Old keeper seeking new guidance

[Nofix]

Hey folks,

hope you are all well. So I’ve recently started up a 10gal with a Crowntail male Betta with some cory’s. They all get along nicely, and I’ve even oddly seen the Betta almost schooling with the corys! He quite likes them it seems, I was always locked into the mindset that Bettas need to be alone in a 10gal min forever. Luckily I met a well known Betta breeder locally and he quickly dismissed that notion. For the 10 Gal I’m running a ML Penguin 75 which seems to be fine currently, as long as I keep the water level topped up so that the stream doesn’t overwhelm him. This is a planted tank, with an Amazon Sword, some moneyworts and java moss on rocks. Fish all seem nice and happy and swimmy- the corys are very... restful for a lot of the day and then will randomly start squirming around and feeding on little bits of food here and there.


• I’ve never kept Corydoras, so is that normal? I know most “sucker fish” don’t tend to be as active as other species.

• How’s that pump/filter for that tank?


I’ve used marineland years ago, but so many new brands have popped up! There used to be such a limited selection back in the day, and less restrictions on what you keep! Lol that’s another discussion however.


Secondly, for my 29Long, it’s planted with Amazon Swords, Moneyworts, microswords (just planted, so they still haven’t “grassed up”) yet, and I believe Ammania Senegalensis (my memory isn’t that great anymore with my plants). Everything besides the Amazon Swords have some growing to do, so I’m excited to see the growth and husbandry later on! I currently keep 6 Dalmatian Molly’s (5F, 1M), 5 Black fin Molly’s (5F), 5 Bloodfin Tetras (4F, 1M), 2 Otto’s, 1 very shy Pictus Cat and an obviously shy early age Kuhli Loach. I’m running a ML Magniflow 160 with varied media (I changed one of the bottom coarse foam pads and added API Bio Chem Stars, kept the provided carbon bags for the middle level, and mixed in some EHEIM Substrat Pro within the Bioball+polish pad top filter. I’m new to planted aquariums and would love advice on keeping my plants and fish healthy. I do use API Liquid CO2 daily as well as Flourish weekly, and have inserted the nutrient stones in various locations near the plants (these weren’t a thing back in the day so I have no familiarity with them but have heard they do wonders with providing nutrients to the plants). The tank was cycled for one week prior to stocking, as I used SafeStart and StressZyme bacteria as well as media from my previously mostly established tank to push the B.Bacteria formation along. All fish look normal, swim around and explore the tank except the shy Pictus who likes his little cave, and comes out at night.
I use the Fluval 3.0 Plant model with 6500k for lighting (my 29gal is topless), this is on a timer which gradually increases light and decreases light as the day progresses, and is Bluetooth controlled which is all new to me and seems nice.
With that background, a few questions for the 29L.

• I use a small circular air stone connected to a Tetra Whisper pump with a flow control valve. How often should I use my air pump? I do know it can remove CO2 (from plants) but also disturbs the water enough for gas exchange anyway, so that may be moot.


• Should I place a coarse foam block on my outflow pump diffuser? I’m fairly new to these newer canister pumps but have seen a few using some foam on the outflow. It currently guides the water upwards and downwards and the flow seems great for plants and moving detritus back around to the intake suction.

• Since this is still a fairly new tank, should I be doing small water changes daily still? This used to be the process way back but not sure.
Will edit with more questions shortly.

Edit: I have all API testing kits you can think of except salinity, and I do keep log of all of my tests. If you need me to run a test for info I can easily do that. I normally test twice a day for new tanks, and once a week after they’re fully established or unless I see something off.

• For my sucker fish, I’m normally used to feeding them algae tablets (I usually break them in halve) once a day. Is this still the norm? I also have the Tetra Algae Pro wafers which are a bit harder to break up because of their make up - but the Molly’s loved them instantly.

Thanks for all the help everyone!

 

[utahfish]

Hey folks,

hope you are all well. So I’ve recently started up a 10gal with a Crowntail male Betta with some cory’s. They all get along nicely, and I’ve even oddly seen the Betta almost schooling with the corys! He quite likes them it seems, I was always locked into the mindset that Bettas need to be alone in a 10gal min forever. Luckily I met a well known Betta breeder locally and he quickly dismissed that notion. For the 10 Gal I’m running a ML Penguin 75 which seems to be fine currently, as long as I keep the water level topped up so that the stream doesn’t overwhelm him. This is a planted tank, with an Amazon Sword, some moneyworts and java moss on rocks. Fish all seem nice and happy and swimmy- the corys are very... restful for a lot of the day and then will randomly start squirming around and feeding on little bits of food here and there. I’ve never kept Corydoras, so is that normal? I know most “sucker fish” don’t tend to be as active as other species. How’s that pump/filter for that tank? I’ve used marineland years ago, but so many new brands have popped up! There used to be such a limited selection back in the day, and less restrictions on what you keep! Lol that’s another discussion however.
Secondly, for my 29Long, it’s planted with Amazon Swords, Moneyworts, microswords (just planted, so they still haven’t “grassed up”) yet, and I believe Ammania Senegalensis (my memory isn’t that great anymore with my plants). Everything besides the Amazon Swords have some growing to do, so I’m excited to see the growth and husbandry later on! I currently keep 6 Dalmatian Molly’s (5F, 1M), 5 Black fin Molly’s (5F), 5 Bloodfin Tetras (4F, 1M), 2 Otto’s, 1 very shy Pictus Cat and an obviously shy early age Kuhli Loach. I’m running a ML Magniflow 160 with varied media (I changed one of the bottom coarse foam pads and added API Bio Chem Stars, kept the provided carbon bags for the middle level, and mixed in some EHEIM Substrat Pro within the Bioball+polish pad top filter. I’m new to planted aquariums and would love advice on keeping my plants and fish healthy. I do use API Liquid CO2 daily as well as Flourish weekly, and have inserted the nutrient stones in various locations near the plants (these weren’t a thing back in the day so I have no familiarity with them but have heard they do wonders with providing nutrients to the plants). The tank was cycled for one week prior to stocking, as I used SafeStart and StressZyme bacteria as well as media from my previously mostly established tank to push the B.Bacteria formation along. All fish look normal, swim around and explore the tank except the shy Pictus who likes his little cave, and comes out at night.
I use the Fluval 3.0 Plant model with 6500k for lighting (my 29gal is topless), this is on a timer which gradually increases light and decreases light as the day progresses, and is Bluetooth controlled which is all new to me and seems nice.
With that background, a few questions for the 29L.
- I use a small circular air stone connected to a Tetra Whisper pump with a flow control valve. How often should I use my air pump? I do know it can remove CO2 (from plants) but also disturbs the water enough for gas exchange anyway, so that may be moot.
- Should I place a coarse foam block on my outflow pump diffuser? I’m fairly new to these newer canister pumps but have seen a few using some foam on the outflow. It currently guides the water upwards and downwards and the flow seems great for plants and moving detritus back around to the intake suction.
- Since this is still a fairly new tank, should I be doing small water changes daily still? This used to be the process way back but not sure.
Will edit with more questions shortly. Thanks for all the help everyone!

Thats a long post for a couple questions and im not sure what the questions are except for the last one.
If your tank is fully cycled then weekly water changes will suffice, if not cycled daily water changes recommended.

 

[Nofix]

Sorry if they are not clear to you. I will edit with some bulletpoints to outline the questions. The initial bit is background on my tanks which I assumed would be necessary for any proper response.

 

[utahfish]

As for the rest you may want to break your questions up into seperate

Sorry if they are not clear to you. I will edit with some bulletpoints to outline the questions. The initial bit is background on my tanks which I assumed would be necessary for any proper response.

Id recommend asking one question at a time. Then whrn that question is answered ask another. No need for a power point presentation

 

[Nofix]

As for the rest you may want to break your questions up into seperate

Id recommend asking one question at a time. Then whrn that question is answered ask another. No need for a power point presentation

I would really not want to flood the forum with many questions. I think multiple general questions in one post is more efficient. If I’m breaking any rules I’ll gladly change the post! If you have any insight to my questions in bulletpoints please provide any knowledge! Thank you

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

Wow, a lot to cover!
Would be really helpful to know the water test results for ammonia, nitrite nitrate, pH,, GH and KH, for each tank



I can see potential problems down the line with the stocking I'm afraid.. mixes of hard and soft water fish, some potential issues with some fish outgrowing a tank etc.

Do you know which species of cory you have? If you're not sure (there are so many cory species out there!), you can upload some photos here and someone will be able to ID them for you.

 

[Nofix]

Wow, a lot to cover!
Would be really helpful to know the water test results for ammonia, nitrite nitrate, pH,, GH and KH, for each tank



I can see potential problems down the line with the stocking I'm afraid.. mixes of hard and soft water fish, some potential issues with some fish outgrowing a tank etc.

Do you know which species of cory you have? If you're not sure (there are so many cory species out there!), you can upload some photos here and someone will be able to ID them for you.

Howdy! I’ll provide those results for you shortly (I’m out currently). They are Panda Cory’s.

 

[utahfish]

I would really not want to flood the forum with many questions. I think multiple general questions in one post is more efficient. If I’m breaking any rules I’ll gladly change the post! If you have any insight to my questions in bulletpoints please provide any knowledge! Thank you

No rules broken as far as i know as far as flooding the boards just ask one question at a time on this thread once its answeted move to the next and should be easier for others to navigate. Having said that i think most on here will tell you that keeping betta with other fish is a bad idea

 

[AdoraBelle Dearheart]

When you say you're an old keeper, may I pry and ask how long ago you kept tanks before? Only because you mentioned the limited options with filters and things back then, reminds me of things @essjay and I discussed previously about how much fish keeping has changed over the last 30-40 years, as science and research has advanced, and technology has changed things like lighting and filtration.

My father is in his 80s and has always had tanks, and we clash sometimes over how things should be done. Water changes used to be regarded as potentially harmful, filters must include carbon etc, while now, large regular water changes are the way we do things, backed up by science, and most people only run carbon in the filter when needed, not as standard, things like that. Can be a lot to adapt to for someone who has been in the hobby for a long time, or has left and now returned.

All of that to say about the small daily water changes when a tank is new, if ammonia or nitrites are above zero, then a 50-75% water change is needed. The higher the reading, the larger the change needed in order to dilute the ammonia and nitrites, since those are toxic to fish. Nitrates also need to be kept as low as possible.. most people aim for less than 20ppm, but it can depend on your water source as well. Some tapwater contains nitrates, which can make it difficult to keep nitrate levels as low as you'd want. But if the tank nitrates are high, a large water change is needed then as well.

I've just finished cycling a tank that I moved an established filter to in fact. Bit of an emergency, needed to set up a new tank to move my cherry shrimp into, so I moved an established, cycled filter into the tank with them and a few guppies. Even with a low bioload and a fully cycled filter covered in bacteria, I had to ride out a mini cycle, was getting nitrite readings of 0.25 every day. I did 50% water changes daily for four days, until each test came back with zero ammonia and nitrites, and low nitrates, so I knew it was fully cycled and could go to the normal weekly 50-60% changes.

But a tank with a heavier bioload and being cycled for the first time, might have higher levels (potentially dangerous) and need daily water changes for a longer period of time, it depends on a few factors, so being guided by the ammonia/nitrite/nitrate levels is the safest way to be sure the water is safe for the fish. If in doubt, always do a water change

 

[Nofix]

No rules broken as far as i know as far as flooding the boards just ask one question at a time on this thread once its answeted move to the next and should be easier for others to navigate. Having said that i think most on here will tell you that keeping betta with other fish is a bad idea

The Betta thing has been a large topic since I began keeping fish in 2001. “Never put a Betta with another fish”. In my experience now, the Betta I have with the corydoras is completely fine. He exerts perfectly normal attributes and behavior as if he was alone. I have kept Betta for years in solo tanks from 10 gallons to 150 gallon planted tanks (was a rare King Betta). From what I understand now, more peaceful fish (like corys) are OK with Betta in smaller numbers depending on tank size.

 

[Nofix]

When you say you're an old keeper, may I pry and ask how long ago you kept tanks before? Only because you mentioned the limited options with filters and things back then, reminds me of things @essjay and I discussed previously about how much fish keeping has changed over the last 30-40 years, as science and research has advanced, and technology has changed things like lighting and filtration.

My father is in his 80s and has always had tanks, and we clash sometimes over how things should be done. Water changes used to be regarded as potentially harmful, filters must include carbon etc, while now, large regular water changes are the way we do things, backed up by science, and most people only run carbon in the filter when needed, not as standard, things like that. Can be a lot to adapt to for someone who has been in the hobby for a long time, or has left and now returned.

All of that to say about the small daily water changes when a tank is new, if ammonia or nitrites are above zero, then a 50-75% water change is needed. The higher the reading, the larger the change needed in order to dilute the ammonia and nitrites, since those are toxic to fish. Nitrates also need to be kept as low as possible.. most people aim for less than 20ppm, but it can depend on your water source as well. Some tapwater contains nitrates, which can make it difficult to keep nitrate levels as low as you'd want. But if the tank nitrates are high, a large water change is needed then as well.

I've just finished cycling a tank that I moved an established filter to in fact. Bit of an emergency, needed to set up a new tank to move my cherry shrimp into, so I moved an established, cycled filter into the tank with them and a few guppies. Even with a low bioload and a fully cycled filter covered in bacteria, I had to ride out a mini cycle, was getting nitrite readings of 0.25 every day. I did 50% water changes daily for four days, until each test came back with zero ammonia and nitrites, and low nitrates, so I knew it was fully cycled and could go to the normal weekly 50-60% changes.

But a tank with a heavier bioload and being cycled for the first time, might have higher levels (potentially dangerous) and need daily water changes for a longer period of time, it depends on a few factors, so being guided by the ammonia/nitrite/nitrate levels is the safest way to be sure the water is safe for the fish. If in doubt, always do a water change

Right, I’m pretty versed in the current realm of keeping safe chem levels and managing bioload - but there’s always room for improvement! Here are my new 29gal readings as of a few minutes ago: Ammonia: ~.20ppm / Nitrite ~0.5 ppm / Nitrate ~0ppm GH ~30ppm / KH ~40ppm / pH 6.5. I’m planning a ~30% change tomorrow with the new tank, I did a small one today.

And yes, my father was fishkeeping from mid 80s. I think he still has his old Hydor HAB filter and HBH tank (one of a kind at the time, as you could custom order from HBH). He taught me a lot of what he knew when I began in 2001. I have a lot of his old tales about water changing debates, this “brand new carbon filtration crap”, and fish-in cycling methods (which he’s said has kept original cycling fish for years). All good stories though, and it’s amazing to see how far fishkeeping science and tech has come.... like wow.

 

[Nofix]

Right, I’m pretty versed in the current realm of keeping safe chem levels and managing bioload - but there’s always room for improvement! Here are my new 29gal readings as of a few minutes ago: Ammonia: ~.20ppm / Nitrite ~0.5 ppm / Nitrate ~0ppm GH ~30ppm / KH ~40ppm / pH 6.5. I’m planning a ~30% change tomorrow with the new tank, I did a small one today.

And yes, my father was fishkeeping from mid 80s. I think he still has his old Hydor HAB filter and HBH tank (one of a kind at the time, as you could custom order from HBH). He taught me a lot of what he knew when I began in 2001. I have a lot of his old tales about water changing debates, this “brand new carbon filtration crap”, and fish-in cycling methods (which he’s said has kept original cycling fish for years). All good stories though, and it’s amazing to see how far fishkeeping science and tech has come.... like wow.

Correction on my previous post: Nitrite readings of ~0ppm, Nitrate at 5.0 ppm