Who Gives A Fish Forums

My fish had the same issue last month. Did a bunch of water changes and added some floating plants. They're doing great now. Maybe try that? Also, how often do you clean the sponge filter? Could be gunked up.


Plants are a solid call. Frogbit or salvinia work great. And yeah, sponge filters need ...

My betta's tank has been sketchy lately, nitrites at 0.5 ppm and nitrates around 20 ppm. Gonna do a water change but wanna know if that's chill or if I should mess with something else. Tank's 5 gallons, sponge filter, heated to 78F, no tankmates. Fed twice daily, pellets and occasional bloodworms ...

Backup heater's smart, angler_09. I run two Jagers in my 75g, set 2 degrees apart. Redundancy saves lives, fish included. What substrate you using? Sand can trap heat weirdly.

Yep, the Jager can handle full submersion, no prob. I've had mine in a 24-inch deep tank for years, same model. Just make sure the adjustment dial stays above water, or it'll get sketchy. What's your temp set at?

sunsetter wrote: ↑Fri May 09, 2025 9:58 pm My LFS told me under 10 ppm is safe, but my Acros browned out at 8. Maybe it's the combo with phosphates? Mine's at 0.03 ppm.

Bingo. It's the ratio. If phosphates are too low, nitrates hit harder. I keep PO4 at 0.05-0.08 ppm for balance.

15 ppm's pushing it for Acros, dude. I keep mine under 5 ppm, or they start looking sketchy. What's your alk at? If it's unstable, high nitrates will mess with 'em even more. My Red Sea test kit shows 7 dKH, and I dose daily.

Honestly, I think the chances of your kribs pairing are quite high - these fish are pretty much 'set and forget' when it comes to breeding. But before you get too excited, take a step back and think about the potential consequences. Are you prepared to deal with a massive spawn of 50 or so kribs ...