55Gal Goal Is Planted, Peaceful

I wasn't able to edit the above, but I meant to say that I returned the bloodfins yesterday but got the additional gouramis today.
 
Hey! Apparently Ms. Hidey does feel better with friends because I see all 5 gouramis out together! Yay! The Boss is definitely doing his  border collie thing. He's patrolling mid-water while the "sheep" are up in the floating plants. I'll have to make sure he's not bullying them and that they are not afraid. He isn't nipping at them though. He does touch them with his long fins and his nose, but he does it gently, not fast. Also, they aren't running away from him. It looks more protective, but then again, what do I know? I would love to hear some opinions from people who have kept this species before. All 5 are staying relatively near each other (and the floating plants). One gourami just nibbled a seed-thing from a plant. I wonder if they are plant eaters. I don't really care if they are. Plants are cheap enough (except for that blasted anubias).
 
Oh. Oh my. Apparently the flame tetras really like the hornwort. I mean, REALLY like it. There's, ah, a lot of activity in one of the batches right now. Um ... subject change...
 
I am not planning on using co2. I know that many do, but frankly, it scares me. I read that it can kill the fish at night if it is done incorrectly and I just do not feel competent to attempt it. I am open to liquid carbon though. A lfs employee said he has used it for years and swears by it. Anyone else have experience with it? I'll look it up as well, but if anyone has actual experience, I would love to hear it.
 
I'm also going to have to look up how to make sure I don't get anaerobic spots in the sand. It is easy with gravel to vacuum, but I am worrying about the sand. I've read that a certain kind of snail is what some people use but I already have pond snails by accident and I just can't imagine introducing any others on purpose.

Well, I guess the hornwort can stay. The pearls are using it for cover and nibbling on it, and the flames are using it for breeding activity. At least I think that's what's happening. Either that or the females keep fighting with the males. This behavior started after i put in the hornwort and did a water change. I'll have to look it up.

 

I've never really tried my hand at tetras BUT I will say that celestial pearl danios are my favorite of the schooling fish. As eaglesaquarium said, bristle nose plecos are perfect for medium sized tanks and really help out with the algae. As far as special foods for them go, I feed mine frozen slices of cucumber and zucchini as well as algae wafers. Sometimes I have trouble getting the food to him because of all the African cichlids but once he claims his slice the cichlids usually leave him be  

Hi Demeter32! I actually have the pearl gouramis, not danios, but I do love the celestial pearl danios. I looked into those as well as the emerald rasbora but I read that they prefer harder water than what I have, so I was unable to get them. Regarding the pleco, I'm afraid I went with my heart rather than my head and got 2 tiny stiphodon atropurpureus (blue neon gobies) for algae eaters. They really don't do much for the visible algae but eat the stuff you don't see. They do like algae that I grow on rocks specifically to feed them. They also enjoy algae pellets, but as far as the algae that accumulates on the sides of the tank, I have to scrape it off. They are no help there. Well, maybe they are a little, but if so, not much. I don't care though. They are worth it. I adore them.
 
The hornwort clogged up my filter. And I washed it multiple times before I put it in the tank too! Those blasted leaves just fall off and fall off. I did read that after a bit, they stop falling off and become less of a hassle. I sure hope this is true, because the fish enjoy it. Taking the filter apart was NOT something the pearl gouramis approved of AT ALL. What I read about them is true, they are skittish. But of course, they are also new to the tank, so maybe after a while they will get used to the way things work in their new home.
 
I wonder if they will maintain their current lovely relationships with each other. I read that when they mature, the males can become more aggressive. Right now, the only one that is showing male features is very peaceful. I would love for it to stay this way. I wonder if any of the others are male. I wonder how old they are and when they will show clear signs of being male or female.

Lots of plants will 'melt' when first introduced to a new water environment.  

And yes, pearls are skittish at first, but then they claim the tank as their own and start to push fish away from 'their' space.
 
 
In my own case, the male became dominant in the tank much sooner than the female.  She took about another 2-3 weeks to fully settle in, and still has her little corner of the tank where she hangs out the most... under cover away from the fray.

Here's a couple of photos of the pearls. The one with the crimped fin is Ms. Hidey. Please excuse the blurriness (which is caused by my lousy camera phone) and cloudiness (which was from debris getting kicked up from a water change and mini-reorg of some plants).
 

I'm also attaching one of the adorable stiphodons. LOVE them!
I believe they are both female because the males are black with blue. One of my females gets darker sometimes (as she is in the photo) and at other times, she is a lighter brown like the other one. I am not sure what causes the color changing, but I have noticed the darker one is also a bit more aggressive than the lighter one. Nothing out of control, just a bit of "this is MY rock and you need to move!" Very often though, they sit next to each other like they are in this photo.

We went to the aquarium yesterday and saw some BIG fish!

BeckyCats said:

We went to the aquarium yesterday and saw some BIG fish!

Click to expand...

I've been wanting to go to my local aquarium as well... just imagine the difficulty of water changes...

Your tank has really come along nicely The plants look great and the fish look so happy. 

Thank you so much!

I've been stressing about the blasted hornwort. I had to get rid of it before I had an aneurism. Its little needles kept clogging my filter.

I'm also concerned about lighting now that there are five banana plant leaves at the top, creating more shade. Well, I'll find out what doesn't like shade I suppose. I did move one plant already and may need to move another, but if I end up getting a few more floating plants for the pearls then there's no point in moving stuff anyway.

Speaking of the pearls, I just LOVE them. As is the case with all iridescent fish, photos just don't do them justice.

Updated tank pics.

And some residents...
I don't have many of the flame tetras. Their photos are all blurry. The best ones are actually when they photo-bombed other fish. They are funny fish. They are the nosy neighbors of the group. Always have to be in everybody's business, seeing what's going on. They don't hurt anyone though. They're just curious.

In the pic of the sorriest assassin snail ever, note the pond snail actually hitching a ride on his shell. You can also see another pond snail right in front of the assassin, but he simply cruised right over him without so much as a nibble. I'm beginning to think he might be just pretending to be an assassin snail. Or maybe he's decided that he's a vegetarian. I told him it's okay. I still love him, even if he's a terrible hunter that lets his prey hitch rides on his back.

The gouramis have really colored up nicely I have been thinking of getting myself a few assassins for my 10gal planted betta tank next time I come across them at the pet store. I hear that they dig quite a bit and would like to have them free any gas pockets in the substrate while they take care of the snail population. Do you ever notice your assassins digging around? I would feel more confident in buying some assassins if I knew for sure that they will both eat the other snails and take care of the gas pockets 

I only have the one because I read about someone having an infestation of them. The pictures of that person's gravel covered with little black and yellow shells was enough to convince me that one was fine. Although, I only saw that in one source, so I am probably being paranoid. I originally got him for my 10 gallon tank (which now houses a Betta) but I moved the assassin because I added a bit of aquarium salt to the water to help the Betta with a problem I bought him with. I wasn't sure if the salt would harm Snaily, so I moved him to the big tank. In both tanks, he buries himself regularly. The 10g has gravel and the 55g has sand, and he burrows into both with no problem. The pond snails burrow as well. The gas pockets are something I am also worried about. I stirred the sand every so often at first, but I read that just pushes water and detritus down into the sand to create the very pockets I want to avoid. Plus, now I have all these plant roots in the sand that don't appreciate being stirred. I am hoping that because my sand is relatively shallow and with the snails and plant roots all digging away, that I won't have any problems with it. I've read this is fine, but you never know how reliable some sources are.

As far as the assassin eating snails, I've never seen it. I have only seen him swerve around them, crawl right over them without harming them, and then this indignity of giving one a ride. Others claim theirs aren't so lazy though, so perhaps you won't get a pacifist like mine. Lol!!

Good to know about the assassin digging around That's exactly what I wanted to hear. As far as your lazy assassin, I have also heard that those snails will munch on plant material and algae so maybe your little fella is satisfied with his/her veggie diet