Sandra the fish rookie

Hi ~ It happened again.. 🙂 Went to the LFS to ORDER fish .... and unexpectedly came home with 10 pygmy corydoras that have been sitting there for a while. I ordered 5 more panda corydora to compete my Cory gang, and 10 more pygmys as well.. They are so cute and small. they are in a 10 QT tank does anyone know if these guys take the QT tri meds well? I follow the Cory's Protocol, and have had no issue up to now. But wanted to ask the more experienced first.

I too was struggling to keep my 10G QT tank cycled especially when there was no life in it. I keep mine going all the time, because I just never know if I will need it.. and come home with a random fish.. or a fish gets suddenly sick. Unless I have a serious illness then I will break it down and start over (which I have only done once and it was not due to illness.. just wanted do spruce it up a bit) Mine is also bare bottom. What I did was put live plants in little terracotta pots, with gravel in the pots, a few rocks as well. I have a old HOB filter and a sponge filter. I added a few pond snails and a nerite to keep things going in there.. and if I need to use salt I can easily take the plants out and put them in a bucket with a airs tone (and snail can be moved out if needed). The plants in the little pots have really helped keep it cycled and also keep it balanced. I will use Fritz zyme 7 with larger water changes to keep it up (because I am paranoid)

I would have to say my pea puffer Gazoo 💗.He greets me every morning and every time I walk to the tank. I will sit in front of the tank and he will hover around and do little circles he is so adorable. If he is not at the front then I go to the glass and just wait.. within seconds he pops up and zooms to the front.. GAH! Love him! I have these rocks with holes in the center and he goes in and out of them all the time. I have these tiny angled tweezers that I use to drop his snails in with. If I just hold it he zips up and takes it from me. Sometimes he wants to catch them mid water so he will wait for me to drop it.. he wags his little tail and hovers and waits. He is such a cool fish! I love all of my fish.. but Gazoo.. by far is my most interactive and water "puppy" like fish I have

Hi All~ So little by little I am stocking the 40 G breeder tank. Currently stocking is 7 panda Corydoras, 10 Otto's, 1 Super Red Long Fin Pleco, 1 clown pleco. I have 8 Pearl Danio's in the QT tank. I had 10 but have lost 2 so far. Once they pass quarantine they will go into the 40G. I REALLY want some Pygmy corydoras (10 or more) and Bolivian Rams (1 or a pair). I know Bolivian Rams are peaceful, but want to make sure they will be okay with the current stocking and the Pygmy corydoras. That's why I am here asking people who know WAY more than I do! What is everyone's thoughts? Any other recommendations?

Update~ I had to add a stronger air pump for the sponge filter. I had the ACO USB one for the large sponge filter and I don't think it was strong enough. I had an extra one air pump lying around that I kept for " just in case" situations. its a 4W, 4L/Min air pump and it did the trick.. although @eatyourpeas your 100% right the corydoras and plecos and dusting stuff up! But the sponge filter is working better to suck it in from the water! Thanks everyone for your help!

@eatyourpeas The tank has been set up for 6 months. I have eco complete as the plant layer and small gravel on top of it. I can see the plants moving nicely like an outdoor "breeze". The HOB is in the middle, the sponge filter is on one side, and the air stone on the other side. I only noticed it a few days ago.. and I don't over feed either... I am just wondering if its not enough?

I called the tech support.. I had to unplug/reboot my router and they all re started.. Phew!! I can enjoy my fishies.. with my vino!! Yippiee!! 🐟 ❣️ Thanks for all the tips!!

@TMartins I tried that too.. and suddenly it can't "find" my WiFi.. but ALL my stuff is connected to WiFi without any issue. It won't even re config it.. I have NO idea what is happening..

The breaker is fine, and I am on WiFi. I also checked the strength.. and its all fine and reading strong..

Anyone know how to trouble shoot the Kasa Plugs? Suddenly they will not work and I am getting a device may not be powered off or out of network range.. and I never had that issue before. I turn my power bars off to do water changes etc. all the time and they always worked.. now suddenly they won't. My WiFi is working so I am not sure what the issue is. I checked site.. and its clear as mud what I need to do to fix it.. Anyone know ???

I purchased a group of Pearl Danio's from the LFS to add to my 40G breeder tank (after QT of course). Wondering if anyone has these fish? I must say I never heard of them before I saw them a few weeks ago. I researched them before I I got them. They are SOOOOO pretty! I was surprised that they were still at the LFS 2 weeks after I first saw them. I can't describe the color.. kinda pinky/purple/turquoise-ish.. They are FAST too! I can't wait to add them to the 40G. I currently have 11 and will assess how they do once they pass QT and adjust to the 40G.. if they do well I may add more ... Anyone else have these?? I would love to hear what other fish keepers think of these fish!!

Hi All~ So I noticed that my 40G breeder has what looks like diatome "dust" on the plants. I have a Seachem Tidal 55 HOB, a large sponge filter (ACO) and an air stone. Current stocking is 2 plecos, 7 panda cory's, 10 otto's... lots of plants (getting ready to add more over the weekend). Is my flow not enough? I clean the sponge filter every 2 weeks (or sooner if needed) and HOB has filter floss to keep the water clear. I have a sponge filter on the return tube. I have it on full flow as well. Here are my questions? 1) Do I need a larger filter (maybe a 75?) 2) Should I take the sponge filter off the intake tube? 3) do I need a power head/wave maker (or whatever you call it) to get that stuff off my plants/rocks etc. and into the filter where it belongs? Any suggestions/recommendations are very welcomed!

@Sweet Sharon I totally feel you!! I too went through the same scenario. I even got drift wood out of a seasoned tank and I still had to wait a bit for the tank to fully cycle (which felt like FOREVER)! The advise in this forum is a solid as it gets, and its the ONLY place I come for anything and EVERYTHING fish! Without these fishy folks.. I would have never been able to have a beautiful and thriving ecosystem and now have 3 (not including a quarantine tank)! I still consider myself a rookie 🙂 but one thing I will say with certainty (and learning the very hard way) quarantining fish is a very important step because it only takes ONE time for a parasite or anything to get in your display tank and cause havoc on your whole tank.. trust me.. I went through it... cried my eyes out , almost threw in the towel, BUT.. thankfully to all these fish experts and their support I keep on "swimming"... You WILL get there! We are all here to help and support you!!!

I can't wait to get a pair for my 40G .... I am going to get some pearl danios first to get some movement in there.. then will add them as my centerpiece fish at the end.. so pretty!!

Well ... now that just adds something ELSE I have to have now.. LOL.. Wonder what kind of plants could go in it.. ? I think it would look really cool staggered along the back of a tank wall.. OH NO.... Please stop me.. 😂 Great looking tank! That is also a beautiful beta 💗

My albino's zip around all day and night.. the peppered are a little more chilled but are active day and night.. I remember the first time I saw one "napping" I totally FREAKED! Thought it was dead.. so I went in and touched it.. it flew across the tank ... LOL.. I just LOVE Corydora's.. can't have a tank without them!

@Colu What else could I use instead of the QT tank to do his soaks? a container of some kind?

@Colu he has a pale yellow strip along his back. I tried to get a picture from the top.. but can't seem to get it ... I modified one of the ones attached .. not sure if it will help at all.

My 20 is the only place I have guppies. There are a lot of juveniles, different ages, ect. Some of the older ones have started to die off. There have been no signs of disease that I can see upon examination. It appears that the females pass away after the second or third birth of fry. The young males are becoming a bit feisty with the older ones. They are all mutt guppies, regardless thriving and doing well. I had 2 females with what appeared to be genetic deformities (no signs or symptoms of TB which I watches for). One of the 2 died, the second one is in the 10 QT (where she is living her best life all alone not being chased). This morning I round this guy not looking great. He was 1 of 2 that were similar in color and size. The smaller of the 2 died and here he is with this ??? not sure what this is??? ALL these guppies whet through quarantine, with all the meds and a full cycle of paracleanse prior to being introduced into the 20 G. He has always been on the small side.. but he doesn't look great to me .. but is eating..??? Parameters: Temp =77.9 Nitrite = 0 ppm Ammonia = 0ppm PH = 7.3 Nitrates = 20 KH = 5 GH = 17 See pictures below (FYI he is in the QT tank as well)

Congrats!! Enjoy your well deserved C.A.R.E packages 🙂

@Daniel Here is the other "little" issue. I live off a nature reserve (which is delightful) but we have A LOT of birds! Big and small. So wondering how I could hide the fish but still enjoy seeing them.. II am pretty elevated, so flooding is not an issue for me (thankfully). Wonder if I should dig it in a bit, so its solid and wonder if it would help with heat?? Maybe keeping the bottom cooler? But I REALLY want a outdoor tub 🙂 what size does everyone recommend? If I had my choice.. it would be HUGE.. but being realistic I want to enjoy it and not have to be constantly maintaining it.. Thinking something already pre made (like Lowes/home depot) type.. @Patrick_G I moved to Wilmington NC 14 years ago from Canada! Love it here..

@Daniel I have a little outdoor water feature which is supposed to be a 7 g pond.. I wanted to test it first.. and currently in my screen porch its 83 degrees! The coldest it got (no heater) was 58. I live in Wilmington NC.. Eventually I would like to make a larger one outside, but am concerned about a few things 1) Hurricanes! What would you do with a pond outside (if not dug into the ground)? 2) Heat! Do you ever worry about the water getting too warm? 3) Dragon flies (don't their larva kill fish?? Can't remember where I heard that.. I could be wrong Anyone can chime in here.. just curious what everyone does. I am super jelly of all of these beautiful outdoor ponds!!! I am getting inspired.. OH OH... haha

My 20G and 40G have black backgrounds. my 5 gallon puffer tank has a funky rock background I have held on with 3M fairy light hooks and some tape. Its that peel and stick tile from the dollar store.. Gazoo likes it.. hehe 🙂

@Colu Thank you so much!

@ColuI swear you know EVERYTHING!!! Thank you so much for the additional information.