I was finally able to locate a LFS that carried the Congo Tetras, and since these are the hardest to locate of the two that I wanted, I snagged those first. The German Blue Rams are far easier to find, so I will get those in two weeks.

The Congos are now in a medicated (parasite & fungus guard) QT (quarantine tank) sitting on my desk so that I can keep a close eye on them. They are very shy at the moment, but were little piggies at breakfast. Normally new fish don’t eat right away, so I was very happy to see them snarf up the food that I gave them. I forgot to take the frozen cubed Bloodworms out of the freezer last night, so they’ll have to get that treat tomorrow.

Medication turns water blue

Since this is a QT tank, it doesn’t contain any plants or decorations. The PVC pipe is there to provide a hiding cubby if they need it. It’s normal to lose one or two fish during this process, but lets hope these are little fighters and they can overcome the stress. They’ll remain in the QT for roughly 4 weeks or so, and if they appear to be doing well and are healthy I will move them over to their permanent home in the 30 gallon tank. QT’s are a good way to ensure that you are not introducing diseases to an already established healthy tank. :)

Edit: I’ve since learned that substrate is not needed for QT’s. Substrate is impossible to disinfect once the QT is empty! That, and you cannot view fish poo for possible internal parasites or internal bacterial infections if it sinks down into the substrate.