Fish Lovers 3.0 [new poll]

[paleosuchus]

Sorry for the double post.
Has anyone dealt with fin rot-specifically in bettas?
I noticed about 2 days ago and have been doing daily heavy water changes (70-90% changes). I also removed plants that weren't taking root and a moss ball with some white substance on it. His other moss ball looked clean so I left that in.
Online it recommended adding a small amount of aqaurium salt for a week but I'm worried this might hurt him or kill good bacteria.
Any suggestions?
Thanks in advance

[Stripe12]

It depends on how severe it is. A small amount of salt won't hurt him but be sure to dissolve it in another container first.
This also should help: https://bettafish.org/diseases/fin-rot/

[Topsy Turvey]

Username: Topsy Turvey
How many fish tanks do you have: 1 (Soon To Be 2)
Types of fish that you have: Guppies!
Your fishs' names: Yet to be decided until they get their colors! <3
How long have you had fish: Only about a week so far however I'm hopeful so far!

I only have three at the moment, to see how I go, not to mention I'm not sure if I could fit any more than that as my tank is only a five gallon. When buying the fish I was pretty okay with that size and they look fine in it at the moment as they're only a few weeks but I plan to upgrade them to a 10 Gal before they get their colors. I'll keep our current tank as a spare for any extra snails and plants I have as I love those on their own anyway.

I got two young looking Ramshorn Snails from the same place I got my guppies but she told me they only grow that big (about half a centimeter) and all of her snails were that size. The tank was only about 8 Gallons and had about 30 guppies in it along with maybe 10 or so snails and I was wondering if maybe they just weren't very well looked after and that was why as she didn't seem to know much about the guppies she was breeding either. Either way the snail have really come out of their shells since they've settled into their new tank and are moving around a lot more now which I'm pleased about as the first day or two they barely moved at all.

If you want to talk about my tank and yours then feel free to message me, I've got a lot to say as I'm still very new to all of this and very excited about my babies. cx

[cornspurrd.]

I know. tadpoles and fish are not related. But i know some people raise tadpoles with fish so i wanted to ask.

i got a few tadpoles, but my cat somehow got a hold of one, and like bit his tail off. he's having a hard time swimming now, and I put him in a small shallow tank, alone. but like. is he going to be okay?? i love him so much ssksk.

[Griddle]

Hello fish thread! How y'all doing today?

I work at a pet supply store chain that carries betta fish. I feel bad seeing them in their tiny cups and would kind of like to bring one home and spoil him. Sadly I do not know very much about keeping betta fish! I was wondering if anyone in the thread might be able to help me out and point me towards any good betta-keeping resources or guides? I'd like to do some research but I'm not sure where to start!

Thanks guys, hope all your fishies are doing well!

[Lonin]

Hello fish thread! How y'all doing today?

I work at a pet supply store chain that carries betta fish. I feel bad seeing them in their tiny cups and would kind of like to bring one home and spoil him. Sadly I do not know very much about keeping betta fish! I was wondering if anyone in the thread might be able to help me out and point me towards any good betta-keeping resources or guides? I'd like to do some research but I'm not sure where to start!

Thanks guys, hope all your fishies are doing well!

If you don't like how they're treated you might want to consider buying your betta from a shop or individual that doesn't sell them in cups as well as writing to the company to tell them how you feel. It might suck for the fish that have to go through it now but over time if less people buy them in those conditions and let them know they don't like it there's a chance they could improve. In our country bettas are sold in community or divided tanks, still small but at least they're heated and filtered.

As for caring for it you'll need an absolute minimum of 2.5 gallons but ideally at least 5 gallons. Bigger is better for tanks as a larger one is more stable and forgiving of mistakes than a smaller one. Learn about the nitrogen cycle and cycle your tank before you get the fish, it normally takes about a month.
You'll need a heater even if your room is warm. They need the temperature to stay between 78° and 80° F (25.5° and 26.5 C).
Bettas love plants and places to hide. Consider getting real or fake silk plants and lots of decorations. He'll feel safer with more cover and real plants can help with nitrates c:
Make sure you get water conditioner and add it to any water you put in the tank. We like Prime, it might be a bit expensive to buy but if you just have a small tank even the smallest bottle will last you about a year. Most people do partial water changes every 1-2 weeks. The exact amount will vary based on any ammonia, nitrite or nitrate in the water but about 20% is common. Never change 100% of the water at once as this can shock your fish.

There's a more detailed guide here that might help: https://bettafish.org/care/
When looking at resources you have to be careful as there's a lot of bad information out there about bettas and fishkeeping in general. We'd be wary of anything that doesn't mention cycling or says a bowl or very small tank is fine.
Or you can ask here c:

[DarkestWerewolf]

I think I have a problem. A worm problem.
So, I got inspired to start my own planted tank. The thing is, it’s a no filter, no co2, no anything tank.
Just a planted tank that is gonna thrive and live off itself. There’s a YouTuber, Foo the Flowerhorn that does it and I got extremely inspired by it.
I had been on the fence on it for months honestly, cause I’ve never done a planted tank before but it looks beautiful.
I went to the fish shop to ask for advices and they gave me some soil to use and I asked for gravel but they said it wasn’t needed. I did tell them what I was planning and they said it’s fine.
My tank is just a little 8L(~2.1 gallons) tank.
The lady told me that I could just add the soil, let it settle for a day, plant the plants and I’m good to go. I could also add whatever living creatures I want too.
It was a bit odd cause Foo the Flowerhorn took 2 months for the tank to establish.
I just thought she knew what she said and went with it.
I got 10 RCS and 4 little ramhorn snails as well.
Day 1, I set the soil in first and let it settle.
Day 2, I started planting the tank.
Let the soil settle further and by the end of the day, it looked clear so I added the shrimps and snails.
It’s Day 4 today and they seem to be doing okay. Until I saw worms.
I forgot to wash 2 of the plants I bought. I know. Sue me. Dumb mistake.
I tried to look up what type of worm it is but I’ve never had worms in my tanks before. I have a 63L filtered tank that never had worm problems so this is all very new to me.
The worm I saw was in the soil and it wasn’t free swimming like what a Planaria or detritus is described as. It kind of moves like a caterpillar sort of? It stretches its head first and then the rest of its body follows. I’m not sure if it was the soil that was causing the colour but one was off-white and the other was brown-ish. I know there are definitely more worms that meets the eye so I’m worried.
What are they? Are they harmful to my snails and shrimps? Should I restart my tank? How big of a water change should I do?

[Lonin]

Could they be caterpillars? We had caterpillars in our tank once, they can come in on plants and will turn into a moth. Or maybe leeches?
Can you get a picture? c:
If they're big enough they'll probably try to eat the shrimp.

We'd probably remove the shrimp if possible then try to ID the worms. When you know if they're harmful or not you can decide if you want to get rid of them and restart.
We don't know much about Walstad tanks but they do need to be established before adding livestock and rcs can be a bit sensitive to ammonia and nitrite. The snails will probably be fine.
You need to be careful when trusting the advice of fish shops. Some are amazing and know what they're talking about and will be really helpful. Others only know what they've been taught and might not have accurate information or advice. It's a good idea to do your own research first c:

[DarkestWerewolf]

Managed to see the worm today. Someone who is good at this please help me identify it. :’) I know the quality isn’t the best but it wouldn’t focus on the worm. It’s that long stringy thing in the soil. It’s just barely poking out.
Boop

[ғᴏʀᴇsᴛ★ᴄʀɪᴛᴛᴇʀ]

Don't worry about the worm c: Since it's not planaria your shrimp are most likely safe. Worms are common inhabitants of soil and bodies of water. There's nothing inherintly bad about hitchhikers on plants and in soil. It's definately not parasitic since its rumaging around the substrate, but if you are worried, just pull it out of the soil and kill it. Also, make sure to keep an eye out for the shrimp; newly astablished tanks can be too unstable for them.