Hello from California

[Otto]

Hi all - I first started keeping fish in 2003 and had ten tanks for the next ten years. Then I retired. I wanted to travel and planned trips that would be a month or two long. Because there was no-one I felt right asking to handle ten tanks for that long, I gave them all up to other fish keepers. I did keep one ten gallon with samples of all my plants and red ramshorn snails and that was all I had until this year when I realized I wanted fish again.

So I now have this redone ten gallon with 8 ember tetras, 8 kubotai, and 1 honey gourami. Some kind of crypt, tiger val, and a banana plant plus frog bit that I plan to replace with a red root floater. It's been up for about two months. I was able to stock it immediately because I had a completely cycled HOB filter. 

I also have this 40 gallon breeder. It contains 6 pearl gouramis and 12 neon yellow galaxy platys. This picture is from mid-May and it is much more grown in now - in fact it needs a trim. Giant hair grass, dwarf hair grass, two kind of ludwigia, pennywort, dwarf sagittaria, Christmas moss, Pogostemon Stellatus, Windelov's fern, Brazilian frogbit, and another banana plant.

[Guppysnail]

Lovely tanks. I’m a no trim Jungle kinda gal. I love the 40. 

[Shadow]

On 8/2/2023 at 8:20 PM, Guppysnail said:

Lovely tanks. I’m a no trim Jungle kinda gal. I love the 40. 

Well I am a no trim kinda guy so I guess we all 3 get along...welcome aboard!! Love the tanks!! 

[Otto]

Thank you all. The first version of the ten gallon was my saved plant tank which was crammed with plants. I put the tetras, kubotai, and gourami in it because I liked seeing them in the jungle. But after awhile it seemed to me that they weren't interacting very much and I thought they didn't have enough swimming room, so I redid it to the way it looks in the picture. And now they're way more active and interactive. But I do love  jungle look, it's true. I also have a 5 gallon with 6 chili rasboras but haven't taken any pictures yet. 

[Flipper]

@Otto

I'm getting in here kind of late, but I'm seriously considering ember tetras for my new tank.  What is your experience with them?  Are they healthy?  I have a new 15 gallon and want something small and pretty.  😀

[Otto]

On 8/24/2023 at 4:53 PM, Flipper said:

@Otto

I'm getting in here kind of late, but I'm seriously considering ember tetras for my new tank.  What is your experience with them?  Are they healthy?  I have a new 15 gallon and want something small and pretty.  😀

I love them. They're pretty and very active as are the kubotais. And, yes, they're healthy. I got them from the best LFS in my city. When I first put them in the tank it was extremely overgrown with plants. Although I liked that look, I didn't see much of the fish nor were they very active. Once I redid the tank to the way it looks in the picture, they became much more active, so I think they need open swimming space where they can see each other to get the most out of enjoying them. I can recommend either embers or kubotais. 

[Flipper]

I'm sold.  I'm going to get some of those when my tank is cycled. Probably the ember tetras.  I can't wait!