Thanks for the response. Ill admit the tank was not cycled before. I assumed this to be okay considering I have been following the directions of the bottles of beneficial bacteria that allow for immediate introduction of fish. Again I am very new to this hobby so next tank I will let naturally cycle first. I will stop using the ammo lock and resort to water changes. After a 25% water change last night the "fungus" appears to have improved drastically overnight. As for the betta and corys I did research saying that they are okay together and I have not seen any aggression between the two. and trust me ive been watching the two interactions like a hawk
I've had bettas and cories. Never had any issues, they just ignored each other. I also use stress coat (but not often) and have had no negative- but positive effects.
You are going to need to start a cycle. The little bacteria is not yet established. I don't like in fish cycling because they still can harm the fish. I do recommend rehoming until you can get your tank cycled because of that. Here is a copy-paste of an article I wrote on cycling:
What is cycling and how does it work? Cycling your aquarium prior to adding fish is extremely essential. Many new fish keepers do not cycle their aquariums, and all of their fish die.
Fish eat food and poop. Little bits of food also get left in the aquarium. The little bits of food and fish poop turn into ammonia also known NH3, which is extremely toxic to your fish. It will burn their gills, body, and fins eventually painfully killing the fish.
Fish poop and little bits of food create carbon dioxide otherwise known as CO2. Fish can not breathe in CO2 with their gills, but live plants do. The live plants absorb CO2 and replace it with oxygen that the fish breath with their gills. This is why live plants are so important for a healthy aquarium. The beneficial bacteria Nitrosomonas (One of the good wanted bacteria you get in your tank when you cycle it.) eats the ammonia. When it eats ammonia, it produces another harmful substance for your fish called nitrite.
In your fish, nitrate causes a weakened immune system, the stop of cell growth in your fish, and less oxygen in the aquarium’s water. The beneficial bacteria Nitrobacter (One of the good wanted bacteria you get in your tank when you cycle it.) eats the nitrite. When it eats the nitrite, it produces another substance called nitrate. It is far less harmful than the other 2 substances nitrite and ammonia, but it is still dangerous if your fish are exposed to high levels over long periods of time. Prolonged exposure to high levels of nitrate will cause poor coloration in fish, shortened lifespan, poor growth in fish, and the inability to reproduce offspring. Nitrate is removed by live plants and water changes.
Live-planted aquariums, especially heavily live-planted aquariums, will be much healthier as the plants remove the leftover substance from the last bacteria known as nitrate. You will have to do very few water changes if your tank is heavily live-planted. Only weekly or even monthly water changes are needed when a tank is properly stocked (has the correct number of fish for its size). When doing a water change, you will need a clean 5-gallon pail with a handle and an aquarium siphon otherwise known as an aquarium vacuum. Using the larger end of the siphon, run it over the top of the substrate to remove debris. Do not bucket water off of the top as this will not remove debris. You can refill the aquarium with water using the same bucket you used to empty it. If you live in the country, your water shouldn’t have chlorine in it but if it does, you will need to use an aquarium de-chlorinator and add it to your water before putting it in your aquarium. Most town water has chlorine in it. Do not ever do a 100% aquarium water change as this will kill a large number of your beneficial bacteria and wreck your cycle. Do not scrub or wipe down any decorations or aquarium walls as this will also kill beneficial bacteria and wreck your cycle.
You need to cycle your aquarium to get the good bacteria. Cycling your aquarium is also known as the aquarium nitrogen cycle, they are the exact same thing. Cycling your aquarium is very simple, you are giving the bacteria enough time to grow and reproduce so that it can eat the ammonia (do the first stage) as fast as it is produced. It can take a few weeks to a few months to cycle your aquarium, but it is well worth the wait for a health aquarium that will thrive for years to come.
Only do a fishless cycle, in fish cycles will still harm your fish and even kill more sensitive fish. Plus, they are a lot more work.
Don't be stressed, that was simply a breakdown of what cycling is and how it works so you can understand what your tank is going through. Now lets get on to the supplies you will need to cycle.
Needed items for cycling:
1: Get an aquarium test kit. This will test your nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia also known as your parameters. It tests them in parts per million also known as ppm. The safe level of ammonia is 0. The safe level of nitrite is 0. The safe level of nitrate is 0-15. API test kits are the top brand. Some claim a liquid test kit can be more acerate but you can also go for the cheaper alternative- test strips.
2: Select an purchase your aquarium, decorations such as hides, spider wood or drift wood, and substrate. I use a Fluvle Stratum (a more expensive live plant substrate which is actually volcanic) and a play sand mix. A sand or sand and gravel mix is another live plant option. Make sure you thoroughly rinse any item or substrate before adding it to your aquarium.
3: Buy and add your live plants. Many people fear having live plants as they fear they will kill them. This is sad, as live-planted tanks are much easier to care for than non-live-planted tanks. There are plenty of easy-to-care-for live plants. Here are a list of low tech live plants I own and love:
Ludwigia
Hornwort
Java Moss
Subwassertang
Dwarf Tiger Lotus
Crypt
Val
Water Weed
Dwarf Water Lily
Java Fern
Guppy Grass
Marimo Moss Balls
Now that you have your supplies, the fun part comes!!
Setting up your aquarium:
Rinse all of your aquarium décor and items with water. Do NOT use soap. Add your substrate, your hides, (filter if you decide on it), thermometer, and your heater. Once your tank is designed how you like it plant your live plants. Now fill your aquarium up with (decoronated if needed) water. You can add your contact after adding water but I find it easier to do so before.
Yay! You've bought the needed supplies and set up your aquarium. Now you can beguine to cycle it.
Aquarium cycling:
Step 1: Start adding fish food. Add a pinch of fish food twice a day. This will break down and turn into ammonia so the first bacteria can eat it and produce nitrite which the second bacteria will eat and produce nitrate which the plants will absorb.
Step 2: After a week of adding fish food twice a day, test you water parameters. If ammonia and nitrate are present, your cycle has begun. DO NOT change your aquarium water at any time during the cycle. Test again in another week. If your ammonia and nitrite are gone and your nitrate are at 40ppm or under your aquarium cycle is complete. If this is not the case, keep weekly testing the water until it is complete.
Step 3: Start doing small 5%-10% daily water changes. Daily check the parameters to make sure the nitrite and ammonia stay at 0. Once your nitrate is at 15 or lower, you can add fish. The water changing and frequent testing process should only take about a week or less.
Step 4: Your cycle is now complete. You can add your fish or invertebrates. Do this slowly though, as you do not want to overwhelm the little good bacteria that you just established.
Congrats!! You have took the time to cycle your aquarium so your fish can be happy and healthy. Good luck, and have fun with your new aquarium!!
