Kai-ni In reply to Lintu47 [2016-08-04 18:29:10 +0000 UTC]

Thank you

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Lintu47 In reply to Kai-ni [2016-08-04 19:36:06 +0000 UTC]

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Kai-ni In reply to AxelFlynn [2015-11-08 00:53:45 +0000 UTC]

How cute! What a lovely little guy.

It's not a hard set rule that the filter has to have a really low output- as long as he's not stressed by it, it's fine. As long as he can still move freely about the tank, don't worry about it at all!

Unfortunately I really have to encourage you to return the diamond tetra - they're a schooling/shoaling species, and NEED a group of 6-8 individuals to thrive. Otherwise they're continually stressed - schooling fish need those numbers. As you know, stress can kill fish and he won't last long by himself.

A school of diamond tetra also need at least a 20 gallon tank - 3.5 is far too small for such an active fish.

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AxelFlynn In reply to Kai-ni [2015-11-08 01:16:36 +0000 UTC]

e__e Ye, we were planning on giving him back. The girl at the store recommend him so we got him. 
When we get the chance to, we'll probably return him and get a couple of bottom-feeding shrimp instead. 
I thought it was weird that she would suggest a schooling fish for a small tank in the first place. 

Thanks again for all your input. If I get better lighting I'll get a picture of him in his little holding
vase. It's a little bubble shaped vase that I'll put him in to clean his tank and do his water changes so all the noise and 
movement won't freak him out. I put him in it today to bring him downstairs. It excites him and he does his happy dance...
that is before intently watching everything around. He really is the boldest little thing.

I put him back after about ten minutes to make sure he was ok ^^ Still no signs of stress. He just wiggled at me and
bit at bubbles kicked up by the filter.  

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Kai-ni In reply to AxelFlynn [2015-11-08 01:43:29 +0000 UTC]

Awww what a little cutie patoot!

(good luck with the shimp, they mayyyy end up just being delicious snacks)

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AxelFlynn In reply to Kai-ni [2015-11-08 02:51:04 +0000 UTC]

^^ Thanks so much! And well...if that's the case, at least Lani would be a happy camper XDD

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Kai-ni In reply to Bloo-D-emon [2015-11-05 20:21:16 +0000 UTC]

Haha, thanks c:

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Kai-ni In reply to AxelFlynn [2015-09-25 04:38:53 +0000 UTC]

Hello! I'm happy to answer betta questions!

Yes, tank cycling is 100% necessary to keeping fish, and the tank must be cycled before you get the animal.

'Cycling' refers to the buildup of beneficial bacteria in the filter media that keeps the fish safe from it's own wastes. Fish create ammonia when they breathe, and ammonia is toxic to them. The cycle consumes that ammonia and turns it into nitrite then nitrate, which is safe in fish tanks under 40ppm.

So, to keep the fish from being burned by its own ammonia, you must cycle the tank! Here's a resource on tank cycling and how to do it : scalestails.tumblr.com/post/48…

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AxelFlynn In reply to Kai-ni [2015-09-26 23:23:10 +0000 UTC]

Ok, thank you. Since it's a small tank, I'm thinking about 
getting a single fish, or a couple of smaller fish to do this, 
namely either a blue Gourami or two/three Dwarf Gouramis. 

Do you have an idea on which would be better?

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Kai-ni In reply to AxelFlynn [2015-09-27 03:13:27 +0000 UTC]

You were thinking of getting fish, or getting fish to cycle the tank?
You should never USE fish to cycle a tank - it's cruel to them and they often die from it. It's MUCH easier to just pure ammonia - give that link a read!

If you're just looking to stock the tank, gourami are a no anyway - they're going to need at least 20 gallons, and gourami are best kept by themselves (one per tank) with other peaceful fish, since they will fight one another (betta are actually in the gourami family! so think like you shouldn't put male betta together).

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AxelFlynn In reply to Kai-ni [2015-09-27 05:21:02 +0000 UTC]

Ohhh, ok. Somewhere else I read said they get along
with bettas, and alrighty. Yet another place I read said that
dwarfs were very hardy and that they can be used to cycle without
harming the fish too much :/ 

As for the tank itself, I forgot to mention that it's only 3 gallons, so I was only going to use
one large gourami or two dwarfs. 

Thank you sooo very much for answering ^^

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Kai-ni In reply to AxelFlynn [2015-09-27 05:24:10 +0000 UTC]

Yeaaa don't use fish to cycle ;-; pure ammonia does the same thing, and doesn't use any animals! You can get it at the hardware store, it's a cleaner. pure ammonia with no surfactants or dyes.

Again, 3 gallons is FAR too small for even a single dwarf gourami. The minimum for a SINGLE dwarf  is 10 gallons. The minimum for a single large gourami is 20 gallons.

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AxelFlynn In reply to Kai-ni [2015-09-27 17:42:16 +0000 UTC]

>.< Sorry, must have missed that. Now that I know 
better I'll never do something like that.  Thank you once more, 
and if I ever have more questions, I know who to ask. 

You've been wonderful, and I'm terribly sorry if I've bothered you, or
if you found me irritating. I don't think I can thank you enough. 

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Kai-ni In reply to AxelFlynn [2015-09-27 19:52:37 +0000 UTC]

Not at all, I am very glad you said something I'm very open to answering fish questions! I'd like to hear how your tank goes too

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AxelFlynn In reply to Kai-ni [2015-09-28 04:50:11 +0000 UTC]

^^ Ok, thank you! And I'd be glad to offer updates. 
If they sell them, we'll probably get my new little buddy at 
this terrible pet store that doesn't take very good care
of it's pets. 

If we get him there, I can't wait to see him blossom. 
I had a betta when I was younger and he lived for three years. 
He was a blue veiltail ^^ 

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Kai-ni In reply to AxelFlynn [2015-09-28 04:53:56 +0000 UTC]

I would hesitate to buy from a store that takes poor care of their animals - i know it seems like you're rescuing it, but you're paying the store to continue to take poor care of MORE animals. You're encouraging the poor care, and giving them money to do it to more animals. Go support a store that does wonderfully for their animals instead!

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AxelFlynn In reply to Kai-ni [2015-09-30 22:41:49 +0000 UTC]

Oop! I just have one more question. Again though, I'm sorry if I'm being a pest :/ 
I just gotta know, if I could get a bag of water from a tropical tank at the pet store
that has been precycled, how much of a push would it give me? 

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Kai-ni In reply to AxelFlynn [2015-10-01 01:44:42 +0000 UTC]

You are not a pest at all, no worries!

Actually, there's no such thing as 'precycled' water. Water is just water, and a bag of water will do absolutely nothing! And actually, you just risk bringing home disease from the store, which has a high volume of fish coming through and a high likelihood of carrying some sickness. 

The reason water can't be cycled is because there are little to no beneficial bacteria that facilitate the cycle in the water itself. That's why water changes DO NOT hurt your cycle! There are no bacteria in the water. 

Think of the bacteria as very STICKY - they coat the tank itself. The TANK is what is cycled, not the water. More specifically, the FILTER is what is cycled... a tank by itself with no filter wouldn't have enough bacteria to actually cycle. 

MOST of the beneficial bacteria stick to your filter media - the stuff inside the filter, where there is the most water flow. This is why a filter is crucial to cycling - the filter is the ultimate bacteria home! The bacteria live there - so if you wanted to jump-start your tank, you would need to borrow some filter media from an already established tank. 

This is why it's also important to use a permanent filter media rather than those carbon pads the pet stores sell - those are harmful because every time you remove it to change it, you're removing all the beneficial bacteria that live on it and forcing your tank to start over. 

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AxelFlynn In reply to Kai-ni [2015-10-01 21:35:02 +0000 UTC]

Ohhh, ok. Thank you so much for this info. So the  bacteria
stick to objects and aren't in fact in the water...very good to know ^^ 
Once again, thank you so incredibly much. So I'd have to try to get ahold 
of a pre-used tank object that's most likely only just taken out of the tank. 

Being waterborn things, I'd imagine they wouldn't do well being dried out. 

I can't thank you enough for all this info. I wish I could repay you ^^

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Kai-ni In reply to AxelFlynn [2015-10-02 04:12:06 +0000 UTC]

Yes they are sticky, and don't float about in the water in any important amount. :>

Yup, to jump-start a new tank you want to get some filter media from an already established tank! Not just any ole object from the tank - the filter media. While SOME bacteria stick to tank objects, it's a very small amount (like maybe 10%) and probably won't help you much if you take gravel or decor from a good tank. You need some filter media! that's where 90% of the bacteria lives, because of the good water flow through the filter. the bacteria need that high water flow to live. 

And yup you're absolutely correct, they die when dry! Think of them like tiny aquatic pets you have to keep alive to help your fish! You can't seeeee them but they have needs just like the fish! They 'eat' the ammonia the fish produces, and poop out nitrate as the final product. They need to be in water like the fish, and die when dry. They need the high water flow, and die if bagged for too long, just like a fish! 

No problem at all I'm just happy to help Happy fishies are my payment. 

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AxelFlynn In reply to Kai-ni [2015-10-04 00:50:11 +0000 UTC]

Ok, and thanks once more ^^ Sorry I didn't answer sooner. 
Oh, and when the day comes that I get my fish, I'll try to 
get pictures. 

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AxelFlynn In reply to Kai-ni [2015-09-28 17:55:34 +0000 UTC]

I know, it's a big, nasty contradiction...I was thinking about that last night. 
And I know of a wonderful petstore that takes amazing care of their animals. 
They don't even keep their bettas in wee little cups. Nope, they are all in 
the evenly-populated 30+ gallon tanks with gentle fish. Their bettas are all
healthy and their fish positively shine ^^ 

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Kai-ni In reply to T4NT4S [2015-08-08 04:59:28 +0000 UTC]

8D

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