"And she's going to need a tank..." My journey to a 48 gal new build

Another full week concludes. Got a cheap pH tester, spend an inordinate amount of time calibrating it, got somewhat consistent readings for two days and then totally all over the place after that. Got a much better one yesterday - one point auto calibration, w/ temp and works like a charm. Definitely helpful regarding dialing in the CO2.

I set up the Eheim Skimmer to run from 9am-9pm, circulating in 30 minute intervals, which has done wonders for the biofilm on the surface. I've got the lily pipe just under the surface and pulled back on the overall flow, but it's still providing ample. Found another store in Quebec City that had the VIV Skimmer Inflow, so I've ordered that, plus a replacement outflow, and another VIV diffuser so when I have to clean it, I can let it soak and clear up comfortably, without an impending deadline to get it set back up.

I may eventually move to an inline atomizer but I do really love the look of the diffuser.

Today I did about 1.5 hours of trimming and replanting. I was a bit frustrated with the placement of a couple stones; one specifically that was preventing proper coverage and left a barren spot in the foreground. I syphoned as I pulled it up and was amazed how much bigger it was than previously thought. I had an open 9kg bag of Tropica plant soil, so I filled in the gap.

It didn't really bother me too much b/c I was moving the Repens into that space. I was really unhappy with how it was growing and felt that my Pogo in the rear left was clearly not getting enough light to really make it sing. So I did a swap, moved the Repens up front, moved the Pogo to the right rear and then planted cuttings of the Whorly Rotala to the left rear b/c the overall height would allow for more sun contact.

I removed another stone near my Altern Mini, and propagated a couple cuttings to fill in the gaps (along with some more Tropica plant soil. Then cleaned everything up with a 50% WC.

OH, AND I removed the anubias.

It wasn't working with the overall feel and some of it was suffering. I took it out, removed the dying leaves and put it into a mason jar with some Tropica plant soil, a healthy serving of RO water and covered it up with plastic wrap. I placed it into our plant room and I'll see how it goes. It feels MUCH cleaner now.

I'm planning on doing a filter pad clean on Monday, along with a 30% WC. Hopefully the VIV Skimmer comes and I can set that up as well.

And lastly, probably going to grab a back up CO2 5lb tank as well. As far as that goes, my kH is around 2.5-3 and my pH bottoms out at about 6.3-6.4. That puts it at about 30-35ppm, depending, so I'm pretty happy. I'm running it at 30 psi and at about 6-8 bps. I'm thankful that my water is a decent gH (~10), good kH (~6) and fairly neutral pH (~7-7.2).

I'll give the tank another two weeks to mature and then I'll add some Cherry Shrimp and Amano Shrimp.

Now for some photos to spare you all the drab monologue... with some one week comparisons.

Sept 25th



Oct 3rd (the Rotala is growing like MAD)



Sept 25th



Oct3rd



Sept 25th



Oct 3rd



And some pearling love

 

You have really done a lot of nice work on your aquarium and it shows because it is beautiful. Almost a same to put fish in it huh, lol.

Can I give you one idea, try getting some candy cane shrimp, I think they would look great in your tank.

 

Your tank looks unreal!!! It's funny, the only 2 plants that died in my tank (alternanthera and rotala) are exploding in yours haha. Excited to see it all grown out!

 

You have really done a lot of nice work on your aquarium and it shows because it is beautiful. Almost a same to put fish in it huh, lol.

Can I give you one idea, try getting some candy cane shrimp, I think they would look great in your tank.

Thank you so much!
I’m sort of dreading adding anything. I’ll probably wait until closer to the end of the month honestly. I’m still trying to get a hand of the maintenance aspect and feel confident. But I was definitely eyeing some Candy Cane or some sort of colourful shrimp.
I’ll look to see if I can find some from a couple sites I order from because my local LFS doesn’t have any.

 

You have really done a lot of nice work on your aquarium and it shows because it is beautiful. Almost a same to put fish in it huh, lol.

Can I give you one idea, try getting some candy cane shrimp, I think they would look great in your tank.

So I took your idea and ran with the idea of getting some CRS. I'm sort of nervous because they're, from what I've read, somewhat finicky with respect to H2O Paras. My number's match up, so we'll see. I have been comforted by Tom Barr's postings on TPT and Barr Report that they fair well with EI and CO2, albeit with less brooding etc.
I also got some Amano's as well since I love them in my other tank and I want to have a bit of diversity.


Hinomaru/No Entry A Grade - I'm kind of in love. I can understand why some aquarists choose to keep shrimp only.
Tomorrow I will be picking up the following:
10 x CRS
7 x Amano

In other news, I've had a pretty good time with respect to algae so far. Some diatoms popping up but I'm just sucking them up and doing minor 10-15% WC's. Other than that, I'm just keeping consistent with daily nutrients (ThriveS 5 x pumps in the morning - may scale back to 4 x) and steady CO2. I'll probably up the photoperiod in another couple weeks after I intro the shrimp.

And here is an update for growth (I moved the outflow and inflow to opposite sides because the tall Rotala growth will eventually cause problems) as of almost a month. There has been some propagation:



Oh and I finally am getting my VIV Inflow Skimmer. It's been a pain to find but one of the stores I order from finally got stock. I am eternally grateful for the Eheim Skimmer but will not miss it in the tank. It'll still be used actively for gathering all of the trimmings and hopefully save my filter.

Thanks all!

 

Looking great.
I wanted shrimp in my new 55 gallon but since I already have Angel Fish I was told they eat shrimp. Mine is a low tech setup (no CO2) but I use my own home made aquasoil. I planted plants like Amazon Swords, Temple Plants which don't need CO2. The Amazon Swords are root plants that grew really large roots systems, they are the one's that really benefit from my aquasoil.

 

Looking great.
I wanted shrimp in my new 55 gallon but since I already have Angel Fish I was told they eat shrimp. Mine is a low tech setup (no CO2) but I use my own home made aquasoil. I planted plants like Amazon Swords, Temple Plants which don't need CO2. The Amazon Swords are root plants that grew really large roots systems, they are the one's that really benefit from my aquasoil.

Thanks! I’ve always thought Angel Fish were beauties. Next tank I do will probably work with those. Maybe an Iwagumi style tank. Lol
Thats a LONG way off tho. And I’m definitely not going to be given the go ahead to get another tank after everything invested into this one.
Although the next one would probably be easier haha

 

Thanks! I’ve always thought Angel Fish were beauties. Next tank I do will probably work with those. Maybe an Iwagumi style tank. Lol
Thats a LONG way off tho. And I’m definitely not going to be given the go ahead to get another tank after everything invested into this one.
Although the next one would probably be easier haha

MTS strikes again...

 

MTS strikes again...

A big fat no. But my 'QT' will be a rimless 10-15 gal. That way at least I can sort justify the fact that the tank will be purposeful.

 

A big fat no. But my 'QT' will be a rimless 10-15 gal. That way at least I can sort justify the fact that the tank will be purposeful.

Ha! I feel the same way. I will not be setting up another tank for a long time. I originally planned on 6 tanks but alas I have just one. I will also be setting up a 10g Q tank but that's about it. Next project will be 5g nano build for my son and then a 40B shrimp tank.

I cannot BELIEVE how much time and effort one tank requires to get perfect :/

 

I've got my shrimpies!

Bought them from a LFS (not so local - about a 2.5 hour roundtrip) and they're lovely!


-CRS 'No Entry'



-Amanos

Got them home, left them in my coldroom for an hour an a half to calm down (also so I could mow the lawn) and then got to the acclimatization process. I set up two pails, dumped the shrimp and let them go for about 2-2.5 hours. I added them at the end of my photoperiod, and the pH of my tank is very close to that of the LFS.



This morning I fine tuned my CO2 a little bit, shortened the length of time as I was a bit concerned about oversaturation. They're doing well and at various times of day, I've been able to locate about 80% of the livestock. I'm not concerned about anything getting sucked up in my inflow as it's a lily pipe style.

A few shots of them in their glory:







Definitely have some diatom issues right now. I have two, dechlorinated 5 gal pails ready for tomorrow. I'm going to do a 60-70% scrub of the diatoms and give the prefilter a good rinse as well. I'll also be removing the Eheim Skimmer and FINALLY installing the VIV Inflow Skimmer:


My w/c process will change a bit now. I'm planning on only doing 15-20% twice a week (if that) just to make sure everything is clean and healthy. I'm not overly concerned about nitrates as I'm using ThriveS and happy to have a lower NO3 amount to promote happier CRS and more reds in my Rotala Vietman H'ra and Wallichii.

Other than that. I'm ordering 10 more CRS and 4 Zebra Nerite Snails. .

Eventually I'll get some fish. I'm actually not conerned right now as I'm thinking I'll go for a handful of Oto's first. No rush. Enjoying the invertebrates.

 

Ha! I feel the same way. I will not be setting up another tank for a long time. I originally planned on 6 tanks but alas I have just one. I will also be setting up a 10g Q tank but that's about it. Next project will be 5g nano build for my son and then a 40B shrimp tank.

I cannot BELIEVE how much time and effort one tank requires to get perfect :/

SIX?! That's crazy talk. I had my hands full with two tanks, two dogs and a partner that indulged my hobby. I think two would be the most I can handle.

Maybe three haha.

The 5g nano sounds exciting tho. I would definitely consider a nano project. What's your idea regarding that?

 

SIX?! That's crazy talk. I had my hands full with two tanks, two dogs and a partner that indulged my hobby. I think two would be the most I can handle.

Maybe three haha.

The 5g nano sounds exciting tho. I would definitely consider a nano project. What's your idea regarding that?

lol yea, I was totally thinking way too grand with 6 tanks. My son loves shrimp and doesn't seem to care too much about fish so I was thinking a heavily planted Walstad with yellow shrimp. Those are his favorite definitely will need to be low maintenance considering how much time I spend on my main tank. He sees me doing it and wants to be part of it now

 

Sooo... it's been a minute since I last updated.

Still working with some diatoms - of which I've given up trying to clear away from the wood. Hopefully I can keep the some of the Riccia clean. I'm not doing too much trimming so as to keep as much growth as possible right now. My only priority is to clean off the leaves and try to get as much of the detritus from the ground cover with each maintenance.

This is the tank as it was a week ago:



And after today's session:



I've done a little propagation of the Rotala's and a bit of the Alterna Mini (which I think I'll just leave for a while). The Bacopa will grow for quite sometime before I propagate, as well as the S. Repens at the front. I'm actually pretty disappointed with how it's coming along, even with CO2. Depending on how it looks in the next two weeks, I may actually rip it out, put it into my 10 gal and free up more room for the Alterna Mini (which I love).

The Rotala H'Ra is finally starting to go red and orange - which I knew would eventually happen when it hit that level in the tank, and the Wallichii is looking stunning. It's a nice contrast with the Bacopa and the ground cover.

Other than that, the skimmer is working well - for the most part. It's a bit of a POA when it comes to adjusting the lower vent and accounting for the pull from the filter (depending on how hard I have it going - usually 80%). Did a clean of the filter and found FIVE Amano's in there. Four in the pre-filter tray and the last one survived me dumping out the canister into my laundry basin. I actually even looked because I said to myself "there's probably one down there".

I wondered why I only found two in the tank a couple days ago. Knowing those crazy creatures, three have already found their way back into my filter. At least they're well fed.

In addition to the clean, I swapped out the Purigen for a new sachet (a bit early but it'll give me ample time to refresh the new one. Also swapped out the CO2 diffusers - the other one was COVERED in brown algae. It's nice having two of each now because I can take my time and not feel rushed to clean them out.

I've also upped the intensity at the height of the photoperiod to just under 90% (~25% blue spectrum) and smoothed out the ramp up and ramp down to include about an hour of lower (~10%) light.

I think 7-8 (or maybe more) of my CRS have made it past the first week.

Which leads me into what I'm going to do with this tank. I struggled with how I would end up stocking this. I had planned on getting six Oto's, about 15 more CRS and potentially going shrimp only for the most part. 10% W/C (x2 a week) and working that tact.

I dove a bit more into my tap water parameters and discovered that my baseline is:
pH between 7.2-7.5 (depending on the time of year)
kH ~ 5.2-5.5
gH ~ 8-8.9
Nitrates <0.500 ppm (which I'm very happy about)
No Silicates

If I did CRS's and they bred well, I could potentially have them adjust to slightly higher W/para's over time as my ADA AS eventually loses it's buffering ability. I am loathe to get into RODI systems because I feel bad enough regarding the water waste and even with a 1:2 ratio, that's still A LOT of water wasted. If I lived in a more temperate environment, where I could use the waste water for gardening or the like, I wouldn't feel as bad but 6-7 months of the year are spent in cold temps.

Looking at the LFS I got my CRS and Amano from, I happened to see that they just received these lovely creatures:


I ended up ordering 20 of the Orange Sunkist Grade SS Neo's. About half the price of the CRS's I got last weekend.

I also ordered these after a bit of deep diving into what type of snails I could have in low-ph low-kh water:


4 of these Black Racer Nerite Snails.

I pick these guys up tomorrow, along with some Alder cones (so I can lower the pH of the water I use for my W/C's - as I've taken to leaving it out at least 24 hrs before I use it) as well as a Eheim 75w E-Thermo heater to get the water a bit closer to the temps I need; as it is about 3-5 degrees F difference. I know the Alder cones will tint the water, but the Purigen will take care of that.

This post is quite long so to close, I'm still waffling between the following for stocking:
Harlequin Rasboras
Dwarf Rasboras
Neon Tetras
Dwarf Gourami (maybe?)

Anyways, safe fish keeping!

 

Looks great! How about Chili Rasboras? Have some now and they are neat little fish. A big school of these would look quite cool in your tank.

 

Looks great! How about Chili Rasboras? Have some now and they are neat little fish. A big school of these would look quite cool in your tank.

That's a great idea! I've heard lovely things about those. We'll see what my LFS has in stock in the coming weeks/month.

Basically, I'm looking for anything with a small bio-load to keep my w/c to a minimum.

 

Another update:
I repositioned the outflow again. I was constantly frustrated with the fact that my R.Wallichii was getting blown all over the place by the outflow. I am pretty sure it was causing some damage and I’m sure there was a dead spot behind it as a result.

The outflow is now at the front corner, with the skimmer inflow a few inches away. I can already see better circulation around the tank (the driftwood at the rear was also doing weird things with the outflow) and there’s still a nice pull from the rear (as indicated by the swaying Rotala).

I did a decent trimming session, cleaned up some of the overgrowth in the Rotala’s and grown covers. Found another four Amano’s in the pre-filter, which I’ve taken to checking weekly just because I’m sure it’s going to continue to happen.

Other than that, only lost one CRS in the past week (not sure why, water para’s checked out) and everything else is in working order. My LFS should have Oto’s in stock this week so I’ll probably grab 6-7 and maybe 6-8 fish. Not overly sure but I’m now thinking Ember Tetras or Neon Tetras. I think either the orange or blue would look really nice with all of the plants and I’ve love to eventually have a school of 15-20.

Diatoms are still there but I’m not sure if they’re subsiding? They don’t seem to be getting worse and I’ve upped my photo period another hour.

On a side note: getting fantastic colour with the Rotala H’ra! It’s a stunning plant. The stems are a nice thickness, as compared to the Wallichii, and there’s more orange to the tank. Once the Bacopa starts to fill out in the rear right, there will be a good contrast. I’m excited to see if it gets yellow-brown as it gets closer to the light.

I’m also very tempted to rip out all of the S. Repens. It is not really meshing with the tank. I may take it out and bring it to my partners 10gal at school. There would be a bare spot for a bit but I think the ground cover will eventually take it on. I would also allow for more space to propagate the Alterna Mini.

 

Again, wow! That is a beautiful looking tank.

 

Amazing tank! I'm going to be honest, I just scrolled through and looked at the pictures, but boy are the pictures good!

 

go ACRYLIC! So much more beautiful the fish appear to be floating in thin air!

 

Again, wow! That is a beautiful looking tank.

Thank you very much!

 

Amazing tank! I'm going to be honest, I just scrolled through and looked at the pictures, but boy are the pictures good!

Awww *blushes* thanks. There will be more tomorrow - just added my rasboras

 

So I got my rasboras in. Very excited to have some fish in the tank finally! It really changes the dynamic. I also got another 12 orange sakuras. The tank is very lively now. The first day in there, they were having a lot of fun with swimming along the upper corner of the tank - which I then figured was where the current took a downturn.

I also discovered I'll need to turn the filter to a very low flow to feed them properly - which isn't a big deal.

Other than that, going to leave everything for the week - I'll do a small (~ 2-3 gallons) w/c today and then again on Thursday. I'm sure everything is fine but I'll just keep freshening everything up.




And another:



The diatoms seem to be settling down now and I'm starting to get a touch of green algae on the front rock. The smallest amount. So that's a nice sign too.

I'll probably stay at this level for two weeks and then either add 10-12 neon's or another 6-8 rasboras. We'll see.

Safe keeping!

 

So I got my rasboras in. Very excited to have some fish in the tank finally! It really changes the dynamic. I also got another 12 orange sakuras. The tank is very lively now. The first day in there, they were having a lot of fun with swimming along the upper corner of the tank - which I then figured was where the current took a downturn.

I also discovered I'll need to turn the filter to a very low flow to feed them properly - which isn't a big deal.

Other than that, going to leave everything for the week - I'll do a small (~ 2-3 gallons) w/c today and then again on Thursday. I'm sure everything is fine but I'll just keep freshening everything up.

And another:

The diatoms seem to be settling down now and I'm starting to get a touch of green algae on the front rock. The smallest amount. So that's a nice sign too.

I'll probably stay at this level for two weeks and then either add 10-12 neon's or another 6-8 rasboras. We'll see.

Safe keeping!

Looks so good! You need a blue fish of some sort. That would really make it pop. Or a L144A bn pleco.

 

Looks so good! You need a blue fish of some sort. That would really make it pop. Or a L144A bn pleco.

That's an idea I hadn't considered! I was maybe thinking of a few dwarf gourami's but would like to keep everything small to keep the bioload as small as possible.

The pleco is very nice looking. One could make for a great addition.

 

That's an idea I hadn't considered! I was maybe thinking of a few dwarf gourami's but would like to keep everything small to keep the bioload as small as possible.

The pleco is very nice looking. One could make for a great addition.

Then pleco is probably not the best option. What is the temp of the tank? Maybe some sort of cory would do well.
EDIT: I wouldn't do a dwarf gourami cuz they are mean.

 

What about a single species only - more rasboras? With the shrimp as a clean up crew - maybe a nerite or two and done. I'd be afraid the gourami would eat the shrimp. (Contradicting myself, add tiny pygmy corydoras. The most fun fish ever and max out at about an inch!)

 

Wow, that is truly astronomical work. I am insanely jealous. If you have at least some free time, it would be so cool if you had a YouTube channel!

I agree with AcornTheBetta, some sort of dwelling fish would be a nice addition, but with your tactics anything will look good in there

 

Then pleco is probably not the best option. What is the temp of the tank? Maybe some sort of cory would do well.
EDIT: I wouldn't do a dwarf gourami cuz they are mean.

Yeah you're probably right. I'm keeping the tank around 74.5-75. Thankfully the tank is in a finished basement, so the temp stays fairly consistent as compared to the rest of the tank.
I was thinking about 6-8 cory's. Or 6-8 oto's.

And thanks, I would love to have gourami's but I think that would be best for my next tank.

What about a single species only - more rasboras? With the shrimp as a clean up crew - maybe a nerite or two and done. I'd be afraid the gourami would eat the shrimp. (Contradicting myself, add tiny pygmy corydoras. The most fun fish ever and max out at about an inch!)

Thanks! I may just end up going with 16-20 rasboras. They are absolutely stunning. And very playful, more character than I've experienced with neon's. As Acorn said as well, some cory's would be a nice mix.

Currently I should have:
15 Amanos (most of which I assume are in my filter right now, as I consistently find 4-6 when I clean out my prefilter)
9 CRS (No-entry)
24 Orange Sakuras
4 Black Racer Nerites (are ideal for softer, more acidic water)
8 Rasboras

 

Yeah you're probably right. I'm keeping the tank around 74.5-75. Thankfully the tank is in a finished basement, so the temp stays fairly consistent as compared to the rest of the tank.
I was thinking about 6-8 cory's. Or 6-8 oto's.

And thanks, I would love to have gourami's but I think that would be best for my next tank.

Maybe some Bronze Corys? Blue velvet shrimp would look good too.

 

A BN pleco would work in those conditions. Maybe L144a BN pleco?

 

Wow, that is truly astronomical work. I am insanely jealous. If you have at least some free time, it would be so cool if you had a YouTube channel!

I agree with AcornTheBetta, some sort of dwelling fish would be a nice addition, but with your tactics anything will look good in there

Hehe, well thanks! I had thought about a YouTube channel. I think I'll keep that in mind as the tank progresses or start one up if I get a second tank or a redo this one.

 

Or Marbled Hatchetfish?

 

Maybe some Bronze Corys? Blue velvet shrimp would look good too.

I looked at the bronze cory's and they're lovely looking. Although I was thinking about either some Weitzmani's, Julii's or Venezuelanus Orange's. I have some time to figure it out tho

Or Marbled Hatchetfish?

Open top tank... lol. They're cool but I think a bottom dweller would be more ideal.

 

I looked at the bronze cory's and they're lovely looking. Although I was thinking about either some Weitzmani's, Julii's or Venezuelanus Orange's. I have some time to figure it out tho


Open top tank... lol. They're cool but I think a bottom dweller would be more ideal.

Orange lazer corys? IDK very expensive, but cool.

 

So, a sad few days in crystal casa land (an inside joke with my partner, who is a Montesorri teacher)...

I lost a couple of the Rasboras the first day, then another the day after that, and then two more yesterday. I was expecting a small NH3 spike but honestly, every time I do the test, it comes back at in between 0ppm and 0.25ppm. I did a comparative with DI water and it was hard to tell.

I preemptively did w/c's every other day ~15%, using Stability each time and only feeding every other/second day. I've also been sure to keep the ground cover clean and keep on top of any plant health.

What's really weird is that my snails are fine, my shrimp are fine (save I don't see any Amano's which leads me to think they're ALL in my filter right now - idiots) and the fish are not displaying any of the typical signs of NH3 poisoning.

Maybe I can get some insight?

• Saturday - before introducing, did a 1.5-2 hr drip acclimatization
  • When opening the bag, did a small drop of Prime just in case
• One fish seemed to be gulping a lot and rolling, which led me to believe that he maybe had swim bladder issues?
  • Didn't last the day, and not too long after introducing, another fish was gulping (not gasping at the top of the water) and isolating itself, having a hard time staying afloat
  • That one also didn't last the day
• Did a w/c the next morning (which included topping off with 24hr aged water (treated with Prime beforehand) while acclimatizing fish)
• Sunday - made it through without losing another fish, most ate, also made sure to force pellets under water to avoid them surging to the top to eat
• Monday - another fish started to present with gulping and isolation. Did another w/c but kept him in a large net attached to the top of the tank overnight.
  • Deceased in the morning
• All throughout this, the NH3 test wasn't showing anything (and was fine before introducing)
• Tuesday - fish seemed fine, fed small amount again. Prepared water for Wednesday w/c and small clean
• Wednesday - in the morning, one seemed a bit off but was still swimming actively - I thought maybe I was getting a bit paranoid.
  • Came home to find not one, but two fish dead.
  • Got them out, did w/c and looked in on other fish - no redness, no bloating, no issues swimming, no gasping, no gulping.

Now to be fully honest, I have CO2 in this tank. I have dialed it in and based on my previous readings, I should be within the safe limits of CO2 ppm. The drop checker is a nice warm green colour and I have a O2 diffuser on from 9pm-12am. The pH swing is from ~6.7 in the morning to ~6.2 at peak. This varies by +/- 0.1 on average.

And I haven't had any issues with the shrimp or snails previously. Plus on Sunday and Monday, I checked in while my CO2 was on and didn't see any glaring issues.

Could this be a parasite? It doesn't seem like swim bladder, nor NH3 poisoning.

Or am I missing something entirely? The fish arrived were new to the store that I buy from and I drive the 2.5 hour round-trip to pick up my livestock. The store also has impeccable reviews and I've had no issue with the shrimp or snails.

Could it just be the stress of the journey to the store in the first place? I have little experience with Rasbora's so I don't know what to expect. I know with Neon's you'll lose some at the beginning but I was surprised due to the Rasbora's hardiness.

I hope that when I go home today, I don't find more dead. It's kind of bringing me down.

 

FINALLY. Someone understands how EPIC platys are.

 

So, a sad few days in crystal casa land (an inside joke with my partner, who is a Montesorri teacher)...

I lost a couple of the Rasboras the first day, then another the day after that, and then two more yesterday. I was expecting a small NH3 spike but honestly, every time I do the test, it comes back at in between 0ppm and 0.25ppm. I did a comparative with DI water and it was hard to tell.

I preemptively did w/c's every other day ~15%, using Stability each time and only feeding every other/second day. I've also been sure to keep the ground cover clean and keep on top of any plant health.

What's really weird is that my snails are fine, my shrimp are fine (save I don't see any Amano's which leads me to think they're ALL in my filter right now - idiots) and the fish are not displaying any of the typical signs of NH3 poisoning.

Maybe I can get some insight?

• Saturday - before introducing, did a 1.5-2 hr drip acclimatization
  • When opening the bag, did a small drop of Prime just in case
• One fish seemed to be gulping a lot and rolling, which led me to believe that he maybe had swim bladder issues?
  • Didn't last the day, and not too long after introducing, another fish was gulping (not gasping at the top of the water) and isolating itself, having a hard time staying afloat
  • That one also didn't last the day
• Did a w/c the next morning (which included topping off with 24hr aged water (treated with Prime beforehand) while acclimatizing fish)
• Sunday - made it through without losing another fish, most ate, also made sure to force pellets under water to avoid them surging to the top to eat
• Monday - another fish started to present with gulping and isolation. Did another w/c but kept him in a large net attached to the top of the tank overnight.
  • Deceased in the morning
• All throughout this, the NH3 test wasn't showing anything (and was fine before introducing)
• Tuesday - fish seemed fine, fed small amount again. Prepared water for Wednesday w/c and small clean
• Wednesday - in the morning, one seemed a bit off but was still swimming actively - I thought maybe I was getting a bit paranoid.
  • Came home to find not one, but two fish dead.
  • Got them out, did w/c and looked in on other fish - no redness, no bloating, no issues swimming, no gasping, no gulping.

Now to be fully honest, I have CO2 in this tank. I have dialed it in and based on my previous readings, I should be within the safe limits of CO2 ppm. The drop checker is a nice warm green colour and I have a O2 diffuser on from 9pm-12am. The pH swing is from ~6.7 in the morning to ~6.2 at peak. This varies by +/- 0.1 on average.

And I haven't had any issues with the shrimp or snails previously. Plus on Sunday and Monday, I checked in while my CO2 was on and didn't see any glaring issues.

Could this be a parasite? It doesn't seem like swim bladder, nor NH3 poisoning.

Or am I missing something entirely? The fish arrived were new to the store that I buy from and I drive the 2.5 hour round-trip to pick up my livestock. The store also has impeccable reviews and I've had no issue with the shrimp or snails.

Could it just be the stress of the journey to the store in the first place? I have little experience with Rasbora's so I don't know what to expect. I know with Neon's you'll lose some at the beginning but I was surprised due to the Rasbora's hardiness.

I hope that when I go home today, I don't find more dead. It's kind of bringing me down.

I'm so sorry to hear about your rasboras They actually do perfectly well in that pH range... I keep mine at 7.0 and they survive in the wild in pH as low as 5. The pH in those blackwater rivers often swings wildly through the day as well so a small swing like yours likely didn't contribute.

Where did you get your rasboras from? It is very possible that they simply passed away from stress or were kept in poor conditions before you bought them. They are very hardy fish usually so that would be my guess. It is also possible that you just got weak fish

 

I'm so sorry to hear about your rasboras They actually do perfectly well in that pH range... I keep mine at 7.0 and they survive in the wild in pH as low as 5. The pH in those blackwater rivers often swings wildly through the day as well so a small swing like yours likely didn't contribute.

Where did you get your rasboras from? It is very possible that they simply passed away from stress or were kept in poor conditions before you bought them. They are very hardy fish usually so that would be my guess. It is also possible that you just got weak fish

Which is why I was surprised they we're fairing so well.

I came home on Friday to find another one dead in the back and one more doing very poorly. What was different was the fact that I saw a small white protruding pebble or grain of salt from the rasboras' gill. This was something that I hadn't seen before...

So I'm pretty sure it's ick now. Moved the fish to a 5 gal bucket with 50/50 tank water/fresh water, heater slowly progressing up to 82F, and 2 tsp of aquarium salt per gallon of water. I thankfully had some on hand. They made it through the night.

I went out today, got a 10 gal (which has a very crude silicone job on it - you really get what you pay for), Tidal filter (which, imo I would probably never buy again as it's not nearly as quiet as the AQ20, but does have about 50% more space for media) and got a QT set up in my bedroom closet. We have no room for another tank and it was the only place my partner agreed upon for a temp set up. It's not guarantee that they'll get through this but hopefully I can get them to eat more regularly. Thankfully I had a Matrix packet in my canister which I cleaned out today.

Oh yeah, I found 14 Amano shrimp and about the same number of Sakura in my canister. Holy cow. It's nice seeing so much activity in the tank now.

I'll post before and after pics!

And tomorrow is maintenance day in the 90p.

 

Which is why I was surprised they we're fairing so well.

I came home on Friday to find another one dead in the back and one more doing very poorly. What was different was the fact that I saw a small white protruding pebble or grain of salt from the rasboras' gill. This was something that I hadn't seen before...

So I'm pretty sure it's ick now. Moved the fish to a 5 gal bucket with 50/50 tank water/fresh water, heater slowly progressing up to 82F, and 2 tsp of aquarium salt per gallon of water. I thankfully had some on hand. They made it through the night.

I went out today, got a 10 gal (which has a very crude silicone job on it - you really get what you pay for), Tidal filter (which, imo I would probably never buy again as it's not nearly as quiet as the AQ20, but does have about 50% more space for media) and got a QT set up in my bedroom closet. We have no room for another tank and it was the only place my partner agreed upon for a temp set up. It's not guarantee that they'll get through this but hopefully I can get them to eat more regularly. Thankfully I had a Matrix packet in my canister which I cleaned out today.

Oh yeah, I found 14 Amano shrimp and about the same number of Sakura in my canister. Holy cow. It's nice seeing so much activity in the tank now.

I'll post before and after pics!

And tomorrow is maintenance day in the 90p.

I'm rooting for them, hopefully they pull through!!

Out of curiosity, do the gill things look like this? I posted a thread about flukes awhile ago but no one answered it lol

Are these Gill flukes? | Freshwater Fish Disease and Fish Health Forum | 477645

just wondering because my rasboras seem prone to these gill things