Planted Betta Sorority (Pic Heavy)

[HarpyFishLover]

NickAu, where do you get your snails from? I don't think either Petsmart/Petco or my LFS sell snails of any sort.

 

[NickAu]

Buy some live plants the snails are usually hitch hikers.
 
PS,
If you cant find any I am sure one of our American members will send you some for free.

 

[Demeter32]

I see all sorts of snails pretty often when I go to the more "advanced" pet shops. The petco around here is very good with their fish and have a decent variety of inverts. I bought a couple nerite snails from them but I've seen trumpet and assassin snails along with the run of the mill pond snails. Next time I go I will probably pick up some trumpets and see how they do. 
 

 

[NickAu]

IMO if you can get assassins you should, They wont breed as much as MTS.

 

[Demeter32]

IMO if you can get assassins you should, They wont breed as much as MTS.

I will definitely think about it. I have loads of rams-horn snails in a separate containing that I keep for gourami snacks so it would be no problem keeping them fed. I am set on getting some sort of snail that borrows in the substrate, be it assassins or trumpets. There are a lot of pockets of trapped gas and I try to release them by gently pressing on the substrate with the gravel vac. It works well enough but I think some borrowing snails will be a huge benefit. Thanks NickAu for putting the idea into my head

 

[Demeter32]

So things have been going very well plant wise, but fish wise things are not so great. I'll start with the plant update first.
 
I bought a few little pieces of red lava stone and anchored down 2 little anubias and 2 tiny java ferns that have been floating around for a while now. The anubias seem to be taking quite well to the lava rock but the java fern seems to be taking a lot longer. The crypts are doing awesome and really starting to fill out. The amazon sword has been doing the same and some of the leaves reach the water's surface. As far as algae goes, I had a lot growing on the glass a while ago but threw in a small Chinese algae eater and he cleaned it up real well. (He will be taken out during the next water change) I havne't gotten any snails yet so I am still popping the gas pockets when I do water changes. 
Before

After

 
 
Now for the fish...
I am down to 3 bettas but all seem healthy and active. I believe that the first fish that died of dropsy after I brought her home has been the root cause of it all. The purple and orange females showed the same symptoms and keeled over soon after (I tried to treat them but to no avail). The most recent death was just yesterday afternoon. I found the pink crowntail dead, with her bellow ripped open and organs missing. I found this very strange because just that morning, a bit after 6am, I had been observing them for quite a while. She was alive and looked physically well. She was a little slow and lethargic but I chalked that up to me just turning the lights on and waking them up. 
I had just emptied a 29gal and put a kuhli loach in with the girls but I doubt he killed the crowtail. Although, he might of ate the organs but I can't say for sure. All that I know is I am disappointed with how things have been going with the fish. I have definitely learned the hard way that you should always quarantine fish I don't plan on getting any more bettas for a while, at least until I have everything settled in the ten gallon  

 

[HarpyFishLover]

Buy some live plants the snails are usually hitch hikers.
 
PS,
If you cant find any I am sure one of our American members will send you some for free.

Remember this post?

Now I have about 15 snails

 

[NickAu]

Soon you will have 50.

 

[Demeter32]

Haven't found any trumpet or assassin snails in the 2 pet stores I've been to recently. I added a couple more plants but I'm not too sure how they will do. The fish are doing great and I'm thinking of added a couple more kuhli loaches, if I can find them. I haven't seen any for sale in a long time. I hear that loaches can be a bit touchy when put in new environments but the one loach I have now seems to of adjusted just fine. It hides in the roots of the biggest anubias and among the leaves of the crypts. I think its a female, judging by the the big green belly (eggs) she gets every now and then. Planning on doing more research about them and seeing if adding a couple more would be a good idea. 

 

[Demeter32]

Just popping in to add an update photo

 
 
Also, the adding of more loaches seems to be a go as soon as I find some in a LPS. Jungle val was suggested to me by a friend and that it also on my list on things to look for. I know it grows tall but a small patch is worth a shot in the empty left hand corner. 
 

 

[NickAu]

 
I'm thinking of added a couple more kuhli loaches

I would not add Kuhli Loaches that substrate looks too rough for them.  and in my opinion Kuhli Loaches should only be added to a cycled mature tank.
 
A mature tank is a tank that is at least 6 months old after cycling.

 

[Demeter32]

 

 
I'm thinking of added a couple more kuhli loaches

I would not add Kuhli Loaches that substrate looks too rough for them.  and in my opinion Kuhli Loaches should only be added to a cycled mature tank.
 
A mature tank is a tank that is at least 6 months old after cycling.
 

 
I see your point, or should I say points? I completely agree with you in both areas. The one loach is only in there right now because after tearing down the 29 gallon, I didn't have any other place to put it. I was pretty worried about it not taking well to the newly set up tank but its been in there for a month now with no problems. As for the substrate looking rough, it is moderately so. I wouldn't say that its sharp but it certainly isn't smooth. It's kinda like chips off a slate rock but supposedly made of some sort of clay. (its called flourite red) The khuli I have now doesn't have any scratches and happily digs its face between the bits to get sunken food. If the roughness does become a problem, I think it might be and easy fix to add a layer of sand over the gravel 

 Not really sure about that though, it might run straight through the cracks. I'll have to look into that and do a quick small scale experiment...
 
Anyways, I plan on waiting a while yet before adding 2 or 3 more loaches. I would prefer to get all the plants I plan on keeping before adding them. If I come across some loaches any time soon I will keep them in the 10gal hospital tank (has sand) until I'm ready to add them with the bettas. 

 

[NickAu]

 
Anyways, I plan on waiting a while yet before adding 2 or 3 more loaches.

I would suggest you add 5 or 6, With Kuhli Loaches the more the merrier, some people say a minimum of 6 I say 10, I have 17 of them in a 2 foot with a Betta and a bunch of shrimp kept in the right numbers and given lots of places to hide they become quite active and love swimming around exploring.
 
I just did a water change, The water is cloudy do to the conditioner I use it clears up after an hour or so.
https/www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELJosXXudY4

 

[Demeter32]

They look so energetic in your tank I will have to be pretty careful if I add 5 or 6 more loaches. I don't want to have a big bio load but perhaps being that my tank is planted, I might be able to get away with it... I will definitely take what you said into consideration. 
On a different note, what kind of floating plant is in your tank? I've noticed how your tanks have a nice filtered light effect from the floating plants. Perhaps adding some duck weed would achieve the same effect in my tank. 

 

[NickAu]

Water sprite, Riccia and duck weed and a cheap plastic perforated anti slip  mat.

2 x ANTI NON SLIP MULTI PURPOSE MAT RUG GRIPPER GRIP DASH 59CM X 30CM - DURABLE