I do have a liquid test kit. I have had the tank set up since March and I do not use tap water to clean the tank and when I clean the decor, I do it in the tank water.
I will indeed go to once a week water changes.
The swordtails used to nip at him, but once I got several shelters they stopped. (The betta actually goes to bed by like 8 or 9pm!) The light is on 10-12hrs/day. Is that too much?
Thanks for the advice about having animals because I want them and I do want a pleco eventually, I loved watching them. I did originally by for helping with the tank and found they are really cool. I will be getting a 54 gal in a month, I was planning for the pleco to be around for the move. However, I have a lot more to learn and now realize that was probably selfish.
Ahh ok good good, sounds like you know what youre doing
You may not need to do once a week. Check your parameters and nitrate levels will tell you what to do. My planted 10g for example I do bi weekly as nitrate levels dont start to raise until the second week.
Sounds like a lot of light to me, especially if youre not dosing. In my planted 10g, I run lights (full spectrum led bar by satellite usa) for 6 hrs a day. I dose carbon and other liquid ferts. On my planted 55g I run the same lighting but bigger bar for 8 hrs a day. I will probably drop photo period to 7 as Im getting excess algae growth.
A 55g will be a nice step up. I find the bigger tank much more forgiving. Plecos are very interesting fish, I love them personally. I purchased a baby bristlenose at my lfs earlier in the week and have him in my 55g. He is less then an inch now, cant wait to watch him grow. He gets algae wafers and fresh veggies. Drift wood is a must!
