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Don’t understand why so many discussions turn into fights on this forum 😕

It won’t hurt the cycle to go ahead and take measures to reduce the nitrate and will probably help keep algae growth in check. One thing to keep in mind is that if you’re going to be moving fish from the old tank that are used to the higher nitrate level they might be stressed by the drastic...

One of my kuhlis is also a lot fatter than the others. S/he’s been fat like that for a couple of years though and I’ve never had any eggs or fry. Frozen food works well too if you have trouble finding live.

I follow my own experience over other people’s opinions or “science”

In your opinion

I know it’s not a popular opinion but cories are fine on small pea-sized gravel so long as it is smooth and vacuumed frequently. I mention this because cories are often not the only species in the tank so I think it’s helpful for people to understand that a sand substrate is not an absolute...

Hello :) First of all just a heads up that to avoid confusion you need to adjust your lingo from “just cycled around 40% of the tank water” to “ just did a 40% WATER CHANGE”. If you “cycle” a tank it means that you have successfully completed the multiple weeks long process of building up the...

Yeah advice from a LFS is a mixed bag. Some of the employees there are experienced fish keepers themselves and some are completely clueless. Most are probably somewhere in between.

Yes it should work fine. I’ve used a similar setup before. One thing to keep in mind: Not sure if you were planning on keeping it at floor level or not but if so it will be harder to do water changes with a gravel vac that uses gravity to get the water moving. If that’s what you use you’ll...

In an emergency you can feed very finely crushed sinking wafers. (I’m talking almost dust-fine). Dissolve it in some tank water and then add it into the area of the tank the fry are in. Even better to use a dropper with a long tip like a turkey baster to add it right where they are. You’ll want...

Welcome! Personally I like sponge filters, though some people don't like the way they look in the tank. The thing I like most about them is that I can do water changes without having to worry about the water level dropping too low for the hang-on-back filter. Also, my cories love to forage over...

Sorry for your loss ?

Sorry to hear that ?.

Kanaplex (kanamycin). But I would do it in a hospital tank, even if that’s a plastic tub. I haven’t used it in my main tank before so I couldn’t say that it wouldn’t affect your biofilter. Plus it’s best not to expose other fish to medication if they don’t need it. If you have to use a makeshift...

I think he’s probably on his way out ? I’ve never been able to euthanize any of my fish, even though I hate to see them suffer. I wouldn’t think there could be a recovery though for him at this point.

Some internal infections can cause bleeding inside the fish’s body (hemorrhagic septicemia). It is often difficult to save a fish that has reached this point but it can be done if you act swiftly with an appropriate medication. If the fish is not eating the kanamycin (Kanaplex) can still be...

Hmm. Doesn’t look like ich to me. Probably a bacterial or fungal infection. Costia would be another possibility.

I know some people on the forum aren’t keen on medications but if I had a fish with an apparent internal infection I would treat it with antibiotics as soon as possible (especially if it is obviously getting worse). External infections are different. They can be successfully treated more...

100% definitely isn’t what you want to do in a tank that is cycled. In a tank that’s not it makes more sense because otherwise ammonia and nitrite is going to gradually build and any amount of these is toxic to fish. Not sure how you would do a 100% change though unless you scoop the fish out to...

Yeah that’s a big bummer. Sometimes we learn the hard way ?

Pretty hard for her to claim she knows all if she doesn’t know that you have to cycle a tank before putting fish in it ?

Yes it is very likely that putting the fish into the new tank without properly cycling is what killed them.

Most filter set ups have a cartridge that has carbon in it (what's in your picture above), and another insert, often made of plastic or foam, that is supposed to remain in place and not be changed. The one that stays in place is where the good bacteria establish. So if you just took out the...

Are you maintaining your filter in another tank? If not the beneficial bacteria will die and then you'll be starting your cycle from scratch when you put it back in the betta's tank. If it's been out of the tank for more than a few days (and especially if your betta's still eating) the ammonia...

Probably my most creative was a red betta named King Crimson

It usually takes me a while to name my fish because I like it to fit their personality and it can take a while to get a good feel for that. Plus sometimes when adding more than one at a time you might have to learn to tell them apart first. It doesn’t help that a lot of times with younger fish...

Welcome! I like the look of the dark substrate. You might already be aware but the most basic concerns for stocking would be 1. Is your tank suitable for the fish in question? It’s much easier to keep healthy, happy fish if you are providing the ideal environment for that particular species...

Welcome to the forum! I'm not an expert on bettas but my first impression is one of the following: 1. a tumor (either benign or cancerous) 2. a viral infection causing an overgrowth of tissue 3. a severe reaction to a parasite of some sort (parasite would be inside the mass with lots of...

Perhaps they're a color variation of the bronze? I know the ones I saw at least were definitely different.

I've recently been seeing those in a couple of pet stores and they really are beautiful, but I haven't had the space in my aquarium to acquire any yet. The ones in your pictures do look like the ones I've seen, though I don't think your pictures do them justice. The orange coloring is much...

I’ve seen it twice and both times the gouramies had the lesion for weeks without any other symptoms. Only a few days before they died did they start getting lethargic and hiding and stopped eating.

It might be dwarf gourami iridovirus. It's an especially large lesion but it does look like the ones it causes.

Without a picture it’s hard to say but from the description it sounds like a bacterial infection has caused the fins to wear away. With good water quality and diet they might grow back on their own without medication. You could add an immune booster like Voogle to help.

This little guy is a survivor! Give him a worthy name ?

I've used ammonia detoxifiers a number of times and can say that they definitely help

It depends on whether you choose to use fish to cycle a tank versus doing a fishless cycle. Many aquarists feel that a fishless cycle is the way to go because it is much more humane and you don't risk your fish dying. When you do a fishless cycle you would add ammonia in either via liquid...

I think you mentioned you have a cory and a loach? Those two fish in particular would be very sensitive to ammonia and nitrite being in the tank.

Yeah my suspicion is that the cycling is just beginning. Ammonia and nitrite are toxic to fish so I would put an ammonia/nitrite detoxifier in the tank that has fish in it ASAP. Your local pet store should have one. If your cycle is just starting you might have to add it in every couple of days...

You tried your best. I'm sure he appreciated all of your effort.

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