Stef

Hi All. Curious to get your thoughts on moving a young female betta (Cambodian Red sold as a baby betta from PetCo) from her 3 gal into a 5 gal with 6 CPDs? The only other inhabitants in the 5 gal are a single Amano shrimp and a nerite snail. The CPDs seem quite happy and healthy and colored up. The 3 gal that the female betta is in has been my plant holding tank which I'm planning to move the plants into other tanks and take it down. I'm running 7 nano tanks and 1 20 gal at the moment and I've reached my MTS limit, sadly. The female betta is quite a fireball. Very feisty. I know it's hit or miss with betta aggression but the 5 gal is on the small side. Not sure if she'll be as territorial as males, but like I said she's a fireball, flares at her reflection, very active swimmer, jumps at my fingers before I even drop her food in. I've had her since March this year. What about the other way around? Could CPDs be nippy even though she doesn't have flowy fins?

Fascinating. I ended up buying an Aqueon 100 watt (not pre-set) and now have it and the Tetra 100 watt compact working together. Temp is up to 76 on one end and 78 on the other which is closest to the hob. I’m pretty happy about that. A day late on the coop heaters. Can’t wait to try it out soon. Custom glass lid should be ready today or Monday which will help even more.

Big thank you @nabokovfan87 and @Andy's Fish Den for such detailed tips and the video. Both heaters were new out of the box and I admit I glaze over the manufacturer's instructions. After I saran wrapped the tank overnight, both thermometers were reading 76. I did not know that heaters are generally only designed to bring the water temp up a few degrees above ambient. Thanks again all, I have a better plan now.

Thanks for all the tips. My 100 watt is a compact version as the tank is not tall, though I could try horizontal. I definitely want a lid but it’s been out of stock, so will custom order a from a glass shop that’s nearby. I like the Saran wrap idea. Will condensation pull it into the tank? Will try it anyway as I have a ton of it. You all are the best!!

Hi folks, I'm trying to heat my 20 gal long to at least 78 F degrees and can't quite get there. I'm topping out at 74 F degrees. The tank has no lid yet, though I've tried partially covering it with another spare glass lid from a smaller tank which covers half of the 20 gal. I've also got two heaters in there now (one is a 100 watt compact pre set from Tetra, the other is a 50 watt from Fluval that is set to 82. I've also got two different floating thermometers in there as I thought one I originally had in might have been old or stuck. Both register 74 degrees. Each thermometer is on opposite ends of the tank. The heaters are positioned vertically and are evenly spaced in the back. I plan to keep it lightly stocked with a female betta, panda corys, a BN pleco, and some small schooling fish like Embers or CPDs. The tank has been set up for 7 days and has two fully seeded filters (coop medium sponge and a small Dymax Slim Flo). No fish are in the tank yet but wanted to get my betta in there along with my corys from two different tanks I'm consolidating and to keep the cycle going. I've been feeding the empty tank every other day with a small pinch of flake food or a few betta pellets. I know the corys can take the cooler temp, so maybe I should start with putting them in first and/or the BN pleco first? They'll be harder to catch. My heat (in the house) is set to 68 and I don't want to increase that. Will it be impossible to get to 78 or do I need a 200 watt heater? Or give up the idea of having a betta in there? Appreciate all comments. Thank you.

Well, surprise surprise, I have a tank full of teeny little baby plecos. I just found them out and about yesterday. I have to split up the parents because I hadn’t expected them to breed so easily and I don’t want another spawn. My question at this stage is I assume the dad is done raising or protecting them. Can I remove him (or mom) to my 20 gal now? The babies are all out feeding and exploring. I can’t see into the cave to check for others in there. From what I can see actively swimming around, I have about 15. But probably more. The only other occupants withe the babies are a betta, 3 panda corys, amano shrimp and nerite snails, and the pleco parents. My other question is when can I give/sell the babies to my lfs? At 1 inch?

Would look nice with a colorful betta!

So I discovered a small crack in a side panel of glass in my Fluval Flex. I’ve been finding small puddles on the counter thinking I was being messy in my water changes. Then finding another puddle the next day, and another. Literally thought the roof was leaking because we had so much rain the last few days. Then I found the crack. Don’t know how I did it. The tank is less than 2 years old and was bought new. Anyway, since the crack is so high up and if I keep the water line below the crack, no leaks. But I have plans to move all the fish (3 total) into my new 20 gal Long that’s not set up yet. My question is being that the tank is frameless and the crack high up, is it a lost cause? Keep for spare parts? I don’t want to risk the hard wood floors, the granite counter or other future occupants of the tank. How fragile is this already fragile tank?

Thanks @quikv6 for the comment. I had my sick female molly in a QT last November. I didn't treat the main tank as the consensus was she had complications after giving birth. She deteriorated over two weeks in QT (laying on side, rapid breathing, swimming in circles, emaciated, wouldn't eat and spat out food). She was euthanized. I'll add some aquarium salt (1 tbsp for 5 gal) to the main tank and monitor. Thank you!

Hi Everyone. I'm seeing several issues with my male molly. This is the same tank in which a female molly didn't make it (wasting/live bearer disease) back in November last year. He's been shimmying a little, hiding a lot, eating some, still chasing his baby (surviving fry from deceased female) and also very skittish and bolts around when I approach the tank. Today I noticed a bulge near his anus and his coloration seems pale and translucent. I did a water change last night as the nitrates were at 40 ppm. I do water changes about every two weeks and added two Easy Root Tabs on Feb 24 for two struggling Sword plants. Yesterday's API Master test was Ammonia 0, Nitrites 0, Nitrates 40, pH 7.6. I added a small sized Wonder Shell yesterday as an alternative to salt. The tank is a 9 gal Fluval Flex. Occupants are the two mollies and a BN Pleco. The baby molly (5 months old) is acting normally, though darts around too when dad bolts. This male molly was purchased in July 2021. Exact age unknown. Water temp is 78 F Today's water parameters via API Master Test: Ammonia: 0 Nitrite: 0 Nitrate: 20 pH: 7.6 Via Co-Op Multi Test Strip: Nitrate: 50 Nitrite: 0 GH: 300 KH: 80 pH: 7.6 Chlorine: 0 Appreciate any help you can give.

Ok. I’ll change his water and freshen his IAL and give him a break for a bit.

Another update on this guy. After finishing 2 rounds on Kanaplex in the water plus in the food prior to that, there was no real change. As of Feb 17, he’ll have finished 2 rounds on Jungle Fungus Clear Fizz tabs too. The tail fungus is still present. Pieces of the fuzzy stuff seems to break off and turn grayish but will not go away. Should I give him a break from medication? Go back to salt? The betta is still acting like a normal fish. Swims and eats normal. His eye not so good.

Found several of these little guys in my 3 gal spare plant tank. After I moved the betta and mystery snail out to their larger digs, I hadn’t yet decided where to put the two potted crypt plants, so I just left them in the empty tank. A few days ago I found about 4 snails. The biggest one looks and acts like a mystery snail. It is very round and right now a little smaller than a pea. One of the crypt plants came from lfs about 2-3 weeks ago. Could it have hitchhiked? Or are these other types of snails? I only added the food dish with an algae wafer to see how many I had. Food has been removed. I can only see 4 total and the smallest are hanging on the frogbit roots.

The vinegar and elbow grease worked. I ended up using a rough terry cloth towel and buffed off the vinegar. Rinsed the tank afterward in super hot tap water. I think my razor blade was dull which only made it worse. Thanks @Flumpweesel and @StevesFishTanks!!

It's a glass tank and the silicone streaks are on the inside of the back and side panels of glass. The original silicone was black, so the streaky/greasy residue is kind of grey ish

Apologies if this has been answered in the past. I have a used 3.7 gal Imagitarium kit tank that's been in storage that I removed the internal filter compartments. The compartments came out ok, but left stripes of silicone residue. I've been razor blading it off, but there's still stripes of residue. The more I razor blade it, the more it just gets streaky and kind of greasy-like. Maybe it won't show up when it's filled and scaped, but I was wondering if there's some safe product to remove it. Would this be white vinegar? Didn't want to use Goo Gone or something harsh like that. If vinegar is the ticket, could white or red wine vinegar (for cooking) be a solution? I don't have any normal vinegar for cleaning.

Wanted to give another update after first round of Kanaplex in the water. I think the fungus on his stumpy tail is a little better. His eye is about the same and I guess may never be normal again. Question on further treatment @Colu and others: I think he needs a second round of Kanaplex, but before starting round 2, do I do a small water change? In the photos below you can see what I think are the rays of his tail poking through. He’s a double tail hence the split but I’m starting to worry the fungus/fin rot is at his body. Would you change up meds or wait until completion of second round? I’m still going to use some aquarium salt (1 tbsp per 5 gal) and freshen up his almond leaves. Not giving up on this guy. He’s still acting like normal betta. Eating and swimming good.

Hi All. Just an update on my popeye betta at day 8 of treatment. His left eye is still bulged and now his tail has a fungus where he's had no regrowth since his last bout of fin rot a long time ago. He had just been stumpy where his lower double tail should be. All normal behavioral-wise. He's active, bright and alert and eating like a piggy. So I'm thinking I need to change up his treatment plan. He's been eating medicated bloodworms (kanaplex + focus + garlic guard). Should I go to epsom salt baths + continue medicated food? Switch to kanaplex in the water + epsom salt baths? Debating on moving him to a qt for further treatment considering the 2 snails and 1 shrimp currently with him in his 5 gal. Water parameters as of today: pH 7.6Nitrates 5 ppmHardness 150Nitrite 0 ppmAmmonia 0KH/Buffer 40Water Temperature 78F I did a 50% water change on Jan 23 with gravel vac. I do have a small patch of what seems to be blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) at the front of the tank at the substrate line on the glass. I scraped it off as best I could. The pic below is from what I missed, but it does have a blue'ish hue. Could that be a factor in his illness? @xXInkedPhoenixXhow did your Tiger's consult go?

The air valve will do the trick as others suggested. You may want to check that the air stone didn’t come off the short tubing piece or cap of the filter (depending on how you attached). I have the same nano sponge filters and USB pumps in all my betta tanks. In one of my older set ups, the air line tubing got a little hardened. When I squeezed out the sponge to clear out debris and put it back together, the air stone later popped off the connection and so the sponge filter was running wide open and making the “witches brew” bubbling sound. With a new set up, you may not encounter this for a while but something to check if your bubbles in the lift tube aren’t coming up in a finer flow. Betta’s definitely prefer a calmer surface.

Three days in and not too much change. Not any worse, thank goodness. The eye is still bulged but seems clearer. Betta is acting totally normal and is aggressively eating medicated frozen bloodworms (kanaplex + focus + garlic guard). I'll go the full week of medicated food before trying the epsom salt baths. IAL are also in his tank. He's being a good little patient 🐟

Thanks @xXInkedPhoenixX and @Colu, will give your tips a shot. It may be the driftwood which has a single protruding branch. I wouldn't say he hangs out there, but I'll cover it with some pre-filter sponge just in case.

Ugh, this morning while feeding, I noticed my oldest betta may have pop eye in his right eye or possibly both eyes. I've had him exactly 2 years as of Jan 1st. The right eye looks more bulging than the left and has an ever so slight cloudiness to it. The right eye is clear. He's eating, swimming and acting normally. He looks a little chubby because I just fed blood worms. His tail never fully grew back from a fin rot episode a while ago. He's a halfmoon double tail. I tested the water as soon as I noticed his eye and found slight ammonia at .25 ppm. I do water changes every 2 weeks and his tank wasn't due until this Thursday. The one change I made was I removed an extra sponge filter that I had been "seasoning" for another new bnano tank set up. He still has his existing sponge along with the tank's internal filtration - a Fluval Spec 5 gallon. After discovering the elevated ammonia, I did an immediate 50% water change and gravel vac. I tested again after the water change and ammonia was at zero. My source water tested at zero ammonia too. My water parameters pre-water change were as follows: pH 7.6 Nitrates 20 ppm Hardness 150 Nitrite 0 ppm Ammonia .25 KH/Buffer 40 Water Temperature 78F I have meds (Kanaplex, MetroPlex, Maracyn and ParaCleanse) plus aquarium salt and epsom salt on hand, plus Indian Almond Leaves. I wasn't sure how best to treat. The other tank occupants are a mystery snail, nerite snail and a single amano shrimp, though I haven't seen the shrimp in a while. All guidance/comments welcome. Thank you.

Interesting @gardenman, thanks for sharing. I managed to catch the one I think is either young male or adult female (the only one with emerging bristles). He's acclimating in a bag in the 9 gal. I measured him while in the bag and he's exactly 3" nose to tail. Hopefully peace returns to the 10 gal with the remaining two plecos. Fingers crossed. And now I have to up my game in looking for a bigger tank and stand to fit in my living room 🏃‍♀️

Thanks @Guppysnail, your experience is invaluable. I know the 9 gal is not ideal, but its low stocked, has more driftwood and lots of hides...and no other plecos 😀 This is going to sound dumb, but with regard to catching the pleco, does their armor get caught in the net material? Their skin/armor looks kind of spikey and rough. I'm thinking of trying to catch him at lights out and scoop him out while stuck to his inner coconut hut to avoid the net altogether. This first two pics are when I first got them in Sept last year (compare their size to the cory). The last two pics were today post fight of the two larger ones. Are those sucker marks on the back/head area?? You can also see the bristles developing on the one in the background. The one on the filter has no bristles that I can see.

Hi Everyone. As I was feeding some frozen brine shrimp today in my 10 gal tank (it's a Dennerle Scaper's tank so it's short but deep), two of my 3 young BN plecos went into "roid rage" and were mashing faces and thrashing at each other under the sponge filter. The fight lasted maybe 2 minutes and I tried to separate them using the end of a net to break them up. They went into their caves but one came right back out and sought out the other and started fighting again. I bought these three "babies" on Sept 1st 2021 and they were all about 1-1/2 inches long (too cute). Two have gotten quite big already (the two that are fighting). Only one of the two bigger ones is getting his bristles which look more like stubble around the mouth area (not so much on the head yet). The third is still fairly small. All are healthy looking and have nice bellies. They get a variety of foods like green beans, flake, wafers, zucchini, blood worms and occasional Repashy morning wood. At the time I bought them, I was battling a major algae problem (too much light) in this tank and thought 3 BN's would take care of things plus it was a 3 for $ sale at the lfs so I said "sure I'll take 3". There is some drift wood in the tank and each has a cave (1 coconut hut, 1 ceramic cave/tube, and 1 natural rock cave I built by tenting two seriyu stones). I know 10 gals is too small and want to get a larger tank. Life is getting in the way of my MTS plans and I haven't been able to get my dream tank. So I thought either 1) remove one of the larger BNs to my 9 gal Fluval Flex which only has 1 molly and its 10 week old single fry), or 2) go out and buy an emergency 20 gal long and set it up to break them up. I don't yet have a stand or sturdy dresser for a 20 gal, tho could make do with a bakers rack/shelving unit. All my other tanks are 6 gal cubes or a 5 gal. Is there a chance I'm mistaking their fights for mating? If not mating, can they kill each other if I don't break them up? I'm not interested in breeding. I'm really more into small nano betta tanks but willing to make a move to a larger tank. I really like the BNs and they're a blast to feed and watch their behavior. They can sniff out food like nothing I've seen. I keep up on water changes as this tank gets quite poopy. Other occupants are a mean old betta, 3 panda corys, 2 amano shrimp and 2 nerite snails. Appreciate your thoughts on how best to split up the BNs?