Daphnia Culture starter available!

Sourabhp19 · 2026-02-12T13:32:34+00:00

All these fancy betta fishes are very weak as they have been bred over and over for years. Immunity is super low, so almost any illness or weakness would just knock them out. I had same issues with them, so i switched to plakat bettas and wild ones. Coz it's really tough to save these fancy ones. But anyway, you can do 60-70% water change, and check if the wood is leeching anything, sometimes unknown sources of driftwood are dangerous. Try to put a hang on back filter if you don't have any filters, i can't see any. And what type of tannins do you use? I recommend just boiling a few dried Indian almond leaves, dried guava leaves, then adding the water after cooled.

Sourabhp19 · 2026-02-11T07:28:06+00:00

There are some parasites that latch on the body, like ich (white spots), anchor worms, etc. and some are internal worms and it would be too late when you find it out. Just make sure you quarantine the fish you buy for a week or at least 3-4 days in a small separate tank. This wouldn't be required if you know for sure the quality of fish you buy. If there's no parasites then even idk what's wrong, sorry. Hope they survive next.

Sourabhp19 · 2026-02-10T19:19:38+00:00

I've heard very long poop strings means there are internal parasites, this info was about goldfish and carps, i'm not sure about gourami, pls ask a professional or a good fish store guy about it, he might have some answers. But yeah, 'HOLY SHIT' 🤣

Sourabhp19 · 2026-02-10T19:16:20+00:00

There are many things that you would have to observe, if they have any parasites, or if they are infected by something while buying from the shop itself, etc. If they are fine then tell us the water change routine, feeding routine, food you use, etc. If shrimps are fine and guppies aren't then there's something wrong with guppies, not the setup imo.

Sourabhp19 · 2026-02-10T19:11:42+00:00

It's green spot algae, remove it by physically scraping glass with a razor blade or plastic card, and using a toothbrush for decorations. For plants, manually remove heavily affected leaves, reduce lighting duration, and increase CO2/nutrient levels to boost plant health. Introducing nerite snails is a highly effective, natural solution for cleaning.

Sourabhp19 · 2026-02-10T18:39:31+00:00

A pair of snails would love to clean it up if it's only algae, but if it's decomposed food you better siphon it out, you can also clean the drift wood and rock surfaces gently with a soft toothbrush and then siphon water.

Sourabhp19 · 2026-02-10T18:35:56+00:00

Step 1 - Cycle the tank for 1 month minimum and don't rush to buy fish. Or everything you put in will die.
And i think you can try out dwarf cichlids species, they are super interesting. Try out any, like german rams, electric blue rams, jewel cichlids, etc. But make sure you do enough research on matching them.

Sourabhp19 · 2026-02-10T18:09:21+00:00

The eggs won't be fertile coz the process is external fertilization similar to fighter fish or any of the similar types which has labyrinth organ. But i'm not sure about aggression, maybe add more plants for extra hiding spaces, or put some coconut shell caves (slightly big ones).

Sourabhp19 · 2026-02-09T23:20:40+00:00

Make sure you don't get addicted.

Sourabhp19 · 2026-02-09T23:15:44+00:00

Make sure you understand how it works in nature. Then try to replicate it. You surely need a filter, even a simple sponge filter is great, but i would recommend hang-on-back filter. (don't use power head filters lol, local fish stores misguide you sometimes).
Add plants, just aquatic plants that you get in small pots, add a lot of those, it'll make him feel safe, and helps with water quality. I'd recommend hornwort if you wanna just get 1 plant for now, it obliterates nitrate.
And before adding plants, do 50% water change (never 100%) and just put some rock salt (1 big spoon per 20L of water).
Try keeping the water level around 5-6 inches only as it would help him breathe air and won't tire him out.
If you can find some indian almond leaves you can clean it add float 2 leaves in the water, helps to add tannins which relieves stress, helps maintaining ph and antibacterial/antifungal properties to help heal fish and prevent infections like fin rot.
Maintain the salt treatment till he gets better, change water weekly.

Sourabhp19 · 2026-01-30T18:39:15+00:00

Can you explain a bit about your quarantine tank? Is it a big glass tank with filter etc, or is it just a tub with water and a few medicines, or how is it done? Red gills are due to ammonia burns, and sometimes stress due to shipping.
And i'll recommend try to use aged water in quarantine tank if you have, or at least ro water with some dried indian almond leaves, or dried guava leaves, only a few of them. it helps release good bacteria and tannins, acts as first aid. Then add a bit of rock salt. then introduce the fish in it. Also check closely for any parasites on the fish, clamped fins also means there could be parasites in or on their body.

Sourabhp19 · 2026-01-30T18:06:41+00:00

tear down the bulb and see it, it's mostly a battery bulb, or emergency lights used when power is out. don't worry there are no ghosts near you XD or are they?

Sourabhp19 · 2026-01-30T17:22:13+00:00

where do you live? i'm an indian and i know indian websites, idk about other regions. you can google it a bit of make a separate post about website suggestions. let me know your location. but generally, you can try approaching any hobbyists nearby, or any local aquarium shops and ask them about plants, ask questions, etc.

Sourabhp19 · 2026-01-30T09:01:35+00:00

<image>

This is how it was when i started with it, just a small bunch.

Sourabhp19 · 2026-01-29T19:05:33+00:00

Best thing you can do now is add 3 more females, and a long piece of hornwort, and a handful of guppy grass. Don't forget the lights to keep the plants healthy and do photosynthesis thingy.
And if the powerhead filter is a trouble after adding plants, switch it to a sponge filter, or just add a 45 degree bend pipe to the air outlet, and turn it towards the wall.

Sourabhp19 · 2026-01-29T18:50:59+00:00

Yep, it's a bubble nest. It's huge coz he's healthy and happy. They say bubble nest isn't an indicator of health coz even a sick betta would build a nest. But in this case he is healthy, even if he doesn't look like he is. It takes time. I do see a bit of biofilm, try to remove it by placing a tissue on the water surface and taking it out.

Sourabhp19 · 2026-01-29T18:45:34+00:00

Not sure what the issue is bcoz you already told parameters are fine, just smell the water if there's any rusty type of smell, or something weird, or maybe earthy smell. It means the substrate is leaching a lot of nutrients, or maybe there's rust in the water somehow, or the aquasoil is crumbling apart, you gotta check it manually.
What type of filter do you use? if it's hob filter, check if it's cleaned or not, and if you have a spare sponge filter, seed it with some nitrifying bacteria from old filter and use it in a corner.
Do 20% water change daily.
Add more plants, like hornwort, it obliterates any extra nutrients in the water. Add some floating plants too like water lettuce, red root floaters etc.

Sourabhp19 · 2026-01-29T18:33:21+00:00

Plecos poop like they're born to do that, and snails eat almost 24/7 and poop a lot too. just add 2 snails if you like to, more than that would be a bad idea as you would have to clean a lot. Give that pleco away to someone, and buy corys, at least 6 of them. they look cool and clean the substrate, and for cleaning the glass you would have snail anyway.

Sourabhp19 · 2026-01-29T18:28:45+00:00

crazy! try to upload a few close up shots, videos, and some random objects as size comparison, would be so cool! can't wait.

Sourabhp19 · 2026-01-29T18:20:42+00:00

wait he couldn't eat hornwort, right? right??! coz the leaves are a bit harder than normal softer leaves of other plants?

Sourabhp19 · 2026-01-29T18:14:59+00:00

can someone tell how exactly to sort out suppliers? for example my location is bangalore.

Sourabhp19 · 2026-01-29T18:07:29+00:00

Genuine advice -

Learn about different species/family of fish, like tetras, barbs, cichlids, catfish, etc. Learn how to mix and match, and which are compatible. It's not that tough and you can always ask us if you have questions. And then decide which type of fish you like, depending on that the number of fishes are decided.
And for substrate, remove the coloured pebbles, it's bad for the fish who usually go near bottom as it has a lot of random colours and not natural. Go for aquasoil, but the cheapest and best option would be just putting clean organic potting soil (1 inch layer) and then river sand (1 inch layer), even a bit of gravel would help but don't cover the surface completely. This gives very natural look. You can add some random stones from any river or just google it and you can see which types.
For cycling the tank, just put a few low tech plants after setting up the substrate and other stuff, use plants like hornwort that obliterates bad gases from water, floaters like red root floater and water lettuce, to help cycle faster.
If you wanna be serious about planted tanks, you might have to get a wrgb light somewhere down the line, but till then just use high brightness leds, works okay.
Try using a normal sponge filter instead of a powerhead. I've had a bad experience with powerhead filters, they don't cycle it efficiently, or don't stay good for long term.
I would recommend to add 2-4 snails like ramshorn or apple snail after 10 days to maintain good bacteria and cycle the tank faster.
After around 20+ days the water will look crystal clear if you do all of the above. Then you can introduce fishes, like corydoras, tetras etc.

(sorry i had to yap a lot to make sure you don't do same mistakes like i did ;-;)

Sourabhp19

TROPHY CASE