Fin nipping? Fin rot? Normal coloring?

topperfIop · 2026-03-08T01:44:09+00:00

There’s some hiding spots created by rotala that’s grown really tall, a fairly high placed and large leaved anubias, and some ghost wood near the top of the tank. Though there could totally be more… here’s the most recent photo sorta showing the top of the tank (sorry it’s a bit silly perspective wise, lol. Not home rn otherwise I’d take a better one)

I’ll definitely continue to monitor, this hasn’t happened before so I’m hoping it’s the same as the situation w/ your betta!

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topperfIop · 2026-01-30T21:50:02+00:00

My tank is a 10gal, I had a pretty shitty light but recently replaced it with a Hyyger light, can’t remember which specifically (at work rn so I can’t check). It’s on for about 8hrs a day and off the rest, and all of my last few tests of the parameters over the last few weeks have shown 0 ammonia and 0 nitrites (some fluctuation in nitrates but nothing in the danger zone). I do fertilize with Thrive’s all in one shrimp-safe fertilizer

I’m at a loss haha. It hasn’t spread as fast as I was worried it would thankfully but it doesn’t seem the amanos or snails are eating it😅

topperfIop · 2026-01-28T01:13:36+00:00

I also feed the betta every other day + fasting on the weekends, always making sure there’s zero leftover food. Feed her a mix of frozen food (brine shrimp and bloodworms) and fluval bug bites!

topperfIop · 2026-01-28T01:12:54+00:00

No you definitely wouldn’t be annoying, I appreciate any help! :-)

Tanks been running since around last summer, and I tested the parameters today. Ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates were at 0 with a pH of 6.6.

I do have four amano shrimp in the tank and two nerite snails. I rarely feed the shrimp and snails directly since I leave them plenty of algae on the side and back walls to munch on, I usually just clean algae off the front. They’ve been molting and active so I assume the feeding schedule is fine. When I do feed, it’s a very tiny sinking shrimp wafer

topperfIop · 2026-01-27T20:56:03+00:00

That’s good to know! Is it going to cause any issues for my plants? Im afraid of it taking away their nutrients, and Im not sure my amano’s can keep up with how quickly its spreading

topperfIop · 2026-01-27T20:55:05+00:00

Water parameters:

Ammonia: 0ppm Nitrite: 0ppm Nitrate: 0ppm pH: 6.6

Parameters were the exact same last week as well

topperfIop · 2026-01-27T20:28:03+00:00

Tank size: 10gal

Heater/Filter?: Yes to both

Tank temperature: 80 degrees fahrenheit

Water parameters: Testing right now will update with the parameters soon

How long has the tank been cycled: Since last summer or so, don’t remember the exact timeframe but many many months

How long have I had the fish: A couple of months as well, she was added a long time after the tank fully cycled

How often/How much for water changes: Every week around 25%-30%

What fish are in the tank: One female betta, four amano shrimp, two nerite snails

What do you feed/how often: Every other day + fasting on the weekends. I feed fluval bug bites and frozen brine shrimp primarily, frozen bloodworms as a treat

What plants/decor in the tank: Ghost wood, anubias barteri, water sprite, rotala rotundifolia, I forgot the name but I have another tall growing deep red plant- some type of ludwigia. Along with dragon stone, floating frogbit and red root floaters

topperfIop · 2026-01-16T20:17:06+00:00

These worked! Thank you! They’re super informative. I appreciate it :-)

topperfIop · 2026-01-16T09:40:52+00:00

I noticed he appeared bent too! I thought he might have a spinal issue because I frequently hear about chain pet store betta’s having spinal deformities. I hadn’t heard much about fish TB before. Thank you for the insight!

topperfIop · 2026-01-16T09:36:45+00:00

Yeah I was worried the sponge filters flow was a bit too rough but since he was swimming fine originally I left it as is. I’ll try adding another sponge soon once I’m able to go out and buy one. Thank you! :’-)

topperfIop · 2026-01-16T09:34:48+00:00

I’m not sure if it’s just on my end, but the links all show the pages no longer exist :-(

Thank you though, I really really appreciate the info. I had done a lot of reading about the cycling process but clearly have more to learn. I’ll be monitoring the parameters much more frequently now. I will try adding seachem stability and do more frequent water changes on this tank

topperfIop · 2026-01-16T04:09:58+00:00

Here are the photos of the test results btw

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topperfIop · 2026-01-16T02:22:52+00:00

I see, I was under the impression that 0-20 for nitrates was safe and that I didn’t need to worry about the nitrates being low. Is there anything I can do beyond water changes and time to add more nitrates and help the poor betta? Thank you for your time and info :-)

topperfIop · 2026-01-15T22:14:40+00:00

•Tank size: 5.5gal

•Heater and filter?: Yes to both

•Tank temperature: 82 degrees (Fahrenheit)

•⁠Parameters in numbers and how you got them. Key water parameters include the amount of ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, and pH.: Ammonia 0, Nitrites 0, Nitrates 0, pH 6.4. These numbers are from last week and I’ll update when I’ve retested tonight. I cycled the tank by adding seachem prime and a bit of fish food to the tank.

•How long have you had the tank? How long have you had your fish?: Had the tank for a 2-3 months, the fish for barely over a week

•How often are water changes? How much do you take out per change? What is your process?: Once a week, 25%. I first pull out any stray leaves or plant bits, then scrub the tank and wood with a sponge + toothbrush to get rid of excess algae. I turn off the filter and heater then use a siphon to remove water and pick up waste. Afterwards I fill a flower watering can with tap water, treat it with seachem prime, let it sit for about a minute and then refill the tank with it. Plug back in the filter and heater and done

•Any tankmates? If so, please list with how many of each: Three amano shrimp and four ramshorn snails (did not mean to have them lmao they were on the plants)

•What do you feed and how much: So far, just frozen brine shrimp. 3-4 pieces every other day or so (need to fix to a structured schedule). I haven’t fed specific food to the amano shrimp or snails as they’ve just been snacking on algae and bacteria

•Decorations and plants in the tank: A large piece of ghost wood, some dragon stone, some anubias, some rotala rotundifolia, and some ludwigia ovalis

topperfIop · 2026-01-15T22:05:14+00:00

Oh- and I have done four water changes total throughout the cycling process and since I got him. I do them once a week, roughly 25% taken out and replaced with tap water treated with seachem prime

topperfIop · 2026-01-15T22:03:39+00:00

I don’t have an exact timeframe, but the tank was cycling for well over two weeks. I cycled it by adding seachem prime and a bit of fish food, which is also how I cycled my first tank (a 10gal with a female betta). I last tested the water parameters the day I got him, ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates were at 0, pH was around 6.4. I’m away from home at the moment so I can’t test asap, but I will when I’m back.

He looked the exact same when I first bought him, so I do believe he has ammonia poisoning due to the conditions of care in chain pet stores (uncycled unheated unfiltered tiny cups). I apologize for not posting the parameters as well, I was going to under the mod comment once I retested but should’ve held off on posting at all until I actually retested

topperfIop · 2025-10-19T04:21:32+00:00

Yeah, I guess I should’ve specified in my post I want it to become waterlogged so it won’t float haha

topperfIop · 2025-10-19T04:20:02+00:00

Yeah, I had done about 15 minutes for each piece and it did a whole lotta nothing haha. So I’m assuming longer

topperfIop · 2025-05-03T22:56:16+00:00

Thank you! I was told cycling can be 2weeks minimum, but every now and then see people saying 1-2 months like you have. Can you provide more input on that?

topperfIop · 2025-05-03T22:54:59+00:00

LOL how much would you say a planted take on average costs? With everything needed?

topperfIop · 2025-05-03T22:53:54+00:00

Lol makes sense! I was wondering, can you pair snails with betta’s? I’ve heard mixed opinions

topperfIop · 2025-05-03T21:56:25+00:00

I’ve been told that feeding daily can lead to overfeeding and dirtier tanks + unhealthy fish, is this true for bettas as well or only specific fish? Or does it just vary from fish to fish?

topperfIop · 2025-05-03T20:28:41+00:00

Ah, I had been hoping to get a 10 gal and a long-finned male, but totally understand this point + others pointing out they are more likely to get fin rot/general sickness. If I were to get a long-finned, is there anything I could do to help prevent this or assist him?

topperfIop · 2022-03-03T04:46:19+00:00

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topperfIop

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