Diving Headfirst With Nerd Power

Ok yeah I should have came here in the first place but I didn't really look at all of the forum.
The basic run down is I wanted Ranchu goldfish but later found out at a PetLand that they are advanced fish and of course I have just started high school. Got my betta named Iycho, I named him after a female character named Aiko in a game called Corpse Party. Later on during March 2019 named my second betta, Yoshiki, he's named after another character from the same game series.

Got guppies after Christmas and minus one that died I had five males. In January I got two pregnant females Mamba and Echo, the next day after I purchased them (on Friday Jan. 11th). Later finally got a 29 gallon tank where my fish navy (because it's in the water) lives. I slightly got a massive bio load in there but I do water changes and filter cleaning.

My questions.
Will assassin snails hunting cause ammonia spikes?
Can I get Plappies? (Guppy and Platy mix)
How do I rehabilitate my attitude equivalent betta? Should I use female guppies as the fish of choice?
How much is too much beneficial bacteria to pour in?
Are those ammonia and nitrate removal rocks effective/affective?
Which brand combo is better? Tetra, TopFin, and API or Aqueon and Marina?
Why do people answer me about brine when I ask about fairy shrimp as live food?
Will there be a 70% or more chance Platies eat guppy fry?
Why does only one person answer my thread and I guess act like a know-it-all?
(no offence for that one I just wanted to ask if they're aware)
Why do I keep getting asked about my water nitrate, Ph, etc? I don't have a kit (yet)! I would explain in the original post if I knew the aquarium's status and health.
(I'll ask more in the replies)

 

Assassin snails hunting shouldn't cause ammonia spikes

If your tank is at its stocking limit then I wouldn't get plappies

If you mean mixing a betta with other fish like guppies, it can go both ways. Some bettas are friendly and can coexist with other fish, some are too aggressive. Generally it's best to introduce fish that don't have flowing fins your betta might get tempted to nip at

You can't really overdose beneficial bacteria, but there should be a chart advising how many caps per gallons

As for the rocks, good for providing lots of surface area for your bacteria but not so good at removing nitrates unless you can induce anaerobic conditions

Depends for what use, I like Seachem products

If a fry can fit into a guppy's mouth then probably will get eaten

Similar species, easy to mix up? .

Probably because it's a Friday night and people are watching TV lol

If people know your parameters, then they can help you better, hence the questions. You should definitely get one though

Hope this helps!

 

Generally it's best to introduce fish that don't have flowing fins your betta might get tempted to nip at

That also goes the other way 'round. It's a good idea to avoid fish that will try and nip at the long flowing fins of the betta.

 

Brine shrimp and fairy shrimp are closely related. Brine shrimp are salt and fairy are fresh. Only difference. Not sure who you are referring to but some members are pretty well versed.

 

Thanks.
nikm128 Iycho has already ripped a piece of Yoshiki's tail off when attempting a divider. My child has become more of a brat over the months I've had him.
Fawkes21 I just got platies and I have a navy of guppies so that's why I was asking about the plappies because molly and platy, guppy and platy, etc mixes (minus guppies and endlers) are not usually given as straight answers when I searched it up.

david1978 I have a thread asking about Iycho's choice in tastes. I somewhat like fairy more than brine oddly so I thought a snack for him (that I won't sulk about him killing) living in the tank would be a good idea.

 

Yea fairy shrimp you can try to raise and breed in freshwater. Some dense areas will help. Guppies can't breed with Platies. Endler, guppies and mollies can. Platies can breed with swordtails.

 

You are asked about water parameters because that is good info to know. Spending $18 on an API test kit is an investment, not an expense.

 

Assasin snails need to be fed, and that will add to the bio load.
You should not get more fish until you know that your tank is cycled, and your nitrates are staying in a safe zone ideally near 20 ppm.
Betta fish do not always get along with other fish, live bearing fish like guppies and platties are going to be in his territory, and may even nip his fins.
I would not add any chemicals like bacteria at this point. a water conditionar is all you need to add. Let the tank get settled.
Nitrozorb and others are not really the best help. Its hard to say if they do anything, of if the other efforts, like water changes did the job.
I don't like tetra, I hate top fin, API sells loads of snake oil, yes their Testing kit works, but I buy Salifert instead so I'm not giving them my money. Aquan, Jager, Marineland, seachum, salifert, new life spectrum. those seem good.
Fish will eat fish that fit in their mouths, Very few species, namely all cichlids, recognize and care for there young.
I answer fast, I don't always feel like tyoing appoligetic anicdotes. Telling some what their doing wrong is always going to sound rude, sorry.
Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate, ph, They are the the biggest things invoved in diagnosing the broblem with your fish.

 

I wanted to touch base on the ammonia/nitrite-reducing rocks and brands a wee bit as I think everyone else's answers for the other questions sufficed.

If we're talking about biomedia (biological media), this is fairly important in concentrating the beneficial bacteria in a place where the tank water runs through a few to several times over, breaking down ammonia and nitrite into a less toxic form in the process. With that said, biological filtration is arguably the most important type of filtration.

As for the brand combos, I don't think anyone will have a definite answer. Ultimately, it's going to come down to what you learn what you like and dislike. Personally, aqueon has pretty good heaters for the price point, and they have a lifetime warranty. API is pretty good for the liquid test kit and a good selection of medication. Otherwise, I don't care much for the other three. They are affordable products that work okay, but there's better stuff on the market. That's just my opinion though, maybe you will find that you like them and that's totally fine.

 

Assasins do not cause really any change to your water chemistry

 

Thanks for all the replies. While I haven’t fully read all of them I do appreciate the support! I’m actually a nerd of biology and genetics, I somewhat like to have my guppies breeding because of the outcomes and who they are related to. My main aquarium is the 29 gallon Tetra brand tank. I’ve noticed behavioural differences between guppies and Platies over the almost 24 hours since I bought the platies. While I am new to being a true aquarium hobbyist, I find this kind of motivation in raising fish.

Ok this tank was originally for YoshikI but plans backfired after dropping an algae wafer into my snail aquarium. This tank now serves as a medical and defect aquarium for my fish. This aquarium is a 1.5 gallon by Tetra, the snails that were in there we accidentally killed with the ammonia (well actually my dad did). I don't get why the water is murky, the last few days it has been more clear but that fowl smell still shrouds it. My 29 gallon aquarium is starting to get murky too and I got a new hang on the back filter, did a few water changes, added assassin snails and vacuumed the substrate. They are heavily stocked, I can't really change that.

The medical tank's issue is the tan murky water that is fowl, the white worms and where the heck did the tank go wrong. For some reason my ramshorn snails aren't eating a lot of the leftovers in fact I am confuse on all of it. I dumped maybe more beneficial bacteria then I should in there but they don't seem to be doing much. I got LONG white worms everywhere, they are moving the same way as a 5mm wide planaria would! I have had these things in my tanks but never to this degree and never had them this long. they are about 1 cm in length half a millimetre in width. I don't do water changes on this tank, it's too risky with the weak inhabitants that reside in there. I haven't tested the water, and I do not have a kit yet.

For the life of me just don't ask or say "flat" or "round" worms or on their shape because they are not easy to figure out. Please only refer to them as Planaria and Detritus Worms. This'll help me understand what you mean.

What am I doing wrong BESIDES THE BIO LOAD OR STOCKING? How do I control this tan murky water? Are the long small white worms planaria or detritus worms?

 

Those are detritus worms. The fact that you are feeding your fish things like "skin tags" and already dead fish might have to do with the tan, murky and foul smelling water. Apparently you are doing the same to another tank as well now. Do the "weak inhabitants" a favor, and either move them to someplace clean or give them back to the fish store. You need to do A LOT more research on aquariums and fish before you get anymore. Some of the stuff you are doing is basically animal cruelty. Sorry to have to be so blunt, but enough is enough!

 

I started with ELEVEN guppies, through genetics one has a prolapsed butt, and the rest have scoliosis. I am working on getting the healthy offspring to new homes, I keep procrastinating. Can you not bring up the stupid thing I did with my betta outside of the pricey feeding thread! I can't get anymore aquariums I don't have the room and dad said no. I do water changes but I've got a leg that keeps shifting out of position and a bad back. I can't drive, I don't have a job and I still got school.

 

Water changes will be your best bet. Its what keeps a tank healthy. I know its not what you want to hear but there is no miracle liquid that will fix it. Detritus worms eat left overs. Both fish waiste and food. Gravel vac helps pull them out of the substrate and remove both them and their food.

 

Wait, you have assassin snails, ramshorns and a betta in your 29? Are you sure your betta is the one eating the baby ramshorns? Because people usually put in assassin snails to control an overpopulation of snails... assassin snails are just that.. assassins. They eat other snails.

As far as everything else, detritus worms are caused by overfeeding, and detritus (decaying matter) hence why they’re called detritus.

Every tank needs a weekly water change. It doesn’t matter what type of inhabitants you have. Fresh clean dechlorinated water removes toxic waste such as left over food and ammonia/nitrite spikes as well as nitrates (anything over 20ppm can start to affect fish/invertebrate health). The more sensitive or “weak” they are, the more they’ll need fresh dechlorniated water. Fresh water also puts back mineral content that is needed to keep a tank healthy. If your tank smells foul and has a murky color, it’s because it’s dirty and needs a good gravel vac and a water change to remove decaying matter which is what is causing the murkiness and smell.

What you have are detritus worms (from everything you’ve stated) and overdosing of bacteria doesn’t cause it. You don’t need beneficial bacteria if your tank is cycled... the reason why people use beneficial bacteria in their tanks is to help kickstart a new tank.

Water changes and vacuuming the gravel will get most of the worms out. You’ll always have worms in an established tank. A few of them are actually beneficial to have as they eat decaying matter but if you see them above the gravel is when there is a problem. In your case, no water changes and gravel cleaning is the cause.

 

Kind of fixed it. The murk tint wasn't a true ammonia spike it was just failure of the filters and water changes. The bettas aren't in the 29 gallon, though I think they could thin the number of fry. I just did major water changes and saw some change. If I were to put it to scale of the colour, it was the green/tan tint of a lake, creek, or pond but not as dense.

Though I still don't understand if detritus worms are bad. I am doing another vacuuming in a few hours.

So visually unattractive?

 

They are harmless. Unsightly but harmless.

 

Though I still don't understand if detritus worms are bad. I am doing another vacuuming in a few hours.

I don't think the consensus is that detritus worms are necessarily "bad". Fish will eat them and whatnot, but it's more of an indicator that more tank maintenance needs to be done.

 

Yea. Visually unatractive.

 

Though I still don't understand if detritus worms are bad. I am doing another vacuuming in a few hours.

Not necessarily. They come because of an over abundance of detritus (left over food, waste, decaying driftwood, plants, etc). Almost all of us have worms... it’s normal and beneficial for a healthy tank. They help clean up waste for you. I have tiny specks of them on my glass and they come from my nerite because he’s a constant pooper and if I don’t do daily siphoning of poop they’ll show up. They also show up because of the lack of oxygen I have in my tank as I have had to baffle my filter for my betta. However, he snacks on them like they’re French fries! Lol

If you see too much all over the place, it means your tank isn’t balanced somewhere. In your case, I told you why in my previous comment.

Just keep doing water changes and vacuuming them out. Do this every other day for a week to keep the population down. When your tank is balanced again, they’ll stay under the gravel and you won’t see them again.

 

Thanks for all the support!
I do want to ask... How do I not vacuum up my fry or other fish? There's been a time I accidentally syphoned up an adult male guppy, both yesterday and today I caught four guppy fry in the process.
I asked a while about assassin snails causing ammonia spikes because that's slightly how a tank got destroyed over my vacation. I didn't vacuum it much because it was in my room but as soon as I get my bettas some shrimp tank-mates I'll be doing more work in my room.

 

Some people rubber-band a piece of pantyhose to the end of their siphon, but I find that too much poop gets left behind if I do that. I would suggest letting the water run through a net before it goes into the bucket or whatever you use to catch the old water. If there isn’t a big difference between height of the intake and the outlet ends of your siphon, the ride should be gentler for anybody who does get sucked up.

 

I don't have room between the vacuum and bucket to catch them sadly. I did try shooing them away from the area I need to clean before activating the vacuum but guppies are kind of stupid. Does colder water decrease my chances of guppies breeding rapidly? If that doesn't stop them, will my bettas do the trick?
I should mention that destroyed tank was themed to be pollution/habitat destruction. Ironic... I didn't put anything that would harm the life in that tank.

 

When I bred guppies it was at room temp. Didn't seem to slow them down at all. A betta might eat some fry but probably isn't the best candidate since they are slow swimmers. I had a hungry Oscar for all the extras.

 

Yep. The only way to catch them is either using a net where old water goes into a bucket or do your best to shew them away. A panty hose/mesh won’t work especially if you’re trying to siphon out detritus worms.

 

Ok. Thanks for the help! I'll let you know if there's anything else I need help with.

 

Ok yeah I should have came here in the first place but I didn't really look at all of the forum.
The basic run down is I wanted Ranchu goldfish but later found out at a PetLand that they are advanced fish and of course I have just started high school. Got my betta named Iycho, I named him after a female character named Aiko in a game called Corpse Party. Later on during March 2019 named my second betta, Yoshiki, he's named after another character from the same game series.

Got guppies after Christmas and minus one that died I had five males. In January I got two pregnant females Mamba and Echo, the next day after I purchased them (on Friday Jan. 11th). Later finally got a 29 gallon tank where my fish navy (because it's in the water) lives. I slightly got a massive bio load in there but I do water changes and filter cleaning.

My questions.
Will assassin snails hunting cause ammonia spikes?
Can I get Plappies? (Guppy and Platy mix)
How do I rehabilitate my attitude equivalent betta? Should I use female guppies as the fish of choice?
How much is too much beneficial bacteria to pour in?
Are those ammonia and nitrate removal rocks effective/affective?
Which brand combo is better? Tetra, TopFin, and API or Aqueon and Marina?
Why do people answer me about brine when I ask about fairy shrimp as live food?
Will there be a 70% or more chance Platies eat guppy fry?
Why does only one person answer my thread and I guess act like a know-it-all?
(no offence for that one I just wanted to ask if they're aware)
Why do I keep getting asked about my water nitrate, Ph, etc? I don't have a kit (yet)! I would explain in the original post if I knew the aquarium's status and health.
(I'll ask more in the replies)

As far as guppy eating the fry I'm seen of it had 2 give birth a weak apart got 7 from 1st and 2 from second the rest got eaten. Strange thing the babies from second birth we 1/2 as big as the first one.

 

As far as guppy eating the fry I'm seen of it had 2 give birth a weak apart got 7 from 1st and 2 from second the rest got eaten. Strange thing the babies from second birth we 1/2 as big as the first one.

Yeah sometimes that seems to happen with genetics for guppies. Mamba (one of my original females I purchased), has only 3/10 offspring alive currently. Though Mamba died of ich and other causes. I love genetics and some parts of biology, so guppies really bring out the nerd in me.

 

The tank is FIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNEEEE..... ish now.

It was because I hadn't had a great filter or that I didn't clean it that often or replace stuff. The light was alway on because mom and I were too tired at the end of the day to turn it off. AAAAANNNNNNNDDDD the tank is right by a window soooooooo.

When I got the 5 gallon tested we tested the 29 gallon too. The water was acidic, and the ammonia was about 9ppm or something. I haven't tested it yet but it seems to look way better than when Jay and I did the first test.

Still have a navy of guppies, it's not an army as I've heard from a friend in cadets.
Also the snails are starting to destroy my plants along with eating my driftwood.

Marimo
please read here
Important - I Need To Get This Off My Chest

 

Your conjecture is the murky water and worms were a result of the filter and lights being left on? Sorry, I am fairly bad at following along, so I want to make sure I am not misconstruing information. Also, your 29 had 9 ppm ammonia? Looking better does not mean it is better. Was it not cycled and/or did a cycle crash? Sorry if I am getting info wrong.

 

Your conjecture is the murky water and worms were a result of the filter and lights being left on? Sorry, I am fairly bad at following along, so I want to make sure I am not misconstruing information. Also, your 29 had 9 ppm ammonia? Looking better does not mean it is better. Was it not cycled and/or did a cycle crash? Sorry if I am getting info wrong.

The murk went away by changing filter media and type along with not keeping the lights on. It is cycled. The 1.5 gallon tank crashed and the only survivor was one lone ramshorn snail.

I’ve seen high ammonia and what it smells like (dad killed two aquariums a while ago). Smells foul, cloudy brown murk, I don’t think the ammonia had risen since I changed a lot in the tank.
Yes my 29 gallon had 9ppm this was a month ago or even two. It is better even not tested it just looks to be in a slightly healthier state.

 

Foul smell and murky water isn't exactly something that is always paired with high ammonia. You could have the clearest best smelling water in the entire world and it can be jam-packed with ammonia. Foul smell and murkiness in my experience most definitely comes from over feeding and/or rotting. I did a test once with just aquarium water and gravel in a jar. No fish just snails that were visible. I put in an algae wafer (much too much for that volume of water) and it decayed over the days. I come back to it and saw very long nematode worms, numerous amounts of copepods, cloudy, gross smelling water. What I mainly took from it was how many organisms are living in our water and we don't know it. This is the exact situation as you described. The filter and the lights were probably not the catalyst. Filter most likely helped, but something probably balanced out in your ecosystem.

 

I don't know what test kit you're using but I don't know any that test that tests ammonia as high as 9 ppm, or a pH that high either. Historically, you seem to have a problem doing water changes. If your parameters are high, vacuum your substrate and do big water changes . If your tank is murky, vacuum your substrate and do big water changes . If you're fish is sick, vacuum your substrate and do big water changes . If you are getting worms in your tank, vacuum your substrate and do big water changes, if your water stinks vacuum your substrate and do big water changes. In your case, nearly every problem you've had with your fish is because you don't do adequate (big enough or frequent enough) water changes and you chronically neglect tank maintenance. If you are using an aquarium siphon that is an appropriate size for the tank you are siphoning, the chances of sucking up a healthy adult fish is zero. The chances of actually sucking healthy fry into the bucket, if you're paying attention, is very low. If you DO accidentally suck a baby fish into a bucket, net it out and put it back into the tank before dumping the bucket. Fear of sucking up fry is no excuse for not doing water changes and taking proper care of one's fish and their environment.

 

I don't know what test kit you're using but I don't know any that test that tests ammonia as high as 9 ppm, or a pH that high either. Historically, you seem to have a problem doing water changes. If your parameters are high, vacuum your substrate and do big water changes . If your tank is murky, vacuum your substrate and do big water changes . If you're fish is sick, vacuum your substrate and do big water changes . If you are getting worms in your tank, vacuum your substrate and do big water changes, if your water stinks vacuum your substrate and do big water changes. In your case, nearly every problem you've had with your fish is because you don't do adequate (big enough or frequent enough) water changes and you chronically neglect tank maintenance. If you are using an aquarium siphon that is an appropriate size for the tank you are siphoning, the chances of sucking up a healthy adult fish is zero. The chances of actually sucking healthy fry into the bucket, if you're paying attention, is very low. If you DO accidentally suck a baby fish into a bucket, net it out and put it back into the tank before dumping the bucket. Fear of sucking up fry is no excuse for not doing water changes and taking proper care of one's fish and their environment.

I do water changes every weekend. Whatever info written and read from me from months ago is different from now. Sucking up fish isn’t a big deal I just find them suffocating in a literal waste bucket to be by far a horrible death. Please stop accusing me for this. Not being the victI'm but you are the SECOND person to overreact on this thread. I’ve never had worms in my precious 29 gallon and I work 100 times more often with that tank than any other in the house. The medical tank CRASHED for UNKNOWN reasons. I’ve never had issues with guppies in a 1.5 gallon but that one somehow came to be. What kit was used can be found in either the first or second thread about Iycho’s illness (hint API master kit).


My aquarium is lodged between a couch and a chair. It is on a nightstand and so a tetra 29 long + 5 gallon bucket + generic nightstand = I have not THAT much room. The VACUUM I use is like a pipe head with a syphon.

The Python syphon has threads that don’t work on our kitchen sink. I am doing water changes but currently I am on vacation

 

Just do water changes and your tank will be clean ez

 

"I’ve never had worms in my precious 29 gallon and I work 100 times more often with that tank than any other in the house."
Exactly my point. Work 100 times more often with all your tank's and you won't be here with any more stinky worm infested water problems-because the cause of that kind of problem with your tanks is known.

 

I do water changes every weekend. Whatever info written and read from me from months ago is different from now. Sucking up fish isn’t a big deal I just find them suffocating in a literal waste bucket to be by far a horrible death. Please stop accusing me for this. Not being the victI'm but you are the SECOND person to overreact on this thread. I’ve never had worms in my precious 29 gallon and I work 100 times more often with that tank than any other in the house. The medical tank CRASHED for UNKNOWN reasons. I’ve never had issues with guppies in a 1.5 gallon but that one somehow came to be. What kit was used can be found in either the first or second thread about Iycho’s illness (hint API master kit).


My aquarium is lodged between a couch and a chair. It is on a nightstand and so a tetra 29 long + 5 gallon bucket + generic nightstand = I have not THAT much room. The VACUUM I use is like a pipe head with a syphon.

The Python syphon has threads that don’t work on our kitchen sink. I am doing water changes but currently I am on vacation

Python does make adapters for male or female threaded faucets if it would help.
I agree with the advice from Momgoose56. Can't stress water changes enough for keeping your pets healthy. If I suspect anything out of the ordinary in my tank (clarity, smell, etc) or with any of my fish, the first thing I do is a 50% water change... If situations aren't improving the following day, 50% water change again... Most illnesses stem from subpar water quality. Anyway, I don't know the history of all this tension here but don't take criticism from strangers online too personally, the main thing at the end of the day is you get the information you need to improve your skills, it's up to you to apply it to your hobby. Best of luck!

 

My 29 Gallon Aquarium’s Carpet Funny - | Freshwater Fish and Tank Photos Forum | 411486
Overload Of Guppy And Snail Madness
^^^ Follow ups on the tank ^^^

I'll try to keep working with my fish as best I can.
About the Python hose, my sinks don't have threads. My kitchen sink has a shower-head like nozzle.
hanra85 Thank you for the help.

 

My 29 Gallon Aquarium’s Carpet Funny - | Freshwater Fish and Tank Photos Forum | 411486
Overload Of Guppy And Snail Madness
^^^ Follow ups on the tank ^^^

I'll try to keep working with my fish as best I can.
About the Python hose, my sinks don't have threads. My kitchen sink has a shower-head like nozzle.
hanra85 Thank you for the help.

You have to unscrew the showerhead nozzle. It's screwed onto the threads.

 

You have to unscrew the showerhead nozzle. It's screwed onto the threads.

(I'm aware that I am late to reply) I checked with mom and yeah our *20 year old* sink faucet has threads which will not be compatible at all with the Python soooooooooooooo..........

 

Python sells adapters, so you may want too look into seeing if the have one that will work with your faucet

 

Python sells adapters, so you may want too look into seeing if the have one that will work with your faucet

I'll have to check my local pet store and other places, I alway find some supplies aren't available here in Canada or even my city. Thanks for the tip!

 

You could check the Python website. I believe you can order direct thru them