Karen B.

I am breeding Clown killifish for the 2nd times. The first egg finally hatched and gosh I forgot how tiny these fry are! The eggs are in a plastic container, with « brown » water from catappa leaves and an air stone. The container is floating in a bigger tub with a heater, a sponge filter, lots of plants (I throw my trimmed plants in there). I am trying a more « natural » kind of breeding vs the one I did the first time in a breeding fluval container that hang on a main tank. I saw the first fry today. Took me 5 minutes to spot him in the small container! I know the first 24 hours they feed on their yolk sack. But they are soooo tiny I don’t know if he hatched before and I didn’t see him. So I put a few drop of water with vinegar eels. But then I wondered… can the vinegar eels harm the unhatched eggs?

Ah! I always feel so bad fasting them the first week. They must think what a crappy owner did I just get, hehe

You know you have a new fish and its in quarantine when you spend half your time checking their poop!!! 😅 What is weird is that both my fish poop were normal when they were in their bag. Last night I put them in their aquarium with the med trio and tonight one of my fish pooped this… 😳 (it’s a tiny baby female honey gourami) sorry if it’s too graphic? It’s parasites or normal because the fish is getting used to a new tank/eating plants and stuff I missed when I vacuumed my gravel after ghost feeding my tank?

Thank you so much. Always so nice to hear someone say my aquarium looks nice. I put so much work into each.

Thanks for the video! I do use sponge, floss and bioballs in all my filter! Soooo much nicer then replacable cartridge

Greetings! Yesterday I bought two little adorable female honey gourami (am not biaised at all!) I think my cycle was weak or too new (although I do have old established tank media in my filter) and before I added the fish I ended up doing a much bigger WC + gravel cleaning then intended (60%). I did however drip acclimate them for 2-3 hours. Added them in the tank and added the trio med for quarantine. My water yesterday before adding the med trio was already a bit milky, today it’s a bit more. Temp is 75, pH a bit low between 6.8 and 6.6. 0/0/0. KH crashed from 40 yesterday to 0 today (on aquarium coop strip). GH is still fairly high (but dropped a bit too) between 75 and 150. planted tank, 1 HOB filter (tidal 35) + aquarium coop sponge filter. Current bioload is 2 baby honey gourami and a nerita snail. So. Water is not cycled anymore and milky. I always use prime in my WC, might add another dose tomorrow to make sure it binds any ammonia if there is any (none showing on the test strip atm). The only unfogged place in the aquarium is around the sponge filter and the 2 fish seem to favor that place. Haven’t fed them since I got them last night. There was a huge amount of poop in their bag (they spent about an hour - 1 hour and half in it. They are still pooping a lot (eating off plants and some remnants of my ghost feeding of the tank I would guess). Both seem to be passing parasites (Was expected. That place always have parasites but it’s the only place I could find female honey gourami). One has a scale damaged/loose under her chin. Yesterday both of them seemed to have a single white spot (debris? Injury? A crystal from the med?) one on her tail fin, the other on her pectoral fin that I don’t see today. They are alert, swimming, really curious and pecking at everything in the tank! (One more then the other). So. 1- Should I have any worry? 2- Beside testing and adding prime/stability every 2 days, anything else I should be doing? 3- Knowing (or thinking) they might have parasites, should I wait one week after the quarantine and hit them with a full treatment of paracleanse?

I would love to, but it’s not adviced 3 honey in a 20 gallons from what I have read.

Thanks for your answer! mMy only fear is that my honey gourami will feel lonely. Everywhere I read they are social fish…

I have a community tank. 20 gallons high, 75f, 0/0/10, pH a bit low at 6.6 (working on raising it), idem for kh at 0. Gh at 8. Planted, HOB filter (aqueon quietflow 30) and medium size aquarium coop sponge filter. Current population is : 1 honey gourami 7 Chili rasboras 6-8 false julii corydoras (6 adults, and babies appearing. Currently setting up a 5 gallons to transfer the babies there to raise them) 4 nerita snail According to aquadvisor, here are my current stock level I would like to add more Chili (about 10) because I have lost some ove the past year and I think a school of 7 is rather small. And I am looking for a tank mate for my honey gourami. He doesn’t bond with the Chili and I know he used to have more fun when I had guppy in the tank. I tought about adding a female, which would bring me to these stats I already do 1 WC a week + gravel vacuum so no big change for me. But I am afraid my male gourami might get agressive toward the Chili… So I am wondering… Should I just add more Chili and let my Honey gourami be alone? Should I find another tank mate for my honey gourami other then a female? Am I overstocking the tank too much and asking for trouble?

I don’t like real plants but, when I saw what a difference it makes for the fish, I went 100% live plants. Overall, I manage it well except some hair algea here and there but nothing too serious. It’s another story for my 20 gallons community tank. I get many types of algae- black beard for sure, and some other green kind.) I do spot treat with seachem excel and it sorta works but I would rather find the problem and work on a permanent solution. I really hate the look of algea. Twice I lost control/bothered me enough for me to move all the plant in a bucket and do the shock exel treatment (24 hours in a double dose, 24 hour in normal water, then repeat the double dose). It works but it stresses the fish when I rescape and the plants too. It’s a community tank, 20 gallons high, ph about 6.8, 0/0/10. My kh is low at 0-1 and I am working on raising it with seachem alcaline. Gh is 9. Temps is 75. Fully planted. 8 hours of light (Nicrew LED WBR$ I have 1 HOB filter (aqueon quietflow 30) and a medium aquarium coop sponge filter). I use prime, stability, aquarium coop easy green (sometimes thrive instead), I have iron and potassium (just never really sure if/when to add some) and I use seachem root tabs. population : 1 honey gourami, 7 chili rasbora (will add more 10 soon), 3 otocinclus and corydoras… 4 adults and babies and more babies (I will be setting up a 5 gallons tank to transfer the babies because my cory breed like rabbits and it throw my water parameters out of whack and bothers my honey gourami… except when he hunts and eats the tiny fry) I am not very good at the whole : do this and observe kind of methodology so I am thinking about buying test drops. But they seem rare and kinda expensive. I know Irene made a video on it and I will rewatch it but I would like your opinion/toughts/suggestions. What to buy, where (I live in Canada), what time it’s the best to add exel or any type of fertilizer, etc… Sadly CO2 is not an option right now, too expensive. I tried the 2 fluval kits, very bad experience with both of them. Thank you! PS: Yes, in the 2nd picture there is a cory stuck in the cholla wood. No worries, I freed him and he was not injured. Ah, corydoras 😅

Greetings! I put all my frozen food in a ziploc. Today I forgot said ziploc on the counter for about an hour. The bloodworm were completely thawed so I threw them away. The Daphnia and baby daphnia were still in cube but if I pressed them, they became slushy- binned them. The brine shrimp are in thin package. I threw the already opened one but the unopened one was a bit more malleable then if frozen solid but not in liquid… Can I keep or should I bin it? The cyclop and mysis shrimps were still frozen solid so I kept them. Wanna know the irony of it all? My fish refuse to eat the food I got to keep but loves all the food I had to throw away…

Greetings! I have a 20 gallons and initially had a population of 8 false julii cory (or julii according to the LFS that sold them but I have my doubt). They were babies but now as adults… we’ll let say the 6 remaining are reproducing like rabbits. I am not doing anything to keep the eggs, but I still am overstocked atm. About 8-10 of the babies are now between 2-4 months so I sold them to someone. He’ll come pick them up by tomorrow. I expect I will have to remove a lot of things from the aquarium as my netting skills are null. It doesn’t bother me because I wanted to soak some plants in the shock excel treatment anyway. This being said, what is the best way to bag my babies? Wait until the last minute tomorrow? Do it in advance and let them float 10ish hours in the aquarium? Gather them in a bucket with sand tonight so tomorrow I can easily put them in a bag? Catch them and let them spend the night in the large Fluval breeding box that hangs outside the aquarium but has water flow through it? My main goal is to minimize stress for them. What about the poison or toxin it is said they release when stress? Will it happen when they are bagged? The guy has a 30 minutes drive back to his place…

Greetings! I have 2 bettas in quarantine (with coop med trio) in my 10 gallons (that I seperated in 2). Today was the end of the first week so I did the WC and saw an injury on my female betta. Now I don’t recall having seen it earlier today, and I hand feed them twice a day (but it’s not impossible she didn’t show that side). She is moving a lot so I held her in the water close to the glass and it did not seem fuzzy. There is still some meds left in the water as I did a 40% WC. It looks looks like she might have injured herself (maybe on the floating log) but I would like your tought? Injury? Fungus? Something else? Should I do something? I know the pictures are not clear but she moves so much!!!

Your bettas are beautiful! And your son is absolutely adorable and so knowledgeable. I do have a hard time forgiving myself when I make mistakes but it’s true that it’s impossible not to. Just have to learn from them but sometimes it’s very hard emotionally… Thank you for your nice words. Here are my bettas… Darcy… Only lived two weeks, he had a problem with his gills. One of the most beautiful betta I have ever seen. Yesterday I received my 2 new bettas. Gandalf and Calypso

Thanks, you are making me feel a bit better. I picked this hobby to help me feel less anxious but it’s doing the opposite when I make such stupid mistake… and god knows I make a lot!!! The timing is so bad too, I wanted to sell my baby cory next week as my tank is so overcrowded (parents breed like rabbits!)

Greetings! I bought 2 new bettas - received them yesterday and they are in a tank divided for their quarantine period with the trio med. One betta is locally bred, the other comes from Indonesia then sold by a local seller. In my community tank, I noticed one of my corydoras stuck in my small cholla wood. So I quickly grapped the first tweezers I could find and freed him… only then realizing it was the tweezers I ised yesterday for the betta tank. Should I play it safe and hit my community tank with the med trio just in case?

Greetings! I would like to buy 2 bettas and quarantine them at the same time in the same tank. It’s a 10 gallons, cycled. My other 10 gallons isn’t ready yet (have to wash it/disinfect it with bleach, wait a week to make sure it’s dry, then will start it). I will be buying a male and a female. Which of these 2 options would be the best (or if you have other suggestions) I have a tank divider but it’s in wire mesh (made for aquarium, used usually to grow moss). Problem is, the betta could see each other as I have nothing to put to block the view Otherwise, I have the large fluval box that hang on the outside of the aquarium. I could put a cardboard between the 2 so they wouldn’t see each other. And it’s the same water that flow/circulate. My only issue is that it’s pretty small (half a gallon) and it would be for a month. what do you all think? The male would be a dumbo plakat, the female is a dragon halfmoon

I plan to transfer then when they would be at least 1 month old. So too big to worry about being eaten

Greetings! My corydoras (false julii) are breeding like crazy. I let nature take its course because I am not interested in intensive breeding but some do survive. My 20 gallons is over populated with cute babies but I think it annoys my honey gourami. You should see him hunt the little fry… I have currently a empty 10 gallons. I will transfer the babies there until I can sell them (sniffsniff). I was wondering if I can house a betta with them (or any idea of another fish?) or it’s better to have a species only grow out tanks? Thank you!

Greetings! When I see people post pictures about their corydoras laying eggs, it’s usually a rather big number of eggs, all gathered together. Mine scatter their eggs pretty much one at the time, all over the tank… is that normal? They even used my nerita snail… 😂🤪

I am cursed with shrimps too! I look at them and they die. 😓

My next betta won’t be in a community tank that’s for sure. but you are right. They seem to die often or fall ill. And as it’s a single fish, you get more attached then if one of you 10 neon tetra die

I already have a honey gourami. I am not quite yet ready to give up on bettas, hence a Betta Imbellis. or I must admit I was always drawn to Apistogrammas… but I don’t like agression so…

Greetings! Sadly my Betta Darcy Died last week. We think he choked on something. I was completely devastated even if I had him for a little less then 2 weeks… didn’t help he passed away one day before my birthday. He was a beautiful male plakat hellboy I was thinking about a Getting a betta Imbellis next time. Anyone here have experience with them? I heard they can be pretty peaceful and housed in a pair… what would you recommend for a 10 gallons? Here is the tank (the substrate will be changed to sand)

My new betta has been in his 10 gallons for 10 days. When I received him, I fed him for two days. He was eating but seemed not very coordinated to grab his food. Took him forever. Then I started the trio med. I fed him with thongs on the 5th days but accidentally a bit too much I think. Didn’t feed him anymore Now it’s the 8th day. I just arrived home and tried to feed him. He didn’t get anything in his mouth but I saw him flare, open his gill really wide (looks like he was yawning) but then he would keep him mouth open/gag, as if he was choking, trying to spit something out. Then he would once again try to get the food very uncoordinated and then keep his mouth open. He choked/gagged a couple more times, but nothing came out. Could he be constipated? Could I have injured him when trying to feed him with the thong? Now he looks at the pellets (Hikari betta bio gold and Omega one betta pellets) and won’t ever try to eat them. He just stares at them. He did try to eat the fluval betta bug bites - he would chew chew chew (pieces would even flow threw his gills) but spit it out. I squished a snail - he would attack it, chew chew and spit… I tried the powdered food I give my other fish - same. Chew chew and spit. Sometimes he grabs the food and swim around with it… He is still active. I am about to do a WC because I know It’s only supposed to be 7 days in med trio. I have seen him poop only once. I am not sure what is wrong and what to do? Is he choking? Is it normal behavior? why won’t he eat now?