Plants, Snails and pH (part 2)

From my previous post (https://steemit.com/life/@kajalpats/plants-snails-and-ph-part-1) I mentioned that I removed the dwarf tears from the five gallon nano tank. I did not just throw away the decaying plant. Interestingly, this is great food for feeder snails! I ended up taking the plant and throwing it into my one gallon feeder snail tank as seen below.

The purpose of raising the feeder snails is so I can provide nutritious food to the pea puffers. The snails love to eat baby tears so it was a win for me despite losing the plant in the tank. I was just glad the plant could be put to use rather than just throwing it away.
Also, I finally was able to find out what my water parameters are straight from the faucet by using five in one test strips.

Unfortunately these test strips were a bit pricey from the store. I only purchased a four strip pack which was retailed at eight dollars. I plan on buying these test strips online in the future as you get more for your money. I tested the water that came straight from my faucet and I was excited about the results. The nitrate levels are zero. Nitrite levels are zero. PH is 7. General hardness of the water is 120. All of these results are ideal for fish! I'm excited about this because I know the fish will thrive even without heavily conditioning the water. This also helps as I do not have to spend too much money on producing ideal water conditions during water changes because the water from the faucet is already in great condition for the fish.

Before I conclude this post I just wanted to bring out something that I experienced while I was at a local Petco. I am not a person who looks to create conflict or encourage it so by discussing this I am by no means looking to argue with someone or create a problem. During my visit at Petco I decided to look at the bettas as I currently have one that is about three years old. Below is the picture of the betta fish display.

I was very shocked to find that almost fifty percent of the bettas were dead. It was sad. It was frustrating to know they were not monitored in these small containers. I understand that storing bettas in tiny containers provides the business a bigger opportunity to sell more fish. However, it is unfortunate to see the fish being neglected by not even monitoring the water conditions. A few of the fish were barely hanging on. It was tragic and I just wanted to bring this out. I do not want to rain on anyone's parade but to create an awareness of the poor treatment that many animals are subject to. So, if you own any type of animal whether it be the smallest or largest, please cherish them and do your best to take care of them with the means you have. Many animals do not receive the same care.
I hope you enjoyed this update post of my new discoveries and please leave a comment or any questions you have below. If you are interested in starting an aquarium or have questions of your current aquarium I would love to answer them!