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Hi all, <"Ancistrus claro"> would be ideal, unfortunately they are virtually unobtainable now. cheers Darrel

Hi all, That is really interesting. I've seen reports of them breeding, but always in very soft water, so I was expecting the same as @Wookii. It is a lovely tank. cheers Darrel

Hi all, Brilliant, what are the water parameters like (particularly how soft is the water?) cheers Darrel

Hi all, Nice fish. We have had members in the past <"who kept them">, and have had some jumping issues. They are also a Rio Negro basin black water fish, so you would need a cover, a large tank and very soft water. cheers Darrel

Hi all, Mike Wise says "check humeral spot: more oval w/blue spangles mostly along the edges = male , ore round w/blue spangles also in the interior = female", so that would probably suggest two females. cheers Darrel

Hi all, I like that very understated, it is a <"bit like saying Lionel Messi is quite good at football">. He is @Silurus on PlanetCatfish, when not at work. cheers Darrel

Hi all, @Steve Buce has <"bred them">. I'll add him in. My guess is that hard water is the most important factor. cheers Darrel

Hi all, @louis_last <"The Aquatic Store"> in Bristol have Dario "hysiginon" Black Tiger, this is what the owner (Nick Cox) said in answer to the gender question: cheers Darrel

Hi all, That was my reason for guessing C. napoensis or C. elegans. There are <"plenty of threads"> on PlanetCatfish about trying to identify these <"Line 5" Corydoras spp."> In the <"Cat-eLog entry for C. elegans"> it says: cheers Darrel

Hi all, <"I think it is"> as well. They are difficult to ID to species, but C. elegans or C. napoensis, would be near. cheers Darrel

Hi all, I know <"every-one is going to differ">, but I have different method for stocking density, it just goes: If you can? <"You have too many"> (or not enough plants for that stocking density). The advantage of the "understocked" approach is that you have some built in spare filtration...

Hi all, Yes, they don't really behave like a Tetra. I've only seen singletons (and all male), but if I was somewhere where there were a few more I'd be very tempted, despite what I just said about blackwater fish. We have an inactive member (@bogman) who bred them, which is <"a really unusual...

Hi all, Our <"rainwater is never very soft">, so I don't keep any real "blackwater fish" now. It is OK for maintenance, but not for them to spawn successfully. Certainly helps, Oak leaves should lower pH. cheers Darrel

Hi all, Yes, they come in with wild collected fish, you also occasionally get Apistogramma iniridae and Poecilocharax weitzmani as well. Problem is that you usually only get one at a time. More difficult I think, they need really soft water. I kept them a long time ago and I never got them to...

Hi all, My guess is that if the water stands over the leaves and sphagnum it will pick up enough ions to be suitable for the fish. Do you have a conductivity meter? That would give you a good idea, and I'd aim for about 50 microS (30 ppm TDS). cheers Darrel

Hi all, That is useful to know. I hadn't really considered "egg toughness". cheers Darrel

Hi all, You can occasionally pick up Dicrossus filamentosus, they come in as by-catch with Cardinal Tetra etc. If you ask around shops locally they may be willing to retain any that come in that way for you. Dicrossus maculatus would be more problematic, I got mine from "Rare Aquatics", who...

Hi all, Cherry Shrimps and Ramshorn snails won't eat the eggs. They are both actually used as egg janitors with Corydoras eggs etc. Assassin Snails definitely will, and my guess is that Amano shrimps will as well. You definitely need a sponge on the filter intake, and ideally quite a chunky...

Hi all, Welcome @Samala. cheers Darrel

Hi all, I've not kept these, but I would guess you need to get the water very soft and acidic, too soft for either your shrimps or snails. Alder cones might be better than Rooibos and I'd get a microworm culture, they will definitely condition the fish. cheers Darrel

Hi all, Thank you. I maybe able to get them locally via MA then. cheers Darrel

Hi all, The coloured form is technically "oligomelanic"or "xanthic"and the wild form is "type", but they are both Trichogaster chuna. I've never actually seen a live non-golden one, I'd buy wild type if I could find them, but I'm not personally as keen on <"the xanthic morph">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, They are a <"good fish to try">, they aren't difficult and you can rehome the juvenile fish without too many problems. I'm not being funny, but you need a much bigger tank. You don't have to listen to any of the posters on this thread, but I can tell you unequivocally that it isn't...

Hi all, <"TA aquaculture"> had some Dario dario in recently. I asked Tim Addis whether any of them were female but his reply was fairly non-commital on the grounds that they were sub-adult, so my guess is that they are all male. cheers Darrel

Hi all, <"No, not even one">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, Probably A. baenschi or A. panduro. I've had them in the past with Black-Neon Tetra (Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi), I started using the Tetras as dithers and I decided to have a swap, but I still had a few tetras left. I probably wouldn't recommend it, they are definitely not a very...

Hi all, Yes assuming I go down the route of some new dwarf cichlids (and I'm pretty sure I will eventually) I will definitely use N. eques as their dither. I'll keep the C. callolepis that I have until they all eventually wander off to the great fishy heaven, but I won't keep them again...

Hi all, I've kept a couple of different Copella sp. as loose harems. These were <"Copella arnoldi">, and I still have <"Copella callolepis"> (and their still spawning), but I've only have one surviving fry (now 3/4 adult size). They aren't strictly Pencilfish, but they are <"the same...

Hi all, I keep <"a separate planted tank">, it is the same as all the other tanks, it just doesn't have any permanent residents. cheers Darrel

Hi all, It is going to sound a bit of a strange question, but does it matter? I've only used Eheim Liberty HOBs, but they would just be able to swim in and out via the outflow? It is actually quite a common question on Plec. keeping forums, "Why does my Ancistrus/Panaque etc spend all night...

Hi all, At work we get Bristol Water, but the Chew Valley Lakes supply, and at home we get Wessex Water, abstracted from a deep limestone aquifer. They are both hard supplies, and pretty good quality. The Wessex Water shows very little variation between seasons, the Bristol Water water is...

Hi all, <"Corydoras panda">? It is one of the easiest to breed (and in harder water), not too big and pretty shrimp safe. cheers Darrel

Hi all, No, <"I just means loads of plants">, normally I don't have much algae, but in terms of the fish it doesn't really matter <"what the plants are">, you just need <"a thick mass of them">. I'm a fan of <"leaf litter"> as well. Have a look at the last couple of pages of <"Windswept...

Hi all, You can try <"that one">, it doesn't contain nitrogen etc. so it isn't ideal. You would need to transfer the fry to a small container (<"usually floated in the tank">) with a a small amount of water in it add a snail and some moss, floating plants or hornwort etc. and then feed the...

Hi all, There are a few sellers of "Paramecium" Ebay. They are a bit of work to keep the cultures going long term, mainly because of contamination issues. <"Vinegar Eels"> (Turbatrix aceti) are a very low maintenance alternative, although even they are too big for newly hatched Trichopsis...

Hi all, It might be a burst blood vessel. I had a Black Neon Tetra where it happened and it was very sudden (I was watching them at the time) and shortly after that, unfortunately, fatal. cheers Darrel

Hi all, They are unsuitable for an open top, even with the water level dropped. They get very excited when they get a food they like (Mosquito larvae, Fruit-flies) and <"will jump as soon as the aquarium lid is off">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, Same for me, rainwater seems a hassle compared to turning the tap on <"but it has numerous advantages">. A lot of <"serious aquarists use it">, it just doesn't get much publicity. cheers Darrel

Hi all, It obviously depends on the plants what their optimal growth temperatures are, but I don't think that 25oC is unreasonable as temperature where most of the plants, that we grow, are going to be near their optimum growth rate. Increasing temperature is very relevant to all dissolved...

Hi all, I'm pretty sure they are OK with Neolamprologus multifasciatus. I'd definitely keep all Tanganyikan Cichlids in tanks with very efficient biological filtration. You can use floating plants, <"sub-surface floaters"> and plants like Vallisneria etc protected by rounded cobbles. I'm...

Hi all, You need to have a chat with @Tim Harrison. cheers Darrel

Hi all, <"Small Corydoras"> spp.? cheers Darrel

Hi all, I'd definitely try one of <"Micro/Banana/Walter worms">. The cultures are very low maintenance, and <"the fish really like them">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, They are, but when the <"fry get a bit bigger">. That one is the famous Cyclops, you can see its single eye. cheers Darrel

Hi all, I think live food is very relevant to this. The fish associate small items that move with "food". cheers Darrel

Hi all, Yours. They look absolutely chipper. @Niton's look good as well. cheers Darrel

Hi all, They look in really good condition. cheers Darrel

Hi all, Since then I've successfully sent some wild life to Denmark and to a couple of members in the UK in Kordon breathable bags, so @ScareCrow may be all right for some if they want to PM me. cheers Darrel

Hi all, <"Harka verm"> contains Levamisole HCl. They sell it for cage birds and pigeons, so it maybe easier to find locally for you. cheers Darrel

Hi all, Same as @mort: Turn the filter off, put the oven timer on for ten minutes, wipe my finger around the wall of the coleslaw pot containing the Micro worms, wait poised for the Corydoras to appear, wash the micro worms off, watch the fish feeding for a bit, forget about the oven timer...

Hi all, Yes, they should do once they are free swimming. Even Banana worms may be a bit big right at the start, but if you have some moss and leaf litter you should get some fry survival. If you have Cardinal Tetras, or similar, in the tank, they will try and eat the fry and the female may...

Hi all, As well as the Corydoras, the juvenile cichlids like them and you may find the pencil fish, even adults, will eat them too. I always keep my cultures going, even when I don't have any fish that eat them, because they cost pennies to feed and a re very low maintenance cultured on oats...

Hi all, I've found they like really small food items. Could you keep <"Micro/Banana worms?"> They won't interest the shrimps, but Corydoras pygmaeus are really keen on them. cheers Darrel

Hi all, If you look at <"PlanetCatfish"> a lot of people have found the same, without any exact resolution of why. My guess is that the unexplained deaths are a diet issue. We don't know why the leaf litter helps, but it certainly seems to. I gave up on carpets in my tanks quite early mainly...

Hi all, I'm a <"moss fan"> for fry as well. cheers Darrel

Hi all, I've <"never kept them"> but I know there are very successful <"Discus keepers with planted tanks">. I'm not sure they like it, but it is what a lot of people keep them in. People also insist that you have to feed them beef-heart and say that there aren't any <"plants where they...

Hi all, A bit of a strange question, but is it an open-topped tank? and do you have a cat? cheers Darrel

Hi all, I start with this forum. After that <"SeriouslyFish">, <"PlanetCatfish">, <"Loaches Online">, <"Parosphromenus Project"> and <"Apistogramma forum">. It is really finding posters, moderators etc who you trust. If Mike Wise, Eric Thomas or Ste Chesters etc tells me something fish...

Hi all, Just shrimp, or a single male Betta, for me too. cheers Darrel

Hi all, They are probably <"White Worms (Enchytraeus albidus)"> @Lindy got them as "by-catch" with an earthworm culture that she bought. cheers Darrel

Hi all, I think you probably could, if the bottom isn't entirely clean. cheers Darrel

Hi all, If you want to try culturing them <"they aren't difficult to keep">. I think most of the <"live Blackworms now available in the UK"> originated with the ones that Gerard @frothhelmet brought back from the USA. cheers Darrel

Hi all, I'm not sure, I get <"Springtails (and House mites)"> in the cultures as well, but they don't tend to run around. <"Sciarid flies?"> They can fly, but often don't, they are pretty speedy and they like damp compost. cheers Darrel

Hi all, They are <"very round, and not very active">. You can see them below on the dark plastic. They also smell, a sweet, minty smell, with slightly unpleasant undertones. cheers Darrel

Hi all, Do you have the Corydoras already? If you don't? You would be better off with just one type of Corydoras. Corydoras sterbai is the normally suggested with Discus (because of the water temperature), but others are probably OK as well, some-one will be able to advise @REDSTEVEO...

Hi all, I might try the <"Spirulina granule">, partially because, even with the filter turned off, the flake is going to take a while to sink to the bottom. This is the <"Loaches online">page for <"Sewellia lineolata">. I'd try "Bugbites" as well, mainly because Repashy foods seem to get a...

Hi all, I buy all the flake, and pellet foods, in "standard size", but then I use a <"pestle and mortar"> (~£15) to grind it to the size I want. I also use the pestle and mortar to reduce the rolled oats that I feed to the Grindal worms to "Ready Brek" size. They are quite hard, I usually mix...

Hi all, Next time I buy some food I'm going to try that. Traditionally I bought the <"Astax red crumb">, <"Freeze Dried Arctic Copepod"> and <"Cool Earthworm" and "Spirulina" flakes">. Last time I got the <"TA Blend No. 1">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, My Micro Worms are probably <"really Banana Worms">. I had cultures of both, but they are very similar (Banana Worms are a bit smaller) so you only really need one or the other. Banana Worms definitely increase more quickly. I've not tried Walter Worms, but I think they are very...

Hi all, There is a nutritional breakdown in <"Mike Hellweg's "Culturing Live Foods">. I have a copy and can recommend it, but unfortunately it is quite an in demand book and out of print, so 2nd hand copies are pretty pricey (although a lot cheaper now than it was in 2017). That was one of...

Hi all, I was a bit dubious, but I thought I'd give them a go. I don't get through much dry food (even when I had a lot more fish), so price point isn't ever really an issue for me. All live. Grindal and Micro/Banana worms are cheap to culture, and they appeal to nearly all fish (of...

Hi all, I think that a lot of people have always <"fed live food">, it just hasn't always had a very high profile. Live worms (Earth, Grindal, White, Black) are great food to condition Corydoras catfish etc. for breeding. Mosquito larvae do the same for a lot of more surface orientated fish...

Hi all, I probably would. Allegedly if you chase them around for a bit, before catching them, they won't self poison themselves. Should be fine. Yes, you are definitely going to need some biological filtration. cheers Darrel

Hi all, Yes I should be able to find you some. I've just failed to send some Asellus, Lumbriculus and Crangonyx to Denmark, estimated time delivery was three days, but they didn't turn up for two weeks, apparently the moss looked OK, but all the invertebrates were DOA. I'll have a look at...

Hi all, I've not tried them, they don't like soft water, but I know other members have <"cultured them successfully"> and I think you would be OK. I have <"Asellus aquaticus"> and <"Crangonyx pseudogracilis"> in all the tanks. <"Crangonyx is a preferred food item">, but Asellus will survive in...

Hi all, I've never had any fish big enough for them to be a viable option for me. My guess would be that they are pretty suitable food for bigger fish and I know they feed them to young Arowana, African Butterfly fish, Archerfish etc. cheers Darrel

Hi all, They are, I've never had any fish that would eat the beetles, and even the larvae weren't that well received. Vestigial Winged Fruit Flies (Drosophila melanogaster) are much more palatable, but a lot more work. cheers Darrel

Hi all, It maybe diet related. You could try live food, or <"Freeze dried Copepods"> etc. I've just ordered <"Fluval Bug-bites">, for when I run out of <"Astax Granules">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, No, you should be fine, there is only a tiny amount of it added to the salt as the desiccating agent, and you won't get cyanide released in alkaline conditions (it is back to most iron compounds being insoluble). cheers Darrel

Hi all, That is <"what I do">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, Should be all right. cheers Darrel

Hi all, <"Heterandria formosa">? cheers Darrel

Hi all, Brilliant, my money is on there being a few more of the little cuties as well. Corydoras panda is a fish where you often get <"surviving fry in the tank">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, Use the Panacur, it has an instant effect on Hydra. Dosing details are in the <"Hydra"> thread. Both Hydra and Trichopsis pumila like small live food, and it was <"in their tank"> where I used to have real Hydra problems. It would be useful. The fry are incredibly tiny and need "green...

Hi all, She had loads and loads of eggs, she obviously likes life with you, you must be a Cherry Shrimp whisperer, or <"Marvin Gaye"> fan? In all Shrimps, Prawns etc the fertilised eggs are retained at the top of the legs, near the gills, where the female can pump oxygen through them and remove...

Hi all, They have what is called "advanced reproduction", where the eggs hatch (from the swimmerets (pleopods)) as perfect tiny replicas of the adult shrimp, which can start feeding on the biofilm straight away. This makes them a lot easier to breed compared to shrimps with "primitive...

Hi all, The Pygmy Cories (Corydoras pygmaeus) have been getting these. They've got quite low, so I need to buy some more. I can see I got the last ones from <"A World of Fish"> on ebay, who I would <"highly recommend">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, My fish are even turning their noses up at Daphnia & Blood-worms now, because they've been on the live food (Grindal worm, Black worm, Banana Worm, Daphnia and Mosquito larvae diet since lock-down. I really need to give them some tough love now, before they have to start eating some...

Hi all, I've been thinking about buying these, do the fish like them? cheers Darrel

Hi all, I think it should be OK as well, but you would need heavy planting, ideally with <"some floating plants">. The fish you have are all small fish, so there shouldn't be an exponential increase in ammonia production as they grow. I probably wouldn't add any more Corydoras, if you add the...

Hi all, Any Tetra or Raspbora, mosquito larvae are caviar for nearly all fish. I had Black Neon Tetra, as a dither for Apistogramma cacatuoides, for a number of years and they are great mosquito larvae eaters and good "citizens". cheers Darrel

Hi all, Yes, you would need to stop the CO2 gassing off, which means minimising the gas exchange surface area. Sealed in a screw top bottle would be fine, it works for carbonated drinks and <"they have an immense amount of dissolved CO2">. Conductivity will go up, but that is mainly a...

Hi all, I should have some spare bits and bobs, if you want to go that way. I think frozen are much more likely to retain high levels of vitamins etc. I'm really surprised they don't go wild for them, it maybe the substrate is coarse enough for the Blackworms to hide in and avoid being dug up...

Hi all, It won't give you a quantitative value, but there is actually a really quick visual test you can use if you have hard (carbonate rich) tap water, like @Cat. Just run the cold tap for a little while (couple of minutes) and then draw a glass of water. Ideally you want plain glass...

Hi all, No, not really, usually you should be able to get water results for the previous year. The issue with phosphates is that there isn't a legal limit, so they don't have to measure PO4---, basically they can't be in breach of the EU limits, because there isn't one. Elevated levels of...

Hi all, The limits on faecal coliform in drinking water are <"really strict"> (and they need to be), but one knock effect of this is that any potential breach in the integrity of the water main is likely to be met by emergency chloramine dosing. Anywhere in the <"SE of England"> is likely to...

Hi all, "Prime" is a good idea. <"Your tap water"> will almost certainly have been treated with an <"emergency" chloramine dosing">. cheers Darrel

Hi all, It has to be that. My guess is that it is CO2 in the tap water. Same for me, I would be very reluctant to use a method that didn't include a standard curve for calibration. cheers Darrel

Hi all, You could try Nile Cabbage (Pistia stratiotes), it is <"widely distributed in the Amazon"> and not bothered by high temperature. The updated link for TomC's travelogue page is <"Collecting in Pebas 2008...."> They are <"very effective at nutrient removal">. (If the link stops working...

Hi all, That is my suggestion, certain fish <"just aren't safe in a tank without a lid"> unless you can lower the water level, even then in some cases (surface plants, lowered water level and lid) <"you can still lose them">. cheers Darrel