Chu'Wuti
Fish Fanatic
After two months of cycling our 75-gallon aquarium with only plants, we finally bought fish and shrimp. We now have three pearl gouramis and 10 itty-bitty blue shrimp. (They are so tiny that they are nearly lost in our big tank! but they are eating a lot of debris quite happily.)
Challenge 1: I've realized that my plan to include neon tetras may not be such a good idea, as their pH and temps may be too restrictive for this tank. The cardinal tetras _seem_ more forgiving in pH and temps, but I keep reading that they are 'for experts only'. Alternatives we're considering include the Sunburst Orange Longfin Tetra, Head and Tail Light Tetras, or Green Kubotai Rasboras. Thoughts, suggestions? Eventually, I also want to include marble hatchetfish.
Challenge 2: My husband saw a Rabbit Snail and fell in love with it. I'm finding two potential issues. a) Different sources state different temperature ranges for this snail; we're keeping our temperature at 80 degrees F, so depending on which source we consider, this is either too hot or just fine. b) Different sources state different pH ranges for this snail. Mostly we're seeing recommended pH values of 7.8-8.2 or even up to 8.5; these ranges are higher than what we're maintaining for the fish, and higher than what we _want_ to maintain (certainly too high for the hatchetfish or most of the tetras or rasbora). Thoughts, suggestions?
Challenge 3: We have a lot of snails that came in on the plants. I considered an assassin snail, but I'm not enamored. I'm thinking of just trying to net them every time I see them to remove them.
Challenge 1: I've realized that my plan to include neon tetras may not be such a good idea, as their pH and temps may be too restrictive for this tank. The cardinal tetras _seem_ more forgiving in pH and temps, but I keep reading that they are 'for experts only'. Alternatives we're considering include the Sunburst Orange Longfin Tetra, Head and Tail Light Tetras, or Green Kubotai Rasboras. Thoughts, suggestions? Eventually, I also want to include marble hatchetfish.
Challenge 2: My husband saw a Rabbit Snail and fell in love with it. I'm finding two potential issues. a) Different sources state different temperature ranges for this snail; we're keeping our temperature at 80 degrees F, so depending on which source we consider, this is either too hot or just fine. b) Different sources state different pH ranges for this snail. Mostly we're seeing recommended pH values of 7.8-8.2 or even up to 8.5; these ranges are higher than what we're maintaining for the fish, and higher than what we _want_ to maintain (certainly too high for the hatchetfish or most of the tetras or rasbora). Thoughts, suggestions?
Challenge 3: We have a lot of snails that came in on the plants. I considered an assassin snail, but I'm not enamored. I'm thinking of just trying to net them every time I see them to remove them.