I do like dougall does, thumb near the siphon end over the bucket. If you suck up some substrate, just pour off what you can, rinse it & return it to the tank.
I don't know what your worm is either. Maybe a detritus worm? They're not harmful, just vac it out to be safe. Maybe someone else knows.
The foamy surface can be from dissolved poo or high nitrates. You know the answer, change more water. What dechlorinater do you use? Some have aloe vera in them, don't use that kind. Not great for fish & may add to the foam. I use Prime because I have chloramines in my tap water. The "cheap dechlor" is ok for if you know your water co. uses only chlorine not chloramines. When in doubt, use Prime.
It sounds like some of your fish were carrying a disease or 2. Work on recognizing healthy fish. Look for white dots like salt anywhere on the fish (ich). Frayed fins, sunken stomach (or distended, but not just female), red gills or sores on the body, white on lips, white patches or a grayish sheen, awkward swimming, all are bad news. Especially with neons & similar tetras look for any interruption to their blue or red stripe or a whitish area near or into them. It can look like their "lights" have turned off or been dimmed. It's called neon tetra disease & there isn't a treatment. Some fish can sometimes survive it, but they may be carriers.
If you have a close shop, practice looking hard! at the fish on offer. Some shops will treat sick fish or at least not sell them until they look better. But it's much easier to take some time to watch them yourself. I've taken 20 minutes or more to observe prospective fish. When in doubt, wait. Neons are common, there will be more later. Treating diseases is expensive, hard work & often heartbreaking. Learn to look close!! With just 1 tank you can't quarantine new fish, so be careful.
Given that your tank is small, I would suggest getting more, hopefully healthy, neons. A nice school of 8 or even 10 with your amanos & lone rasbora & call it done. I know it's tempting to get more species but more of 1 kind is more fun than a few of each. The "rule" for schooling fish is 5 or 6 at a minimum, & that is minimal. Having a very small group is likely making your fish more shy, there safety in numbers. I would also lower your temp a little bit. Neons are happiest at low 70Fs. I had rasbora maculata in an unheated tank, they were fine.
Sorry for the long bossy post, I'm not sure we've addressed all your issues/questions.
I don't know what your worm is either. Maybe a detritus worm? They're not harmful, just vac it out to be safe. Maybe someone else knows.
The foamy surface can be from dissolved poo or high nitrates. You know the answer, change more water. What dechlorinater do you use? Some have aloe vera in them, don't use that kind. Not great for fish & may add to the foam. I use Prime because I have chloramines in my tap water. The "cheap dechlor" is ok for if you know your water co. uses only chlorine not chloramines. When in doubt, use Prime.
It sounds like some of your fish were carrying a disease or 2. Work on recognizing healthy fish. Look for white dots like salt anywhere on the fish (ich). Frayed fins, sunken stomach (or distended, but not just female), red gills or sores on the body, white on lips, white patches or a grayish sheen, awkward swimming, all are bad news. Especially with neons & similar tetras look for any interruption to their blue or red stripe or a whitish area near or into them. It can look like their "lights" have turned off or been dimmed. It's called neon tetra disease & there isn't a treatment. Some fish can sometimes survive it, but they may be carriers.
If you have a close shop, practice looking hard! at the fish on offer. Some shops will treat sick fish or at least not sell them until they look better. But it's much easier to take some time to watch them yourself. I've taken 20 minutes or more to observe prospective fish. When in doubt, wait. Neons are common, there will be more later. Treating diseases is expensive, hard work & often heartbreaking. Learn to look close!! With just 1 tank you can't quarantine new fish, so be careful.
Given that your tank is small, I would suggest getting more, hopefully healthy, neons. A nice school of 8 or even 10 with your amanos & lone rasbora & call it done. I know it's tempting to get more species but more of 1 kind is more fun than a few of each. The "rule" for schooling fish is 5 or 6 at a minimum, & that is minimal. Having a very small group is likely making your fish more shy, there safety in numbers. I would also lower your temp a little bit. Neons are happiest at low 70Fs. I had rasbora maculata in an unheated tank, they were fine.
Sorry for the long bossy post, I'm not sure we've addressed all your issues/questions.
and remember cyanobacteria is bacteria and not really algae)
