Day 1, Tuesday 09/07
Set up my new 20 long. Put in tank divider, play sand on one side, new gravel on the other, a few plants, real & silk, and some pre-soaked manzanita & mopani wood. Put in the water (treated with Prime, 2 drops per gallon), heater & new Whisper 30 HOB that I bought for $9.95 from Pet Solutions. After the $5.00 rebate I'll have paid $4.95, and the thing cranks out some water, but that's a 'nother topic.
Also added 1/2 of the 4 oz bottle of Dr. Tim's One and Only (thank you, Dr. Tim!) directly into the filter media. 2 oz treats 30 gallons, so is a little more than suggested, but you can't overdose it.
Water parameters:
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 5 (from tap)
pH 8.3
That evening I went to Petco and bought 4 female Bettas, please don't flame me. This is what the product is for. They must have just changed their water because it was crystal clear.
Since the temps were the same, I poured in the fish but kept out most of the cup water. They all took to their new home, ate well, and went exploring.
Day 2, Wednesday 09/08
Fish look good, they're active and eating. A little chasing while they establish the pecking order, but nothing serious. They colluded long enough to find a weak spot in my DIY divider and dug their way to the other side like a prison escape. Back and forth all day long until I fortified the fence, which really ticked them off. My frogs will be moved into that cell, I mean area.
Day 3, Thursday 09/09
Ammonia is registering on my Alert card, which means it's NH3, the toxic form. My high pH makes any level of ammonia a concern. I put it side by side with the one from my other tank so you could see the difference.
The white crowntail looks okay but is not eating. The other three are active, but the pink veiltale is showing nasty red around the gills.
I change about 45% of the water, and dose the tank with 2 ml, or about 60 drops of Prime.
I also add another oz. of Dr. Tim's into the filter. The white crowntail isn't looking good and is starting to be picked on by the blue fish.
I move her to the other side where she remains in one spot, barely breathing now. I don't know what else I can do at this point, so I'm going to bed. I guess you can flame me now, but be gentle.
Set up my new 20 long. Put in tank divider, play sand on one side, new gravel on the other, a few plants, real & silk, and some pre-soaked manzanita & mopani wood. Put in the water (treated with Prime, 2 drops per gallon), heater & new Whisper 30 HOB that I bought for $9.95 from Pet Solutions. After the $5.00 rebate I'll have paid $4.95, and the thing cranks out some water, but that's a 'nother topic.
Also added 1/2 of the 4 oz bottle of Dr. Tim's One and Only (thank you, Dr. Tim!) directly into the filter media. 2 oz treats 30 gallons, so is a little more than suggested, but you can't overdose it.
Water parameters:
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 5 (from tap)
pH 8.3
That evening I went to Petco and bought 4 female Bettas, please don't flame me. This is what the product is for. They must have just changed their water because it was crystal clear.
Since the temps were the same, I poured in the fish but kept out most of the cup water. They all took to their new home, ate well, and went exploring.
Day 2, Wednesday 09/08
Fish look good, they're active and eating. A little chasing while they establish the pecking order, but nothing serious. They colluded long enough to find a weak spot in my DIY divider and dug their way to the other side like a prison escape. Back and forth all day long until I fortified the fence, which really ticked them off. My frogs will be moved into that cell, I mean area.
Day 3, Thursday 09/09
Ammonia is registering on my Alert card, which means it's NH3, the toxic form. My high pH makes any level of ammonia a concern. I put it side by side with the one from my other tank so you could see the difference.
The white crowntail looks okay but is not eating. The other three are active, but the pink veiltale is showing nasty red around the gills.
I change about 45% of the water, and dose the tank with 2 ml, or about 60 drops of Prime.
I also add another oz. of Dr. Tim's into the filter. The white crowntail isn't looking good and is starting to be picked on by the blue fish.
I move her to the other side where she remains in one spot, barely breathing now. I don't know what else I can do at this point, so I'm going to bed. I guess you can flame me now, but be gentle.
