SIP, my big momma shrimp, mother of colonies. Establishing first colony is hard!

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Confession: I bought some new shrimp today...
I was only planning to get fish food, I swear, but he had so many new and interesting fish in stock, including many I hadn't seen before, and a really beautiful betta. Then I looked at the shrimp tanks, and there were still two tiny blue diamond neocaridina in there, babies really. I asked how many blue shrimp he had left and how much they were, and he said there were none left, he'd bagged the last of them yesterday. I said he'd better check again, because I'd seen two of em, lol.

Since they were tiny, I could have them for £1.50 each. He bagged the two and said that was it, I said "I bet if you turn the sponge filter around, you'll find at least one more." Sure enough, number three goes in the bag. He's combing the tank, checking the rocks and taking them out, then he says there's a really teeny one in the sand, and he throws that one in for free. So I have four new blue diamond shrimp babies for £4.50

Plus a few new plants, including some vallis.

 

[mbsqw1d]

Nicely done - "you don't ask, you don't get"

If you want any anacharis let me know, its taking over the house haha

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Nicely done - "you don't ask, you don't get"

If you want any anacharis let me know, its taking over the house haha

Which one is anachris again? I'd love to do a plant trade sometime! Trying to propagate mine some more. I gotta go move my guppies out while I drip acclimate the shrimp, but will be back later! I want the tiny new shrimp to find hiding places before guppies go back in the tank, or the guppies will think they're daphnia and eat them if I just put them in

 

[mbsqw1d]

Which one is anachris again? I'd love to do a plant trade sometime! Trying to propagate mine some more. I gotta go move my guppies out while I drip acclimate the shrimp, but will be back later! I want the tiny new shrimp to find hiding places before guppies go back in the tank, or the guppies will think they're daphnia and eat them if I just put them in

Good luck dude

 

[Essjay]

Which one is anachris again?

It's elodea.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Blue shrimp drip acclimating. One of them wouldn't cooperate and sit with his buddies for a photo op, but you can see the teeny tiny baby, and the others are still not adult size either, even though they look huge compared to the tiny one.

New plants! Any help with identifying them much appreciated! I know the one on the right is vallis, and I think the one on the left might be dwarf sag? But not sure,and even more unsure about the middle two. Have close up photos of each if wanted.

Guppies and some of my plants have been moved to this temporary set up. Only in here while I move tanks around and get them set up again. I'd forgotten how annoying it is to try to catch every single tiny fry out of a well planted tank... good thing I'm tearing the tank down anyway! I have nine adults, about 15 large fry/sub-adults that aren't quite ready to go to the LFS, and many many small fry, including ones born yesterday. Every time I think I've caught them all, another appears in the original tank from out of nowhere. Wish me luck! Lot of moving around and acclimating going on today.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

It's elodea.

Ah, I'm fine for elodea thank you, garden pond is stuffed full of it Need to pull out bucketfuls of it every summer to make some room for the poor fish! Not my favourite plant either, sorry @mbsqw1d, but I know you don't love it either! Had to take some from the pond before to help lower nitrates in my father's overstocked tank. After bleach dipping and careful observation of course. Sorry for ugly frame, had to be added after a heron discovered the pond.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Must... sleep... night y'all lovely people.

Don't judge the halfway torn down tank, just logging my progress and moving shrimp/otos in stages so it's not too much for them. They're remarkably chill about my mucking about in there though, brave little guys. Almost touched an oto today before he finally moved. They enjoyed their evening meal peacefully without being mobbed by guppies, which was really nice to watch, and has made me reconsider tank plans again... Will have more of a think on it another time because for now, I must abed.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

@mbsqw1d , I'm not sure if you're seriously thinking about adding otos to your tank, but in case you are, wanted to share this very illuminating article I just read by Dr. Michael Hardman about them https://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/features/keeping-otocinclus-catfish-in-the-aquarium/

I was looking to identify which sub species I have, and this is helpful, and it also talks about the hard time otos have with being imported and how to select healthier specimens. But the bit that surprised me was;

"Copycats

In South America, Otocinclus are usually found in low diversity streams in which characins such as Astyanax cruise the open water and Crenicichla lurk in the shadows. Four of the southern species are often found among or near to similarly patterned corydoradine catfishes, and several scientists suspect they are involved in mimetic relationships.

Otocinclus affinis is paired with Corydoras nattereri and Scleromystax prionotus, (O. flexilis) with C. paleatus, O. mimulus with C. diphyes and O. xakriaba with juvenile C. garbei."

C. paleatus! I know you were worried about if they would be okay with your cories. Turns out that they may even feel safer with your cories around, or at least it will mimic their natural habitat even more.

Article goes on to say "If looking to add more authenticity to your aquarium biotope then add one of these mimetic pairs and watch how they interact, if at all, when a potential predator lurks."

Just something I didn't know before, but it stuck me that it might add a lovely dimension to your current stocking, even! Depending on your other fish choices, like barbs of course.

 

[seangee]

I found that to some extent they even mimic the personalities of their companions. I have some in a tank with cories and they behave a lot like cories. Others in a tank with loaches are a lot more active but also sleep and hide a lot. In the third tank they are in with CPD which are very timid and shy fish. I hardly ever see these and for a couple of months wondered if they had even survived. Sneaked in after dark one night and confirmed that are all alive, well and chubby

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

I found that to some extent they even mimic the personalities of their companions. I have some in a tank with cories and they behave a lot like cories. Others in a tank with loaches are a lot more active but also sleep and hide a lot. In the third tank they are in with CPD which are very timid and shy fish. I hardly ever see these and for a couple of months wondered if they had even survived. Sneaked in after dark one night and confirmed that are all alive, well and chubby

That's so fascinating! The more I learn about otos, the more I love the little guys. I think I need to see all of your tanks! Do you have them logged in a thread or anything here? I know I started to read one a thread about one of your newer tanks, a 100 or 120 I think? But have lost the thread. I'm thinking of CPD with the otos once their new tank is set up, but also wouldn't want to stop seeing my otos since they're pretty brave and I see them a lot right now.

I would love to see them in a tank with cories, but not possible for me with my size tanks at the moment. I love botia and want a large school of them sometime, but not yet, for the same reason I don't have cories. Which species of loach do you have them with? The guy in the fish shop yesterday was telling me about how his yoyo loaches killed his oscar which doesn't sound like typical loach behaviour from what I've read, they must have really ganged up on him.

 

[seangee]

Well if you're that bored

Back to black

Have been considering switching the substrate in the 55G community tank to black for some time (ok years), but have always balked at the effort involved. I already have "black" sand in my nano and recently used the leftover to setup this tank. I am really pleased with the look but the 2 tanks...

www.fishforums.net

Thai wonder

Added around 25 microdevario kubotai today. Gosh they sure are active compared to the CPD I have in the same room. Still fairly washed out but they are starting to colour. The sids are still half asleep although they did all come rushing out when I first added the newcomers. A few scary moments...

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Lake Inle Nano

Starting tomorrow when I collect my Fluval Flex (57l or 15G US) Ths won't be a "strict" biotype because at the moment I am planning to stock with celestichthys margaritatus (CPD) which are from nearby. I observed these in my LFS and they seem a lot less shy than c. erythromicron which do come...

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Office Space

Ok I confess I was going to call the thread #4 but decided at the last minute that was a bit boring. Sign of the times that shipping cost almost as much as the tank :rolleyes: Pallet arrived this morning and here is the new Clearseal 36x12x12" waiting to be painted. Initially I will just be...

www.fishforums.net

 

[Byron]

I have come across the Corydoras/Otocinclus mimic information previously, but I have so far not found a phylogenetic study that would determine just how closely related these two genera may be, unless I did and have forgotten. Will try to remember to take a search.

 

[mbsqw1d]

@mbsqw1d , I'm not sure if you're seriously thinking about adding otos to your tank, but in case you are, wanted to share this very illuminating article I just read by Dr. Michael Hardman about them https://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/features/keeping-otocinclus-catfish-in-the-aquarium/

I was looking to identify which sub species I have, and this is helpful, and it also talks about the hard time otos have with being imported and how to select healthier specimens. But the bit that surprised me was;

"Copycats

In South America, Otocinclus are usually found in low diversity streams in which characins such as Astyanax cruise the open water and Crenicichla lurk in the shadows. Four of the southern species are often found among or near to similarly patterned corydoradine catfishes, and several scientists suspect they are involved in mimetic relationships.

Otocinclus affinis is paired with Corydoras nattereri and Scleromystax prionotus, (O. flexilis) with C. paleatus, O. mimulus with C. diphyes and O. xakriaba with juvenile C. garbei."

C. paleatus! I know you were worried about if they would be okay with your cories. Turns out that they may even feel safer with your cories around, or at least it will mimic their natural habitat even more.

Article goes on to say "If looking to add more authenticity to your aquarium biotope then add one of these mimetic pairs and watch how they interact, if at all, when a potential predator lurks."

Just something I didn't know before, but it stuck me that it might add a lovely dimension to your current stocking, even! Depending on your other fish choices, like barbs of course.

Enjoyed the article - had no idea I'd be getting Otos lol but I'd be doing a disservice to their long lost cousins if I don't! Hopefully I can identify them as O. flexilis when I do.

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

I have come across the Corydoras/Otocinclus mimic information previously, but I have so far not found a phylogenetic study that would determine just how closely related these two genera may be, unless I did and have forgotten. Will try to remember to take a search.

The article I linked https://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/features/keeping-otocinclus-catfish-in-the-aquarium/
Might be a good starting point. I'd love to track down some of the doctors research, since he was observing ottos and cories in the wild (even if that wasn't the topic they were directly studying).

The article also helps with ID-ing ottos. Having looked at that and studied mine, I have at least two, maybe three sub-species of otos. Trying to to get clear photos of them all, but they're not all going to line up for me at the same time, and it's luck of the draw if they're sitting in a way that I can get a good look at their body line and tail markings together. Once I empty the tank of plants, it might help. If not, I'll put them one by one into a clear container and get some photos when I catch and move them into their new home.