# 10 gallon shy fish lagoon (inspired by the secret history living in your aquarium)



## Noahlikesfish (Apr 17, 2021)

Ok so tshliya (the secret history living in your aquarium) has like a 7g ada shy fish breeding tank with fish like medka psudomugil guppies endlers stiphodons and I think that’s it. I am trying to reproduce it with my 10 gallon by hopefully breeding my psudomugil, growing out my melatonania fry and Maybe breeding some guppies. I made a diy light with a plastic covering for a box then a thing of string aquarium lights 7 watts total and I focused it into 1 point. I plan on getting hornwort wisteria El Niño fern (asiatic bolbitis) a bit of tiger lily and maybe a cryptocoryne. I want to try emulating a small riverbank/lagoon with low flow and lots of hiding places for the fish. I will update with a pic after I get it planted tomorrow.


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## Noahlikesfish (Apr 17, 2021)

Ok I have the hardscape and the fish inside, it’s a NPT and I don’t knownwhat plants to use besides hornwort and water lettuce, here’s a pic of the tank on a cloudy


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## Noahlikesfish (Apr 17, 2021)

Any idea what this little guy is?







It’s the fish in the middle top of the shot that looks like a guppy


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

A closer photo is needed to ID the fish. Good thing you gave these little guys their own tank. They'd be lost in a large community tank.


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## Noahlikesfish (Apr 17, 2021)

Is there a way to post a video of it?


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## Noahlikesfish (Apr 17, 2021)




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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

I can't see the fins but could be female furcata.


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## Noahlikesfish (Apr 17, 2021)

It isn’t forked, do you know how long it will take my plants to settle in and fill the tank? I would like to use this tank as a plant grow out


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

It depends on lots of things. I'd say a month or 2. Just hope your tank doesn't go anaerobic. That would slow down the plants.


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## Noahlikesfish (Apr 17, 2021)

Should I poke the substrate to stop anaerobic?


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

The soil layer looks pretty thick but you might be able to get away with it but I'd remove the large rocks. More room for plants also, win-win.


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## Noahlikesfish (Apr 17, 2021)

I don’t know if I can remove the rocks, I think they are buried into the substrate.


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## Noahlikesfish (Apr 17, 2021)

I threw in my water lily bulb into the tank, hopefully it will send in a ton of roots to stop anaerobic activity if there is any. The aoil is actually not as thick as it looks, it’s about 1.25” at the thickest, I was planning on using the tank as A greenhouse but I decided not to, there is a drainage layer of black gravel under the soil.


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## Noahlikesfish (Apr 17, 2021)

Would adding tannins be bad for the fish? I was thinking of throwing in alder cones becsuse one of the fish has damaged fins


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## Noahlikesfish (Apr 17, 2021)

I’m praying my fish start beeedinf soon


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## Noahlikesfish (Apr 17, 2021)

Should I pull the heater out to minimize anaerobic conditions and lower the fishes metabolism for longer life expectancy?


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## Noahlikesfish (Apr 17, 2021)

I’m worried the one with damaged fins is going to get bullied to death, the other males are being jerks to it. Sadly, I have 3 males and 1 female I belive


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## Noahlikesfish (Apr 17, 2021)

I have a 3 gallon tank with little fry in it but that would be cruel to the fish.


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## Noahlikesfish (Apr 17, 2021)

If it comes down to it I will try everything I can to get them to spawn. Most likely I’d isolate a pair in a empty 1 gallon tank with a thing of hornwort and do a water change with pure rainwater


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

If you want them to breed, you’ll need heat and quality food, frozen or live daphnia. They prefer harder water so rain water is not advised.


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## Noahlikesfish (Apr 17, 2021)

Ok. Do bloodworms work to breed them? My bosemani and Australia’s are spawning just with flakes. What temp should I go for?


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

Bloodwork probably too big for them. Look at their size. Give it a try. You only have a season before they’re too old to breed.


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## Noahlikesfish (Apr 17, 2021)

Oh I do? Should I chop up the bloodworm?


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## Noahlikesfish (Apr 17, 2021)

What water temperature do they need?


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## Noahlikesfish (Apr 17, 2021)

If I can just get 1 batch of fry, I can perpetuate their genetics, 1 batch of fry can mean more babies and then hopefully when they grow the tank will be planted enough that fry can survive. Once that happens I can probably get a Big colony going


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## Noahlikesfish (Apr 17, 2021)

Oh hey some Cory fry survived. They are like 1/3-.5” long I think there is 2


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## Noahlikesfish (Apr 17, 2021)

Is it ok to use tiny rainbowfish fry as feeders?


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

__





Pseudomugil furcatus – Forktail Blue-eye (Popondetta furcata, Popondichthys furcatus) — Seriously Fish







www.seriouslyfish.com




everything you need to know. I mentioned they don’t live very long.


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## Noahlikesfish (Apr 17, 2021)

Ok


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## Noahlikesfish (Apr 17, 2021)

I will try my best to breed them but I doubt I can successfully do it, I do have Cory fry in there too and they are colder temps. I will try the temp at 80 I think the fry can survive at 80


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## Noahlikesfish (Apr 17, 2021)

What other fish should I add to the tank? I wanna maybe get shrimps too


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## mistergreen (Mar 3, 2007)

If this is a breeding tank, the fewer fish & shrimps to eat the eggs, the better.


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## Noahlikesfish (Apr 17, 2021)

It’s going to be so heavily planted the fry and eggs will live


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## Noahlikesfish (Apr 17, 2021)

3 or 4 day update, I put the bacopa growing riparian and it is showing some growth, also the wisteria and crypts are taking off slowly.


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## Noahlikesfish (Apr 17, 2021)

Once it’s filled with plants I am going to shut the filter off. Hopefully growth starts kicking in soon.


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## ElNaturalPurist (Feb 11, 2021)

Noahlikesfish said:


> Once it’s filled with plants I am going to shut the filter off. Hopefully growth starts kicking in soon.


Why did you shut the filter off? Also, with so few plants and being next to a window, are you concerned about algae growth?


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## ronnie (Feb 26, 2021)

You need rooting plants ASAP. Yes poking the substrate will help with anaerobic spots, but the whole point of an NPT is to allow the plants to do the work.

if the rocks are on the base of the tank with substrate around it, it will be fine. If the rocks are sitting on top of the substrate, it will cause problems.

As soon as you can, add aggressive rooting plants like sags, vals, and crypts. Also add stem plants such as a anacharis, bacopa, Ludwiga, water wisteria, etc.

I see you have some, get more and more! Then moss, Java fern, Anubias for the rocks.


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## Noahlikesfish (Apr 17, 2021)

i am trying to get growth b/c this is all I have. I plan to remove hardscape soon.


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## Noahlikesfish (Apr 17, 2021)

Got bored, rescaped I will do a wc tomorrow. I am gonna do a pic every day for a couple weeks


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## Noahlikesfish (Apr 17, 2021)

removed the hornwort I’m sick of looking at it. I’m going to fight the inevitable algae 1 on 1. Set the lights 3pm-11pm like my other tank and it will get a siesta at like 11am- 3 pm b/c sun isn’t direct. I’m either going to have the tank explode because there’s bright light and dirt and a siesta or literal algae hell. whatever happens I will have to live with I guess. will update tomorrow.


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## ronnie (Feb 26, 2021)

How’s the tank? I imagine algae or water parameter issues?

Just gonna second myself on more rooted plants, especially since the rocks are gone.


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## Noahlikesfish (Apr 17, 2021)

No issues rn a little algae tho


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