Meanwhile, in the 55

I put the large pieces of Mopani wood in the middle around the big Amazon sword and cut off the new plants. I've gotten four baby plants so far from it and there's four more growing on it now. I got a "crispus" plant with crinkly leaves that seems to be doing alright in the tank, though the water may be a bit warm for it. The wood has turned the water a reddish color with tannins; the fish really don't seem to mind.

Two of the tiger barbs and both angelfish had a bad case of fin rot on their tails and a green barb was missing a few scales on his side, so I got some PimaFix and dosed the tank every day for a week, did a water change, then dosed every other day, did a water change, and now I'm dosing every few days. I noticed the healthy barbs had been picking at all the fish with tail rot and figured that they must be what caused it.

I got rid of nine of them. Dumped them all into a bag and took them over to the Aquarium Store. I kept the two with fin rot and the one with the missing scales. I decided I wanted to try a South American river theme and traded the barbs for two more Bolivian rams. The only exceptions to the theme will be the African butterflies, since I didn't pay for them.

I moved my betta into a jar and the green barb into her net so the other fish wouldn't pick at his fleshy nasty. I'll move the betta back into the net once I ditch the rest of the barbs, but that won;t be until they're looking healthy again. She doesn't really seem to mind the jar anyway.

I also got two German Blue rams, both of which are female, from the Aviarium. I went back to get a couple males today, but they only had females left so I got six Von Rio Flame tetras instead. I'll probably check the Aquarium Store sometime for some male GBRs.

So it's definitely been a while since

I last updated this thing. I've been pretty busy that past month with school and stuff. But whateverr.

I got two more shrimp for the 2.5 gallon tank; bringing the population to a total of four, two females and two males. Both females were pregnant and have since given birth. So I have a bunch of little clear baby shrimp jumping around inside the little tank. I also rearranged the stuff inside with a piece of African Mopani wood in place of the old driftwood; I think it was starting to rot, and it just looked odd.

If I can keep the shrimps breeding regularly in the tank, I won't really have to feed that fish once I get it; I've always found self-sustaining tanks to be quite interesting. Though I doubt that'll happen.

Fish of the Month — January

The Bronze Cory Catfish.

(Corydoras aeneus)

Bronze Cory Cats are schooling fish, and need at least 4 in a group to be happy. They are very peaceful bottom-dwellers that need at least 30 gallons. They need to have room for swimming and lots of hiding spots. They get along great with other fish in any level of the tank, as long as they get enough food.

Bronzies come from South America; they're native to the Amazon River in Brazil and Peru. Their habitat consists of lots of driftwood and plants. The water is stained yellow with tannins and has a slow current.

The only way of sexing these fish is by comparing a group; the females will be slightly larger with more extended pelvic fins. They need perfect water with a slightly acidic pH. Doing a water change with clean water of a lower temperature will help induce spawning. The eggs are adhesive and are often attached by the female to the glass wall, filer intake, or broad plant leaves.

Bronze Corys are adaptable to many parameters. They thrive in soft, slightly acidic water with a pH between 6 to 7 and dH between 6 to 18. They can tolerate any pH from 5.5-8 and dH between 4-20. An ideal temperature for them in the aquarium is around 68-82F (20-28C). For breeding purposes, the pH is best just around 6.5.

Bronzies grow up to 4 inches. They accept any food, but need to be able to eat before their tankmates have eaten it all. Since they are bottom-feeders, sinking omnivore pellets should be a staple.

They are somewhat attractive; an iridescent green and grey body with a white and pinkish belly. Their fins are short and clear. Many people keep them because they are great scavengers and pick up any uneaten food.

Pros:

-they eat leftovers
-they're socially active
-they're easy to feed

Cons:

-they don't have super flashy colors
-they are timid if they aren't in a large group
-they hide a lot

Red

is a very stunning color. Especially against green and black and brown.

I got a big floating plant (giant duckweed?) and two Red Cherry shrimp for that little nano tank today from the Aquarium Store. One of the shrimps is carrying a bunch of eggs. If they breed like most websites say they do, the little babies will help feed the fish I ordered (well, I don't plan on raising any baby shrimp anyway).

The fish I picked to go in this tank is a Scarlet Badis (Dario dario) and it isn't supposed to grow even an inch long. The only thing I'm a little worried about is how everything says they won't accept prepared foods; they have to be given live food. I got some frozen Cyclop-eeze to use as the fish's staple once I get him. I just hope he likes it. I won't know until I get him after next Wednesday.

Oh, and happy new year.  :)