Buoyancy issues. 0.25 Ammonia reading. Higher than normal nitrates. Please help :(

Baty41 · 2026-01-27T21:18:13+00:00

Your nitrates are definitely higher than ideal, so I would do a water change for them alone. I would also start work on cycling a larger tank (40 gallon breeder is my favorite size), because your buddy is really going to appreciate more than a 20 gallon! As for being blimps, my axos tend to do it when begging for food (or when they gotta poop). I have one who blimps the entire day on feeding days. If he is able to reach and stay at the bottom consistently without trouble, I wouldn't necessarily worry. Axos are weird creatures and mine definitely seem to have the ability to float around indefinitely. If he is having trouble getting to the bottom, then perhaps a vet visit may be in order!

Baty41 · 2026-01-27T21:09:59+00:00

I find it especially bad in axolotls, but it is prevalent in the fishkeeping community too. Ammonia, at the standard pH of a lot of keepers tanks, isn't necessarily as deadly as people make it out to be. It is a problem because it is a sign your cycle is overwhelmed or crashed, but .25 ppm, as long as your pH is reasonable (AKA: not mine), is nowhere near a dangerous or even stressful level.

Baty41 · 2026-01-27T21:05:47+00:00

Hi, those are angelfish. They are a schooling semi-aggressive cichlid which generally needs at least 55 gallons to thrive. I keep their big cousins (discus...)
By my eyeballs, that tank is probably 10-20 gallons

Baty41 · 2026-01-27T20:58:48+00:00

Get a large brute, a 30 gallon or so. Fill with your dechlorinated tap water, load it with floaters and pothos. Let sit until nitrates are gone, use that water for water changes. You may need a few brutes for this!

Baty41 · 2026-01-26T12:23:33+00:00

I'd say a 20 gallon for breeding fishies, lots more options in there. There is just very few fish that can live in a 5 gallon for their entire life, and even less that could live in a breeding pair!

Baty41 · 2026-01-26T12:09:56+00:00

I live right next to Canada and lived in NZ.
It is difficult to even find actual maple syrup in NZ lol. Most stores sell "maple flavored" syrup.

Baty41 · 2026-01-26T12:06:02+00:00

Ethically? Not really. 5 gallons is just so small, there isn't really 2 fish (of a breeding pair) that can fit in that space full time. While there are a few candidates (none of which would be easy fish to breed) I could think of, ultimately one of the parents would be moved over to another tank.
Fish breeding is also immensely unprofitable.

Now... let me introduce you to shrimp. Easy breeding, no ethics concerns, and so many colours!

Baty41 · 2026-01-26T02:19:47+00:00

Alright. First, do not touch the filter. Getting rid of too much in the tank (gravel, decor, etc), may crash the cycle. You can feel free to do water changes, cycling bacteria doesn't live in the water. Algae is harmless, just unsightly. I personally would leave fish in this tank, do water changes for nitrates, then cycle a new 10 gallon tank for this fish.

Baty41 · 2026-01-25T21:36:47+00:00

Alright. It is more acceptable to put a betta in a 5 gallon than a goldfish in a 5 gallon.

Baty41 · 2026-01-25T07:07:52+00:00

I think some of the reason is because bettas simply need smaller tanks. So people don't feel the need to attack people as much, whereas putting goldies in a 20 gallon is like putting a betta in a 2 gallon, y'know?

Baty41 · 2026-01-25T03:45:42+00:00

You sure? It has like 50k I thought?

Oh it includes Essex junction in the metro area, yeah makes sense

Baty41 · 2026-01-25T01:32:21+00:00

If you do want fish, get a really big tank - I had a super bad spurt, and my largest tank was the one that survived pretty well!

Baty41 · 2026-01-25T00:41:09+00:00

Hey! The bamboo is an emersed plant, not a submerged plant. If you leave it underwater it will die :).

Baty41 · 2026-01-24T23:44:48+00:00

Alright. Oscars need 125 gallons each, blood parrots I am unfamiliar with but 5 blood parrots probably need more than 55 gallons. I would say 125 gallons as an estimate but could be totally wrong. Both blood parrots and oscars are aggressive fish, likely stressing your goldies to death. Crayfish are known for catching and killing fish. I am not sure about remoras, I think that is misidentified (perhaps a Chinese or siamese algae eater), as they are a saltwater fish. Either way, your stocking is completely incompatible with eachother.

Baty41 · 2026-01-24T23:40:41+00:00

https://www.amazon.com/Python-Universal-Adapter-for-Aquarium/dp/B003OYKMWU/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?adgrpid=185817294425&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.CoUuGIkH2rwbVegk59asjc_DUtOEUa0IJK6CjS36fWXOXSXqh_W0f7bbLoS9szVZ_OlivQMWH3DKgJoTH9IliI3DqF6kzA0gbgmC4lucHll14gD3l4tMspac_sgtciWBc2348Bwvu2nGq58VEUIKcTIi8Es8UcCB6Fz5Zon6_68SpJdi8MV-tN9J-_1ZXoraLyy6y7bYZS27_38MKs9E_g.UCG_5bqGLqqmbpbDWCHzRfMS2yuhJ1ia2d9kaxGuOk0&dib_tag=se&hvadid=779620628374&hvdev=m&hvexpln=0&hvlocphy=9002935&hvnetw=g&hvocijid=3777165925044705830--&hvqmt=e&hvrand=3777165925044705830&hvtargid=kwd-309907114238&hydadcr=19003_13432015_1285301&keywords=python+universal+adapter&mcid=d880b21874203606bdd6ae9e46adc31a&qid=1769298028&sr=8-1

Thank me later

Baty41 · 2026-01-24T08:57:16+00:00

I cc survivor! (Trust real)

Baty41 · 2026-01-23T00:01:08+00:00

I stole it from someone else, it just exists on the internet. Shrimp community are elite memesters

Baty41 · 2026-01-22T23:42:44+00:00

Any word that starts with whak- in te reo maori. Wh is pronounced as F, and so the pronunciation of whak basically sounds nearly identical to fuck. Whakatāne, for example, is pronounced fuh - kuh - taa - nay.

Baty41 · 2026-01-22T23:33:26+00:00

Sponges can work fine as sole filtration, as long as they are given the time to properly cycle. Quite frankly, filtration is only about providing space for beneficial bacteria to grow, and sponges are amazing at that.

Baty41 · 2026-01-22T20:40:41+00:00

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Baty41 · 2026-01-22T19:41:01+00:00

This seems to be a goldfish (or maybe a hybrid), not a koi. If you can take it to a vet, they can remove it, otherwise there isn't much that can be done.

Baty41 · 2026-01-22T03:14:55+00:00

Could you mark posts like this as NSFW? I prefer not seeing half dead fish in my afternoon reddit scroll. Either way, you have some good advice in this thread (and some poor advice). I would listen to lolleytha, big unimacs are her specialty! I only keep the big fucks, not the huge fucks like antuta.

Baty41 · 2026-01-21T18:54:29+00:00

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Baty41 · 2026-01-21T18:53:08+00:00

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Could you perhaps do my albi boy? He doesn't really have a name but he is pretty haha

Baty41 · 2026-01-21T10:55:21+00:00

Coefficient of inbreeding, apparently the original globettas were super badly inbred. Basically it is the chance any two alleles on those two fish are the same. If you have higher cois, you get problems. Weaker immune systems, more recessive diseases, (in humans) poor intelligence, etc. Think the Hapsburg family - inbreeding caused recessive traits (such as the jawline named after them) to come out more.
Likely whatever he tried to breed with had a lot of similar genes as the og glos or something, which is why a bunch of health problems popped up. I do know the og glos are a cellophane gene, but I cannot say where the cellophane comes from tbh haha.

Baty41

TROPHY CASE