New here and have a few questions

[Goldfawn]

Hi there! I hope this is ok here, if not feel free to yell at me and move the thread with my apologies.

I’m getting back into the fish keeping hobby and I’m setting up a new tank. I just wanted to know what you all think of my setup and if it seems adequate for what I’m planning on keeping in it.

So I have a 10 gallon tank, I think it’s called long in this case as it is rectangle shaped. It’s a marineland kit that came with a penguin 75 bio-wheel power filter and a 50 watt heater. And a lid with an led light that can be white or blue light.

So I’ve messed with the filter a bit and pulled the carbon filter cartridge and added some aquaclear foam all inside and bio max on top instead. I left the bio-wheel in though. I also baffled the filter with a sponge because the current was pretty strong. You can probably guess by now I’m planning a Betta for this tank, since I’m concerned about current.

I have the heater on and I’m trying to get the tank to 80 it’s at 73 right now according to my tank thermometer but it’s only been on about 2 hours and I can turn it up still it’s not on all the way. As for decor I have gravel, a small peice of mostly buried driftwood that has no sharp edges and two small terracotta pots that are half buried and the back holes are plugged. Some fake mossy rocks and 8 silk plants that have made a ton of shade and hiding spots as well as soft places to rest near the surface. Nothing has sharp edges that I could feel. Before I added anything I rinsed it all including the tank.

Boy, that got wordy. Anyhow do you think that sounds ok for a happy healthy Betta?

Before you ask, it’s not cycled and I’m not getting a Betta until it is. I have no access to any cycled media sadly and no way to buy ammonia in Canada so I am trying the fish food method. I purchased some dr. Tim’s ammonia chloride online and if that comes I will try that if the fish food doesn’t work. Water parameters now are 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, 0 nitrates and PH is around 7 or 7.2. I just added water and a small amount of fish food today and also added Prime and Stability.

I have omega one Betta buffet and bug bites tropical as well as frozen bloodworms and brine shrimp for when my buddy arrives.

Did I miss anything? Is there anything else I can do? I am thinking of adding an Indian Almond leaf for those sweet anti bacterial properties.. can anyone tell me if that’s a good idea or not? I also have some Marimo Moss Balls I’m not sure if I want to add or not.. I’m quarantining them but they are just in a glass of tank water and I’m not sure if I need to do anything else to quarantine them. I bought them on amazon. Help?

Thanks bunches if you read all that I appreciate it and any and all help would be welcome, I’d love to have the happiest Betta around. I included a picture of the tank to show how it’s set up and get opinions. Too crowded?

 

[LyraGuppi]

Your setup looks great! The only thing I'd add is that cycling with ammonia is a lot easier, fish food can be a little unreliable.
Welcome to TFF c:

 

[fluttermoth]

Your tank's not too crowded; tanks with lots of decor are good for bettas. The almond leaves are a good idea, and the moss balls don't need much quarantine; just enough to see of there's any pest snails, if you'd rather not have them, although they don't do any harm, and won't overpopulate your tank unless you overfeed; I find them quite useful, as they will pick up any food the betta misses.

I agree with Lyra about the ammonia, but I do know it can be hard to get; if you do have to use fish food, I'd recommend putting it in a mesh bag, or even let it rot down in a bucket and adding that water to the tank, just so you don't have a lot of old food to clean out later

 

[Goldfawn]

Thank you to both of you for the replies! I’ll watch the moss for a few days and see what happens. It arrived on a cold day and is a little sickly looking also so not sure if it will live or not.

Thank you for the cycling tips! I did order ammonia but I’m not sure if it will ship here I’m crossing my fingers. It’s not for sale here at any hardware store or anything. The only thing they have is windex or other cleaner containing ammonia which obviously I won’t be using. I ordered stuff specifically for fish tanks so hopefully it will come soon. I hear the fish food method is difficult but I may have no other choice besides adding live fish and I don’t want to do that at all.

Thanks again! it’s nice to have a place I can talk about this my husband thinks I’ve gone off the deep end into looney fish lady land. Maybe so.....

 

[SeanTrollope]

like the others have said your tank will be perfect once cycled and withe a little more decor.
also consider planting the tank as this helps a lot with bacteria and cycling as well as making a more fish friendly environment etc....

 

[neoyyf]

If you test for ammonia after dechlorinating it you may find ammonia in it. This is because when the dechlorinator removes chloramine, it turns to ammonia. Another popular way get an ammonia source is to place a piece of cooked shrimp/prawn/non oily fish into the tank and let it rot in there

Thats a really nice tank you have there. I would move the filter to one end of the tank with the flow going aross the length of the tank so that it doesnt just circulate in the middle. I would also move the heater next to the flow so that the heated water gets carried with the flow

In my experience, once a moss ball turns light green/brown it is dead and irreversible. I assume the seller stacked a lot of them together so the light did not reach some parts, you may have to pick/cut these bits off. They dont seem to rot even after years.

I have a perfect round moss ball that i gifted to my sister which she has neglected on a window sill in indirect light in a jar for years but its still lush green

 

[Byron]

Given the circumstances here, I would not even attempt "cycling,": and certainly not go adding ammonia. Live plants, once they are showing signs of growing, will easily and rapidly take up any ammonia from a single Betta. Adding ammonia is only complicating the issue, and could end up killing the plants.

As for the heater...first, always get the tank water at or reasonably close to the temperature you want it by adjusting the warm/cold water at tap when you fill the tank. Then place the heater in the tank. If it does not have set temperature numbers, turn the knob in the "on" direction just until the light comes on (most heaters have an indicator light showing when the heating element is heating). You should monitor thee heater and temperature for a few days until you find the setting that keeps the water at the intended temperature.

Heaters are not intended to heat up cold water. This is one way to get them malfunctioning. The ambient room temperature should not be more than 10 degrees F (5 degrees C) below the intended tank temperature or the heater may have to work too hard.

Welcome to TFF.

Byron.

 

[fluttermoth]

Given the circumstances here, I would not even attempt "cycling,": and certainly not go adding ammonia. Live plants, once they are showing signs of growing, will easily and rapidly take up any ammonia from a single Betta. Adding ammonia is only complicating the issue, and could end up killing the plants.

That's a very good point, Byron, thanks for bringing it up. it hadn't occurred to me!

 

[Goldfawn]

Thanks very much for all the help! My tank isn’t planted I would like to have real plants but none of my local pet stores had anything remotely healthy for selection so maybe at some point I will add some. For now I think I will have to use ammonia, the fish food didn’t work at all. I have some arriving tomorrow. I only have a few moss balls and I don’t think those will do the trick.

My heater got the water to 80 and has been holding for several days at 80.2 so all seems well there. it started in the 70’s so I don’t think it had to work too hard.

Thanks for all the help, I guess we will see how it goes!

 

[Byron]

Be careful, ammonia can kill moss. I would be more inclined to use a bacterial supplement, like Tetra's SafeStart, or even Seachem's Stability. I've used the latter with no problems.

 

[Goldfawn]

Thank you! I’ll take them out until it’s cycled.

I’m using stability but I am very nervous to just put a fish in without watching the cycle complete. I’m a bit anal that way.. it’s probably overkill for sure, for one Betta but it’s also a bit fun to experiment. I’m using a chemical test kit.. the only readings I have of any note is ph which is remaining stable at 7.0. Everything else is 0.