BettaFishMommy

daily water changes are the key! and make a 'lid' on your tank of saran wrap, to keep the humidity in, because the fry need the humidity for their developing labyrinth organs. if your fry make it this time, and you are going to sell them, i'll definitely take a female or two for my planted 55

awesometastic shots and absolutely gorgeous fish!!!!

nice! that 'slow motion' part where they are locked together and sinking (i know it's in real time, lol) is awesome! just a note, the water level should be a lot lower than that, less than half the tank, and there shouldn't be any substrate, since the eggs can get stuck in there and it makes it much harder for daddy betta to pick them up and put them in the nest. plus, a bare bottom tank is so much easier to keep clean when you are feeding fry multiple times a day. good luck with them!

i used to test like i had OCD, lol! now, i think my test has sat in the cupboard so long it's either expired or under an inch of dust, hahaha. like others have said, after a while you get a feel for your tank and your fish, and know if something is off without even having to test. one good time to do frequent testing is in the spring, when run-off is happening and the water treatment plants tend to add more crap to the water. i usually test water straight from the tap during the spring, so i know what's going in my tank and know if i have to adjust my dechlorinator dose (more dechlor added when there is more chloramine in the water).

i remember asking about chat not long after i joined here, and the answer was no. for any members of Aquaria Central (an international fish forum), there is a 24/7 chat room there.

just saw an ad on kijiji for them right now: http://edmonton.kijiji.ca/c-pets-other-Aquarium-Central-is-Open-W0QQAdIdZ267505655

there are plants with large root systems, and there are also types of wood that look like big thick roots. perhaps have the seller clarify exactly what they mean by 'large root', or better yet, have them send a photo to you and then post it here on the board, then we can help you identify what it is and whether it would be a good thing to have in a beginners planted tank.

just remember that sand needs rinsed really well before you add it to a tank, to get rid of all the silt and dust that comes in it. another tip is to stir your sand every so often, or else it could get pockets of gas in it. if your sand turns black then you need to stir it more often. a chopstick works well, but i just use my plant trimming scissors (closed of course!) and do a lil sand digging when i'm in there cleaning up dead leaves and such.

those fire reds are gorgeous! and i'm not even a guppy lover, lol.

yoyo loaches stay small enough for your size tank, but they can tend to be aggressive towards other fish. zebra loaches will eat snails too, and they are really cute! whichever loach you choose, they do like to be in groups, so i would get at least 4 or 5.

very nice!! if it wasn't for that bit of bottom trim on the angel tank, i would swear you were underwater with them.

you guys crack me up!!! my lease states '2 fish tanks'. says nothing on size of said two tanks, heheheheee...... but i'm up to four tanks now, landlord knows about #3, but i don't know if he's noticed #4 or not (it is in view of the apartment door though, so i don't think he missed it last time he stopped by).

shutting off filters during water changes with a python would be a good precautionary measure, to ensure the chlorine or chloramine doesn't reach the bacteria in the filter media.

putting sand over a coarser substrate will work short term, but eventually the sand will settle below the other substrate. you could go 100% sand and use root tabs for any root feeder plants (crypts, swords, etc). dosing the water column with ferts will help keep any other plants healthy. i've got plain ol' play sand in two of my planted tanks and i love it. don't even have root tabs underneath and the swords in one tank are growing like dang weeds, lol. i only dose flourish comprehensive, when i remember.

if the freezing method is your only option, then putting the container of water in the freezer first, letting a good ice crust form, then popping a hole in the crust big enough to drop the fish in, then putting it back in the freezer - is more human than putting the fish in water then putting in the freezer. the metabolism slow down is faster when the water is ice crusted first, and the fish doesn't stay conscious as long.

i agree with Jason, dosing ferts is safe with shrimp. just don't go over the recommended dosage for the tank size to be on the safe side. i regularly dose flourish in a 2.5 gallon with little green shrimp in it and they are all thriving and breeding.

Dude, you have balls! lol. those are nice ones, where'd you pick them up??

just make sure you scrub any locally collected rocks well, soak them in really hot water, and then set them out in the sun to dry to ensure any nasties are cleaned off/out of them. there is info out there saying to boil the rocks, but i wouldn't, because they could explode from the boiling. not all rocks are aquarium safe. there is a test you can do (i believe it is with vinegar?) to determine if the rocks have reactive properties and can be used in a tank or not. hopefully somebody with more knowledge on this will chime in. i would say get all your wood/plants/fish from members on here. you'll get good quality and will be helping out a local fishkeeper just like yourself. post a 'want to buy' ad in the classifieds section and members may respond with things that may not necessarily be listed for sale already.

maybe your cory has a personality disorder and thinks she's an upside down catfish? lol.

if your tank doesn't have a lot of flow in it, you do need to turn your balls once in a while and give them a gentle squeeze. yep, that's right, squeeze your balls people! lol. i personally give mine a hearty squish during a water change to extract all the built up mulm in and on them. they will float for a bit after a good squeeze but will sink back down after a day or so. turning them occasionally means they don't get brown on the underside where they don't get light. i have one in a 2.5 gallon with a 13 watt spiral cfl, and three in a 55 with only 40 watts of t8 lighting. the ball in the 2.5 gal is kinda smushed into a corner of the tank so it doesn't move around with flow at all, but it is directly under the filter output so it gets 'washed' constantly, and shrimp pick at it all the time too. the three balls in the 55 tend to move around a bit in the filter flow, and just have ramshorn snails climbing on them now and then. the ball in the 2.5 is brighter green and the three in the 55 are darker, kinda like spinach green, so lighting definitely plays a part although they are considered low light.