2.5 gal "betta bow" with live plants and 3 fish (!!!!!! got petco guy's advice before I knew this site) built in filter and light, gravel, ornaments, caves, floating betta log (they love that one!!) a lot going on in that little tank but the fish are happy and get along great, betta boy named Shadow, golden Molly girl and orange Platy girl. As soon as I learned this tank was way too small for tgem I got 6.6 gal long shallow tank which is now cycling with sand substrate, ornaments, live and silk plants (some moved out of the betta bow tank) also put the filter media from betta tank to the new one. Nothing was happening for about 5-6 days then noticed brown/blackish powdery looking sediment sprinkled here and there on the bottom of the new tank. Algae? cut down lights to about 8 hrs per day but the stuff is still there and noticed like "webbing" or jelly-looking things around the branching stems of one of the plants (this too is probably algae too?). Then put couple of ghost shrimp following advice of one of the fish store (small privately own place) and seems like cycling is finally happening. I'm not in a big hurry to move the TRIO to their new home. want to be sure that tank is ready for them plus they are fine in the one they are in right now. Oh, and also got couple of pieces of driftwood which is almost ready to be put in the tanks and betta bowls (got 4 of those planted with great live plants, and Almond leaves, my bettas love those). I was having problems with the 2.5 gal bettabow at the beginning but water was crystal clear and fish did great. Then water turned cloudy and yellowish, tank walls got slimy... but this is when I noticed the water test readings at really good range. I stopped compulsively washing the filter with each PWC, it looks HORRIBLE now!!!! But the water cleared up! Would it be that BB's are doing the work now of cleaning the water? I'll do PWC today hasn't been done in 1 week (before did it like 3xwk bcs it was getting so nasty) and will test all master kit parameters. We'll see what they are. Also have to put that driftwood in and move some plants and things around. For the filter, someone told me to only rinse it in old tank water when I do PWC which is what I started doing. Questions: 1) How often do you guys put there wash/change yours (filters)? 2) when new tank is ready (6.6 gal) when I move my "Betta Trio" (betta boy, molly and platy) in there should I remove the ghost shrimp? 3) with the 3 of them the tank will be maxed out, as far as stocking, correct? Asking bcs of algae issue. 4) if no living critter able to join the Trio to take care of the algae in there, are there any other good options? It is very unsightly (dark on white sand, also settles on plant leaves, yack!)