Matt_

I love my betta! I have had him since April and I am still waiting for the kids to name him.

One thing to keep in mind when you order the larger batteries are the TSA rules for lithium batteries with more than 100Wh if you intend to fly with them in the US: Lithium batteries with more than 100 watt hours | Transportation Security Administration (tsa.gov) The battery manufacturers usually specify the milliamp hours and not the Watt hours so you will need the formula to convert milliamp hour (mAh) to Watt hours (Wh) using the voltage (V): mAh * V/1000 = Wh

My first tank was a 10 Gal. with a Red Tailed Black Shark, a common pleco, a Clown Loach, and Tiger Barbs back in 1991. The Tiger Barbs and the common pleco didn't make it very long, but I took great care of the tank and eventually corrected the stocking issues as well as upgrading to a 40 gal. When I came back to the hobby a few years ago and saw Cory's YouTube videos on these fish it was like a eureka moment - no wonder why the tiger barbs killed each other, the common pleco starved in a new 10 gal aquarium, and the shark took over the entire tank. Here it is in 1993 with the shark and clown loach still there. I can say that I have learned a tremendous amount since.

Thanks @Beardedbillygoat1975 and @lefty o for the advice. Sorry for the delayed response, but I have been really busy with the end of school activities so I am just getting back to the forum and this post. As a final update, the new tank that failed had less caulk along the bottom seam at the location of the leak, so it looks to be the tank and not the stand. The tank was replaced by the LFS with no issues and has been setup in the new location for about a month. I love the new tank!

This was what the old tank looked like on moving day . Unfortunately, I do not have a photo of the new tank to share without the kids in it.

The stand and tank were definitely level. I checked with a 4' level and was on level on the fine gage (checked front, back, sides, 2x cross). The tank was in full contact with all four corners of the stand. I feel like it was a coincidence, but there was no obvious leak path when I took the leaking tank outside, leveled it, and filled it a few more times to try and see where the leak was coming from.

The stand is a 2x4 DIY stand that is only a foot tall with 1/2" plywood for the top and is solid as a rock. The LFS (is 60 miles away) has already agreed to return the leaking tank because they are awesome and give me their other 38 gal tank as a replacement. Importantly the other tank they are going to give me is the only other 38 gal tank in this area. The other good news is that I was able to find gas for the car today so I should be able to try and return the tank tomorrow. Here is the stand. The marks are where the old tank literally stuck to the paint (Kilz) and had to be pried off.

Anyone ever had a new tank leak in the first two weeks? I was working in my office today and heard an odd dripping sound. I turned around to see water running toward me and the aquarium draining onto the floor. I am very fortunate to be sitting in the room with it when it started leaking. The tank was a new 38 gal Aqueon that I got from my LFS to replace my old 38 gal aquarium. The old aquarium was missing the top brace and was starting to fail with a significant bow to the glass but had been operating for over half a year on the same location on the same stand. Ironically, the old tank was the one that I was worried about failing and wanted to get replaced as soon as practical. The mess is cleaned up now and all the animals are safe in the old tank again. I keep worrying that there is an issue with my setup that I cannot see and that I will have the same problem with the replacement tank. I leak tested the new tank in the garage for over a week with no issues and made sure both the stand and the new tank were level after removing the old tank. If you have seen this scenario before I would love to know your thoughts.

If you are looking to learn how to build things with wood using minimal tools I highly recommend watching the Woodworking Basics series by Steve Ramsey at Woodworking for Mere Mortals (WWMM) on YouTube. This is where I learned some really neat DIY ticks like ripping plywood on a sheet of extruded polystyrene (XPS) board with a circular saw since I do not own a table saw. The early content focuses on the basic projects with minimal tools.

That is really disappointing, the hard part is building the stand straight and level. That is what I end up spending a bunch of time on when I am building a stand. I highly recommend using composite shims to level everything out. Start by leveling the stand at the final location. You want the stand to be straight with minimal lean. A 20 gal only needs to be supported on the corners so you can probably get away with using composite shims to fill the gap between the tank and the shelves if the shelves are not level. It is difficult to build level shelves flat and level (these are two different things) using dimensional lumber. What works best for me is to build the shelves upside down on top of the tank (assuming that the tank is a flat surface), then turn the shelf over and attach the plywood to retain the final shape. Finally, turn it back over and check that the corners are making contact with the tank. You can force the shelves level using the legs to leverage it into place. I recommend using a full 4' level to check level as well because it is important to check the corner to corner level for these DIY stands and the 6" level can give you false readings (because the dimensional lumber is not flat but still may be level). The 4' level gives you a nice flat surface to check for flatness as well. I think that you are really going to want a tank on the middle shelf and supplies on the bottom shelf if you are planning to use a shelf for supplies.

Looks like you have been building and staining stands for a while and not a first DIY stand! The stain looks even in the photos and I can't wait to see it with the tanks installed. I love the Tightbond II - you are never getting this stand apart again. If you want to cover up the deck screw holes then you can get a countersink bit and countersink the them prior to installing the screw. Countersinking the screws will also help keep the wood from splitting, which can happen even with self-tapping deck screws.

Your welcome. Good luck!

I measured my Fluval 406 adapters, which I understand uses the same hoses and adapters as the Fluval 306. The inner diameter of the end of the adapter is about 16.5mm and the outer diameter is about 22mm (I measured the end that is not attached to the hose).

The Tennessee Aquarium has one of the best freshwater displays that I have seen and I have been so many times that I lost count. I love the journey that it takes you on from the small streams of Tennessee all the way to the gulf of Mexico. The current ticket price is in line with other major aquariums as well. I just took my boys to the National Aquarium in Baltimore and it was about the same price and to me the Tennessee Aquarium, GA Aquarium, and National Aquarium are all at about the same level each with unique displays worthy of visiting.

Black Neons are extremely hardy, but once Ich gets established in the host fish it can be really difficult to reduce back to invisible levels in the tank. The rummy nose may have also had an unseen bacterial infection or were already stressed from changed water parameters (from the originating source or store) or from shipping that made them more susceptible to Ich. Treatment is only effective while the Ich is floating in the water column so be sure to follow the directions on the Ich-X bottle and dose at full strength. You should see results within a few days after the current cysts fall off the host fish. Raising the water temperature will also shorten the cycle and you should be covered for the reduced dissolved oxygen levels with two airstones in the tank. The Aquarium Coop video has a good explanation if you have not seen it yet: How To Treat Ich On Fish - Tested On 1,000s Of Fish. - Bing video

I have had the same experience with rummy nose tetras as well. In my lastest experience I decided not to set up the QT tank (huge mistake) because I did not have a heater and the pet shop that I purchased them from did not have one either (I blame myself for this result). I lost four out of five rummy nose tetras, an adult female guppy, and my female betta to an aggressive bacterial infection with meds before bringing the tank back under control (I hope anyway). This is not the first time that I have lost an entire group of rummy nose either and they have all looked disease free from a tank with no dead fish when I purchased them. I will not get another group of rummy nose without QT and preventative med/salt treatment which still may not be enough. I will also go to the lower turnover LFS that sells rummy nose tetras for double the price but that takes the initial losses.

Update, she passed away last night. I am so sad having lost my pet fish that would eat out of my hand due to human error (failure to QT new arrivals) 😭.

Thanks. I added the salt and will keep using the Erythromycin. Unfortunately, she is extremely weak now and is probably not going to last the night.

I has been 24 hrs since I started treatment with the Erythromycin and the betta appears to be getting worse. The white mucus spread to her moth and I not found a way to get hold of KanaPlex today. Any other suggestions would be appreciated. I am thinking of starting a salt bath for her.

You only need one sponge filter in a 10 gal tank with normal stocking levels. There are a couple of benefits to having both the sponge and the HOB in the same tank as long as there is not too much water flow since you already have both. - HOB can polish water using filter floss - recommend using 100% polyester quilt batting with no mold inhibitors (hotrod/optimize your HOB so that you are not using disposable media - Aquarium Filter Tips and Tricks! Start Saving Money Now! - Bing video) - The sponge filter does have to prime after a power outage (most HOBs are not self-priming) - The air in the sponge filter is more effective at breaking up the water surface than the HOB - You have a pre-seeded sponge if you need to start another tank for any reason (like a QT/Hospital tank)

Welcome to the hobby! Your betta is probably just getting used to the new surroundings and settling in. Give the betta a week or two to see how it adjusts. The plants will fill in over time and this will help make the betta more comfortable. The Bettas should eat any of the three foods listed. Try raising the betta leaf hammock to 3/4" below the surface or just enough room for the betta to get on the leaf. Bettas like to rest at the water surface overnight. My bettas rest on top of the tiger lily leaves or wedge themselves into the very top of the Water Sprite/Elodea overnight. Examples photos taken tonight - I sure there are better examples somewhere on the web as well: Top view of a male betta resting on the floating plants at the surface of the tank: Side view of the male resting on the floating plants with the guppies getting in the way. Some dither fish may help bring your betta out and will let the betta know when it is time to eat if you are looking for a community tank. One of the three pygmy Corydoras species, Ember Tetras, or Green Neon Tetras make good tank mates, will fit in a 5.5 gal tank, and are suitable tankmates for most bettas (there are no guarantees that the betta will accept them though). Regular Neon Tetras and Corydoras will be large for a 5.5 gal. when full grown. I recommend checking out the blog for ideas and do your research because a betta and 5.5 gal tank combination limits potential tank mates. Top 5 Nano Aquarium Fish to Keep in a 5-Gallon Fish Tank - Aquarium Co-Op 5 Best Tank Mates for Betta Fish in a Community Aquarium - Aquarium Co-Op

Thanks! My big concern is that she will not make it though tomorrow if I do not make the right call right now.

My female betta has developed an infection over the last two days after I brought in some rummy nose tetras that did not survive. She has lost the top of her tail fin and has a white mucus developing on her side. She is very lethargic and not eating. This has all developed since Friday night when she was not displaying any symptoms. The infection looks like fin rot, but I would like to get a second opinion since I am not a disease expert. I also lost an adult female guppy out of the tank this morning, but the rest of the fish in the tank appear to be healthy. I changed the water, added Prime, and started treatment of the entire tank with E.M. Erythromycin today. I have also separated the betta in a breeder box with a USB nano air pump and some Watersprite that is located away from the light. Recommendations are appreciated (I have the rest of the med trio and salt on hand). Before Illness on Left exercising with the male in a Lee's Specimen Container on Right (her fins were originally torn by the male and never returned their original shape): Current: Water parameters (API Liquid Test): - Temp: 76F - Ammonia: 0.25-0.5 (I added more Prime after this test) - Nitrite: 0 - Nitrate: 40 - PH: 6.6 - GH: 7 deg. - KH: 2 deg. Tank: - 20 Gal long Bare Bottom with sponge filter setup for over a year - Last major change was transferring the entire tank from a 10 gal. to a 20 gal. a month ago - Tank mates: Single female betta (sick), Guppies, 5 Beckford Pencilfish, and 4 Bristlenose pleco growouts

I fully agree and have noticed that the tank water can change dramatically over time. From my limited experience with only 3 established (seasoned) tanks there is a huge variation between parameters of the tanks as closed ecosystems. These tanks all started at the tap pH and have shifted over time. The more heavily planted tanks have a much lower pH as the growth has gotten denser. Here are the pH readings from left to right: Tap @ 54F - 7.4 (confirmed using high range) 65 gal planted @ 76F - 6.6 38 gal heavy planted @ 71F - 6.0 10 gal planted @ 77F - 6.2

Your welcome! My interest is more in setting up natural microhabitats to observe different behavior in fish at this point. For example, the heavily planted areas at the top of the tank providing a unique habitat for guppy fry and the betta vs. the habitats under logs for plecos and Corys vs. the heavy jungle val. providing a hiding space for tetras. I love going to the Potomac River and seeing the different fry swimming in the shallow rocks with muddy river bottom.