MAC

@Fish Folk these fish do seem to have alot of different looks with the female in breeding dress is especially impressive. I think my female is guarding eggs again and has the male restricted to one side of the 29gallon. His colors are a bit muted at the moment and isnt sticking around long for a picture. But normally his blue is almost electric and has some yellow/orange in the dorsal and tail. I too had read online they could be kept in groups and initially started with a m/ff trio in a 20 long. Maybe a trio was too few because one female didn't last long at all and the male took a beating as well from the remaining female. They have been totally peaceful towards tetras, danios, and sucker mouth catfish but hard on each other, in my experience.

I'm excited to see how the mudfish do. Intriguing fish. Looks like a crazy experiment between a wild type Betta mixing with a loach.

Senegal Bichir

Something I found interesting happened the other day in my Nannacara anomala tank. A pair had attempted to spawn in the 20long set up a few times without producing any fry. The female would brutalize the male to the point where I would remove him afraid she might kill him. This time I left the male in after adding some more hiding places and soon found the female leading around a group of fry around the middle to end of June. Things were going well for a few weeks but eventually I decided to move out the male. After about a month and a half I looked in to see the female guarding another group of eggs on a piece of driftwood. Surprisingly, the fry of the previous spawn seemed to sit over and guard the eggs as well. I had never heard of such a thing. They all stuck together around the eggs for a few days until I figured I was pressing my luck with the female and the fry together. Pulled the eggs and removed the 20 or so fry to a proper grow out tank. Obviously with no mature male in the tank the eggs turned out to be no good and I have since reintroduced the pair back together to try another spawn. Just thought it was interesting seeing mother and fry together over eggs. Nannacara anomala are great little South American dwarf cichlids if you ever get the chance to give em a try.

I like these little mysteries. Here's my take Hyphessobrycon bentosi

Pethia Gelius maybe? Golden dwarf barb.

Don't count your guppy fry until they hatch.

Found some visitors above the patio pond today.

Sounds like what you're looking for is shrimp.

I'll forgive you for not including LRB Aquatics and Dan'sFish in your poll.

I've used homemade yarn spawning mops in hobs to lessen output. I tucked the head of the mops into the top part of the filter and let the ends stream out into the flow. It dispersed the outflow current fairly well.

I don't have alot of opinions what should or shouldn't be on the forum. But I like what it functions as now and I think a major success is keeping it discussion based and non commercialized. I personally would not want to see buying selling or trading make it's way in. Another site or offshoot could come about to address that side of things maybe.

I make my way to that store every few months. I do only go midweek to avoid the crowds and in the past there have been some waits with limited indoor capacity. However recently I went and it was back to normal as far as in store shopping and capacity. I have also not ever had anything but helpfulness from the staff. As far as fish, their list is published on their website for some ahead of time browsing or getting a sense of price. I personally enjoy the variety of lesser known south American cichlids. They also have some rarer anabantoids and bushfish that are usually pretty well priced if you want to try something like that. I have microctenopoma ansorgi from there that are really neat. Anyway, hope you enjoy your trip and hopefully it's not too busy.

@RogueAquarium I collect and use lava rock as much as I can. The only thing I do is make sure I pull it from an area where it wouldn't have contacted any road run off or pollutants, rinse it of any debris and good to go. I would watch out and avoid pieces with extreme sharp edges. There's definitely plenty to choose out here in Oregon!

I have a group marbled hoplos in with cardinals, drapefin barbs and pencil fish. The hoplos never show any mind to the other fish and stay mostly interested in one another or rooting around in the sand. I think they would be fine with white clouds overall as long as you didn't get tiny ones to start with. Any tiny fish is taking a chance with larger catfish in the tank.

Nice work @Betsy! Thanks!

White clouds would be fine at 71°. Mine have breed and have been doing great in unheated indoor aquariums (usually 65° to 75°) and outdoor in my little ponds (40° in winter to 85° this summer). They are pretty tough little fish. I think a nice stable 71° or so and they will do well for you.

It looks like it might be pogostemon stellatus octopus. Maybe try searching that and see if it looks like what you have.

Odessa barbs are darker in color. Not alot of blue in them, but some deep reds.

Really enjoying my Nannacara anomala right now. The breeding colors of the female as she's leading around her group of fry is really impressive.

What about building up an island style scape in the center with rock/driftwood and using rizome plants like java Fern or anubius. Kind of a densely planted central pyramid rising from the substrate with open swimming space on the flanks? Or just load it with dwarf aquarium lily's. Not sure what you would be keeping in it, but it's an idea.

Credit to the inspiration