, or can be left to float around. They will also grow roots that way if you want longer roots. Hope this helps.

Sorry for my rambles again. I have a habit of telling stories or giving long explainations when answering topics, so bear with me. I have kept several pets over the years. I really got into guinea pigs in second grade, so after badgering my parents about them and doing plenty of research on them, I finally got one from PetSmart, naming him Azariah. Unfortunately, Azariah died within a week of purchasing him. Apparently, he had respiratory problems before we got him (sorry I don't have any pictures of Azariah). So we went to PetCo the next day and picked up to small guinea pigs, naming them Daniel and Samuel. Daniel is the younger one. He is a tricolor abyssinian guinea pig. He loves to eat, his favorite food being carrots. He is also very territorial (despite being smaller) and likes to assert his dominace. He is the more active of the two. Daniel during floor time (he is in the box now, but they are allowed in and out of the box during playtime the box is just so we can carry them to and from their cage and also as a place to urinate while outside the enclosure): Samuel, or "Shammy," is a tricolor abyssinian silkie mix. He is very laid back, and likes to sleep. His favorite food is lettuce and pea flakes. He is a very picky eater, outright refusing certain vegetables (we will give him baby spring mix from Costco and he will eat every type of green except for the spinach, we he deliberantly takes out of his mix and avoids). He doesn't mind being subordinant, but gets stressed when he is bullied. He also doesn't like change, and gets stressed when something isn't quite right. Shammy taking a selfie. Shammy during floor time with a carrot. Samuel and Daniel playing on the sidewalk. Daniel passed away suddenly one day while I was coming home from school in 7th grade. Shammy lived, enduring several sicknesses including a runny nose, sneeze, and lethargy (probably a cold of some sort). Unfortunately, his last case of the sneezes didn't go away. We frantically arranged a vet appointment, (me and my siblings still being in online school, while my mom decided to drive 25 minutes to see the vet). When my mom got to the vet she had her wait in the car due to COVID, while Shammy had to wait in his carrier in the waiting room with all the dogs and cats. This probably made him very stressed, and they finally got to him after around 30 minutes. He was taken home, but continued to stay lethargic and passed away that evening. RIP Shammy, Daniel, and Azariah, you will be missed. Looking back, I could have given them a much better life by providing a bigger enclosure. I highly advise new guinea pig owners: Get a large cage, the ones for guinea pigs are not big enough. Opt for a rabbit enclosure to build your own (best option, I wish I could've done this, but we were limited on space at the time). Always make sure guinea pigs are kept in groups, as they are social/herd animals. Similar to the situation in the aquarium hobby with Corydoras, they need to be with members of their own kind, even if pet stores don't say they do. Provide toys, beds, hidey huts (this is very important!), and clean bedding to your guinea pig. They are smart creatures and enjoy having a lot of things to do. They also need hiding spots, as they are a prey animal, and need a place to go when they feel threatened or scared. Provide a wide variety of foods to your guinea pigs, including vegetables, fruits, high quality timothy and alfalfa hay, grass (take them outside to graze), and treats such as pea flakes (feed sparingly!). DO YOUR RESEARCH! As with all pets, do your research before getting one. Okay, so besides guinea pigs, we have a Maine Coon cat who lives strictly outdoors. His name is David. Here's his story: So he was a year or two old when we saw him, then a stray, snooping around our area, so we gave him a piece of meat to eat. After this, he started coming back more, and we fed him meat and water. Once he finally let us pet him (took a month or so), we realized that he didn't have any claws. Apparently, his original owners had declawed him, and then left him on the streets to fend for himself (this is very cruel I am glad we took him in). Astonishingly, he is still a superb hunter, able to catch, kill, and eat birds, mice, voles, bunnies, and snakes without any claws. It was probably his first winter outside alone in the cold, so we decided to let him sleep in our garage over the nights. Eventually, he got used to staying in our garage and we let him stay, providing a bed, food, water, and a litter box. He is not allowed inside the house because 1) we had guinea pigs at the time and David likes to kill and eat rodents, and 2) my sisters are allergic to cat hair (I am too sometimes). Now he is still with us, and he and I have grown very close. He is very nice and loves attention. I don't have a good picture of David at the moment, but here he is. He looks a lot bigger and fatter in person though. So there are my other pets besides aquariums. Enjoy!