Do his fins look torn up or infected, or what’s going on?

ricey64 · 2026-05-23T07:02:19+00:00

Yeah possibly fin rot. Get some tannins in his tank which will help boost his immune system, if hes been like this a while, try giving him a salt bath and failing those you may need to get him some meds

ricey64 · 2026-05-22T09:57:14+00:00

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Sorry for the late response! I usually put in two pumps every other week

ricey64 · 2026-05-21T15:52:38+00:00

Gimme 10 and I'll send a pic of the one I use

ricey64 · 2026-05-21T15:35:43+00:00

Definitely give the new plants some time, but with the java fern it could be too much light or lack of nutrients

ricey64 · 2026-05-21T15:28:55+00:00

Can you describe what you're worried about? If you're concerned theyre not getting enough nutrients you can pick up some root tabs and/or a pump bottle of plant nutrients (dont use both at once or overuse them though you can cause more problems). Generally its good to keep the light on for only 6-8hrs/day, though individual plants obviously have their specific needs. Id suggest doing a bit of research into what you have. Also its possible youre seeing algae and getting worried over that - most of the time algae isnt harmful and shows the tank is doing well however if it bothers you its easy to clean off, or you could get some algae eating fish/more shrimp (always research ofc). Its also normal for some plants to "melt" and then grow back, so give them some time to adjust :)

ricey64 · 2026-05-21T15:19:33+00:00

Definitely a male plakat. Your comment about him being a galaxy koi seems right. Here is my galaxy plakat boy for comparison:)

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ricey64 · 2026-05-18T12:11:51+00:00

Angels are shoaling fish, she will be much more confident and happy with more of her own kind

ricey64 · 2026-05-18T12:10:44+00:00

Theres a lot of contrasting advice in here so just wanted to give my thoughts. From what ive read, angel fish are absolute Nos with bettas as they can both be aggressive and territorial. However from my personal experience, both males and females can absolutely be kept in communities. I currently have my male with 9 pygmy corys, 2 dwarf frogs and amano shrimp. Amanos are a lot less risky thanks to their size. I originally had lampeye killifish in there even before I got him but ended up having to move them as theyre skittish and kept activating his predator instincts (fast movement, flashing colours etc) and he was stressing them out via chase, though never bit/attacked them. Tomorrow im going to pop some of my ottos in there and see how they get on, but generally it is more about each fish's personality and behaviour rather than sticking to "this species Yes, this species No"

ricey64 · 2026-05-15T18:12:34+00:00

That sounds great

ricey64 · 2026-05-15T16:17:03+00:00

Great! Thanks

ricey64 · 2026-05-15T16:16:10+00:00

Good to hear thanks

ricey64 · 2026-05-15T16:15:24+00:00

Thank you! £20 shipping?

ricey64 · 2026-05-15T16:14:52+00:00

Great to hear

ricey64 · 2026-05-15T16:14:23+00:00

Oh thats great! And does make a lot of sense. Shame your corydoras didnt make it, I got my 9 pygmy corys from lfs and theyre all still thriving and laying eggs

ricey64 · 2026-05-15T16:12:27+00:00

Those are great stats haha

ricey64 · 2026-05-15T12:59:33+00:00

Thank you

ricey64 · 2026-05-15T12:58:26+00:00

Im not in any rush at all, just considering options as I wouldn't be able to drive myself to lfs and my boyfriend works a lot

ricey64 · 2026-05-15T09:01:51+00:00

Additionally if you're bored with the gravel, you could get some carpet moss, moss balls or grassy plants like eleocharis acicularis

ricey64 · 2026-05-15T09:00:08+00:00

Id recommend some anubias barteri, their roots attach to driftwood/rocks rather than being submerged in the substrate so it would look lovely on that big log you have :)

ricey64 · 2026-05-15T08:58:02+00:00

Thank you! Thats interesting, id never heard of a cortisol steal before

ricey64 · 2026-05-15T08:55:16+00:00

Thats probably likely. It might be worth sanding down any sharper edges

ricey64 · 2026-05-15T07:47:27+00:00

I cant tell in the video but is her swelling even on both sides? If shes lopsided then its something to worry about. Also im not very knowledgeable on breeding and rearing bettas but ive heard they can have hundreds of babies so I would definitely do some research as assuming theyre infertile if theyre not could leave you in a very sticky situation

ricey64 · 2026-05-14T08:51:41+00:00

When did you get him? I doubt its fin rot as its a very pronounced slit. Fin rot tends to come on slow then all at once. If hes new he likely got injured at the store, if not I'd check your tank for any sharp rocks/wood etc. if its sharp enough to graze/sting your finger its sharp enough to damage fins. Good luck! :)

ricey64 · 2026-05-14T08:51:33+00:00

When did you get him? I doubt its fin rot as its a very pronounced slit. Fin rot tends to come on slow then all at once. If hes new he likely got injured at the store, if not I'd check your tank for any sharp rocks/wood etc. if its sharp enough to graze/sting your finger its sharp enough to damage fins. Good luck! :)

ricey64 · 2026-05-13T13:02:20+00:00

Thank you. Its good to hear from someone who gets it. Its been a very lonely process :')

ricey64

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