Taylor Blake

This is my 300 gallon community I'm going for a hill stream community much like rachel o'leary's 150 gallon. My goal is to have hill stream species like many US native species such as darters and minnows. I would also like gobies and loaches as well the biggest fish I'm looking to add are around 4-6 inches and the smallest being the white clouds or stiphodon. (96 long X 24 wide X 31 tall) the tank started up earlier this year Equipment Matten filter that hides intake and pumps 2 48 inch Fluval 3.0 planted plus lights 2 48inch Fluval Aquasky 2.0 lights Jebao DC return pump DCP-8000 FX 4 canister filter Hardscape 1/4 inch black criva Mexican beach pebbles 100lbs 1/8 inch black criva Mexican beach pebbles 100lbs 2-3 inch black Mexican beach pebbles 80lbs Unknown hardwood 6 feet tall 20 inches wide unknown hardwood 4 foot long rocks from local landscaping yard Plants Bolbitis Crypt Wendtii Jungle val Hornwart Christmas Moss on matten filter Livestock current stock some fish have passed or been removed from when the pictures and videos were taken 20 Rainbow shiners 5 central stone roller 35 southern red belly dace 6 Johnny darters 6 red spotted gobies 3 white cheeked rhinogobius 3 neon blue dwarf goby 10 black khuli loaches 6 yo-yo loaches 6 gold white clouds 1 normal white cloud 10 pearl danios 3 emerald shiners 1 tadpole madtom 2 bamboo shrimp 2 Mexican dwarf crayfish 2 Amano shrimp 12 cull cherry shrimp 4 species of snail at least and hundreds of them live black worms I think that is all the life in the tank but their will be more to come and I plan on updating with new additions and changes to the tank on here. feel free to ask questions or suggestions.

I have had two other fish die from something like this I thought it was a cancer but I don't know

cleaning the actual roomies my problem. I will finish a tank cleaning and I'll look at the room and have buckets and towels all over the room. I also have snakes so I'll have aspen bedding to the floor when I'm cleaning cages. I will go far to long between a good sweep and mop

If I were you and being that the experience is there. I would do School of 10-15 chili rasbora Or CPDs and a single tension fish like a big hillstream loach or mean big male guppy. What I mean by a tension fish is adding a fish like The ram to the school of rummy nose like @Brandy said it helped them get serious. A fish that is the "boss" is helpful to get real schooling behavior

I have two 3.0 and two aquasky 2.0 on my 8 foot 300 gallon. I run the same time at 100% for both.I have them like this I do have a lot of algae eating species so I like the growth I'm getting. Most of my plants are low light plants and mosses the tank is 31 inches deep.

I give my Big guy a snail shell to "play" with. It's just a trap door snail shell that he will grab and splash around he will carry it like a dog with it's bone. When he was only a few inches he would try to fight the air stone and "play" with the bubbles from it hence I named him bubbles. I don't feed live because feeder fish can carry diseases and my guy is a 3 foot plus alligator gar so brine shrimp doesn't cut it for him. He doesn't like to play in front of me but I have found him holding his shell. He will also swim next to where I'm standing and if I don't offer food In time he will splash me with like a gallon of water and pout on bottom for like an hour with his shell next to him.

Very cool Idea I might make one a little bigger than that to get food down to some of my picky bottom feeders

What is your definition of nano? I have a 300 gallon that I'm working on being almost "nano" The reason it is almost nano is because I do have one fish in there that is pushing 4 inches but everything else is under 3 most are right around 2. I'm working with hillstream species so I have a bunch of US natives and some gobies the stiphodons may be shrimp safe but they would probably eat baby's I have also heard that panda loach are shrimp safe and kuhli loaches won't mess with the adults.

I'm in Minnesota and I have heard of people keeping white clouds outside all year. We get days above 100 in the summer and the winters can go below -50 it seems like for them if you can keep the water from freezing solid and keep oxygen in the water when it's hot and out of the sun white clouds are at least ok. For most tropical stuff you are looking to keep the temps between 65-85 but for some of the natives we have in the US they can go from 33-95 so the trick is knowing what you need and when you need it. Rainbow shiners are good tub fish give them a nice planted tub with lots of air flow and try to keep the water temp between 50-75 and they will be happy.In the winter keep the water from freezing over best you can and keep air to it. In the summer keep it out of the sun and up your air if it's really hot. I have 2 tubs next to each other on me deck a 40 Gallon that gets Full sun for 8 hours and it has turtles that gets up to 85 in the day and drops to the mid 60s at night. the other tub I have is a 110 gallon It gets half sun for 8 hours and it stays at about 73 both day and night it will climb to 75 in the day and drop to 70 at just before sun up at its lowest. Both are touching each other on the deck it is only a matter of two feet and volume. The bigger you go the more stable it will be. The first is Not my photo The second is

Most species of danios would work fine. Florida flag fish may do really well for you as long as it doesn't get to hot. Fish like Mollys guppies and sword tails would work. Pygmy sunfish would be cool but you would never see them from the top down. Rice fish are cool. If the water stays warm enough you could have rainbow fish like pseudomugil species they come in different colors and are cool. That's a few that I could think of that might work for you but you will have to make sure it doesn't get to hot or to cold.

You will probably have to hunt on market place and Craigslist for second hand goods if you are looking to not brake the bank. I have found 125s for 40 bucks each it depends on where you are and how far your willing to drive for a good deal. also go to aquarium society meetings and see other people In the area who might have a tank they would be looking to sell.

My 50 lowboy is my least favorite it has no fish and I'm just using it to get good growth on some plants I want to put in other tanks. I plan on taking it down after the plants grow in. I'll probably sell or trade the tank off Once I'm done with it I really like the footprint and the tank is awesome but I just don't have room for it in the pet room

Dojo are not legal up here in Minnesota because they can over winter here. I also have fellow fish keeper friends who have the gold white clouds out year round in a pond with a air and a sponge They do fine as long as the water doesn't freeze all the way through. I've never kept rice fish up here but I'm sure they will do fine for you once you get a population going. How cold dose it get and how long dose it last?

Dose anyone have aquarium insurance? If so please talk about your experience. I also want to hear the horror story's about aquarium failures and how insurance handled it and you?

White clouds would probably be fine year round if you have some air going and having dojo loaches if legal where you are would keep invertebrate predators in check and would be fine year round as well

@Cory do you have plans for that pond? It would be cool if you could use it for koi.I'm Looking forward to the videos to come. Keep up the hard work

Do you have any fish in their? And if not do you have plans to add some and what kind?

I would saw as far as silly mistakes go when I was setting up my 300 gallon I got a few small Pond snails in Their And it's been a fight ever since then lol

Yup I have a school of about 20 young ones

I love the black water look I just don't have any fish I want to keep with that look at the moment. I do have a tannin "problem" in my 300 but it's a clear hillstream not a dark river. so I have carbon and lots of water changes. This is a work in progress

@Robinnope just zoomed in and too the shot here are some that aren't as good in my opinion so I'm still figuring it out

My gar I have an alligator gar that I love. he is in an 800 gallon indoor pond and a little over 3 foot. If I had to choose just one fish it would be My alligator gar Bubbles. If I didn't have him I would also consider koi but I don't have a pond at my house at the moment.

This is a shot I took with my iPhone 8+ of some of my fish. I am not a photographer by any means but I got a few that I like. It took me a hundred pictures to get one I liked but it is possible.

I have the best luck being in Minnesota I have Tamed waters as a local fish shop they do a lot of the weird stuff they are on Facebook and they ship fish it can take a bit for them to respond but it is well worth the wait Phil is a great guy. He also has a YouTube by the same name

I honestly have no idea it was growing on the rock like a moss but with roots It was awesome.