Sweetpickles

Oh no! I hope 2 days didnt kill it! I will put them back in! Thank you!

Thanks! I will put them back in!

I put a sponge filter with the stand onto my hob since i didnt have a prefilter sponge when i set up my 36 gal. I just got a prefilter sponge, took the old one out and put it in a ziplock bag 2 days ago. I want to get a quarentine tank set up tmrw bc we want to add furcata rainbows soon. Can I use that original sponge filter? Also before I switched out sponges I noticed i have seed shrimp in my tank. And another tank...the 20 gal just got the sponge (sm) removed today for a hob due to lack of clarity (still a md sponge in tank). So i have 2 sponge filters not in use but with good bacteria. How do you store these for future use? They are both still good. Thank you for your input!

Added some new friends on Friday! A pair. This was taken on saturday. They are finally getting comfortable in their new home. Maybe I will be able to get a picture of both together. I was going to start with corys but the lfs said they dont always have bolivian rams in stock and these were a size that was easier to sex rather than if he spec ordered some. Rams are what I wanted to build this tank around so I guess its a good fish to start with. Maybe a pair of boesemani rainbows next? School of dither fish? Angel?🤔 I guess I have a few weeks to think on it while these beauties get comfortable.

Added plants this week! Only shrimp and snails so far. Getting some brown algae on the front of the glass. We may start with some blue spotted something rather 🥴 corys. They are so pretty. The lfs keeps them. They are so pretty! Then perhaps bolivian rams. With the algae though I may start with an algae eater.(suggestions on that?) I also feel it needs more foreground plants. And if anyone could identify the single sprig of a plant that is enlarged that would be great! It must have gotten tangled with the hornwort! Thanks!

Well....I did nothing! I checked parameters yesterday and nitrites were nil!!🎉🎉 thanks so much for the help @Pizzafan @Guppysnail

@ChemBobI have figured that out with the 20 gal! But I dont mind. I have a teenager and an 11yo to help out!😁 🤣

Thank you much! This is helpful! Its so hard to not just run out and fill the tank with everything I want. And NOW!! Plant first, I keep telling myself! Thanks again!

Thanks @ChemBob when you say smaller school, you think 6-8 is appropriate for a smaller school? If we decide to go with an angel i would want enough of a school so no one gets pestered. I will do more reading on the pencil fish. Thanks

This is beautiful!! Love the shrimp! They are a joy to watch and amazing how they multiply! Nice job!

@Jungle Fanyes thank you! I have cherry shrimp in there now. I will return them to the 20 gal. most likely. Son was interested in bambo shrimp poss. I feel like most fish on our list may make a snack of shrimp. I would love the larger rainbows. May be a good reason (excuse) for a larger tank🤷‍♀️🤣 Thanks again!

The acrylic 36 gal is cycled. A little bare on the plants. That is the next step. Easy beginner plants. But first i have to figure out these fish swimming in my head! Anyone else make lists like this?? My end result plan is for apistogrammas. Dwarf cichlids. Not german rams however. I love all these schooling fish but i cant have them all! How many species of schooling fish? What combo would you like to see in a tank of 36 gal with the species on my list? Originally my son wanted the golden wonder killifish, pencil fish and furcata (sp?) rainbow and emperor tetra with the dwarf cichlid. We have possibly eliminated the killifish. And is there a shrimp that would work with a combo of these. Of course it will be planted much more before I put in the fish. We like to start with babies so the kids can watch the fish grow out. I have watched corys vid on the odessa. I know my tank may be a bit small for a nice school. thank you for reading and looking

I cant even see them! 🤓 I leave it to my 13yo

You will have a clean tank! Mine are great house keepers. My son smashes (sorry no offense) the eggs when he sees them and the other fish eat the eggs. In the morning when I turn the light on and see them on any of my big stones i will take the stone out and....sorry again....feed them to my chickens. I do however leave quite a few in. I do love having snails. But not a million😁 they are not harmful to any of my fish that i have experienced.

I love my panda cory. He doesnt have a story though. Yours is a great story!! We also love our panda garra! Those are cute too!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/K3A2Br6bAC1wgea87

I already fed the wcm. My poor panda garra can never eat in peace! I feed the top feeders first then throw down several wafers. These greedy lil fish have to go for the same one! They refuse to search for the others that fell only inches away. They are so fun to watch! I tried adding the video with url using my google photos bc when i tried attatching using the file button it said it was too large or not the right format. Still learning......

My hibiscus trees have never had so many blooms and buds on them!!

Thank you much!! Sounds like a good plan and less anxiety!

@Guppysnail thank you so much for your advice and experience!💞

🐠💩🤣i hear ya! I started using fertz but thats when my nitrites changed. I got excited with my first tank after 25 yrs of not having one! Never before tested water🤷‍♀️ now i have turned paranoid!

@Guppysnail By the way...I love my snails too!❤🐌 I was shocked when everything was fine the bam the nitrites were off! I gravel vac almost everytime bc i know i have more than i should in my tank perhaps. I thought maybe i took the beneficial bacteria out with too much cleaning. So i guess i am hoping to hear my fish will be fine at .225 ppm nitrite..... i cant imagine they will be happy for long. I need to build up nitrite eating bacteria. I have already added gravel from newly cycled tank. Not sure what else to do.

I am sure this issue has been addressed before and I am sorry to bring it up. I have had this 20 gal tank up and cycled since april. All has been well til a month ago. I have 6 rasboras, 5 whiteclouds, 1 panda cory, 2 panda garra, a mystery snail, 2 nerites and one surprise guppy that hitched a ride as a fry. Also about a dz cherry shrimp and an occasional explosion of rams horn and bladder snails. We try to do a water change at least every other week but lately every week due to nitrite. I have used almost all my prime. My acrylic is now cycled so i put a couple handfuls of gravel from it into the 20. It helped for a couple days but now its back to .225. Everyone in the tank seems fine and happy. Eating well and very active. I tested big tank to be sure nothing was faulty. Tank runs about 72-74° I have a medium and a small sponge filter. Do I need more plants? I have not had an ammonia spike. I have been testing regularly. Water change before last we did well over 50% and I did a flush type change. That seemed to help for a day or so. Maybe the snails? sorry this is lengthy. I appreciate your insight!

We just tested water and all parameters are A-Ok!! Yay!!! This is great because my other tank 20 gal had a nitrite spike .225ppm so we did a 50% water change and took a handful of gravel from acrilyc and put it in 30 gal. Hope it works!! Excited to start adding fish!!

@H.K.Lutermanthank you!