[Cardinal Tetra Substitute?]

On 10/18/2021 at 5:39 PM, lmhicks101 said:

Do either of you have a suggestion for a red nano fish that isn’t timid? Cherry barbs? 

The only thing I can think of is chili rasboras. I haven't even seen any in person, I just remember seeing some stunning pictures of their red color. 

Oh, there might be some vibrant red shrimp that fit your water parameters, if that's of any interest to you.

[Cardinal Tetra Substitute?]

I also like them but can't keep them. Although I haven't found a vibrant blue like that, I've found my dwarf red coral platies to be almost as vibrant of a red. For blue, the closest I've seen is a Japanese blue endler/guppy hybrid. It might also be worth considering exceptionally shiny fish. 

[about to fill my fish rack very soon!!!!! :)]

On 10/18/2021 at 2:48 PM, Mikeo said:

 I have a wrong way pair for veijta gold apistos

What's a "wrong way pair?"

[about to fill my fish rack very soon!!!!! :)]

On 10/18/2021 at 1:27 PM, Mikeo said:

when I do this should I run a water change everyday so while the benefitable bacteria grows it also get rid of any potentially harmful ammonia

I think it would make sense to check the ammonia every day, just to make sure it's not at a level that might hurt the fishies. If it is, do a big enough water change to protect the fish. If it's low enough to be safe, you're golden for the day.

I'll add that it would make sense to pick the most ammonia-tolerant fish (or snails) from your options. Some can brush off our "oh nooo" moments better than others can.

Your project sounds exciting! 🙂 Do you already know of any particular species you're eager to have?

[What is normal losses for a group of fry?]

I can offer one data point:

I just counted my platy fry, born from 3 drops, ranging from 2.5 - 5 weeks old. Of the 42 I'd put in the baby net, 38 were left. A couple days later, 1 more died. So that's a loss of 5 out of 42.

[Irene's 100k subs]

On 10/17/2021 at 9:07 AM, GameCzar said:

The kids were cracking me up hamming it up in the car. 

Yeah, I liked your whole video @Irene, but they were the best part. 😂

[Temperate Fishkeeping: Something Worth Looking Into]

@Fish Folk At the end of the first video, the way the darter is sitting in the plant reminds me of a seahorse wrapping its tail around a stem.

Super interesting. I don't remember seeing many crawling types of fish. 

[I live in LA with ridiculously hard water and ph 8.2]

On 10/17/2021 at 10:30 PM, Ken said:

 Hardness is off the chart, buffer is high, Ph is well into the 8's. Cardinals are healthy and happy ( bought them tiny they are downright big now). 

Super cool. Do you think introducing them to your water while very young was key? I'm curious about how to succeed at adapting fish so well.

[I live in LA with ridiculously hard water and ph 8.2]

One idea is to decide on a species you want to try, find it, ask the store to test the water parameters of that tank, and ask how long the fish have been in that tank (to confirm that they're surviving the store's parameters.) That will give you a starting point to then slowly adjust from.

[Help identifying fish]

Search for "goby" images. Might be it.

 

[Recommend a carpet or base plant?]

I have dwarf sagittaria and regular vallisneria (not jungle) in the same tank. The val does better than the sag, but the sag does grow and spread.

I'm thinking that means they can live in the same conditions, and you appear to have val. If I'm right that you have val, it's an encouraging indication that dwarf sag would at least live instead of melt away.

[Aquarium Memes]

I've been wondering for days who would get Post #2,000 on this thread. 

#HadToDoIt #SorryNotSorry 🤣

Okay, I'll behave now. 😂

Edit: Did I seriously think this was Post #2,000 when it was the less-impressive Post #1,200? Trying to look comically clever, and ended up looking dumb.  😳 🙄 Life Pro Tip: Learn how to count!

[This forum 😃]

One thing I enjoy about the forum is the opportunity to live vicariously through others. Like with reading a book, I can imagine the experiences I'm reading about, getting a taste of them without devoting energy, money, space, risk, or even much time. It helps me see what I enjoy most, so I can prioritize and get a good pleasure:work ratio in my real life.

[Hello from TN]

Welcome to the forum! 

I'm guessing nearly everyone here has gone through the Mistakes Phase - some of us for decades. You're in good company. As someone above said, we're all learning together. 

[Goodbye Mom Fish]

So sad. I'm sorry for your loss, Hobbit. 

[Sore on guppy?]

On 10/15/2021 at 7:02 AM, Guppysnail said:

250 gh is good for guppies 

Lingo question. I've noticed that some people use "GH [low number]", while others use "[high number] ppm GH." 

Would "GH 25," and "250 ppm GH" be the same thing?

[New 75 gal Marineland]

On 10/14/2021 at 2:20 PM, Amanda said:

But last winter if I let their tank go under 74 they stopped swimming and just huddled around the heater constantly. I love my guys, I don't want them to be unhappy. I think there are varieties that can go colder, just not my spoiled boys.

Interesting. Are their genetics only endler, or might they be an endler/guppy hybrid?

[Raising Kh and softening water]

On 10/14/2021 at 2:11 PM, Lauren A said:

Also, how to do you personally get an accurate read on your Gh?  Is there a particular kit you use?  I bought a Kh and Gh test kit by API and it’s very vague.  It does not give exact numbers.  

I actually have API's Kh/Gh test kit too. I always get an exact number. I'd say to pull out the instructions that came with it, and go over it meticulously, just to make sure you didn't miss a detail on how to do the test and read the results. 

Not declaring that you're doing it wrong. Just my initial guess. Not following directions precisely is common.

Edit: To be clear, I mean liquid test kit, not strips.

[New 75 gal Marineland]

On 10/14/2021 at 12:12 PM, Amanda said:

 I have some endlers I wish I could add, but they don't like it under 74deg and I don't think they will be comfortable over the winter.

I have endlers near 72 degrees. They're healthy enough to keep breeding, so I assume that's a good sign that they're doing well.

Info I've found is that they're safe as low as 64. So as long as your water stays 64+ during the winter, I'd say to try at least a few of your (undoubtedly) many. 🙂 

Your stand make-over is gorgeous! Very impressive. 

[my intro]

On 10/14/2021 at 10:22 AM, FredS said:

Wife wont let me setup the 70 gallon tank, so im useing my old hospital tank now.

Spouses amiright? 😂

Welcome to the forum.

[Sore on guppy?]

I'm definitely not the guru of the conversation, but I can at least tell you that Equilibrium brings GH up immediately instead of slowly. For what it's worth.

[Tap Water Parameters]

On 10/13/2021 at 11:26 PM, lindabee53 said:

So the dip strips aren't good to use?

Well, I've seen a lot of posts here where people are asking about getting different numbers from the strips and the liquid test kits. The general consensus on those posts is to assume the liquid test kit is the right one. 

I do have the ammonia test strips, to use during a long move I have upcoming. But even so, they read ammonia as 0 until it hits 0.5, which for some species, is too high to be safe. 

To my understanding, test strips serve the purpose of a quick good guess, while liquid test kits serve the purpose of giving a few minutes to get accuracy. Sometimes that's fine, sometimes that's not.

[Tap Water Parameters]

There's something called a "Master Test Kit," made by a company called API. A lot of people buy the kit as a one-step way to get started with all the basic parameters. (I ended up buying all the same tests, but individually.) 

Edited to add: Tap water often has ammonia in it, so it actually does need tested. (Annoying, I know.)

[If you could tell your fishkeeping self something in the past, what would it be?]

Test. Kits. 

[Measuring Fritz Complete?]

Good to know! Thanks. I actually don't have the pump head, but that's still very usable info. Alright, back to the tanks...