New member, looking for advice on a poorly Gourami

[DampHaggis]

Greetings!

I'm fairly new to the hobby, circa 6 months since my boyfriend gave me his old 60 litre Biorb Life. He turned up one weekend with the empty but manky tank and his one remaining Leopard Danio in accompanying baggie! Unexpected, didn't have the opportunity I would have wanted to do any homework first, but have learned so much since. Made a bad husbandry decision which saw me lose my entire stock of 6 Rummy Nose Tetras (attacked/eaten by Zebra Danios) and had some nasty Guppy tail damage (also blaming the ASBO Zebras for this) This led to procurement of my 2nd tank to get the nippy Dani's out, and generally have become completely obsessed, now with three tanks now, 40-ish fish, and planning my 4th tank which I'll be treating myself to for xmas if I'm a good girl

My 60l Biorb now houses 6 male fancy guppies (various), 4 female bettas (splendens) and 2 male blue gouramis. Oh, and 3 amano shrimp - my algae ninjas! A smattering of moss balls, and a half dozen or so live plants.

More about my other tanks and inhabitants further on, but I'm immediately looking for any advice on one of the Gouramis which has been poorly for a couple of weeks now, if anyone could please help? I think he may have an oral abscess. The initial manifestation was a small sore on his lower lip. I thought he'd probably just scuffed his mouth on the Biorb ceramic media, although I had taken the precaution of covering the ceramic with a decent layer of smooth gravel before introducing the Gourami's as I know they are prone to 'drilling' the bottom for food! However after a couple of days without any sign of improvement and it actually starting to look a little like a cold sore, I did a bit of research and started dosing the tank with Pimafix and Melafix (I removed the carbon from the filter cartridge before I started treatment). A week later and the sore has healed, however he now has a small lump-like swelling in his cheek, just under his eye. This came up maybe 3 days ago, and whilst it doesn't look to be getting any bigger day on day and there's no sign of any redness, at least not on his outside, today he's been pretty lethargic, not too interested in getting off one of the almond leaf 'betta hammocks' that I have attached near the top of the tank. He is still feeding with the usual vigorous degree of enthusiasm - no problems with his appetite at least!

With the sudden apparent downturn today, I paid my local pet shop a visit. There's a guy that works there that I rate massively. Been a fishkeeper himself for decades, and his knowledge is immense. He packed me off with a Biorb First Aid kit and aquarium salt, with advice to also continue with the Pimafix and Melafix. The first aid kit filter cartridge is in along with the first of the two sachets of medicated stuff that comes with the kit (hefty internet trawl hasn't provided me with any info as to whats in the sachet, but I'm sure if there was an antibiotic component I would have found this. Bit concerned about wiping out my bio-mass), and I've added the aquarium salt.

There's no sign of fungus - no whiteness or any fluff around his mouth, scales all looking good with no spots, (although he is a little paler than usual), and all the other fish in the tank are healthy. Water's all good - API master test kit shows zero ammonia, zero nitrite and zero nitrate, temperature is 25C, and the tank has been running for 6 months. Replaced the airstone for maximum oxygenation last week. He's flapping his gills a little more than usual, but not going like the clappers. I guess the position of the lump could be putting some pressure on his gills on one side. Certainly he's still breathing from the surface, but the frequency he's sticking his nose up seems to be pretty much at his normal intervals.

Short of trying antibiotics and sorting him out in a mini hospital tank, I'm not sure there's much more I can do for him, but I'd very much like to know if there's something I'm perhaps missing. Or indeed a knowledgeable nod if hospital/antibiotics is the way to go! And if so, where I might be able to quickly get hold of antibiotics in the UK as this doesn't look to be simple. Annoyingly I've been unable to get any pictures of him to post as he's had his face to the back of the tank all day, but I will keep trying. He's such a characterful little guy, I'd hate to lose him. He's about 4 months old. Can't think of any other useful info I can provide...

All and any advice very gratefully received!! My thanks in advance for anyone taking the time to respond

Anyway. Other tanks as mentioned. Have a 46 litre Fluval Edge with 6 Danios (the solitary Leopard which came in a bag from my boyfriend, the 3 nippy Zebras with attitude, and 2 Rosies), 6 Cherry Barbs (3 male, 3 female) and 4 Boesmani Rainbows. Loving this tank - makes for an excellent planted setup. Lights are definitely superior to the Biorbs for supporting plant life...

Lastly I have a 15 litre Biorb Life with an elephant ear male Betta and 9 itty bitty Celestial Pearl Danios. Started with just 5 CPD's, but they're very skittish in small numbers, and whilst it's a lot of fish for such a small tank, the CPD's are so tiny and such small waste producers, they're doing fine, looking stunning, and the tank is stable with a water change of a couple of litres twice weekly, and a 50% change when I'm doing the 6-weekly filter replacement.

Thanks again to anyone with advice for my Gourami boy!

 

[DampHaggis]

Managed to tempt him off his leaf with bloodworm. Not the best pics but hopefully will be helpful.

 

[Demeter32]

I truly hope you meant gallons rather than liters. If you did in fact mean liters then I have some bad news. All those tanks seem massively over stocked. None of the tanks are over 20gals and a 20gal is the minimum tank size for the blue gourami. Unless you are talking about the dwarf blue gourami then that isn't so bad, but still a problem. Bettas and gourami should never be housed together as they are likely to fight. Perhaps in a larger tank it would be okay but not in something as small as a 15gal tank. Also, keeping 2 males also poses problems. Unless they are in a larger tank where they can get away from each other they are likely to fight much like male bettas would. I wouldn't be surprised if your gouramis lip issue is the result of an argument.

To help your gourami ATM, I would separate him from the others ASAP. Ideally he should be placed in at least a 5gal tank/bucket with a heater and seasoned sponge filter. You can treat him with meds in there. If it is a bacterial/fungal issue then there is the possibly of spreading the illness to the others. Plus there others might start picking at him because he is weak.

I am a bit concerned with what the water parameters are in all the tanks. Seeing as they are all over stocked they might have elevated levels of ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates, all of which will harm the fish. This is even more concerning if the tanks were never cycled prior to adding the fish. If levels are high then that could also play a role in your gourami's lip problem. Can you test your water and post the results?

"4 Boesmani Rainbows" each able to reach up to 4-5 inches....In a 46 liter (12ish gals) tank. Their minimum tank size is 30gals or 113 liters.

If I were going to keep a betta and 9 CPD, I do it in no less than a 10gal or 38 liter tank. Everything may seem fine for now, but problems are bound to arise with the current stocking in all the tanks.

@Byron can shed more light on stocking issues.

 

[Byron]

I don't know where to begin. I guess I'll begin by saying I agree with Demeter32. You need to rehome fish,

Even if you do not see visible signs of problems, they are there, stressing the fish. And stress is the direct cause of 95% of all aquarium fish disease. So avoiding stress as much as we can will in itself keep fish healthier. Stress weakens the immune system at the very least, thus making it even more likely fish will contract disease they would otherwise inevitably avoid.

Stress is caused by fish in too small a tank for that species, or in too few numbers for shoaling species, or having inappropriate species in thee same tank (the gourami/betta comment of Demeter). And this is only the start. Once stress take hold, water quality diminishes further just because of the greater impact each of the stressed fish has on the biological system. Significantly increased water changes (more volume at each, and more frequent changes) can help but this is only a temporary "bandaid." The cause of all this stress must be recognized and corrected.

General comment on "cure all" medications like Primafix and Melafix. Rarely if ever do these work, at least not on serious issues. I will not suggest anything for the gourami in the photos because my experience with disease is extremely limited, and unless you can diagnose reasonably accurately the specific issue, treatment can make things much worse, not only for the sick fish but the others in the same tank. Removing this gourami as Demeter suggested is very wise; you cannot possibly treat this fish in the community tank so at least on its own you will not be endangering the other fish if your "treatment" doesn't work. Going forward, prevention is far better than waiting for something to happen and then trying to treat it. And solving your stocking issues is the only way to proceed with this prevention.

You have seen first hand the effects of what I've mentioned above. Fish nipping other fish--this is due primarily to insufficient numbers and too small a tank for that species, not due to the Zebra Danio themselves. This is how such issues cause stress and the fish react the only way they can--out of frustration, they get aggressive. The gourami may have been nipped to start that problem, or it may have been genetic, or a water quality issue.

Byron.

 

[DampHaggis]

Wow. Many, many thanks for this. I'm a massive lover of all animals, deem myself a responsible owner, and do go to some fairly silly lengths to do the best I can for all the creatures in my care, so I'm genuinely shocked to find that I may not have had the best advice on stocking and community choices so far. I truly thought I had been careful. Feeling like a foolish amateur. Which I clearly am

All litres, sorry to say. I've had my eye on a 240 litre Fluval Roma (52.5 gallon) and was going to buy myself a christmas present, but clearly christmas has had to come far earlier this year than anticipated!! I've just ordered it online, hopefully I'll be delivered at the weekend. It's screamingly evident that I need to take better advice than I have done so far before I even think about putting anything into it!

Meanwhile, the gourami. He's a dwarf blue, and I'm now thinking it may be iridovirus. He's certainly not in anywhere near as bad condition as in some of the images I've found online, but there are a few from which I can draw comparisons. He's in a bucket now (10 litre is the biggest I have), with a heater, a somewhat ropey contruction of a filter using my biorb spares. It ain't pretty but it's circulating the water and aerating ok. Filled the bucket with water from the tank he came from given it was already medicated/salted etc. Popped his leaf in there with him and he's resting on it now, bless him. I guess I'll see how he goes. Bit concerned now for the other gourami since they both came from the same place at the same time, but he is still looking healthy and happy. Truly hoping for signs of improvement in bucket boy come the morning.

In terms of the communities, now that I know I have a 240 litre on its way Obviously apart from the sick gourami, there's no trouble in any of the tanks now, so I have time to properly cycle it before I move anyone in.

No question that the various danios and the boesmani rainbows would enjoy the length of the 240, and clearly the latter are going to need more space than I thought anyway (I was advised these don't get any bigger than 3" max!), so they're obvious candidates to move. I'm thinking if I'm going to move the danios and rainbows, I may as well move the cherry barbs too since they're all used to each other and get along nicely. This would empty my 46 litre, which seems like the obvious place to move the single male betta and 9 CPDs from the 15 litre into.

To address the overstocking in the 60 litre, I'm thinking the best thing to do would be to move out the bigger fish to the 240 if they're compatible with the fish I'll be moving out of the 46l. This would be the 4 female bettas and the 2 gouramis (assuming one gets better and the other doesn't get sick!) My bettas are actually pretty peaceful. There was a fair bit of flaring and curling around each other before delivering a bit of a tail slap, but this subsided after they settled into their pecking order. The boss lady, a pink one, doesn't stand for any nonsense from the others. I guess the bettas must be about 4-5 Similarly with the gourami's, they'll slap each other from time to time, but mostly they actually seem to prefer to hang out together despite both being male. They like to share a betta hammock although there's 3 for them to choose from. That said, I am properly humbled, and accept that whilst they seem to be mellow creatures for now, I am a novice, my exposure is extremely limited, and my knowledge and experience are insufficient to allow me to rely on my judgement! So I'd be grateful for your opinion on how suitable the bettas and gouramis would be with the danios, rainbows and barbs?

If this sounds reasonable enough, then this would leave me with just 6 guppies and 3 amano shrimp in the 60 litre. The 15 litre would be empty so I'd probably shut that tank down. Don't think I'd want to buy any more critters for a while - I've clearly been trying to run where my knowledge ought to have dictated that I walk!

Thanks again. I'd be grateful for your thoughts.

 

[DampHaggis]

@Byron , @Demeter32

Just want to say again my sincere thanks to both of you for taking the time to write. Folk like me must really grind your beans. I could almost hear the deep sigh I am certain you each will have made as you began writing to me...

No pun intended here, but I feel the scales have fallen from my eyes, and I am utterly ashamed. I was being sincere when I said I was a lover of all animals, and I am horrified & upset to realise just how badly I've been treating my fish, albeit unwittingly, and how this has manifested. Ignorance is no excuse. I do very much want to responsibly address my issues and learn how to care for them properly.

Rather than unpicking my waffly post of a half hour or so ago, if I give you the total capacity I'll have once the 240 litre is up and running and the total fish, perhaps you can advise me on where best to put whom?

Total tanks:
240 litre
60 litre
46 litre
15 litre

Total livestock:
2 male dwarf blue gourami
4 female betta splendens
6 male fancy guppies
6 cherry barbs (3 male, 3 female)
1 leopard danio
3 zebra danios
2 rosie danios
4 boesmani rainbows
1 male elephant ear betta
9 celestial pearl danios
5 amano shrimp

My thanks again..

 

[Byron]

Iridovirus is possible. There is no cure, so expect the gourami to die. I didn't want to say it previously, but when I see anything remotely similar to this sort of open lesion that I cannot easily pin down, I almost always net the fish out and euthanize it. Without knowing exactly what it is, using any medication is risking the other fish for probably nothing [I have years ago gone down that road].

Now to the intended stocking. Male Betta are not comunity fish, so they should always be on their own. While most recommend a 5g tank minimum, your 15 liter at 4 gallons would in my view be better than not. So this is the home of the male Betta. By the way, Betta in with something like Celestial Pearl Danio is very high risk, for both of them.

On the Celestial's, they are better on their own as well, in a planted setup. Here's reliable info on this species:
http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/celestichthys-margaritatus/
They recommend minimum 45cm by 30cm (length and width) for a group of 20, but as you already have a group don't worry about that, just find them their own space. The 46 liter, minus the Betta, fine. [Others may disagree with some of this, but I am trying to deal with your given tanks as best as I can, so we will have some adapting to circumstances; starting from scratch would be a different matter.]

The 240 liter. Boesmani Rainbows definitely; depending upon the length, it may be pushing things too, but is the best option. Increase the group to at least six (I always get seven, just me, usually no real reason other than aesthetics but odd groups seem "better" to my eye). Data here:
http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/melanotaenia-boesemani/

The other robust active fish can go with these. Zebra danios are active fish, and a group of 7-8 preferable. The cherry barbs could go here too, agreed. Although they are the quietest of the barbs, this is a better fit than elsewhere. In very general terms, danios (not the Celestial, meaning other true danios) and barbs are active fish compared to rasboras. And active fish should not be combined with sedate fish like gourami.

Which brings me to gourami. Female bettas and gourami need quiet tanks, no active swimmers like barbs, danios. Again we are in a quandary here, having to "make do." But I would not put them with the others. In the 60 liter, perhaps. Would the store take them? Just a thought.

I've linked Seriously Fish a couple times; that is the site professional ichthyologists recommend for data on fish species. There is nothing like it, or as reliable for fish care info, on the web. Forget store advice, it is hit and miss. Research SF, and/or ask on TFF.

EDIT. Saw your latest post after typing. Leopard Danio is actually a variety of the Zebra, so put it in with them and increase the Zebras (if you want them).

Byron.

 

[NickAu]

15 liters should be fine for the male Betta, To save space in the tank you could add a Clear view 100 HOB to the tank they are adjustable.
http://www.aquaone.co.uk/documents/Hangon100_instructions_lowres.pdf

I have 1 on a 20 liter tank.

 

[Demeter32]

Looks like you will be playing musical tanks for a while. I agree with the stocking lists he stated for all the tanks. Keep the male betta on his own, you can add the shrimp to his tank if you want but he may or may not decide to eat them. The tank for the CPD would be your best bet.

As for the female bettas, the 15gal (60 liters) would do alright so long as it is heavily planted. With bettas, live plants are best. Hiding places and breaking the line of sight are key to a happy sorority. Me and NickAu both have betta sororities so we can lend advice if needed.

I haven't much advice on the gourami. Provided the sick one makes it, they shouldn't go in the same tank. As Byron stated they like quiet tanks with little flow and activity. It might be in their best interest to return them. They can't go with the bettas or the CPD. Perhaps you can take the chance and put them with the schooling fish, but they may become stressed leading to illness and death.

Also, it is not people like you who grind my gears. It is people who don't like to listen to advice. You accepted your "scolding" gracefully and I applaud you for it. Unlike a certain someone who shall not be named (can't remember them anyways), you seem to have in mind the best interest for your fish. I think Byron might know whom I speak of


Side note: try to have only one male rainbow as they tend to fight to the death for females. I also agree on upping their numbers to six.

 

[NickAu]

The females in the 60 should work the shrimp could live in there too, can you post a pic of the 60 and the 15 liter tanks please.

Betta sororities are never a dull moment.

 

[DampHaggis]

Morning all!

My heartfelt thanks to all who have posted. I can't tell you all how much I appreciate the advice. I personally had a restless night, tossing and turning with anxiety and generally beating myself up over what I've done to my critters. BUT! I thinking positively this morning and am cracking on with making reparations.

The sick dwarf blue gourami in the bucket is still alive, but even more lethargic today and not moving from his leaf for food, so all things being considered, I sadly think the kindest thing to do is to euthanise. Feeling horribly guilty as, whilst it's possible he may have gotten sick anyway if it is iridovirus, there's no question in my mind now that minimally I have exacerbated matters for him. From what I've found from a search here, using clove oil seems to be the most humane and least distressing option for the fish, at least in the absence of a veterinary sedative, however there does seem to be a broad spread of opinion as to its application. The last thing I want to do is to cause the fish any further distress, so I'd be grateful for some guidance on this please? Note, I am absolutely not prepared to bung him in the freezer, or smack him with a brick, as some seem to suggest.

In terms of the rehoming of the other fish, further to my ordering the Fluval Roma 240 litre, I have this morning also ordered another Fluval Edge 46 litre specifically for the guppies. I now have severe pain in the wallet, but no less than I deserve. My nearest and dearest will now definitely be getting sock puppets for xmas ;-)

So. forward plan now...

15 Litre Biorb Life - single male betta only.

46 Litre Fluval Edge (mk1 - existing well-planted tank) - 9 x CPD's only. Note, dimensions of this tank are: W43 x D26 x H45cm

46 Litre Fluval Edge (mk2 - arriving on Saturday) - 6 x guppies

60 Litre Biorb Life - 4 x female bettas, the 5 amano shrimp, and the 1 currently healthy dwarf blue gourami.

Note, I will enquire at the shop I bought him from to see if they may take him back, as it's clear that even with the 2 new tanks en-route to me, I'm still unable to provide an appropriate environment for him. I fully understand that it's far from ideal, and indeed risky to keep him with the bettas. Only alternative I have I think is possibly to put him in with the guppies in the 2nd 46 litre, but I don't know if this is even higher risk than keeping him with the bettas? Would the single gourami potentially be even more aggressive than in a pair?

240 Litre Fluval Roma (also arriving on Saturday) - 4 x boesmani rainbows, 6 x cherry barbs and the danios (3 zebra, 1 leopard, 2 rosie)
Dimensions of this tank are W120 x D40 x H55cm, length enough to make the rainbows happy? I hope so, as this is the widest tank I can possibly accommodate!

Planting and decor for the new tanks:

For the new 46 litre, I thinking of largely replicating what I have in the existing 46 litre, which looks great. This consists of a Tropica plant substrate under a layer of small grade amethyst gravel. Centrepiece is a couple of pieces of twisty azalea root to which I attached some microsporum pteropus. I have lilaeopsis brasiliensisa spreading nicely around the front, edges and base of the azalea root, egeria densa in the background behind the azalea, limnophilia sessiliflora along the remaining third of the background getting denser into the back corner, a few clumps of lindernia rontundiflora toward the front, and salvinia auriculata floating on the surface. Lastly I have three marimo algae balls. All the plants are lush and growing like nobody's business! The Fluval lights are superb... Although it's very attractive, I'm not sure I'd use the azalea root again. Despite a 48 hr soak, it was still buoyant when I put it in the tank, and it took a couple of weeks before it was sufficiently saturated to settle properly, so I think I'd be more inclined to use driftwood instead this time, which I could stud with java moss or another spreader/creeper?

For the 240 litre, I'm seeing this as an opportunity to try something new and I am very much open to suggestions! Certainly I'd like to take advice on best planting to suit the inhabitants-to-be. I would like to use the Tropica substrate again, but am considering going with aquarium soil? I will need some fast growing plants initially, but with the extra space, I could also incorporate some slow growers too.

For the substrate or the aquatic soil, I can pick this up locally. However I would prefer to order the plants online for the purpose of pest-free certification for the peace of mind of not inadvertently introducing snails etc. Therefore I'll be wanting to get at least my initial plant order placed by COB tomorrow for delivery on Saturday when the tanks arrive, so I'd like to be making decisions over today and tomorrow morning.

It's going to be a busy weekend!!

 

[DampHaggis]

Oh! Last thought in terms of increasing the numbers of the rainbows and the true danios, as I realise I haven't responded to this. I acknowledge that I need to do this to make them happiest, but I've learned the hard lesson of getting carried away with myself. I will do this, but only after the new tanks are fully cycled, and at least a couple of weeks after I've completed all the relocations.

 

[DampHaggis]

15 liters should be fine for the male Betta, To save space in the tank you could add a Clear view 100 HOB to the tank they are adjustable.
http://www.aquaone.co.uk/documents/Hangon100_instructions_lowres.pdf

I have 1 on a 20 liter tank.

Thank you NickAU, but I don't think this would work for me as my 15 Litre is a Biorb Life. The filter is pretty much integrated with the tank, with the sponge and carbon contained in a cartridge which clicks into the bottom of the bubble tube and sits level with the ceramic media there's just a small hole on the top of the tank rather than it being open, so not possible to hang anything on the side.

 

[DampHaggis]

The females in the 60 should work the shrimp could live in there too, can you post a pic of the 60 and the 15 liter tanks please.

Betta sororities are never a dull moment.

Pics of the 15 & 60 litre as requested...

 

[Byron]

The sick dwarf blue gourami in the bucket is still alive, but even more lethargic today and not moving from his leaf for food, so all things being considered, I sadly think the kindest thing to do is to euthanise. Feeling horribly guilty as, whilst it's possible he may have gotten sick anyway if it is iridovirus, there's no question in my mind now that minimally I have exacerbated matters for him. From what I've found from a search here, using clove oil seems to be the most humane and least distressing option for the fish, at least in the absence of a veterinary sedative, however there does seem to be a broad spread of opinion as to its application. The last thing I want to do is to cause the fish any further distress, so I'd be grateful for some guidance on this please? Note, I am absolutely not prepared to bung him in the freezer, or smack him with a brick, as some seem to suggest.

I would rethink your last sentence. An article in PFK a couple years back stated that the rapid thump is the most humane method of euthanizing a fish; it is rapid (immediate), avoids lengthy suffering. Any other method does not have these two benefits. I net the fish out and place it in a couple of paper towels, quickly fold them over to create a solid package, then place the package on a hard surface and give it a couple thumps with my palm. The fish is instantly killed. Then the package goes into the garbage, or could be buried. The thickness of the paper toweling is sufficient that you see nothing during this process. Unlike clove oil, freezing, throat slitting, or whatever.

240 Litre Fluval Roma (also arriving on Saturday) - 4 x boesmani rainbows, 6 x cherry barbs and the danios (3 zebra, 1 leopard, 2 rosie)
Dimensions of this tank are W120 x D40 x H55cm, length enough to make the rainbows happy? I hope so, as this is the widest tank I can possibly accommodate!

Yes, 120 cm is 4 feet, and this is the recommended length for the larger rainbows. The danios will enjoy this too.

Oh! Last thought in terms of increasing the numbers of the rainbows and the true danios, as I realise I haven't responded to this. I acknowledge that I need to do this to make them happiest, but I've learned the hard lesson of getting carried away with myself. I will do this, but only after the new tanks are fully cycled, and at least a couple of weeks after I've completed all the relocations.

Yes, we are not suggesting increasing fish shoals in the present tanks. However, when you do have the large tank cycled, it would be best to introduce the existing fish group and the new acquisitions together. Though I admit that is less of an issue with these fish than it would be with some where hierarchies are established fairly quickly. It is still a good method though. Quarantining of new acquisitions is recommended, and if you can, good; place the new fish in QT for the few weeks, then if OK the new fish and the existing go into the larger tank at the same time.

For the 240 litre, I'm seeing this as an opportunity to try something new and I am very much open to suggestions! Certainly I'd like to take advice on best planting to suit the inhabitants-to-be. I would like to use the Tropica substrate again, but am considering going with aquarium soil? I will need some fast growing plants initially, but with the extra space, I could also incorporate some slow growers too.

For the substrate or the aquatic soil, I can pick this up locally. However I would prefer to order the plants online for the purpose of pest-free certification for the peace of mind of not inadvertently introducing snails etc. Therefore I'll be wanting to get at least my initial plant order placed by COB tomorrow for delivery on Saturday when the tanks arrive, so I'd like to be making decisions over today and tomorrow morning.

Soil is something I do not recommend. This is a very different thing from any other substrate, be it plain gravel, plain sand, or even the so-called enriched plant substrates. Plants will grow fine without soil. But more importantly, soil creates some serious issues. The rapid decomposition of organics in the soil during the first six months produces CO2 (this is the sole benefit to soil, the initial CO2 level) but also very high ammonia. The majority of soil-enthusiastic authors recommend 6 months with no fish to allow all this to work out. There is also the dry method many prefer. I have read about these, but won't try to explain as i saw no advantage to soil so I just caution others on the significant risks. You don't want to be waiting six months before fish can go into the new larger tank--at least, I woould not.

I would use regular play sand. I have this in all my 8 tanks now, and wish I had changed over much sooner. It is completely safe, no sharpness, and plants grow very well in it. We can use substrate tabs and/or liquid fertilizer for plant nutrients, plus of course the fish load itself. Sand is imperative with many substrate fish, so if cories or loaches might one day be added to this tank--and given its size, it is ideally suited and these are very interesting fishes--sand is the way to go. You could have few or more substrate-rooted plants, or more wood and branches with good floating plants. Either is authentic for forest fish; most tropical streams are basically devoid of aquatic plants due to the overhanging forest canopy and terrestrial vegetation that prevents the sun from penetrating the streams and flooded forest. There are several options. Just to show I am not talking through my hat, I'll attach photos of a couple of my tanks. All have play sand, and Flourish Tabs are used for the larger swords but otherwise Flourish Comprehensive Supplement is added at half dose once a week. I have moderate to low lighting, so this all balances out.