New Aquarium

[InbetweenDreams]

So, I did finally get all the fish in quarantine cured of ich. It has recently made an appearance in the 55 gallon tank but I think it should be easier to get under control since only a few fish have it. I do have some new fish I am going to add, got some x-ray tetras...

   

All of them appear to be fine and healthy but got to wait until I get rid of the ich in the 55 gallon tank. Also got some red cherry shrimp...

   

I got 30 of those guys and I think only one was dead when I got them, so hopefully none became a meal.

So I have had trouble with guppies, not sure if it is just luck or if the rumor is true that guppies aren't very hardy anymore due to inbreeding over the last 40-50 years. I added crushed coral to make the water hard, raise the ph and so forth. I do think the guppies I got from a chain store was a mistake... they would only sell me 4 guppies, saying that guppies need 5 gallons per fish...which is nonsense. 3 of the 4 they sold me died in 24 hours and it wasn't because my tank was full of ammonia. I did go to a local store and picked up 8 and I've only lost one so far. A few of them do seem to be a bit off, not familiar with keeping guppies. I have been adding medication to treat for any possible bacterial or parasite infection. One of the guppies lies on the bottom, as if they're on their last leg, then swims off and acts fine, something none of the other guppies are doing.

At any rate, if the guppies don't work out another fish I was considering was Japanese rice fish, they're not quite as virant to look at but can tolerate a wide range of temps, 59-82 F is their "comfort zone" but can tolerate 35-108 F since they are named rice fish because they're found in rice patties where temps can swing drastically. They do like brackish water since they can spend some time in or near the ocean. Of course, I don't want to do brackish water since I want to do plants. Brackish water has too much salt for plants. I don't know if there are any aquatic plants that will live in brackish water or not, haven't looked into it, but I am pretty sure that it would be more difficult to manage all that outside.

That being said, I am curious about a brackish water tank, just don't really have the room, or need, to setup another aquarium. I would probably want to do something around 29 gallons so I can have a little room for error.