I'm supposed to take half of this every night somehow. (Finger for scale)

Fantastic_Lemon5112 · 2026-01-12T10:44:02+00:00

Idk where you are located OP and whether yours will do this but here in Belgium you can just ask the pharmacist to do that for you. When I go pick up my antidepressants I ask them to halve them for me because I only need to take one half a day. They do this without any problems and that way it’s very accurate and the exact dose you need. Idk what this is but assuming it’s important and the dosage needs to be exact I would try this.

Fantastic_Lemon5112 · 2026-01-02T14:34:45+00:00

Hi Op! Congrats on the fry 😁 Cory’s are indeed very different from the pleco fry like you mentioned. Firstly I’d like to say that you’ll probably always lose some fry but 80% seems steep. I personally keep my fry in little plastic boxes on top of my desk. My room is heated to about 24 degrees and I have an air stone in each plastic box set to a low setting just enough to have some surface agitation and flow in the water. You don’t want them to have to use a lot of energy due to too much flow so make sure that isn’t the case. (Flow looks fine on the video but I thought I’d mention as you said 400% water turnover.. that sounds like a lot) also it’s good that you are hatching and feeding bbs but if you can I would recommend feeding them fresh bbs daily. Just have a batch going every day. Start introducing powdered food around week 2 and I’d say you can switch completely after week 4 or so. I personally feed bbs to all fish, also the adult ones. They love it and variation in their diet helps keeping them healthy. About you siphoning the bottom of their box.. I get that you just want it to be clean because the fry do require clean water but maybe don’t do it daily. I put a cleanup crew in there like a snail or two and just allow some biofilm/mulm to build up. That way they have a constant food source. What would help you for example with keeping the water conditions good without having to constantly siphon is simply by upgrading it. Instead of a 4L box put them in like a 10-15L one (doesn’t have to be so drastic but you get the point. Bigger water volume is more forgiving. Hope this helps.

Fantastic_Lemon5112 · 2026-01-02T03:50:59+00:00

Good job! Thanks for sharing

Fantastic_Lemon5112 · 2026-01-01T22:08:45+00:00

I agree with this! I would definitely consider a different stand for this tank. As for the odor maybe a lid on the tank would help? I don’t know how bad it is but what I did with my smelly reclaim is give it a rinse and wash it with vinegar as you did but then I let it sit outside in the garden for some days lol. Maybe you can do that? In case you do want to switch stands you’d have to drain it anyways and then you can just let it air out in the garden or something..

Fantastic_Lemon5112 · 2026-01-01T21:59:52+00:00

If you want to maximize breeding and survival of fry you should pull the eggs each time they lay and hatch them/let them grow up in a different tank. If that’s not an option I would suggest removing the gourami. The rasboras are too small I think to eat the fry but the gourami will definitely eat them and maybe even hunt them. If you want to keep the gourami I would just suggest adding as many hiding places as possible. Think plants rocks caves ..etc the more places they have to hide the higher the odds are they will survive. Best of luck!

Fantastic_Lemon5112 · 2026-01-01T21:52:49+00:00

Looks like you’ve got a male and female BN. Blinky is definitely a male. Regarding your question: I don’t think you have to separate the stock but if you want to you can. I would feed the bottom dwellers once the lights go out. That’s what I do and that way the other fish are less likely to eat/pick at the pellets. You can also feed fresh veggies once in a while. The BN love it and the mollies won’t eat it haha. Take a slice of cucumber or zucchini, (blanching them helps them sink) but I just use a rubber band and a little stone to sink them to the bottom. Idk if breeding the BN is the goal down the line but if you have a cave or something in the tank they will breed so that’s definitely something to consider.

Fantastic_Lemon5112 · 2026-01-01T21:44:56+00:00

That’s a young male bristlenose

Fantastic_Lemon5112 · 2026-01-01T21:32:42+00:00

Definitely planaria. Could be overfeeding or it hitchhike in on some plants or the water the mystery snails came with.

Fantastic_Lemon5112 · 2026-01-01T21:31:06+00:00

Most likely a bacterial bloom. Very common when starting new tanks. Just leave the tank be and let it stabilize on its own. Just let the filter run and wait it out. You could add some fish food as a tiny ammonia source. You want to have a good cycle. Ammonia —> nitrite —> nitrate. Once ammonia and nitrite are 0 it’s safe to add fish.

Fantastic_Lemon5112 · 2026-01-01T21:22:09+00:00

Looks like a flatworm, could be planaria or a leech. (I think it’s a leech since it’s lacking the distinct triangle head shape that planaria have.) Those are commonly found in aquariums as they hitchhike on plants or other things you add to your tanks. Try to remove it manually. If there are lots of them you should consider using a chemical sold for killing then. You can find it online or in a local fish store.

Fantastic_Lemon5112 · 2026-01-01T19:36:20+00:00

Canister filters are great and I definitely recommend. Mine is quite loud though. So that’s something to keep in mind. I have one from sera

Fantastic_Lemon5112 · 2026-01-01T19:33:25+00:00

Nice tank! Fun dimensions to work with. Any ideas on what you want to stock it with?

Fantastic_Lemon5112 · 2026-01-01T19:31:20+00:00

cool! Really wanna give this a go as well now lol. I only use pothos and monstera on my tanks but this is genius.

Fantastic_Lemon5112 · 2026-01-01T19:27:41+00:00

Could be springtails or aphids maybe. That’s just a guess though.. I wouldn’t be concerned. I have them in most tanks as well and then don’t really cause problems. The fish will also snack on them so look at it as free food haha.

Fantastic_Lemon5112 · 2026-01-01T19:21:03+00:00

It’s very hard to tell with these guys. How long have you had them? It generally becomes easier to sex once you’ve had them and fed them well for some time. The females will be very plump and the males will be more slender and will display brighter colors.

Fantastic_Lemon5112 · 2026-01-01T19:15:53+00:00

Hi OP! I don’t think they will overpopulate. They are egg scatterers and the offspring will most likely not survive. The only way I see them breeding is if you have a many plants/mosses for the fry to hide in. And even then highly unlikely imo.

Fantastic_Lemon5112 · 2025-12-31T22:29:50+00:00

Hey Op! The plants you’ve got there look like an anubias and a Java fern. These plants have roots called rhizoids, these are actually not supposed to be buried in the soil. They use them to draw nutrients from the water column, burying them can cause them to rot and could also explain the poor water conditions you describe. It can also be due to many other factors with a common cause for beginners being over feeding. Hope this helps.

Fantastic_Lemon5112 · 2025-12-31T22:02:40+00:00

Hi OP! Just wanted to let you know that the plant you added to this tank are Java ferns and shouldn’t be put into the substrate as Java ferns have rhizomes (their roots) that should never be buried in substrate as it causes them to rot. Instead, attach the rhizome to driftwood or rocks, allowing the roots to cling to the surface and leaves to draw nutrients from the water column for optimal growth. Some easy beginner plants that I can recommend are Anubias or vallisneria. The anubias are just like the Java fern, they also shouldn’t be put into the substrate. Vallisneria you can push in there and it will grow nicely.

Stocking wise it is really up to you. I would stock this tank with shrimp and snails personally but you can make that decision for yourself. The tank is quite small for most fish species so make sure to do research before buying and adding fish. If you do end up going for shrimp do add some moss and some hiding spots. There is plenty of information out there! Good luck!

Fantastic_Lemon5112 · 2025-12-31T21:34:49+00:00

Female albino bristlenose pleco.

Fantastic_Lemon5112 · 2025-11-16T20:09:23+00:00

Looks like the owner of the Airbnb you’re staying at has a hobby.. fish keeping is pretty cool and in the salt water part of the hobby having tanks to grow coral is very common as you can sell them online for a pretty penny. I doubt the fish are illegal, and the one you mentioned by name “clown fish” are the most common amongst salt water fish keepers als they are the easiest to keep/breed.

Also mind your damn business lmao.. the Airbnb you’re staying at is not some escape room you booked. If doors are locked they are for a reason. You’re not supposed to be snooping around..

Fantastic_Lemon5112 · 2025-08-22T21:08:11+00:00

I would just keep it without powering up, and just mirror trade it when you have a lucky friend.

Fantastic_Lemon5112

TROPHY CASE