xXInkedPhoenixX

Name: Torro, reason: Ok, in Spanish Toro is bull, and red Betta remind me of Spanish Bullfighters and their "Muleta" or red cape, but TORRO with 2 R also stands for the tornado intensity scale which also reminds me of how fierce Betta can be.

OTOCINCLUS VITTATUS: The Parent Tank (and The Accidental Tank) Hi, long time no update. Mostly because- not much has been going on with the Otos as of late. The babies (ultimately now 10) are now 8 months or a little less old. They are still very small. Baby Otos tank SO LONG to grow out. They are still on the small side but I want the Accidental tank back (as a whole) for poor Koianu the Betta. So I posted the babies on the local forum for sale. I sold 2 last weekend and the 8 are going to 1 home this weekend. I've pulled them from the Accidental Tank and they are currently in a small QT until I meet the new owner Saturday morning. This might be my very last batch of babies. A life change that includes a move is in my near future and a larger tank where I will put all my fish in plus more will be built. The chances of the Oto babies surviving in a larger tank with more possible natural predators will be a lot lower. Who knows I may even consider selling my Oto tank to someone interested in breeding. Anyhow, despite a looming move the Parent Tank was really irritating me. It looked terrible. I recently added 3 Mystery snails and they really stirred up the detrius and are messier eaters than the Otos. The plants were covered in it and things were just looking icky. So this last weekend I got in there not for a full reset but to shake the plants off, and I took the blue glass out as well so now it's all "river gravel". In this picture it's still cloudy from all my movement but I think it looks better (it has since cleared up). The Bacopa is out of control but I was intentionally growing it long so I could make a curtain at the back of the tank, now it just might be used in the future as long plants in the new bigger tank (you can also see my 2 small marimo balls are floating because I cleaned and squeezed them out). So at least for now it doesn't annoy me quite as much.... Everyone in the Parent tank seems to be doing well, I'm actually seeing them more since the reset. I'm wondering if they are laying as they are kind of doing the mating dance and I see the males chasing each other. I have a very beautiful, rather large female in there I saw this morning. This might be their last chance to multiply with me!

Hopefully you are absolutely correct and this will help you. I have to say this is why sometimes a Betta cannot be in a community tank. They are notorious pigs and if they are not in a tank where the fish in there w/them eat faster than the Betta they will overeat no doubt. I have one Betta with a bunch of guppies and some Embers and they are so fast and his fins are so long he can only eat so much. I have another Betta who is on the borderline of being a fat little piggy as she also picks at the repashy foods I leave for the Hillstream Loach. There are also of course times Betta in community tank don't get enough to eat but I'd say 80% of the time it's the other way. Sadly sometimes we have to put them in their own tank for their own safety and/or own good. If the moving during feedings gets too stressful this can become another issue for you. So you might have to consider putting her in her own tank if that happens. The breeder box is a great way to isolate her though so hopefully you won't have a problem!

I stand on my ongoing statement. Betta fish are not easy fish. Hope you figure it out my friend.

Poor Gepetto. As aggressively as he eats his tail not sure if dithers will work but it would be worth trying. He has long fins so he can't chase anything too fast. Sad part is you'll have to have backup plans for anyone who doesn't work out. Personally I'd try SHORT FINNED guppies (of one sex) or Endlers. They are fast enough though I'm told Betta will go after fish at night. Purple aka Zaggi had to be removed from her tank because she attacked the long finned guppies but could not get to the Neons -however they hid while she was in there. White, well I had longer finned guppies in the tank and while I never witnessed him hurting them they all passed and were tattered. I added short finned platinum guppies and they have been totally fine. My Embers do ok too.

Firstly, beautiful tank. Mystery snails aren't really great algae eaters. Consider them another wet pet, like fish. They DO require their diet to be supplemented with snail foods either specific to them or foods like Repashy, algae wafers and blanched veggies. They do eat SOME but it's not enough variety for them to remain healthy and live long lives. They won't keep a spotless tank. I would highly recommend a Nerite snail- they are allmost primarily surface algae eaters and don't often take to commercial foods but it's good to try with them as well (plus they don't reproduce, however females will leave behind eggs which some keepers don't like). The tanks I keep mine in are generally the most spotless! Light is only one contributor to algae growth. Adjusting time can help. I would recommend 8-10 hours max.

Another budget consideration I have a 10 gallon that I run a Aqueon Quietflow 20 (they have a 10 as well) and I really like it. I also run the same on my 20 gallon with sponge filters. There is plenty of space for modified media and in case of power outage the pump does not need priming and will run again when power comes back on. (I have coral and sponges in my HOB)

What a great surprise!!

Ugh, I hope everyone in your tanks makes it!! I also wanted to mention besides the lithium backed airpumps I have one bubble box that is D cell powered (I always have Ds on hand for my maglites) Sometimes old fashioned batteries are a great backup in times like these.

Personally, and I realize you probably have quite a few, I'd charge some of my devices via my car.

It sounds like you did the acclimation right! @Patrick_G is spot on, some people just seem to have the touch with shrimp, hopefully you'll be one of them! I don't otherwise see anything outwardly wrong with what you've done so hopefully that's your only loss, and definitely look into the instructions for wondershell that @Patrick_G brought up as ACO is typically on target for their instructions with aquarium products.

At least poor fishy had a home before passing. 😞

Welcome to the forum @RoyaleButterfly! Sorry about your Betta but dying of old age in a fish is a wonderful thing, you must have been a great Betta keeper! Shrimp I think require a whole lot of acclimation and aren't super easy (IMO). I've killed all the shrimp I've tried to keep for one reason or another. I doubt you had issues because the tank was new since you've had a running tank for some time. After shrimp get moved to a new tank/water they do tend to molt rather quickly and this is when they are very vunerable. How long were they in your tank? Do you use Equilbrium or Wonder Shell, etc? White film on new chola is just fine! It will likely be bio film which shrimp love!

Sadly yes, this is pretty bad pineconing. Pineconing is a symptom and oftentimes it can be too late to treat. Not saying don't, but be prepared for a bumpy ride. I've not successfully treated Dropsy myself. Might check @Colu's recommendations.

So it seemed to fluctuate? Now not? So weird. I'm stumped. @Odd Duck?

Ok. You have covered a lot of bases. What I'm wondering is maybe there's a food source in the tank (like detrius worms) that she's feeding on when you are not feeding her or maybe even other fish eggs. Only hole in medicating I can see is maybe parasitic infection. Daphnia would typically help with bloating if it's a digestive issue. I'm tagging @Colu to see if there's something I'm missing.

@Flipper, you are absolutely right on about your response to @RoyaleButterfly. Betta are wonderful fish but are often not long lived. Part of it may be breeding as most of the time they are bred for looks and not longevity. Super long fins were a big trend for a long time, IMO, to the detriment of the species. Now it's about pattern and color, which while shorter fins seem to be better for them (less fin rot/injury) this trend again may be more for look than health. Sadly too, they sell Betta older because these colors/patterns are what attract most buyers to keeping a Betta and babies/juveniles don't have the looks yet and will change over time. I've seen juveniles at the big box store and at times through LFS but the best place to get them is from someone who breeds them locally to you. You would have them a lot longer, but no guarantee what you are getting (other than what the potential pattern the breeder was going for) in their looks. I'm personally just fine with that, other people aren't. Betta are much harder to keep than the industry makes a person believe, and you get attached to them because of their wonderful, very individual personalities. Research is something I very HIGHLY recommend before even considering one.

Hi @honeydew, welcome to the forum. I'm sorry you're having trouble with your Betta. Have you checked for "pineconing"? How often do you feed her? Is the change in pH recent? Any other new changes in the tank?

Very pretty little girl!

You may have no more issues. I've never had them myself but I think they only way to really get rid of them is to monitor the tank and take them out as you did that one. Maybe give the aquarium a good vacuuming too.

Oh no! Maybe you recently added plants? They can hitch a ride on them in the egg stage.

Haa, yea sorry my friend!

or damselfly @Lennie yes maybe more likely damselfly, they do look similar. Either I don't think are good for a tank.

I think it might be dragonfly larva?

Anything that can be grown in/out of water should do fine with dry start I did java moss and S.Repens with the Monte. If it's a full aquatic plant or a plant you were already growing in water potential loss of the plant would have me just throwing it in a QT until ready to replant.