xXInkedPhoenixX

I'm looking at their shape from the top. It has been my observation that females are shaped differently. I'll show you examples from old pics of mine, the females have an elongated body and are slightly hourglass shaped I point them out in the picture: And here's a pic of my original Momma Oto (just her belly) Note that she's pink and not red:

Looks a little red but that may just be the lighting. I've seen Otos this fat and they were healthy/fine. Do me a small favor if/when you can- post a pic of the Oto from the top (opposite of stomach).

Our friend @Odd Duck here calls pea puffers "murder beans" and I think that's probably an appropriate nickname- when they'll even murder each other. If there was any situation another fish could safely live with them, I'd go on odd duck's recommendation but from what I've seen I'd probably only house them by themselves and just keep replenishing bladder snails who will eat some of this algae you speak of before the murder beans find them!

Sometimes, but not often. Punk seems to be well occupied with the other fish in the tank, patrolling the snails, etc. Day before yesterday I saw Punk going more than halfway up the tank (20 tall) which was interesting as that's not typical - my guess though is that there may have been fry in the tank. I do wish I had a tank with a longer base but it seems to me 95% of the time Punk is content. Oh and Punk also likes to rearrange things, the chola, the subwassertang and some of the root plants.

There is an easy solution here. I feed baby brine and blood worms. Usually I just feed the brine to the small fish and Bloodworms to my bigger fish. I typically use scaping tweezers to feed by hand all my Betta (they get 3-4 large bloodworms) then I feed the rest to my Harlequins, Black Neons and Bolivian Ram. However if all you have is small fish chop up the frozen block into small pieces and just thaw that. I thaw it in a little tank water in a small container then pour it in the tank.

To pipe in I have 2 Bettas in community tanks. I think variety of food is just as important as Betta specific foods. I feed whatever flake or small pellets to these tanks in the morning then some other food in the evening with a few Betta pellets to the Bettas. As long as they are not getting overweight it shouldn't be an issue. Sometimes while hunting the pellets the other fish get most of the flake. Everyone picks off the stuff that sinks. :-)

Very nice tank! Welcome to the forum!

Welcome to the forum, I echo the sentiment, post pictures when you can!

I've done fish in cycling many times. I'm super diligent about water changes/monitoring levels and it never gets to where the fish are uncomfortable at all. You have to be absolutely dedicated and not be lazy about it (it really isn't that hard). I think when you understand the cycling process (most people who accidentally do it when beginning the hobby don't, so sadly this is often the fail point) you know what to look for and how to avoid it!

Oto looks ok to me. See its belly ever? if it looks like a pearl you're doing good. And yes it's not unusual for them to sit on the bottom of the tank as long as they are, as you said, are nom nom nomming. 🙃

All yes, about 1x a week. And a variety of flake food the rest of the time. (I've experienced no ill effects related to my feeding regime)

Looks amazing!! It will be cool to see the progress.

I'd skip the shrimp personally knowing your Betta is getting moved for not being... peaceful. I had a "peaceful " Betta kill adult ghost shrimp in the past!

Well, don't fret, 10 gallon tanks are so fun! I so want to do Kuhlis!I have a 12, 10, 7 and 9 gallon (besides my two 20s) and they are wonderful! So many fun nano options for them and they're easier to create small worlds you can get lost in. Like the last one I did, the "Medieval" tank Or my 7 gallon Betta the "Dragon" tank You have plenty to play with while you save up for another AND to ME - one of the best parts is planning a new tank and researching all the inhabitants!

Awesome! Welcome back to the hobby! What kind of fish are you thinking about stocking?

Hi @Rozmere, welcome to the forum! I wouldn't worry too much. I KNOW the anubias will be fine because mine can often be in dark corners and low light and they are still great. Dwarf sag is often mentioned as a "beginner plant" still fine IMO. Water wisteria I think is pretty bullet proof. The micro I'm not sure about but my regular swords do fine with medium light. Lots of people use lights similar to what I can see on walmart's website. Building a tank on a budget can be very challenging and fun. I think you'll be fine! You must start a journal and post your project! If you need help once the light is up and tank going we can help you tweek it if needed!

Hello @LoveMyPlatys, welcome to the forum! I'm with @Lennie. IMO Really only snails would make a good companion in this tank. 5 gallons are small (but perfect for a single Betta). Snails are great clean up for the tank and fun to watch. Bettas are less likely to be jerks to them and sometimes are a source of entertainment for them). It sounds like your Betta needs a break from being "boss" which is why you're moving her anyway. Trust me, the tank will still be fun! Let me tell you a short tale of 2 Betta. I recently rescued 4 -rehabbed them and then had to figure out where they would go! I figured all that out but the reason for the mention is that 2 of them went to 5 gallon (ish) tanks. The one I have went into a 7 gallon cube. He has a Nerite friend and they are perfect together! (one pic of Betta sleeping with the Nerite just this week) But like your situation my Mum took one and she put her in her small 5.5 gallon community tank with a Nerite, 2 Neons and 1 African Dwarf Frog. Well, she became an issue there, bullied the fish and the frog and over ate as well! She got moved to her own 5 gallon tank with bladder snails. It's still a beautiful and active tank because of her, she's happier, the other tank is much happier and my Mum isn't stressed about it anymore either! (And you won't be!)

Ugh. Caught up and my god, you poor thing with all the losses! I think this latest plan is the right plan. I totally understand the love for so many things and it's hard not to make another tank to do something else. Going to the LFS for me is just a "someday I'll have those" trip for me when I pick up those frozen foods. I try not to get caught down the rabbit hole, "what if I just do this, or that?!" 6 is all I can maintain with my time, and as fish go I would like to downsize. Actually eventually I just want one LARGE display tank. Maybe one Betta tank and that's it. Anyway, I hurt for you!

I like to squeeze out filter media from my established tank for bacteria and I typically use Seachem Stability for support, dosing daily. However most bottled bacteria should be fine. If you have nothing to squeeze out you can pull gravel or decorations from your established tank but don't put them back until they are sanitized after cleaning!

I like to use small plastic containers. This is less expensive and easy to put away when not in use. Personally I use 3 gallon critter keepers from a big box (Imagitarium) but you can use any container (3 gallon tanks can be tricky to treat so it's often easier for new keeprs to get at least 5 gallons) Try watching this video: I try not to medicate when I don't have to so personally I wouldn't medicate the main tank - however that's up to you! I would caution you though, since this is a precious pet- if they bring in a difficult illness you could lose little platy. It's easier and in the end typically with meds less expensive, to have something like the above set up.

Aww so cute. Yeah baby looks fine. I would probably lean towards getting him or her at least 2 friends (they're more comfortable in groups of 3-6). Again if you don't want reprodution (which I wouldn't blame you because a 10 gallon tank can get overstocked quick with live bearers) get all the same sex. Make sure to quarantine them before adding them. I would then check the GH in the meantime in case adjustments need to be made there. Hope that helps!

@reefhugger haha no worries. I've had them before, they're actually pretty cool but you don't want a massive population either. Plus glass huggers (like my hillstream loach) didn't really like them so they wouldn't go near them. I had to reduce their population by getting some Guppies and reducing feeding. And remember fight the urge to scrape them off the glass because that just creates more! Good luck! :-)

Awww @schmofam . Firsly, welcome to the forum. To answer your question, stressed sick or lonely, sadly it can be all of the above. So it's a process of elimination. First, I think your water parameters are fine from what we have. I wonder do you have a GH (water hardness) tester? Livebearing fish (breeding or not) prefer hard water. If you have soft water you might consider adding Seachem Equilibrium or Wonder Shell, maybe even crushed coral to remedy this. Consider buying a kh/gh test kit if you don't have one. Second. When you can see poor little Platy anything physically sticking out to you? Changes? Deformities, missing scales or etc? Try and take a picture and post it here! Third. Schooling/Shoaling fish like Platies are often more comfortable with others. When they don't have a group they tend to do what you describe. This can cause them stress and make them sick or they are just shy and hide. Nobody wants a fish that hides all the time (unless the species is known for it) because we worry right? I would consider getting the platy a couple of partners if the tank is healthy and no signs of illness (remember the importance of quarantining new fish!). Maybe if you don't want more babies try and get all the same sex. I have a lone Guppy right now that I have friends in QT for. He doesn't act like the gregarious guppy he was before all his friends died. He's not sick. So this is the direction I have to go. Your direction may vary!

(DOUBLE POST I ANSWERED IN YOUR OTHER POST)

That appears to be Hydra my friend. They are living creatures. Most of the time they multiply by an overfed tank (they like live or small foods mostly). When you scrape them off the broken parts just make more hydra! :-) They're not harmful typically to most fish here is an ACO Link: https://www.aquariumcoop.com/blogs/aquarium/hydra