My harlequin rasboras have been added to the 55-gallon community tank! I’m happy to say that after a few minutes of chasing them around, my largest angelfish reluctantly decided that they probably weren’t food, so they should be just fine now.
Here’s a full-tank shot:
I can’t believe sometimes how much has changed since this photo was taken less than a year ago:
The tank is due for a trim — I’ll be dropping some anacharis in the snail tank to help with nitrogen removal — but I’m glad to say that the dwarf sag and the crypts are doing well, as are the Nymphaea lilies and java ferns. (By the way, the white cylinders around the dwarf sagittaria are ceramic filter noodles tied with fishing line — I use these as DIY plant weights.) I have to trim out tall lily stems every few days, and there are lots of little java fern plantlets growing on the tips of the leaves.
To bring the rasboras into the tank, I went through a full acclimation process — something I always do anyway, but I was extra picky about it since I’ve been adding calcium to the community tank for my mystery snails. I used a poor man’s acclimation rig to semi-automate it.
I poked a hole in the bottom edge of a disposable plastic cup and propped it on my algae scraper. The rasboras are in a Dip ‘N Pour container, which is a tool every fishkeeper should have at least one of (I prefer it over nets for catching fish). As the water slowly dripped into the Dip ‘N Pour, I topped it off periodically.
Finally, here are a few more shots of the rasboras during and after acclimation:
