Life in the Aquarium

If you are an experienced aquarist, then you probably already know that taking care of a freshwater aquarium can be quite a process. Things get easier in a properly cycled aquarium, but getting to that point for the new aquarist can be daunting, and downright confusing. I would consider myself to be still fairly new to the hobby, even though I've kept fish before, and some for years. Until recently, I had always followed the default pet store advice to keeping fish, which has been "cycle" your tank for 24 hours or 3 days if you can, then use water conditioner, and there you have it, the ideal fish environment, right? Wrong. Oh so very wrong. About a year and a half ago, after not having fish for over a decade, I bought my kids a pretty blue Betta, and a cute little 2.5 gallon tank for the kitchen counter. Betta are always boasted as good, hardy, starter fish not requiring much space as they come in those little tiny cups. A 2.5 gallon tank must be a dream for a Betta! W...