xXInkedPhoenixX

Me too! Only I'm not kidding. Those are Rolly Poleys and nothing else. What a cool little project, I hope you have some success!

To answer for @Colu yes the idea is some meds are more effective when taken internally. However if all you are able to do is treat the water column then that's what you have to do. :-)

@anya you got a very thorough and thoughtful answer on the thread you posted by our most experienced puffer keeper :-) Does anyone know what type of fish can go with a hairy puffer?

In wondering about what you're keeping I found this on the internet about feeding Tiger Morays- I thought it was interesting: Feeding the Tiger Moray is just like any other moray eel. Reports of them not eating, or not gaining weight in freshwater have been shown to be without basis. While some aquarists have had trouble getting their Morays to eat, the salinity of their environment has been scientifically demonstrated to not be a factor. Tigers can go without food for extended periods of time, with some evidence that they could live for up to 4 weeks without food, this being said, that should not be any aquarists goal for successful husbandry. We suggest feeding smaller specimens every other day, and larger ones on a weekly basis. Meals should consist of a variety of thawed seafood, cut to a size about as big as the moray-in-question's head. All moray eels have notoriously poor eyesight and hunt mostly by scent. Aquarium environments that have lots of powerheads, or lots of food in the water can be confusing for a scent hunter. Feeding with long tweezers or feeding sticks is a great way to target feed your eel. While it is possible to train morays to eat from your hands, you should not do this. They have a very toothy, painful bite, and a rather noxious mouth. Many aquarists have reported these bites to be painful for up to 24 hours and prone to infection after that. Whether or not this is the result of venom is debated, but in the real world, this seems academic. Don't hand feed eels. What if my Gymnothorax polyuranodon doesn't want to eat? In house, these eels eat pretty well for us. But even picky fish can usually be induced to eating with live food. Mollies, guppies and feeder shrimp or crayfish should all be taken with gusto. Keeping your own cultures of these, or acquiring them from known cultures pretty much eliminates your risk of introducing unknown ailments to your system. Feeding them at consistent times will have them recognizing you as a food source in short order. In time, they should segue off live food without much issue. Attempting to feed them at night, when they would naturally eat, can also help segue them over to thawed foods. On the topic of feeding, well fed specimens have been kept with other fish long term with mostly no issues. However, some individuals seem to consume tank mates regardless of how well they are fed. Keeping them with larger fish will reduce this risk. Avoid housing them with overly aggressive fish, as Moray Eels look all toothy and tough, but are actually very passive fish that can be picked on which often results in an eel that won't come out for meals. In our experience you can keep multiple Gymnothorax polyuranodon together as long as they are introduced to the tank together and are all a similar size. Most cleaner inverts will be eaten, but snails and hermit crabs seem to be the longest lived.

Hi @PSwayze80, welcome to the forum. I've seen your question pending for a few days. I think because the ACO is more of a nano fish aquarium store the forum tends to attract mostly the same sort of fish keeper- which is why you haven't gotten your answer yet. There aren't a lot of larger Cichlid keepers on this forum but for your random Discus or larger catfish keepers. I myself have only a couple of Bolivians which while Cichlids aren't your typical. And it's not like Cichlid keepers and their experience/knowledge aren't welcome here, they definitely are. I did though put out feelers on my local club's forum to see if there are any answers I can get for you. :-)

6.5 is low but is probably helping the fish survive because weirdy ammonia is less toxic with lower pH- the higher the pH the more toxic. When there are fish present I'd continue the use of the water conditioner. I have had a bacterial bloom and have done nothing with water conditioner AND I've also done it with small water changes. With .50 ammonia I could go either way but I'd be diligent about watching parameters and fish. I have no experience with Hikari Ultimate but it says it removes ammonia. I'd check to see dosing and frequency.

It looks like a mix of gunk that could come out of a tank. I assume you have wood in your tank, it could be pulp from that mixed with uneaten food. Do you have black substrate?

Hi, welcome to the forum. I'm not sure but maybe @mountaintoppufferkeeper knows?

The answer is very possibly and yes it looks like it. I would do nothing unless you get an ammonia spike. You can use something like Seachem Prime or other water conditioner. When you change water it tends to make the bloom worse. I would monitor ammonia and react accordingly. :-) It will clear up in time. If you have a UV sterilizer this can speed things up.

It appears so. I have a little bit of that myself. I plan on doing Reverse Respiration: https://reverserespiration.com/ It works, but does require you pulling plants/decor effected. And then I'd avoid anything I thought might have caused it and change things as I went if needed.

Yes well clearly it's not a pH issue and you've treated for disease. I think maybe it could be the reflection thing still as @Tanked mentioned, you can see quite a few reflections even in your picture. I personally don't think it's a problem and over time you can work on that if it bothers you. I've got a good bit of algae on the sides of my tanks so my Rasboras are chill. Nothing seems to be wrong- but I'm sure it adds to the action if they're constantly doing this!

Hi, I would say, since you have sand your best best are rhizome plants, like Java ferns, Anubias. They are easy plants, slow growers so you might need a bit of them to get started. If you have planting substrate below the sand I'd put in some small swords. I like a valisineria or Bacopa can be fun and easy to propagate. I tend to lean more on the easy plant side myself. I like no fuss when it comes to the green stuff!

The Parent Tank is in transition, I've been taking things out and moving things in order to vacuum. Having all bottom feeders (besides Industry the Bolivian Ram) in the tank makes for a pretty messy tank! For now have a small piece of spiderwood in the tank, the Otos line up on it. Sometimes they totally cover it. (Zebra Oto near the top)

Hi @FishCentric, welcome to the forum. Since you've done the environmental things I guess I'm curious. What is your pH and how long have you had the rasboras? I hesitate to say that this could be an illness because nobody else is acting up. My Harlequin Rasboras once glass surfed when they were new in my tank, also when they had easy access to some bubbles from a sponge filter however they weren't doing it "all the time". They only did it in the early morning and sometimes evenings.

It would be interesting to see someone summer tub some and see what they do in there. I would never do it in my area it gets far too hot.

Dave! Well you know me and follow my pages. I strongly believe Otos are fine at 70 degrees and may even be fine at 68 on a regular basis. My tanks are in constant flux because I have no heaters. I keep my house generally at 72 but my Oto tank is in the warmest room in the house with some ambient heat from an antique gas stove. My tanks there flux from 70-78. I think this plays a big part on why my Otos breed. I personally think this is a trigger for them. Being as how most Otos are wild caught and where they come from is even colder I think they're fine in unheated tanks.

@Flipper, they are Red Rili 🦐

Yea, I wouldn't pull the Amazon either. Clip individual leaves maybe, but not remove because you're right- amazons definitely spread out too you'll disrupt the whole tank. The pics look great!

Well you have some beautiful plants that's for sure!

Also, since it seems you don't have any real plants for now, algae isn't a bad thing. They are a form of plant life that really only helps the tank more than hurts it. Most people just don't like the looks of it. If you start getting green algaes on your rocks and decor, embrace it!

Nerites are almost just like moving rocks. Betta are typically fine with them and their antennae are shorter so they don't often pick on them. If you're concerned you can just wipe off the glass however that sometimes comes with a bit of an explosion. This happens with newer tanks. As the tank matures this usually stops (not always). My Betta likes to flare at the ramshorn snails in his tank. He used to have a Nerite and left that snail totally alone, unfortunately she passed away.

It looks awesome!

Those are diatoms. Get yourself 1 Nerite. They will take care of that.

No, this time it was Super Green mixed with Community Plus. Will have yet more shrimp shortly.... don't worry @Flipper, I saw your post about your hiding shrimp. I had the same thing happen and now look! If conditions are right this shrimp explosion may be coming your way soon....