Recent content by nmonks

The BBGs imported to the hobby (which cannot be identified reliably to species level) all seem to want the same thing. Hard freshwater will do, if water quality and diet are good, but very slightly brackish conditions (around SG 1.002-1.003) is optimal, and provides a little extra goodness that...

Hard to say if there's a problem without seeing the fish. But it isn't uncommon for fish to damage the front, exposed part of the eye during capture and transport. If the damage is slight, they seem to recover. However, there are some unusual parasites that can infest this part of the eye as...

What about a Scat? They mix great with Monos, but have their very own personality (basically greedy and pushy). The Silver Scat also happens to be one of the best-looking fish in the hobby. Alternatively, what about a Violet Goby? They do need quite specific conditions in terms of a tube to...

Cloudy water typically means the aquarium is unstable some how. Water chemistry changes are often an explanation, and if you have soft water, the pH will indeed go down between water changes unless you do something to stabilise it (typically, by either understocking the tank, by doing frequent...

The Eheim ones are not expensive at all and work very well. They come with some nice features like multiple air outlets (except for the smallest one) and a dial for setting pump output. These air pumps can be used sitting on a tabletop but also include a sort of hook for hanging them on the side...

I believe they're nocturnal in the wild, or at least crepuscular (i.e., active by dawn and dusk). But mine seem to feed whenever there's something yummy put out for them. They go wild for frozen brine shrimp (use the fortified kind, e.g., spirulina-enriched otherwise adult brine shrimp are not...

They will be fine with these tankmates. Feeding is slightly tricky as they don't eat flake. But small frozen bloodworms and brine shrimps are taken, as well as tiny pieces of seafood. Mine also go for crushed Hikari Cichlid Gold. Cheers, Neale

Marble Hatchetfish perhaps; Silver Hatchets too big and too active. Do be aware that Hatchets are very nervous fish, and won't live long with anything boisterous. Hatchets are also extremely sensitive to water quality problems (don't add them for at least two months from setting the tank up and...

Those "in-tank tanks" (usually sold as "breeding traps") are almost never worthwhile except in very specific situations. They're fine for isolating Guppy (or some other livebearer) fry for the first 3 weeks after they're born, during which time they tend to be most vulnerable to predation. After...

It is indeed fairly common for coin-sized Angels not to do well immediately after being taken from the retailer's tanks to the hobbyist's. If at all possible, buy Angels around 5 cm/2 inches in body length. Smaller Angels are substantially more sensitive to environmental stress and shock. In...

There's a good deal of merit in this argument. Do bear in mind that many small schooling fish are essentially annuals in the wild. Even though they can live longer than one year, they usually don't, partly because they're so small and eaten by a wide range of predators, but also because the...

Depends what you want to keep. With very small tanks, if your plan is to stock small fish, an air-powered sponge or box filter will often be the best all-around filter. Safe with tiny fish and shrimps (including their offspring); needs minimal maintenance (in a lighting stocked tank may go...

The farmed Harlequins in the trade do okay up to around 20 degrees dH, but it's not ideal. The usual issue is a shorter lifespan (maybe a couple years rather than 4-5 years). So even though your retailer will have acclimated them to local water chemistry, this is more about reducing acute shock...

I'd be wary of keeping burrowing catfish like Whiptails on fluorite sand on the basis that "sharp" sand can cause them problems. But if the sand feels soft and smooth, you might be okay. An 8-gallon tank is smaller than I'd use for Threadfins; I didn't think about that aspect when replying...

Nannostomus marginatus are tiny fish so you'd be best keeping them in a large group on their own. That said, any of the dwarf Corydoras such as Corydoras habrosus could work (assuming the tank wasn't too warm, around 24 C) or else any of the Rineloricaria whiptails. Marbled Hatchetfish would be...