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If you do have varying parameters in your tanks for whatever reason or that vary from the tap water, I think it's better to do more frequent smaller changes. You could do two 30% changes a week rather than one 75%. I do one 25% a week on all four of my tanks and never had a problem since I've...

Yes, I agree large water changes are better all else equal. However, You also need to be more careful about equalizing temperature with the large changes. When you're changing 25% you can be a few degrees off and it won't have as large an impact. I use RO water, so for me it's a bigger risk...

25% is fine I think. The risk with large water changes is that it can be risky for your fish if you get a key parameter off.

I'm basing the flow idea on this article. Anecdotally, it seemed to help when I increased the filter flow and added an airstone: https://www.aquariumcoop.com/blogs/aquarium/blue-green-algae It says: Cyanobacteria "commonly occur in warm, slow-moving, and nutrient-rich bodies of water. In...

That's interesting about the sand. I have four tanks and the only tank I ever got cyanobacteria in was the only tank with sand in it. Didn't realize that could be a factor. Good to know. It's definitely treatable if you address the root causes. My tank was getting overrun and now I haven't...

It could be but it's not clear to me. I would just wash it off for now. If it really is cyanobacteria and it starts spreading, then you can use Ultralife Blue Green Slime Stain Remover. I had a bad case of cyanobacteria that took over my tank and that cleared it up completely. Then you do...

I don't think dechlorinater is harmful but it's probably unnecessary. My plants and fish have been doing great with Seachem Equilibrium and Aquarium Co Op Easy Green. I also use Seachem PH stabilizers. Both are doing better than with tap water (my tap water is terrible).

I use the RO/DI buddie and it has been working great (though it wastes a lot of water and is slow). I don't add dechlorinator as I believe it takes care of the chlorine. Have not had any problems after several months of using. I find my fish have been healthier, and I have had less algae...

You could consider RO water if you're uncomfortable using tap water. That's really your only alternative. My tap water is unusable so I use RO water which has worked out well.

Personally I would go with Aquarium Co Op Quarantine trio meds just to be safe. Or you could watch them carefully and see if they show any signs of distress and then use medication at that point. It's worth getting even a small 3 gallon quarantine tank. Or introduce all the fish you will ever...

If your ammonia and nitrites were zero, then I think the most likely explanation is that the new fish you brought in a week ago may have introduced a pathogen. It could be that the betta had a weaker immune system for whatever reason and it hit him harder, faster. I don't recommend keeping...

You could also keep Kuhli loaches. My betta got along great with the kuhli loaches I had in his 20 gallon.

I think a 20 long is perfect for a betta. A 20 high can be a little deeper than ideal, but can work. I find bettas are happier in shallower tanks because they spend a lot of time at the surface, but also like plants to be near the surface. The wider the better though I think. I vote against...

My understanding is that you also have to consider your shrimp and snails. They need a certain GH and KH to thrive, that shouldn't be zero. That's why I have to remineralize my RO water because I have shrimp and snails in all my tanks.

I think 10 percent every three days should be fine, but personally I do 25-30% every week, which has been working well. It's less work to do once a week instead of twice. Doing large 75 percent changes is great too; it's just that you have less margin for error when you do that. If you get...

I use RO/DI water on my freshwater tanks. You need to remineralize it. I use Seachem Equilibrium and I stabilize the PH with Seachem Aqualine and Acid buffers. Has been working well for me for quite some time. My tap water is unusable.

You could do a really cool shrimp tank if you like them. Just pick your favorite color and it's pretty easy.

Do it! In many ways it's easier than aquariums and it's super fun. If you want to research it, go to dendroboard.com

I have four aquariums and two dart frog vivariums in our small apartment. I promised my wife I can stop anytime.

Beautiful tanks. My wife says the lockdowns of the last year have worsened my MTS in a bad way. I can't say she's wrong.

I've tried it a few times. Once with Harequin rasbora and once with CPDs. It can work, but I don't think it's ideal. My betta with the rasbora was hiding a lot and the CPDs were hiding a lot. When I took the bettas out, everyone was bolder and seemed to do better, even though there weren't...

My betta enjoys Frogbit.

You could probably fit a few small fish like neon tetras or CPDs, but I think any of those do much better in at least a 10G. Personally, I wouldn't put anything but a betta fish in a 5G. It could be a great shrimp tank too.

Just get one male betta is my advice. Add a Nerite snail or two would be perfect. I have on four occasions added shrimp to a betta tank. Twice the shrimp lived happily with the bettas with no problem whatsoever. Twice all of the shrimp were murdered almost immediately.

dwarf sagitarria is a cool foreground plant. Or anubias can be cool too. I wouldn't add too much though; your tank is beautiful as is.

In other tanks I have RCS and yellow shrimp which are both pretty cool, but blue velvet are the best.

I have all blue velvet shrimp. My favorite kind. As for plants, I have java ferns, dwarf sag, and frogbit, all of which have worked well in my 10G.

You can fit as many dwarf shrimp as you want in a 10 gallon. I have over a hundred in mine and they seem to be doing fine. I would recommend less to start obviously. If you want small solitary fish, it's hard to beat another betta! Maybe a gourami or two?

What I would be most concerned about at this stage is ammonia and nitrite. It looks like your nitrite is above zero. Anything above zero is harmful for your fish. You need an ammonia reading too. Just do a daily large water change until your tank is fully cycled and you can test with a...

Beautiful tank! Do you have to do anything special to maintain those beautiful red plants? Like add iron? Forgive my ignorance, but what is the device in the top left of your tank?

What I mean is if you need to do things like raise the hardness or PH or if you want to aerate the water or match the temperature more exactly. I use RO water for example, so can't use the python.

Yes, get the API Master test kit. Until then, you should do a 40 percent water change every day, making sure you use dechlorinator and try to match the temperature. Your tank isn't cycled and your betta is probably suffering from ammonia or nitrite poisoning.

You need either a python or a small pump to pump the water from a bucket into your tank. I prefer the pump method because you have more control over your water that way. You can add whatever you need to it and don't need to add directly from the faucet.

I would recommend against adding the tetras. In my experience bettas do much better alone. Tetras can get a bit nippy and will stress out your betta. Especially if he doesn't have anywhere to hide. One thing to note about your set-up is that bettas like to hang out near the surface and they...

It can work, but I think you would be much better off with a separate 5-10 gallon tank for the betta.

Plants: Amazon sword, Java fern, dwarf sag, anubias, frogbit Cleaners: nerite, dwarf shrimp, amano shrimp