# Planning help? (8 gallon w/ shrimp, cory, & betta)



## Secants (Oct 31, 2015)

Hey all. After my first disastrous attempt at trying to have a betta, I'm ready to try again and this time I want to be sure to do it right. (in other words, step 1 is avoiding the fish section at PetSmart at all cost until I'm ready for fish...)

Ahem. Step 1 is actually waiting for my tank to cycle while asking all you lovely people a million questions so that I'll (hopefully) have less mishaps this time. Just as a warning, this thread will include questions about a variety of fish & tank topics, but at my main concern is compatibility I figured it'd do fine in this section. Let's start with my tanks/bowls and what I want to use each one for.

*The Basics:* Tank Goals

8 Gallon, heavily planted
10-12 Cherry Shrimp
6-8 Pygmy Cories
1 male OR 1 female Betta
50w adjustable heater
Sponge filter

5 Gallon
Isolation tank
Back-up betta tank
25w adjustable heater
Sponge filter

2 Gallon planted shrimp bowl

*Setting up*
Right now the plan is as follows.

Cycle my 8 gallon
Introduce plants & let them grow out for a few weeks
Introduce about a dozen shrimp
After a few weeks, have some pygmy cories in the 5 gallon isolation tank before introducing them to the planted 8 gallon with the shrimp
Get a betta into the 5 gallon to start their isolation while the cories get settled
Hope they all get along, pull the betta if they go on a killing spree

*Foreseeable problems & questions*

My water pH is around 8-8.2 (I just tested it this morning). I know that bettas can adjust to higher pHs and I've read in some places that the shrimp can, as well, but I was wondering if the cories would be able to thrive in such water? I already have and am planning on incorporating some malaysian driftwood into the tank to hopefully lower the pH a hair and I've also read that adding peat can lower the pH. Does anyone have another other suggestions as to things I can add to make the water more ideal? The driftwood I have is fairly small, so I was playing with the idea of getting more. If any of these species won't do well in a pH that's around 8, I'd also appreciate suggests towards other species I might be able to look into, but I know that few species can thrive in the tank so small.
My 8 gallon doesn't have a top. I know I'll need to get one to discourage jumpers & attach lights. Does anyone have any suggestions on good brands of tops/hoods/lights I could buy or any suggestions towards making one myself? Especially light suggestions. 
I really need to get something to clean out the tank with. I see talk about vacuums everywhere, but few suggestions on what type to get. I'm hoping to have a soil based tank with sand over top, any suggestions on what to use to clean that that'll also be shrimp friendly?
Expanding on the previous question, any suggestions on what type of soil I should use? I suppose I could try some right from my backyard, but I worry about contamination from a whole slew of things out there (mushrooms, fox/deer/turkey/rabbit/mouse feces, and so on). Are those fears justified, or should it be alright if I give the plants time to sort out the soil before introducing critters?
What species of plant should I start out with? I know I'll certainly need moss to help the shrimp hide, but any other easy plant suggestions would be much appreciated.
In that school of though, any decoration suggestions that'll give a good base for plants and give fish or shrimp hiding spots?
This is a bit of a long shot, but does anyone know of any person or store that sells pygmy cories in the NYC/NJ/Phili area? I haven't been able to find any at a local PetSmart or PetCo and I've heard they don't ship well so I'd rather scour local options before planning on shipping. I don't need to get my hands on any fish ASAP, but I'd like to have a place in mind beforehand.

I could probably go on, but I figure this is a good stopping point question-wise. Thank you to anyone who took the time to simply read this wall of text. :thankyou:


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## SplashyBetta (Jul 28, 2014)

I've never had pygmy cories, so I can't speak on that, but I have answers to a couple of your other questions: 

4. Definitely do NOT use soil from your yard. There could be any number of chemicals, feces, bad minerals, or bugs in there. I use MiracleGro organic potting soil in my dirted tanks. 

5. Moss is awesome, a bunch of that growing on driftwood is always gorgeous. I like Ludwigia repens for it's colour and fast growth rate. Najas is fun too but beware it grows insanely quick and can get out of control fast. Shrimp love marimo moss balls and those are always cute for decorating a small tank. Anubias would look lovely on the driftwood. 

6. Terracotta pots are fun and still natural looking. I have a bunch in my tanks that I tie java ferns and anubias to. You also might be able to rig up some moss to grow over it.


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## TatlTael (May 18, 2015)

I plugged the fish and tank size into Aqadvisor, and according to their estimates the tank is at a 110% stocking level. But I also plugged in the top number for each of the species you said, so decreasing the number of cories and or shrimp would bring it to a lower number. Not to mention Aqadvisor airs on the side of caution with the estimation, other members would likely be able to advise you on what to make of that. 

The following warnings also cropped up when the fish were plugged in together.

Note: Betta [Male] may jump - lids are recommended. They can become stressful under presence of too many shoaling species. Try to keep under 1 shoal if the tank is small. Individual bettas may exhibit varying degrees of aggression and care should be taken that exceptionally aggressive/territorial fish be separated from a community before any damage may occur.

Warning: Betta [Male] is not recommended to be with Cherry Shrimp - further research is highly recommended.

Warning: Pygmy Cory is not recommended for your tank - it may eventually outgrow your tank space, potentially reaching up to 1.2 inches.


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## Secants (Oct 31, 2015)

SplashyBetta said:


> 4. Definitely do NOT use soil from your yard. There could be any number of chemicals, feces, bad minerals, or bugs in there. I use MiracleGro organic potting soil in my dirted tanks.


Thanks for validating my icky feeling towards using soil from my yard. I looked up MiracleGro Organic Potting Soil online and a lot of reviews say that their batch was full of gnats. Have you ever had this problem? One response to a review said that putting sand over the soil should help prevent the gnats from emerging, if they do end up in the soil, any thoughts on that?



SplashyBetta said:


> 5. Moss is awesome, a bunch of that growing on driftwood is always gorgeous. I like Ludwigia repens for it's colour and fast growth rate. Najas is fun too but beware it grows insanely quick and can get out of control fast. Shrimp love marimo moss balls and those are always cute for decorating a small tank. Anubias would look lovely on the driftwood.
> 
> 6. Terracotta pots are fun and still natural looking. I have a bunch in my tanks that I tie java ferns and anubias to. You also might be able to rig up some moss to grow over it.


Thanks for the suggestions! :-D Ooo, the Ludwigia repens color is fantastic, I'll definitely need to remember that one. I love moss balls, too, I'll need at least one for my 2 gallon, for sure. Man, I didn't even think of putting pots in a fish tank. Thanks!



TatlTael said:


> Note: Betta [Male] may jump - lids are recommended. They can become stressful under presence of too many shoaling species. Try to keep under 1 shoal if the tank is small. Individual bettas may exhibit varying degrees of aggression and care should be taken that exceptionally aggressive/territorial fish be separated from a community before any damage may occur.
> 
> Warning: Betta [Male] is not recommended to be with Cherry Shrimp - further research is highly recommended.
> 
> Warning: Pygmy Cory is not recommended for your tank - it may eventually outgrow your tank space, potentially reaching up to 1.2 inches.


Arg, I really need to get a lid. I'd really like to get a glass lid, but since the 8 gallon I have was a gift I have no idea what brand it is. I might end up having to just get a lid meant for a different sized tank and trying to get it to fit my needs.

But as for the aggressiveness goes (whether to fish or shrimp), I'll luckily have that 5 gallon on standby for the betta.

I know a 10 gallon would be more ideal for pygmy cories, but I'm hopeful that a planted 8 gallon with no more than 6-8 cories will still work for them. It'll be a squeeze, that's for sure. If anyone has advise against risking it, please let me know.


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## SplashyBetta (Jul 28, 2014)

I've bought two bags of MiracleGro soil and neither had any gnats or other bugs that I saw. I'd say if you do get an infected batch the store would probably take it back and you could get a refund!


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## Secants (Oct 31, 2015)

So I had a bit of a setback today as far as setting up my aquarium goes. I've had it running for about a week now, but haven't really been monitoring it closely as I've been busy with holidays/work. So today I figure it's the perfect day to test the water and see what's going on, but as I go to grab my test kits I discover my Nitrite test is missing. After a little digging around, I figured out that it was never even shipped to me, but I hadn't noticed until now as it arrive while I was visiting my sister not long ago. I'm very disappointed with Dr's. Foster & Smith for that and another mix-up with the same order, but there's not much to be done for it but monitoring the other values and hopefully get my hands on the test kit soon.

In order news, I think I may have found a LPS that'll be able to get both cherry shrimp and pygmy cories! I gave them a call today and they said that, while they don't normally stock either species, they may be able to pick some up from their supplier if I notify them about my desire to get some beforehand. I'll have to look into that further once I'm confident my tank is done cycling.

In the meantime, I'm on the search for affordable ways to get a lid for my 8 gallon. I measured it today at about 19 1/2 inches long, 11 1/2 inches deep, and it ranges from 8.6-9.6 inches wide thanks to the bow front. I might have to just do a DYI lid, but as I've never done so before, I'm a bit intimidated by the process.


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## Secants (Oct 31, 2015)

Sorry for the double post, but something interesting happened. So I've been adding a small amount of fish food to my empty tank on-again off-again for a short while, probably less than a week. Today, when I discovered the issue with my test kits, I figured I might as well test for Ammonia to see if it's even registering. The results were 0 (or so low I couldn't tell), so I figured I probably haven't been adding enough food to make a difference. I added a bunch more food and left my tank to it. That was this morning, about 12 hours ago.

I just tested my tank again and ammonia is still pretty much non-existent. For giggles, I tested for Nitrates and I was fairly surprised to get a result of 5-10. I thought I was starting off pretty much fresh as of a few days ago, but it seems my tank is further along than I thought! I really with I had that stupid Nitrites test, this is going to be killing me with how curious I am what the results would be. ><;;

Ugh, I might have to take a sample in to PetSmart tomorrow to ease my misery.


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## Secants (Oct 31, 2015)

So I made a mistake. I was at Petco to check the prices of their cherry shrimp and I couldn't help but look at their bettas, too. They have a gorgeous turquoise/blue/green betta that's labeled as a plakat halfmoon and, let me tell you, that little guy is tugging to my heartstrings. I'm really tempted to just get him and set him up in one of my tanks...

Oh, yeah, yesterday petsmart said my nitrites are at 0 and I may or may not have gotten a 10 gallon started kit for half off. I've been very bad. 

But should I get the little guy? Maybe set him up in the 5 gallon and use a seeded sponge and gravel to help with the cycle? Or should I be good and wait?


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## ShadeSlayer (Jul 20, 2015)

Yes, get the betta. We’ll never tell you know as long as you got the setup. :0)
As for pygmy corys, I have four right now. i can tell you that they’re the absolute CUTEST corys. Their super fun to have, and mellow, too. I think they could do okay in harder water, as long as it’s not too hard. Check out which parameter they like best and compare them to yours. I have soft water and my corys have been healthy since day one, but harder water is untested for my babies. I’m interested to know how is panes out for you, because I may be moving to a area with hard water, and I’m nervous about them.


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## Secants (Oct 31, 2015)

I was very bad. I brought home two bettas. 

I went back for the turquoise one after work and made the mistake of looking at the two "baby bettas" they had on sale. This one they marked as a male is sooooo tiny. I... I couldn't leave him in the cup, guys. I just couldn't.

















(he's a butt about getting his picture taken)

Here's hoping he pulls though okay despite how teeny tiny he is. I arranged my 8 gallon and 5 gallon so that their side-by-side. I figure that since the fish have been living next to neighbors their entire lives, it'll help to have a neighbor for a little while until they adjust to their new homes.

I had two sponge filters in my 8 gallon while that was cycling, so I moved the smaller of the two into the 5 gallon and distributed gravel between the two tanks. Each fish has it's own heater, plant, filter, and thermometer. I'm putting 3 mL of tank water into their cups every 5-10 minutes to slowly acclimate them to the water changes while they're floating in the tanks. I'll probably do this over the next several hours.

Do you think they look okay? I hope I didn't miss anything obviously wrong with either fish.

Oh and good news! My local Petco can get Pygmy Cories! I'm so excited!  Once my planted tanks are set up, I'll be able to get them soon! I also asked one of the managers if I'll be able to get a bulk discount on shrimp & fish since I'm going to buy quite a few at once. Ahhhh I'm so excited, I don't have to jump though too many hoops to get my fish!

ShadeSlayer- I ordered a test kit that'll let me test my water hardness. The stick test at PetSmart said that, oddly, despite my high pH I have a relatively low water hardness. I'm getting the test to confirm, especially since I'm getting species that can be effected by the hardness level. I'll keep updating this thread as I get more information.


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## burn84 (Apr 13, 2010)

TatlTael said:


> I plugged the fish and tank size into Aqadvisor, and according to their estimates the tank is at a 110% stocking level. But I also plugged in the top number for each of the species you said, so decreasing the number of cories and or shrimp would bring it to a lower number. Not to mention Aqadvisor airs on the side of caution with the estimation, other members would likely be able to advise you on what to make of that.
> 
> The following warnings also cropped up when the fish were plugged in together.
> 
> ...


+1 on this. The cherry shrimp will be a nice delicious expensive snack for your Betta  So I would skip the shrimps for your 8gal.

Pygmy cories on the other hand prefer atleast a 10gal, so that when they do grow, you wont have to worry about them being cramped. Just a little future planning.


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## dre (Nov 28, 2015)

burn84 said:


> +1 on this. The cherry shrimp will be a nice delicious expensive snack for your Betta  So I would skip the shrimps for your 8gal.
> 
> Pygmy cories on the other hand prefer atleast a 10gal, so that when they do grow, you wont have to worry about them being cramped. Just a little future planning.


My betta tries to eat my red cherry shrimp. I only have one and he hides under a rock all the time. I feel bad for him always hiding... I'm setting up a 30g community tank that I hope my betta will move to. The betta, however, gets along well with the ghost shrimp and actually play/swim together sometimes. I have 2 ghosts.


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## burn84 (Apr 13, 2010)

dre said:


> My betta tries to eat my red cherry shrimp. I only have one and he hides under a rock all the time. I feel bad for him always hiding... I'm setting up a 30g community tank that I hope my betta will move to. The betta, however, gets along well with the ghost shrimp and actually play/swim together sometimes. I have 2 ghosts.


I guess that also depends on the personality of the Betta. I had a Betta once that was very aggressive to the Ghost Shrimp and the Ghost Shrimp has tiny tiny tiny pincers and attacked back....so then I quickly removed the Betta and put him by himself....


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## ShadeSlayer (Jul 20, 2015)

Yay, betta fish!! I love your new fin babies! both are super cute. My one tip of the pygmy corys in if you can make sure you have sand or a really easy gravel. You don’t want to wear down their barbells. I’m in the process of dividing my tank in half on the bottom. Half will be sand, the other gravel. 
When do you think you’ll get the corys?


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Didn't read the thread all the way through but if you still want soil, go with BamaPlant's mineralized soil. It's what I use. Much easier than Miracle Gro. Also, with Miracle Gro, it anaerobicizes very quickly compared to other soils. It's happened in my regular pots too, it suffocated my bonsai >.> I was not pleased to say the least. But Here's the link to the stuff I'm talking about, super cheap and soooo worth it! Mineralized Topsoil

And a note about AQAdvisor, it's very conservative. You can easily go up to 150% with a planted tank. With a nonplanted tank, I'd stick to around 110-120% if you keep up with water changes. But they don't/can't calculate plants in their system and if you have an actively growing tank, that usually allows for more bioload.


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## dre (Nov 28, 2015)

*shrimp*



burn84 said:


> I guess that also depends on the personality of the Betta. I had a Betta once that was very aggressive to the Ghost Shrimp and the Ghost Shrimp has tiny tiny tiny pincers and attacked back....so then I quickly removed the Betta and put him by himself....


Yes, initially my betta would get right in the ghost shrimp's face, and the ghost shrimp would wave his tentacles at the betta, and the betta... once he swam away and hid. Was funny, but the red cherry just swims away and then betta thinks its fun to chase him. Since the ghost stood his ground, they have worked things out and actually seem to enjoy each other quite a lot. The ghost shrimp will come right up when I'm feeding the betta and try to get some food. Today, the ghost shrimp was eating some of the pea that I had given the betta. My betta LOVES peas, so he chased the shrimp away from the pea. Then, the betta proceeded to ignore the pea because he was already full.


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## ShadeSlayer (Jul 20, 2015)

lilnaugrim said:


> Didn't read the thread all the way through but if you still want soil, go with BamaPlant's mineralized soil. It's what I use. Much easier than Miracle Gro. Also, with Miracle Gro, it anaerobicizes very quickly compared to other soils. It's happened in my regular pots too, it suffocated my bonsai >.> I was not pleased to say the least. But Here's the link to the stuff I'm talking about, super cheap and soooo worth it! Mineralized Topsoil
> 
> And a note about AQAdvisor, it's very conservative. You can easily go up to 150% with a planted tank. With a nonplanted tank, I'd stick to around 110-120% if you keep up with water changes. But they don't/can't calculate plants in their system and if you have an actively growing tank, that usually allows for more bioload.



Good to know about aqua adviser. I plan on buying more fish and I checked it out on there and I got it up to 120%, but I do plan on adding a bunch of live plants. It’ll be a first for me, but worth it!


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## Secants (Oct 31, 2015)

Well, it's been a few days and everyone is settling in well. The baby doesn't quite understand the concept of pellets, but I got some fry food that's like a powder he goes crazy for. The blue was also confused when I tried to feed him, at first, and seemed more interested in swimming as fast as he possibly can than eating, but now he's grabbing pellets as fast as I feed them.

Arg, that reminds me. I still need to name these two. Any suggestions? Here's some new pictures (please enjoy the blue being a flaring goober).


























Gosh, I love all of his blues and greens so much.









Striking a pose!



burn84 said:


> +1 on this. The cherry shrimp will be a nice delicious expensive snack for your Betta  So I would skip the shrimps for your 8gal.
> 
> Pygmy cories on the other hand prefer atleast a 10gal, so that when they do grow, you wont have to worry about them being cramped. Just a little future planning.


If the betta ends up going after the shrimp or the cories, he'll probably end up just being in a tank on his own. I've actually gotten a 10 gallon tank recently, too (thank you 50% off starter kit at Petco), so the cories will have plenty of space as they grow. In addition to that, one of my bosses is looking to find a new home for her 36 gallon bowfront and a guy who works next door says he has a 25 gallon he wants to get rid of. If I end of getting either of those tanks, the cories will definitely have plenty of space!



ShadeSlayer said:


> Yay, betta fish!! I love your new fin babies! both are super cute. My one tip of the pygmy corys in if you can make sure you have sand or a really easy gravel. You don’t want to wear down their barbells. I’m in the process of dividing my tank in half on the bottom. Half will be sand, the other gravel.
> When do you think you’ll get the corys?


I've ordered some pool filter sand from a local hardware store! They tell me that it needs to be shipped from the warehouse to the store so I'm just hoping it'll arrive before the plants I ordered.

Everything I've ordered to plant the tank with should be here by the 10th. I want to give the tank a week to settle after that, so if everything goes well I'll hopefully have them in two weeks!



lilnaugrim said:


> Didn't read the thread all the way through but if you still want soil, go with BamaPlant's mineralized soil. It's what I use. Much easier than Miracle Gro. Also, with Miracle Gro, it anaerobicizes very quickly compared to other soils. It's happened in my regular pots too, it suffocated my bonsai >.> I was not pleased to say the least. But Here's the link to the stuff I'm talking about, super cheap and soooo worth it! Mineralized Topsoil
> 
> And a note about AQAdvisor, it's very conservative. You can easily go up to 150% with a planted tank. With a nonplanted tank, I'd stick to around 110-120% if you keep up with water changes. But they don't/can't calculate plants in their system and if you have an actively growing tank, that usually allows for more bioload.


Thanks a bunch for the advice! After you posted about the Mineralized Topsoil I started "Planted Tank Researching Binge: The Sequel". I'm definitely going to look into getting some for some of my other tanks, at the very least. Since I'd already ordered the plants by then, I'm afraid that the Mineralized Topsoil wouldn't arrive soon enough without paying a bunch more shipping. But now that I have a 10 gallon and an 8 gallon, I'll have the opportunity to experiment with the different soil types.


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## Secants (Oct 31, 2015)

Everyone, meet July. July, meet everyone. (I regret nothing)


















I'm a little worried about his fins, but we'll see what regular water changes can fix.

I've decided on the name Jody for the baby. That name forever reminds me of that kickass sheriff from Supernatural and this baby, male or female, is kickass. I'm playing with names of different water spirits for the blue. Maybe Nix or Kelpie?

Anywho, from now on I'm banning my self from the betta section of both Petco and PetSmart. For real this time. I'm also not allowed to browse the fish tanks anymore. ESPECIALLY not when 10 gallon starter kits are on sale for $27. Especially then.


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Nothing wrong with July's fins! He just has a nip but he already has some fantastic regrowth! Just let him be


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## Aqua Aurora (Oct 4, 2013)

Lovely plakat male


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## Secants (Oct 31, 2015)

lilnaugrim said:


> Nothing wrong with July's fins! He just has a nip but he already has some fantastic regrowth! Just let him be


That I did and he's doing well so far, thank you! I was telling the PetSmart employee that the rip looked more like biting than illness, but she couldn't seem to wrap her head around a halfmoon being able to turn around to bite his fins. I did order some aquarium salt to have on standby in case I have any problems in the future, but I haven't used any on any of the fish.



Aqua Aurora said:


> Lovely plakat male


Yeah, it's all his fault I went on this fish buying spree. There were three plakats at PetCo who looked to be related, but something about his colors and attitude just broke my resolve to wait until I had plants to get any fish.

Time for an update! My plants came in the mail!  They actually came in the day before yesterday, but I was so exhausted from work I couldn't even being to consider preparing the tank. So I worked on it yesterday after work and today instead and now everything is all planted! Only time will tell how the plants do, but I'm trying to be cautiously optimistic...

Oh, and my dog discovered the fish yesterday. He is _fascinated_ and has taken to playing a game with the bettas. When the fish swim close to him, he bops the glass with his nose (not hard enough to disturb the water or make a noise). The fish seem fascinated by him in return.

On to pictures!









July's bare tank post impulse-buy.









Kelpie, Jody, and July's set-up before the plants came.









Beans discovers fish.









July discovers dogs.









Jody and July investigate the foreigner. Beans adores the attention.









The fish is fascinated. The dog won't leave the chair. The human needs the chair to move the fish. Misunderstandings abound.









How the tanks look now.









Jody's tank moved entirely. It's on my bedside table.









The dirt is mixing with the sand and they're both uneven, the sand is a mess, the plants are haphazard at best, but the water isn't cloudy so I count it a success for now. Great learning experience, I'm sure the next tank will be loads better! 

Now, enjoy July trying to fake out his reflection.








What dat?








ATTACK!








Oh what me I didn't do anything.








SUCKER!









This is the best picture I can get of July with his fins spread. That dorsal just likes to relax along his back most of the time. I just love his red/white/blue.









Kelpie refused to leave the back of his tank for a picture today as his tank _moved_ and, with it, so did the evil reflections. Any suggestions for limiting the reflections would be much appreciated as I'd like to see this crazy fish for more than just meal times.


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## Sadist (Jan 1, 2015)

I put dark paper along the backs of some of my really reflective tanks and lots of plants in the way to limit the light reaching those walls. If that doesn't work, you could make a java moss wall and install it in the worst spots.


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## Secants (Oct 31, 2015)

Sadist said:


> I put dark paper along the backs of some of my really reflective tanks and lots of plants in the way to limit the light reaching those walls. If that doesn't work, you could make a java moss wall and install it in the worst spots.


Thanks for the advice! I have a bunch of silk plants I ordered online and still need to put in the tank. I'll try those out and maybe tape some paper around the back sides to see how that helps.


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## Secants (Oct 31, 2015)

Ugh, I've created a monster. My dog now needs to get his fish time every day. He just sits in my chair and plays with Kelpie or July, whoever's interested at the moment. Sometimes the boys have to compete for attention. It's ridiculous. Even Jody gets some attention. I'm really surprised none of the fish have shown any fear (darting away, flaring) to him. They just hang out right next to him and give him strange looks when he nose-bops their glass. It's like they're observing him more than he's observing them.

Weirdos.


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## Aqua Aurora (Oct 4, 2013)

Nice. My dog is oblivious to fish (in tanks and in creek when he goes swimming). Its amusing as one of my boys-Antaeus-is a flare happy veil tail and his tank is next to the dog's crate (which we beefed out to me more like a couch on the floor), Antaeu will flare at our dog trying to provoke him but never gets noticed (I think that makes him even madder).


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## Secants (Oct 31, 2015)

Aqua Aurora said:


> Antaeu will flare at our dog trying to provoke him but never gets noticed (I think that makes him even madder).


Oh, geez, poor fish. He just wants to be noticed.

It's been a few days since an update, so here goes!

I've been testing my water parameters fairly frequently (every two days at least) in all of my fish-in tanks to make sure nothing is building up too much. At first, I'd get low levels of ammonia (0.25 in the 10g and 8g, 0.5 in the 5g) and do a water change accordingly, but never got any rise in nitrites and nitrates. When I got my plants, I also got 4 marimo moss balls and put one in each tank I have. Since then all three tanks with bettas in them have been 0 for ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates. The 5 gallon miiiight have <0.25 ammonia tonight, in the right light.

Clearly these tanks don't seem to be cycled since I have yet to get a positive reading of nitrates. I would have expected to at least see some nitrites by now, but no dice. *shrug* Only time will tell how my cycle is going, I suppose. I just have to keep in mind that all I have in each tank is one small fish and I should be happy my readings aren't thought the roof. =P

Oh, but I did do all the tests in my planted 10g today!  Ammonia 0, nitrites 0.25-0.5, nitrates 5-10. kH is between 160-180 ppm (9-10 degrees) and gH is <50 ppm (<3 degrees), pH is 8-8.2. I was really relieved to finally get a positive reading of nitrates in one of my tanks 'cause now I know that my test isn't defective. ^^; But it looks like I have water that ain't changing it's pH any time soon, but it's very soft. Seems like our super powerful water softener system is doing its job. I'm vaguely considering trying to raise the gH of my water a little bit since the water is so very soft... I could barely tell much of a color change in the test, the water could very well be 1 degree and I'd have a hard time being sure. Any thoughts?

But since my planted aquarium is clearly in the middle of working through its cycle, I'm gonna leave it to it and wait a week or so to add any shrimp or fish while it works itself out. Oh, and I found a little straggler hanging out on one of my Amazon Swords today! I'll see if I can get its picture later, but my money right now is on some kind of pond snail.


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## Secants (Oct 31, 2015)

Secants said:


> I'm vaguely considering trying to raise the gH of my water a little bit since the water is so very soft... I could barely tell much of a color change in the test, the water could very well be 1 degree and I'd have a hard time being sure. Any thoughts?


Answered my own question because google is my bestest friend. I searched the heck out of gH and found out the Seachem Equilabrium I already purchased will raise my gH itself! I'll probably be adding 1 teaspoon a day for the next few days until my gH is in an ideal range for my plants and shrimp. I'll probably aim for 4-6 degrees, so as to keep it on the softer side for the fish.


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## magpie (Nov 7, 2011)

Bettas are addictive! You had me giggling at (I regret nothing).  Haha. 

Live plants help significantly with cycling. I'd put live plants everywhere, even if just floating plants. You can do a very short stable cycling period with live plants, especially if you have a ton of them. 

As far as the cories go, I have had pygmys with a Betta and they were completely fine. The pygmys are super cute but I don't know that I'd do 8 in an 8 gallon... maybe temporarily with a plan to upgrade to the 10? I'd probably do more like 5-6 in an 8 gallon. 

Or did you buy a couple of 10 gallon tanks? Which fish is in what now? I'm confused. ;-)

Cories are also sensitive and definitely need a stable tank before going to their home. I also will throw out that my 3 LFS have much healthier fish overall and take care of them better than the local Petco/Petsmarts. I personally would go with the LFS ordering some pygmys for you vs. Petco. But you do what you want! 

I also get my Bettas from my LFS... although I will say as an aside, today in Petsmart near my work they had upgraded the betta cups to ones that are bigger, maybe 2+ times the size, and with a hole in the top. Annnnd there seemed like a slightly smaller number of Bettas vs. Petco, which I also see as a plus. Plus, the girl was actively cleaning the cups when I was there.


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## Secants (Oct 31, 2015)

magpie said:


> Bettas are addictive! You had me giggling at (I regret nothing). Haha.


Oh, I am so far down the rabbit hole already I can barely see the sun anymore. Just the other day I was wondering as how cool a nice crowntail plakat would look, even a combtail/suntail. *facepalm* And how awesome that would be as a breeding project. *headdesk*



magpie said:


> Live plants help significantly with cycling. I'd put live plants everywhere, even if just floating plants. You can do a very short stable cycling period with live plants, especially if you have a ton of them.


I'm highly considering buying some floating plants for the rest of my tanks! I don't really want my planted tank to be any less stocked, but maybe after the holidays I'll look into buying enough floating plants to spread around the rest of my tanks, too. Or, you know, I could just be patient and wait for my current plants to grow enough to spread around. xP



magpie said:


> Or did you buy a couple of 10 gallon tanks? Which fish is in what now? I'm confused. ;-)


Hehe, I'm gonna save everyone (including myself) some trouble and just put my updated list of tanks in my siggy once I get home.



magpie said:


> Cories are also sensitive and definitely need a stable tank before going to their home. I also will throw out that my 3 LFS have much healthier fish overall and take care of them better than the local Petco/Petsmarts. I personally would go with the LFS ordering some pygmys for you vs. Petco. But you do what you want!
> 
> I also get my Bettas from my LFS... although I will say as an aside, today in Petsmart near my work they had upgraded the betta cups to ones that are bigger, maybe 2+ times the size, and with a hole in the top. Annnnd there seemed like a slightly smaller number of Bettas vs. Petco, which I also see as a plus. Plus, the girl was actively cleaning the cups when I was there.


The only reason I'm considering getting them from Petco is because I figure I can just arrive the day they do and pick them up before they can get into any potentially contaminated tanks. You've convinced me to look more into the LPS option, too, since I'm going to wait until my tank is more established before going out and buying the fish. Hopefully I'll be able to resist buying any more bettas any time soon (doubtful, but possible), but I've found the selection of tail types at my Petco is much better than that at PetSmart. I also always see a ton of floating food in all the PetSmart cups, but I can at least bug the employees there into doing better. 

Oh, gosh, that reminds me! There were a few GORGEOUS boys in PetSmart the other day that I had to seriously talk myself out of making grabby hands at to get them out of those darn cups. I have to go now, but maybe I'll upload some pictures later. I just feel so bad for those fish floating around among their swollen uneaten pellets. ><;;;


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## Secants (Oct 31, 2015)

Here's my surprise! snail. Can ya'll help me with an ID? I'm thinking (hoping) some kind of pond snail and I'd like to keep it around as long as it's not gonna go after my plants...


















Also, here's a PetSmart CT boy I REALLY wish I could justify stealing. He'd be absolutely gorgeous once he's in clean water...


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

That's a Bladder snail, absolutely harmless and wont' get out of control if you don't over feed the tank. Nothing to really worry about there.


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## Secants (Oct 31, 2015)

Oh boy, now I'm starting to get a little nervous. =P (apologies for the blurry phone pictures, this guy is TINY)


















Ramshorn, probably? Now I just have to find some Malaysian Trumpet Snails and my 'pest' snail collection will be complete!


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Ramshorn! They're adorable! And you still need at least two to breed. Ramshorns are actually pretty good cleaners though, better than MTS, though MTS do aerate the substrate a bit which can be nice. Each snail has a particular part of the tank they prefer to be in. I find Ramshorn clean the glass the best whereas Bladder's are good at cleaning off plant leaves and then, again, MTS are good for substrate aeration and eating fallen foods.


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## Secants (Oct 31, 2015)

lilnaugrim said:


> Ramshorn! They're adorable! And you still need at least two to breed. Ramshorns are actually pretty good cleaners though, better than MTS, though MTS do aerate the substrate a bit which can be nice. Each snail has a particular part of the tank they prefer to be in. I find Ramshorn clean the glass the best whereas Bladder's are good at cleaning off plant leaves and then, again, MTS are good for substrate aeration and eating fallen foods.


Considering how tiny this guy was, I wouldn't be surprised if I have a couple more hiding out somewhere. It's a good thing I'm not anti-snail, I've been finding these little guys quite fascinating. That first bladder snail has at least doubled in size, and gosh, he's SO fast for a snail! 

Honestly, my hitchhikers are less of a problem than the algae that's been cropping up here and there. First it started with just brown algae that I could get off the plant's leaves and substrate. I increased my light period for a few days to help the plants and deter the brown algae, but now I'm noticing a bunch of green spot algae and maybe the beginnings of some kind of hair algae on some of the plant leaves. So less lighting it is again.

Those snails better grow up fast and get to work. I might have to invest in some nerite, too, to control the algae I miss when I'm cleaning out the tank.


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