Who Gives A Fish Forums

I had the same issue last month. Turns out my tap water had traces of ammonia. Try testing your tap water first to rule that out. If it's clean, then it's probably something in the tank, like overfeeding or a dirty filter.


Yep, that's a solid point. Also, if you're using prime or another ...

Forgot to say—dose bacteria weekly during cycle. I use MicroBacter7, keeps things steady.

Yep, patience is key. My first tank crashed 'cause I rushed it. Used Fritz TurboStart last time, cycled in 2 weeks. Sketchy but worked.

Thanks for the feedback. I'm actually thinking of going with multis now, they're not the flashiest but seem like the most low-maintenance option for a first-timer like me. Luckily, our local water parameters match what they need, so that's a bonus.

Starting up a 40 gallon breeder, decided on shell dwellers. Black ocellatus caught my eye, thinking of starting with six - anyone think that's doable? I know multis and similis tend to colonize pretty well, do ocellatus follow a similar pattern?