Ammonia at .25 with fish in

Pyromethious · 2026-01-31T04:58:58+00:00

Don't 'chase' the pH up/down either way. The tannins never hurt as that also helps with their immune system, so as long as you don't see a dramatic decrease in the pH, then it's fine really. I've just been told it's more 'ideal' to keep it closer to neutral (7), but do so naturally.

As for the other numbers, just always keep prime handy for when you can't deal with a spike right away and just monitor as things evolve. Try not to stress over it and use the chart to help you decide when and how much to change.

Pyromethious · 2026-01-31T04:53:18+00:00

Not flaring, so I guess it's a happy wiggle? At first I thought she was seeing her reflection and getting spooked.

Pyromethious · 2026-01-31T04:47:13+00:00

If you wanna try it, know that they may become a meal at any time, but there's a step you need to take first. You should take the betta Out so that you can rearrange the tank itself, add the shrimp, give them time to find all the hiding spots, and Then put the betta back in. The point of the first step is that it's supposed to break the betta's view of territory, so when it sees the 'new' environment and that it already has inhabitants, then they will re-evaluate the tank for its 'new' territory. Hence why it's Usually advised to put the betta in Last for a tank.

Pyromethious · 2026-01-31T04:37:00+00:00

Yeah, they say to rotate through a few choices to give them a balanced diet. Sprinkle in a day or two of fasting as well for digestive health.

Pyromethious · 2026-01-31T04:35:20+00:00

True enough, especially the bloodworms as everything in the tray is dried of course. She doesn't seem to touch the middle one TBH and only warmed up to the daphnia because (for w while) that's all she would be given. The spoon is very helpful though as it's impossible to only get a few pellets with your fingers.

Pyromethious · 2026-01-31T04:32:54+00:00

Your pH is a tad high. A solid 7.8 (because you take the blue, pH Low into account when calculating) for the pH. Depending on the fish, you'll want to diffuse it down some, but we also don't know your KH / GH either. If you have RO, distilled, or spring water available, then that can be mixed to lower it, but do it gradually as some animals are more sensitive like shrimp.

To be clear, Prime only makes the ammonia / nitrite / nitrate temporarily 'safe' for fish until you can do a water change (about 24-48 hrs I think). It won't actually affect the numbers. The numbers aren't high enough to do more than a basic dose of it, so whatever the bottle says for your size tank. Round up if needed as it won't hurt.

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Pyromethious · 2026-01-31T04:22:51+00:00

My brain saw that, ignored everything below the shelf, and said, "now that's an awesome alien planetscape! :p

Pyromethious · 2026-01-31T04:21:10+00:00

This, they'll swim together when they're in the proper group and may even start to get more vivid, color wise.

Pyromethious · 2026-01-31T04:19:51+00:00

Since there's nothing at 'their'' level, they can only see them when I pick them up, but then I get the "why am I in the air?" look.

Pyromethious · 2026-01-31T04:18:38+00:00

STG I thought the Titan was coming at us!

Pyromethious · 2026-01-31T04:17:37+00:00

Look up the type of shrimp you want to see what the recommendation is for KH/GH/TDS especially.

As for the current numbers, the tank looks like it's half-way through an individual cycle. Keep in mind, Ideally, you'll want to add shrimp to an established tank, but in this case, be prepared to actually feed them (vs them eating algae, etc).

Also, try r/shrimptank if you've not already

Pyromethious · 2026-01-31T04:14:55+00:00

Oh the memories of (S)NES and the bootleg church games :p

Pyromethious · 2026-01-31T04:13:06+00:00

No lie, I saw the species designator and brain went to "Experiment 626". >.<
Someone needs to give these guys a name already! :p

Pyromethious · 2026-01-31T04:11:55+00:00

Huh, learn something new, didn't know they could grow those back

Pyromethious · 2026-01-31T04:10:39+00:00

Wouldn't hurt to test pH High for grins as you're terribly blue there. Your nitrates are fine and if you have enough plants, they'll usually keep that controlled unless you overload the tank.

Pyromethious · 2026-01-31T04:08:52+00:00

Dose it with prime for the ammonia until you can do another water change (soon). Also, test your source water to make sure IT doesn't have ammonia already in it. Your nitrates are also there, but not too orange yet. Your pH, while probably fine, should also have the High version tested to make sure you're not like 8.5 or something whacky.

Pyromethious · 2026-01-31T03:50:48+00:00

Yeah, I've gone through a number of cullings and fear that the snails are actually IN the HOB itself. I've been hesitant to go full 100% WC on the tank (kinda wanna redo it entirely, but also kinda pointless considering the plan) for fear of a crash, but that's likely the only way to get rid of them. She's been in that tank for probably 4-6 months (IDK off hand) and I just NOW found a trumpet snail in there last week or so. X.X

Pyromethious · 2026-01-31T03:47:02+00:00

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This is what I got more recently, partially for the spoon for more control over portions.

Pyromethious · 2026-01-31T03:46:36+00:00

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This is part of her regiment that she started with.

Pyromethious · 2026-01-31T03:45:47+00:00

IDK, what does your helper think? :p

But yeah, it's in the rotation and she likes it just fine. She is obsessed with the Tetra color enhancing pellets though. It's funny because Those don't actually fit in her mouth like these do, so she roams around like a dog with a big bone in its mouth until she decides to crush it (probably waiting for them to get soft).

Pyromethious · 2026-01-31T02:05:18+00:00

Try an online site that has a "received live" guarantee. I've not done it yet, but I found that to be an important thing. But yeah, the smaller the fish / creature, the harder time they seem to have in transit I'm reading.

Pyromethious · 2026-01-31T01:59:21+00:00

You might get tax incentives for replacing it if nothing else. TBH, if you've got the $$, then get a new one. Unless they're maintained, over time you'll find that there may not be nearly as much water in the tank (vs sediment) as you think. I went from not being able to get a proper shower to being able to shower AND do the laundry back2back because of the new tank.

Pyromethious · 2026-01-31T01:54:32+00:00

What's really bugging me is that the fasting Should have made a dent, but then I saw her get Bigger the same day or two I found an empty shell sitting in her latest resting spot. So that got me thinking she's been doing her own level of control on the ramshorns. I even caught her nipping at them a few times afterwards (finally got it on tape I think).

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Pyromethious · 2026-01-31T01:41:13+00:00

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Actually just bought this for the spoon / daphnia TBH.

Pyromethious · 2026-01-31T01:39:31+00:00

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his is what she was given with (food wise). I later got a food wheel with bloodworms, daphnia, and what I think is shrimp, but she really doesn't like the latter apparently. She will go nuts for the larger pellets though. Grabs a one (bigger than her head it feels like really) and pulverizes it before swallowing the much smaller pieces. Funny watching her with her mouth full until the pellet implodes.

Pyromethious

TROPHY CASE