BeetleLann
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Posts posted by BeetleLann
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Feel free to weigh in with your advice and experiences.
I've had issues with this tank for a while; had to go away for 2 weeks, came back to an "infestation". I've been doing daily water changes, removed as much decor as I could. The plants are struggling. It's so frustrating. I feel bad for my betta.
Been reading up on it; I think I'm doing everything I can.
This video has been helpful, too.
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@BAT Unfortunately, no as I don't have a quarantine tank. Someday I'll have one! Sadly doesn't matter anyway because that was like, back in September and they're all dead now. 😞
I will try to get a picture of Mop's fins! How is your betta doing?
Any thoughts on the plants?
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Can upload images if helpful. LMK if this would be helpful!
My 10 gallon was set up using media and substrate from my older tank. It was cycled before the inhabitants and plants were introduced. Levels were good, everything was stable. It did really well for about 6-8 months, but my mistake was introducing some new cherry shrimp from petsmart to "add genetic diversity". I think they introduced a pathogen that killed off all the shrimp in both tanks. The older tank did poorly for a bit with all the waste, but several month on, it's fine again. However my betta tank isn't doing so well.- First, my male veil tail has always had fin issues. They have been stringy for lack of a better word for a couple years now. He seems to get on just fine, there didn't seem to be decay or anything for the longest time. LFS didn't seem concerned when I asked them for help with this originally. I've tried getting advice off the internet before, overall consensus is that despite his less than attractive fins, he's okay. However, lately I've noticed what's likely to be fin rot. For 3 days, I have been doing daily 20% water changes, adding tap water with conditioner. I have also purchased and boiled mini almond leaves to add to the water. Still possibly noticing some black tissue on the edges. He was also very lethargic the last few weeks. I did a very big water change 3 days ago, and removed his floating log because it has discoloured and might be leaching toxins (??? unconfirmed), and he's sort of perked up. He is active at times, likes to eat whenever I visit him, but he still rests a lot. Maybe he's just old?
- My other concern is that the plants are not doing well at all. I think I have an algae that's taking over their leaves and affecting their growth. Moreover, their growth is inconsistent. Some plants have died, others look like they will die soon. I'm sorry, I don't remember the names of the plants, but I can upload pictures.
I need to know how to fix this because I don't want to be slowly torturing my betta. I am trying to do everything right but I must be doing something (or multiple things) wrong.Current water parameters:- pH is stable but high, 8.0-8.2 (my tap water is high, too)
- GH 0-30 (mg/L)
- KH 80-120 (mg/L)
- NO2- 0 ppm
- NO3- 0.5-10 ppm
- Ammonia around 0.25-0.50 ppm (I know this is higher than it should be, this is why I'm trying to be diligent with water changes).
- Temp 78F
Any thoughts on what to do next ? Please and thank you!EDITED TO ADD:
Also, I changed filters a while ago from your standard HOB to Tetra Whisper 10-30 gallon. I do not like it. It's not adjustable, and at first the flow was much too strong. Over only a few months it reduced to hardly any flow at all. Ended up getting a lot of biofilm on the surface of the water due to lack of agitation. I have removed it and put the original HOB back up.
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@OnlyGenusCaps and thank you for confirming the asparagus plants! I'm so happy to have learned this information. This community is so great!
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On 1/12/2022 at 10:00 PM, PineSong said:
Yup, that's a hoya, too. When they bloom, it looks like plastic flowers have appeared by magic on the plant. I was so confused the first time it happened!
Yessss and they smell SO GOOD.
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On 1/11/2022 at 10:13 PM, PineSong said:
"The apple of my eye is my hoya obovata, with the big oval leaves in the middle of the first shot. it was just two leaves when I bought it three years ago and it has slowly but steadily grown while looking perfect every day. Can't beat it!"
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I think my mom has a similar plant. I don't know what it is, specifically, but she's always referred to it as a "Hoya". She has had it since the late 80s/early 90s, if I recall correctly. I am pretty sure the plant is older than me!
(93 baby, for context, who is living back home because of the pandemic... 🙃).
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On 1/11/2022 at 10:13 PM, PineSong said:
IME, both of those plants are sold as asparagus ferns, just because wholesalers like to keep us all hopping, I guess. The one that stands upright is more similar to a real fern, but isn't one.
https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/grow-plants/how-to-grow-asparagus-ferns/
The other is often sold as an annual/filler for outdoor containers, but can sometimes be kept successfully as a houseplant as long as you can tolerate the needle drop...
I have 63 houseplants at the moment, not counting tank pothos or the plants in my office (I just took a census after sending several to Valhalla before the first frost).
The apple of my eye is my hoya obovata, with the big oval leaves in the middle of the first shot. it was just two leaves when I bought it three years ago and it has slowly but steadily grown while looking perfect every day. Can't beat it!
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Beautiful! I love that you don't count the pothos lol
Thank you for providing the information about the two asparagus plants. I now know that one is an asparagus plant (that is apparently struggling lol), and the other is an asparagus fern! I am happy to know this information.
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Here is the plant I thought is an asparagus plant (pics 1 & 2) and the plant that I think is the same as yours (3 & 4)
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On 1/11/2022 at 3:32 PM, Mydonkeyfish said:
I have seen them on fish before and snails! Your betta was probably resting when the worm decided to catch a ride.
I think that's a good hypothesis!
I added the Tetra All-In-One tablets, maybe I should remove those, eh?
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On 1/11/2022 at 3:21 PM, Mydonkeyfish said:
Possibly a detritus worm. Dont worry they arent harmful but they eat fish poop.
Ohhh, thank you! Is it normal for detritus worms to crawl on fish, though? I normally just see them in the substrate, or maybe on the glass once in a while.
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On 1/11/2022 at 3:16 PM, Patrick_G said:
That’s an Asparagus plant. We bought it as a 2” terrarium plant!
Thanks! My wife and I love to scrounge local estate sales!
Is it?! Ok, what I've been calling my Asparagus Plant is a different plant then! BRB I will get pics lol
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What is the plant called in the photo with the red bicycle pillow? We have one, too, but I don't know what it is! 😧
Beautiful plants and a beautiful home, by the way!!! 🥰
Also love the RBG print 🤣
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Will they survive the journey? Would love to support AC, but also don't want to place an order if this plants will die before arrival!
Thank you 🙂
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@HydraSlayer does A-C ship to Canada?
PS I love your username. I had a hydra problem once. That was a challenge and a half!-
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On 1/11/2022 at 2:01 PM, Colu said:
Have you noticed your fish rubbing against things in the tank any loss of appetite rapid breathing @BeetleLann
Not particularly to rubbing against things. Lately it appears he likes hang out in a particular bottom corner of the tank or in a dark spot under some plant cover. He appears more lethargic than active. Right now, his breathing does appear rapid, but I am doing a water change, so perhaps it is causing him some stress. I do try to be as minimally disruptive as possible. Should I keep an eye out for rapid breathing?
On 1/11/2022 at 12:32 PM, HydraSlayer said:I'd recommend buying some Fritz Paracleanse for him just to be absolutely safe.
Tho, the lethargy may be from his old age. Bettas slow down over time.
Thank you for the advice and product suggestion! I cannot give you a "like" because I have reached my daily limit, but this is helpful.
His colour is starting to dull a bit, too, so I assume he's a bit of a grumpy old man now. I just want to keep him as happy and healthy as possible.
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My male is also smaller than the two females! his sisters? girlfriends? I don't know 😧
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@H.K.Luterman Wow, your fish are beautiful!!
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For me, it's always been an interest.
In university, a friend moved to Alberta and gave me her betta to take care of. After he passed, I got another betta, Charlie. I had Charlie for a couple years in a small 2.5 gallon tank. He eventually passed, and I missed having a fish friend, so I adopted my current betta, Mop.
I'd always wanted a bigger tank. Then, one day during the early stages of the pandemic, April/May, someone in my neighbourhood put out a 10 gallon on the side of the road. I scooped it immediately! It was perfect. I'd always wanted to dabble with a planted tank, and I wanted to give Mop better home. When I completed my undergrad in June, as a graduation present, I allowed myself set up the 10 gallon, buy some plants and attempt my first scape! Almost two years later, I now have 2 ten gallons, one for Mop and his Nerite friend The Slug, and another for my albino cories 🙂
Still have a lot to learn, but enjoying the journey thus far!-
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Hi,
Sorry I don't have a photo, but I noticed a small tiny worm inching along my betta tonight. It was maybe a milimeter or 2mm in length, very small. Didn't look to me like an anchor worm. It also did not look like a flathead worm, but it was very tiny. It was moving around my betta's body, on top of his scales, near his head and gills. My fish has been showing some signs of distress lately, including lethargy and tears in the fins. He is also approx. 2.5 years old.
Can someone help me identify if this should be a cause for concern?
Additionally, I have API Fungus Cure, Tetra Fungus Guard, and Tetra Lifeguard all-in-one treatment. Please advise if any of these chemicals might be helpful to use.
Thank you!
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On 12/5/2021 at 7:00 PM, Dawn T said:
LOL Same here! I've got ramshorn and bladder snails going in all of my tanks. I actually OVERFEED one of the tanks to make those puppies proliferate. That's also the tank I have assassin snails in. Nice little ecosystem going in there.
Also, I have a friend who tends to overfeed their tank all the time, so "pest" snails are VERY happy in there. I use a snail trap to catch them regularly and toss them into the tank with my assassins.
Since assassins need a member of each sex in order to breed, I also keep a single assassin in each of my smaller tanks to keep snail populations under control in those tanks. A single assassin snail does a nice job on crowd control in a small tank.
One of these days, I want to add Malaysian Trumpet Snails to my tanks. They're so great at keeping sandy substrates from compacting. I just haven't made up my mind if I want them or something like Kuhlii loaches.
I love this! Poor little guys in my tank are in the wrong environment, I didn't know they like sandy substrate. I've been meaning to redo my tank because it's ugly- not sure I will yet- but if I do, adding sand sounds like a good idea.
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@GameCzarI was hoping someone was going to say something positive about assassin snails! That might be my next step... hehe. Good luck with your bladder snails!
@Sweetpickles excellent, I am glad to know this has worked for you!!! Excited to try it out tonight now 🙂
@Scapexghost Ooh, that's good to know! They are all mixed in with the substrate, but as long as that's okay, I will learn to love them like I did with my scuds in the other tank lol ...
@Mmiller2001 Thank you! I will try to reduce feeding, too.
Thank you everyone 🙂 🙂 🙂-
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I still have the scuds! Betta will eat them if I feed them to him, but the majority live in the filter media. I have a Whisper internal 10-30, so he can't get in there to eat them. But since my shrimp colony died several months back, I guess the scuds are my new pets hahaha
Hope everyone who reads this is doing well! And I hope your tanks are doing well too!
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Hey fishy friends,
I have my first infestation of what I think are Malaysian trumpet snails!!! (or something similar)
I don't have the option to remove and quarantine everything. Thinking of trying the "drop in some cucumber or zucchini overnight and try to collect as many as possible" approach, but this doesn't help with eggs.
Care to share any tips or tricks you've used to manage a snail problem?
Cheers!-
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On 11/13/2021 at 7:01 PM, Guppysnail said:
They are harmless and act as a good cleanup crew if you do not have shrimp or snails. Your betta may even be snacking on a few as a live food source. I love this forum because no one is panicky over natural things but they do provide useful info on those things so folks can make educated decisions.
I do have one Nerite snail! It seems fine when I see it (it finds all the nooks and crannies). How would I know if the scuds are harming it? thank you!!
On 11/13/2021 at 10:19 PM, Torrey said:The only problem I have ever had with scuds, was when I got sick and my colony crashed.
Bettas will eat them, and they are quite nutritious. Apparently some bettas will overeat on them, and get constipated. Doesn't sound like your betta is in that camp.
They are a fabulous clean up crew. If you are seeing large numbers, there's a distinct possibility that you are overfeeding.
To maintain my colonies, I feed ~100 scuds in a 5 gallon jar twice what I fed my betta.
To boost growth, I feed 2x a day until I harvest a bunch, and then return to feeding leaves from outdoors, and 2x what I fed the betta (as a reference point).
I maintain 2 scuds colonies for seeding new tanks, and for collecting baby amphopods (scuds) as a live treat for fry once they are big enough to eat them. It's precious watching them (fry) chase their dinner!
It's equally satisfying watching the amphopods in their colony tanks swimming up and down the water column, cleaning plants, and eating the older leaves. If the calcium levels in the water start to drop, the scuds will start eating the hornwort. I have learned that is a good indicator to check calcium levels.
They are a pain in the butt if they make their way into a shrimp breeding colony, as adult scuds will snack on shrimplets and will swarm shrimp if they see the shrimp as competition for food.
Otherwise, they are a free clean up crew.
Thank you! I did have assorted neocaridina shrimp, but the colony died off about a month or 2 ago which was very sad. I introduced some new members and they must have brought in a bacteria or something. They all died within a couple of weeks. Now it's only the scuds, Mop my Betta and Slug the nerite snail who are left!
![IMG_7072[27].jpg](http://content.invisioncic.com/b300999/monthly_2022_01/1741187944_IMG_707227.jpg.45c1b1efbdbf7de13d589a6689bfd77a.jpg)
![IMG_7073[30].jpg](http://content.invisioncic.com/b300999/monthly_2022_01/316329631_IMG_707330.jpg.31e14844b47c4ca67d91ee611572df5b.jpg)
![IMG_7074[91].jpg](http://content.invisioncic.com/b300999/monthly_2022_01/1200513468_IMG_707491.jpg.cbb33996e64a56fbdea29c9b5a0b66e4.jpg)
![IMG_7076[96].jpg](http://content.invisioncic.com/b300999/monthly_2022_01/51168407_IMG_707696.jpg.d9ca14dc83f37b7b6965841a2b6b8cad.jpg)
Need to vent--- I have cyanobacteria >:(
in Plants, Algae, and Fertilizers
Posted
Awesome, thank you. I really need Aquarium Co-op to ship to Canada! 🇨🇦