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FirstTime

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Jan 19, 2014
Messages
15
I currently have a Beta, neon Tetra, and a black moor goldfish in a 1.5 gallon tank. After reading on the web, I soon found out 1.5 gallons is way to small.

For that reason I'm getting a 10 gal in a few days.

The aquarium comes with a whisper filter, but I am wondering if any other type of filtration is needed.

Secondly, with a 10 gallon, how often should I change the water?
 
Those fish are not comparable you will have to get rid of the black moor. As it is a cold water tank and can't fit in a 10 gallon alone. So if your tank has a heater you can keep the Betta and get a couple more tetras as they need to be kept in schools of 6+.
 
Unfortunately, I think you will need to get a separate (and larger) set up for your black moor. Bettas and tetras are tropical fish and thrive in higher temperatures--goldfish prefer cooler temps.

I am not a goldfish expert, but I remember reading that the absolute minimum for goldfish is 30 gallons. Someone correct me of I am wrong.

Also, tetras are schooling fish, and I would not keep less than 6 in a tank. They are social and do not feel comfortable being housed alone.

That said, if you remove the goldfish and get a separate tank for him, your filter should be fine. I have a tetra whisper 20 in my 10 gallon, it works beautifully.

A 50% weekly change will work as well, if the goldfish is removed. If not, you will have to do more frequent water changes.

Good luck to you!
 
Those fish are not comparable you will have to get rid of the black moor. As it is a cold water tank and can't fit in a 10 gallon alone. So if your tank has a heater you can keep the Betta and get a couple more tetras as they need to be kept in schools of 6+.


I meant to say compatable. Auto correct :mad:
 
Thanks. From reading a few threads here, it seems like usually the person working in the pet department has no clue what they are talking about.

I don't really want two tanks going, so would it be weird to "give the fish up for adoption" on Facebook.

Secondly, what other type of equipment do I need for a 10 gal besides the included filter unit, hood, light and heater?

Also, I plan on moving in 6 months to a place 600 miles from here, would it be too much work to take the fish with me?

If I have 6 neon tetras in with a betta, what else should I include in a 10 gal? I like tiger barbs, but I read they don't mix with betta, is that true?
 
It would not be weird at all, in my opinion, to see if you have any Facebook friends that would give the black moor a home. Good for you for caring enough about his health to try to find him a home!

Aside from your basics (heater, filter, thermometer), you will want to choose a substrate for the bottom (some people prefer gravel, some sand), caves and hiding places, and some plants. Since you have a betta, I recommend silk or live plants...they have long fins that are easily damaged by plastic.

A gravel vacuum will make cleaning easier, and there are a lot of reasonably priced ones on Amazon.

Also, make sure that you have a good, varied diet for your fish. New Life Spectrum or Omega One are the preferred types usually. They will also appreciate frozen food.

And, a water test kit so that you can keep an eye on your parameters. API goes for around $18.00USD.
 
Sorry, I missed your other two questions. Yes, tiger barbs are not good to be mixed with bettas. Any fish that is prone to fin nipping is not acceptable for a tank mate. I keep my male betta with 1 female guppy, 4 cory cats, 3 ghost shrimp, an African dwarf frog, and an ivory snail. I would look for nano species in effort to not overstock. Pygmy cories are adorable and you can add quite a few.

As for moving...I am not sure. The furthest I have ever moved fish was 350 miles. It went smoothly, but that was quite a few years ago.
 
What kind of food will both bettas and tetra eat, or is there even such a thing?

I remember the aquarium I had as a kid, it had this filter that sat at the bottom (not under the gravel), was green in color, and had activated charcoal in it and ran off an air pump. I can't find it now online.

Also, will a betta be scared by an air stone?
 
They should both consume flakes, though it wouldn't hurt to offer the betta a high protein pellet. Tetras should also enjoy blood worms and brine shrimp.

I remember the filter you are talking about...things have changed a lot! I have not found them either. I am very pleased with my tetra whisper 20. I do not change the cartridge to avoid messing up my nitrogen cycle, but I rinse it in tank water with every water change to get the gunk off.

Depends on the betta. Some are less adventurous than others. I don't have an air stone in my tank, the filter gives it ole to of surface agitation. Some bettas are sensitive to water current though, so be wary of that.
 
I would suggest that you either change the filter to an Aquaclear 20, or at very least, ditch the filter cartridge that comes with the filter and replace it with a properly sized piece of open cell foam (reticulated foam, ie, Aquaclear foam insert). The foam will serve as a good mechanical and biological filter. It will have a higher surface area than a floss and carbon insert. You will never need to replace it, just rinse it very lightly in aquarium water when it gets really dirty.

You'll want an area with a calm surface in the tank on the opposite side of where the filter is, for the betta. Bettas do not do well with current. A good way to achieve an area that is low current and low surface movement is to buy a large mass of hornwort (a floating aquatic plant). It looks like this:

hornwort_shoot.jpg


Tie the stem to a suction cup then secure the suction cup on the opposite end of the tank from where the filter is. This will keep the hornwort in place.

As others mentioned, you will want more neons. A group of 6 or 7 is good.

I like pellets better than flakes. A good quality micropellet will be good for the tetras. Aim for 0.5mm size at the biggest. For the betta, you can feed a 1mm pellet.

Make sure you move the substrate and filter over from your current small tank to the ten gallon, or the 10 gallon will have to cycle from scratch, endangering your fish. If you haven't already, read up on aquarium cycling and the nitrogen cycle. It's the most important thing you should know when keeping fish.
 
^Agreed on the nitrogen cycle being super important! It's going to blow your mind at first cuz ur gonna be like huh?? Ammonia to nitrites to nitrates?? Why wasn't i told of this in the lfs??
 
I read on a site that you don't have to cycle as long as you use something called "safestart".

I currently have something called "omega one betta buffet" pellets. Are they any good?

It says feed no more that they can consume in one minute. However, that doesn't seem real informative.

Since I have one betta, how many pellets and how often should I feed it?

To the poster who said ditch the cartridge, I thought the charcoal in them is needed as it filters out the ammonia.
 
Personally, I do not use chemicals to cycle my tank. I would save your money and just cycle through normal means.

Betta buffet is good for your betta. With any food, I personally check the ingredients...if a 'filler' is listed, I don't feed that brand. Mine swims up to the top at feeding time, I feed him 3 pellets in the morning, and three in the evening. He also nibbles at the algae wafers I give the cory cats. He's an oddball, and would eat himself to death if I let him. Twice a week I supplement with frozen brine shrimp and frozen bloodworms, which all of my fish seem to enjoy.

I agree that you should pick up some small pellets for the tetras as well.
 
I've been looking at filters, and so far I like the aqua clear. Thing is, how big is the intake tube? I lost a neon tetra due to the filter that came with this tank.
 
I've been looking at filters, and so far I like the aqua clear. Thing is, how big is the intake tube? I lost a neon tetra due to the filter that came with this tank.

To answer a previous question you had, no, carbon does not filter out ammonia, or any other nitrogenous compound. It just filters out things like medication, tanins from wood, and things like that. It also removes trace elements, which are beneficial to fish. That's why I only use carbon after medicating to remove traces of medication.

As far as the intake tube on the aquaclear is concerned, if you have small fish you need to use something called a pre-filter.

img_2800975_0_d609e91326b039a80e3f59fd13a0688f.jpg


^All those intake tubes have prefilters on them. Just take a piece of foam (like aquaclear foam), cut a slit into it, then bore the slit out into a circular hole with your finger (or if the intake tube is very small, like on an Aquaclear 20), use the blunt end of a pen or pencil. Slide the foam over the intake tube and job done. Make sure to keep it clean, so the flow to your filter isn't reduced.

Aquaclears are, in my opinion, the best hang on back filters. You get a lot more capacity for actual media instead of a bunch of wasted space.

I suggest you get your hands on some good biomedia. Maybe get a liter of Eheim Ehfisubstrat pro (small, round sintered glass media) and put that in the filter on top of the foam block. Use a media bag (aquaclears come with one. They also come with very crappy biomedia. Use it if you want but it's not as good as the Eheim stuff).

BTW Tetra Safestart is very good stuff. Keep using it until your tank is cycled. You can also use Prime or Ammolock to deal with ammonia/nitrite and ammonia (respectively) spikes along the way while you're cycling.

As far as feeding your betta goes, if they are 1 to 2mm pellets, feed it 2 or 3 pellets 2 or 3 times a day, and keep an eye on his belly. If it swells at all, cut back a pellet or 2 per day. Also, bettas do well on stuff like frozen brineshrimp, daphnia, bloodworms, and chopped up mysis shrimp. Your other fish should appreciate it also.
 
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