Tyler LaZerte

2 seperate questions for 1 tank. 1) I put this Dwarf Water Lettuce in my tank on Saturday. Today, I noticed some die off and the leaves turning translucent. My tank is well planted, is a 16 gallon, new, and gets 3 pumps (I have crypts and some stems with root tabs as well) of Easy Green every friday on Water Change Day. Do you think it's just a matter of new tank so it has to adapt and melt a bit? More ferts? What do you think is causing it? 2) What are these squiggly black things in picture 2 on the sand? Is it fish waste? Snail waste? I have 6 baby Corys and 3 Otos with a bunch of pond and bladder snails. Thank you in advance?

Celestial Pearl Danios are a great colorful addition that may take a bit of time to adjust, but can easily be social when comfortable. Also very pretty

@Fish Folk Haha! I'm thinking of getting a school of CPDs and calling it good on fish. Just some inverts after that 😁

@Fish Folk I had never heard of those! I may have to look into them. GBR are definitely gorgeous, but the temps they require aren't ideal for this tank.

@Fish Folk Hit me! It's a 16 gallon

The first inhabitants are in! So excited to watch them grow! 6 Corydoras panda and 3 Otocinclus sp. All are doing well (just put them in on Saturday). Corys are hiding in the back left corner most of the time while the light is on but I'm sure they're just getting use to their new home. Otos are zooming around like little jets and enjoying themselves. So excited to start my journey in fish keeping!

Very true 🤣 Luckily (or unluckily) my apartment only allow for one under 20 gallons

Thank you for the kind words! My first tank, yes. I have put in a lot of research hours and I really likes the overall look.

Thank you! I really wanted to go with a variety. I'm thinking one more epiphyte on the wood and call it good!

SO excited to share the progress of my first aquarium! Just put in some stem plants in the back (Ludwigia palustris "Super Red" and Ludwigia repens "Rubin") along with Alternathera reineckii "Mini", Alternanthera rosanervig, Cryptocoryne "Green Gecko", Echinodorus reni, Hygrophila balsamica, and Eriocaulon vietnam. Cannot WAIT for everything to grow in! Very happy with my first time.

@GameCzar For sure! Getting some background stem plants hopefully tomorrow!

Thank you, everyone, for your input! It is very much appreciated. I will add all of the tank mates first, let it go for a few months to establish, and see if I want to add a Betta at that point. Thank you all!

@Goosedub Thank you for your input! The shrimp babies may be taken by the corys as well but I will try to put some dense plants for cover and some good hiding spots.

So I know it has been said Bettas are "1 single male" tanks or "1 single female maybe a sorority in a larger, planted set up". I have seen community tanks with a single male Betta or a single female Betta with other compatible tank mates. I am wondering if I should try. My tank is well planted, 16 gallons, is going to have snails, a few neo shrimp, panda corydoras, and a couple otos. Do you think it is a good idea to try and put a Koi Plakat female/male in with this selection? I know it is an individual by individual basis and depends a lot on the temperament of the Betta but was interested to see if it is a good idea.

Haven't tried yet but I will! Thank you for the advice 😁 The plant on the wood is Bucephalandra "Brownie Blue". I want more to go on it but my supply is out of stock right now.

I tried to load the photos the correct way but the forum didn't allow me to post them my way but whatever. I got new plants! Eriocaulon vietnam, Cryptocoryne wendtii " Green Gecko", and Echinodorus reni.

I know plenty of people who do this and I agree in the practice. I will be doing the no feed day on water change day.

I LOVE nerites! I want to have a Batik, Red Racer, some horned, and a King Koopa! Your snails look great and looks to be very healthy. I have a lot of baby pond and bladder snails with one adult bladder and two adult ponds. I also have a Rabbit Snail but I am unable to post her due to the size of the gif being too big. She is a small black and orange Rabbit named Helga after Helga Hufflepuff from Harry Potter 😁😁😁

I want to keep a 16 gallon community working ecosystem aquarium with some pond/bladder snails, fish, and shrimp. Are there any creatures I could add that would control my bladder/pond snail population while leaving my nerites and rabbit snail alone?

@HH Morant My tank has a bit of Val bit it is not fully planted so I should be able to see them well

I mean, I know it's a food source so i'm not too upset with it but it doesn't look nice lol. There's a good dusting on the sand and a good half inch of so on the driftwood piece. Parameters are all fine though so it's not affecting that.

My aquarium is about a month old now and is fully cycled (not seasoned, mind you) I do have a good carpet of diatoms and heavy diatoms on the wood piece. I want to get Otos because I love their behavior and looks and purpose but was curious if I should clean up some heavy diatoms in my tank before getting them in a couple weeks. Or, should I leave the diatoms heavy so the otos (and corys I am going to get a well) have some good food sources?

@sudofish I understand that but I enjoy the fact that things are easier to find, imo

@lefty o Definitely worth a look!

Just want to give a shout out to the people who designed and put together the new Aquarium Co-op website. It is WAY for user friendly and I love the search engine and the overall layout and organization. Great job!