flyingcow Posted October 12, 2022 Share Posted October 12, 2022 So the 36 Gallon tank is doing pretty well downstairs, save for the loss of one of my Rams, and my mother gave me her 10 gallon tank when she upgraded to a 20 high, so... Pygmy Corys? PIGMY CORYS! I set this tank up with mesh bags of Fluval Stratum capped with ADA Colorado sand. It was stupid expensive, but dang is it purdy. After cycling and planting, 6 tiny guys came home! All 6 are settling in well. I had one that was acting very lethargic, but he seems to be coming around and is eating well. I think I'll just call him Snoozer. As usual, the stem plant I have added is already dying. I am now 1 for 5 on stem plants. The crypts seem to be settling in well, the anubias are doing their anubias thing, and this Tiger Lotus is looking AMAZING! Hopefully, as my Pink Flamingo continues to recover (fingers crossed), it will also come up to this tank. I also have some scarlet temple floating in my quarantine tank, so if this one dies, hopefully that one will develop some new roots and can go in. Stem plants hate me except for my H. compacta. I also may have gone a little overboard on filtration: I'll let you know how it looks in 2032 when I first need to clean it. 🤣 After it settles in for a while, either Chili Rasboras or Cherry shrimp will likely join the Pygmy Party. 9 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSwissAquarist Posted October 12, 2022 Share Posted October 12, 2022 On 10/12/2022 at 4:33 PM, flyingcow said: So the 36 Gallon tank is doing pretty well downstairs, save for the loss of one of my Rams, and my mother gave me her 10 gallon tank when she upgraded to a 20 high, so... Pygmy Corys? PIGMY CORYS! I set this tank up with mesh bags of Fluval Stratum capped with ADA Colorado sand. It was stupid expensive, but dang is it purdy. After cycling and planting, 6 tiny guys came home! All 6 are settling in well. I had one that was acting very lethargic, but he seems to be coming around and is eating well. I think I'll just call him Snoozer. As usual, the stem plant I have added is already dying. I am now 1 for 5 on stem plants. The crypts seem to be settling in well, the anubias are doing their anubias thing, and this Tiger Lotus is looking AMAZING! Hopefully, as my Pink Flamingo continues to recover (fingers crossed), it will also come up to this tank. I also have some scarlet temple floating in my quarantine tank, so if this one dies, hopefully that one will develop some new roots and can go in. Stem plants hate me except for my H. compacta. I also may have gone a little overboard on filtration: I'll let you know how it looks in 2032 when I first need to clean it. 🤣 After it settles in for a while, either Chili Rasboras or Cherry shrimp will likely join the Pygmy Party. Can't wait to see how this develops!!! You could add some java moss and keep this a species only setup and try and breed them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingcow Posted October 12, 2022 Author Share Posted October 12, 2022 On 10/12/2022 at 10:38 AM, TheSwissAquarist said: Can't wait to see how this develops!!! You could add some java moss and keep this a species only setup and try and breed them. That thought has been on my mind. I'm even considering low dose CO2 for a Monte Carlo or Dwarf Baby tears carpet to give them more hiding space. I have a huge chunk of Java moss downstairs, I'm sure I could split it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSwissAquarist Posted October 12, 2022 Share Posted October 12, 2022 On 10/12/2022 at 4:42 PM, flyingcow said: That thought has been on my mind. I'm even considering low dose CO2 for a Monte Carlo or Dwarf Baby tears carpet to give them more hiding space. I have a huge chunk of Java moss downstairs, I'm sure I could split it. Maybe Micro Sword? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingcow Posted October 15, 2022 Author Share Posted October 15, 2022 Got the temp transmitter up and running in this tank! Still with my ever so professional installation and enclosure. Smart plug for the heater arrives tomorrow. I think @TheSwissAquarist is right. This needs to be a species only tank. Time to plant the hell out of it. ...also time to turn the heater down a bit in it! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSwissAquarist Posted October 15, 2022 Share Posted October 15, 2022 On 10/15/2022 at 5:32 PM, flyingcow said: Got the temp transmitter up and running in this tank! Still with my ever so professional installation and enclosure. Smart plug for the heater arrives tomorrow. I think @TheSwissAquarist is right. This needs to be a species only tank. Time to plant the hell out of it. ...also time to turn the heater down a bit in it! If it’s going to be a species only tank maybe add another 2-4, they’re supposed to start schooling from 8 upwards according to a friend. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingcow Posted October 15, 2022 Author Share Posted October 15, 2022 On 10/15/2022 at 11:34 AM, TheSwissAquarist said: If it’s going to be a species only tank maybe add another 2-4, they’re supposed to start schooling from 8 upwards according to a friend. Yeah I was gonna do 3 more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSwissAquarist Posted October 15, 2022 Share Posted October 15, 2022 On 10/15/2022 at 5:35 PM, flyingcow said: Yeah I was gonna do 3 more. Keep me posted on how they do! I’ve always wanted to breed a couple! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingcow Posted October 17, 2022 Author Share Posted October 17, 2022 So I grabbed the mat of java moss out of my 36 gallon and put it in this tank since it wasn't really doing anything down there. The Pygmys LOVE it! They just keep going back to swim around in it and nibble diatoms off of it. 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSwissAquarist Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 On 10/17/2022 at 2:35 PM, flyingcow said: So I grabbed the mat of java moss out of my 36 gallon and put it in this tank since it wasn't really doing anything down there. The Pygmys LOVE it! They just keep going back to swim around in it and nibble diatoms off of it. Laugh at me if you will, but I never realized how small Pygmies get!😂 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingcow Posted October 17, 2022 Author Share Posted October 17, 2022 On 10/17/2022 at 10:11 AM, TheSwissAquarist said: Laugh at me if you will, but I never realized how small Pygmies get!😂 THEY'RE SO FREAKING TINY! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 I'm loving this! @flyingcow, what would your opinion be with doing these in a standard 5.5? I've never kept them (or seen true pygmys in person), but am intrigued! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingcow Posted October 17, 2022 Author Share Posted October 17, 2022 On 10/17/2022 at 11:19 AM, Chris said: I'm loving this! @flyingcow, what would your opinion be with doing these in a standard 5.5? I've never kept them (or seen true pygmys in person), but am intrigued! The one thing to consider is that you want a BUNCH of these little buggers. They do swim quite a bit in all levels of the tank. While they are very happy in a 10 gallon, I'm not sure I'd go smaller simply because of how many I want together. They aren't super fast swimmers, so a well planted and well filtered 5.5 might work for 6... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSwissAquarist Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 On 10/17/2022 at 5:23 PM, flyingcow said: The one thing to consider is that you want a BUNCH of these little buggers. They do swim quite a bit in all levels of the tank. While they are very happy in a 10 gallon, I'm not sure I'd go smaller simply because of how many I want together. They aren't super fast swimmers, so a well planted and well filtered 5.5 might work for 6... I agree with @flyingcow, but make sure that they have some open swimming space, because they’re quite a lively Cory. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess Posted October 17, 2022 Share Posted October 17, 2022 This tank is so cute! And the pygmy corys are...pygmy corys...what more can I say?! One of my absolute favorite fish ever. But the best part of your posts is the se PHOTOS! Here I am with my basically new iPhone 13 Mini that can't even focus on my fish 90% of the time. So frustrating. Adding a black background last week did help a little bit. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingcow Posted October 17, 2022 Author Share Posted October 17, 2022 On 10/17/2022 at 4:23 PM, Jess said: This tank is so cute! And the pygmy corys are...pygmy corys...what more can I say?! One of my absolute favorite fish ever. But the best part of your posts is the se PHOTOS! Here I am with my basically new iPhone 13 Mini that can't even focus on my fish 90% of the time. So frustrating. Adding a black background last week did help a little bit. I wish I could say this is a product of the 25 years of studying photography, but in reality, aquariums are one of those places where even an inexpensive interchangeable lens camera will beat the snot out of even the best cell phone. Also, my pygmys are well behaved! I picked up two more pygmys today (amongst umm... maybe a "few" more fish for my 36 gallon). In the bag was something else squirming... a fry! Hopefully I can keep it fed, and maybe I got a third pygmy! ...or a stowaway of another sort... I'll get some pictures when the lights come on tomorrow AM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingcow Posted October 18, 2022 Author Share Posted October 18, 2022 I'm 90% sure the the little fry is not a Cory. Hopefully I can get the little bugger fed and growing a bit. Any thoughts on what they are? The other two Pygmys assimilated immediately with the gaggle. They were all from the same store and same tank and very recently, so they were once part of the same group. Now they are back together! ...morning zoomies... 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSwissAquarist Posted October 18, 2022 Share Posted October 18, 2022 It’s looks like a livebearer of some sort. Congratulations on getting a freebie😂. Any idea on how it got there ?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingcow Posted October 18, 2022 Author Share Posted October 18, 2022 On 10/18/2022 at 10:32 AM, TheSwissAquarist said: It’s looks like a livebearer of some sort. Congratulations on getting a freebie😂. Any idea on how it got there ?? While I was at the LFS, I mistook it for a piece of aqua soil in the bag. That's probably how it slipped by. I didn't realize it was a fish until it was in the net! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSwissAquarist Posted October 18, 2022 Share Posted October 18, 2022 On 10/18/2022 at 4:34 PM, flyingcow said: While I was at the LFS, I mistook it for a piece of aqua soil in the bag. That's probably how it slipped by. I didn't realize it was a fish until it was in the net! Talk about luck! I’d say it’s a guppy/endler or a platy. What were the Pygmies being kept with? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingcow Posted October 18, 2022 Author Share Posted October 18, 2022 On 10/18/2022 at 10:35 AM, TheSwissAquarist said: Talk about luck! I’d say it’s a guppy/endler or a platy. There were endlers in nearby tanks. There might have been a few there too. hmmm.... now I have ideas.... My wife is gonna kill me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSwissAquarist Posted October 18, 2022 Share Posted October 18, 2022 On 10/18/2022 at 4:37 PM, flyingcow said: My wife is gonna kill me. Unplanned babies 😂 Just one more aquarium, pleeeeeeease?? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSwissAquarist Posted October 22, 2022 Share Posted October 22, 2022 How’s the tank going? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anjum Posted October 22, 2022 Share Posted October 22, 2022 Love this tank! I'm a big fan of the teeny tiny fish. Don't feel bad about your stem plant, that one is not one of the easier ones. For me, Pogostemon grows like gangbusters in every tank. I'd give that a try. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingcow Posted October 23, 2022 Author Share Posted October 23, 2022 On 10/22/2022 at 12:43 PM, TheSwissAquarist said: How’s the tank going? Very well! I think I had the flow on the filter set a little high for these guys. One of them would glass surf all day, and it looked like they were working against it. Once I turned it down, all 8 came out in front and took a nap. They all seem much happier now. Apologies for the very dirty glass. Need to do some touch up cleaning this afternoon. The Wee Fry Guy is still doing ok. I'm gonna go to the LFS to find some smaller food today. I introduced them frozen brine shrimp today. They have now been laying on top of it and nibbling for an hour. Food coma is clearly setting in! On 10/22/2022 at 6:45 PM, Anjum said: Love this tank! I'm a big fan of the teeny tiny fish. Don't feel bad about your stem plant, that one is not one of the easier ones. For me, Pogostemon grows like gangbusters in every tank. I'd give that a try. Yeah, I've been having problems with stems in general. But I now have a Ludwiga Repens in my other tank that doesn't seem to be dying, and in my quarantine tank, I have one Scarlet Temple stem and one Bacopa Caroliniana stem that are showing a teeny bit of new growth! So it seems like whatever deficiency was going on, I'm climbing out of the hole with good doses of fertilizer. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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