xXInkedPhoenixX

We have SO MUCH TALENT on this forum!!!!! Awesome @Atitagain!!!!

Welcome to the forum! Lots of great knowledge here- no question is dumb, out of place or unwarranted! Bombs away! 💣

@jwcarlson I mean...no...but I do pretty good fighting it back in the only tank I have it in.

That is awesome!!! Froggie must be eating some of your fish too I'd imagine. That duckweek is out of control! (as it does)

I hope someone is @nabokovfan87!! I would really like to see the things this group can come up with!

@macdaddy36 you also advised your tank is new- so the pH will likely flux for a while especially while you are in the stages of adding other decor (like the rocks you mentioned but that goes for ANYthing- plants, wood, etc)- and as you add the rest of the fish you'd like to have. SO just be patient as you will see this go up and down quite a bit till things settle. As long as the bad stuff: ammonia/nitrites are 0 and nitrates aren't sky high (generally thought 40 or less is good) then pH can do what it wants until things settle in.

@Rosario lots of friendly fish keepers here that can help you through the dark or troubled spots! We're here to support!

Well. We aren't really disagreeing here @Brandon p -as you did point out you use the chemicals for breeding fish and discus which I did happen to mention and think that yes absolutely they have their uses there. BUT MOST hobbyists will be keeping very common and very hardy fish like Harlequins which are kept in fish tanks across the USA in infinite kinds of water conditions (successfully). If you get them locally they will likely do well and fine in your water.

I have Harlies and my tanks have in the past had wonky ph and they did just fine. Is it ideal? Eh maybe not but honestly if you have 0 nitrite and ammonia- the really will be ok. You can try and slowly lower the pH by adding botanicals- woods, and my personal fave Indian Almond Leaf. I don't really recommend adding any ph down type chemicals as they are not stable ways of maintaining pH. It's a slow process. Most of the time pH isn't going to matter unless you're keeping something like Discus. A stable pH is most important.

@Chris2022 Otos have very small bioloads (something I have learned by experience) so larger numbers even in small tanks (used to have 50 in a 10 gallon until I moved them all over to the 20 with the rest of my Otos) is pretty easy. They are incredible little fish and are even more social and active in as large a number I have them in (though most of the activity is at night for me the little brats). They are hard, but incredibly rewarding fish to keep. That being said I have 10 cpd in a 4 gallon, 21 assorted fish in a 20 gallon and thinking of adding more, and 17 in a 9 gallon. It can be done. Not telling you to do that now- but you'll get a feel for it and you can get there.

You can use aqua advisor and it can help but.....there are always exceptions. I have a 20 gallon tall that has over 70 Otos in it. 2 sponge filters and an HOB, well established- NO issues- healthy (and spawning again) fish. When you're starting it's a good tool- but you will learn when you get good at it- that it is only a guideline. On that note, per aqua advisor- all my tanks are overstocked.

@Froggirl - yes, they will all be fine no worries! The only way it might hurt them is if they try and dig in and get stuck or hit a rough patch but it has been my observation that it's VERY rare. It's totally untrue you can only keep corycats on sand or other fine substrates- they just like to dig so they like it- however there are hundreds of happy cories on this forum alone that live in tanks like yours! BTW, welcome to the forum!

@Patrick_G looks just like my mulm! 😄 Thanks for pointing that out! In which case, scratch some of what I said, if you change the substrate it will likely just cloud the ever-loving out of your tank for a while.

There is no black and white answer here. I see you have a lot of mulm and build up there- this isn't just from "unwashed" substrate (which isn't going to do any harm generally- usually it just clouds up your water for days and days). The mulm and other tank build up though- that comes with uneaten food, fish poop and whatever else that makes it down there. While changing substrate isn't an issue- what can become an issue is ammonia released by all that gunky stuff. So sometimes the only thing to do is removing all inhabitants and basically starting over- but saving as much as you can with the good bacteria on it. On another note, I see no reason you need to change substrate just to add corycats- they will do just fine in there.

@Brandon p ah but @The Goatee said "different" and "weird". As much as your suggestions are great ones- they are not weird or different. 😉🙃 I stand on the loach idea because they are- very, very weird- but I love 'em!

I think if I had a nicely planted, good hiding spots, well filltered 10 gallon I'd do 10 small loaches and see what pans out- they have awesome personalities- I'd love to see if I could get baby loaches.

I dream of.a tank FULL of Hillstream Loaches. I can't get enough of my single one.

Bolivian Ram Love!!!!

Thanks for the update! Yes sadly it's not unusual to lose some- sounds like you're winning now! Out of my last batch I got 3 survived (of 5)

OTOCINCLUS VITTATUS: The Parent Tank Babies are 12 days old and we are down from 10 found- to 9 solid little ones (Honestly I think I had 11 but I wasn't good about keeping track). They are growing fine/eating well. Besides the "dirty" floating breeder they feed from crushed Hikari wafer (as I've always done to grow them) and this week a little Repashy Soilent. Here are 3: While doing maintenance this morning, spotted one tiny semi-transclucent baby so probably 4-5 days old. Since they were so small I let them be for now. What I'll end up doing is swapping out this smaller breeder box the 9 are in putting them in a bigger one till they are ready to transition to the Accidental Oto Tank (read: big enough not to get sucked in by the HOB- the pre filter doesn't cover the way I would like so I think that's where my 2 that disappeared ended up) OR I'll jimmy rig the prefilter and end up putting them in there IF I keep finding babies and need the box. I have plans with backup plans. Didn't catch this one this morning because the 12 dayers are in their mosh-pit stage and would just end up killing the little guy. Besides- now that the Parent Tank is free of predators (read: no Harlequins) I can let them feast on biofilm until I'm ready to get them.

Looking great friend!

@FyaNyan thanks for the update! Great to know, and glad to hear no negative effect, just ugly now!

Welcome to the forum @Aaron Hanson, you clearly have a lot you can contribute! Welcome to the forum!

Trip to Monterey Bay Aquarium, California. I'm not a huge picture taker- love to just watch and be in the moment.... ...but now thinking a giant tank full of sardines or anchovies (not to eat) with the right lighting would be the best thing ever.... Eels are dinosaurs of the sea: All fish are beautiful: Leopard sharks are beautiful and graceful: Jellyfish no matter how big, and especially how small will always completely fascinate me and leave me in awe: (short google video, the size of a thumb nail- smaller really) https://photos.app.goo.gl/JJoA3Zj1dSfSyCY38 Lastly, Octopus will always make me smile:

@Guppysnail found the example of the arch opening for my house....without the see thru flooring....courtesy of a visit to the Monterey Bay Aquarium....