Lincoln

[dakski]

Congrats on your nice little betta, dakski! He's a very pretty boy

Yeah, Lincoln's definitely a plakat (that more traditional short-finned variety), and it looks like he's something called a marble color-wise. Marbles can go through a bit of a color change throughout their life, so don't be surprised if his various spots and color patches start shifting around. A marble male I had went and turned completely blue after a few years!

It's nice to see that Lincoln's in a heated, filtered set-up. I'm actually planning on bumping the two betta I have now into similar setups sometime soon - they're both getting older and have had fin rot issues pop up recently, so I think they need something a little more stable/controlled than the planted 2.5 gallon setups they're in now. Maybe I'll post some photos of them once they're settled in to new digs.

Cool and good to know on the color change possibility.

He's a good guy and I think, as with reptiles, many people do not know how to properly care for Betta's. They like heat and filtration, etc.

I would love to see some pics of your tanks and Betta's if you want to post.

Thank you for the info Wrongpython!

[dakski]

If anyone is interested, and as mentioned earlier, I am using Seed to help establish Lincoln's tank quickly (speeding up the Nitrogen Cycle). I am also using Prime to treat the water and remove Chlorine etc. These product also apparently binds to ammonia and makes it easier for the tank to process. Unless the levels get dangerous and I am doing regular water changes to keep Lincoln safe, I do not plan to use Prime except as a water decontaminator and not to reduce ammonia.

Tested his water tonight and there are about .25+/- PPM of ammonia, right on schedule. There were no nitrites and no nitrates to be found.

I will be testing his water again tomorrow but only plan to update as we progress through the cycle and I can report on how well Seed works.

Overall, I am pleased with the tank progression and I am happy with how well Lincoln is doing. There is always a risk cycling a tank with a fish you like, or any fish that you don't want to die, but Betta's are pretty tough and this isn't my first rodeo. I have cycled a lot of tanks and I know I am not overloading the tank fish wise or food wise.

Lincoln is in good hands, but I wanted to be clear there is risk involved.

Of course Katie already loves him and I think he's a cool buddy. So, I am as on top of it as I can be.

[Trinityblood]

Prime binds ammonia for about 24 hours before the ammonia is re released and becomes toxic again if the bacteria can't handle it.

[dakski]

Prime binds ammonia for about 24 hours before the ammonia is re released and becomes toxic again if the bacteria can't handle it.

That makes sense.

I want to see how well the Seed works and will do water changes (smallish) if necessary.

I have used products like Seed to help speed up the nitrogen cycle before. I have no experience with ammonia reducers etc. and I am skeptical.

Thank you for the info Trinityblood.

[Trinityblood]

That makes sense.

I want to see how well the Seed works and will do water changes (smallish) if necessary.

I have used products like Seed to help speed up the nitrogen cycle before. I have no experience with ammonia reducers etc. and I am skeptical.

Thank you for the info Trinityblood.

Seed is just bacteria in a bottle. That can, in theory, reduce the present ammonia but it still has to balance itself out.

Prime is good to use if there is an ammonia emergency. It will temporarily bind to the ammonia so its no longer toxic and buy time for a water change or for filters/bacteria to break it down. But Prime will not remove/reduce the present ammonia.

You sound like you have a handle on it.

[nikkubus]

I haven't used Seed exactly, but similar products and my experience has been that it really helps getting the initial cycling off to a good start quickly. I don't think it has much if any impact on the latter part of the cycle with algae bloom, but perhaps Seed is formulated and used a bit differently than what I have tried. Stealing a handful of substrate or some filter sponges from an established tank is my preferred thing to do if it's an option.

[Trinityblood]

I haven't used Seed exactly, but similar products and my experience has been that it really helps getting the initial cycling off to a good start quickly. I don't think it has much if any impact on the latter part of the cycle with algae bloom, but perhaps Seed is formulated and used a bit differently than what I have tried. Stealing a handful of substrate or some filter sponges from an established tank is my preferred thing to do if it's an option.

Results for bacteria in a bottle seem mixed. I wonder if people using the bottle just throw in the bacteria and nothing for them to feed on (no ghost feeding or adding bottled ammonia) Or if there's not enough ammonia and the bacteria just dies off and the cycling halts. I'm trying it for the first time to set up a quarantine tank but I will be transferring some of my existing bio media to it because I don't fully trust it. I used Brightwell for marine tanks. I may make a thread and see what results I get. Bacteria in a bottle wasn't a thing the last time I did tanks so it's new to me. So far I'm also still in the opinion that using existing bio media is the best and fastest way to cycle.

[dakski]

I can only assume that the bottled bacteria is better than it was 14 years ago when I cycled a 240G tank in 6 days with StartRight - I think that's what it was called.

I had the help of some established media, but I also had a larger bio load at the time.

Years later I cycled a 75G in about the same amount of time.

In my experience, the ammonia and nitrite levels do not get as high as without the additive and disappear much quicker as well.

I have had good success with the bacterial additives. However, you still need to understand the cycling process and be aware of stress or danger to the fish. Bacteria in a bottle may help, but it's not magic and the nitrogen cycle still happens.

Seed says to dose daily for 7 days in a row and then as needed. Most products have you add a ton in the beginning, so this is a different approach/application.

As mentioned, 1 betta not overfed in a 4G tank with good filtration should not be too much of a load and if the Seed speeds up the cycle, and I stay on top of it, it should go well (the cycle). On the flip side, you need some load to cycle, and Lincoln should produce enough waste for that.

[Bogertophis]

Well now I know how much I don't know about keeping fish- I've never tried & now I know why.

[dakski]

Well now I know how much I don't know about keeping fish- I've never tried & now I know why.

LOL .

Steep learning curve, but once you get it, it's very rewarding. Not nearly as difficult as keeping, oh, I don't know, "hots?"

Well maybe keeping "hots" is easier, but you have a little more margin for error with fish.

I'll stick with my crew, including Lincoln, and leave the danger noodles to others.

My point here, Boger, is that you can probably do whatever you set your mind too.

I will add that even having "just" Lincoln in my office has already been relaxing and very Zen for me. He's very calming and fun to watch.

It seems many people jump into keeping fish and do not do the research and they and the animals suffer because of that. We see it with reptiles as well, but reptiles are generally more resilient and quicker to correct mistakes with.

Add a thermostat! Up the temp 3F. Bump humidity. Feed a smaller meal.

With fish, a tank that isn't setup and maintained properly can be a lot of work to correct. Usually, if's gotten that bad in the first place, the person who is attempting to maintain the tank doesn't have the knowledge or ability to fix the issue.