Daniel

Congratulations! Well deserved!

What do you use to encourage bubble nest building, i.e. bottoms from Styrofoam cups? What do feed newly hatched betta fry? What sort of water change system do you use? Any concerns about cool air passing over the surface of the aquarium during labyrinth organ development At what age do you separate males? How many males do you keep at any one time? What do you consider the best floating plants for a betta aquarium Where can true IBC show quality bettas be purchased? What would your dream betta look like? What is your favorite betta you have every owned? How old is too old for a female betta to breed? How do you select the bettas you will raise and what do you do with the others? Are there any exciting developments in new betta strains? What is the most expensive betta you have purchased? Who do you look up to and follow with regards to bettas? How much time commitment per week is required from you to maintain your operation? How are you able to schedule a vacation?

The volcanic soil based plant substrates are inert so it help quite bit to add additional fertilizer. I did a side by side test last year of between a volcanic soil based plant substrate and sand with root tabs sand over dirt and the both did much better than the volcanic soil based plant substrate.

In my 1930s aquarium the jungle val didn't grow much but sent out runners at first. Much later the runners suddenly grew long leaves. This aquarium has no overhead (artificial) lighting as sunlight comes in through the window it is next to.

What species is that? Looks really nice.

When I am culturing something like whiteworms, I will feed it to them. Otherwise it goes in the compost pile.

I don't think so.

I don't worry about parasites, on balance the benefits of feeding high quality live foods more than out weighs any risk.

I like them and would happily use more of them if they showed up in larger amounts. My fish really like them too!

My patches of coneflowers are starting to come on. The milkweeds in the middle distance are doing well also.

They show up in my mosquito larva cultures (5 gallon buckets outside). They don't need any special processing as they go in the aquarium along with the mosquito larva. Many people are very allergic to bloodworms so it is important to know if you are prior to handling them. I know @Brandy is very sensitive to them.

No, in the wild they are mostly found with the bananas partially stuck in mud or sand with lily pads rising to the top, or free floating. I have never seen them emerged. Here is what they look like in the wild:

I haven't experienced any problems with 0.25 ppm ammonia readings with fish in the aquarium. I would leave it alone because in the long run it is better to let the bacterial communities sort it out.

Typically 1 - 2 weeks.

It is dealt with under the same category as hair algae: https://www.aquariumcoop.com/blogs/aquarium/aquarium-algae

Cricket likes to watch the angelfish

Banana plants flower and can produce viable seeds, but a common way to propagate them is through leaf/stem propagation: Roots will form at the end of a broken off leaf stem. They are native to the east coast of the United States and are one of my favorite plants. I sometimes collect them locally.

It looks like the little rootlets of Java Fern as the Java Fern is making baby plantlets.

Looks like Cabomba

That looks fantastic! I love before and after photos.

It can take a really, really long time for Val to take off. Sometimes it is months and months. Mine did what yours are doing until just recently and then whoosh, they covered the entire back of my 1930s aquarium. I don't know why Val does this.

Recently I have had good luck with Aqueon. I think there has been a lot consolidation in the manufacturing of aquariums and brand may not matter.

Let's make sure our comments are kind and helpful, especially if there is a disagreement.

Mark Barnett of Stockbridge, Georgia

Fish can be very different depending on what type the fish are and where the come from. Most answers in fishkeeping have some sort of 'it depends' in the answer. But here are a few general guides. Most fish kept by hobbyist are okay with a temperature in the middle 70s, goldfish are okay with cooler, discus with warmer Water changes are strongly debated by the fishkeeping community, changing a little every week or so won't hurt, but may or may not be needed If a fish is sick, the most important thing is to determine why. Often it isn't a disease, but poor water conditions. Continued poor water conditions can also lead to disease Livebearers like guppies and platys are colorful and easy. Egglayers like white clouds or zebra fish are hardy