I know that I was really bad about the water changes. But after this week, my schedual should be pretty regular and I will keep alarms set on my phone to tell me when to clean my tanks in case I forget. As for the plants, I want silk plants, but I havent found them around here. The plants I got for him are more like tall grass, nothing should be too sharp. He hangs out in a "betta plant" as marketed by petco. It seems kind of sharp to me, or at least really pointy and he likes to swim right into it and hang out there. He swims around fine and doesnt appear to be harmed by it. I have watched him closely since he hangs out in that plant so much. I dont know if fish have much common sense but if he got hurt by the plant, wouldnt he not hang out in it most of the time? Of course it could be that he is stuck in pain. I plan on getting silk plants for him, just not right now.
I have looked and looked and the only test kit that I can find locally is the api master kit for $39. I know that I can get that cheaper other places. I know this seems backwards, but when I am done cycling the tank, I will get a test kit no matter how tempting my other hobbies are. So that way I can keep a close eye on my more sensitive fish.