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One thing I’ve learned about serpae tetras is that they are less aggressive and exhibit better coloration in cooler water: ideally between 68 and 72F. They are often found in even cooler (and slightly more alkaline) waters in the wild.

You may have to give different harder water species a try to see what works with such a high Kh value. It’s my understanding that plants are more accepting of differing Gh levels than they are of Kh (although some Gh (calcium and magnesium ions) is necessary). As a general rule, the lower the...

Congrats! Beautiful tank. I love the hardscape arrangement and the contrast of colors.

Which related species have you kept?

The only barbs I’d consider for that build are Golden dwarf barbs.

I was wondering if anyone keeps/has kept Trochilocharax ornatus (aka crystal rainbow tetra/hummingbird tetra)? I’m intrigued by their delicate beauty and thought they’d make a good addition to my 75 gallon aquarium. The little information I can find about them from the web suggests that they are...

Welcome to the group!

Is there a reason that you want to clean your filter? If the tank has just started up, I wouldn’t do that- you want to keep all the bacteria you can get. As mentioned, cherry barbs are hardy and adapt easily to different water parameters. I’d start with them. It’s part of the conventional wisdom...

Rebirth

At the very least, goldfish need enough swimming room to avoid muscle atrophy. They should have enough space to swim a few body lengths in a spurt. The slim bodied fish are faster so require more horizontal space than the deeper-bodied fancy golds. They also need enough room to provide some...

Gear

You can most certainly have multiple “wild type” bettas in a 10 gallon.

I believe that she stocks the pond.

Red eye tetras get pretty big and school pretty well (although not as well as rummies). 82F is the upper limit of their temp range.

I definitely would. They arrived quickly and in good condition. I had ordered one pair and she sent two! The males were initially the same color as the females. I could tell them apart by fin size, though. They colored up nicely in a matter of days. Incidentally, our paths crossed on an elassoma...

I’m sure they’ll do fine as you’re doing them a favor in removing the algae. Last March, I had a very unfortunate experience after re-scaping my 75 gallon tank. I think because I changed out the substrate it went through a mini-cycle which caused about half of my anubias nana petite to melt. And...

Yes, it was I who posted about getting them from an eBay seller. I don’t forsee any problems with pygmy corydoras in a 20 gallon. Temps in the mid 70s should be fine for both.

Have you made any changes to your tank recently? Have you tested your water? The presence of ammonia or nitrite can cause difficulty breathing and cause fish to gasp at the surface where there is more oxygen. Do you notice a change in appearance or behavior in any of the other fish?

Funny I should come across this post right after I entered my Elassoma gilberti bowl in the tank of the month contest…I’m new to keeping them- I just got 2 pairs 6 week ago. One pair have their own 3.5 gallon bowl, the other are in a 20 gallon long with about 3 dozen CPD offspring from last...

I really only keep soft water fish and use R/O water for all my water changes. I bring the Gh to 4-5 degrees and all of my tanks have a Kh of 1 or below. The ph of the R/O is around 6.5, and it’s pretty much the same in my tanks. The exception is my 75 gallon where I run CO2. It drops a little...