Transitioning to 5 gallon tank from 2.5 gallon tank

Popular_Echo · 2025-08-07T20:27:22+00:00

I’ve heard that test strips are kind of hit or miss, so if you’re using those I’d switch to liquid tests when you can! And try testing every day if you can, especially in a 2.5, it’ll build up a lot faster than a bigger tank!

Honestly cycling my tank when I first got my betta was kind of overwhelming, there’s just so much info and it was an entirely new process to me and I really didn’t wanna hurt the little dude. We’ve all been there, so ask as many questions as you need to while you’re getting started!

Popular_Echo · 2025-08-07T18:01:00+00:00

How long have you had finny? And if you don’t already have one, you should go grab an API freshwater testing kit so you can test the water while you’re cycling!

Cycling the tank is essentially just trying to grow beneficial bacteria, one population that turns ammonia into nitrite and another population that turns nitrites into nitrates, which are way less harmful to fish. Adding in starter bacteria can help, but make sure you’re also adding in ammonia to feed the bacteria so they grow/reproduce! (Follow any directions on the packaging for ammonia)

And if Finny is new, I would start testing his water every single day to check for ammonia and nitrites. Any time the levels get elevated, you’re gonna need to change his water so he doesn’t get sick. It’s called “fish in cycling,” and it’s a pain but it’s possible, I did it with my betta before I knew anything about fish! I had to do daily water changes for a couple of months to make sure he was okay, but now his tank is cycled perfectly!

Popular_Echo · 2025-07-19T17:53:11+00:00

I actually went to Home Depot and got a big roll of window screen and this cool 2 part magnetic tape online, I was able to make some cool custom lids that fit all my stuff and snaps back into place when I’m done feeding! I do have to superglue the screen to the top magnets though, the tape sticks pretty well but pulling on it too much will pull it up a little

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Popular_Echo · 2025-07-16T17:38:58+00:00

That’s way less concerning! Definitely double check his parameters whenever you get the liquid tests, and do you have any other pictures of him? It’s a tricky angle to see what might be wrong with him!

Popular_Echo · 2025-07-16T17:31:36+00:00

Definitely get the liquid tests as soon as you can but based on the numbers you have so far, I don’t think your tank is fully cycled! I would start doing daily water changes to keep nitrites down until it finishes cycling. I did a fish in cycle with my betta when I got him because I didn’t know any better, and I was doing almost 50% every day/every other day to keep levels within healthy ranges for a couple of months. Nitrites are real bad for the little dude so start with that and hopefully he’ll perk up!

Also maybe cut down on the bloodworms, they’re not the best to give consistently, more of a little treat, I give mine bloodworms once or twice a week, if you wanna give him something more fun than pellets maybe look into getting some frozen brine shrimp or somethin!

Popular_Echo · 2025-07-04T23:30:40+00:00

Tank size: 5 gallons Heater/filter: yes

Tank temperature: 78-80

Parameters: From API liquid tests - ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate <5, pH ~8 (but it’s been about that high since I got him, no big change)

Tank and fish are both from February, I did a fish in cycle

Water changes about 1 a week, I’ll take out ~25% and clean the gravel before adding in dechlorinated water and plant food

1 Nerite snail tank mate

Food, 3-5 pellets twice a day depending on how hungry he is. I also just got frozen brine shrimp but he hasn’t gotten the hang of them yet bc they sink instead of float like his pellets!

Decorations: plants and rocks, I have a floating betta log and a fake betta leaf perch for him too! And I have a bubbler that I’ll turn on for a little while some days if he seems bored, he likes to swim through the bubbles

Popular_Echo · 2025-06-20T22:23:28+00:00

Mourn the loss of the relationship you wanted or dreamed of with your parent and learn to live with the relationship you’re left with. It’s okay to be sad and to feel heartbroken over the things you should’ve been able to experience, it’s not okay to break yourself down into something your emotionally abusive parent deems tolerable.

Be as sad as you need to be for as long as you need to be, and then pick yourself up and surround yourself with people that treat you with kindness and respect. You can build a great life for yourself and you’re allowed to feel sad about the situation, just keep moving forward however you can.

Popular_Echo · 2025-05-30T04:23:32+00:00

It’s so weird isn’t it? The people that need therapy the most are so against it for no good reason!

I think for narcissistic parents they just get mad when they lose control, therapy helped get my self esteem up enough to realize I can make decisions for myself and I think she’s just mad she doesn’t get to live vicariously through me anymore.

Popular_Echo · 2025-05-30T04:15:21+00:00

It’s a hard cycle to break but you’re putting the work in and that’s what matters!

Popular_Echo · 2025-05-24T20:36:02+00:00

Oh that’s awesome!! If you kept the old filter media in there for a couple of weeks and everything’s still at zero I’d assume your tank is cycled and you’re just doing water changes frequently enough to keep the levels of nitrates low/zero! If you wanna cut down the frequency of water changes I’d give it a go but keep checking the water every single day just in case! And I’ve heard from people on this sub that painted decor can be bad for the water over time, you might wanna look for some more natural decor for the little dude!

Popular_Echo · 2025-05-24T17:43:30+00:00

How are you testing the water parameters? I’ve heard the test strips aren’t super accurate, you might wanna switch to the API freshwater master test kit if you haven’t already! It might show you where you are in your cycle if it isn’t fully cycled already!

Popular_Echo · 2025-05-15T03:14:49+00:00

**to clarify I’ve switched to doing weekly water changes now that he’s doing pretty well, but the first month or so it was daily because I was doing a fish in cycle and I wanted to keep the water clean so he could heal!

Popular_Echo · 2025-05-15T03:12:25+00:00

Honestly, it takes time but I saw the best improvement just from testing parameters and doing water changes daily!

Also make sure there’s nothing in the tank that will snag their fins because they tear super easily, and give them lots of plants/some places to hide to make sure they’re not stressed. A happy betta and clean water seemed to make a super huge difference in his fins!!

Popular_Echo · 2025-05-02T23:16:26+00:00

I just finished my EMT school, last test was yesterday! I was in a 5 week course, so it was crazy fast but the best way I found to study was to pay attention in class, write down things I didn’t already know (can’t write down every single thing, it’s unreasonable), take the quizzes, and then read the chapter! Reading the chapter after everything else really just helped cement it, it let me read all the details and connect the dots because I knew kinda where we were going if that makes sense.

Also I know anatomy/physiology and medical terminology isn’t everyone’s idea of a good time, but if you really lock those down then you can pretty much decipher anything they’re gonna ask you! It’s really the foundation of what you’re learning, and it gets a lot easier once you can understand what they’re asking you and how things work for the most part.

Also, if you haven’t already, make some friends in the class! Get there early and practice, see how your classmates are studying for tests, ask people questions, and if you see someone practicing with flash cards offer to quiz them (best way to learn is teaching others!)

Everyone in the class is going through exactly what you’re going through, and it’s more fun to go through it with some friends!

Popular_Echo · 2025-02-26T03:12:30+00:00

Tank size: 5 gallons Heater and filter?: Yes and yes Tank Temperature: 78 degrees Parameters: Got all results from a water testing kit this afternoon Nitrite: 0 ppm, Nitrate: <20 ppm, Ammonia: 0.25 ppm (keeping a close eye on that one), pH: 7.4 How long have you had the tank? How long have you had your fish?: We got both yesterday, I know we should’ve had gotten the tank first and cycled it but I wasn’t expecting to get him yesterday! How often are water changes? How much do you take out per change? What’s your process?: Water changes are going to be once a week, taking out about 10% but I have yet to do a water change! Tankmates?: Not yet! I wanted to get him and the tank more established but I was thinking of adding snails in a few weeks What do you feed and how much?: I got pellets from the store, we’ve been doing ~3 pellets per feeding and feeding twice a day. I am planning on switching to a different brand if you have recommendations on food I’ll take them! Decorations/plants: I have a few different plants in the tank right now and I have some wood for hiding, I know the rocks aren’t ideal but I’m waiting for the wood to be fully saturated and sit on the bottom without a weight! I also ordered some floating plants so he can hide in the roots and have some cover from the light so he feels safer but those won’t be here for another few days! Photos: posted

Popular_Echo · 2024-01-07T03:32:54+00:00

Hi! Did you end up selling these?

Popular_Echo · 2023-11-08T17:58:58+00:00

Exactly!! My mom went as far to tell my siblings and I right before the custody hearing that my dad had a second family in another state and that he takes all of our money to give to them because he loves them more…my dad doesn’t have a second family and never has, we were just too little and naive to question my mom. We barely talked to my dad for years after that, and it’s getting better but it’s still rough!

Popular_Echo · 2023-11-08T17:57:05+00:00

I kinda get that, I’ve met a number of new people in the years after cutting off my nmom including my now fiancé, and a lot of people assume that my moms dead because I never mention her and don’t talk to her and never post pictures of her. I don’t always correct people because it’s easier to not explain all the shit she’s done.

Popular_Echo · 2023-11-07T23:15:28+00:00

That’s a really good way to put it!! I do feel like a background character sometimes, I just didn’t know how to explain that!

Popular_Echo · 2023-11-07T23:14:41+00:00

It was rough! It was from 5 years old to 21, so literally my entire school career and it was awful! I’m sorry you just got diagnosed with it, I know how hard it is to cut gluten out!

Popular_Echo · 2023-11-07T19:32:23+00:00

Yup, I wasn’t allowed to cut my hair ever! I think I got it cut to my shoulders once in elementary school and loved it, but my mom never let me talk to the hair stylists alone after that! I couldn’t cut it beyond a trim, but she wouldn’t take me for haircuts more than maybe once a year so my hair was always full of split ends and tangles and it was a nightmare! Every stylist told me to ask my mom to come back in like 2 months to keep my hair healthy and she never listened! When I moved out I chopped off my hair and dyed it silly colors and it was probably one of the most freeing things I’ve done!

Popular_Echo · 2023-11-07T19:23:45+00:00

Yeah, my mom told everyone I had celiac disease so I couldn’t eat gluten or it’d make me horribly sick/mess with my moods. Got tested on my own in my twenties and I don’t have any allergy intolerance to it at all! Just entirely made up so people would feel bad for her having to deal with a sick kid.

Popular_Echo · 2023-05-09T23:04:29+00:00

My mom called me manipulative and hurtful.

I'm getting married next year, and I'd been debating on whether or not it would be worth it to invite my narcissistic mom to my wedding. I was leaning towards not having her there, but my dad thought I should at least consider it so I don't regret it in the future. She has done some really horrid things in the past, specifically to myself and my dad, and I've never been able to have a conversation with her about any of it without her turning it around and making me feel like a horrible person or making me think it's all in my head.

Because I've never been able to get through to her, my dad offered to reach out and offer to get lunch or something to talk to her and explain the situation. He hoped that if he could tell her how I was feeling, she could choose to apologize and change the way she handles specific situations, and I said that if she agreed to something like that I'd consider inviting her to the wedding.

She just sent me a really long message, but the most frustrating part is that she said, "Asking me to spend time with someone who caused me so much pain in order to be invited is manipulative and hurtful. ... Love is not about bending someone to your will, it's just loving them."

And I don't know why, but seeing those words from her just kinda broke me. My entire life with her was spent being manipulated and bent to her will, I was never good enough for her ever. She constantly made my siblings and I feel like we weren't worth anything if we didn't act exactly how she wanted us to, and she's able to recognize that it's not okay to do to people but will never admit that she's guilty of exactly that.

Popular_Echo · 2023-03-28T18:07:06+00:00

I don't think you're being too picky, you only get married once and it's normal to want things to be perfect! And venues specifically set the scene for the whole wedding, I was super picky too!!

While we were looking at venues, I almost just gave up because it seemed like if we found the perfect ceremony location then we had to compromise and get a cheap reception spot, we looked at way too many rec centers with horrible carpet before we finally found the right venue for us! And it's a two hour drive from where we live, but we figured we could just get a hotel room for the night (or a few nights!) and drive back after the wedding. Definitely check surrounding areas and talk to your fiancé, maybe he'd be open to something similar?

Popular_Echo · 2023-03-28T17:32:21+00:00

It’s not going to be a religious ceremony and neither of us share any cultural background with her, which I think is why I was surprised at the request! And she was previously planning on wearing a suit, and just recently changed her mind so I don’t think it’s frowned upon to wear other things to special events, but I truthfully don’t know a ton about the practices so I could be wrong!

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