These fish are called Apistogramma borellii Opal (Umbrella Cichlid) and Celestial Pearl Danios (or Galaxy Rasbora). The smaller male that looked like a female has changed his colors completely to look like his usual self. The smaller male of the species, when surrounded by bigger males, sometimes change their colors to look like a female in order to avoid being attacked. I bought these guys thinking it’s a pair, well, actually that’s what I ordered.

On a quick note, moss balls are illegal in certain States in the US. Back in 2011, the laws were changed in some States. Check your local laws to see if moss balls are okay to buy. For the rest of the world, it seems they are not banned in most places.

One of the reasons why I haven’t updated this tank in a while is b/c I’ve been observing them to see if I needed to remove the smaller male as he grew bigger. Luckily there hasn’t been any kind of injury such as nipped fins or flesh wounds of any kind. The bigger male does chase around the smaller male, especially during feeding, but he has never harmed him. They do flare at each other from time to time. Also, they both sleep inside the igloo a lot of the times. So, I decided to keep both of them as they are. I don’t know if this is ideal, but that’s the thing about aquariums – there are so many variables at play, and sometimes things turn out differently than what is already known about certain species.

This is my first time keeping Celestial Pearl Danios, and these guys are one my favorite small fish. They are very curious fish, and they were not scared of me from the getgo. The boys do not eat or hunt them at all. They just ignore them unless one tries to eat their pellet. In the video, that was an accident. He wasn't trying eat the danio. He was trying to eat the pellet and accidentally swallowed the danio and spat it out.

Ep. 3.5 All my tanks update (the female is actually a male)    • All My Tanks Update and Internal Sump...  
Ep. 3 New Pair of Umbrella Cichlids    • Ep. 3 Igloo Tank (New Pair of Umbrell...  
Ep. 2.5 Hot dog feeding    • Ep. 2.5 Igloo Tank (Hot Dog & Sushi F...  
Ep. 2 Final build of the tank    • Ep. 2 Igloo Tank (The Final Build) 10...  
Ep. 1 The igloo    • Ep. 1 Igloo Aquarium Beginning & Quic...  


Affiliate links:
Glass vials with screw cap https://amzn.to/3rfurXf
Moss balls https://amzn.to/2MjQZ6Y
Tetramin flakes https://amzn.to/363GxaE

Large forceps https://amzn.to/3sPF4hF
Tweezers and tools https://amzn.to/3sOVmHW
Small curved tweezers https://amzn.to/3iDkNHt



Dremel 3000 with Flex Shaft : https://amzn.to/32yrPqx
Dremel 561 Multipurpose Cutting Bit: https://amzn.to/32yhwCS
Dremel Diamond bit: https://amzn.to/33ASQZZ
loctite 401: https://amzn.to/2FDHSKQ
Loctite gel: https://amzn.to/2FJGUwQ
Aquamend Epoxy: https://amzn.to/3kqvoW9
Loctite Clear Silicone: https://amzn.to/3moOq0M

Gyokucho Double Blade Saw: https://amzn.to/3kmXktO
503 Torch: https://amzn.to/2ZExtWA

Substrat pro: https://amzn.to/2ZEAKVy
Siporax: https://amzn.to/3knhggo

Better Similar light (Lominie LED Aquarium Light): https://amzn.to/3mumvga

Suisaku thermometer: https://amzn.to/3iAY3Y1
(I switched out the thermometer to a smaller one)


Music:
Canon in D Major by Pachelbel
Clair de lune by Claude Debussy
Row row row your boat by Eliphalet Oram Lyte