New 5.5 gallon tank

[chris127]

I got my betta set up in his new 5.5 gallon paradise tank I put 3 ghost shrimp in there just for my enjoyment. But he seems to be happy as could be!

Oh and the lights just temporary, i have to order the hood.

Excuse the bubbles, i just did a water change

[An t-iasg]

That's a great betta tank! I love the aquascaping.

Do you have a heater? A 25-watt heater works very well in a 5.5 gallon tank. Bettas are happy and healthy at a stable temperature of 80 degrees. Of course the temperature will fluctuate a little bit but you should set the heater so that the water temperature remains at 80 degrees or very close to it.

[chris127]

i don't have a heater yet but i am going to get one of those 25 watt Jr. heaters from wal-mart. are they safe?

[An t-iasg]

I am not familiar with the equipment sold at Walmart. From your description, though, a "Jr." heater reminds me of the little heaters that only raise the temperature a few degrees above ambient room temperature and can't be adjusted. Your best bet would be to go to a place like Petsmart and get a Visitherm Stealth heater:

Marineland Visi-Therm Stealth Submersible Aquarium Heaters - Heating - PetSmart

The website doesn't list the 25-watt heater, but you could see if the store has one. I had a 50-watt Visitherm Stealth heater in a 5.5 gallon tank at one time. It didn't overheat the water, and I used it rather than a 25-watt heater because the room was on the cool side and I wanted to raise the water temperature more than 9-10 degrees above the room temperature. But if you're in a mild climate or your room temperature is pretty comfortable, you'd be better off getting a 25-watt heater.

[chris127]

thanks! i'll be getting one soon. also, would a 15 watt incandescent light heat up the water too much? if the water stays at 80* while the light is on and the heater kicks in when its off, would that would work? i'm on a budget so ~$40 for a light/hood isn't possible. heres the hood/light.

[chris127]

Rescaped it with plants from my pond (moneywort, some hairgrass looking stuff) and took out the non aquatic plant. i hate petsmart for selling that crap!!

my betta must think its permanent sunrise lol

[An t-iasg]

Incandescent lights do raise the water temperature, and I wouldn't be surprised if it raised the temperature closer to 85 degrees. When the light turns off, that is a big temperature swing for the fish, even if your heater is set to 80 degrees. I had a hood like the one you linked and it came with normal output tube fluorescent lighting. That would be a better option for keeping the temperature stable, but you would be limited to low-light plants - crypts, java ferns, anubias. The moneywort probably wouldn't make it under the fluorescent lighting that this hood comes with. I have heard of putting compact fluorescent screw-in bulbs into the incandescent hood. I'm not sure what wattage you would want - probably no more than the equivalent of 25 incandescent watts, since that's what the hood instructions say is the maximum wattage you can use. You would also have to make sure the bulbs physically fit in the hood.

[chris127]

i know the moneywort doesn't thrive but it does grow. i've had it in my 20g with less than 1wpg and it is getting taller and doesn't look like its in distress. I could get some of the twisty florescent bulbs from home depot and put them in that hood? the twisty bulb in the lamp doesn't get too hot.

[An t-iasg]

That's good that your moneywort will continue to grow under low lighting. That's one of my favorite plants and I never could get it to grow in low light.

CF bulb packages will say something similar to "9W emits light equivalent to a 40W incandescent". I don't know if you'd find a bulb at the Home Depot that is low enough in wattage for your hood. You would need a 4-watt CF bulb. A-Shape: Light Bulbs Etc, Inc.

Some bulbs may also say on the packaging not to use them in an enclosed fixture, due to heat buildup, so you'd have to watch out for that.

[chris127]

sweet info thanks i love this forum!

ill be going out to Lowes whenever the hood gets here so i can check out the lights.

one more thing, how long till i can get 2 otto cats? my LFS is having a 2 for 1 on any fish less than $2 and idk how long thats gonna last. i could supplement with algae wafers till the algae builds up.