[celebritysk1n]

i’m a betta keeper, i’ve kept them since i was young but i’m new to actually giving them the best life they can. i have a 29 gallon with some live plants and some fake. i’ll put a picture of my tank. i have a male betta named siddhartha. fish keeping is more difficult than people tend to believe and i’m really just trying to educate myself.
here’s my issues:
ammonia; my tank always seems to have ammonia very high, and i’ll do a water change and there is still ammonia. i know of cycling too, i haven’t had the chance to actually “cycle” my tank because i already have a fish and i don’t know what to do.
my plants always die; i have some live plants in my tank and i have for almost a year now but they keep dying and getting brown and literally decomposing, which is not good for ammonia rates at all. what am i doing wrong??
white algae on surface; there is white stuff that looks like mold on the surface of my water. is it the rotting plants that are dead for some reason? (i included a picture)
heating: i have two heaters in my 29 gallon which are both for 15 gallon tanks, my tank is always a little cold and not in the safe zone. how am i supposed to keep it warm?
tank cleaning:
my tank is upstairs and i have to run up and down the stairs with little vases to fill up my tank with water changes. i’m not even sure to how to do a regular change really. should i scrub all my wood and fake plants and gravel?

i’m really lost and i just need to be pointed in the right direction, most people are pretentious when it comes to fish and i really just need help.

 

[celebritysk1n]

i’m a betta keeper, i’ve kept them since i was young but i’m new to actually giving them the best life they can. i have a 29 gallon with some live plants and some fake. i’ll put a picture of my tank. i have a male betta named siddhartha. fish keeping is more difficult than people tend to believe and i’m really just trying to educate myself.
here’s my issues:
ammonia; my tank always seems to have ammonia very high, and i’ll do a water change and there is still ammonia. i know of cycling too, i haven’t had the chance to actually “cycle” my tank because i already have a fish and i don’t know what to do.
my plants always die; i have some live plants in my tank and i have for almost a year now but they keep dying and getting brown and literally decomposing, which is not good for ammonia rates at all. what am i doing wrong??
white algae on surface; there is white stuff that looks like mold on the surface of my water. is it the rotting plants that are dead for some reason? (i included a picture)
heating: i have two heaters in my 29 gallon which are both for 15 gallon tanks, my tank is always a little cold and not in the safe zone. how am i supposed to keep it warm?
tank cleaning:
my tank is upstairs and i have to run up and down the stairs with little vases to fill up my tank with water changes. i’m not even sure to how to do a regular change really. should i scrub all my wood and fake plants and gravel?

i’m really lost and i just need to be pointed in the right direction, most people are pretentious when it comes to fish and i really just need help.

 

[celebritysk1n]

View attachment 1031876

 

[Seqathe]

Hello there and welcome to the forums! First of all I just want to say that you are right in your comment in regards to learning the ins and outs of fish keeping. When I was going to get my first betta, I honestly did not think there could be so much to it even though they are very hardy little guys. My learning curve was steep but this forum has been amazing and members are very helpful. I don't think you will be met with any sort of judgment here

ammonia; my tank always seems to have ammonia very high, and i’ll do a water change and there is still ammonia. i know of cycling too, i haven’t had the chance to actually “cycle” my tank because i already have a fish and i don’t know what to do.

In regards to this, it is actually perfectly fine to work on cycling with a fish already present. I cycled both of my tanks after adding my bettas by following the guide I am going to link below. It is very easy and only requires a bottle of Prime, which is inexpensive and lasts long, and also a way to test your water parameters. API freshwater testing kit is generally recommended as it will give you more accurate results than strips. High levels of nitrite and nitrate can be just as dangerous as ammonia, and the guide will help with both!

CYCLING: the two-sentence tutorial

Change half the water when either ammonia or nitrite approach 0.50ppm (alternately, 25% at 0.25ppm), or weekly, whichever comes first. Add Seachem Prime at 2-drops per gallon of tank size every day until cycled. That’s all you have to do. You can stop reading now. But there’s a lot of...

www.bettafish.com

If you have questions about the guide, please don't be afraid to ask!

my tank is upstairs and i have to run up and down the stairs with little vases to fill up my tank with water changes. i’m not even sure to how to do a regular change really. should i scrub all my wood and fake plants and gravel?

So with the size of tank that you have, you really don't need to replace large amounts of water. What's important however is that you use a vacuum for your substrate when you syphon out water. Stick it into the gravel/sand and keep it there until it runs clean, then move it. If the water gets sucked up too fast, you can always pinch the hose to slow down the flow. Make sure not to remove all of your water or the fish as it may stress him out. I don't scrub my plants or decoration, I simply work around the plants and every now and then I pick up decor to vacuum underneath.

I know your fish is not ill and you already answered a lot of the information in the form I will link below, but it will really help to better get a full picture. Members can then easier give advice if you can fill it out the best you can.

PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING: Fill out this form so we can...

Many thanks to BF/TFK Member Mike for developing this questionnaire. It is the same form with a few additions. Please copy and paste into a new message and complete this form when seeking help for your Betta. This information and a clear photo posted directly into the thread will help us give...

www.bettafish.com

Just take a deep breath and hang in there! I'm sorry if you have met judgmental fish keepers before. You are doing the best thing by reaching out and asking questions, 💕 I have asked MANY of them myself and still do lol

I did not answer all of your questions because I don't know the answers to all of them and don't want to give misinformation. Some of them can also be clarified a bit better if you fill out the form above. Hopefully more experienced keepers will also weigh in

Also, your tank is quite lovely!