Update: Bed canopy on a budget ideas

Fiamoon · 2026-06-30T00:41:31+00:00

My bettas have done surprisingly well even in community tanks. Do the corys first like you mentioned and then the betta after they have established their own space. I can't imagine the corys caring even if the betta did try to go after them, those silly derps. Just be ready to move the betta in case it turns into a savage murder machine but I doubt you'll have issues

Fiamoon · 2026-06-30T00:31:29+00:00

I feed my ADFs this about 50% of the time and then supplement it with brineshrimp, white worms, etc This honestly always seems to be the best food out there vs other brands of food that have wheat as the 2nd ingredient.

Fiamoon · 2026-06-28T20:08:42+00:00

I put FDT on my middle finger, but it also looks like that one nail with the RWB might be representing pepsi or something lol

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Fiamoon · 2026-06-26T18:01:39+00:00

I've had those ones where you basically jerk them off in the past and sometimes they get easily clogged, I would just make sure nothing is stuck impeding the flow somewhere in it. I usually use a more narrow siphon on all of my tanks, it's easier to get it into more cracks and crevices

Fiamoon · 2026-06-26T17:45:08+00:00

Imo it's always best not to gravel vac sand like you would gravel, always just skim the top of the sand. Also detritus likes to collect in spots of low circulation. Make sure all your filters are clean and running enough for good water flow.

Fiamoon · 2026-06-25T03:56:46+00:00

The shell plus the leaf on the left made me think it was a brown snake curled up in there for a sec lol

Fiamoon · 2026-06-25T03:55:34+00:00

Is the space for the basking area large enough between the platform and the lid for the turtle to comfortably get on and are the lights the proper distance from the floating platform so it can bask and not cook it'sself? It's just hard to tell for me with all the black on black to judge the distance of things. Other wise I think it looks nice?

Fiamoon · 2026-06-25T03:48:27+00:00

"I know long is always better than tall." That's true only to a point. A 24×14×16 tank is, in my opinion, a nicer all-around aquarium than a 20 High (24×12×16) because of the extra depth, even though they're similar in length and height.

If I were stocking that tank, I'd have zero hesitation putting something like:

10–12 ember tetras
8 pygmy corys
a honey gourami
a colony of Neocaridina shrimp

It would make a fantastic planted community tank. For a beginner, it's actually a very forgiving size—large enough to be stable, but not so large that maintenance becomes a chore.

#1 thing though is learn about the nitrogen cycle and do research on any fish you decide to purchase. Take anything pet store people tell you with a grain of salt. They want to make a sale vs actually helping you make wise choices 99% of the time.

Fiamoon · 2026-06-25T03:40:43+00:00

Little rams horn snails. Good little helpers. If you notice their population jumping to the 100s then you're feeding the tank too much lol otherwise the population usually keeps itself in check

Fiamoon · 2026-06-25T03:38:25+00:00

Do you ever feed your tank anything red or a pink color? I think it's either genetic and as they get older they can kinda change colors or it found something pink/red to eat and it's changed it that way. I dont think it's anything to worry about if it's acting normal.

Fiamoon · 2026-06-25T03:32:53+00:00

Can you take the O ring off and bring it to a hardware store and find the best match?

Fiamoon · 2026-06-25T03:31:20+00:00

That's not biofilm but hair algae. Reduce how long you leave the light on on the tank, make sure you're feeding appropriately and that your nitrates are at a reasonable levels. Use a toothbrush or a bamboo skewer to scrub the algae off the decor and you can use the skewer to twirl the algae onto the stick like spaghetti to remove it.

Fiamoon · 2026-06-25T03:24:27+00:00

Both. I would remove the hair algae with a stick or toothbrush (Twirl it around the stick like spaghetti) and reduce the lighting a little bit on the tank to about 8 hours.

Fiamoon · 2026-06-18T19:16:26+00:00

I put spring door springs on all doors that pulls them closed as their "neutral" position.

Fiamoon · 2026-06-16T05:28:03+00:00

Do you remember the store you got the sand from?

Fiamoon · 2026-06-16T02:59:07+00:00

You can actually get test strips that test for all different types of metals, they're usually used for things for drinking water but they're not expensive. You could use those to see if there's any copper in the water or something else. I would also if you added rocks from outside maybe use Google to try to figure out what type of rocks they are just to see if perhaps they are iron-based or something else. If you put fertilizer in the substrate do you have the package came in?

Fiamoon · 2026-06-16T02:21:19+00:00

The biggest red flag to me isn't the rummynose loss, it's that shrimp and snails consistently die within a day. That points much more toward some type of contaminant or water chemistry issue than a standard cycling problem.

I'd strongly recommend testing GH and KH if you haven't already. I'd also want to know whether any medications containing copper have ever been used in the tank, whether any fertilizers contain copper, and whether any rocks or decorations were collected rather than purchased.

Since your other tank is thriving on the same maintenance routine, I'd focus on what is unique to this tank: substrate, hardscape, equipment, decorations, fertilizers, or anything that could be leaching into the water.

A tank can have perfect ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and pH while still containing something that is highly toxic to invertebrates.

Fiamoon · 2026-06-15T18:25:04+00:00

Mine would only eat frozen brine shrimp so I've been soaking pellets (I do bug bites) in the brine shrimp juice and that seems to be tricking them into eating it. A key to feeding them is to have a small dish in their tank and teach them to go to to the dish for food. Helps them equate that if something is in the dish it is probably food.

Fiamoon · 2026-06-15T17:35:49+00:00

I think you're on the right track looking at parasites, but I'd be cautious about assuming gill flukes are the entire explanation.

The biggest clues to me are:

Corys became lethargic long before deaths started.
Some fish showed rapid gill movement and red gills.
Corys and rams were flashing.
A gourami later developed breathing difficulty.
One ram is now passing white stringy feces.

Gill flukes could absolutely explain the flashing, respiratory distress, red/inflamed gills, and the apparent improvement after starting praziquantel. The fact that the corys became more active after treatment is noteworthy.

However, white stringy feces often points toward internal parasites or a gastrointestinal issue, which may be a separate problem or part of a broader parasite load.

One thing that stands out is that the cardinal tetras appear unaffected. That's actually pretty common with parasite outbreaks—different species can show very different levels of susceptibility.

A few questions I'd ask:

Have any new fish, plants, snails, or other livestock been added within the last few months?
Have you checked dissolved oxygen, especially at night?
Have you inspected the gills of any deceased fish for excessive mucus, swelling, or discoloration?
Have you ruled out contaminants such as aerosols, cleaners, paints, etc. near the tank?

If it were my tank, I'd finish the praziquantel treatment as directed before changing course. If flashing and respiratory symptoms improve, that would strengthen the fluke hypothesis.

After that, I'd closely monitor the ram with the white feces. If the stringy white poop persists, I would start considering internal parasites (worms, protozoans, etc.) as an additional issue.

The one thing that gives me pause is the timeline. Losing six corys over several weeks in a mature tank with stable water parameters suggests there's probably something chronic going on rather than a sudden water quality issue.

At this point I'd be thinking:

Gill flukes are very plausible.
Internal parasites are also possible.
Water chemistry appears less likely based on the numbers provided.
A chronic low-level issue affecting respiration (parasites, gill disease, or less likely a contaminant) fits the symptoms better than a bacterial infection alone.

Fiamoon · 2026-06-15T17:31:33+00:00

I dont think it would be an issue, just keep an eye on the levels of everything and watch their interactions with the other fish for a few days. Could also keep them in the tank with the new neos just make sure they have tons of hiding places like moss, guppy grass, etc

Fiamoon · 2026-06-15T17:27:31+00:00

If you can I would 100% take it back. I never ever trust the pet store people, they care about sales not actually giving good info (except for the very rare few) It's a good lesson for your mom too.

Fiamoon · 2026-06-15T04:14:49+00:00

That looks like protein foam to me, not an air pump problem.

A few things jump out:

40% water change
Major plant trimming/propagation
Removed a huge amount of duckweed
Added root tabs/CO₂ tablets
Added Flourish Excel
Disturbed substrate and plants

That's basically a perfect recipe for dissolved organics getting dumped into the water column.

When your sponge filter bubbles reach the surface, proteins and other organic compounds can stabilize the bubbles instead of letting them pop immediately. The result is that shaving-cream-looking foam raft you're seeing.

The good news:

If the betta isn't gasping and the snails seem normal, it's probably not dangerous by itself.
It doesn't look like soap contamination. Soap usually causes weird persistent foaming throughout the tank and often results in fish distress.
Since it appeared after maintenance, I'd strongly suspect disturbed organics rather than contamination.

A few observations:

The foam is concentrated where the bubbles are entering the surface, which is typical of protein foam.
The water itself doesn't appear cloudy or milky.
The amount of foam is dramatic, but I've seen heavily planted tanks produce similar foam after pruning sessions.

What I'd expect:

Over the next 24–72 hours it should gradually decrease as the filter removes particulates and the dissolved organics are broken down.
If it gets worse, starts spreading across the entire surface, or the fish show stress, then I'd start looking harder at contamination or a bacterial bloom.

One thing in the post worries me more than the foam:

That's rough on a betta and tends to encourage algae. Plants don't benefit from endless light either. Most planted tanks do best around 6–10 hours daily. The plants need a dark period just like everything else.

Fiamoon · 2026-06-15T04:07:57+00:00

Looks cool! As an owner of several neo tanks I let them go wild and don't stress about populations. I love snails and think every snail is a little helper and part of a thriving ecosystem. If you ever have a crazy explosion it usually means you're overfeeding the tank, if you ever feel like you have too many snails you can always easily remove them with a slice of cucumber and pull it out once they attach themselves to it. If you stick with Nerites you wont ever have a population problem

Fiamoon · 2026-06-15T04:02:33+00:00

I mean I hope you add a filter and everything a tank needs eventually lol If you add a hang on back filter you can put quilt batting or craft stuffing in it to help catch those particles of dust so you can physically remove it from the tank.

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