General Aqarium Health

[SurfsUp]

I'm still really new to the hobby and would love some more advice!

My tank is on the small side with extensive moss, some java ferns, and a pump filter, so the water quality is consistently good with test strips (nitrite and nitrate at 0). Still, everything is covered in green algae, and I have trouble cleaning the moss or java fern roots. The java fern also has had several leaves yellowing.

I have recently tried feeding my betta frozen blood worms and over fed him two weeks ago (he had a bulge on one side). I paused feeding for two days and have since reduced regular feeding to one flake a day. Swimming behaviour seems very normal but he still has a bit of a bump on only one side. He also has seemed to breath more heavily from the opposite gill.

I do a 1/3 water change and scrub the fake stuff once a week or once every two weeks.

Are any of these observations cause for concern? What can I do to level up my aquarium care? Thanks!

[SurfsUp]

To add on, my local pet store has recommended Bettafix for the breathing issue. I have given one dose this evening. Looking online, it seems controversial. Happy to take more experienced view points than my rudimentary "google knowledge".

[CarlP]

Hi!

First and foremost, welcome to the club!
We were all beginner someday and the knowledge shared by everyone really help.

So your aquarium is fairly new but cycled, am I correct?
Then you're not looking for ammonia, nitrite or nitrate but mostly what cause an imbalance in your aquarium.
If there's algae, there's an extra of something, maybe light (the usual suspect) or nutrient. Try to reduce your light schedule to maximum 6 hours until the plants have taken over and are growing well.

What's your water like? Ottawa city? If yes, the water is really nutrient and mineral poor. You could get some liquid fertilizer to see if it helps with your fern. They can intake a lot of nutrients. Again, if there's algae, there's an imbalance. It can be a tank maturing or too much of something.

For the betta, try daphnia. It's a mild laxative for them. Don't do any pea or anything.
Adding some humic acid (tanin) can help as well. Botanicals too.

[SurfsUp]

Thanks for your reply Carl!

So what I've learned since posting is my nitrogen cycle testing was inadequate. I have since been testing ~5 days a week with a liquid titration ammonia kit, and I do have an issue. I'm fairly consistently measuring between 0.25 - 1 ppm of ammonia. I'm doing a 30 % water change every 2-3 day and adding beneficial bacteria afterwards. As further context, I started the tank ~Nov 2024 and added the fish Jan 2025. My best guess, is that adding the (too many) blood worms and not doing a water change soon enough afterwards disrupted the nitrogen cycle.

I also noticed a white spot on my betta where his body and tail connect. The pet store described my pictures like he had an open wound and recommended Supratect. I've also added salt directly (up to 2 Tablespoons in 3 Gal) to the tank for a few months (> 3 months). This regimen seemed to do little to help. He still has the white spot and the side bump. I am very unsure if the salting dose was too low - any opinions?

This past month, I've started setting up and cycling a 5 Gal tank, along with reducing the salt in the 3 Gal tank, so I can move my betta across to a bigger home.

You were spot on with the algae! Since I have had the two tanks running, I ran an experiment, The betta is in a tank without light and just moss, and almost no algae (even with less salt). The new 5 Gal tank on 10h light (and admittedly much more stagnant) has had plenty of green algae grow. I've shifted the light down to the 6h cycle option.

On the Ottawa water and fertilizer: I am using volcanic rocks at the bottom, and have attached the ferns to wood (I assume it also has some nutrients?). I can see the moss is happy and proliferating. Maybe the Java Fern would like an extra boost. Would you still think the tank would benefit from additional nutrients?

Thanks for your thoughts! Most of my friends have cats, not "cat snacks", so it is helpful to hear your insights.