PedroPete

I agree with @Nuggets Beard that the safest option to get the best, most numerous shrimp would be to use 5.5 gallon for shrimp and 20 gallon for guppies. Once you have enough larger shrimp being produced, you could always add some to the 20 gallon to try to start another colony - especially good if it takes a while for algae and biofilm to build up. Another option could be to trick out your 20 gallon with a few different rock piles set up to provide lots of crevices and tiny caves that only the tiniest guppy fry could access. You could feed shrimp specific food close to this spot so that babies don't have far to go to find food (other than the biofilm and algae that grow on the rocks). You could do Vallisneria or dense-growing stems in/ around the rock piles, too, to further protect the shrimp. My tank that grows the most shrimp has an islandscape with lava rocks in the middle and then piles of java fern coming out (inspired by MulMung on YT). I also have some hornwort floating on top, which the cherry shrimp LOVE picking through.... Oh ya, and MulMung keeps red albino guppies, too 🙂 Also, if you haven't kept guppies before, I would suggest choosing whichever you like the most so you get the most enjoyment - "mutt" or fancy guppies (multi colors, individual fish are very recognizable, etc.) OR full red albinos (a strain I personally think is gorgeous, but many fish would look exactly the same). I've heard that albino guppies are weaker or not as easy to care for, but I have no personal experience to add for you to consider. What color shrimp were you considering? I feel like a nice red or blue shrimp with a mix of guppies would look really nice. If you do full red albinos, the red Neocaridinas would not stand out so much from the red fish, so maybe go with a different shrimp color (unless you love red 🙂 ).

@PineSong I hear ya!! My dumbo mosaics take what seems like FOREVERRRRRR to mature into good looking males. I used to think guppies mature quickly...not any more!

I know exactly what you mean, @KobaBetta, as I have done platys, guppies, and medaka ricefish. My next project (not in 2022, but someday) would be shelldwellers, like "multis," kribensis, or corydoras. As for your water parameters, I feel like the shelldwellers would do well (although I have never kept them myself).

I’d love to read any update on the tank and HF if you have time 🙂 happy holidays!

My vote is for least killifish (no heater needed) or neocaridina (no heater needed) 🙂 I wonder if anyone with an aquarium in your area has a really neat old stone or two with algae, biofilm, diatoms, etc. growing on it already. I just saw a cool display tank at an LFS - about 8 gallons - only bright red neocaridinas, with just nice gravel and stone work, with little bits of moss and a few epiphytes / nano river type plants, and the stones had this beautiful green patina. The tank was gorgeous and chock-full of really nice looking shrimp. I am in the market for some least killifish so they are on my mind. It seems as though they are so tiny but also interesting to watch with nice muted natural colors that would look cool in a densely planted tank. They won't stand out, but they will be cool denizens of a miniature jungle in your Spec. You could always split the difference and take 2 killifish and a handful of shrimp 🙂

I started with 3 male dumbo mosaic guppies - from 2 suppliers - and 2 female guppies of the same strain - from 1 supplier in August 2020. I only allow the best looking of offspring to reproduce, which means I have gone through 6-7 males total and perhaps 5 females from then to now. In fact, one of my original females is still a breeder. I keep the group in a sometimes filtered large flower pot with submerged plants, floating plants, and emersed pothos / peace lily. Sometimes, in nice weather, the colony is outside, but it is often indoors under plant lights. I remove fry and juveniles at least once a month to add to another tub - a 20 gallon storage tub from IKEA with plants (underwater and growing above the water level) with a sponge filter. I could definitely be better about tracking which pairings produce better looking males, as I do end up with a good amount of "culls" (non dumbo males). But then again, I have the tank space, so females go in a tank on their own as soon as I can sex them, and same goes with the males, into a separate tank. So far, I haven't had any accidents, surprisingly. I have only brought in one male in June 2021 from another supplier. This is definitely lazier line breeding, but I do produce a decent amount of beautiful males exactly like I want (see photos and gif) and nice-looking and healthy females. Not sure if my experience helps any...but i haven't found any real ill effects breeding son to mother. I'm curious to hear from others, too. (Oh, and i started my vienna guppy colony from two suppliers...however, both, of course, got their guppies from Aquarium Co-op at different times...so there's that. I'm not sure if this is right, but I think Cory brought over just a small number of "vienna guppies" about three years ago from Europe, and I'm not sure if he did any outcrossing since then. I would be curious to know what work was done to keep the strain healthy since then. I do view them as quite healthy as a strain overall, and males have some small level of variations...but again, I can't really speak to the genetic diversity of that strain given their unique entrance into the American hobby.)

Lots of good ideas here! I was thinking mollies, trout goodeids, swordtails or angels.

Sounds like an awesome set up! Keep us posted 😄

Are you going to get corys still? I like this new direction of south american fish 🙂

Definitely an anubias - maybe nana or coffeefolia - hard to tell. It looks like it hasn't had proper nutrition prior to your ownership. Do you have any Easy Green? Might be a long term solution to help balance the tank....

I like the changes (I also liked how it was before 🙂 ) ! I would suggest considering more dwarf sag for the back left and then small crypts in front right. You could do some botanicals, like indian almond (catappa) leaves to add interest to the substrate level (like you've done with the larger gravel).

With lots of plants, adequate filtration, and good (consistent) maintenance, you could probably do 12-15 guppies/endlers and 6-8 otocinclus + shrimp. I think some folks would say more and some would advocate for less. I would say you shouldn't start with that number, introducing groups of 5 guppies a week would be smarter. Plus you'd want to let the tank season for otos and shrimp, as well as supplement their diets. What did you think would be the right numbers?

Is it a Hygrophila corymbosa?

Design - I personally think aquascapes look better with a balance of "blank", or negative, space with the greenery and hard scape. My newest tank is a cube, and I was stuck between two scape ideas (see below). I ended up going with the "riverside" idea because while I love the "wild wabi kusa" look, I thought it might be difficult to strike a balance of negative space and the plants. My guppies hang out all over the place, which is great, and I love that my pygmy corys now feel safe in the grass and hide and hang out, but then come to the front "beach" to feed. So I knew I wanted to show highlight those species and care for them but also have high quality scape. Plants - So many good options, to be honest. Rotalas are really great stems. Bolbitis has been a real trooper for me, as well as Dwarf Sag and E. tennelus/H. tenellum (same plant, I think) for "grasses." 🙂Cheers!

I also was going to suggest pearl weed, but the trimming aspect, of course, isn't ideal for your situation. Another not-rhizome (sorry, I know that's what you asked for) could be hydrocotyle tripartita, but I don't think it would get dense enough for the look you're going for. A. nana petite probably is your best bet, then - unless you find a cheap supply of buce!

I've heard on YT that these fins impede the males from reproducing, but I would take that with a grain of salt...Nice looking colors, though!

Did you add live plants from another tank? For example, ricefish could attach their eggs to moss in another tank, and then you move the moss to your tank, and - voila - mystery fry 🙂 Very cool! Keep us updated.

Would clown killifish suffice? I've never kept them but they're pretty small and occupy a different level compared to your shrimp. Another option could be Heterandria formosa (Least killifish) but they prefer higher pH, I believe. Finally, pygmy corydoras might work out for what you are looking for.

Love these kind of projects! I have a couple of these in my apartment. one large plastic planter (no drainage holes), about 12 gallons I would guess. I use a coated metal plant hanger (usually sold for folks to hang a plant on the edge of their balcony) to prop up a large peace lily planted in a pond basket with LECA (expanded clay). I have a variety of floating plants (Nymphoides hydrophylla 'Taiwan' and Hornwort) and low-light plants (Anubias). This one has lived outside, too, during the summer, and my colony of dumbo mosaic guppies does very well. When indoors, I run air via USB air pump and airstone for a few hours a day. I light it with a plant light from amazon with a flexible neck that clamps onto a nearby floor lamp. I also have 3 storage boxes from IKEA (KLÄMTARE Box with lid, indoor/outdoor, dark gray (22 ¾x 17 ¾ x 11 ¾")). I use plastic storage baskets to make a base (inverted) to prop up pond planters with LECA. I have these planted with pothos, philodendron, peace lily, etc. Underwater I have java moss, java fern, and bolbitis. I have 2 for guppy grow outs (one for dumbo mosaic fry/juveniles, one for vienna guppy fry/juveniles), while the other is one of my medaka rice fish colonies. These I have with USB air pump / small sponge filter and heaters in with the guppies. So for looks, I would go with a large flower pot (careful not too high) with no drainage holes. There are a number of videos on youtube with tutorials 🙂 Good luck!

Congrats on your journey into keeping aquatic plants! 🙂 A couple ideas I thought of: A magnetic algae brush/scraper or even something like a Seachem algae foam could help your glass - or adding another nerite snail 🙂 Speaking of nerites, I have heard that some people trade their female nerite in at your LFS for another... in an attempt to get a male. Might be an option? Your sword plant growing roots out of the gravel isn't a sign of it dying. A root tab under it would be a good idea, if you haven't yet. I recommend planting your crypt tropica with a root tab in the gravel so it can settle in and acclimate better vs. settling in its net pot/rock wool and then re-planting later. Finally, I agree that photoperiod shouldn't be longer than 8 hours until plants grow more.

Great ideas above ^ super fun to grow 🙂 Bolbitis doee super well for me - gets big, too. Hygrophila pinnatifida works as an epiphyte, too.

Love the paradise fish idea. Other options: • honey gourami • Apistograma • Kribensis • A Platy / swordtail / Molly or two (males only so no breeding)

My vote is bladder snails or ramshorn snails.

Love the good vibes on this thread! Just wanted to wish you warm wishes on your next tank set-up! 🙂

I’m not sure if you have a specific look or scape in mind. I can recommend a few YouTube channels for ideas. Do you want to start the tank with a full nearly grown-in look? This is the more expensive, but also (I find) easier way to start if you have grown plants before and have a good team of algae eaters like amano shrimp and nerite snails. If this is the case, buy as many as you can afford, keeping in mind many species can be propagated to fill in the tank more each month. Another route to go, if you’ve new to plants, is to buy 1 of 5-6 species and see which ones thrive in your tank. Then buy more of those specific species. What I don’t like about this method is the tank can look a bit empty for a while, also without many plants, algae might be able to outcompete for nutrients and light. Frequent water changes and a shortened light schedule can help with that. Also snails 🙂 I have found tissue culture plants to be a good deal - more expensive, but many individual plants inside. Of course, they aren’t very big, so they’ll take time to grow. On the upside, though, they are algae and pest snail free). Carpet plant ideas: • Dwarf sagittaria • Pearl weed (trim frequently at 1-2 inches high and it will spread horizontally) • H. Tenellum / E. Tenellus • Hydrocotyle tripartita Japan • Cryptocoryne parva Plants that are medium height: • anubias • Java fern • Bolbitis • Cryptocorynes like wendtii or Tropica Tall plants: • Valisneria (different species but also grow pretty tall except nana) • Cyperus helferi • Swords Honestly for more info, check out the info and pics on Aquarium Coop’s shop. You can even see customer reviews. I also like how Tropica has plant lists searchable by light intensity / ease of care.