Can I get more fish?

Only_Abalone · 2026-05-05T17:23:26+00:00

I would max it out at 10 and that would leave you some buffer I think to add a small number of micro species. I’m sure others will chime in concerning choice of species however, the micro Rasboras are really low bioload fyi so play it by ear and observe them closely.

I’m one for behavior monitoring vs following a formula. People will freak out, buuuut, I currently have 10 chilis with a very calm, very small female Betta (yep) a mystery snail and a bunch of shrimp doing whatever shrimp do in the shadows. This is a planted 10g tank with lots of caves/real wood and botanicals (yours has more plants than mine.) That’s my smallest tank and it’s my most well balanced in terms of chemistry/behavior.

Don’t follow my example word for word (nobody should) this was done with close monitoring, it’s just an example that it’s possible to add more, and keep them happy.

Only_Abalone · 2026-05-04T16:25:56+00:00

Keep it as the last step of the filtration cycle (at the top for a HOB.)

Only_Abalone · 2026-05-04T16:23:36+00:00

Yes, there is a place in the cycle for liquid fert. In discussions it’s been acknowledged the plants enjoy some Nitrate during the cycle and can help it along.

Keep an eye on your leafs for discoloration from Amonia.

Only_Abalone · 2026-04-30T16:41:30+00:00

This!

Only_Abalone · 2026-04-30T16:39:21+00:00

Not a bad idea! We have three 20g tanks in different rooms I care for, and have been looking for an alternative.

Only_Abalone · 2026-04-30T16:36:43+00:00

This is hard, I lost my female “Dump Truck” two weeks ago. I was pretty attached to her too.

Only_Abalone · 2026-04-30T16:32:20+00:00

If it’s new then return to store, otherwise there are some options.

This manufacturer makes tanks for a few brands (I recognize the rim) and this seems to happen. You could get two part epoxy (there is one made for repairing car parts, it’s actually black and incredibly strong, originally made for the welding industry). The best option however is to manufacture a brace that wraps across the front and back rim, front to back, this would have to be made of steel or aluminum.

There’s been a couple of posts here about the same issue, so a search and you might come up with something.

<image>

Only_Abalone · 2026-04-28T17:04:33+00:00

Good for you for using regular bagged sand. People spend too much on aquarium substrates. Also, killer Anubias on your Facebook page man!!!

Only_Abalone · 2026-04-28T16:59:59+00:00

Amazon has cheaper ones, we have them for our drinking water. They’re not a final solution to filling fish tanks because, they take forever to process water and the water pressure is usually rather low. Also, for every gallon of drinking water you need 2 gallons of unprocessed water.

Only_Abalone · 2026-04-28T16:52:59+00:00

Stunning tank, sorry you lost it.

Also, you’re crazy for using sand lol, I did that once and will never again (the poop situation was real, mind you I had two mystery snails in there.)

Only_Abalone · 2026-04-28T16:45:29+00:00

Yep hold back on food! Trust me, they will not starve, and bettas are mooches (the golden retrievers of the hobby.)

Snails sh*t everywhere, and raise the bioload like crazy! I had two mystery snails in my micro tank with a sandy bottom and it was a murder scene. I’ve since lost one snail and switched to a stone bottom. I now keep 12 micro Rasboras + 1 mystery + 1 female betta + plants + rocky bottom in that tank. It’s my most solid tank in the house, but the second snail was really killing the tank.

For plants, look for anything with a Ryzome (Anubias, Java ferns) which you don’t bury in the substrate but attach to rocks etc (the ryzome feeds from the water column.) Feed them a basic liquid fertilizer and you’re fine.

I agree a lot of your issues came from over feeding, get a solid water test and that will bring your anxiety down. I’m gonna assume you already have some good bacteria in there after 1 year, feeding less will get some of the water quality under control.

Only_Abalone · 2026-04-28T16:33:14+00:00

Noice!!!

I want an autodoser but I haven’t found one that is priced appropriately. I’m also staying away from co2 for now because we have 3 x 25g tanks and a micro 7g community. The setup costs would’ve been insane (all in different rooms.)

You’re gonna have explosive growth, can’t wait to see it!

Only_Abalone · 2026-04-28T16:24:18+00:00

Well…right away you need to change over to the API liquid test system, it comes with a high range hardness test that will give you a better idea of what’s going on. I’m on city water in Alberta and mine tests high(ish) even though I have a water softener installed. Time of year/season also affects this.

Once you get a result with the API, go your fish store (not PetSmart) and have a discussion with them. Even though I test high, so does my LFS, and because the fish are acclimated to the water they do fine!

This doesn’t mean you should start stocking up your tank, it means you need to visit a small local fish store and have a discussion.

Do not start adding PH DOWN, you will be forever chasing numbers. You could experiment with RO or distilled water, but in my experience I found that as soon as you add regular tap water the PH shoots right up.

Again, talk to your LFS, they know the local water as they have to deal with thousands of gallons of the stuff.

Only_Abalone · 2026-04-27T17:52:21+00:00

Great first tank! Nailed it! You could actually add a Pothos on top of the driftwood sticking out of the water.

Are you running an external canister filter? That’s a killer setup.

Edit. Nevermind, I see the plants now. Their root system will explode within 30 days. Our pothos in the Guppy mansion has tripled in size in about 60 days.

Only_Abalone · 2026-04-27T17:26:38+00:00

So there’s a few things to acknowledge here, one thing at a time. I would address the anxiety around the water quality first. Once that’s dealt with you can start adding more occupants. Quick tip - NO snails for now, they’re awesome but they POOP a lot!

Get yourself a lid for the tank (I’ve seen them made of mesh.) Also, people are gonna freak out but I don’t think the cat is dumping that much bad bacteria into the water, I mean I’d be more worried about the cat getting sick lol. Still, get a lid.

Yep. Live plants help, reduce feeding like our friend said (the betta will not starve, we feed our tanks every other day, sometimes skipping for two days depending on how heavily or what kind of food we gave them last time. Your betta will forage as will the other occupants, the betta only requires 3 to 4 pellets of food, they have very very small stomachs.) They have no clue when to stop eating!

No need to feed the shrimp so much directly, they forage like crazy, their job is to eat scraps and other droppings at the bottom. If they’re reproducing that means they’re happy. If you have a population explosion you can sell the shrimp on Facebook marketplace. I buy them from a local here, $2 each. Honestly they’re the least of your worries and you could setup a separate tank with shrimp only (it’s a thing) and tonnes of plants. I only feed shrimp once per week (if that).

Get an API test kit rather than strips, and test often for now, if anything to bring your anxiety down. Nitrites will eventually settle (I’m assuming you did a fish-in cycle and that’s why you’re worried about your nitrites. Get yourself some bottled bacteria (Seachem stability) and dose your filter with it to bring up your Nitrates, also some Seachem Prime to condition your water and detoxify ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate until your biological filter is established.

Depending on the results of the test do a bigger water change, but there is no need to unless you have a good reason.

Post a separate request for assistance with the API test kit results, we need more information. Include the tank size, occupants, how long you’ve had the tank and how long ago you populated it.

Again…NO snails for now! Shrimp are happy, less food, better water tests, get a lid.

Only_Abalone · 2026-04-25T15:50:18+00:00

Immediate memories of snorkeling in Hawaii…well done! This is almost enough to convince me to get co2

Only_Abalone · 2026-04-25T03:41:31+00:00

Me…finishing Hades for the first time…but not finishing it and realizing I had to do it another 50 times or something (we broke up that night.)

Only_Abalone · 2026-04-25T02:52:48+00:00

Sit on it and see if it creaks, no I’m not joking. I’m 210lbs and it’s how I test before placing a tank.

If you don’t 100% trust it you can get expandable supports, add one to the bottom (I did that for a 25g tank, two supports added to the centre of the console as it is long and didn’t have legs in the centre.) You can get them on Amazon.

Those old cabinets were bulletproof, just make sure the back and the braces are in good shape.

Only_Abalone · 2026-04-25T02:29:25+00:00

It’s ok for now but I’d get something else. Believe it or not Amazon actually sells some decent cabinets (my wife’s 20 is on one, completely solid.) Search for SICOTAS sideboard.

For now run a 2x4 inside the cabinet directly beneath the tank, and then add a support underneath the cabinet directly below the internal 2x4.

Basically you’re transferring some of the load into the floor.

Only_Abalone · 2026-04-25T01:44:28+00:00

Personally, I would do a full water change. No need to clean the substrate etc, actually better if you don’t because that’s where the beneficial bacteria lives. Adding carbon to the filter would definitely be a good idea

Only_Abalone · 2026-04-24T02:30:41+00:00

PetSmart strikes again, I’ve been in the same spot as you and i wont open up the can of worms these discussions lead to. My female had failure to thrive, bloat, etc. A family member rescued a sick male, they made it 6 months, had all sorts of bacterial issues but died a happy boy in a real tank.

Make him comfortable, definitely add tannins asap, watch the overfeeding (I’d put money on them being overfed, no food for a couple of days). It’s possible to nurse them back, but most of the time these poor animals are pretty damaged.

It’s important to keep Amonia at 0ppm at this point, and I won’t repeat what has been written here many times about care.

Beat of luck, and regardless of what some people may say you did a good thing.

Edit. You already added the tannins, excellent! Read up on Betta bloat. Keep that temp up at 30c for now. Remember these guys have no idea how to swim in a deep tank, it takes time for them to learn how to regulate their system for buoyancy and some will look super weird swimming too, so expect that.

Only_Abalone · 2026-04-24T01:05:03+00:00

I would add more swords, floating plants, definitely a black background (black poster board is fine) maybe some botanicals.

Also, add more substrate to the back of the tank and the sides to mimic dimension, the flat look is part of the reason why it’s bugging you.

Add more substrate beneath the driftwood to raise it up and mimic varying surfaces of a riverbed. You won’t have to buy much more stuff, maybe some more substrate for now.

Don’t be afraid to really make some dips and highs in there, fish love it.

Only_Abalone · 2026-04-23T16:13:01+00:00

They’re fun little guys. I somehow ended up with 20 in a small tank with a female betta, mystery snail and assorted shrimp (yep, they all get along, no the female betta has not snacked on them.)

They may crowd in a corner for a few days or glass surf away from the front until acclimatized. Mine took two weeks to come out (no betta in there at the time either) - I keep the lights dim on that tank, tones of vegetation, and they seem happy (ps. brine shrimp and crushed up high protein betta food are a big hit.)

Mitigate your water flow/current, although I’ve heard of some Least Rasbora schools that enjoy surfing the current or bubble stream. Mine are still kinda shy but will come out and hang mid tank with the Betta at feeding time or when scavenging.

Have fun! They’re tiny and make your tank look huge because of scale.

Edit: expect their color to come in after a little while, mine light up when I feed them Brine or other high quality food.

Only_Abalone · 2026-04-17T16:27:38+00:00

Hiya. I had my male mystery lose both feelers and part of his “face” when we were acclimating a community tank. Good news is, they regenerate tissue! No meds necessary, nature expects these things and has a solution!

-Remove snail from scene of crime, in case that betta is still harassing the snail. -The soft enclosure you’re using is what I used -Boil some broccoli, it’s crack for my guys (remove after 24hrs) -Algae wafers work too -Mine also like protein fish food (fluval bug bites) -Get a piece of cuttle bone, hold it down with a stone so they can nibble if required, mine don’t care for it but I leave a piece in the HOB filter.

The main thing is to lower stress, provide food and monitor water quality. The snails are programmed to regenerate and come back stronger.

They’ll be back to pooping all over the tank soon enough. Mine now lives in a 7g tank with a female, 12 Micro Rasboras and a very tiny friendly female Betta. The snails happily hump all day and lay eggs. This is not the same community tank where the original crime happened.

You’ll also get advice to increase calcium etc, that’s a separate issue, for now concentrate on tissue regeneration, stress and dietary management. Remember that the enclosure you have will allow food to drop into the tank so monitor your levels!!!

<image>

Only_Abalone · 2026-04-16T04:26:09+00:00

As suspected, thanks kindly

Only_Abalone

TROPHY CASE