New betta and need advice, I think I'm going insane

[zHaworthia]

I unexpectedly acquired a beautiful little guy but I did not have the time to fully cycle the tank or do any real prep. It’s been a week and I’m not sure what’s going on in my tank and if it’s good/bad since I’ve got so many different answers online so I just want to clarify here. Here’s my setup, what I want to change, and my issues:
Setup:

• Fluval Flex 15 - all stock filter, bio media, lights, etc.
• Fluval® M-Series Submersible Heater - 50W
• Poly-fil behind the top and bottom intakes to catch larger particles
• Fluorite clay substrate - 1.5”-2” deep
• Moss ball type of object that pulls phosphorus from the water
• Plants, bought from Petco, sadly:
  • Amazon sword
  • Java fern
  • Anubias (I don’t know the exact kind)

First I put the tap water in and added Seachem Prime. Then I added the heater to get it to 79-80° and kept it steady there. I also added Seachem Stability and followed the instructions of one full cap first day then 3/4 cap for 7 days. Betta was added 2 hours after Seachem Prime was added just to make sure it was thoroughly mixed.
He eats twice a day, two pellets each time, and I make sure he eats both so there are no leftover bits sitting in the tank.
I am changing the water for the first time, 25% or more, one week after it was all set up (today). Cleaning the filter, replacing the poly-fil inserts, gravel vacuuming the substrate, and wiping the tank walls down.
Issues:

• Java fern - tips are turning brown and from what I read it’s getting used to the tank by melting
• Amazon sword - black lines are appearing and it looks like something is growing on it
• White fuzz on the corners of the tank - I wasn’t sure if it was mold/bacteria or a part of the nitrogen cycle since I got many different answers

I just want to make sure my little guy lives like a king. I’m buying way more plants and re-aquascaping because the tank looks sad and empty right now. I’ll be adding a piece of driftwood, moss on the hide, putting the hide on a hill of the substrate so it’s higher up, and many more plants.
If there are any other questions please ask! I’m sorry that this might all seem like a beginner/unprepared stuff but I want to get feedback on my situation rather than general Google results. Thank you all!

 

[Rocky998]

I unexpectedly acquired a beautiful little guy but I did not have the time to fully cycle the tank or do any real prep. It’s been a week and I’m not sure what’s going on in my tank and if it’s good/bad since I’ve got so many different answers online so I just want to clarify here. Here’s my setup, what I want to change, and my issues:
Setup:

• Fluval Flex 15 - all stock filter, bio media, lights, etc.
• Fluval® M-Series Submersible Heater - 50W
• Poly-fil behind the top and bottom intakes to catch larger particles
• Fluorite clay substrate - 1.5”-2” deep
• Moss ball type of object that pulls phosphorus from the water
• Plants, bought from Petco, sadly:
  • Amazon sword
  • Java fern
  • Anubias (I don’t know the exact kind)

First I put the tap water in and added Seachem Prime. Then I added the heater to get it to 79-80° and kept it steady there. I also added Seachem Stability and followed the instructions of one full cap first day then 3/4 cap for 7 days. Betta was added 2 hours after Seachem Prime was added just to make sure it was thoroughly mixed.
He eats twice a day, two pellets each time, and I make sure he eats both so there are no leftover bits sitting in the tank.
I am changing the water for the first time, 25% or more, one week after it was all set up (today). Cleaning the filter, replacing the poly-fil inserts, gravel vacuuming the substrate, and wiping the tank walls down.
Issues:

• Java fern - tips are turning brown and from what I read it’s getting used to the tank by melting
• Amazon sword - black lines are appearing and it looks like something is growing on it
• White fuzz on the corners of the tank - I wasn’t sure if it was mold/bacteria or a part of the nitrogen cycle since I got many different answers

I just want to make sure my little guy lives like a king. I’m buying way more plants and re-aquascaping because the tank looks sad and empty right now. I’ll be adding a piece of driftwood, moss on the hide, putting the hide on a hill of the substrate so it’s higher up, and many more plants.
If there are any other questions please ask! I’m sorry that this might all seem like a beginner/unprepared stuff but I want to get feedback on my situation rather than general Google results. Thank you all!

Do you have the API freshwater master test kit? If your ammonia and nitrites are anywhere above 0, it can kill your betta. Others can help more than me as I am a beginner myself

 

[zHaworthia]

Do you have the API freshwater master test kit? If your ammonia and nitrites are anywhere above 0, it can kill your betta. Others can help more than me as I am a beginner myself

I do and I have been testing every day. It has not been above 0.

 

[Naughts]

My feedback would be:

Don’t clean the filter for 6 weeks as the beneficial bacteria need to establish.
Continue to test every day and water change any day ammonia or nitrite are above zero.
Maybe cut the feeding down unless he is a baby, this will help reduce ammonia.
Great work with the plants, keep trying until you find which species thrive for you/ your tank.

I think you will have a happy and healthy betta!
Can you post a photo of the white fuzz?

 

[zHaworthia]

My feedback would be:

Don’t clean the filter for 6 weeks as the beneficial bacteria need to establish.
Continue to test every day and water change any day ammonia or nitrite are above zero.
Maybe cut the feeding down unless he is a baby, this will help reduce ammonia.
Great work with the plants, keep trying until you find which species thrive for you/ your tank.

I think you will have a happy and healthy betta!
Can you post a photo of the white fuzz?

I had just cleaned the black sponge liner in the filter as it was clogged with the fluorite dust, so I hope that’s alright. Didn’t touch any other part of it.
Will do on the water changes!
So how much should I be feeding him? I don’t believe he is a baby but honestly not sure.
White fuzz:

 

[Rocky998]

I do and I have been testing every day. It has not been above 0.

If at anytime it rises, I would do a 50-75% water change

 

[Naughts]

I had just cleaned the black sponge liner in the filter as it was clogged with the fluorite dust, so I hope that’s alright. Didn’t touch any other part of it.
Will do on the water changes!
So how much should I be feeding him? I don’t believe he is a baby but honestly not sure.
White fuzz:

If the filter gets clogged so that the flow stops/ is significantly reduced then you’ll have to clear it but otherwise just leave it for the first 6 weeks.
Fish can survive for a few weeks with just 2 feeds a week but it doesn’t need to be that extreme, particularly if you are not sure he is full grown. Maybe just once a day instead of twice?
The white fuzz looks a bit like driftwood fungus? Clean it off and repost if it grows back.

 

[zHaworthia]

If the filter gets clogged so that the flow stops/ is significantly reduced then you’ll have to clear it but otherwise just leave it for the first 6 weeks.
Fish can survive for a few weeks with just 2 feeds a week but it doesn’t need to be that extreme, particularly if you are not sure he is full grown. Maybe just once a day instead of twice?
The white fuzz looks a bit like driftwood fungus? Clean it off and repost if it grows back.

I can do that!
I’ll switch to a once a day, 2 pellet feeding.
I have no driftwood in the tank, I am planning on it within the next two weeks. This is the second time it’s grown back since I’ve cleaned it off.

 

[Naughts]

This is the second time it’s grown back since I’ve cleaned it off.

Mmm, I'm not sure what it is then. Regular maintenance cleaning should control it. Remove any leftover food. Don't bother with any chemical treatments, they do more harm than good. If it's an algae it could disappear once the tank is established. Sorry I'm not much help.

 

[zHaworthia]

I’ll just continue to remove it and hope it’ll be all good within a few weeks. There is never leftover food unless he spits it back up, I always make sure he eats it all. You’re more help than a broad Google search and I’m thankful!

 

[hansgruber7]

Look into getting the Aquarium Co Op Easy Green fertilizer for your plants. My plants, especially my java fern, are doing much better since I started using that. They also have great root tabs for your Amazon sword. I would buy a floating plant too. My betta loves the frogbit I have. Looks like you are doing great. Just stay on top of your water changes and your water quality is the main thing.

 

[zHaworthia]

Look into getting the Aquarium Co Op Easy Green fertilizer for your plants. My plants, especially my java fern, are doing much better since I started using that. They also have great root tabs for your Amazon sword. I would buy a floating plant too. My betta loves the frogbit I have. Looks like you are doing great. Just stay on top of your water changes and your water quality is the main thing.

Thank you for that, I’m so scared I’m going to mess something up and I want it all to be perfect! I’ll look into all of it

 

[Colin_T]

With a new filter, you try not to clean it until at least 2 weeks after it has finished cycling. It normally takes around 4-6 weeks to cycle. Cycling a filter is where you let beneficial bacteria develop and these convert ammonia into nitrite and nitrate.

If you have to clean the filter during that time, wash the filter materials/ media in a bucket of tank water and re-use the media. Tip the bucket of dirty water on the garden/ lawn. Then top up the tank with some dechlorinated water. The filter case and impellor assembly can be rinsed out under tap water when you clean the filter.

Try not to replace filter media because it holds the good filter bacteria. If you have to replace the media, try to only replace one bit at a time so at least half of the old media is still in the filter.

If you have filter pads/ cartridges in the filter, these can be replaced with sponges that will last 10+ years and only get replaced when they start to fall apart. You can buy sponges for different brands of filter and use a pair of scissors to cut them down to size. AquaClear sponges are a nice rectangle shape and easy to cut.

The filter pads can usually be squeezed out in a bucket of tank water and re-used a few times before they start to break down.

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Until the filter has cycled, reduce feeding to 2-3 times a week. Don't worry, the fish won't starve during this time. Unlike mammals and birds that use most of the food they eat to keep warm, most fish take their body temperature from the surrounding water. This means any food they eat goes into moving and growth.

You should do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate 4-8 hours after feeding. This will remove uneaten food and any ammonia produced by the food.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank.

After the tank has cycled, you can feed more often and do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate once a week.