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Step 1 - Don't use a net. Use a large plastic bowl to corral him. Less stressful for him, as he'll be in water the entire time and easier for you. Use your free hand to kind of herd him into the container. I've used this method with my BN pleco. It works well... and is remarkably easy. The...

A bath or dip will be a very nice addition to the treatment he is already getting. http://www.aquarium-pond-answers.com/2009/07/fish-baths.html These work well for external bacterial infections as well as fungal infections. A little meth blue on the specific site of any sores as well will...

When dealing with a fish in cycle, the ammonia needs to be kept under 0.05 ppm 'free ammonia', use this calculator and change as much water as necessary as often as necessary to keep it well under this level. The goal should be that it never goes above that level before you do another water...

This is a common fallacy passed around as fact. Mollies can survive just fine in full freshwater, brackish or full marine. The key with freshwater is that the water needs to be hard. But, there does not need to be "salt" in the water. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/mollies.htm As...

I know about carbon and its use in freshwater systems, but can't direct you concerning saltwater applications. My guess is that it is likely a personal choice, much like in freshwater, but that is just a guess. Hopefully some of our saltier members can point you in the right direction. @Chad...

Sometimes diseases just happen. Clean water is the single best method to work against it, but its not 100%. Do the bath twice daily if he can handle it. WATCH CLOSELY. If he goes 'stiff' at any point or flips over on his side, remove him immediately and put him back in the 'tank water' (I'd...

Quite a few 'rasboras' or 'boraras' species would be suitable, even in water as low as 4.0 pH.

ABSOLUTELY!!! Plants will use ammonia straight from the tank, and shorten the cycle time. Adding plants changes the cycling process a bit. Add less ammonia (1 or maybe 2 ppm, rather than 3), test more frequently (every day or 2 rather than every 3 days, depending on the amount of plants)...

Hi Yande, #1 - The water flow plan looks good, I used a similar design in a 6 foot long tank. And it circulated it very well (of course, I did use a 200gph water pump to really getting it whipping! :hey: ) That's not necessary, but I wanted some extra flow and my species could handle the...

Welcome. This link will explain everything you need for cycling a tank. http://www.fishforums.net/threads/cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first.421488/

It's hard to say... he might. Twice daily baths as the website I linked to directs... and LOTS of clean water. Water changes should be happening daily during the bath to ensure the best possible water conditions. The meth blue will help, but it's not an antibiotic. It will work topically...

I completely understand that hope, but the risks are just too great to warrant it. Boiling everything else though (nonporous) would be a good idea. Don't toss the baskets, just the stuff that goes inside them. Bleaching in lieu of boiling... bleach with no detergent... But, the cost will...

The filter media should be completely replaced, I'm afraid, otherwise, you will likely be leeching things that have no business in a freshwater tank being there. BUT... the good news is that the purchase should be basically an infrequent thing. Once you ahve the media, you can use the same...

Columnaris is a gram negative strain, so you need a medicine that deals with that specifically. Getting a gram positive treatment won't do a thing. http://www.aquarium-pond-answers.com/2009/07/fish-baths.html Fish bath directions...

I am far from a betta expert, but if I had to guess, I'd guess that this is columnaris... a bacterial infection. Also sometimes called saddleback or cotton mouth.

To all the Mothers on this forum, a Happy Mothers Day! :good: There is no love like a mother's love. :flowers:

Well, that's the question... If the 40 you mention is 40 ppm, then its too soft... WAY too soft. BUT... if the 40 you mentioned is 40 degrees of kH, then its a little too hard. The exact unit of measure is the key to understanding what the numbers mean...

Yes, livebearers should be kept 2 or 3 females for every male. Fry are a challenge... even livebearers. There's a reason they have so many at a time. They are easily eaten, don't figure out how to eat, etc. In general, the best success is found when separating fry from other fish so that...

some plants need just a tiny shard of it to get somewhere to propagate into a new plant under the right conditions. Not sure what that is, but it appears like a cryptocoryne. Personally, I wouldn't do anything different (except for the water changes) than before. If the plant can handle no...

Mollies actually do quite well with salt, and salt is a good antifungal and antibacterial (external) agent. Is there any other species in this tank? If not, you can leave the salt as it is for the long haul. Mollies can be fully freshwater fish (as long as it is HARD), brackish or full...

If you are getting results with the antifungal keep going with that. Columnaris shows like a fungus, but isn't one. It's hard to tell from pictures on the internet, but much easier to diagnose in person. Do what is working. As for keeping the fry with her while you are treating, I...

Exactly.

Yes, the 0.5ppm is high, but it will come down now. IF possible, you should go in to work tomorrow and check that the ammonia is now falling. If it doesn't, you'll want to do another water change to lower it in the meantime.

This 'algae' sounds more like cyanobacteria than any true algae to me. I agree with Byron that your best move (unfortunately for your wallet) would be to remove that white sand and replace it with a darker color... and then add some plants to that tank to give the fish some cover... Some...

I would lean towards this being columnaris more than a fungal infection. BUT... there is a way to treat both without too much trouble. http://www.aquarium-pond-answers.com/2009/07/fish-baths.html Columnaris is a bacterial infection, so its treatment would be very different from treating an...

The crushed coral piece should be offering you some buffering, because kH is the stuff that does in fact, buffer the water. Crushed coral increases kH (carbonate hardness), given that crushed coral is calcium carbonate. So, I'd be curious as to what the readings on your tank are after a...

Btw, the tank cleansing kit stuff is worthless junk, unfortunately. Just suck the water and debris out, and refill with clean, dechlorinated water. No need for any other additives.

Yup... this is a common understanding based on misinformation out there. Its not necessary and in general, does WAY more harm than good. A brief summary of the nitrogen cycle: Fish produce ammonia which is toxic to them. Bacteria take the ammonia and produce nitrite, which is also toxic to...

Unfortunately, if you haven't added ammonia, it has been 'running' not 'cycling'. Cycling refers to the nitrogen cycle. Long story short, the fish produce ammonia (toxic), and bacteria convert it to nitrite (toxic) and different bacteria convert it to nitrate (far less toxic), which is...

As for the 'fog'... that's quite normal. A bit of background, first the levels will come back 'perfect' because there is nothing in the tank producing waste... there's nothing that could be bad. You need to add some ammonia to start the cycle going and let the bacteria take over. The link...

No, it is not. The tank is not 'cycled' at all. Unfortunately the LFS gave you some bad advice. Please read this: http://www.fishforums.net/threads/cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first.421488/ It happens frequently, but I am glad you joined here first. Your first foray into...

http://www.fishforums.net/threads/rescuing-a-fish-in-cycle-gone-wild-part-il.433778/

http://www.fishforums.net/threads/rescuing-a-fish-in-cycle-gone-wild-part-i.433769/

There is some really good in this situation. There is only one fish, so there won't be as much ammonia as many uncycled tanks end up with in overcrowded situations. You have some cycled filter material that you can add. Bettas love floating plants and floating plants are a great way to lower...

These statements are inaccurate. First, the bacteria do not require daily additions of ammonia to survive... and they can easily go without bacteria for a few days easily up to a week without any addition of ammonia and not have a problem. In fact, even if it goes longer the bacteria do not...

Well, the answer isn't a simple one. And there is some carryover of the 'old way' of cycling and the 'new way'. Doing a fishless cycle, then slowly stocking is a bit of a midway point. On one hand... there's really no downside to stocking slowly, other than the fact that you would have...

Your nitrate testing at 10-20 ppm means that there is nitrogen available for the plants, so what you are seeing is not nitrogen deficiency.

Well, there's a few things you can still do besides nothing. Reduce/remove light for a while. That tank looks exceedingly bright. Bettas are not fish from open water and bright lights, they are from murky rice pattys and similar. Add some floating plants... this will help the fish settle in...

http://www.fishforums.net/threads/cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first.421488/ This link will explain cycling... why to do it, and how to do it?

Recommendation 1: Keep a very close on your ammonia and nitrite for this first week. If you see any spike, you need to take action. If the spike is ammonia, check it against this calculator and complete a water change to keep the 'free ammonia' below 0.05ppm...