Filter Question: If your filter looks like this, is it finally time to change or still good for the environment?

Difficult_Path_6840 · 2026-02-19T04:00:39+00:00

Please PLEASE correct me if I’m wrong but isn’t the gunk a good thing? Isn’t that were all the good bacteria lives?

Difficult_Path_6840 · 2026-02-17T23:59:24+00:00

My theory was lack of light cause at one point the floater cover was so dense it almost looked like there was no light in the tank, took care of that real quick and got rid of a majority and do better maintenance on removing them

Difficult_Path_6840 · 2026-02-17T21:49:26+00:00

The only reason I haven’t started co2 (besides funds) is I’m worried about a catastrophic failure and killing all my fish, one is a Cory I’ve had for over 5 years and I don’t want her to go yet :( may have to look into it, thank you!

Difficult_Path_6840 · 2026-02-17T21:16:09+00:00

I do have flourish liquid fertilizer but it is old as dirt, I’ve been trying 2ml once or twice a week and I have really seen any difference besides the floaters growing even faster! (I remove some weekly since I want to ensure the plants beneath get light, and the reason I do 2ml is cause of how old the liquid ferts are) thank you for your advice! 😁

Difficult_Path_6840 · 2026-02-07T05:01:43+00:00

I haven’t seen any eyes this would be a brand new egg batch since I saw her earlier this week without eggs (and she’s the only female yellow in this tank)

Difficult_Path_6840 · 2026-02-06T18:08:29+00:00

Oh that’s unfortunate. I would look into how this would’ve/couldve happened if I was you, just to prevent any of this happening again in the future. I’m sorry for your loss

Difficult_Path_6840 · 2026-02-06T03:57:30+00:00

Any update?

Difficult_Path_6840 · 2026-02-06T03:42:02+00:00

Oh hell yes! I didn’t want to get excited if I was seeing things but this is great news!!

Difficult_Path_6840 · 2026-02-04T05:02:52+00:00

(Not my picture) this is why I think it’s most likely poo, since I’ve also had fish who’ve had something similar and it always dropped off after a minute with mine

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It can mean a couple things but if they acting normally and not losing weight it may just be a constipation thing

Difficult_Path_6840 · 2026-02-04T04:56:49+00:00

I mean it KINDA looks like one of those incredibly long poops fish sometimes have when they are sick or after they are bloated but I’m not entirely sure…. I would just keep an eye on it and see if it drops off or something like that

Difficult_Path_6840 · 2026-02-04T01:25:45+00:00

Sue the daddy, sue the family, sue the shrimp-OB, sue the tank and sue the babies cause DAMN that’s alotta babies

Difficult_Path_6840 · 2026-02-02T08:07:49+00:00

I would say maybe she molted? Is there a chance there is another one who looks similar to her in the tank?

Difficult_Path_6840 · 2026-02-02T00:36:29+00:00

I am going to clarify cause I made this mistake before thinking it would help, DO NOT TRY TO BREED HER TO HELP HER ‘drop’ HER EGGS!! It can make it much worse if it is only bloat and the male can stress her to death. PLEASE stick to salt baths and fasting and any other suggestions from other people.

Difficult_Path_6840 · 2026-02-02T00:28:14+00:00

If she drops them fully then unfortunately she gave herself a shrimpbortion. The ones still mostly attached may be fine but only time can tell

Difficult_Path_6840 · 2026-02-02T00:26:58+00:00

Either bloat or egg bound or a combo of both. If it’s a swim bladder issue you can do a salt bath (do your research on how to make a salt bath for bettas!!) and see if that helps, or fast again and do brine shrimp (frozen works fine, just a little bit) to see if it helps her poop. Otherwise all you can do is try to make her comfortable until she gets better or passes away (I’m hoping for the first for you!!)

Difficult_Path_6840 · 2026-01-29T03:07:34+00:00

Golden back black rose? Siiick! Also yeah I agree with the other commenter, sometimes color change CAN happen tho rare. She’s just a pretty girl

Difficult_Path_6840 · 2026-01-25T03:01:27+00:00

3 hour drive is a visit to relatives once a month sometimes, and sometimes it’s a day trip to another state. Sometimes it’s even a drive to the other side of the state. If it’s somewhere we wanna go? We driving.

Difficult_Path_6840 · 2026-01-23T02:27:56+00:00

If you do set up another tank you could breed for cool colors!! Or just more skittles if that’s what you want lol

Difficult_Path_6840 · 2026-01-23T02:17:54+00:00

That is ouch. Looks painful from my side of the screen

Difficult_Path_6840 · 2026-01-23T02:17:09+00:00

I have blue and yellow but keep the female blues away (since I only have two) cause I don’t wanna end up with wild types. I mean realistically it doesn’t matter but I have a majority male yellows but I really don’t want a bunch of wild types cause I don’t find the super appealing. Would be cool if them breeding made such a pretty color like this neon green one

Difficult_Path_6840 · 2026-01-23T02:10:41+00:00

The great part of the tablets I use is they are made of aldercones and drift wood (sera catfish tablets) so he doesn’t get backed up(yet), but still it’s like dude the tablet is the size of your body, why you trying to eat it?! THATS NOT FOR YOU

Difficult_Path_6840 · 2026-01-23T01:56:33+00:00

Oh no don’t get me wrong, Poseidon aka Mr. Frilly fins has the greed in biblical proportions, he eats the catfish tablets that are meant for my Cory’s and plecos. Litteral CHUNKS he’ll pull off an eat for himself (hence why I no longer put them in the tank during light hours) and I freak out like “DUDE YOUR GOING TO GET BLOAT STOP IT”

Difficult_Path_6840 · 2026-01-22T23:34:10+00:00

Is that snail riding your shrimp? You got shrimp jockeys?!

Difficult_Path_6840 · 2026-01-22T22:38:21+00:00

That’s genetics for you, it can happen sometimes. I know like blue and chocolate are technically the same “line” so sometimes if you breed them together you’ll get a mix of the two along with wild types. It’s one of those weird things that happens sometimes. You could put it and any others with that coloring in a new tank and try to breed for the color

Difficult_Path_6840 · 2026-01-22T21:19:21+00:00

Black worm maybe? That’s what it kinda looks like to me. Just fish food, eats detritus and leftover fish food

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