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I feed them live daphnia and black worms. They don’t touch prepared stuff. I’ll probably look into expanding that to grindal worms or vinegar eels as the fry are tiny, although I think that there are enough microfauna in the tank to support the fry for now.

I want to set up a black water tank for licorice gourami. I’d also like to keep dicrossus filamentosus/maculatus

Local collectors have a vested interest in the sustainability of the species they collect. As you mentioned, it also presents an opportunity to make a living without resorting to habitat destruction from slash and burn agriculture, logging, mining, etc. This is why I always go for wild caught...

I just got a pair of elassoma gilberti last month. I added them to a 3.5 gallon heavily planted bowl and yesterday noticed a ton of fry. I didn’t expect that to happen so soon. They are undemanding (don’t even need a heater) and the males are so beautiful in their breeding colors.

Did you add ammonia to the tank? It’s unlikely that 3 days is enough time for the fish food to have broken down and been converted to nitrate. I don’t like to cycle with food because it’s so imprecise and messy and usually takes a while. I would use something like dr tim’s ammonium chloride…With...

Looking good! I love dwarf chain loaches. They are among the liveliest fish I’ve kept- so fun to watch. I gave mine away when I re-scaped my 75 gallon last April. I wanted to keep cories but couldn’t because the chain loaches would outcompete them for food. I’m happy with my black schultzei...

The careful stewardship of the environment by local collectors is the reason why, given the choice, I always go with wild caught.

Mixing R/O with tap is a good idea, although captive bred apistos are not as fussy when it comes to water parameters. Since you plan on keeping one apisto I'd say go for the corydoras. It's true that the cories may face some aggression with a spawning pair, but a solo should work fine. I've kept...

Sublime

Did you test the water? Perhaps a fish did die and caused an ammonia spike. Another possibility is that you experienced a bacterial bloom which caused oxygen levels to plummet. Had you made any other changes like removing some gravel/decor or cleaning the filter? Either of these can cause stress...

It’s difficult to choose just 5 but as of now I’d say: Apistogramma macmasteri Corydoras hastatus Nannostomus eques Parotocinclus sp peru Boraras maculatus

I don’t do fishless cycles with fish food but I’d guess that you’re not using enough for it to cause an ammonia spike in a week and/or your tank isn’t warm enough. I’d raise the temp to 80 and give it a few more days. If you’re doing a fishless cycle, it’s easier to add pure ammonia. You can get...

Seeds

Corydoras hastatus are one of my favorites. They’re just so difficult to find. I’ve been waiting over a year to get my little guy some friends. He’s been shoaling with my green neons.

Joust

Predator

Tube

You could definitely add more of the boraras species. They’re tiny.

Airplane

No worries. I didn’t realize that I had double quoted. It seems that every time I reply to a post, the original post is duplicated. Maybe I’m doing something wrong…I’m in northern New Jersey- just outside NYC. I actually plan on visiting a shop in Queens tomorrow. I’ve seen them advertised there...

My point is that I agree with the assessment in your post. Specifically that they require soft, acidic water and high temps. And, even when this is provided they have a tendency to die before long because of genetics/hormones. Black rams aren’t so uncommon at fish stores in my area though. I see...

Not an issue because very few people do an exact volume water change every time- If, for example, you generally aim for 30%, sometimes you do 33% other times 28%. Over time, the amount of change is minuscule in either direction. If it worries you do a larger % water change (or an extra one) once...

There’s not enough evaporation going on to significantly affect a house’s structure. My houseplants surely do appreciate the added humidity though.

I don’t see a need for lids on my tanks. I think that they look better without. I’ve not had a problem with fish jumping out. I don’t use harsh chemicals for cleaning anywhere near them. I’m sure that I have to top off more frequently but my houseplants appreciate the extra humidity.

Congrats! Beautiful fish and great shot!

A dozen tiny green neons were the first school of fish to be introduced to my 75 gallon tank when I set it up over 4 and a half years ago. From the start one of the 12 had more pronounced red under its blue stripe so I called her Ruby. After a few months it became evident that Ruby wasn’t a...

No CO2 but it is dirted so there is the benefit of extra CO2 from the decomposition of organics in the soil (at least the first year or so). And yes, less light means fewer problems with algae. Pygmy chain sword has done very well for me- took a while but it did carpet.

There is a host of different botanicals that you can use- from catappa leaves to alder cones to different seed pods. If you’re in the US I recommend tannin aquatics. They’re my go-to place for my black water tank. As far as plants are concerned it depends on the amount of stain. I’ve seen some...

Possibly a costello tetra (hemigrammus hyanuary).

I love macmasteri apistos! I’ve got the gold variety.

I have 6 boraras uropthalmoides (exclamation point rasbora) and a handful of blue dream shrimp (currently with tons of babies) in a 3.5 gallon unfiltered planted bowl. It’s been set up for a year and a half.

Ferts should not affect ammonia or nitrite levels but they can push up nitrates. So it might cause you to believe that significant cycling has been happening. Whether or not I fertilize depends on the tank. If it’s low-tech I wouldn’t bother, especially if plants are new. They may not look so...

If the water you are using has parameters not radically different from that which you are removing I wouldn’t be too concerned. If it’s very different, it could definitely impact the fish’s well being. For example, say water changes haven’t been done on a tank for a very long time and tds has...

That should work as long as your water has medium hardness. Some of these like it a bit harder and some a bit softer but they are pretty adaptable. I would recommend adding a couple more cories as they like being in groups. One caveat is that you may get a dwarf gourami that can be aggressive...

Im not sure what you mean by 80ml of CO2. You want to aim for 20-25 mg/l. You can figure out CO2 concentration by measuring ph and kh of your tank and finding corresponding value on an online chart. I’d start with a slower rate (maybe 1 bubble per 2 sec) and observe the growth of the HC (and...

Crypts can grow extensive root systems. I usually tug a bit at the pantlets until some of the roots are exposed and I cut the connection making sure that the baby has some roots of its own. As for the anubias, you can tie it to something with thread or bind it with super glue.

Dwarf baby tears will do great in Amazonia. Your looking for at least 60 PAR. Without CO2 injection you're not going to get good growth and the more light, the more algae you will probably face. With CO2 it's not so difficult to grow. Keep it trimmed as you do not want the upper growth to shade...