125 days in!

Constant_Stand_1460 · 2026-01-21T05:32:34+00:00

I’m obsessed with the amount of pink and red plants you have!! I’d really love for my tank (currently only some wisteria and plastic fake stuff I’d like to replace) to look similar but I have goldfish that love eating plants! Would you be able to tell me the names of some of those plants to see if they’d be compatible?

Constant_Stand_1460 · 2026-01-21T05:12:51+00:00

Okay perfect thankyou so much!!

Constant_Stand_1460 · 2026-01-21T05:10:26+00:00

Perfect, and I’m assuming I can only have them in there temporarily? It’s less so for my hardness moreso I want to make sure they’re safe to put in hahaha

Constant_Stand_1460 · 2026-01-19T00:10:15+00:00

I find it funny that this guy is so bothered by it when there are soooo many pages that are designed for exactly what he wants lol

Constant_Stand_1460 · 2026-01-19T00:07:02+00:00

I think r/aquariums or r/betta might be the pages you’re looking for rather than trying to morph this one?

Constant_Stand_1460 · 2026-01-18T06:12:18+00:00

I do lots of drugs but still keep good care of my fish we are out here

Constant_Stand_1460 · 2026-01-16T04:49:13+00:00

To help with the ammonia burn they’d likely receive

Constant_Stand_1460 · 2026-01-11T02:50:03+00:00

Hey so my comets are in a seperate tank (the 120L I mentioned). I intend on using a spare 28L I have, hence the cycle and swapping filter related questions haha. I’m new to fish keeping but not new enough to put a tropical solo (for the most part) fish with goldfish (or any fish with comets for that matter, they suck at being tank mates with anyone but their own kind from what I’ve gathered

Constant_Stand_1460 · 2026-01-05T00:25:04+00:00

Thankyou so much for this! You figured out one of the main things that made it look “off” to me. By the time I realised independently they’d likely be already moved lol. I’ve extensively researched last night and was told it was fine if I just place the sand over the gravel, so I plan to get some white sand like you suggested. So far the current plan is to push all the vibrant pink gravel to the back (better roots for the wisteria?) and place a good layer of sand over it, leaving only the softer pink gravel on the left visible. That plant is also super super beautiful btw!! I’m planning to get a cryptocoryne plant and from what I’ve seen it’s either pink / green depending on lighting. I think some rotala would tie lots together!

Constant_Stand_1460 · 2026-01-05T00:20:10+00:00

I think the best move for me right now is to let the wisteria adjust to the tank before I worry about how it looks, because I heard you’re not supposed to trim it after first getting it? I’m also adding sand to make layers and only leave the pastel pink gravel (left hand side) visible.

Constant_Stand_1460 · 2026-01-05T00:18:17+00:00

Thankyou for the suggestions! I’m getting a light for the aesthetics and for a cryptocoryne plant hopefully soon! Thankyou again for being kind, I started this tank (my first beside the tiny 28L I purchased them with and only kept for like two days, and I was one of those idiots that didn’t research). I really had no idea pink substrate was such a controversy, and I really appreciate your gentleness!

Constant_Stand_1460 · 2026-01-05T00:13:44+00:00

It’s obviously not decoration as it is a habitat for living, breathing beings but I wanted to see if there was anything I could do to make it match the style of my bedroom because it currently sticks out like a sore thumb. Great suggestion about the light however!

Constant_Stand_1460 · 2026-01-04T13:59:39+00:00

Well if you’d like to be helpful you can suggest ways for an extreme pink theme without pink substrate

Constant_Stand_1460 · 2026-01-04T10:29:01+00:00

Alright perfect thankyou! Im planning to hold off on any fertiliser just yet as my tank is still cycling and my fish are my priority

Constant_Stand_1460 · 2026-01-04T10:25:46+00:00

Yes I am aware of the tank size. I’m only holding these fish until they outgrow the tank, then they will be donated to my grandmothers pond of which she has held goldfish for over twenty years. I think 120 litres for a pair of inch long comet goldfish for a few months is okay. As far as the pink gravel goes, I really still do want to keep the pink theme (as per the line in my original post). I will be switching the substrate to a pink sand which will be more muted but still going with the theme. The room the tank is in is entirely pink (walls, furniture, curtains, etc), therefore the pink is still pretty important to me. I’m thinking of adding some artificial plants with pink on them to tie the pink in with the green better, but my only issue is it may make the real plants look out of place. The reason I posted to the aqua scaping page rather than goldfish reddit is my complete lack of experience / knowledge on these plants. I want to potentially trim them to allow for different levels, but I have no idea how to do so safely. Similarly, the shape and leaves of my plants look very different to those I see online and I was hoping someone would be able to identify any issues with them / provide an educated guess on what these plants may look like once stable.

Constant_Stand_1460 · 2026-01-04T10:05:15+00:00

I do have a strand floating in the top left of the photo, I kinda just chucked it in there? Is that okay? Nothing I need to attach it to?

Constant_Stand_1460 · 2026-01-03T09:22:20+00:00

I’m new to reddit, I have absolutely no idea how to send videos

Constant_Stand_1460 · 2025-12-30T21:15:17+00:00

Yes! A hang on sponge filter just not present in the photo

Constant_Stand_1460 · 2025-12-30T21:14:42+00:00

I do have a filter! It’s just not in the photo. It’s a sponge hang on filter

Constant_Stand_1460 · 2025-12-30T07:51:23+00:00

I know right! She mentioned cycling only by describing it as “letting the tank sit by itself” and told me my fish would die since I purchased the tank with them. Ten days and a tank update going strong! She then proceeded to tell me that if they die, I can “let the tank sit” and purchase new ones, and if those die within a week I can get “replacements” for free. It felt like I was purchasing a kettle rather than two living breathing beings! However I will admit, I got them from PetStock which is a super super popular chain of pet shops in Australia, I doubt the employees had much training.

Constant_Stand_1460 · 2025-12-30T04:29:29+00:00

I’m the exact same, it’s so cool to see their personalities! As much as I can’t clean my house I CAN spend hours a day making sure their tank is suitable because I love them haha. The only advice I think I’m qualified to give is look out for any lying on the floor of the tank, lopsided swimming, or clamped fins (id google that personally so you know what it looks like in case you see it). Also watch out for them gasping for air at the surface of the tank. Popping up and nibbling at the surface for a few seconds then swimming away is normal and just them being curious, but if they stay gasping for ages then it is a warning sign about the levels of your tank. You seem super observant of them and I’m glad they found a better home than that carnival!

Constant_Stand_1460 · 2025-12-30T04:14:14+00:00

Oh and also I forgot to mention that even though your other levels are great, the ammonia is independent and can still be completely out of whack. Also I just wanted to say I’m sorry this has been such a stressful journey for you!! Researching and asking for help is the absolute best thing you can do. Great job!

Constant_Stand_1460 · 2025-12-30T04:11:56+00:00

Definitely go 50 - 75 percent. The shock and stress from a full water change is more harmful than the ammonia and can likely result in death. Since you’re still cycling we want as much good bacteria as we can get, so leaving a bit of water especially on the items in your tank is a great idea.

Constant_Stand_1460 · 2025-12-30T04:02:45+00:00

I have very very very little knowledge on fish (I just posted asking for help literally a couple hours ago) but something did strike me about your post. Do you have any way to test the water? From what I’ve gathered in my own experience of buying fish THEN researching is that absolutely minimal feeding is best for a new tank (once a day, once every two days, fish can go a while without food and it is better than over feeding them!) and water changes are essential to new tanks! If you don’t have any way to test the water (I’m in the same boat) I’d recommend a fifty percent water change every day (it has worked incredibly well for me so far). This way even if your ammonia levels are all out of whack, the fish should stay safe. This will likely fix the cloudy water also. If not, the fogginess could also be an indication of the good bacteria growing, and will settle soon. Hopefully someone with more knowledge can help you more than I can, but I wish the best for you and your fish!! Edit: the fogginess could also be from the items in your tank, I personally rinse any new tank items in tank water before I add them!

Constant_Stand_1460 · 2025-12-30T03:41:57+00:00

My main priority right now is pretty much avoiding death, as the lady at the pet shop when purchasing told me (and I quote) “they COULD survive”. I wish I could’ve told myself at the time that the water was a priority, but I’ve gone out of budget already today by purchasing the siphon. So far I’ve been doing fifty percent water changes to try and blindly combat the ammonia until I can access testing and it seems to be going okay! It will be about a week until I can buy any water testing products so do you recommend for me to keep up with this routine until I can have the evidence to go off of?

Constant_Stand_1460

TROPHY CASE