What's new
By:
Filters

Betta Tank | Sumatra's Journal

S

Sumatra

Mostly New Member
Joined
Jun 23, 2014
Messages
20
Reaction score
0
Location
GB
Hello,
 
My name is Helen & I am currently setting up a 55 litre tank with the intention of it eventually housing a single male Betta. Here's some information regarding my tank and equipment.
 
Tank: Aqua Nano 55 (55 Litre)
Filter: Built in filter with biological, mechanical and chemical filtration.
Pump: Aqua One Maxi 102 Powerhead Pump
Heater: Aqua One Submersible Glass Heater (55 Watt)
Light: Aqua One Double LED Clip-On (10 Watt)
 
Other Equipment:
 
Tropica Plant Growth System 60 (Co2 System)
Two Little Fishes Nanomag (for Algae)
Aqua One Internal Maxi Filter 102F Accessory Pack - Spray Bar
 
Substrate: Columbo Flora Base
Live Plants: Alternanthera Rosaefolia, Echinodorus Tricolour, Echinodorus Ozelot (Leopard), Eleocharis Acicularis, Micranthemum Umbrosum.
Decoration: Two pieces of Baltic Rock and one piece of Bogwood.
 
Current tank status: Fishless-Cycling
 
Sorry if these pictures are a little bit rubbish. I blame the Samsung S3.
smile.png

 
Before set-up
 
10334319_10152154237392854_4390017967586789929_n.jpg
 
After set-up
 
The spray bar isn't pictured here but I have added it since.
 
10592703_10152161624982854_4711595880892795573_n.jpg
 
Lovely tank! I can't see one, so I'm going to ask: have you got a lid? I've lost several bettas because they are excellent at jumping. A lid is necessary, in case you were not aware.

Is this your first planted tank? It looks marvelous.
 
attibones said:
Lovely tank! I can't see one, so I'm going to ask: have you got a lid? I've lost several bettas because they are excellent at jumping. A lid is necessary, in case you were not aware.

Is this your first planted tank? It looks marvelous.
Click to expand...
 
Oh, yes! There is a lid. :) I must have been fiddling around with something when I took this picture and forgot to pop it back on, aha!
 
It is my first planted tank, yes. I'm quite happy with it and so far *fingers crossed* all of the plants are doing well. I'll take updated photographs later today (Y).
 
Thanks for the nice compliments, guys! It's much appreciated. 
 
That's looking really good, Helen.
Sumatra will have a lovely new home once you get him in there!
btw the pictures are more than adequate - better than some of mine! lol
 
Very nice :)
 
I have the same tank, its a decent tank and like the fact fitter setup is in the back and out of sight, also maintenance on that is pretty straightforward. Nice stand too.
 
Looking good and cant wait for the next stage ;)
 
I thought I would post up my water test results so far along with a new picture.
smile.png

 
Day 1 (Setup Day)
 
P.H. - 7.0
Ammonia - 0.25ppm (I believe this reading was due to my substrate (Columbo Flora Base) which apparently does leach a little bit of Ammonia for the first two-weeks or so).
Nitrite - 0ppm
Nitrate - Between 0ppm - 5.0ppm (We do get a slight Nitrate reading in our tap water).
 
Amount of Ammonia added - 2ml
Ammonia Reading - 4.0ppm
 
Day 4
 
P.H. - 7.0
Ammonia - 2.0ppm
Nitrite - 0.25ppm
 
And that's as far as I've got so far.
smile.png

 
Here's a new image of my tank from today. I think there's been a small amount of plant growth since the initial setup.
 
10350526_10152171017397854_8740700856815732941_n.jpg
 
If you are only going to have a single betta you probably don't need to aim so high for the ammonia. 1 ppm ammonia should suffice unless you are planning to have something in with the betta in which case aim for 3 ppm. The old level to aim for used to be 5 ppm but this lead to problems with excessive nitrites and stalled cycles.
Did you use the TFF calculator to work out how much to add? You can alter the levels to suit the situation and ammonia source concentration. 
Also have you seen the thread linked at the end of my signature? It's a very good guide for fishless cycling and requires adding only 6-7 doses of ammonia til it's fully cycled and ready for fish. Well worth a read.
 
I am considering adding some shrimp or some snails in with the Betta but I'm not 100% on that yet. I did read the thread on how to cycle your tank and I have been following it but I will admit that I didn't use the calculator. I kinda just aimed for 3ppm (and ended up going slightly over). Do you think when my ammonia comes down I should add a little less for Dose #2?
 
I've just worked out my tanks volume (roughly) and the calculator suggests adding 1.26ml of ammonia if I was aiming for 3ppm. Should I be aiming for less than 3ppm even if I'm considering shrimps/snails? 
 
I'm a complete newbie when it comes to all of this, so I do apologise for all the questions and whatnot, aha! 
 
That's a tricky one as shrimp hardly add any bioload to the tank and yet snails do produce a lot of waste so maybe a good idea to stick with the full 3 ppm dose if you are going to be adding snails. Have you any idea what snails and shrimp you're thinking about getting? I would recommend amano/yamato shrimp for a betta tank as they are bigger than the cherry shrimp types and better able to get out of the way if there's a confrontation. 
Don't worry about asking questions - we've all been new to this at some point and that's what the forum is for after all.
 
Well, I'm not too sure at the moment. I would prefer to add shrimp over snails but I am concerned that the Betta will make a meal out of them. People who I work with who keep Betta fish have told me they have had much better luck keeping snails, so maybe that's the direction I need to be going in?
 
I tested my tank for KH/GH today and these were my readings:
 
KH - 2dKH
GH - 9dGH
 
My P.H. remains at 7.0.
 
I'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to reading KH/GH, so I was wondering if somebody could give me a little bit of info/advice? I am aware that 2 is quite low for KH.
 
Thanks,
 
Same tank as me! 
sorcerer.gif

 
How do you find the aqua one pump? I can't seem to get mine in the appropriate place - or the water level to the appropriate height. I have two filters at the moment just to keep up the current. The aquaone pump is just sitting half way down where the hole is. I can't move it either as the Betta fish swims through it to get in there! 
 
Just wondered how you approached it as it's so finicky with the thermometer behind there. 
 
Mamashack said:
Here's a link to something that is written for the non-chemistry mind (like mine!) that you might find useful
http://www.badmanstropicalfish.com/articles/article94.html
Click to expand...
 
Thanks. I'll take a look at it. :)
 
Dandyman3 said:
Same tank as me! 
sorcerer.gif

 
How do you find the aqua one pump? I can't seem to get mine in the appropriate place - or the water level to the appropriate height. I have two filters at the moment just to keep up the current. The aquaone pump is just sitting half way down where the hole is. I can't move it either as the Betta fish swims through it to get in there! 
 
Just wondered how you approached it as it's so finicky with the thermometer behind there. 
Click to expand...
 
I did have a little problem with the water level in the third chamber (where the pump and heater sit) initially. I found that the pump sat too high in the filter compartment and was drawing in air when the filter was at full power; it made an absolutely awful noise! To rectify it, I just turned the whole pump upside down (so the flow control switch is on top). This lowers the pump slightly and allows the water level to sit above the intake. I know that quite a few people have had to do the same thing.
 
What do you mean by not being able to get it in the right place? Do you mean that you can't match the pump outlet hole with the hole in the back of the tank? 
 
 
What do you mean by not being able to get it in the right place? Do you mean that you can't match the pump outlet hole with the hole in the back of the tank? 
Click to expand...
 
Exactly. Might have to try seeing if I can get it upside down then. The fitting for it is very loose too. I saw someone put electric tape on there's to keep it snug. Like you say, if it is above the water, it will make a horrific noise. So now, in this third compartment, mine is just sitting below the hole and pushing air up to the top of the tank. 
 
Going to try have a fiddle then to get it upside down. See if that is any better. 
 
Thanks for the response. 
 
And here is my tank thread if you wanted a look at it found here. I still want to re-arrange the front of it. Going to try a more subtle plant I think. 
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

A
Back into the Hobby
Replies
0
Views
196
AquaGuy07
A
AdoraBelle Dearheart
New betta/shrimp tank
2 3
Replies
43
Views
1K
AdoraBelle Dearheart
AdoraBelle Dearheart
Fishmanic
  • Locked
  • Poll
🏆 TOTY VOTE NOW - 2023 TANK OF THE YEAR TOURNAMENT 🐠🐡
Replies
11
Views
5K
Fishmanic
Fishmanic
Fishmanic
🐠 TOTM rebe - October 2023 Tank of the Month Winner (17 - 30 gallons)
2
Replies
16
Views
2K
Herbibore
Herbibore
fishyfun&fans
Aqua-one 850(165litre) Tank Journal
2
Replies
19
Views
2K
Essjay
Essjay

Most reactions

Useful Links

Back
Top