u/Hazel2468

Hey all!

I just got my hands on a 16 gallon tank (A Fluval Spec), and I had an idea for it. I want to do a mostly black/dark scape (black substrate, lava rock, dark wood, dark plants like some buce plants), and then all gold colored fish.

I already have some ideas- I am planning on some ember tetras and a single male honey gourami as a centerpiece fish. but I would love some more suggestions. My initial plan was to do a smaller 10 gallon, but then I found a larger tank that fits my bedroom aquarium stand, so I have extra space!

My water is pretty hard- high GH. PH is usually around the 6-7 range, although in one of my betta tanks it sits around 7.6-8 due to decor choices. I’m open to using a water softener but I would prefer not to.

So anyone who knows anything about glittery gold (or copper colored) fish, I would love your suggestions! Thanks in advance!

I changed my betta over to a new (better for his needs) 10 gallon tank on Monday. Yesterday I came home from work and there was a significant ammonia spike in the tank (looked like somewhere between .5 ppm and 1 ppm). I did a water change right away. Tested again this morning and we're at .25 ppm again.

Substrate used is controsoil. All the plants, decor, filter, heater, everything else is the same. I even re-used his old water, though I did add in some fresh. Some of the old substrate is buried under the new for the plants to reach because it's full of gunk for them.

I knew this could be a possibility with the substrate change- my question is, how long will this last, and how often should I be doing water changes and testing? He's back up to .25 ppm after just overnight. The tank was cycled before I changed it to the new one and had been stable for months. It's just my betta, some cherry shrimp, and a whole bunch of plants.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.