xXInkedPhoenixX

As USUAL @Fish Folk beautiful, beautiful fish. Thank you for always sharing!

@DarthRevan do what I do, put your water change water out the day before. I actually use empty 1 gallon water bottles, leave them in the room overnight (treated) and then use them the next day- but I only have 20 gallon tanks that only require up to 5 gallon water changes in an emergency but I keep 9 gallons. I always have those bottles at the ready. You might have to go the 5 gallon bucket (or 5 gallon water bottles) route because of the 40, but if this situation is temporary it will be helpful if temperature has been a problem for you, it will at least help you rule that out.

I've always understood with injuries like that- when not obvious it's either an aggressor or a decoration. Was his eye completely healed the first time? I wonder if it's reinfection- or maybe it just keeps getting injured because he can't see well out of it? Do you have anything in the tank with a rough edge? Check the heater too just in case some plastic is sharp. I also wonder if needle- like plants can sometimes do it.

Hi @TMartins others will weigh in but I'll throw my 2 cents into the ring as I've been waiting to get some Hillstream for a tank and have done a bunch of research. They get territorial and if he's new to the tank that's probably part of it. I've seen that it's good to make sure he has a place to stake out as his own some sort of cave or hidey hole. They can be aggressive around food but I've also seen they posture a lot but rarely if at all do any damage- all the videos I've seen it's fairly comical. I would say he'll probably settle down I would check with the LFS to see what their exchange/return window looks like so that you can give him time to settle in.

I would say as long as they're not the clawed version it should be ok both are pretty peaceful. If you search on youtube you can see they will compete for food- that would be the only concern. One way to avoid that is target feeding ADF which is really easy. I taught my Mum how to target feed her 2 ADF (in a tank I set up for her) with aquarium tweezers (this is also pretty fun)- this way she knows they're eating and how much.I think it'd be harder to target feed Kuhlis since they're usually shyer. In your case, making sure the frogs are fat and happy you'd have less of a chance at issues.

Hi! Welcome to Nerm-land!

@Guppysnail oh my!! I haven't had that happen yet thankfully. So glad they can live out of water for a bit!

@Solstice_Lacer How long did the presumed male hide from you/how long have you had them? What size tank do you have them in? Do you find they're doing a good job on keeping the bladder snail population down?

Hi @Rudles, guessing you mean how to separate one from the other. You mentioned using sand so it might be harder to separate from whatever you plan to use to show as the stream than what I did in 2 of my tanks (well technically 3 as I did a similar thing in a African Dwarf Frog tank I did for my mum). For one tank, I just mapped out my "stream" with a very thin layer of crushed coral then built my planting substrate up on either side, then in my case I used firepit glass (because it's the same glass one gets at craft and aquarium stores but you get a lot more for a WHOLE lot less) for my streams and filled in the space. I accented with river pebble. I didn't find it hard to do without a wall or border, especially since everything was wet, it stayed in place pretty well. Some people have used plastic strips similar to that you'd use in a garden to separate beds but of course you'd have to make sure it's safe to use. Hopefully this helps.

@Guppysnail is in the know but to put it on the forum, one of my 4 Mystery snails, Glimmer, who has been in my tanks (first a QT but majority of time in what I call my parent tank because it's the original) for just over 6 months has been in decline in the last week. She became less active and seemed to struggle. They are all in a 20 gallon tall and even as big as they are it's a trek to the top for air. So I decided to put her in my small floating breeder, even that seemed too tall for her. I improvised a stand- a spice jar lid, a small melamine prep bowl and a tiny sauce bowl- all working together to be able to contain some food (which is the debris you see in the pic, and keep her close to the surface so she can put her siphon up when she so desires. I've only caught her out of the bowl a couple of times inside the breeder- but it looked mostly like she fell not so much like she wanted to be there. To me proof that she's not feeling well- otherwise she'd have escaped. Anyhow, the box floats pretty close to the glass lid so it's not an easy thing to get in or out of. I've caught the box sunk likely by friendly snail battleships and have had to refloat the box- this was not likely due to Glimmer since her energy level is low- more likely her outside friends. Yesterday I caught her baby (the ONLY baby that's ever been born in my tank becauuse I remove clutches) Immaculate, in her breeder box. I removed Immaculate yesterday. This morning, Immaculate is back inside the box. Also, her other female companion and my oldest Mystery, Escape' (11mos 20 days in my tanks) is sitting on the outside of the box and it seems clear to me that she and Glimmer are having a jailhouse-esque visit. I love my animals. 💛

Burning calories while eating?! Sign me up!!!

@laritheloud Aww Cooper is gorgeous. 💛

@Guppysnail Wow!!! I haven't seen than on my baby snail that's crazy, no wonder the little thing was reclining! Thank you so much for sharing that- amazing!! Gosh that's a beautiful snail. My poor little Glimmer is still with me but no better than she has been. She's still eating. Last night when I got home from work her breeder/convalescent home had sank likely due to her Snail friends on the box. I retrieved the box and her in the dark and set her back up. I just woke up and checked here- and since you asked went to take a pic of her. Oh my gosh what did I see? Immaculate, Glimmer's baby (and the only baby) in the box with her- which is NOT an easy feat without sinking the box trust me. And people try to convince us that animals don't know/feel things....

🥰

@Odd Duck I absolutely love my little horned ones. They look like tiny armed helmet tanks soldiering around my tank. I play where's waldo everyday with them to make sure all are present and accounted for! I didn't know that about the different kinds of Nerites! Thanks for that tidbit! LOL at the hair cut analogy.

@Odd Duck haha yeah I'm not an overfeeder. My fish get fed 1x a day, today that tank in particular (only 10 black neons) got 2 pinches of fluval bug bites. The tank has a small population of bladder snails I want to keep at a minimum- they weren't wanted but I've learned to appreciate the little squirts after they had a hard won battle with me trying to remove them. I waved the white flag. Of 5 tanks now only 2 don't have them. I have a Barteri in my other tank it has broader more heart shaped leaves so I didn't think it was one but I am certainly not an aquatic plant expert by any means I just 'trust the label". Honestly the more I've worked with them and my other clean up crew members (Otos, Mystery snails, Nerites) the more I am convinced the Nerites are the ones that do the most because once added the tank is magically much cleaner of algae and other debris.

@Odd Duck Thanks much! It was a surprising find TBH. My lovely little horned Nerites, Lock Shock and Barrel are tremendous little roombas they are ALWAYS at work and they are SO small, I've seen them on every leaf in that tank. Partial credit also to BFG my zebra Nerite who seems a bit lazier. I think I've also hit the perfect lighting balance. As of right now the Anubias is only about 6" tall or so and has a good green root system reaching into the substrate from the wood.

I swear it wasn't there yesterday and now it's here....wth....It's so pretty though. (full tank view it's the plant attached to wood front left corner). If any of my clever fish friends know which Anubias this is that'd be appreciated, it's the only one I've purchased that had no label.

I'll throw this name into the ring again because I like it. Toro! (spanish for bull, and your fish is the same color Spanish bullfighters use. And I think it's fun to say)

@shkote well hateful or not cute little face. I think I'll have to refrain from getting one (which is what I was thinking at first, one) because I would have nowhere to put one if it became a problem child and I don't want more tanks or the sadness of having to rehome a pet.

@Beardedbillygoat1975 Ah so the information I'm finding about them being 1-2" max is incorrect? I think of a lot of cichlids as being potentially aggressive to other fish. It isn't/wasn't anything I was planning on adding to my tanks. Actually sometimes I'm kinda weirdly proud of being cichlid free. *****disregard you and @anewbie are right, they do get big. Thats a big no! THANK YOU

I'm so sorry you lost BOOP, what a treasure he was. Many hugs. I always enjoy your responses to people they are always kind and full of good information. 💛

@anewbieHe's telling me these don't get big- and per a link I found (and they're selling them for 80 bucks!) they get 1-2 inches. He called them Platinum Parrot Convicts, I also see them as Snow White Parrot Convict

This is one of his parent fish. Also keep in mind I have never kept cichlids.

Soooo someone offered to trade some of my Otocinclus for fry of these. I was just going to give him the Otos because he has a good home for them. The only place I'd have to put these in are my not yet fully stocked 20gallon tall the only inhabitants are 10 black neon tetras, and snails. I was planning on a Borneo Loach or 3 sooner or later, and maybe adding some of my home bred Otos. Wondering what my fishy friends think of the fish, and my potential home for them.