New to fish: Betta tank shopping list

[Bettalover12]

Hi Folks:

I'm brand new to fish and have been doing a lot of research. I've to decided to set up a small aquarium for 1 betta that will reside on my kitchen table so I have someone to talk to at mealtime. (I'm single and retired.) I have future plans to have a larger (~60 gallon) tank but have to watch my budget.

My city's water parameters are at http://www.louisvilleco.gov/home/showdocument?id=514. pH is at 8.41. What other useful numbers are in this report?

My plan is to purchase the following pieces. Note so far I have a yellow submarine for decoration

Fluval Spec V 5 gallon kit
Hydor Theo 50w heater (maybe slight overkill but my house can get cool)
20lb Caribsea ECO complete planted black substrate (20lb is the only size)
API freshwater Master test Kit
tube style thermometer
pure ammonia
net
sponge filter to buffer the filter output
live plants, maybe 4?
start-up chemicals
Marimo moss balls (they look neat)
How much ammonia should I buy? I know there is a calculator to determine exact measurements. I found a local store that sells it in 1 gallon jugs. Is that a good size to get?

Any specific plant recommendations and quantities?

I'll go thru the water cycling process as outlined elsewhere on TFF.

I'm a little confused on what chemicals I need to start with. Looking at an API brochure, I should get Stress Coat which makes tap water safe. Then do I need Quick Start if I'm using the Caribsea stuff?

Later I'll get the betta and food.

Thanks for everyone's help!

Conrad Thomaier
Louisville, CO. USA

The 50w heater is not overkill, it is the reccomended watts for a 5 gallon tank.
Moss balls are a cool addition to a tank, as long as you stay on top of water changes and keeping the tank clean it shouldnt grow any "new" algae.
As for fish food i use the "Omega one betta buffet pellets" it has good ingredients such as whole salmon.
As for more plants i would get an amazon sword plant, they grow rapidly and they have nice wide leaves for bettas to rest on.(make sure they are snail free plants)
I would get 1 mystery snail, they help keep the tank CLEANER and they're fun to watch.
Its best to order your betta online but if you want you can get it in the pet store.
And instead of using pure ammonia or "quick start" just cycle the tank for a week or two using a small amount of fish food. GOODLUCK!

 

[NickAu]

And instead of using pure ammonia or "quick start" just cycle the tank for a week or two using a small amount of fish food. GOODLUCK!

That is bad advice, and following it the OP will need luck, There is more to cycling a tank than just adding a small amount of fish food to a tank for a week or 2.

You may want to read this http://www.fishforums.net/forums/cycle-your-tank.291/

 

[flchamp89]

I cycle with fish food takes months. 2 1/2 months to do my 10g. Lots of variables with fish food. Amount, type, frequency, and tank size. Its old school method that works well on smaller tanks but typically takes while.

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[maxhrbal]

Yeah 1 week isn't going to "cycle" it, but in your case, with 1 betta, you can do a "fish in"cycle without being inhumane. (Which a lot of people do.). Some people will attack me for this but it's the truth. Set up the tank, and like mentioned, let everything settle and get situated for about a week and then add your betta. Just do 25%-50% water changes once or probably twice a week. Your betta will be fine and will not suffer, TRUST ME. You might want to wait for the cycle to complete before you add any other critters though, like snails.


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[**sarahp**]

TRUST ME.

Why??

You have given what some of us on here will think is very bad advice. If it's not safe enough for snails then it is not safe enough for a betta. A fish in cycle is always a risky business and can have long term, detrimental health effects on the fish involved. When there is a suitable way to avoid a fish in cycle (the link that Nick gave) why would you encourage anyone to put a fish in a stressful situation???

 

[KopDS]

Hey Shazamo, I will agree with nickau about the substrate being unnecessary (more choice than need). Some inert gravel will work fine and you can always add root tabs or liquid fertilisers if you choose to or need too. For plants I will suggest Anubias, Echinodorus (swords) and Java Ferns as being easy to care for and hard to kill. Marimo balls are endangered and therefore there are some knock offs floating about, maybe try Java moss or similar.
Anyway it is always down to your judgement/preferences and I hope you get the enjoyment out of it that many others do.

 

[maxhrbal]

Why??

You have given what some of us on here will think is very bad advice. If it's not safe enough for snails then it is not safe enough for a betta. A fish in cycle is always a risky business and can have long term, detrimental health effects on the fish involved. When there is a suitable way to avoid a fish in cycle (the link that Nick gave) why would you encourage anyone to put a fish in a stressful situation???

One betta fish... its not going to cause harm. [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]. In fact most people do fish in cycles. It would be different if you were adding multiple creatures, yeah. So leave your opinion and move on. No need to insult and attack people. Grow up.


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[maxhrbal]

Oh yeah inert substrate is better than any special substrate. Soil, ADA, you name it. Only inert gravel and sand works. Everything else doesn't grow plants.


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[KopDS]

Shazamo, please stick with your original plan of fishless cycling, if something should go wrong for any reason then you can readjust without any harm done.

Also, as far as startup chemicals are concerned I personally say you will only need a dechlorinator such as stress coat, plus the ammonia for fishless cycling. Some others may not agree with me but the other chemicals/additives won't be required should you keep on top of your water changes and filter clearing.

 

[fluttermoth]

Please keep the discussion civil, thank you.

Inappropriate posts have been removed.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Hello Conrad,

Welcome to TFF. As you likely have seen already, there are a variety of opinions on how to cycle a tank. Glad to hear that you are going to follow the fishless cycling instructions found here. A lot of hard work went into creating that 'how-to' and it is very reliable.

As for how much ammonia you will need - far less than you can actually buy. One option that would work for a smaller amount of ammonia, you can buy a bottle of ammonia chloride from Dr. Tim's Aquatics. This is a small bottle with a dropper to make measuring easy.

The fishless cycle plan is absolutely the way to go. Doing a fishless cycle gives you a chance to learn about the nitrogen cycle, learn the nuances of testing, etc. without stressing (or killing) your fish. This is by far the best method to use for setting up a new tank, because if you make a mistake, all you have done is wasted a little time, you didn't kill your pet.

One betta fish... its not going to cause harm. [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]. In fact most people do fish in cycles. It would be different if you were adding multiple creatures, yeah. So leave your opinion and move on. No need to insult and attack people. Grow up.
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I agree, there is no need to insult people, nor is there a need to tell folks to 'grow up'.

Adding a single betta to a 5 gallon tank will increase the ammonia and the fish will slowly poison itself. Studies have shown that exposure to ammonia, even when not toxic itself, increases stress, susceptibility to diseases and potentially irreversible organ problems for the rest of their life.

In other words, a fish in cycle (while still done by some aquarists) is a dangerous, and potentially life threatening process for our fish that has been proven unnecessary. Our understanding of the ecosystem of the home aquarium has taken us past this type of archaic practice. Just as many educated doctors continued to practice blood letting as a 'treatment' for disease beyond the point that the proof existed that it was doing more harm than good, so are some aquarists continuing to complete fish in cycles despite its dangers.

It is just an unnecessary practice at this point and should no longer be put forth as a practice to be continued, especially to new aquarists who do not know the dangers of ammonia or what to watch for, nor how to remedy the problems (most of which are not actually fixable long term).

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Shazamo, please stick with your original plan of fishless cycling, if something should go wrong for any reason then you can readjust without any harm done.

Also, as far as startup chemicals are concerned I personally say you will only need a dechlorinator such as stress coat, plus the ammonia for fishless cycling. Some others may not agree with me but the other chemicals/additives won't be required should you keep on top of your water changes and filter clearing.

A good dechlorinator is the only 'chemical' you need on a regular basis. Everything else will come from the tap water. Things like pH up, pH down, pH buffer, etc. are a waste of money and honestly, cause more harm than anything else. Keeping fish that are happiest in your tap water's parameters would be the best way to go. And then if anything goes wrong, the simplest/easiest and most of the time, the best initial step to correct any problem (with a few exceptions) is a large water change.

The best things to keep on hand are: test kit (pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, etc.), dechlorinator, thermometer, water changing tools.

The best things to keep on hand for 'trouble': bucket(s), dechlorinator, salt. Salt can be used as a treatment for bacterial infections (external), parasites and fungus. And salt has no expiration date. And by salt, I don't mean: freshwater aquarium salt. I mean 'kosher salt' and 'epsom salt'.

 

[NickAu]

Seachem - Ammonia Alert is also a must have,

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Seachem - Ammonia Alert is also a must have,

I've seen that, but I don't trust it. Call me old-fashioned, but I just don't think it's nearly accurate enough. I think a lot of folks will put it in an obscure place where it won't disrupt the view of the tank (a micro-zone of the tank) and get false readings for the main tank.

It would be an interesting study to check that device against test results during a cycle sometime though.

 

[NickAu]

I use them as an indicator in my tanks I would not however rely on them over a proper test kit, I had a mystery snail die in a tank and the tag started changing color.