Hello from WA state

[PearlTheBetta]

Hello, all. I appreciate this forum, Cory. I have 3 10 gallons, a 5 gallon, and a 2.5 gallon tank that I care for. The 2.5 gallon has 2 guppy babies and 4 mystery snails. I have very soft water. I put wonder shells in all my snail tanks. Is there anything else I can do to help my little friends thrive?

In the 5 gallon is a male betta named Smothy (my kid didn't know how to spell Smoothie), 3 more mystery snails, and a clown plecko named Squirtle who literally never moves at all. I have plants and budget lighting in all my tanks. It doesn't seem to matter where I put him; he immediately hides. He's going into one of my new 10 gallons as soon as they are cycled. 

One of my ten gallons has my gorgeous female elephant ear betta, Pearl, a single white cloud and 3 albino corys who will get friends and move to one of the other 10s soon, 6 pepper corys, and 10 chili rasboras. 

One 10 has only a female koi galaxy betta named Morgan. And the other gas a dwarf gourami named Shiney Gillbert: Destroyer of Worlds because my oldest son, youngest daughter, and husband couldn't agree on what to name him.

I'm fairly new to aquariums or at least I feel like I still have a lot to learn. The two newest 10s only have one fish in them because I'm scared to throw a bunch of fish in right away. I can draw you one heckin diagram about the nitrogen cycle, but I don't understand it practically. So... I put a butt ton of plants I bought off of ebay in the tanks. Then I did daily water changes for a week (90% adding api quick start and stress coat with every change). Then I added my non schooling loner fishy and have done daily water changes (50% adding the same products with each change) for a few weeks. Now I plan on adding the 3 corys to one tank, and the white cloud and 3 friends for her to the other at the end of this month. I plan on eventually having a full school of 6 corys, and 8 mid to top water schooling fish in each tank adding fish 3 or 4 at a time over the next few months. 

Any advice or help are much appreciated. 

 

[Levi_Aquatics]

Welcome to the forum! We're glad to have you here:) My younger brother has a betta that looks almost identical to the one in the 2nd pic-Morgan?

[Cmike15]

Welcome in! Having a lot of plants does help even out the edges of a cycling tank which is nice and they look good too. 

[John Henry]

Welcome to  the forum @PearlTheBetta, glad to have you onboard.  Consider getting an API Master kit and you can follow the nitrogen cycle as you tank cycles from ammonia to nitrites and finally to nitrate, you will understand it when you see it happening.

[BeeGryphon]

Welcome! Your betta are lovely!

[PearlTheBetta]

Thanks, Levi_Aquatics! Happy to be here. Yes, that is Morgan. She is my brand new girl. I love her colors! 

Cmike15, I read somewhere that plants make the water healthier for the fish. I just grabbed the cheapest aquarium plants that ebay had thinking those would probably be the ones that would grow like crazy lol. 

Happy to be here, John Henry! I have test strips that test for iron, nitrite, nitrate, gh, kh, ph, and 3 other things that I don't even know what they mean. I homeschool my kids, so a test kit would be so much fun, but is it a waste of money since I already have the test strips? What new things could I see with the test kit?

BeeGryphon, thank you! I love them!!! They are so sweet! Like puppies that never piddle on the floor.

[Schuyler]

Welcome fellow Washington!

If you're still looking for plants you should consider going to GSAS auction on April 22. It's the local club in Seattle's big auction and you can normally get plants pretty cheap especially if you stick around to the end.

[PearlTheBetta]

Schuyler, thank you so much for the info!!! I just got in trouble for ordering 3 new snails and some guppy fry for my guppy fry to be friends with. I better not push it lol!