Jennifer V

My wife was changing the water in our 10g and accidentally added Fritz Complete to the tank instead of Fritz Zyme 7. Shortly after, all the poor peas were gasping at the top of the tank. I quickly checked the water parameters and all was fine, with the exception of the fact that nitrates were extremely low for the tank. Then we realized what happened and we did an immediate second water change. Everyone came out unscathed, except the two of us, who cried because we were so upset we hurt our precious peas. 😆

This sounds lovely! I've been looking at blue ridge. Would you mind sharing a pic?

I think you're right in your thought about removing as many hazards from the tank as you can to protect those beautiful fins your cory has. The structure would look really cool with some anubias on it. Even a larger variety than the nana petite you have would work well and then you're adding more variety to the tank, which is always fun. You could even do java fern in place of the "plant" on the right to kind of mimic what that currently looks like. Lots of cool plants to play with!

I have been battling this same decision so thank you for posting this question. Very helpful!

@Guppysnailbrings up an excellent point about tank temps and who is happiest at what temp. I've been obsessed with the idea of getting cories in the future and know they do better at temps in the lower 70s. From what I understand, bettas need it to be quite a bit warmer. I'm not sure about neons, but it's something to think about when making your eventual decision. As for where to source your little babies, I've had fabulous luck with Aqua Huna so I highly recommend checking them out. They sell all of the fish you're interested in. They'll even chat with you ahead of time and answer any questions you have about the fish you'll keep and what their specific needs are.

I actually got my beautiful tufts of green algae on a piece of driftwood with an anubias attached that I ordered online. Like @PineSongI just trim it into the shape I like, kind of like a topiary. Ha! But that leads me to a crazy idea. If you're really dying to have some, could you locate it at a trusted LFS and introduce it that way? That may be a recipe for disaster, but that's the way I got mine and I'm nothing but happy I did. Food for thought, or the insane ramblings of a pretty green algae lover.

Never harsh or gruff! In fact, I save my threads you comment on so I can refer back. Always very helpful, thorough and insightful.

Wow! I think those are pretty cool! I did a tiny bit of research. If your use the forum search field, you'll find a few threads about seed shrimp that may make you feel a lot better about having them.

When I joined a bit over a year ago, I approached the forum with the same ardor I have for everything else I dive into. I tried to ask thoughtful questions, craving interaction with my new fishy friends. Everyone was so helpful and welcoming! I quickly learned that I knew very little about this "hobby" I dove into, but within the same thought, I realized this community is full of such knowledgeable people I prefer to think of as mentors. I started lurking more than interacting because social media makes me nervous but I still spent hours digesting information. Today, I force myself to openly interact, even if it's just to give a high five or show gratitude for those of you who share your journeys. I attribute that again to the welcoming kindness all of you exhibit every day. I have recently started reading journals and they are so much fun. I feel like I learn so much not only about being a fish parent but also about all of you individually. It's such a treat! It's probably every day that I tell my wife a story about what I've learned or the cool things all of you have shared. "My fishy forum" is a phrase I use daily when telling her about the latest developments on here. This forum and all of you have become part of my daily life, a respite from the trials and tribulations that are life in general. I appreciate you all for making me a better fish mom and for giving me the confidence to become part of something special. It's truly a daily gift!

I don't have experience ordering the fish you specifically mentioned, but I do plan to buy pygmy cories once I have my tank ready. I did order my pea puffers from them. The fish came healthy and very lively. I was also able to speak with someone directly over the phone to ask questions about the fish prior to ordering, which I think is very cool and rare. Highly recommend them!

That's a great idea! I'll frame it like the next tank will be our shared tank to plan rather than just me taking over the whole thing. I tend to be a control freak, especially when I'm excited about something or decorating. Ha!

Oh no, I'm so sorry you're going through such complicated health issues. You sound very strong and positive about the future, which is so great. Keep enjoying the fishies you have and good luck finding the fishies you want to have. Keep us updated about how you're doing. Sending you positive, healing vibes. ✨

Nice haul! I wish I lived close to ACO! But then I may go broke purchasing everything I can and figuring out how to make my wife get on board with my addiction. 😆

I'm waiting to get some neos until the weather gets better too and it's really hard because I'm so excited to have them. I live in Denver and the weather has been extremely cold and snowy lately. You could be right that the substrate change triggered the algae. If you don't mind bladder snails, they will clean up the tank quickly and nerite snails are really cool too. Whichever method you choose, I'm sure you'll get it all cleaned up and your tank will look even better than it does now. 😊

Thank you for the info! And Wow! That was quite a trek with all of those plants and fish in tow. Good for you! I'm very impressed! I really want to try aponogeton in my next tank. @Guppysnailyours is so beautiful and inspired me but I don't like that they go dormant and I also have hard water. I thought that I remembered that you do too. Was @Hobbitable to shed some light on how to avoid the dormant stage?

That will definitely help. How long has your tank been running? Brown diatom algae usually clears up on its own but you can also get shrimp and/or snails to get rid of it too if that's an option.

I started out with pea puffers a little over a year ago as my first fish not really knowing what I was getting into. I started with six juveniles I bought from Aqua Huna -- highly recommend AH -- for my 10g. As they started to grow to where I could sex them, they really started fighting and it was scary so I immediately rehomed two of the males and ended up with three females and one male. I was very lucky though. If I had to do it over again, I'd have started with a much larger tank -- at least 20g -- and give them much more space. They are very challenging little fish and require a ton of care. That's not to say you can't do it, but I'd be very cautious if you have any kind of trepidation whatsoever.

Neither of your tanks look abysmal! You have cool rocks and driftwood in one and beautiful plants in the other. As @ScottieB said, don't be so hard on yourself! We all go through rough patches. Besides, those pristine tanks we see online are neither realistic or the absolute best for our fishy friends, in my humble opinion.

I read that crispus needs soft, acidic water. Have you found that to be true?

I haven't been able to grow it myself, but I've heard Water Sprite is a great plant to get. What kind of algae are you having problems with?

I have nothing to add -- it's way out of my scope of understanding -- but I have to tell you, algae or not, your tank is really beautiful. Great job! 😊

@J Holmes you can cut the light back and it'll help. I have a low light tank that had quite a bit of algae so I cut the light back to six hours total with a midday siesta and the algae disappeared in a few weeks.

Holy cow! Those are excellent ideas! And a great way to encourage my crafty self to come out and play.

I haven't had any luck with Java moss either but my Christmas moss is growing like crazy. So much so that I have to trim it back every week. I'd love to try peacock moss too.

ORD: love this! It's so cool that you can share this with your son. I love bladder snails! He'll have a bunch of them in no time. 🤪