Tony s

It will. Just a bacterial bloom. Happens sometimes. Nothing harmful as long as you’re parameters stay good

Yes, apparently my comprehensive skills are not working today. I read that completely backwards Completely agree

might try fasting for a few days. then a bit of frozen peas. looks very bound up with something. hopefully just constipated. bloat usually doesn't end well

i also tried separating platys, they can be pregnant for an incredibly long time. i think not this long though. I eventually gave up and put them all back together again. I gave them plenty of cover and now have a 20g with about 30 platys. all sizes all ages. from 2 yr old to 2-day old fry. the numbers have been relatively stable for about 2 years now

Looks like you have a basic cycle. You can either add a bit more ammonia and make sure it clears easily. Or you can actually add some fish. A small amount just to keep the cycle going and not overwhelm it. If you add the fish be sure to check your parameters daily to make sure it’s good. If the cycle fails you’re now in a fish in cycle. Which is doable. Just a lot more water changes to keep your ammonia down.

You could also do some red cherry shrimp. very small rasboras will also work. think along the lines of chili's. only 3/4 inch long. small thin bodies. maybe 7 or 8 of those. possible a few male endlers so they don't reproduce. or the betta and snail, which you could make a very happy betta in that. and all these options are really a this OR that kind of thing. not all of them at once I know, they make all kinds of cool looking little tanks. big box stores will tell you they're fine. it's not till later that you realize they're only good for a few things.

Unfortunately, that is often the case now. big box usually has the weakest genetics. in both guppies and neon tetras. better would be to find some from a smaller local store. best would be to find a local breeder. My daughter wants guppies, but we've tried and failed a couple of times from petsmart/co. Sourcing guppies right now can be a bit tricky, but finding somewhere that has success already is key. possibly dans fish? (okay, my daughter wants sailfin mollies. she's 8. so guppies it is, especially in her 15g flex tank 🤣)

This generally takes a bit of time. As they may have a disease/parasite and not show it for a few weeks at least. That’s why observation is key. Then, if you see a problem, hit it with full strength meds.

Very correct, my advice was based solely on new fish purchase. Had actually not thought about an isolation period as I generally treat the whole tank. Can be expensive that way, but it eliminates the issue that others might have but are not showing.

Yea, that’s probably correct, most floaters hate any kind of surface movement. @Whitecloud09 I would be interested in trying the wisteria, it’s supposed to be a lot like hornwort, but with less problems. Kit lights work well with low light plants. Probably not enough for red root floaters. Possibly enough for wisteria. Definitely enough for hornwort. And of course, all the low light bottom plants. Even your moneywort would struggle with a kit light. Duck weed should be okay, if you keep your water levels high enough to keep your surface still. But you’ll be constantly removing it if you use it.

I honestly have no recollection of that. 6 should be okay, it’s more a matter of staying on top of your parameters and water changes One extra fish isn’t going to add a whole lot. Either in bio load or them feeling secure. Just once I wanna take a large shallow tank and just fill it with Corys. It’s supposed to change how they behave by a lot

You’ll have to feed eventually as quarantine works best for at least a 4 week period. In which observation is key. I’m not a fan of adding meds unless it’s required. Just watch parameters constantly though

I’d look into getting some Seachem acid and alkalinity buffer to raise your kh numbers. I’d see about getting the kh to at least 80. Kh is what will buffer your water from large ph swings. And you can target the ph you desire by using them together. I’m thinking your gh is perfect for your mollies but too high for your pigmy’s. Which can be a bit sensitive. nerites or mysteries would be fine. They’ll eat more algae than produce waste. So net positive.

I think that’s the one thing we as new keepers really screw up. Most of the time things can be solved just by watching and maintaining parameters. And doing absolutely nothing else. But we panic, and then really screw things up.

My first thoughts. It sounds like you’re a basic beginner, we all have made many mistakes at this point. Please don’t beat yourself up. I know it’s completely discouraging to lose animals. But there is a learning curve to this. We screw things up, we learn. We do better next time. It’s how this works. I completely understand. I did the exact same thing. Stay here, ask questions. We all like to help. For some of us, this hobby is relatively new. It’s not been that long ago we lost our own animals. We absolutely know that frustration. Trust me, it gets better. a few more things. Neon tetras and bettas are some of the hardest fish to keep alive for very long. They both have become way too fragile genetically from overbreeding. Neons are lucky to make it a couple of months (if they make it 3 months they’re generally fine). Bettas can last anywhere from 3 months to 3 years depending on the animal. They have a tough existence until you bring them home. You could easily have lost the majority of your fish and done everything perfectly. you tried live plants for the first time. That’s great. They didn’t make it, but you learned. You’ll do better next time. as an aside, ph is generally not a factor in if you can keep fish alive at all. There some species that are sensitive to ph but most will be okay in a decent range usually from 6 to 8. Of course there are exceptions. Usually wild caught animals need to be matched to their home habitats. Most places have harder water. 85% of the US has hard water. We keep fish just fine. More important are the values of ammonia, nitrites and nitrates for fish health. That’s why we constantly watch them. Ph kh gh are relatively constant numbers and are based on where your water originated. We usually don’t mess with them because it makes everything harder. Unless you really want a specific fish, then there are strategies to change the water. I know you’re completely discouraged right now, but it will get better. So if you need to, take some time. You can absolutely do this.

Looks very good. 😊

perfectly normal. It's a bacterial bloom that eats what if can from the surface of the wood. when there's nothing left for it to eat. it goes away. if you try and clean it and the wood still has edible bits on it, it comes back. so, for now, just patience. and yes, I freaked out the first time I saw it too. oh, and it's not harmful to your animals in any way at all

The thing to remember is water is heavy. The less actual water you move the better. Get a place set up and ready to go to before you start. for your bacteria, anything that dries out is going to lose the bacteria. So keep as much water on the substrate as you can. Maybe a gallon on the bottom or so. If that’s the hex tank from petsmart, it’s going to be a bit awkward to carry. So the less weight the better. I’d figure out a way to keep your filter media, either the cartridge or the sponge wet for sure. That’s where you can save the most bacteria. So. Yeah. Clean bucket would work good. For the fish. You could do a bucket. Or you could net them into a couple of gallon ziplock. With something sturdy underneath to support them. then when you’re ready. Take a dedicated trip and go. The fish will be fine in a bag for a few hours at least. So you have time. set and fill your tank trying to get a good temperature balance on the water. Restart the filter. Dechlorinate the water. Then, since your fish have been cooling off. Depending on the outside temperature. I would acclimate them to the tank water. But putting the bags in your tank for 15 minutes or more is sufficient. Very much less stress that way. It would be different if you had shrimp or sensitive fish. You would need to slowly acclimate them. You should be good though. Put them in and I might add a bit more bacteria to be safe. And monitor for a few weeks to make sure the cycle is okay good luck and enjoy your new home

I have peppered Cory on black sand and black background. It kind of fades them into the background. I might be worried that it would do the same to the sterbais

Congratulations! How far away and how many gallons?

I’d keep checking your parameters though. If you see any ammonia or nitrites it’s time for a water change. And more prime. Since you had a higher amount of ammonia 2 days ago. I’d still be really cautious and test daily.

care.com offers pet services. I have never used them. I rarely get more than a week off so haven't needed anybody yet. but it's a start, and hopefully they have someone that can be trained easily or hopefully, is already partially trained. and it may be helpful to set up a surveillance camera to help them. at least you could keep an eye out and make sure everything is fine.

It's what i would call zero, or very close to it. I think any shading may just be camera angles

Ph values don’t have anything at all to do with your cycle. It’s based on where your water originates. The amount of calcium, magnesium, and carbonates in your water. What is called the kh and gh values. Basically, it is what it is for you. If it’s higher, around an 8 this is perfectly normal in most locations. Most fish won’t have any issues with it. Some sensitive species might. And wild caught ones especially. So when you’re buying fish, best to find a local source where they’re raised in the same water. For your cycle, your ammonia and nitrites are 0, so you’re cycled. You can go ahead and slowly add fish to the tank. Slowly so you don’t overload your cycle.

Depending on your current ph and kh, it could raise them. It will do so slowly though. Will it harm your fish? Probably not since you already have some in your tank. Seiryu is made of limestone and will dissolve over time. But if your values are already in the hard water range, only so far it can go up.