Cleaning the bettas

It has been hot and bright. the blue betta’s tank was afrond with algae and Java moss. I put the fish and his plants aside, then took everything apart and cleaned it, washed the gravel, scrubbed the tank, and so on. I put it back together with half the old water and half new, conditioned water. For the red betta, I cleaned with a siphon and replaced half the water. They both look good. The red betta’s tank was cleaner, perhaps because he has a large snail as a companion to clean up uneaten food.

Here they are all shiny and clean.

Two bettas in their tanks

 

Fishes!

The SO was home for the weekend, so we went out to Finatics aquarium store in Mississauga, Ontario, and bought community fishes, mostly guppies, and released them into the aquaria.

Here’s the small one with a female guppy and a red betta.

5-gallon tank with fish and plants

 

And here’s the large one with male guppies, cardinal tetras, and a blue betta.

29-gallon tank with fish and plants

I couldn’t choose between a red betta or a blue one, but we have two tanks so I was able to get both.

Plants for the large aquarium

The large aquarium, with a large Amazon spear plant as its centrepiece, is impressive.

 

29-gallon tank with plants

Now to let them sit for a few days.

Plants for the aquarium

I bought aquarium plants and planted them directly into the aquaria. You’re supposed to wait one week before getting any fish. That lets any nasty protozoans, like the ones that cause ich, die off for lack of prey.

Here’s the 5-gallon aquarium.

Five-gallon aquarium with plants

 

Aquaria cleared

Even with the filter running, it took a few days to clear the water. Here the water is mostly clear.

Aquarium 1 is in the same state: clear, with gravel and a large rock.

Aquarium 2 filled

The water was running clear when I finished washing it but obviously shifting it has knocked off a little more rock flour.

Large aquarium, filled