# xenxes's Aqua Culture 5g - "Driftwood Jungle" + PFRs



## epiphany (Oct 8, 2011)

I swear every time I log in I see you've got a new tank. It makes me kind of jealous.


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## Eldachleich (Jul 9, 2011)

Seriously!! 
You have never ending supply of nano's it seems...


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

I'm stopping at 6, mostly out of shelf / table space  But the first 2 aren't even tanks, they're just small containers with water :tongue:


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## epiphany (Oct 8, 2011)

You say that now, but let's see in a few weeks haha


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

So this has become my dump tank / driftwood wasteland, I weighed down extra moss (about half dead) on the bottom, tied some sick looking riccia to a few pieces of SS mesh, dumped in duckweed I pulled out of a carpet cleaner, threw in the java fern and aponogeton I had no place for (right side is a rotting bulb that just came out), extra MTS, and the aggressive ghost shrimp I can't seem to kill. 









The mopani wood is leeching tanin into the water, gives off a nauseous orange/yellow tint









Ghost shrimp just devoured a dead panda platy fry that got stuck behind my 20g filter

The silicone calk is driving me nuts, but it'll probably turn into an ugly overgrown jungle that covers the back silicone at least. Evil lair for an evil shrimp.


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## Eldachleich (Jul 9, 2011)

I hate bad silicone...
Its still nicer looking that my QT tank..
I have one of the 2.5 gallon curved plastic ones with bright coloured lids and little legs... http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3806238
This one..
I only have tiny fish so its a perfect size.. Plus It was already there....
I need wood like that... Can't find it anywhere..
I always boiled wood till it doesnt leach tannins anymore........ I hate tannins...
Like it in biotopes.... Just not other kinds of tanks...
So I boil them for days to get it all the way out... Plus it sinks them... I love prefilter sponges so much...


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

OMG that kit is so PINK! Do you have pink gravel in yours too?

I got the mopani wood for $8-10 @ Petsmart, lol.


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## Eldachleich (Jul 9, 2011)

Well mines not the mermaid set... lol
Its orange... With white pool filter sand and whatever stem plant I could get in.
No fair!!! My PetSmart doesn't carry any driftwood...
Unless it has very sad looking anubias or java moss attached to it... And costs around $20


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

Check in the reptile section, they all have them! It's not anywhere near the aquariums or aquarium decor.

It may be labeled driftwood for repariums/reptiles, the mopani ones are the heaviest/darkest/sinks right away, but has tannins that will probably take years to boil out. The small are $8, medium $10, large $12 (very long, like 20", found a very nice piece but nowhere to put it). They have river wood also, and a crazy huge jungle gym that was maybe $20+. All are safe for aquarium use imo, boil first though. I didn't boil mine :/


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## Eldachleich (Jul 9, 2011)

I'll have to check!! I never look in the reptile section... I never had any reason to go in there..


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

The tank cycled on old media + some Nutrafin cycle + dead fish, the cheap stock "AquaTech" filter is quite impressive after a little tweaking, it's quieter than my Aquaclear 20 and rather strong (rated 125 gph!). I need to add in more biomax though if it's going to house fish (even temporarily), I had half a small bag left and only filled it halfway. 

Put in a 15W 6500k (daylight) bulb, looks a little better. The rotting aponogeton bulb grew out and tripled in size (right side), java fern growing. Riccia came back to life. Picking off extra snails and throwing them in whenever I can. The giant 1.5" MTS is in here. I think the snails are eating the dead Xmas moss.


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

Progression Post:


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## skindy (Jan 30, 2012)

It's a pretty nice looking QT tank! So, do the creatures that go in here to die have to battle it out with the vicious ghost shrimp?  Winner goes back to the good tanks? Gladiator style!


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

TY! Lol that's an interesting idea. 

I haven't had to quarantine anything, if I had to medicate a sick fish I'd probably take the shrimp out. It can smell death from many tanks away. 

The 15w CFL is doing pretty well and I might add more clippings. I might end up stocking this with shrimp, but then I'd need another QT :/


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

Aponogetons are awesome:


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

You should clean that sponge prefilter before those plants grow into it!


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## Ozydego (Aug 29, 2011)

That plant is growing insanely fast, less than a month from a bulb right?


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

Yeah planted it on 1/30, so about 2 weeks. Lol diwu, that's moss & riccia. Sponge filter = snack jar for snails. That shrimp is still alive somehow, I haven't fed it in a long time.

I'm fighting the urge to stock this with some pygmy cories, or some kind of tiny dark-water tetra. I'll probably end up using it for shrimp culls, all that moss...


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## alfalfa (Jan 19, 2012)

Aponogeton bulbs are pretty cool. A half dozen cost less than a sandwich. One of mine never did anything, a few have had reasonable growth, but a few completely took off, even filling the corner of my tank.


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## Robotponys (Sep 7, 2011)

alfalfa said:


> Aponogeton bulbs are pretty cool. A half dozen cost less than a sandwich. One of mine never did anything, a few have had reasonable growth, but a few completely took off, even filling the corner of my tank.


Where do you get yours! Here they are like 2 for $4 last time I checked, and they didn't even sprout...  I want some!


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

Moved jungle vals to the back (they will get huge eventually). Removed java ferns to the brackish tank. The aponogeton shot out 2 runners (thought it flowering before). Interesting!


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

I see your reflection! Glad to know you aren't a vampire.

Is that a huge apple snail I see in that tank there? And the moss still isn't recovering well huh... might need to throw it out soon. :\


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

Lol, I'm a day-walker.

That terrestrial xmas moss is dead for sure. I'll just let it decompose and the snails eat it, why throw it out?  Those are the 2 golf-ball sized mysteries.


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

Cause if you don't throw it out you'll end up with tons of nemotodes . But then you can get a lot more free fish food haha.


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

Lol that's fine, I think I'm putting some pygmaeus cories in here; despite most people thinking it's too small. I think a layer or two of hydrocotyle leucocephala will do the trick and give them much more space. Also need to push the SS mesh into the substrate so they don't cut their barbels.

I threw in 2 coral rocks to compensate for the low pH (mopani wood leeching tannins), it's now back to around 7. Good/bad idea?


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

Seems OK for the coral rock for now, but the pH might shoot up when the wood stops leeching after a while. So maybe check once a week after 1 month?


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

I got fish!









Ordered 6 pygmaeus corydoras from msjinkzd, she sent me 11! :O









For scale, next to a snail









Can't wait for that hydrocotyle to grow out, I think I'm going to cut more stems from my 20g so they have more places to rest.

Cutest fish I've ever seen!


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

Oh yeah, growth update:


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

LOL dang you got lucky with that. I ordered 15 tigers and only got 15 . And one was DOA. She gave me a good deal so I can't complain though. Congrats you got so many free though!

Growth update? Looks like you just added more plants


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

It's such a mess, figure I'll rescape it later. Aponogeton probably has to go. How would you even trim such a thing?


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## alfalfa (Jan 19, 2012)

Robotponys said:


> Where do you get yours! Here they are like 2 for $4 last time I checked, and they didn't even sprout...  I want some!


I've seen two different packages for "Betta Bulbs" at Petco. One package is about 3 to 6 of some type of aponogeton (hybrids?) bulbs. The other has a variety of things, like aponogeton, lily, onion, etc. I'd advise against the variety pack if not just for the lily bulb that will root itself throughout your entire substrate very, very fast... and you get fewer aponogeton bulbs.

I just googled for Aponogeton and Petco and found this thread here:
What are Betta Bulbs?


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

Rescaped it:










Right side could use some more trimming after new leaves grow out.


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

Where is the evil ghost shrimp now?


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

On top of the filter. Just molted again. It's bigger than the fish. See top right vs. bottom left on image above.

I moved the crypt by the feeding circle, like to keep it open. The fish still hasn't eaten.


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

Oh now I see it that you point it out. I don't see it on the bottom picture though. And I don't see the fish. I must be blind.


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

Lol there's only 2 fish in the top pic you can see, between the riccia and the pads in the bottom left corner. They're very shy and hide whenever I walk by 

There's one fish in the bottom pic, right side staring at his reflection. It's like Where's Waldo?


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

What fish is this lol? I see nothing seriously... :X. Has the shrimp gone after them?

Gonna be ordering 10 of those mosquito rasboras from msjinkzd. I hope I'm more satisfied from this order than my last one . Either she gives me extras like you or something but the first tiger order from her was meh.


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

What are you going to do with all that fish? Are all of them going in your shrimp tanks?

I'll zoom in for you:


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## Eldachleich (Jul 9, 2011)

Your tanks get pulled together so fast!!
I'm jealous...
This looks awesome.
I hate almost all my tanks right now...
the pygmies are adorable arent they?


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

xenxes said:


> What are you going to do with all that fish? Are all of them going in your shrimp tanks?


I'll be putting 5 into each tank. So it shouldn't be that much of a problem. These fish are as large as shrimp!

So you have ottos in there?


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

No otos, just 11 pygmaeus cories, they're each smaller than the ghost shrimp 

These little guys will probably solve your worm problem. I never see them eat because they're way too skittish and hide when I'm in front of the tank, but flakes I drop in disappear in a few hours.


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

Water smelled fishy, tested and got a nitrite spike  Probably overfed.

I think 20Ls will be my minimum tank size in the future. <5gs are too volatile.

Contemplating moving half or all to the 20g.


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## moosenart (Feb 18, 2012)

Nice! I wish I had one like that


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

moosenart said:


> Nice! I wish I had one like that


Thanks  but I'm contemplating scrapping it. It's too small for anything but shrimp or a temporary fish holding tank. Have too many nanos now and feel like consolidating to a few larger ones.


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## austinz33 (Nov 6, 2011)

Nooooooo you can't! Your nanos are like my favorite!!!!!!!


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

xenxes said:


> No otos, just 11 pygmaeus cories, they're each smaller than the ghost shrimp
> 
> These little guys will probably solve your worm problem. I never see them eat because they're way too skittish and hide when I'm in front of the tank, but flakes I drop in disappear in a few hours.


Pygmy cories only stay near the bottom of the tank so they won't eat the ones floating around . I was thinking about them, and they are very small fish as well!



austinz33 said:


> Nooooooo you can't! Your nanos are like my favorite!!!!!!!


What austin said... but it's up to you! It does seem like TONS of work to have so many tanks. And your 20L is by far my favorite


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

Nitrites back to 0 today, I just don't know how to feed them other than scatter flakes everywhere, which is a no-no for a small tank. I guess I need to order more Repashy and use a feeding dish? Suggestions? 

I've been meaning to make fish food with all the extra gelatin I got, not quite sure what to add. I don't even know where to get beef heart, lol.


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

I dont' have any issues with nitrite spikes and I don't use feeding dishes either. I recently won a RAOK of H4n so I will be getting one but not sure how often I will use it haha. I think if you feed spareingly, like enough for them to finish all of it within 2 hours you won't have a problem with a nitrite spike.


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

I think I just got over excited on days 1-2 and tried to force feed them, food ended up rotting in the tank (maybe 3-4 pinches of flakes total + repashy + veggie stick).

Today I tweezered some flakes into the feeding circle, walked away for 5 mins, and it was all gone  They don't eat when I'm around


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

You should hide behind the plants and watch them eat haha.


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

So I've been trying to move the 11 pygmaeus c. to my 20g and have only been moderately successful. I think I trapped 8-9 in my water bottle trap (lost count), but can't seem to coax the last couple out.

I know for certain at least one more is in the tank, he's been avoiding the trap, and when I get close he would burrow INTO the substrate, making it impossible to net. Ugh.


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## Ben. (Mar 29, 2011)

looks super nice! love the corries!


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

Hm.. interesting, the trap also works for pygmy cories? You didn't lose any from stagnant water did you?

You can try to net him out when he sleeps at night.


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

Few updates:

- Moved all the corydoras pygmaeus to the 20g
- Moved 3 black-ish platies (selected the darker panda fry) in here
- Yanked out some aponogeton / large crypt leaves










Grandulosa isn't very red anymore, light isn't strong enough


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## CrazyCatPeekin (Aug 15, 2011)

I like it. I wonder if your fish ever get the urge to light a campfire in that circle, sit on the driftwood log and tell ghost stories.


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

No more fish in this tank, hoping to use it to raise fry, if I can only find some catfish eggs in the 20g :/









Riccia on the right side getting a little out of hand.


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

You took away all the dying moss I see.

Ricca doesn't grow at all in my tanks. It just kinda turns to mush and dies :\


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

Nah the dead moss is underneath the almond leaf/rock circle. The shrimps seem to nibble on it a lot more than live moss, so I left it in. Perhaps baby shrimp will hide and find food in it. Doesn't seem to pollute the water at all.


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

Giant vals are really coming out.


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## ValMM (Feb 22, 2011)

Very nice. It's amazing how things will balance each other when left alone.


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

Very true. I actually noticed the TDS going DOWN in this tank. It was 310 2 weeks ago, then 290, today tested 280. Interesting?


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## gnod (Mar 24, 2011)

is that a mini bolbitis i spy?


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

gnod said:


> is that a mini bolbitis i spy?


Hygrophila Difformis


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

Update time! Before and after a recent trim:


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

PFR? red enough? One on right is just a high grade RCS









Think RCS juvie on the left, very clear









Was probably a bad idea to mix high grade RCS with the PFRs/Sakuras. Going to take a long time to cull after they mix..


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

Looks like a PFR to me! And yea.. that was a bad idea :\


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

So I mixed some PFRs with cherries in the 20g, and overall the population is getting redder and redder 










Destroyed the riccia, ugh that stuff got annoying.


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

Where's the ricca go? In da trash? I never had luck with ricca in my tanks. Always just melts right off @[email protected]

Glad you're updating your journals. Time to comment on all of them :3


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

Riccia went in the trash, they did amazing in this tank, too well for my taste, still cleaning out riccia pieces stuck on other plants


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

The measly 3 PFRs I had in here finally had another batch of babies, hoping none of them turn out to be cherries. They all look pretty red already at peewee sizes.


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

Dang look at all the cherry poo haha. Those are looking very red. Just cull out as soon as they reach like 0.5 inch size.


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

Lol, those are fluval plant stratum. I didn't layer the substrate very well in this tank.


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

This PFR juvie grew up orange, the bastard step-child?


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

Turned out a sakura-ish orange too.


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

Caught 3 CPD fry and threw them in here, best pic I could get:


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## Unikorn (Jun 14, 2012)

Subscribed  Whats the trick with Riccia? I put some in between plastic mesh and have it floating right now, but it gets a little weak as if dying if I try and weigh it down to be a mat of riccia >.<


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

Oh I dumped all the riccia out a month ago, lol. Will take a new pic tomorrow... forgetting I have this tank :/

Riccia keeps growing, floating, getting caught on everything. Better off without it!


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)




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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

Any CPD fry left? That sexy hydrocotyle


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

No fry left  moved PFRs to 20L, now with yellows from diwu!


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

Dat sexy "granny" lol


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

Added 2 of these little guys to eat worms:


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

xenxes said:


> Added 2 of these little guys to eat worms:


Aw. cute lil' guy. Looks a little disfigured though :O


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

I think just starved, they started going after flakes as soon as I dropped some in.


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## wetbizquit (Jul 9, 2006)

what type of fish is that lil guy? what worms do they eat? any chance they eat planaria ha ha


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## SaltyNC (Jun 26, 2012)

Wetbizquit, those are boraras brigittae or "Chili Rasbora". You can fit 4 or 5 on a quarter. They are tiny.

Xenxes, I never thought about using them to eat worms, but they do like to pick through the vegetation. I'm using ground up flake, ground up pellets, and Instant Baby Brine Shrimp (not really live) to feed mine. They like to eat two or three times a day.

Your tank looks good. I like the yellow shrimp.


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## diwu13 (Sep 20, 2011)

SaltyNC said:


> Xenxes, I never thought about using them to eat worms, but they do like to pick through the vegetation. I'm using ground up flake, ground up pellets, and Instant Baby Brine Shrimp (not really live) to feed mine. They like to eat two or three times a day.


I referred them to him ! Very well mannered fish that won't attack baby shrimp. However, not sure about the emeralds.


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## xenxes (Dec 22, 2011)

They're smaller than a full size shrimp, not shy at all, well, or just really dumb. I just crush up some generic flakes, but I probably won't feed much given the amount of copepods, daphnias, and nematodes.


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