My pair of GBR from Frank Coward just spawned. Unfortunately, I found the the male dead entangled in Anubias roots as I was preparing for the Spring Auction. Female just laid a bunch of eggs on a leaf in aquarium. She is quarding them closely. There is a flower pot cave in the tank which she ignored . I am not sure what to do? Should I clip leaf and move it to the pot or just leave it alone? Also, I am planning to buy one of the "likely male" GBR offered in the auction. Other denizens of tank are 2 Black Mollies that have been clearing out hair algae, a large very old neocardinia shrimp and a twig catfish. Do I need to remove the Mollies from the aquarium? Can the female GBR raise the fry herself? Will the "likely male" GBR harm the fry? Plus, I am heading on vacation at the beginning of May. Looking for ideas/comments from experienced breeders!!! Bruce/Novafish

I am looking for ideas for finding and catching a few otocinclus in a heavily planted 29G without taking the plants and wood apart. I am thinking about trying large slices of lightly cooked zucchini. NB: The are MTS and Assassins in the tank as well as a small goup of kubotai rasbora, a couple of cories and a group of neon tetra.. Any other suggestions? Full story: I recently ordered 6 Otos on line. 7 arrived in good health. 1 died within a day, perhaps due to being caught in a net when transfering to the aquarium. I found 5 after 2 days and within a week they cleaned out a heavy algae deposit on the glass and plants. At the start, I could barely see inside the tank. Now, there is not a lot of algae left for them to eat. However, I have two more aquariums which need a live cleaning. I caught 2 of the fish and transferred them to one of my other very algaed tanks. I've been looking for the other 3 or 4 but so far, I don't see them. I tried a flashlight in the dark but did not see the Otos. BTW, losing Otos in a heavily planted aquarium is not unusual for me. I have 2 Bumble Bee Otos (from Barbara Day), in the next dirty tank, that I rarely see but pop up occaisionally.

Please let me know if you are interested in any of following items for April tailgate: 1. Pink(ish) Bristlenose Ancistrus fry (L-144). This is the latest generation from my colony. They don't have the red albino eyes. Size is 1” – 2.” Maybe some larger. Also, a couple may have a dark spot or splotch. $4 each, 3/$10. There are also multiple breeding pairs. I can try to catch at least 1pair if there is interest for $20. 2. Subwassertang (full snack bag). $4 3. Java fern, regular and narrow leaf. $10 bag of 3 small/medium. Can mix and match 4. Rotalla cuttings. Most with some roots. Small tall fishbag for $4. 5. Hornwort Cuttings. Most with some roots. $4 per bag. 6. Assassin snails (various sizes). Not sure of number or size because they are in substrate. $3 each. 7. Large Amazon Sword Plant, approximately 12” and 25 leaves. Some leaves have Gammarus bites. $20. 8. Malaysian Trumpet Snails. Food for Assassin snails, puffer, loaches, etc. (20 for $2). 9. [probably] Giant Duckweed (Spirodela polyrhiza) {green on top and red on bottom]. Handpicked to be over 98% duckweed free). Snack bag portion $3. Bruce / novafish

Has anyone tried Aqueon Shrimp Tank Plus water conditioner or Aqueon Shrimp Essentials trace minerals? If "yes," please comment on your experience. Are they useful? Do you use them for water changes instead of brands commonly used for fish, such as Prime? Does any special care need to be taken when using? Etc, etc,. The Aqueon Rep gave me a bottle of each at the last CatCon.

I just saw one of my orange neo shrimp swim up from the floor of the aquarium and across the top with a large gammarus. Who is eating whom?

I have the following excess items: Pink(ish) Bristlenose Ancistrus fry. If there is interest, I can try to catch a few. This is the latest generation from my colony. They don't have the red albino eyes. Also, some may have a dark spot or splotch. Most are probably an inch long. Hard to see among the plants. There might be some larger juveniles. PM me if interested. 2. Some measuring cup sizes of subwassertang. 3. Java fern, regular and possibly some narrow leaf. 4. Possibly some anubias and some rotalla cuttings. 5. Assassin snails. Not sure how many or size because they are usually in the sand substrate, I can dig some out. I can try to take pictures if necessary. These surplus items are in heavily planted tanks and I don't want to start digging around unless there is interest. It is hard to catch the fish without substantially disrupting the aquariums. Due to covid, I will not be selling on the spot but only prepaid orders. Bruce