Who Gives A Fish Forums

finnx wrote: ↑Thu Jun 05, 2025 3:10 pm My tank was sketchy too until I added some live plants. They help suck up ammonia like crazy. Maybe try some anubias or java fern?

Plants do help, but they won't fix the root cause. You still need a cycled filter to handle the bio load.

How often are you doing water changes? In a 5-gallon, you might need to do them more frequently, like 20% every 3 days. Also, check if you're overfeeding, that's a common cause.