xXInkedPhoenixX

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.

Absolutely @Martin. It's actually very easy and I'd highly recommend it. I tried planting Monte in a filled tank and it just never did anything (and I'm no co2). Actually @Patrick_G suggested it. You can see what he and later I did on my build thread for my Medieval tank starting here: But plain and simple, in a new tank, add the substrate of your choice, I did Eco complete and Fluval Stratum. I dry started Monte just by tearing up a piece shipped to me. (Patrick did even smaller pieces) I then put a little water in the bottom of the tank, plastic wrapped the top and sprayed the dry start plants every day. I believe I waited 5-6 weeks. My Monte is still doing well- I could have let it go a bit longer but I was eager to fill the tank and didn't care if there wasn't a full carpet yet. If you have the patience/time OR just a lot of Monte, it's super easy to do. Though he uses co2 I followed SOME of this guy's advice:

Hi @LadyRorschach! Welcome to the forum. I'm sorry I cannot speak to the ferts and Axolotls (not many keepers here unfortunately and I'm not sure @Cory has tested it with them), though it is invert and fish safe it may be ok. I can say, you don't really need ferts for the plants you plan to grow. I have been recently experimenting and only dosing 2 of my tanks with Easy Green (and I only grow "easy" plants like the ones you listed. The only difference I see is faster growth, the plants in my tanks without ferts are slower growing but just as healthy. Hope this helps.

Hi @David Willard Jr, welcome to the forum. I would hold off. As you already know the med trio requires the week treatment without waterchanges. The concern when feeding is ammonia of course- Cory says it's ok to feed 1x the 4th or 5th day this is the reason why (ammonia) So if I were in your shoes, I would hold off. Fish can be fine without food for weeks. It will be fine. Just watch for ammonia!

Piping in a little late here but just to confirm the Hygger lights are great and good for the budget. I will say that I've had to turn off the sunrise/sunset function and just use the timers (I put mine on 8) as they are SUPER powerful and grew a bit too much algae in my tanks. On the 8 hour setting, all the plants are happier. Regardless of how you use it, I think you'll be happy with the choice.

Looks like a smile to me my friend.

I'm 90% team algae. I can't stand hair algae even though I get the pretty green stuff- it's just very unsafe for not only my plants (as this is where it typically grows) but also for my fish. It's like a tiny fishnet- and nobody I have eats it, manually removing it is a nightmare and even after RR it hangs on for dear life. Yeah, no thanks. (I have seen it in tanks where it looks wonderful, but usually it's on a piece of hardscape so it's doing no harm there) I also don't like it on my glass so it gets scraped off. However, I do like a nice short green algae, even brown because I know my animals like it, it looks cool too. I know it's also a plant so I do welcome it to some extent in my tanks. But like any plant it needs to be "trimmed" and kept at bay so everyone can thrive.

Yes some of the stores sell "semi-aquatic plants" which means they can live with the roots in the water but not the leaves (it has happened to me!). @Mmiller2001 is basically a plant guru if you post a pic the mystery could be solved!

I LOVE a well placed resin sculpture myself. Looking good!

Some of what it may leach could be read as ammonia or just a ton of nitrates. Depends on what you use, your water, etc. This can theoretically speed up the cycle.

Yes it is true, whenever you start a tank you test frequently no matter what tank it is.