New Micro Tank! (13 L Tank) Where Do I Start?

Hi there, I bought a 13L tank (3.5 g) a while back but after having a bit of a problem with my 110L tank I never got to even taking it out of the box! I've done a good amount of fish keeping in the past but I need to be positive that I'm doing things right when setting up this new tank. It has a suitable filter, I have an airstone and tubing, a bag of almost white sand and of course declinator and other tank regulation chemicals. I want to have all live plants in my tank, and when it comes to fish I have no clue where to even start. I've read that bettas are good for small tanks some places and others saying they need big ones. I've read that neon tetras or guppies are good but I've read they need a large tank too, lots of rambled info I have no clue about. Anyways, I have the tank on a table and I've done absolutely nothing so far. Haven't even taken the rocks out of the bag or bought any plants or décor, a fully fresh start. If anyone is reading this, I'd love to know the steps to take to start this tank in order to add fish or other aquatic things to add (Like snails or shrimp or something),list of things to buy, and really anything that will get this planted tank started and ready for fish at some point. Thanks for the help! I'll also post a pic of the tank, rocks, and things I bought. ***Also if this tank is to small for really anything please tell me so i can take it back or turn it into something like a plant nursery***



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I used this tank as a quarantine tank. It is too small for anything other than maybe a betta or some shrimp. A shrimp tank would be pretty cool if that is something you are interested in?

Personally I love bettas and they like to be alone - they are too aggressive for most tank mates so they'd do okay in this size. A 5 gallon would be better but this would be okay.

Some plants like tetras need at least 6 of their kind as they are schooling fish. So I think this tank is probably too small for any schooling fish.

You can get some small plants like anubias nana petite and some moss balls. Those will do okay in low light which is all you'll get from the light on the lid with that kit. I would not go with anything that needs to be planted as you'd have to do root tabs for fertilizer.

My husband really wants a shrimp tank so we're looking into a nano cube for that. They are really cool to watch. And I think this size tank would suffice for them.

it sounds like you are off to a good start with the dechlorinator and other chemicals. Are you planning to do a fishless cycle?

Neleono said:

Hi there, I bought a 13L tank (3.5 g) a while back but after having a bit of a problem with my 110L tank I never got to even taking it out of the box! I've done a good amount of fish keeping in the past but I need to be positive that I'm doing things right when setting up this new tank. It has a suitable filter, I have an airstone and tubing, a bag of almost white sand and of course declinator and other tank regulation chemicals. I want to have all live plants in my tank, and when it comes to fish I have no clue where to even start. I've read that bettas are good for small tanks some places and others saying they need big ones. I've read that neon tetras or guppies are good but I've read they need a large tank too, lots of rambled info I have no clue about. Anyways, I have the tank on a table and I've done absolutely nothing so far. Haven't even taken the rocks out of the bag or bought any plants or décor, a fully fresh start. If anyone is reading this, I'd love to know the steps to take to start this tank in order to add fish or other aquatic things to add (Like snails or shrimp or something),list of things to buy, and really anything that will get this planted tank started and ready for fish at some point. Thanks for the help! I'll also post a pic of the tank, rocks, and things I bought. ***Also if this tank is to small for really anything please tell me so i can take it back or turn it into something like a plant nursery***

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it will be good for a betta but super hared to maintain(get at least a 5 gallon) too small for a breeding colony of guppies but good for like 1 or 2 males. makes a nice invert tank, some small snails, some shrimp? maybe even like a baby nursery tank

Yep, for a tank that size, you're pretty limited. Most critters need more room than that. Micro tanks can be really cool, though. You just have to be super careful not to overstock.

So, if it were me, I'd do a soil-under-sand substrate, add an interesting rock or piece of wood with anubias or java moss, heavily plant it with several kinds of smaller crypts, dwarf sag, and some floaters. Let it settle for a month or two to really let the plants get going and silent cycle, then add some small snails and either a really pretty betta or an assortment of shrimp and a couple stone catfish (hara jerdoni). That's what I'd do.

Good luck!

Please don't put Betta or any fish inside, some say you can do it, but they really need a bit more space to be happy, and it will be difficult to keep a smaller tank like that stable in temperature and water quality.

I would keep this as either a quarantine tank, or perhaps for raising Brine Shrimp as a source of live food (they do not need a heater).

Ok, I'm planning to return the tank and view my options. I might get a 5-10 gallon and do what whistlingbadger recommended. Thanks for the advice.

mrsjoannh13 said:

Personally I love bettas and they like to be alone - they are too aggressive for most tank mates so they'd do okay in this size. A 5 gallon would be better but this would be okay.

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I must politely recorrect you on this. Bettas require a 5 gallon tank as a recommended and a tank smaller than 5 gallons usually can't have any fish in it. Since a tank that is smaller than 5 gallons is classed as a nano tank, the only possible tankmates would be shrimp. Also, I have had a female betta with rummynoses, corys and a DG (I know that's not the best tankmate but I didn't know that at the time of purchase) for nearly 7 months and I've had literally 0 problems unless she strays into the DG's territory.

Huscarl86 said:

Please don't put Betta or any fish inside, some say you can do it, but they really need a bit more space to be happy, and it will be difficult to keep a smaller tank like that stable in temperature and water quality.

I would keep this as either a quarantine tank, or perhaps for raising Brine Shrimp as a source of live food (they do not need a heater).

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but brine needs brackish so maybe...

Fish4dawin said:

I must politely recorrect you on this. Bettas require a 5 gallon tank as a recommended and a tank smaller than 5 gallons usually can't have any fish in it. Since a tank that is smaller than 5 gallons is classed as a nano tank, the only possible tankmates would be shrimp. Also, I have had a female betta with rummynoses, corys and a DG (I know that's not the best tankmate but I didn't know that at the time of purchase) for nearly 7 months and I've had literally 0 problems unless she strays into the DG's territory.

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Oh, my goodness, here we go again. There are a LOT of opinions on this. Pretty much all of us agree that having a betta in a cup is cruel and not a good idea. Exactly how much room they do need is open to debate; what they "require" depends on whom you ask, and probably much depends on the personality and breeding of the individual fish.

The same goes for the old "bettas do best alone" opinion. So much of it depends on the personality of the individual fish, the specific tank mates, the size and even decor of the tank. But I think most of us were referring to male Betta splendens. Most people would agree with you that female spendens, as well as some of the other betta species, tend to be a bit more peaceful and more suitable for a carefully-planned community tank.

Since the OP is not going to use this tank, I guess it's all kind of a moot point.

WhistlingBadger said:

Oh, my goodness, here we go again. There are a LOT of opinions on this. Pretty much all of us agree that having a betta in a cup is cruel and not a good idea. Exactly how much room they do need is open to debate; what they "require" depends on whom you ask, and probably much depends on the personality and breeding of the individual fish.

The same goes for the old "bettas do best alone" opinion. So much of it depends on the personality of the individual fish, the specific tank mates, the size and even decor of the tank. But I think most of us were referring to male Betta splendens. Most people would agree with you that female spendens, as well as some of the other betta species, tend to be a bit more peaceful and more suitable for a carefully-planned community tank.

Since the OP is not going to use this tank, I guess it's all kind of a moot point.

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but in conclusion bigger is better for hte fish and easier to maintain

Sgooosh said:

but in conclusion bigger is better for hte fish and easier to maintain

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yes, generally so. Just pointing out that there aren't many hard and fast rules.

WhistlingBadger said:

Oh, my goodness, here we go again. There are a LOT of opinions on this. Pretty much all of us agree that having a betta in a cup is cruel and not a good idea. Exactly how much room they do need is open to debate; what they "require" depends on whom you ask, and probably much depends on the personality and breeding of the individual fish.

The same goes for the old "bettas do best alone" opinion. So much of it depends on the personality of the individual fish, the specific tank mates, the size and even decor of the tank. But I think most of us were referring to male Betta splendens. Most people would agree with you that female spendens, as well as some of the other betta species, tend to be a bit more peaceful and more suitable for a carefully-planned community tank.

Since the OP is not going to use this tank, I guess it's all kind of a moot point.

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I wasn't trying to be harsh about it I was just voicing my opinion

Fish4dawin said:

I wasn't trying to be harsh about it I was just voicing my opinion

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No, me neither. It's just important to acknowledge that there really is no dogma on these issues. Too many variables in the equation to say "a betta must have this size of tank." I've seen bettas in 10g tanks that were miserable, and in 3g tanks that seemed perfectly happy. Tank size is only one factor.

WhistlingBadger said:

No, me neither. It's just important to acknowledge that there really is no dogma on these issues. Too many variables in the equation to say "a betta must have this size of tank." I've seen bettas in 10g tanks that were miserable, and in 3g tanks that seemed perfectly happy. Tank size is only one factor.

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another important one is that you love your betta and tanke care of them and do water changes cleaning stuff and yeah

Ok update time! I went to the petstore and I spent a good 30 minutes having a panic attack in the aquarium isle and I ended up getting a 38L (10G) aquarium. I think this will be good space for a fish and I assume easier to maintain. I still really want to go for a well planted look and being my first tank that's made for plants I obviously don't know what to do. I read that its good to put like potting soil under the gravel? Is that true? What fish do I go with (I like the idea of a betta with some kind of bottom feeder like a snail but I'm not sure if they like a sandy substrate with moss and stuff). Also, what kind of cycle do I do and when do I introduce the plants and fish? Once again, I have all of the things I need to set it up but I haven't started yet, another blank slate to work from. Thanks!

Side note, I like the plant ideas of Java moss, small crypts, and dwarf sag, in addition to some kind of floating plant but I'm not sure where I would buy these plants and what kind of floating plants to get. Any recommendations would be great.