Celestial Pearl Danios or something else?

[Water Wiggler]

Because my 10 gallon tank is newly cycled and immature, I've had to fall out of love with neon tetras. My new love is the celestial pearl danio. Eventually, I would like to get blue velvet shrimp, too. I realize that the fish I get may pick at the baby shrimp, but I'd rather have that than an overpopulation of shrimp.

I have an AquaClear 20 filter with sponge and two layers of biomax. There's a pre-filter on the intake. The API test indicates that my regular PH is 7.6 (blue) and my High Range PH is 7.4 (tannish brown). Does that make my PH 7.5? My tap water has some ammonia in it, so I plan to make Prime my best friend. Is all this okay for CPD?

The only live plant I have is java moss growing on cholla wood. I've got black gravel substrate, black background, three pieces of 4" cholla wood pre-boiled and cured in the front, a bushy green silk plant with big leaves in one back corner, a long and thin silk feathery plant in the other back corner, a short red silk plant to hide the heater in the middle, a bubble breathing dragon, a small bridge, and a gazebo type "house". Would CPD be ok with that setup?

If you think CPD would do well, how many should I get? Can I get all males or is that too much fishy testosterone? I'm not interested in breeding them. I have New Life Spectrum small fish formula sinking pellets and freeze-dried bloodworms on hand with currently no fish to feed. Ha, ha! Will that be good for CPD and whatever falls to the bottom for the shrimp?
I'm open to any advice and more suggestions! Thank you!

 

[azmodan]

Because my 10 gallon tank is newly cycled and immature, I've had to fall out of love with neon tetras. My new love is the celestial pearl danio. Eventually, I would like to get blue velvet shrimp, too. I realize that the fish I get may pick at the baby shrimp, but I'd rather have that than an overpopulation of shrimp.

I have an AquaClear 20 filter with sponge and two layers of biomax. There's a pre-filter on the intake. The API test indicates that my regular PH is 7.6 (blue) and my High Range PH is 7.4 (tannish brown). Does that make my PH 7.5? My tap water has some ammonia in it, so I plan to make Prime my best friend. Is all this okay for CPD?

The only live plant I have is java moss growing on cholla wood. I've got black gravel substrate, black background, three pieces of 4" cholla wood pre-boiled and cured in the front, a bushy green silk plant with big leaves in one back corner, a long and thin silk feathery plant in the other back corner, a short red silk plant to hide the heater in the middle, a bubble breathing dragon, a small bridge, and a gazebo type "house". Would CPD be ok with that setup?

If you think CPD would do well, how many should I get? Can I get all males or is that too much fishy testosterone? I'm not interested in breeding them. I have New Life Spectrum small fish formula sinking pellets and freeze-dried bloodworms on hand with currently no fish to feed. Ha, ha! Will that be good for CPD and whatever falls to the bottom for the shrimp?
I'm open to any advice and more suggestions! Thank you!

Sounds like a good set up. Remember that CPDs are often extremely shy so you'll want very heavy plant cover. Easy floating plants like frogbit or dwarf water lettuce might encourage them to be a little braver too. I'd definitely look at mixing sexes, preferably with more females. Around 8-10 would be a good number to stock and be sure to monitor the water very closely as they can be a little sensitive.

Frozen bloodworms are often a little too big for them so chopping them up is recommended. Mine really love frozen baby brine shrimp but their main diet consists of Omega One flakes and NLS pellets ground up into a powder.

If you have difficulty finding CPDs another awesome alternative is the dwarf emerald rasbora. Very similar looking but they tend to prefer slightly harder water.

Have you considered any live plants? What sort of light do you have currently?

 

[Water Wiggler]

Sounds like a good set up. Remember that CPDs are often extremely shy so you'll want very heavy plant cover. Easy floating plants like frogbit or dwarf water lettuce might encourage them to be a little braver too. I'd definitely look at mixing sexes, preferably with more females. Around 8-10 would be a good number to stock and be sure to monitor the water very closely as they can be a little sensitive.

Frozen bloodworms are often a little too big for them so chopping them up is recommended. Mine really love frozen baby brine shrimp but their main diet consists of Omega One flakes and NLS pellets ground up into a powder.

If you have difficulty finding CPDs another awesome alternative is the dwarf emerald rasbora. Very similar looking but they tend to prefer slightly harder water.

Have you considered any live plants? What sort of light do you have currently?

Thank you so much for your sage advice! I feel like every fish I consider is perfect in every way...and then there's a huge BUT. I may have finally found the perfect fish for my tank!

Can I have 8-10 of them even with 10-20 shrimp without compromising water quality? I will definitely mix sexes. I read somewhere that the least you should have is 6...3 of each sex. I will get more females, though.

I have an 18" 15 watt full-spectrum light with no timer that I definitely do not turn on very much. I was actually just researching frogbit. How much light does it need? It seems easy enough to care for. The only problem that I see is that frogbit may not like the surface agitation that my bubble breathing dragon creates. Do you see that as a problem? I can lower my filter flow.

I'm focusing on getting the right fish and shrimp, so that they will live happily. Having to worry about plants might put me over the edge, right now. Ha, ha! I just tied java moss to my wood and I'm already worried about how I'm going to trim it when it gets too bushy...if it survives. Let's just say that I like taking baby steps!

I have no idea how hard my water is, but the tannins in the cholla wood is probably softening it a bit, I would think. i know I can get CPD, but I will look into dwarf emerald rasbora. Thanks! You have been so helpful!!!

 

[azmodan]

Thank you so much for your sage advice! I feel like every fish I consider is perfect in every way...and then there's a huge BUT. I may have finally found the perfect fish for my tank!

Can I have 8-10 of them even with 10-20 shrimp without compromising water quality? I will definitely mix sexes. I read somewhere that the least you should have is 6...3 of each sex. I will get more females, though.

I have an 18" 15 watt full-spectrum light with no timer that I definitely do not turn on very much. I was actually just researching frogbit. How much light does it need? It seems easy enough to care for. The only problem that I see is that frogbit may not like the surface agitation that my bubble breathing dragon creates. Do you see that as a problem? I can lower my filter flow.

I'm focusing on getting the right fish and shrimp, so that they will live happily. Having to worry about plants might put me over the edge, right now. Ha, ha! I just tied java moss to my wood and I'm already worried about how I'm going to trim it when it gets too bushy...if it survives. Let's just say that I like taking baby steps!

I have no idea how hard my water is, but the tannins in the cholla wood is probably softening it a bit, I would think. i know I can get CPD, but I will look into dwarf emerald rasbora. Thanks! You have been so helpful!!!

Maybe 8 CPDs with the shrimp would be good. The shrimp won't add a huge amount to the bioload but with enough cover they should reproduce fairly regularly. Moss + cholla wood is the perfect little breeding ground for them! The frogbit should do ok with your light. I'd recommending raising the water level as high as possible so your filter isn't pushing them down but they should be ok even with the bubbler.

Yup, no rush on the plants! When you're ready we can answer whatever questions you have. Simple planted set ups can be very easy to start and maintain so don't be intimidated!

Remember that shrimp do much better in "mature" tanks, which means they do better in tanks that have been set up for a while. This allows the tank sufficient time to develop biofilm, algae, microorganisms and so forth -- all which shrimp feed on.

 

[Water Wiggler]

Maybe 8 CPDs with the shrimp would be good. The shrimp won't add a huge amount to the bioload but with enough cover they should reproduce fairly regularly. Moss + cholla wood is the perfect little breeding ground for them! The frogbit should do ok with your light. I'd recommending raising the water level as high as possible so your filter isn't pushing them down but they should be ok even with the bubbler.

Yup, no rush on the plants! When you're ready we can answer whatever questions you have. Simple planted set ups can be very easy to start and maintain so don't be intimidated!

Remember that shrimp do much better in "mature" tanks, which means they do better in tanks that have been set up for a while. This allows the tank sufficient time to develop biofilm, algae, microorganisms and so forth -- all which shrimp feed on.

You are most wonderful! I've started off with java moss to give me some confidence. Somebody wrote that it can survive in a bucket left outside and forgotten. Definitely a "slight" exaggeration, but it's still my kind of plant and it's shrimp friendly!

Would I fare better with frogbit or dwarf water lettuce? How long should the light remain on? If I get 8 CPD, how many females and how many males should I get? Should I drip acclimate them?

Don't worry! I plan on getting the shrimp later! If I get CPDs, that will keep me occupied for a long time.

Because of you guys, I'm going from frustrated to excited! Thank you so very much!

 

[azmodan]

You are most wonderful! I've started off with java moss to give me some confidence. Somebody wrote that it can survive in a bucket left outside and forgotten. Definitely a "slight" exaggeration, but it's still my kind of plant and it's shrimp friendly!

Would I fare better with frogbit or dwarf water lettuce? How long should the light remain on? If I get 8 CPD, how many females and how many males should I get? Should I drip acclimate them?

Don't worry! I plan on getting the shrimp later! If I get CPDs, that will keep me occupied for a long time.

Because of you guys, I'm going from frustrated to excited! Thank you so very much!

I'd try the frogbit first but either should work about as well. Most people run their lights 6-10 hours a day or else you start to run into algae issues. 3/5 m/f would prob be good but depends on what your LFS has too. Drip acclimation is never a bad idea if you got the time. Post pics when you get them!


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[Water Wiggler]

3/5 m/f would prob be good but depends on what your LFS has too.


I did not understand what you meant in your quote above. Could you clarify? Frogbit it is!

 

[Water Wiggler]

I got two pieces of frogbit! They're in a pretty sorry state. They're yellow. He put 10 hours of light on them, but he was using an incandescent bulb. Do you think there's any hope for them with my 15 watt full-spectrum florescent bulb? They've parked themselves next to my feathery fake plant where there's little movement, so I suppose that's good. What do you think? I'm going to leave the light on for them for 6 hours tonight as you suggested.

 

[azmodan]

I got two pieces of frogbit! They're in a pretty sorry state. They're yellow. He put 10 hours of light on them, but he was using an incandescent bulb. Do you think there's any hope for them with my 15 watt full-spectrum florescent bulb? They've parked themselves next to my feathery fake plant where there's little movement, so I suppose that's good. What do you think? I'm going to leave the light on for them for 6 hours tonight as you suggested.

Oh I meant a 3::5 male to female ratio, but sometimes your LFS may not have that. The frogbit should be ok and you can start off with maybe 8 hours per day. A simple outlet timer is very handy for that if you don't already have one.


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[Water Wiggler]

Oh I meant a 3::5 male to female ratio, but sometimes your LFS may not have that. The frogbit should be ok and you can start off with maybe 8 hours per day. A simple outlet timer is very handy for that if you don't already have one.


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Great advice! I would love 10 of them, but I'll be good and get only 8. I will let you know how the frogbit is doing. It seems hardy enough to survive.

 

[Water Wiggler]

Sounds like a good set up. Remember that CPDs are often extremely shy so you'll want very heavy plant cover. Easy floating plants like frogbit or dwarf water lettuce might encourage them to be a little braver too. I'd definitely look at mixing sexes, preferably with more females. Around 8-10 would be a good number to stock and be sure to monitor the water very closely as they can be a little sensitive.

Frozen bloodworms are often a little too big for them so chopping them up is recommended. Mine really love frozen baby brine shrimp but their main diet consists of Omega One flakes and NLS pellets ground up into a powder.

If you have difficulty finding CPDs another awesome alternative is the dwarf emerald rasbora. Very similar looking but they tend to prefer slightly harder water.

Have you considered any live plants? What sort of light do you have currently?

Hi, again! I got my CPDs! There are 7 of them. I got them 5 days ago. They are super healthy and super lively. I've been having trouble feeding them, though. They come out just fine after 20 seconds of watching them and hang out in front while I watch them or sit on the couch doing other things. When I attempt to feed them, they just dart in the back and watch the food fall. I see them pick at the substrate, but i don't know how much food they're getting.

I've been crushing NLS into a powder. Which Omega One flakes do you use? I may try that, too. How eager are yours to eat? Do they eat right away or after you leave?

 

[Brookster123]

Is the tank heavily planted? I feed mine primarily frozen baby brine, they come right out and inhale it! They can be shy fish, better with more really..

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[Water Wiggler]

Is the tank heavily planted? I feed mine primarily frozen baby brine, they come right out and inhale it! They can be shy fish, better with more really..

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I want to avoid live food if I can. I worry about parasites, especially if they don't eat it and it sits around and I can't find it to clean it up. It is a heavily planted/decorated tank, which is where they go when I want to feed them. I'm waiting semi-patiently for floating anacharis to grow, to give them more security. I suppose it will take a while for them to get used to things around here.

 

[Brookster123]

It's frozen.. very safe, they take powdered cobalt flake..they really prefer the frozen foods. Cyclops as well.

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[Water Wiggler]

It's frozen.. very safe, they take powdered cobalt flake..they really prefer the frozen foods. Cyclops as well.

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Good news! I'll figure out where I can get some. I wish Petsmart/Petco carried it, but I saw only regular-sized and not baby shrimp. I'm a big fan of giving fish what they like. I tried the freeze-dried bloodworms that I give my betta, but they float no matter what I do. The feeding I did recently was much more successful than the one this morning. I think hunger persevered. I'm giving them three small meals a day until they're big enough to handle two a day. They're about 3/4 of an inch now, so almost full grown. They certainly don't act stressed out when I don't have an arm over the tank ready to feed them, the little stinkers!

 

[Brookster123]

You should be soaking the freeze dried b worms in a cup of tank water for a couple minutes prior to feeding. Frozen daphnia, cyclops, cylopees would suffice if available. I've found dehydrated, decapped bbs eggs at those stores, simply rehydrate and watch them inhale.. Hikari first bites will work as well.. same thing about rehydration though..

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[Water Wiggler]

You should be soaking the freeze dried b worms in a cup of tank water for a couple minutes prior to feeding. Frozen daphnia, cyclops, cylopees would suffice if available. I've found dehydrated, decapped bbs eggs at those stores, simply rehydrate and watch them inhale.. Hikari first bites will work as well.. same thing about rehydration though..

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You are so flippin' helpful! I will do that with the bloodworms. I didn't realize that soaking them would help. I've never even heard of cyclops...unless we're talking about the mid-forehead one-eyed guy! I will ask Petsmart/Petco what they have in terms of baby brine shrimp. Thank you!!!

 

[Fresh2o]

Close. Cyclops is a small crustacean characterized by a single eye; type of copepod. Named after the one eyed monster from Greek legend.



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[Coursair]

Hi, again! I got my CPDs! There are 7 of them. I got them 5 days ago. They are super healthy and super lively. I've been having trouble feeding them, though. They come out just fine after 20 seconds of watching them and hang out in front while I watch them or sit on the couch doing other things. When I attempt to feed them, they just dart in the back and watch the food fall. I see them pick at the substrate, but i don't know how much food they're getting.

I've been crushing NLS into a powder. Which Omega One flakes do you use? I may try that, too. How eager are yours to eat? Do they eat right away or after you leave?

If you haven't seen this, this is my CPDs eating frozen baby Brine Shrimp
Feeding time 10g Shrimp Jungle: ht...m my LG-V410 using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[Coursair]

Feeding time 10g Shrimp Jungle: http://youtu.be/aptmdICahvM

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