How to grow a red carpet

[sciencefiction]

Easy 😛



Joke aside, I think it's time fore a predatory fish in that tank. They breed out of proportion, lol

 

[ADA]

I'll buy a load if ya want rid

 

[sciencefiction]

I am too far away, otherwise I would give them for free by the hundreds. That's just one tank. I have them in two more. Mine are really as strong as snails for some odd reason. I reckon its because they are actually a cross between red rilis and cherries and are not so interbred. I have blue/purple ones popping out from them too, and recently saw a yellow. It's really exciting if one properly breeds for colour.

 

[Andy Thurston]

looks like you need a clown loach

 

[sciencefiction]

looks like you need a clown loach

Ha, ha. It crossed my mind.

Which one do you reckon?

This one?



Or maybe this one will fit better

 

[Andy Thurston]

nice shot of the hand feeding. mine wont since they moved last year
Mr big boy. Perhaps I could send my gang on an all inclusive holiday

I've given up trying to tie the anubias down

 

[sciencefiction]

That's a really nice gang. They are so cute when they dance. I still don't know why they do it but they seem to really enjoy it.

My other bunch started hand feeding for a while some time last year or before. Then I got too busy, stopped doing it and they lost the habit. I think with some patience it will happen again but there are months on end when I just drop food each day before I run out in the morning and don't really pay attention to the fish at all, even during a water change as I just put the siphon in most times.

And as you say, I am sure the small clown loach will copy the big guys once he joins them and will stop hand feeding though I hope not....

The anubias grows best if you put its roots(not the rhizome) in the substrate. I first have to lock it down with a stone or something until it roots but then it tends to grow really healthy. When I tie mine on wood, it's a struggle as I don't have either co2, nor do I dose anything regularly.
And if you can get the big barteri variety, it goes well with clown loaches 🙂 My clowns love "hiding" amongst it. Or so they think :

 

[Andy Thurston]

if you keep hand feeding the smaller clown the others will realise its safe and might copy the younger one, I read somewhere that this is the way to get larger clowns to hand feed

 

[sciencefiction]

if you keep hand feeding the smaller clown the others will realise its safe and might copy the younger one, I read somewhere that this is the way to get larger clowns to hand feed

This was actually the idea. That's why I started trying to hand feed the small clown loach while he's in quarantine. He turned out really friendly unlike my other bunch when I bought them. I hope he'll keep this behaviour when I move him and the rest will follow.

He was the last clown loach left in the shop while I was passing by one day for other stuff and was swimming happily amongst some sharks so he caught my eye with his "good behaviour" and I couldn't resist.
Right now the small loach is in with brave platy fry who are stuck to the front glass most of the time waiting for food and the small clown loach seems to be copying this and is out all day long. He doesn't hide at all except for "going to bed" at night just like the platies...He's very cute.
.

 

[sciencefiction]

Here's a nice red rili amongst them:


And a blue lad:

 

[sciencefiction]

Last week I put my only male platy to live the remainder of his life alone in this tank apart from his harem of females. He's not eating the shrimp....but he makes them nervous, poor things jumping like being electrocuted when he's around....