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Numbers of shrimp should increase with time assuming favorable condition's ,to where a single betta wouldn't be able to do much in the way of reducing the shrimp population. IMHO Perhaps a small honey Gourami might be something to consider .Most fishes will view tiny shrimps as food/snacks, but...

Cross between Blue platy and Red wag platy , and or possibly Red Swordtail in the mix.

Maybe shell dweller cichlids would be a species for consideration for Harder water?.

These older eye's can't even hardly see Aphids.:rolleyes:

Lost 12 yr old Polleni Cichlid that tank was built with only it in mind, and I miss the interaction over the year's.Like smaller fishes,Larger fishes,but seldom fret much over how old they might get.Care remains same/same. Is a good sign when species exceed projected,or listed lifespans.No?

I normally try and source medicated foods for new fishes to help clear possible parasites/ worms.Other than that,I just quarantine and observe till I can't stand it no more and plop them in display tank.

Were it me,I would feed the fish as usual day before you leave, and then perform a 50% water change and hour after they have eaten. Turn lights off over the tank for the four days you will be gone. Plant's and fishes will be fine for a few days. When I returned, I would perform water change,dose...

One fish,Two Fish,Red Fish,Blue Fish ? Ha! Ha! I find it easier to count them when feeding while the majority are near the surface after the flake I offer. I have some Plecos I rarely see unless I drop some sinking pellet near one end of the tank. They are programmed to visit this area soon...

I'm not big on medication's and seldom if ever use them. I am big on buying live stock best suited for the water I can most easily reproduce, which comes from my tap and is fairly hard 12DGH I tend to keep fishes that do better in hard water than soft such as gourami prefer. Could be as...

If water in tank test's Zero for ammonia and nitrites all day/everyday, I might suspect that ammonia burn from what you have shared could be contributer to overall health or lack thereof. If Gourami is recent addition,might also consider that a good portion of imported Dwarf gourami (Colisa...

Oto's would be last fishes I placed in the tank with hopes that nice biofilm or soft algae of some kind might be available in more mature tank/substrate's/hardscape. No fewer than fifteen cardinal's were it me,and assuming softer water?

Always amused how quickly this topic which comes up frequently quickly becomes soap box for all thing's philosophical.. Believe as other's have stated ,,that providing for our pet's as best we can,is about all there is and should be primary concern in this particular hobby. Plenty of room for...

As mentioned,,keep offering the spirulina tabs ever so often in addition to other food's. Or keep the spirulina tabs for the shrimp ,and offer other foods to the Discus.. If Discus won't eat the spirulina in tab form, then food such as the spirulina brine shrimp mentioned may be more to their...

New Life spectrum pellets come in various sizes for fishes and these would be something I added to the menu for juvie to adult fishes. If fish are Adult's,I might also look at Fluval bug bites targeted for various species. Hikari or SanFrancisco Bay also makes frozen cubes of Spirulina Brine...

Discus I have kept were fed various foods. Some they were more fond of than other's to be sure. I also noted that once the fishes had quickly grabbed food's I offered, that they would then forage along the substrate for maybe half hour. Colour's seemed to coincide with good water quality,wide...

I tend to keep fishes that can thrive in the water I can most easily reproduce (tap) . My water is fairly hard so I keep fishes that thrive in more alkaline condition's. I have in the past created softer condition's/water, but it was/is more of a pain than I care for in my senior year's. Only...

My apologies to OP with regards to breeding habit's of the Betta simplex I was reminded of a post not so long ago on another forum where the person wondered if her male betta which was quite swollen was egg bound.

Male Bettas do not hold eggs. Would be good to know water parameter's. Descriptions such as fine,good,normal, have little meaning with respect to fishes health. You want ZERO for ammonia and Nitrites, and nitrates around 10 to 20 ppm. Temps on the warm side. I would see if the every couple days...

Plus one^ photo above is Panaque clown pleco. Disturbingly secretive fish.

I raise and trade longfinned albino bristlenose and have noted that often the males will have larger head than the females even when quite young. The females may have no bristles, or as has been mentioned, have bristles around the upper lip but not high on the forehead like the males. They can...

Sometimes new blood (fishes) needed to help improve gene pool especially if sibling's are allowed to breed with siblings over extended time ( month's/years). I currently have hi fin platy's and blue platy's and find the best growth for juveniles to be with several small feeding's a day with...

Yes, Variety is good. Recently discovered a new (to me) fish food for plecos I raise/trade from Fluval, called .. "Bug Bites" Pleco formula. Livebearer's also seem to love it as well as cory's,shrimps,snails.

Would want some pellet food with vegetable matter for the oto's,SAE,amanos,nerites, New life spectrum pellet for small fish would fit the bill and the cory's would also eat it . Spriulina Brine shrimp (frozen),and quality flake food for the other's fishes maybe?

I was told By a fellow that called himself coryologist, that shallow water was easier for the cory's to get back in forth to the surface while the organ that allows them to expel and gulp air develops further at such a young age. Just sayin

Me thinks there is not a whole lot about glass box of water that mimics nature from fish perspective. In the wild fishes can move from warmer water to deeper cooler water, or up or down stream for several kilometer's till they find comfortable condition's. . Are not tides or rain's or current's...

I would ask the LFS if he would hold the next shipment of fishes for a week with a small deposit from you/me. This way, maybe the fishes that are weak or sickly will exhibit symptom's in HIs tank rather than yours/mine. 50 % weekly water changes have been the norm for me for a few decades. Some...

As do the juvenile German blue ram's ,or so it seemed to me.(drab/grey)

I agree completely. Stores here have no interest in taking back fishes or adopting fishes that become too aggressive/large. They will not waste tank space for quarantine that they could use for other fishes arriving weekly ,nor do they have an interest in spending $$ to medicate fishes that may...

Yes,dwarf cichlids may only defend a few centimeter's during spawning. African's are similar with maybe only a single rock or cave. Larger South American cichlids are a different matter,they may control half the foot print of the tank when in breeding/spawning mode.

The fishes mentioned in OP's post won't have to get big before they become problematic. They become sexually mature long before full growth is reached.(around 4 months) Is at this time that tank dynamics will get interesting. My money is on the Honduran red point's letting everybody else know...

Five of the keyholes or rainbow cichlids (not both), would work me thinks. Neither are noted for nor display any serious aggression from my experiences with them. Agree with one male to several females of species mentioned, but hard to sex them as juveniles that are often sold very small.

Just need smaller fish such as dwarf cichlids. Keyhole cichlids,Rainbow cichlids,apisto's, come to mind.

Are the fish adult's? Would be crowded affair if they are all adult size IMHO 50 yrs at keeping the fishes. =

Beautiful Discus^

Have used tilapia bit's and Krill (crustaceans) as supplement food for larger south American cichlids along with chopped earthworm's (from non insecticide area's). Fish bit's alone would not provide all nutrient's,vitamin's, that fishes need, so I also offered quality pellet foods. Flake when...

I'm in agreement that fishes can go a week without human introduced food's. Problem often is, folk's want to way overfeed before they leave for vacation or whatever ,and or way overfeed upon their return. Had very bad experience with auto feeder and juvenile Discus. Malfunction dumped too much...

High pH,hard water,a bit on the cool side, would suit the rainbow's.(Is not a factor,contributer)IMHO

Would just make sure that the dechlorinator used for treating new water at water changes was good all around conditioner. Prime (Seachem) in my view is such a conditioner. Detoxifies Chlorine,Chloramines,and Ammonia. Not all do this.

Would take the Black Ruby barb's over Tiger barb's all day for aesthetic value. Just never cared for the tiger barb's behavior the few times I tried them. Ruby barb's I have kept were not as aggressive as the Tiger Barb's toward's other fishes and the ruby barb's kept to themselves.

I believe the term "slightly hard water" or "hard water" is subjective. I have kept cardinal's in 12 dgh and pH of 7.6 from the tap, and maybe lost two out of a bakers dozen.( Not sure I would attempt them with water much harder. We may be able to keep many species in water's that are a bit out...

Well,I might try cleaning the internal media in filter every four week's and note any improvement's in overall health of the flora/fauna or worsening condition's. You say over a year ,that all rainbow's were lost due to suspected columnaris but I might consider maybe just poor stock . Columnaris...

What is temperature?(rainbows might like cooler water) Do you mean GH 12 and KH5 ? If so, is nearly identical to my water, and I keep Celebs Rainbows and Turquoise Rainbows in tap water with pH 7.6,GH 12, and KH 4 How often do you clean the filter?(I clean monthly) How often do you feed?(I feed...

Not for fishes mentioned thus far. Oto's and danios enjoy cool water with good flow. Platy's also like cooler water and flow would not bother them. Too much food .too often resulting in non zero ammonia and nitrite reading's would be bigger threat than good flow.

What did water test's indicate for ammonia,nitrites? Both of these values need to read zero and nitrates between 10 and 40 ppm. Would want water conditioner such as PRIME to use with each water change. If I did not have test kit for ammonia and nitrites,I might would perform daily small water...

Most of those lost were within three weeks of introducing them. Those that survived often did well,but early on,, those that witness this often see it as some type of sickness or disease, and begin throwing med's at the fishes which places more stress on them.(more fishes lost) If the fishes...

Would submit that soft water species will not fair as well or color up as well in more alkaline water's.(Generally) Would suggest that the effort lend's itself to either choosing more suitable species, and,or purchasing a baker's dozen of one species with expectation's of losing a few maybe 50%...

No,don't buy fishes to see what look's best, and discard or return other's? Google images of fishes that interest you, and research condition's that favor them, (ie) temp's,water chemistry,diet,etc. Hobby is full of folk's that purchase fishes for aesthetic values without much interest as to...

Yes,I think both/most species look nice in tannin stained water, but I realize most do not appreciate the look. To see comparison,one could boil some pure Sphagnum peat(no additives) in a pot, and use rendering to create tannin look usually as a result from tannin's leaching into the water...

Cardinal's may take a few day's to adapt/acclimate, but will color nicely if condition's are good. Is same for rummy nose, but they're silver sides against white or light colored background would in my view be lost, and only the crimson nose would draw attention.

I'm on board with Darrel,fishes mostly school tightly out of fear of predation by other fishes. Safety in number's, where it makes it more difficult for larger fish to single out one or two. In a suitable environment,with no fear of becoming lunch, they are likely to swim in all area's rather...

Threadfin Rainbow's might be consideration?

Against white or light colored background,I too would choose cardinal tetra's.

My best guess would be F Vittata. Maybe have a look see at www.planetcatfish.com I have one F vittata currently and looks same as the photo.

I only really ever pursued live plant's for their ability to help improve /maintain water quality for the fishes I care for. Was all plastic plant's before I began in earnest to study how best to grow the real thing. Don't believe fishes could tell between real or artificial.

Appear's to be bacterial infection/pathogen to me. By the time you/ we see this progression, it is pretty late in the game. I would want to sort out any possible water quality issues lest the cardinal tetra's begin to exhibit similar symptom's. Perhaps I am an Island ,but I would not attempt to...

Many species of pleco's but best guess from photo would be Pterygoplichthys pardalis. Could easily grow at the rate mentioned .

Bristle nose did NOT grow from two inches to six inches in a year as has been stated. (been feeding/ raising/trading them for a few year's). Are you certain it is not common pleco(s)? In any event,the Bottle trap is how I catch the long finned albino bristle nose pleco's,shrimp.cory's,loaches...

As long as it's quick.= O.K. IMHO Off with the head is quickest, but in my younger year's I placed the fish in bag 1/2 full of water and froze them. Didn't have to see any struggling that way.

Pearl Gourami and Honey gourami are said not to be prone to Iridovirus like Colisa Ialia (dwarf gourami)

Only been a few day's. Not just Discus species skittish for first week or two IME, but I realize this does not help with concern over possible injury. Once kept a group of discus in tank that was poorly placed around a corner, and each time someone suddenly entered the room from around the...

I too try and keep fishes that appreciate the water I can most easily reproduce (tap water). I much enjoy the jungle look of tanks with fishes rather than the carefully tended aquascape, but have much respect for those gifted at producing them. Large south American cichlid's and pleco's have...

Clean water is most important medicine in my view. Followed by dewormer flake food with praziquantel ? (spelling)

Threadfin Rainbow's,Celeb's rainbow's are pretty (says in a virile sort of way). Much posturing,flicking of fin's when interested in breeding with females which one should try and keep with the males IMHO. Small rainbow cichlid (forget latin name). Smaller than Keyholes and also have teeth to...

Same issue with providing retreat's for the female(s) should they not be in the mood from males advances. Sometimes more females to one male can help, but still need room and places to retire to for females or subdominant males.

Will need to treat and soften water used for water changes ahead of time if altering the water within the tank to much different than source water. Otherwise it could be tough on osmoregulatory function's of fishes therein. Much easier to select fishes that will thrive in source water than...

Labidochromis ? Perhaps one,with shoal of Celebs rainbow's or other rainbow's considering GH. Wondering if rocks are maybe contributing to GH? Or is GH same as or close to source water ? Might would not attempt soft water fishes were it me.

The apisto's and rams will do poorly in hard water over the long haul for they are decidedly soft water fishes IMHO Fully prepared now to hear from those who claim to keep them in Portland cement. African cichlid's thrive in hard alkaline water.(not so nice for community tank's except with other...

They look like Bait to me!:p

Would want as much water as possible (Dilution capability of waste) with robust filtration.

Wet Web Media.com

Yes,Is good to have advice from one who is successful and can impart their knowledge that obviously work's well.

Very nice fish. Get em eating all you can (variety), so they don't bull up and refuse anything but Blood worm's and beefheart. I managed to grow out a group of juveniles some year's back on New life spectrum pellet's,Ocean nutrition flake (High protein%), tetra bit's,spirulina brine shrimp...

A large Oscar I kept from a baby that would leap out of the tank to take earthworm's from my finger's. Not so much funny after a year and the Oscar was nearer Adult size. He who owned the finger's became a bit more apprehensive.

Tetra crisps.New life Spectrum pellet.Ocean nutrition flake,frozen cubes of Spirulina brine shrimp were favorites of the group I raised a few year's back..

Temperature ? I keep these fish between 72 and 75 degree's F. Ditto for corydoras.

I offer the nori sheet's, but trim off small section's to hang on the glass with veggie clip. Tetra's,guppies,pleco's,shrimp,go crazy for it.(especially the shrimp). Sometimes have to place some on each end of the tank ,for when the old royal pleco comes out to munch, the other's give him/her...

Are these new fish? Any chance you can find out what they were feeding on when you purchased them? Earthworm flake would be good to mix with food.IMHO I raised a group of discus some year's back, and they did not eat much of anything for first two week's after I purchased them.

New life spectrum pellet food contain's the necessary nutrient's for fish mentioned IMHO, and breaks down more slowly. Have yet to find any fishes that Won't eat it. Check the ingredient's if interested. Hikari sinking wafer's are also good food for bottom feeder's. I keep longfinned albino...

There will most certainly be a difference in TDS in tank's that have larger nutrient content than those with less %. Increased TDS can hinder reproduction of some,not all species of tropical's. As for inner defect's you mention,less weight,shorter life span's,less egg's, these can also be...

Don't know how to confirm gill flukes without gill scraping for view under microscope. I prefer to use the medicated food for med's are often much more effective if you can get the fish to eat the med laced food. Have used prazipro to treat water while raising some young store bought Discus,but...

Could be gill flukes that are irritating the fishes at times. I bought some medicated fish food from Angel'sPlus.com and normally feed new fishes this food for first couple week's after purchasing and while they are still in quarantine. Food contain's Praziquantel.

Discus is looking much better, and the small fishes will give the Discus comfort. I might just leave the tank as it is with no more fishes.

Yes, The Amano shrimp will help greatly with cleaning up food's that the fish may let fall to the substrate.(good algae eater's also) Glad to hear the discus is improving.

I would use tap to fill the tank, and try and keep temp of new water close to tank temp. I would /do, add enough dechlorinator to treat how much tank hold's, and I add this right before I start the new water entering the tank. Can try mixing a little garlic with food's that the fish won't...

+3 peppered corydoras.

I too would not get too wild about offering the beefheart and would try and get the fish interested in pellet food's along with good quality flake straight away.. I raised a group of eight young Discus a few year's back, and offered them Ocean nutrition flake,Tetra color bit's.New life...

I do not think the Discus would hurt your aquascape but it may not adapt readily to CO2 unless done very slowly over day's. If you were to back off light intensity for a few day's, then this would reduce demand from plant's and allow you to slowly increase both the light and CO2 for the Discus...

I keep Bristlenose with cherry shrimp and no issues. I have three adult bristlenose and a swarm of babies I'm growin out to trade for credit at local Mom and Pop store. Would not recommend adult bristlenose with carpet type substrate for they can uproot the carpet snuffling about for food.

+one for male GBR

Curious as to what bulb spectrum or combination thereof is being used over the tank. Handsome fishes.

I peer through the glass at the tiny baby shrimplet's no larger than the point of a straight pin, and quickly realized why I never saw many of them in my community tank's. They now have their own small tank and forage about unmolested.

I keep some small smooth river stones on the bottom of the bird bath outdoors until they become coated with algae, I then give em a quick rinse under the tap and place em in the tank for shrimps and about a dozen baby bristlenose. Also feed em dried Sushi nori hung from veggie clip and fleshy...

If it was just the one fish,then I might consider offering flake for the rasboras, and maybe break up the krill into smaller offerings for other fishes to be safe. If several fishes reacted similarly, I might wonder if something on your hands was transferred to the food/tank accidentally. Stuff...

Plus one for glowlight tetra's. They really pop under 8000K bulb.

Nitrate readings with EI would pose no harm for they are readings from the mineral salt KNO3 and are not dosed at very high levels. Nitrates as result of decaying plant matter or foods,or fish waste,are another matter in my view for they must first go through biological oxidation from ammonia to...

I doubt the fertilizers are contributing to the problem unless way over EI levels which begs the question why use more than suggested EI levels.? Water parameter's are ?? for ammonia,nitrites. Temp? /Food's? 50% weekly water change is good practice in my view,so long as new water added is not...

Tiny mouth's. One of the few fishes that would not be able to do much damage to healthy shrimp population ,or at least not as easily as many others. The males are very entertaining to watch flick their fins while posing for females. Females sorta drab.

I usually purchase three or four kinds of flake food in smaller containers(so they don't go bad as quickly,) and mix em all up in small plastic tub and store in the fridge. Cichlid crisps,Ocean nutrition,tetra flake. I do same for pellet foods for bottom feeders loaches,cory's,plecos.

Can only share my experiences. Microgeophagus Ramirezi are near fearless while protecting nesting sites and cory's are keen to invade these areas once they get the scent from the eggs or so it seemed to me. But if this is of no concern,then they can co-exist but a pair may not be able to fend...

Would keep glass tops on tank with these fish.