xXInkedPhoenixX

@Odd Duck off topic question. Do you know if common plecos can live in a Koi Pond? I think that would be pretty neat if they could. Wish I could have a tank big enough for those monsters I think they are incredible.

Hi @jasper5150 welcome to the forum. Wonderful little tank you have! Some of my favorite plants!

No these things come from plants. Sometimes substrate but mostly plants.

If I remember correctly Jungle tabs were the only consumer med left on the market that containg Nitrofurazone after they pulled all the other competition. probably likely because it contains other things. Sadly I don't see a site immediately available (even the Jungle site) that says what it actually contains. I think our lovely government had the straight medication pulled from public useage but isn't banning it from say medicated fish food. Probably a few PEOPLE used the fish medication for an unintended purpose so we all get punished for it. It was at one time a very popular human medication until other things replaced it- but you being in the field probably already know that.

I use crushed coral in my tanks. In my bare bottom I have an HOB so I put it inside that BUT if I had to put it somewhere else bags do work but they're not pretty eh? Also not easy to hide. So I had a similar issue with my 4.12 gallon, I had this nice black substrate but I didn't want the white coral on it and I wanted to be able to remove it but I didn't want to use a bag so I got a tiny sake cup and filled it and put it under/behind things though I have a 360 view of the tank when I see it it doesn't make me cringe. I would do a similar thing in another tank, the bigger the tank obviously the bigger the "pot" but I could hide it by gluing driftwood and rhizone plants on/around it or behind decor and it would still be easy to move.

If you can post a pic that would be helpful. Most of these little moving creatures are totally harmless and sometimes even beneficial (up to and including free fish food!).

I was thinking I could us a large floating feeding ring, maybe attach it by tying pieces to it even with thread loosely, see how it grew. I thought that because I do have a ring I don't use and I have thread. Maybe I'd even tinker with threading some airline (again I have that) across the feeding ring and draping the Subwassertang across it. All things I turn in my mind. Do I do it? Nope. 😄 Subwassertang though has amazing form you can't really see when it's on the substrate or attached to something, that's why I thought trying to string it out and floating it you could see how amazing it really is.

At 2 weeks old or just new plants in an older tank- die back is totally normal- they are getting used to your tank, food, substrate, light, temp etc. Your tank is progressing nicely! Seeing nitrite and nitrate is awesome, the diatoms are a good sign that soon your tank will be able to support life! BTW, welcome to the forum!

I do low tech but admire a neat co2 set up. I know we have lots of threads that talk co2 types, try searching threads and you should get some ideas. I actually admire the diy set ups that don't have to be expensive like in this Co-op video: I also really enjoy set ups like @Mmiller2001 does- tho he's critical of his work I think it's amazing.

I always thought to try attaching mine to a floating object of some type or weave it to an overhang and see how it would grow (Down? Sideways?).

@NicoNico welcome to the forum and the hobby! I started with a 20 gallon Aqueon kit myself- that tank now has 2 sponge filters running but I did actually like the stock HOB (Aqueon Quietflow 10) so I have it running (modified with sponges I put in there and some crushed coral) on my 10 gallon (overstocked) Oto tank- WITH a sponge filter. One tip I can give you: what has worked IME is using 2 filters- ALL of my tanks have 2 filters either both sponges or a pump system or HOB HOWEVER (keeping in mind I only have small tanks no bigger than 20 gallons most of them are under)- at least one of the sponges in each of the tanks are supported by an air pump that has a lithium back up battery. Meaning, if the lights go out at my house at least 1 pump in ALL of my tanks continue to run. It's really a stress and lifesaver for me.

I agree with:

Get rid of that Nitrite asap. It's possible for a fish to recover from fin rot after treatment (meaning meds and salt taking out) as long as there's no fungal signs but the water has to be CLEAN (meaning parameters absolutely perfect) at all times. Maybe you consider this: It really is a judgement call- if you think that's a spot that's healing from prior damage and no signs of fungus etc I might take my chances with just clean water and time with IAL. If you think it's a newer damage I would consider resalting. Make sense?

I'll just confirm, yeah this Bacopa is pretty awesome because it's SO easy to grow and propagate. I have quite a bit. I don't consider where to cut I just cut where I want to see it shortened, roots will grow from both the cut piece and the planted piece. If you have a cut piece that got it on both ends you'll see roots eventually on both ends. Sometimes I'll float it for a bit (for me it's only because I'm not sure where to place it yet) You'll be fine, cut away! I need to trim mine....it's reached the top of my 20 tall and growing at angles now, hehe....where am I going to put more....🤔

Kanaplex, Ich X and a med with Nitrofurazone in it? If you still have Furan 2 or the Jungle tabs? You could probably skip the Ich X but I was successful with a mystery illness that could have been columnaris (wasn't manifesting in the textbook way) with Kanaplex and Furan2- per a post from colu is also what is needed to fight Epistylus.

Oh buddy, I am so so sorry. I'm leaning towards Epistylis too just based on the chart I'll attach that @Colu has used ot help others but there has to be something else running through there too it seems. Is it Columnaris? the white patches are reminiscent? Both are pretty nasty and I'd imagine both together are an unstoppable death cloud. Epistylis I learned from colu also thrives in heat so while the first treatment may have been legit Ich, I wonder if that opened the doorway for Epistylis? I'm with you I'd have the urge to move everyone out and bomb that tank BUT I wouldn't put them with the ADF they are super sensitive and medicating them well I'm not sure there's much you can medicate them with, AVOID. Get a plastic container and evacuate! (That's just my gut feeling) But what to treat with..... I am so crossing fingers and toes for you. 😞

@Fishy101 I really like the plants from the big box stores that come in the tubes- If you want a pest free tank they pretty much guarantee that. They don't sell a lot of variety usually though what they do sell is actually decent quality and mostly easy to grow type plants. When I want Java Fern or Anubias I check there first and if you don't already have those I highly recommend them (just make sure you buy the tubes that say AQUATIC PLANT because some of them say SEMI-AQUATIC and those aren't meant to go underwater). There are some plants that are harder to find but Co-op sells quite a few- I've had really good luck with a couple Etsy sellers that grow plants above ground and are shipped to you as stems- you can float them for a while until they grow roots and plant them or just stick them right into your substrate and see what happens- pretty much all but 1 of them (and that one was a freebie bonus) has thrived for me. I can't speak to what might be in a Betta's natural habitat but there are betta keepers here who may be able to answer. What I would say that for your shrimp- try and find some Subwassertang- that plant is TRULY interesting and shrimp love it!

Hi @Fishdream37, welcome to the forum. I'm looking at your fishy and I can't see anything from the pictures. Can you describe what you are seeing physically as well as visually (meaning behavior if any)? Do you suspect what your others may have passed of? Or can you say what their symptoms were as well? It will also help us if you test your water to post it and a picture of the whole set up sometimes that also helps us diagnose what is going on. There's a lot of us that like to help! I know it can be hard to take pics of these little guys they never stop moving!

I'm with @lefty o I do low tech and very much enjoy my Narrow Leaf and Windelov Java Ferns. I also love Anubias of all kinds. These are all Rhizone plants that don't need a lot of lighting and are easy to propogate- they don't get buried in the substrate you can glue them to decorations/rocks/wood making them totally mobile when you want to rearrange which is one of the things that makes them great. They tend to grow slow but look awesome. I'd also like to add I have good luck with Bacopa Caroliniana, Ludwigia Red Needle Leaf (though in a low tech tank they don't tend to turn "red" but still a neat texture to add to a tank) and the compact versions of Amazon Swords (I have big Amazon Swords too but the smaller ones are more manageable). Guppygrass and Subbwassertang are also fun.

Totally agreed with @BettaHomesAndGardens AND it can also come from something like ammonia and nitrite poisoning though that may or may not have been the case here. Basically an uncycled tank doesn't have the ability to support life yet. Additional aeration can definitely help during this time- and even in the future depending on your boxed ecosystem. 🙂

Hi Thomas H, Simply put, your tank wasn't cycled. Bottled bacteria and things like Quickstart help but doesn't guarantee that your tank is cycled in "X" amount of time. I highly, highly recommend this video from Cory if you are new to the process, to me it perfectly illustrates what happens in a cycle: Essentially now what you are doing is a "fish in cycle" because you don't have a cycled tank. So you NEEEED to be diligent about checking parameters for the betta often. You will see ammonia come back (change some water, dose with something like Prime to help detoxify), then eventually you will see maybe no ammonia but nitrite (still need to change water, use Prime), finally you will see 0/0 ammonia and nitrite and ideally at first 5 or 10 nitrates. The corys could have crashed or disrupted what cycle you did have. They could have gotten sick or were sick and it just goes downhill from there. You have 1 betta in a 20 gallon. It will help speed up the cycle a little but now you have to protect that life by monitoring the cycle as it can be dangerous for them- BUT DON'T LOSE HOPE it can be done- I have done it and lost no fish. ONCE your tank is properly cycled then I would highly highly recommend then getting a small tank or container to start a Quarantine tank. There you can add CYCLED material from your now cycled 20 gallon which will instantly help your Quarantine. If it's small depending on the amount of fish you may still need to change water often, like if you get 6 more cory but you have a 5 gallon QT container. Just because it may be cycled doesn't mean you want to overstock without monitoring, 🙂 I would also give you this tip: add your bottom feeders LAST as they are better benefitted by a cycled tank that has been running a while.

He's pretty. Looks like a raised scale. Just keep an eye on it and make sure parameters for a betta are kept up to par and should be ok. Keep an eye out for fungal or bacterial infections

I'm sorry to hear about your CPDs 😞 You know people on the forum seem to say a lot that "smaller tanks are harder to manage water parameters". I'd have to whole heartedly disagree just based on my experience. I have a 10 with over 40 fish (Otos)- it's double filtered but it has always been double filtered and I do spot clean daily because of the amount of fish and that they are bottom feeders that like to leave food behind (Otos, gotta love em) so it might not be the prime example- however I've also had a 3 gallon cube (I got rid of it) and now have a 4.12 gallon cube running now for a bit over 4 months which has never had a parameter issue to speak of in its lifetime after cycling. I have 10 CPD in the 4 gallon and I thought it's possible it was overstocked....so far so good! I did daily tank maintenance this morning on all my tanks the 4 gallon is the only tank I don't have to touch daily other than feeding the CPDs. I also maintain my Mum's 3 gallon cube (exact model I used to have) and other than saying hi to the ADF in there I've never had an issue with the tank other than 1 time when the pump failed but I don't consider that the small tank's fault. I would like to add my Fluval Flex 9 to that but it has had some parameter issues- however I would defend it because the original pump was a p.o.s. so I got an aftermarket one that is better and I decided to double filter that one as well and got a co-op nano sponge- ever since those changes that tank tests golden too! Not saying bigger tanks aren't easier as my 20 gallon tanks are also trouble free but I don't find small tanks hard at all. I think once you figure out what the ammonia issues are it won't give you any trouble! It's possible!!!!

Well I guess we will all find out when you get there. I have faith -you take care in the things you do with your animals. 🙂

Yes that's the theory but generally talked about when you're building a community tank around a betta. Like you I'd be more hesitant to remove my betta from their own tank for that to happen if they were established as yours is. Bettas are so sensitive to changes I'd be afraid of stressing them too much/making them sick.