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I think the key with sororities is that no two sororities are alike. Each betta (male or female) has its own personality and you need to act accordingly. The 'rules' aren't so much 'rules' but guidelines. 5 or more is a nice thing to say for someone when they are first setting up a sorority...

Welcome. Unfortunately, you have fallen victim to a very common problem in the hobby. Lots went wrong. 1- the tank is too small for fish, despite the marketing. 3 gallons is a tank for a single Betta only, or shrimp. 2- the tank wasn't cycled, meaning the fish poisoned themselves with...

Great to hear it!

As you point out, the substrate may have released some ammonia and started the cycle, but without an ongoing source of ammonia, the cycle stops, which is why your last two readings are virtually identical. The cycling process gives the bacteria a continual supply of ammonia to be converted to...

That seems to show nothing of consequence happening. but, without having added any ammonia, there's no job for the bacteria to be doing.

Hatchets are jumpers, so be sure to have a good fitting lid.

I have never heard of that product, but I wouldn't trust it on its own. Does anyone you know have a tank? It doesn't have to be a close friend, just someone with an established tank. A donation of media from their filter and you will be better off than any bacteria in a bottle product...

:dunno: There's just no accounting for taste! :lol: Cories are some of my very favorite fish... which, of course, is why I've kept them with so many different species. I can't think of a time in my fishkeeping life that I had a tank that didn't have cories in it!

Corydoras will get along with ANY peaceful fish. Cories are just fun loving, scavengers that will scoot along the surfaces of your tank seeking out their favorite food items. They will eat eggs laid from other cories (even their own) as well as any other fish in the tank, but they don't mess...

Looks like common pond snails, also known as 'pest' snails. Nothing wrong with them. Their population will explode when the tank is overfed. Keep your feedings small and they won't be very noticeable.

Oak leaves added will also add some microfauna for the fry. As the oak leaves break down, infusoria will feed on the leaves and the fry will feed on the infusoria. If you don't want large oak leaves in the tank, you can cut them into smaller chunks and hide them more in the plants. Warning...

The danger of using rain water is that it is generally very soft (very little minerals in it) and acidic (thanks to acid rain). This isn't a big deal, AS LONG AS, the fish you choose to keep are naturally suited to soft, acidic water conditions. The water being soft, also means that the pH may...

hobby5 is exactly right.

I would suggest you start by reading this thread: http://www.fishforums.net/threads/the-yeast-co2-method.341090/ Great detail, recipe, set-up, and a method to try to keep the CO2 levels fairly consistent. WARNING: the DIY method requires a LOT of babysitting in order to keep levels as level...

I try to be helpful. B-)

On the subject of going to the hospital, generally no. If it were poisonous, you'd know it by the pain involved. A little hydrogen peroxide to clean the wound and you should be just fine. Just keep an eye on it as Ch4 said, just in case. Reactions are possible, but extremely rare.

It's illegal in some states. (I fixed the title for you.)

Not a problem interjecting. Getting questions answered is how we learn. Let me start by asking a different question: "What does 'fully' cycled mean?" The answer to that is the answer to your question. "Fully cycled" simply means that the FULL amount of ammonia produced by the fish can be...

Guppies are gluttons, and as you say, will find things to pick off plants. Not much you can do about them eating when you aren't feeding. Just feed them little bits as you are and watch for bloating.

1 - The carbon does not need to be a part of a regular filter set-up. Carbon is best used as a means of removing unwanted meds from the tank after an infection. I never keep carbon in my filter on a regular basis. It is only useful for up to about 4-6 weeks (depending on your tank) and then...

Cycling causes algae because of the ammonia. Ammonia causes algae growth.

How did I miss the 'cycling' part of this?! :blush: That's definitely a major contributor to this entire process. Incidentally, if you are cycling and you have an established filter in the 10 gallon, you really should seed the larger tank with some (up to half) of the media from that tank...

In the meantime, a water change is in order for your guy. At least 50%, with temp matched water. You might think the water change will stress him, but ammonia will stress him more. I'd do 50% at least every other day until you can get a test kit to verify where the levels are.

Ok, then the tank is NOT cycled. Cycling means introducing ammonia to the tank and developing a bacterial colony which will deal with the ammonia naturally produced by fish and will poison them. The term cycling is in reference to the nitrogen cycle. Ammonia becomes nitrite which becomes...

Yes, anubias are very unfussy. A little light and regular water changes... that's about all there is to it. Bettas also like to sleep on the leaves, so a nice broadleaf anubias will be good. The key to success with fish and plants isn't about how much fuss you are willing to put in, it's...

Yup... start journaling about it. Try cutting the time of the Life Glo and then wait a week. Watch and record observations. Then start to boost your ferts a little. Watch and record. Change ONE THING AT A TIME and give it at least a week to see if things are improving or not...

Well, given that you are describing your tank as being 10 gallons, I assume you are in the US. There are a lot of options... money is the question. How much do you want to spend? How planted do you want it to be? I really like the service at http://www.bamaplants.com The prices are pretty...

Bettas have preferences for food. If he's eating something, I wouldn't worry about it. If he gets hungry, he'll eat the pellets you're offering him... eventually.

Well, its really all about balance... so those two scenarios are pretty accurate: too little nutrients is just another way of saying 'too much light', and too many nutrients is another way of saying 'too little light'. 10 hours where its 5 hours of one and 5 hours of the other isn't the same as...

A simple solution to give your CO2 a little boost (and I do mean little) would be just to add an airstone. This will take air from the room, and will replenish a bit of CO2 taken up by the plants. The best news with this type of set-up, there's no way to overdose it! :good: When adding CO2...

CO2 is also a 'nutrient', and that is just as (if not more) likely as anything that Flourish comprehensive could add. Too long a lighting period is also a possibility, especially if you are running two different lights on the tank.

Those are likely from some excess proteins in the water. This can happen from overfeeding, insufficient water changes, or a build up of organics. These bubbles are not a problem, but they are an indicator that a problem could be looming soon. My recommendation: Leave the bubbles alone. Do a...

I was going to wait for the water parameters for a recommendation, but... yes. Java fern are the easiest to grow. Yes, by all means get them. They don't get planted into the substrate though, they get attached to decor. Their rhizome must stay in the water. Amazon swords are heavy feeders...

Typical pet store answer there I'm afraid. Not a big deal. Go back again and ask them to explain the results, or at least give you a range for your kH and gH. Or, check your local municipality website. They can help with that as well. Inert substrate will work fine for plants.

Interesting. If I may posit an hypothesis... Algae takes advantage of an imbalance in the nutrients to light ratio. The old light and nutrients were in balance, just the right amount of nutrients to go with the amount of light they were getting. The new light probably caused the plants to...

Welcome David. Live plants can look amazing when healthy, but not so amazing when they aren't getting what they need. Live plants aren't that different from fish. Different plants have different needs, and you'll have the most success if you match the plants to your conditions. The...

I've seen that, but I don't trust it. Call me old-fashioned, but I just don't think it's nearly accurate enough. I think a lot of folks will put it in an obscure place where it won't disrupt the view of the tank (a micro-zone of the tank) and get false readings for the main tank. It would...

A good dechlorinator is the only 'chemical' you need on a regular basis. Everything else will come from the tap water. Things like pH up, pH down, pH buffer, etc. are a waste of money and honestly, cause more harm than anything else. Keeping fish that are happiest in your tap water's...

Hello Conrad, Welcome to TFF. As you likely have seen already, there are a variety of opinions on how to cycle a tank. Glad to hear that you are going to follow the fishless cycling instructions found here. A lot of hard work went into creating that 'how-to' and it is very reliable. As for...

Weekly, and replace the salt you remove, but don't replace all the salt unless you are doing a full water change. Having the nitrite in the tank will speed the process of the colony growing. The salt will protect the fish in the meantime.