KobaBetta

I've decided to get a new 40 gallon breeder up and running this coming year and have decided to do a low light planted tank with an electric blue acara as my centerpiece fish. I'm looking for some tank mate suggestions that are big enough to not get eaten! I'm considering mollies and perhaps some corydoras (though I am concerned about size). Any other suggestions?

I've had driftwood in my two current tanks for about 4 years. Both are "blackwater" style tanks. I haven't tested tap but I assume it is about the same if not higher. I'll test it to double check though. I don't run anything in the tanks for a buffer. Funnily enough my house sits about 100 yards from peat ground. 😅

I just noticed that my betta tank has some sort of tiny little white critters crawling around which might be good fry food. He may be moving to a new tank soon if that is the case. 👀

I finally added a new nerite snail to my ten gallon after my 4 year old snail, Snailo, committed snailicide by crawling out of the tank. I wonder if she might have gotten a bit senile and forgot where she was. She shall be missed. The new one is named Shelldon. Also plan to work on a ten gallon that has essentially been a box of water with anubias in it that has had the lights off for a good while trying to kill blue green algae. It's finally dead so now I get to clean it and go fish shopping!

Anubias and Java Fern are both fairly bulletproof plants. Moss balls are a form of algae and from my understanding certain seachem products work as an algaecide. As far as removing anubias from the pot, I personally would if it were mine as I like stuff to be able to spread out. However, if it is doing well it may be best to leave it be. Your Java fern may be going through a bit of stress if it's new. Sometimes leaves end up dying off. It happens. I would go ahead and snip off any damaged leaves as they will only hinder the plant as it struggles to keep that leaf alive. Think of it as getting a hair cut to remove dead ends for the health of your hair.

I will take a look at them. I've seen talks on them but have never given them much consideration. I appreciate the reccomendation!

For those interested in learning about parthenogenesis it is possible for it to occur spontaneously from females kept in isolation. The telltale signs will be that all offspring will essentially be identical copies of the mother and will all be female. I've linked some information below for those interested. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5238396/ The biggest thing that makes me doubtful it is parthenogenesis is the fact that there are so many fry. Do you have any fish in the tank it could potentially hybridized with?

Has parthenogenesis been documented in fish? I'm curious to see if they are all female also when they grow up.

A good way to distinguish between males and females is by looking at the fins under the fish. Males will have a stick like fin and females will have a triangular fin.

I've been playing with some live bearers in planted tanks for the last few years. I started off breeding some pet store platies and then played around with a strain of purple dragon guppies. I'm ready to try something new besides just livebearers that is relatively easy to breed. I'm looking for a fish that could be bred and grown out in a 40 gallon or under tank. (I have several 10s lying around and have no problem removing fry from parents.) I'm personally not a pleco/shrimp fan but am open to most other things. I love bettas but don't have an efficient way to keep growouts. I have a pH of 8.0, GH between 30-60, and KH around 240 ppm. What are your suggestions? Please with your suggestions let me know if they require live foods as fry (I know most do) as I have never dabbled in raising live foods for fish.

It was a young tank at the time so I truthfully didn't think about it at the time. I had figured between the eco complete, water column dosing, and such a heavy load it would be enough. It unfortunately had a catastrophic break and I never did get a chance to play with it to see what might work. I sure do miss that tank. 40 gallons of water on the floor is never fun. I've never caught fish so fast in my life. 😅

I have had a couple of planted aquariums set up for a few years now with easy plants like anubias, Java fern, and unfortunately duckweed. (For now. I'll win that battle eventually.) I have had an issue in the past with plants like Amazon swords, cabomba, and some crypts melting no matter what tank I put them in. I have never tested my GH or KH and just happened to pick up a test that tests for GH and KH. While my GH sits between 30-60 ppm, my KH is through the roof! The maximum the kit tests for is 240 ppm and it's definitely reading that. Though my guppies do great I am concerned that this may be what is causing the melt on some other plants. I want to set up a mid-high light tank and advance in my plant keeping. Should I try and bring the KH down with RO water? Could this even be what could be causing the plants to melt? I'm on a well and dosing flourish as well as dosing added potassium as my water/ground tends to be deficient in it. When I had the crypts and amazon sword I was using eco complete as the substrate (as well as a well fed guppy horde) to fertilize my root feeders so I don't think it was a nutrient difficiency. pH 8.0 Any thoughts and tips are much appreciated.