HH Morant

I let some algae grow on the end panels of my aquarium. I just keep the front panel clean. Algae is actually good for the aquarium and the fish. I use a melamine sponge on the front glass, or sometimes a razor blade, to keep it clean for viewing.

Mr. Glitter has been eating a lot and growing

Beneficial bacteria grow where there is flow. The biomax is designed to work in a filter where there is a flow of water through it. If it is just sitting in the aquarium it is not going to make much difference. Whether medication affects the beneficial bacteria in your filter depends upon what kind of medication you are talking about. Many medications do not affect the bacteria in your biological filter. Some medications, like antibiotics, can adversely affect the beneficial bacteria. So what medication are you using?

What are the tall, broad-leafed plants in pots on either side? How tall are they? Thanks.

Hey BettaBlake! Still planning on changing the substrate?

I wash my hands with soap. I rinse them. Then I stick them in my aquarium.

I agree. I appreciate the civility and courtesy of the folks in this community.

I think over-filtration is good. A clean filter is not good. Over filtration is measured primarily by the effective surface area of your filter media. So a large-capacity filter filled with good media is great. I am in the process of converting my canister filters to 30 ppi poret foam (ppi is pores per inch), which I am convinced is the best filter media. I have not completed the process, but 5 weeks (about 50%) into the conversion I can already see that my water is clearer, even though I now have no mechanical filtration (you have to go to 40 ppi foam to get much mechanical filtration). Cleaning your filter is not good. Although I have opened my canister filters in the last 2 months to take some of the old media out and replace it with foam, I have not cleaned the filters. The gunk in your filter is home to much beneficial bacteria, and when you take it out of your filter you do harm. Cleaning the filter is necessary only to maintain flow. If you can maintain flow by just opening the canister and replacing the mechanical filtration - without cleaning the rest of the media or the filter - that is better. There are a series of articles about filtration and filter media at aquariumscience.org which convinced me to take the path I am taking with filtration. The author of the site has little patience with those who disagree. I will call this tendency "DIT" (Dave's Intemperate Tone). This puts some people off. But I think the ideas in the filtration articles are sound, so I don't let DIT dissuade me from benefitting from them.

I think water changes are generally helpful. I don't think you lose any beneficial bacteria (the video mentions that as a possibility). I also don't think there is anything wrong with a water change greater than 50% (the guideline in the video). On the other hand, I think the danger of nitrates - the main reason for water changes- is overstated by most in the aquarist community. I am not aware of any research that supports a 40 ppm nitrate target. I don't count statements on the labels of dechlorinators, because the manufacturers make more money (a lot more) if you aim for 40 ppm, or 30 or 20, than if you think the nitrate level is not really very important. My nitrates are often in the 40-80 range, and I do not believe that hurts the fish. I sometimes do 67% water changes every 2 weeks, sometimes every three weeks. I change the water in my mom's aquarium when I visit her (she cannot do it), which is every couple of months or so. The nitrate levels in her aquarium are often over 100 ppm, but her fish are fine. I am not aware of any research that supports the assertion that nitrates in the 100 range decreases the life expectancy of fish. Several scientific studies are discussed in an article entitled "Nitrate in Depth" on the site aquariumscience.org. I know most hobbyists will disagree with me, and certainly there is nothing wrong with keeping your nitrates at 20 ppm if that is what you want to do. But I think this is the lore of fishkeeping and not necessarily scientific.

If you are going to aid cycling by squeezing out a seasoned sponge filter, do it in your filter instead of in the tank. The beneficial bacteria grows on surfaces - in this case the surfaces of the particles floating in the water you are squeezing out. Beneficial bacteria also grows where there is rapid flow. That is why most of it is in your filter. The beneficial bacteria from the squeezed sponge filter will grow much better in your filter than in the tank. Some of the particles will make it into your filter even if you squeeze them into the tank, but better if they all are in the filter.

Oh yes, there are a hundred stories of heroic cats saving the lives of wandering fish. Sometimes cats stare at fish for hours, hoping for a chance to save them. The symbiotic relationship between fish and cats is well-studied and documented. Studies have shown that the proximity of fish can actually cause excess saliva excretion in a cat's mouth. Researchers speculate that the saliva coats and protects the fish while he is being saved. And yes, you should use an antibiotic.

I'm going with pregnant or constipated or bloated. Internal parasites often has the opposite effect - thin, emaciated fish rather than bulging bellies.

The wider leaves (emersed growth) will gradually die back and be replaced by the longer, thinner leaves (submersed growth). On my PSO, I sometimes notice the white underside of leaves when I disturb the plant or move it. I don't think that represents a problem with the plant. It will fix itself.

OK, she was hungry. Seriously though, bettafish.org lists neon tetras as one of the ten best tankmates for bettas. Maybe they meant "best tasting."

I should not have said that! Sorry about your fish. I would have thought that a betta and neon tetras would be fine together in the same tank.

He was hungry?

My pots are mostly made from plastic bottles. The ones pictured are made from the bottom sections of 2-liter coke bottles.. The black plastic dip stays on fine, even though the pots flex a little. I am sure it would also work with ceramic pots.

Well, I watched a couple of Youtube videos about staghorn algae, and they don't mention lighting as an issue. I recommend you watch them.

I have a fluval 3.0 on my 20 gallon quarantine tank. Hair algae was a major problem. Even moving the peak intensity down to 30% (15% for pink and blue) hasn't completely gotten rid of it. Your algae looks like staghorn to me, although I am no expert and I look forward to seeing other opinions. I have never had algae like that. Reducing light is the first thing I would try. Good luck! Judging from the photo, your aquarium is going to be great.

Hello, Krominel, and welcome! Sounds like you have experience that we can all benefit from.

I am sure you have checked for anything that might be decomposing in the tank, but it won't hurt to look again, even sifting through the gravel. You could also check the filter to see if there is anything in there. I don't mean to clean the filter. Just look in there to see if there is a dead fish or some other rotting material. I don't think you should clean the filter when you are trying to cycle, especially when you are having an ammonia issue. I assume that it takes some period of time after a water change, especially a 100% water change, for the ammonia to come back. How long does it take? Good luck and I hope you find the problem.

One good thing about black backgrounds is that you can hide things - like intake tubes for canister filters or sponge filter tubes - by making them black. I use black Plasti Dip to make those things black to blend in with the black background. I have potted plants, so I also plasti dip the pots black so they blend in better with the black background and black substrate.

Houston!

UV light controls bacteria and other organisms in the water column, which helps the fish stay healthier. If their immune systems don't have to resist as much bacteria in the water, fish are better able to fight off other diseases. Controlling bacteria and other organisms in the water column also increases water clarity, although even clear water can have a lot of bacteria in it.

Is that the Black Diamond medium substrate? Looks good.