A few weeks ago I asked some questions about dechlorinators and cycling and a few other things, and thanks to those who gave me suggestions, my tank is cycled and I just added these little guys last night!



Everything seems fine so far. I was more concerned with giving them adequate caves and crevasses to hide in than how it looks for right now. I think the first thing to change will be the blue gravel into some brown or gray sand. Any other ideas? I'd really like to find some live plants too.. are there any that would do okay in 0.003-0.008 SG?

One more thing.. these were the only bumblebees the LFS had, and a couple of them have some mild fin rot. I've used prime to dechlorinate the water after the ~90% WC and put about two tablespoons of salt in. It's hardly enough for them to notice but I thought it would help them heal. Is there anything else I can do for them?

Other than that I'm pretty excited to finally get my fish! I gave them their first feeding of live brine shrimp today and they loved it! Comments welcome!

Fin rot, as far as I am aware from just reading on the forums, is caused from poor water conditions. Basically that means your lfs has poor water quality and I would not suggest shopping there again. Do daily water changes to keep the water as clean as possible and just keep an eye out. This will help reverse the effects of fin rot.

As far as good substrate to use and yadayadayada, that is all personal preference and people view each differently. Plants are a somewhat different story, the lighting is more important than the substrate. Btw I like your blue substrate the colors of your fish pop well in it.

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I think it looks very cute! I agree that sand or a naturl looking gravel would really make a difference, as well as live plants.

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"Being ignorant is not so much a Shame, as being unwilling to learn".-- Benjamin Franklin

Thanks! Yes I would like to shift to a more natural look over time. It would be a bad idea to order live plants from the internet in the winter anyway (for obvious reasons). I think the gobies would be more comfortable with sand too, since they like to "sit" on the bottom.

I think you're right about that lfs, I thought about looking elsewhere but the next closest pet store is about an hour away. Most of the other species looked pretty good, so I thought maybe it was just because they were being kept in fresh water? Well at least the fin rot isn't getting any worse. I'll do the water changes if it will help them. How long before I should expect improvement (so I can know if more aggressive action is needed)? Thanks for the comments!

looks good! I agree about the gravel and I think the sand would look nice with the bumblebee's, Im jealous no LFS around here carry them!!!!!

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55 Gallon Planted dirt bottom,Reproducing colony of Heterandria Formosa(Least Killifish), 2 Dwarf Puffers, 5 or so Gambusia, 2 Swamp darters???, Several Wild P. Latipinna(Sailfin Mollies), a handful of Jordanella Floridae(American Flagfish), 1 Lepomis Macrochirus(Bluegill fry)

I am not to sure how long it will take to see an improvement. It can vary with a number of factors like if the fish are compatible, how consistent your water changes are. If the fin rot isn't getting any worse I would just continue with a normal water change schedule and maybe increase the amount of changes per weeks (every 3 days instead of every 7 for example). Eventually it should go away.

Also even though it may be a far drive to the next nearest pet store, it will be worth it in the long run as you will get better cared for fish. You can always call ahead to ask what they have in stock. I know it isn't convenient, but I hate to support stores that don't take good care of their fish.

It is strange though, here in Nashua my petsmart does a good job of keeping their fish healthy and I actually don't mind buying from them. I occasionally see a dead fish, but it is rare and promptly removed, especially if they are notified of it. All the fish generally seem quite happy. I actually saw the happiest black khuli loach ever in one of their tanks.

Anyways good luck with the tank. Update with pics when you change the substrate

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Cute tank.