xXInkedPhoenixX

Hi, sorry to read of your recent tank issues. It's neat to hear about an animal responding to, well, a video. You may already have this in mind as you seem a thinking person but- if you don't already have a small floating breeder I would get one. That way you can contain your new fish after QT in Grume's tank and let him and the other fish get used to the idea of them being there. As you know even if he eventually loves his new tank mates there will be flaring so let him flare it out and once you're comfortable you can release the newbies!

Welcome to the forum. When you're cycling one of my favorite things to do is research all the fish and inhabitant possibilities for parameter, behavior, dietary an compatability (if community). It's fun to see what works and doesn't work and potentially how your tank will look when established!

Don't panic. If I were in your shoes I would do the following in this order (you would likely have done most of this by now): Save the inhabitants: Put them in a QT of any kind with media from another tank you have running (sounds like you have more than 1). Of course new, treated, clean water. It doesn't matter if it's another empty tank, plastic bucket or container they are #1. MONITOR for other signs of stress/illness. If it's not a sponge filter with good aeration use an airstone. Rinse the plants and put in another QT, bucket, etc, over the course of a few days change the water. After a few days I'd likely feel safe putting them in with the fish. Throw away that gravel. It probably grew mold, bacteria and who knows what else. You could potentially boil it and bake it in the oven if you really wanted to save it but I say meh. And when I say throw it away, put it outside somewhere in your yard/garden bed/potted plants, whatever. Boil the crap out of any decorations or wood if you want to use them again, otherwise toss or start a faerie garden outside with that gravel. Clean the tank out good. You can use a bleach solution but I STAY AWAY from that. I'd either use Dawn soap and/or White Vinegar- scrub that sucker. THEN if you have somewhere that gets sun or has good airflow let the thing dry out (sun helps sanitize) for a good couple weeks. I'm not sure you said what kind of filter. If it's a sponge, boil it, wash the hard parts with the above items I mentioned for the tank. Use new airline when you set it back up. Dry them with the tank. You can boil any other accessories or wash with the recommended above products and let dry. This is just how ***I***would do it. I feel like it's overabundance of caution to do it this way but I feel like it's the best and most logical way to proceed when it's an unknown, though gravel per what you described is likely source.

I had seen the same things with the fin nipping but others here didn't have that experience. I was going to put them with my Black Neons and thought if there was issues they'd hold their own but apparently their reputation per forum member isn't all true: Looking for info from those with Serpae Tetra

Hope you feel better soon.

I would leave the lighter substrate. IMO just looking at the Pearl it has similar colors as the CPD and I can barely see mine on dark substrate but for small flashes of red.

Totally understand. My 10 Harlequins live in a 20 gallon with about 14-20 Otos and a bunch of Nerites and 2 Mystery snails. They've never been jerks to anyone in the tank at all (well unless you count the Oto fry they ate but I can't blame them for that- they didn't hunt them down, just caught them as they swam across the tank). They are gorgeous, mine are big and colored up from the drab beige they were when I got them at the fish store. I've had them for over a year with no issues.

Ah gotcha, my mistake. Have you thought about Rasboras? My Harlequins are really great, and tight schooler. Or just want Tetras? I've heard good things about Serpae Tetras and they are pretty. I was going to get some and others here say they're great fish and not typical like say a Neon. Black Neons would be a good contrast to the colors of your Pearls.

@dangerflower welcome to the forum, looks like you're doing pretty good this time around, great tanks/pond!

Not that I have any personal experience with that I would trust with my CPDs. I have Black Neons I affectionately call them Murder Fish so they're in a tank by themselves. I think my Harlequin Rasboras would do ok with them but they are so much bigger than a CPD. Have you thought about maybe Endlers or Guppies?

I would recommend Ember Tetras they're nice little schooling fish super small and not as jerky as some tetras can be- I really love mine.

They actually don't Neeeeed sand, they like it though. As long as your substrate wouldn't be abrasive on them they should be fine.

😞 Poor guy that looks miserable. YES to the water change then start the new round. I can't speak to the changing of meds for your Betta's case maybe someone can speak to that BUT I can say I've had really good experiences with Kanaplex so far so I'd say if you've seen improvement while using it I may go with it again as 2 rounds isn't unusual- that is unless someone else has a better recommendation- but I think Kanaplex is pretty awesome.

I've heard like Zenzo said that they enjoy enrichment but to expand on the food thing: Interact with it just like you would a Betta- give them attention, teach them to chase a rod from one side of the tank to another (like the end of a tool or plastic stick). Get hoops and train them to go through for a treat. Get a little floating ball they can push around, get a marble for them to move on the substrate.

I'll bite. The picture below is what I dubbed "The Parent Tank" I love this tank, it was my first 20 gallon tank and where my Otocinclus spawned. It has evolved big time since I set it up, each of its incarnations happened around the inhabitants- nobody was ever removed so as some of us know that can make it harder. Of 2 original Amazon swords one is GIGANTIC (back left) the other is stunted but belongs to my "Momma Oto" (front right). Because I scrapped the original statue I thought the fish would use for living/hiding and they did NOT I put in pots (that simulate rock and wood) and planted random stem plants- which have gone nuts, and added more SMALLER, Amazons because the Otos like them- added Anubias because I love them. I kept the original blue glass "stream" but it has moved. The Buddhist temple that was originally placed in there was replaced by just a small contemplating Buddha. Honestly it's not an ugly tank but it takes TERRIBLE pictures- it's SO much prettier in person and the plants are amazing to me.

Hmm I'm not sure I've ever witnessed a healthy fish purposefully rub against objects. In the instances you're describing, you'd think it'd be behaviorial or social in nature. I imagine they do have itches like we do from time to time as evidenced when they're sick and trying to scratch- maybe they're getting antsy because of that and the rubbing into things at the end stops the flash?

Congratulations!! Babies!!!!!!!

Is what your describing similar to what us cat keepers call the "zoomies"? I have fish that individually sprint (for lack of a better word) from one end of the tank to the other seemingly for no reason other than "they want to" or "they can". Random and not a pattern as if with an illness. Sometimes 1 doing it creates a brief trend in the tank with others sometimes not. I've seen it with my schooling fish and my Endlers and Guppies which tend to be more individualistic.

@Odd Duck thank you that's a decent measure with which to judge if I can get decent pictures through the tea! 🙂 I don't think they would be in any danger in the Accidental Oto tank from other fish as there are only the Otos in there. The only potential danger is them wacking themselves again. I believe I've arranged the tank in a way that there are no tight fits if anyone squeezes between things- not that there was much before but I think it's even better now. Not knowing how the original injury occurred of course we have to try and eliminate all possibilities!

I am wondering though, do you ever use Catappa (Indian Almond Leaf) in your Betta tank? I'm suspecting not but I was thinking since it's heavily used in betta keeping circles and purportedly anti-bacterial if when you finish treatment adding a leaf would be beneficial in keeping it at bay in the future? Hope someone can pop in and give their experience if that's true I'd be interested.

If you don't have a QT I don't see why Betta can't be in there but I just don't like to expose fish to meds when they don't need to be, that's just my preference. Don't beat yourself up @Goldie Blue, we just have small ecosystems and all sorts of fun things live in them without our knowing. It does appear low/no flow does encourage the growth and I know Betta keepers (and the Bettas) aren't huge fans of flow. I'd suspect that's your culprit. If the treatment works it should kill it all off and everything should be ok. It appears you got it early. Just manually clean what you can, the sponge filter should be fine. Be sure to follow the Co-op instructions and no water changes for a week in that tank after treatment with the Maracyn. So I'd probably recommend be light on your feedings, just to keep the parameters safe for Betta. The Maracyn won't kill the beneficial bacteria.

Yea it looks sad. They'll help you out with it. 🙂

I've never had it myself but my understanding if it gets out of control it can definitely kill off your ecosystem. Per a quick internet search it does say it can "produce toxins which are harmful for fish, shrimp and plants." Don't panic. If you have a QT I would put Betta and any snails or other inhabitants in there. If you use a sponge filter that seems unaffected you can put that in the QT. Do as the Co-op says and manually clean up as much as you can and start treatment. I believe the "kill off the ecosystem" would likely only happen if it got totally out of control. My advice is just out of abundance of caution. It would likely kill the plants first by blocking out all their lights and nutrients then it would go downhill from there. This is just what I would do if I were in your shoes (the QT and treat).

They will make it right if it is indeed DOA. Doesn't hurt to ask if you think something might be wrong with it. 🙂

I think you might have blue-green algae which is actually a bacteria....co-op has an info page on it... https://www.aquariumcoop.com/blogs/faqs/blue-green-algae?_pos=1&_sid=36b11eec8&_ss=r