Newbie fish plunge !

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

I have Black Neons myself- my water is 7.6 they do fine. I find that pH makes a difference when: 

it fluctuates too much- this includes when we as fish keepers try and adjust it constantly (bad)

a fish needs it for breeding (certain fish require a certain pH)

or it's too acidic (lower pH for some fish IME isn't great but they don't seem to mind the higher- bearing in mind I only keep more common smaller fish, may be different for other species)

when you're moving a fish from one pH to another- if it's too much of a change it can negatively affect the fish

You might find if you have a steady pH and you get fish from a store that has similar parameters you won't have an issue keeping fish that per the internet "require" certain pH. Some tank raised fish that are brought up in your similar parameters would be used to it. 

[KittenFishMom]

Update, second morning. The betta is looking better and better. This morning was the first time he spread his tail. I had thought he was a crowntail, but now I think it is fin rot.  The guppies and Endlers and happily swimming about. I ordered the betta a betta log. He has shown no interest in the leaf hammock I got for him.

[KittenFishMom]

Update:  Forth morning. Everyone in the QT tank looked good. the the power company said the power would be out for 1 to 3 hours.. I got out the battery powered bubblers and cover the tanks with blankets.

When I took the blankets off after the power came back. I found the betta on the floor of the tank. I swooshed the water around a bit and he started swimming again. Maybe he was having a nightmare about being shipped in the dark.

I put in a "floating betta log" and he swims around it but won't go in. He would not try the leaf hammock either.  I bet he is like any kid and would rather play with the box than the toy Mom was sure he would like.

I offered him a thawed frozen blood worm and 2 fresh betta beads last night and he seems to be very eager to eat. I'll hatch out another batch of brine shrimp so I can serve him some at the end of this QT week before starting the Paracleanse. I think he need to eat to get his strength back.

Does anyone recommend any special food to help the fish bounce back after fasting in a QT tank?

 

 

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

Target feeding the betta with tweezers helped me monitor how much they ate- of course you can only really do this when it's bloodworms or tubifex worms (freeze dried tubifex I've found are pretty great and everybody likes them). Feed the rest a good quality flake (like Fluval Bug Bites or Xtreme Krill flakes) and make sure to clean up leftovers and everbody should be good!

Edited December 21, 2021 by xXInkedPhoenixX

[KittenFishMom]

I fed the Betta fish 2 more pellets tonight. He was very excited to be eating.  I may give him a few frozen bloodworms tomorrow. He is so different from the fish on the bottom of his bowl at the store.  I didn't think he would make it, but I wanted to see if I could at least make him more comfortable. Every time I look in, he is in a different part of the tank. The endlers have such fat tummies from nibbling on everything. The guppy look very happy too.

[KittenFishMom]

This morning I moved the betta log and then the betta appeared and swam through the log towards me. I think he wanted to let me know that he liked it.

It is so nice to see him recovering his interest in the world so quickly. The guppies  and the endlers are also swimming around like they own the place. The male endlers and male guppies were in the same tank at the store.  I don't think the guppies let the endler get much food. They were so sleek and thin when I got them, now they are much rounder. I just thought endlers were narrow naturally.  It will be hard to go to a fish store and not feel like I want to rescue all the fish.

[AndEEss]

Please get the corydora some more of his or her species. They are a social, shoaling fish. 

[KittenFishMom]

I told the clerk I thought I should get more than one, and she said it was better to start with one.  Maybe she thought the tank was getting sick?

[KittenFishMom]

@AndEEss and @xXInkedPhoenixX I am on day 5 of the quarantine tank. If I went back and got more corydora  from the same tank. could I add them to my current tank? I have the antibiodic and ick-x in the water now. I was got to do a water change on day 7 and then do the paracleanse.

I would like to get more corydoras and endlers and guppies, but I'm not sure how to handle the quarantining at this point. (They only had 4 endlers, and one jumps in the chemical bucket, so I got 3. I got 3 guppies, and one died the first night. I wanted to get more corydoras, but they said to start with just one) 

 

Edited December 22, 2021 by KittenFishMom

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

While I understand what @AndEEss was saying, I would have advised you to wait until you were done quarantining. 

[KittenFishMom]

@xXInkedPhoenixX I want to be sure I understand your advice. I should continue with my current quarantine with my current fish in my current tank. If I get more fish, I should put them in a separate quarantine tank and not combine the fish until both tank have completed their separate quarantine. Is that  right?  I can do that.

[KittenFishMom]

The corydora that I do have is active and feeding all over the tank. So I am sure he can wait until the next batch goes through quarantine.

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

Yes any new fish should start a separate QT in another tank. As long as you have a way to do that then you should be good, but don't  overload yourself with work 🙃

[KittenFishMom]

I can set up and fill the second QT tank and put a used sponge filter in it to get it to start cycling.  for a week or so before the fish arrive.

[KittenFishMom]

@AndEEss How many corydoras do you think I should get to keep the one I have company? I am planning to keep them in a 10 gallon tank.  I will see if I can find out what kind I have.

[KittenFishMom]

@AndEEss How many Corydoras do you recommend to I goT to keep in a ten gallon tank with 6-8 male endlers and 1 male betta? I have been trying to get a photo of the one I have, but he darts from hiding place to hiding place very quickly.

Thanks

[KittenFishMom]

@AndEEssI called the CountryMax store where I bought the Corydoras and they said it was pacospomous Corydoras but were not sure they were spelling it correctly.

Edited December 27, 2021 by KittenFishMom

[AndEEss]

I don’t recognize that name. Can you describe its appearance?

Regardless, most people recommend groups of 6 or more of all types of corydoras catfish. 

Wait. Was it “plecostomus”? Because that is NOT a corydoras. 

 

[KittenFishMom]

My guess is that she was grouping plecos and corydoras. I do want the same variety of Corydoras, but I really don't want to go back to that store. I said I thought I should get several corys when i was buying, and the clerk said "no it is best to start with one".

I put out an algae pellet tonight and got a good look at him/her. A Corydoras for sure. many spots. not panda.

 

I think it is a Corydoras paleatus

[KittenFishMom]

My plan was 6 or 8 endlers, 6 neon tetras and 3 or 4 corys and 1 male betta in a 10 gallon tank. I got the guppies because they only had 3 endlers.

Now the guppies have all died. so I have 3 endlers, 1 cory and 1 male betta.

If the corys get big, I probably should not get the tetras.  I was hoping for a colorful tank. I also wanted the corys as a clean up crew, with the scuds.

 

[KittenFishMom]

I want to work on planting the tank, Right now, almost all my plants are floating free. There are some plans in HOB filters including a very happy turnip that is growing like crazy. roots spilling down the waterfall into the tank.

I am confused about how you vacuum the substrate in a planted tank, It seems like you would disturb the roots.  

I am also confused about how you net fish in a well planted tank.

[KittenFishMom]

I have been feeding my betta a frozen bloodworm or 2 when I thaw them out for my native tank. He really likes them. 

Today I was readying up about corys and how much they like bloodworms, so I put some on the bottom of the tank for the cory, who came out and ate some. It was great fun to see him come out of hiding. 

Now my betta fish has plumped up, and I think he has eaten ever scrap of bloodworm that the cory did not eat. I thought the betta only ate at the surface. I have my fingers crossed that it all comes out in the end. These are not dried worms.  I hope he does not get constipated. I guess I should order a batch of live daphnia from Amazon and get a colony of them going to keep on hand.

Never a dull moment.

[1moretank]

On 12/27/2021 at 5:21 PM, KittenFishMom said:

I want to work on planting the tank, Right now, almost all my plants are floating free. There are some plans in HOB filters including a very happy turnip that is growing like crazy. roots spilling down the waterfall into the tank.

I am confused about how you vacuum the substrate in a planted tank, It seems like you would disturb the roots.  

I am also confused about how you net fish in a well planted tank.

I don't gravel vac a planted tank, but on occasion I vac the surface of the gravel if there is excess mulm.   I don't want to disturb the roots or the root tabs.

Netting a fish in a planted tank is very difficult, requiring a lot of patience, an alternative is to use a "trap".  I find that an old betta cup from the store with a pellet in the bottom of it, set in the tank for a while, will result in fish in the cup, you can then lift the cup keeping the fish in it.  Generally you would not need to net a fish out if the QT has already been done.

Good luck and have fun!

[KittenFishMom]

@1moretank Thanks for explaining how it works.

All summer I had a large number of lake crayfish in my tank to clean up the tank. They loved digging out every plant because food settles where the plants slowed the water flow. I tried pots with stones on top, but nothing worked. These crayfish were big when I caught them and got much bigger and stronger over the summer. Now I am down to the one smallest one, and he has not dug anything out of the Easy Planters, just loves hiding under them when they bridge 2 big rocks. I think I will start planting at one end and work my way across.

I kept hearing about hospital tanks and salt bath and had the feeling that people often had to net fish.  It makes sense that if things are started out right, then fish don't need to be removed all that often.

Thanks again

 

[1moretank]

In my QT tank I keep several plants, each in a little black basket, that I have replaced the wool with gravel.  When it is time to net fish I simply pick up the plants and set them in a bucket or other QT tank.  I also move them if I want to use salt instead of meds.  I keep enough gravel to make about a 2 inch hill in 1/4 the tank, easy to move or clean depending on fish, and about a dozen pond snails.  When QT is empty, I usually keep 1-2 bent spine guppies or a couple shrimp in the tank so I feed the tank and keep it cycled.  I QT every fish when I bring it in, and rarely have any fish go back to QT after its been moved to its home tank.  
You have very interesting tanks / fish, I have really enjoyed reading your posts.