Who Gives A Fish Forums

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?