DebSills

I am still working out my schedule, but trying to feed twice a day - once before I leave for work ~7 and once around my dinnertime ~6ish...trying to space out the frozen food (BBS and reef plankton), but I think my CPDs were spoiled at the fish store and don't eat as much of the dry food (they're getting better)...my embers like hikari micro pellets and Omega One veggie pellets, but, I have to grind them in a pepper mill (50/50 mix) because they are still a little big for my little embers and CPDs 🙄also trying to incorporate some bug bites flake, but may just succumb to buying the granules and putting them in the pepper grinder as well...its so easy in the morning to just do a couple of turns of the pepper mill and give them a small pinch will have to update/re-think as I get more fish, but that's what I do for now 🙂

you could do a good school of harlequin rasboras (love these!) and/or cardinal tetras check out the "Best Fish Lists" playlist on ACO, has a lot of videos you can watch to see what are best schooling fish, best centerpiece fish, top 10 for X tank size, etc... I watched those a lot when thinking about my smaller version of a giant nano tank (29g) that I am "building" now the tank looks great! love the plant growth!!

That's basically what they said at the LFS - she said the reef plankton was really high in beta carotene (a caratanoid) and made the red colors really develop in her fish. Thanks everyone for the responses, I just wanted to make sure - I didn't think she would recommend anything that was inherently bad for the fish, but at the same time, I have always just done flakes in the past, so not well versed in frozen foods

My guess is that you added too many fish at once and you ended up with an ammonia spike - I am fairly new, but highly recommend you get a master test kit (I got mine before I even got a tank so I knew where my water was straight out of the tap). Do you have plants? What did you do while it was running 4-5 weeks to get the cycle moving?

So last week I picked up some CPDs at my LFS and got to talking with the very nice lady who helped wrangle 18 of the little cuties into bags for me. She fed them BBS while I was there and then showed me where the BBS was in their freezer (it was kind of hidden and I didn't see it at first inspection), bottom line, she was very nice, knowledgeable and patient with any questions I asked her. here's my question - while in the freezer section talking about foods for my CPDs and also the Embers I had at home - she suggested reef plankton because she said it really helps bring out the reds in fish and she "swears by it"...has anyone else ever fed food primarily for reef/saltwater fish to their freshwater fish? LFS lady said she does it all the time, but who knows, maybe she just went loopy or was pulling the wool over my eyes (have not fed frozen in the past, so...)?

My current favorites are 10 and 29...which happen to be the only tanks I have...so far...I can definitely see a 40/55/75 (or some combination) in the future 🙂

Definitely swap out your cycled media if you can - my brother in law gave me a full tray of cycled media and a few plants and it basically instantly cycled my 29g tank...the plants/easy planters from your other tank will help with beneficial bacteria as well I added 8 small Embers and then a week later added another 10...so far, the media is holding strong...hoping to add 9 CPDs next week and then another 9 the following week 🙂 I think you're on the right track, just make sure to take it slow, only add a couple of fish at first and monitor your levels closely Good luck!! The tank looks really nice! PS - make sure you are testing the Nitrates correctly, I managed to do it wrong two different ways, and never saw any nitrates (false reading) thanks to the forum, I was finally corrected and instantly saw nitrates after that 😐

Yeah, I've had one in my tank for about a week and it hasn't done anything...I'll leave it for another week just on the off chance it does something. Yours looks awesome!!! I hope I can get mine (or a new one) to look that good someday!

I have mine on the same side, but also have a sponge filter towards the opposite side of the tank. With how I have it set now, the tank gets really good flow and circulation...I did initially have it set up opposite, but couldn't find a good spot for the sponge filter, so moved it and it seems to work better - I think as long as you're getting good circulation and don't have any dead spots, either way will work.

UPDATE: I did put some salt in on Thursday, he definitely perked up and got him to eat some this morning - I got some additional embers today and put him back with his buddies (pretty sure being alone was stressing him out a little) - all 18 embers are exploring the tank and mostly schooling together now 🙂 I think they are all going to be much happier now (especially since LFS had frozen BBS which they will get in the morning) Thanks everyone for the help and suggestions! Really love how supportive this forum is ❤️

I picked up a group of 8 Embers on Monday - right away there was one that was kind of off on his own and never really came out and seemed to kind of hide on the bottom of the tank...he did swim around normally, there doesn't seem to be any outward signs of illness...today I came home from work and found him stuck to the sponge filter, I thought he was dead - well, I moved the filter and he swam off. He seemed kind of pale and I wasn't sure if he was sick or what was going on...luckily my quarantine tank was already set up and cycled so I scooped him out and put him in there (tested again just now and all good, 0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrite, 5 Nitrate). He seems to be still a little pale and is still kind of hiding in the quarantine tank (QT is 10, main is 29). My thought is that he may just be too small for the bigger tank - he is definitely smaller than the rest (who are all pretty small, so that is saying something). I am planning on getting another 7-9 Embers this weekend, so my question is...should I try to find a few more little ones to put in the QT with him so he's not alone (truly don't think he is sick, I'm not sure he's gotten much to eat though) or should I just leave him alone and let him grow a little and then try to reintroduce him to the bigger tank? any other suggestions on what to do? the other 7 all seem to explore and swim around the tank fine, so my only guess is his size and maybe just fear?

I'm so glad she is doing better!!! 😃

well...at least I know how to do that test now 😐🙄 ta da - 5ppm nitrates! still loving the plants and still getting more embers though 🙂

@ARMYVET pretty much where I'm at right now...I tested twice yesterday just in case I had done it wrong in the morning...I read/re-read the directions even though I pretty much know them by heart at this point - I will definitely be interested to see what the levels are at after I dose Easy Green on Friday (also an Army Vet)

I am using the API liquid test kit, following the directions exactly (shake 30 seconds after 1st, 1 min after second) fair question though, because until about 10 days ago, I was doing it wrong 🙂

Just a total guess, but at this point, I wouldn't necessarily worry about the hair that has already passed through - definitely don't pull either end, I would worry that would do more damage than anything else. If possible, you may try to cut the hair that is hanging out of her mouth...just a bit in front if possible...that way, it at least lessens what needs to pass through - as long as she is swimming and eating, I would assume that it will pass...and then make sure to get it out of the tank after she passes the full piece. Not an experienced fish mom, so hopefully others will chime in with maybe some better insight keeping my fingers crossed for your endler 🙂

@GameCzar I did put three pumps of Easy Green in when I set up the 29 and was using it in the 10 gallon as well - I haven't put in any this week yet. I think I love plants if they are consuming my nitrates! 🙂 More fish for me soon 😄

So...first off, my fish are safe...but, I am confused... I started this cycle about three weeks ago in a 10g - Fluval Stratum, live plants (crypts, sword, chain sword) and two sponge filters (the 10g will be my quarantine tank, so I wanted to have multiple so I could swap back and forth from my main tank) I set up my 29g last week with new Stratum, driftwood and then added everything from the 10g (Stratum, three rocks, all of the plants and one of the sponge filters)...last weekend my Brother in Law hooked me up with a dirty sponge, an entire bag of cycled bio media for my canister (enough for a full tray of my Fluval 207) as well as a crypt, anubias, rotala and a dwarf lily bulb from his 55g tank (has been set up for well over two years and is currently handling ~80 fish...adults and apisto fry) - so I felt (mostly) comfortable putting a few fish in the tank. I have been testing everyday since I added the fish (8 Ember tetras) to make sure I didn't get an ammonia or nitrite spike (so far zeros on both), but here is my confusion - I still haven't seen any nitrates either...maybe a bit orange, but primarily yellow (API master test kit) Is it the plants (this is my first attempt at a planted tank)? Do I not have a big enough bio load? Just want to make sure I'm not missing something. Do I just need to have more patience? I'm happy with the numbers and that the fish are getting more and more active each day, but at the same time still confused at the zero nitrates 😐

So big surprise...I worried for nothing...all of the embers ate dinner (even though one of them tried to hog all of it for himself) and they are exploring most of the tank now on and off...though they really like the rotala and seem to use that as their hiding place of choice so far (ordered some bacopa from co op today for the other side of the tank...so hopefully they'll like that too) thanks everyone for bringing me down off the ledge 🙂

So, I just added my first group of fish to my tank today - 8 ember tetras...they have been in the tank for a couple of hours and so far seem ok...they hung out in the rotala for a while but, seem to be swimming around a little more now (but, mostly all on one side of the tank). My biggest "fear" is that one of them is hiding on the substrate on the opposite side of the tank from the other 7...when exactly should I start to get concerned? I did turn the light off and am not planning on feeding until tomorrow... I do have a quarantine tank if needed, but since these are the first fish I put them straight into the display tank... Any thoughts/ideas/reassuring advise would be greatly appreciated...first tank I have set up in ~15 years Thanks!

that's awesome!

I'm just starting my 29 after about 15 years and trying live plants too!! I love the floating moss ball 🙂 Just set up the 29 today, hoping to snag some filter media and maybe some plants from my brother in law on Sunday to help it cycle and then get some fish in there soon 🙂 ! welcome back and your tank looks great!!!

nice!!

Yeah, the three LFS in my area don't have them either...probably going to "settle" for a school of ember tetras for my tank instead 🙂

I've seen Irene's tank too and unfortunately can't find dwarf platies anywhere around here - would love to see your tanks! welcome!!