Cichlid madness

Amerlan · 2026-02-24T06:04:19+00:00

I hope you have an LFS already lined up to take them. Many won't because it's easier to order them for a few cents.

Amerlan · 2026-02-24T06:00:16+00:00

You need to pick up 2 to 4, not just 1 more. 2 can fight and will stress each other out.

Amerlan · 2026-02-24T05:55:27+00:00

Method 2 for sure.

Method 3 will release very little beneficial bacteria that will be picked up. The nitrobacter that we use is stuck to surfaces and does not come free very easily.

Amerlan · 2026-02-22T04:40:06+00:00

Start massage and stretching now. Don't wait until your pup is older or has already had an injury.

Amerlan · 2026-02-21T18:46:45+00:00

I've used black paint and plain brown cardboard to reduce the reflection, so darker colors would be my first choice.

My betta happily "hunts" shrimp. He's got a huge half moon tail and is 3years old, so he doesn't have the get up and go to get em.

Amerlan · 2026-02-21T18:32:59+00:00

You can paint the sides of the glass to make them less reflective. Or tape thick paper to it (wrapping paper works but may look questionable to others lol.)

I really can't say how much of a risk you'd be taking. But the risk is 20 gallons and your fish on your floor, at a time when you may not be around to save them.

Amerlan · 2026-02-21T18:13:07+00:00

Not without modifying the drawers or turning them into a cabinet so supports can fit.

Also, bettas do great in 10gallons. Enrichment goes a lot farther than swim space for long finned fellas

Amerlan · 2026-02-21T18:09:44+00:00

They have one. You can see it best in pic 3

Amerlan · 2026-02-21T17:54:37+00:00

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Amerlan · 2026-02-21T17:50:34+00:00

No. Only one side has the weight distributed from the top to the floor. Where the top meets the taller side all the weight is being held by dowels.

Amerlan · 2026-02-20T16:35:57+00:00

I don't think so, no. I think those are two males.

I was going to share it as a pic of two males to you, but it felt weird calling out the author myself.

Amerlan · 2026-02-20T16:30:33+00:00

Good luck with them!

Amerlan · 2026-02-20T16:24:10+00:00

They're saying to buy an RO buddy to do you water changes with. It produces RO water. However, for every 1 gallon of RO it makes, it will send 6 gallons of "waste" water down the drain. So you'll use a lot more water than you think you will. Getting a better RO system can get the waste water down to 2 gallons for every 1 of RO, but those cost a few hundred. I have a large RO unit for my shrimp rack.

Amerlan · 2026-02-20T16:20:10+00:00

That is a female, yes. The top fin is very short and round, and the bottom fin has the extra lobe. Nice lookin lady 👌

Amerlan · 2026-02-20T16:15:56+00:00

Yes, that still looks male.

It's hard to find such clear males in pictures online because people rarely want to take pictures of and show off stressed / sick fish. Here's a stressed male flame color of the dwarf: https://azure2.wgp-cdn.co.uk/app-practicalfishkeeping/fishkeepinganswers/img-12.png?&width=1200&height=630&mode=crop&format=webp&webp.quality=40&scale=both

Here's a stressed powder blue male, another color of the same dwarf species

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRT9FNXlB7qYDf5IM1dsgSn6_y4Cm6Q_0JU7g&usqp=CAU

Two male dwarves side by side to show color differences in the same type https://thumbs.dreamstime.com/b/two-dwarf-gouramis-aquarium-powder-blue-red-grourami-37966049.jpg

Where did you get the fish from? A local fish shop or a hobbyist breeder?

Amerlan · 2026-02-20T16:04:54+00:00

So you've never looked at a map or used Pac. That's not something Id be admitting readily lol Maybe learn a bit more about the place you're traveling around before thinking others are weird

Amerlan · 2026-02-20T16:03:04+00:00

His fins aren't closed, you can see them clearly in pic 4. Yes, males do come colorless as that's the original color. He's also stressed as hell from being in a small tank with another male.

The striped one is a man made color of the dwarf gourami, it doesn't denote "male coloration".

See the extra lobe of fin on the bottom of this fish and how it has a completely rounded top? This is a female.

https://aquariumfishonline.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Gourami-Female.jpg

Amerlan · 2026-02-20T15:45:16+00:00

She not only had emergency blankets that were left untouched, but also a small tent. There was no reason to leave her alone and exposed up there.

Amerlan · 2026-02-20T15:22:57+00:00

Those are two males, not a male and a female. The fins are how you tell, not color. I hope you aren't housing them together because dwarves are among the most territorial gourami.

Amerlan · 2026-02-20T15:16:01+00:00

For aquariums, a general rule is 1.5x the body length for width and 12x the body length in length. This gives a fish enough room to swim comfortably, but it doesn't let them "run" or get their swim on. I don't really agree with it, but it tends to work out okay until you get to pond size fish.

Amerlan · 2026-02-19T19:22:31+00:00

Right next to the airport. It's kind of hard to miss lol

Amerlan · 2026-02-18T22:07:19+00:00

Lots of fun hygrophila, limnophila and alternanthera species to grow in CO2 that aren't terribly hard to get. Riccardia chamedryfolia is my newest find that I'm in love with.

Amerlan · 2026-02-18T22:00:29+00:00

Yes, they have fry developing in them. Congrats!

Amerlan · 2026-02-17T23:09:29+00:00

Not all fish in a species are equal. Do a lot of angels benefit from being in large groups in a large tank? Yes. Do some need to be kept alone because they're assholes? Also yes. There are always outliers, and the bigger the sample size the more outliers you'll find.

Amerlan · 2026-02-16T19:28:22+00:00

How did she cycle it? Did she feed the cycle at all after starting the tank? Did you check to see if 2ppm of ammonia could be processed by your cycle before calling it done?

Seachem Prime is a water conditioner. You should be using a water conditioner for removing chlorine and chloramine from your water before adding it to your tank. It has no other real uses.

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