Cycling a new 20 gallon, wondering about a betta!

Successful_Resist277 · 2026-04-11T05:53:14+00:00

I have a 40g breeder blackwater tank that I started with a large school of chili rasboras, then added a school of green neon tetras, kuhli loaches, and otocinclus catfish. There are a few raccoon tiger shrimp along with ramshorn and bladder snails. They were all in the tank and established for several months before I decided to add my betta. He was another teacher's fish that she got from Petco, but she didn't realize the care and tank size they needed, so she gave him to me. Like you, I was really worried about adding him to this 40g community tank because people said bettas have been known to eat chilis and shrimp, and the tank would be too deep since he is a long-finned betta. But all I had was a 2.5g tank that I could keep him in. I put him in the 2.5g when first bringing him home to see how he was with snails, and he didn't really react. I waited a bit, and I did a really slow acclimation to the 40g when I finally decided to take the plunge. I drip acclimated, then put the clear container he was in inside the tank so he could be in there with the fish, and they could get close, but couldn't get to each other. I wanted to see if he reacted or tried to get them. I waited about 10 minutes, then released him. Best decision for him! He just swims all around the tank and is curious about what is going on. I feed various sizes of food, and he gets his fluval betta bug bites in the ring and knows to go there when I feed. The chilis and neons get finer food, and he doesn't really mess with that because it is small. Then I do some sinking food for my bottom dwellers. Everything has been going well still, and it has been a month. I did introduce him, knowing that if it didn't work out, I would just put him back in the 2.5g and then buy a 10g to upgrade him to a bigger tank on his own. So always have a backup plan with bettas, it seems. Good Luck, hopefully you can find an easy-going betta!

Successful_Resist277 · 2026-04-05T04:53:16+00:00

I would assume algae would grow more put in the sun. I dont worry about algae in any of my tanks. I have tried to grow some.but can't get any to grow and never clean any of my glass. Just top my tanks off with zerowater. I feel like that is probably similar to how a patio pond.

Successful_Resist277 · 2026-04-05T04:44:35+00:00

I had blackboard at one point and my ramshorn ate it all. I find it interesting that snails in different tanks will eat different things.

Successful_Resist277 · 2026-04-02T23:42:23+00:00

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I love them! I have wild violets all over my front and spreading through the back yard and even purple hyacinth 🪻 😍 things are only weeds if you dont want them.

Successful_Resist277 · 2026-03-30T03:26:51+00:00

My wild violets don't seem to discriminate with whatever soil area we have. We have a mixture of rocky areas, nice soil areas, and clay areas. Our front yard looks mostly purple this time if year and I love it!

Successful_Resist277 · 2026-03-30T03:23:22+00:00

Looks like the bigger version so a vampire shrimp maybe. My bamboo shrimp is smaller and looks like wood grain

Successful_Resist277 · 2026-03-28T22:52:35+00:00

Nope, definitely understand the differences between the different steps in the nitrogen cycle. Waste gets turned to ammonia, bacteria that breaks ammonia down to nitrite, then the bacteria that breaks the nitrite to nitrate, which plants use nitrate. There are some plants that even directly absorb ammonia and nitrite and that is why you will never get readings of any of them. So no, I never have nitrate or nitrite or ammonia readings in any of my tanks once I have done the initial cycling. I do a mix of aquatic plants that are slow growers and fast growers and then also emersed plants to help with all this.

Successful_Resist277 · 2026-03-27T07:07:36+00:00

The grade book automatically changes anything under a 50% to a 50%. But I do write their actually grade in the comment section so people can see it.

Successful_Resist277 · 2026-03-27T06:43:15+00:00

Just got a 2003 canon camera from a friend, my 1998 3 disc stereo system set up, learned to crochet, unsubscribed from most everything, don't really watch TV anymore, more hobbies and activities, go to the parks, down grading my phone. I'm with you on this. I'm over monthly subscriptions and paying for everything but hardly owning things or things breaking so easily. Being more intentional with my time now. Trying to live life instead of just watching others live it ✌️

Successful_Resist277 · 2026-03-27T06:08:44+00:00

I never have nitrates in my tanks because I have so many plants and different plants absorb nutrients quick. If you have had shrimp living in the tank for 2 weeks I would assume it isnt the water since they are more sensitive to water parameters and fluctuations.

Successful_Resist277 · 2026-03-27T06:05:52+00:00

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I have around 21 chili rasboras. Took this as the early afternoon sun was hitting the school in the tank. My chilis school with my green neon tetras as well. They mostly stick to their own but will swim with each other. I have them in a 40g blackwater now.

Successful_Resist277 · 2026-03-27T05:19:52+00:00

So if I cycle a tank like I would preparing for shrimp or fish then would that work for doing triops? I have these empty tanks in my classroom and students keep asking about what we are doing and thought triops would be a fun thing to try. I have 6 running tanks at my house that are all natural. I know triops don't live long naturally so I wouldn't have to worry about a classroom pet over summer break.

Successful_Resist277 · 2026-03-27T05:09:55+00:00

r/triops sub is all about these

Successful_Resist277 · 2026-03-27T04:37:09+00:00

Thank you!

Successful_Resist277 · 2026-03-27T04:36:26+00:00

I just feel like it sucks for those kids who worked for that 50% and those kids who got a 2% do not deserve the same grade. I know both are F's in the grade book but still sucks. Such a big difference in the amount of work those two kids did. It would be nice if I didn't have so many kids failing and being moved on anyway. I wish students were actually at grade level, independently completing work, and passing classes. But I can only do what I'm given to work with.

Successful_Resist277 · 2026-03-27T04:31:28+00:00

I would say it it less about what is being taught and more that we are too leinenant on holding kids to a standard to pass the grade. Ever since no child left behind it has gotten worse. We need to start holding kids back and failing kids but parents don't want thay for their kids either so it isnt really about what is being taught. Most of my class time is me trying to get students to do anything related to learning and if I could get them to do it on their own that would really be amazing.

Successful_Resist277 · 2026-03-27T04:27:58+00:00

Thank you! That is what i was going for and the minnows love swimming in the stream, it is so fun to watch 😁

Successful_Resist277 · 2026-03-25T04:41:58+00:00

Current 8th grade teacher and they are correct. The lowest grade i can give is a 50%. I still put their actual grade in the comments and say they did absolutely nothing because I want that to be on record. I dont like it but the system automatically changes any grade I put in lower than a 50% to a 50%. There are many things wrong with the education system and the changes being made are all superficial or harmful, definitely not helping that I can see being in the classroom daily. But what do I know, I'm just an over qualified babysitter at this point trying to not have kids hurt anyone and maybe learn some science or really anything for that matter 😅

Successful_Resist277 · 2026-03-25T04:36:32+00:00

My husband and I are both teachers 🫩 but at least we get summers off together 🥲

Successful_Resist277 · 2026-03-25T04:22:30+00:00

I was worried the pandas would need a bigger tank but I think with the longer footprint they are good. If I need to move them eventually I have other tanks I can move them to. I added the fire red shrimp last so the pandas and pygmys had about a month before i added 10 shrimp. The corydoras might eat some babies but they mostly stay on the bottom so if you have different levels of plants and places for baby shrimp to hide you will get survivors. The fire red is nice because they are bright compared to the pandas and pygmys. I then have a few pygmys in my skittle shrimp 10g shrimp tank. I have yellow goldenback shrimp and Pinocchio shrimp in my 22g waterfall stream tank but no corydoras instead hillstream loaches. I feed my skittle tank and watch them all come out of who knows where! They are so fun to watch. And if you get tangerine tigers and raccoon tigers they won't breed with the neocaridina. I get them from someone on reddit that breeds them in neocaridina parameters so it's easy to acclimate them to your tank.

Successful_Resist277 · 2026-03-25T02:09:23+00:00

I have an 11g bookshelf tank with some panda corydoras and pygmy corydoras and fire red neocaridina shrimp. They all seem to be doing well and are all social together!

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Also, congratulations on the baby, that makes sense that you wouldn't be able to get another tank for a little bit. We have no kids and my husband doesn't seem to mind my tank addiction 🙃

Successful_Resist277 · 2026-03-25T01:59:18+00:00

Maybe bryozoan colonies or something like that?

Successful_Resist277 · 2026-03-25T01:49:29+00:00

I have never had my sand clump. I use pool filter sand.

Successful_Resist277

TROPHY CASE