2.5 gallon Betta build

[phoenixkiller]

Starting my Betta tank. I finally got my dad to move the Betta from his pitiful bowl to a 2.5 from a friend. All I have is some marbles, a blue plastic plant, water, and the Betta. I am planning on making this high-tech planted, so I am putting in a 5,000k bulb in a brooder lamp to bump up the lighting to medium-high. Except for that, all equipment is up for discussion. I think I want a filter, I need a heater, a top, and some fertilizers. I would like opinions on dry fertilizers, it turns out to be significantly cheaper. The only fertilizer I currently have is Seachem Flourish.

P.S. If this is too much about plants, I won't mind if this thread is moved to the Planted Tank forum. I just posted here because I had non-planted stuff to talk about.

 

[Coursair]

Careful. Don't overdo the light til you get CO2.
Or you'll just grow an Algae Farm.

I'd only run lighting for 6 hours a day for now till you figure out how high tech you want to go.

How many Watts is the bulb ?

 

[JeremySVilla]

Think I may be in love with this.

 

[phoenixkiller]

Careful. Don't overdo the light til you get CO2.
Or you'll just grow an Algae Farm.

I'd only run lighting for 6 hours a day for now till you figure out how high tech you want to go.

How many Watts is the bulb ?

I talked with Maxwellag about this. He said "Make sure you get a lower watt bulb. A 15-20 watt bulb should do it." So I looked in my laundry room (The shelves in the laundry room are where our light bulbs are kept) and found that we had a big box of this: Amazon.com: Ecosmart 14 Watt Daylight 4 - Pack (60 Watt Equivalent): Home Improvement
I ran it by him and he said that it would bump me up to medium-high lighting. It is a 5000k 14w bulb.

 

[Coursair]

I talked with Maxwellag about this. He said "Make sure you get a lower watt bulb. A 15-20 watt bulb should do it." So I looked in my laundry room (The shelves in the laundry room are where our light bulbs are kept) and found that we had a big box of this: Amazon.com: Ecosmart 14 Watt Daylight 4 - Pack (60 Watt Equivalent): Home Improvement
I ran it by him and he said that it would bump me up to medium-high lighting. It is a 5000k 14w bulb.

14 watts over 2.5g ? That's a lot of light. You need to add CO2 or at least excel or your algae will outcompete your plants AFAIK.

Higher lighting HAS to use CO2 or Carbon in some form.

For now I'd either
A. Raise the light higher
B. reduce photoperiod
C. Both
D. Put a lower wattage light in till you get CO2
and proper Ferts

I'm too lazy for a high tech tank. It's a balancing act. The plants grow much faster, but if it goes wrong, that happens faster also.

I'm sure Max or others will chime in.

I have 20 watts over my 10g
No CO2 and I grow lots of plants and no algae issues at all.

Dry Ferts are good but in such a tiny tank liquid isn't too expensive and may be easier to measure.

A Red Sea Nano filter might be good. I've used them. You can adjust the flow for the Betta.

Enjoy your tank, keep learning.

 

[phoenixkiller]

14 watts over 2.5g ? That's a lot of light. You need to add CO2 or at least excel or your algae will outcompete your plants !!!

Higher lighting HAS to use CO2 or Carbon in some form.

For now I'd either
A. Raise the light higher
B. reduce photoperiod
C. Both
D. Put a lower wattage light in till you get CO2
and proper Ferts

I'm too lazy for a high tech tank. It's a balancing act. The plants grow much faster, but if it goes wrong, that happens faster also.

I'm sure Max or others will chime in.
I have 20 watts over my 10g
No CO2 and I grow lots of plants and no algae issues at all.

Enjoy your tank, keep reading.

I am not going to put CO2 into there. $100.00+ doesn't seem worth it right now. I'll get Excel if I have to, but I would much appreciate if I got a couple more opinions on this.

Also, does anyone know about dry fertilizers, and how much of each to dose in my ten gallon, and in the 2.5?

 

[Coursair]

DIY CO2 will work in small tanks.

 

[phoenixkiller]

Starting my Betta tank. I finally got my dad to move the Betta from his pitiful bowl to a 2.5 from a friend. All I have is some marbles, a blue plastic plant, water, and the Betta. I am planning on making this high-tech planted, so I am putting in a 5,000k bulb in a brooder lamp to bump up the lighting to medium-high. Except for that, all equipment is up for discussion. I think I want a filter, I need a heater, a top, and some fertilizers. I would like opinions on dry fertilizers, it turns out to be significantly cheaper. The only fertilizer I currently have is Seachem Flourish.

P.S. If this is too much about plants, I won't mind if this thread is moved to the Planted Tank forum. I just posted here because I had non-planted stuff to talk about.

I guess I will put my DIY CO2 system on the 2.5 gallon then. I dunno how to not overload the water with CO2 though. I don't know if my Betta will be ok with all the CO2. Ok, so far I want a gravel substrate, no fancy junk. I want a brooder lamp, in which I shall put that bulb. I still need opinions on the filter, heater, and maybe a good top/hood. So here's my questions:

1. If I wanted a brooder lamp for my ten gallon, what bulb is the best, and what size brooder lamp should I get (for the ten gallon)?

2. What's the best size of the brooder lamps for the 2.5?

3. What's a good filter for the 2.5?

4. What's a good nano heater?

5. Is there a specific glass top that's better than others?

6. What's some plants that do well in good fertilizers, CO2, and medium-high lighting? Pretty much everything right?

7. What's the dry fertilizers that I need for these two tanks (2.5 and 10)? What's the dosage for each? Is one pound of each type of dry fertilizer going to last very long?

 

[maxwellag]

I talked with Maxwellag about this. He said "Make sure you get a lower watt bulb. A 15-20 watt bulb should do it." So I looked in my laundry room (The shelves in the laundry room are where our light bulbs are kept) and found that we had a big box of this: Amazon.com: Ecosmart 14 Watt Daylight 4 - Pack (60 Watt Equivalent): Home Improvement
I ran it by him and he said that it would bump me up to medium-high lighting. It is a 5000k 14w bulb.

That's not what I said... I used my brooder lamp setup on my 5g as an example and said you'd not one one as powerful on that tank. When I said 15-20 watts, I was talking about the bulb and color temp that I use. I meant with a bulb that has less lumens, but more watts.

 

[phoenixkiller]

That's not what I said... I used my brooder lamp setup on my 5g as an example and said you'd not one one as powerful on that tank. When I said 15-20 watts, I was talking about the bulb and color temp that I use. I meant with a bulb that has less lumens, but more watts.

Ok, my bad, you know how bad my memory is! Any answers to the questions I most recently asked? Thanks!

 

[FreshObsessed]

1. If I wanted a brooder lamp for my ten gallon, what bulb is the best, and what size brooder lamp should I get (for the ten gallon)?
I would say 1 or 2 10" brooder lamps will suffice. It depends on the light you put in it and the CO2 you add to the tank.

2. What's the best size of the brooder lamps for the 2.5?
Smaller than what you put on the 10 G

3. What's a good filter for the 2.5?
Red Sea Nano Filter, some Internal filters will work as well though since Betta's create such a low Bio-load.

4. What's a good nano heater?
7.5W Hydor Mini, Marina C10, Marineland Shatter Proof 10W...Not necessarily the best but you don't have much option.

5. Is there a specific glass top that's better than others?
No, any Versa-Top will do. If two things do the same thing but one is more expensive, why waste your money? <- My Motto.

6. What's some plants that do well in good fertilizers, CO2, and medium-high lighting? Pretty much everything right?
Everything, bro.

7. What's the dry fertilizers that I need for these two tanks (2.5 and 10)? What's the dosage for each? Is one pound of each type of dry fertilizer going to last very long?
I'm guessing dry fertilizers are Root Tabs? The dosage is probably different for each fertilizer.
Depends.
I personally would use liquid fertilizers. They are much easier to dose and are great for smaller tanks. But dry ferts are good as well.

 

[phoenixkiller]

1. If I wanted a brooder lamp for my ten gallon, what bulb is the best, and what size brooder lamp should I get (for the ten gallon)?
I would say 1 or 2 10" brooder lamps will suffice. It depends on the light you put in it and the CO2 you add to the tank.

2. What's the best size of the brooder lamps for the 2.5?
Smaller than what you put on the 10 G

3. What's a good filter for the 2.5?
Red Sea Nano Filter, some Internal filters will work as well though since Betta's create such a low Bio-load.

4. What's a good nano heater?
7.5W Hydor Mini, Marina C10, Marineland Shatter Proof 10W...Not necessarily the best but you don't have much option.

5. Is there a specific glass top that's better than others?
No, any Versa-Top will do. If two things do the same thing but one is more expensive, why waste your money? <- My Motto.

6. What's some plants that do well in good fertilizers, CO2, and medium-high lighting? Pretty much everything right?
Everything, bro.

7. What's the dry fertilizers that I need for these two tanks (2.5 and 10)? What's the dosage for each? Is one pound of each type of dry fertilizer going to last very long?
I'm guessing dry fertilizers are Root Tabs? The dosage is probably different for each fertilizer.
Depends.
I personally would use liquid fertilizers. They are much easier to dose and are great for smaller tanks. But dry ferts are good as well.

I'm not using CO2 for the ten gallon. What's the number of lamps that I should get for it now that you know that?

Would this filter work:
Amazon.com: Hagen Elite Underwater Mini Filter, UL Listed: Pet Supplies

And by dry fertilizers I meant the dry, powdered fertilizers.

 

[Coursair]

I'm not using CO2 for the ten gallon. What's the number of lamps that I should get for it now that you know that?

Would this filter work:
Amazon.com: Hagen Elite Underwater Mini Filter, UL Listed: Pet Supplies

And by dry fertilizers I meant the dry, powdered fertilizers.

The only problem with that filter is that it takes up room in the tank.

Red Sea or Azoo Nano are similar.
Here is another. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004NP66M4?qid=1336536803&sr=8-5


They run about $10-15

A single 7 - 10 watt CFL should work. You can use a clip on light also.

Haven't ever tried dry Ferts. Seems too much effort for small tanks. Can't measure that small.
So no advice.

I use liquid and root caps and Excel ( excel only used on non Shrimp tanks. )

 

[phoenixkiller]

The only problem with that filter is that it takes up room in the tank.

Red Sea or Azoo Nano are similar.
Here is another. PF-5: Finnex Nano Pure Power Filter:Amazonet Supplies


They run about $10-15

A single 7 - 10 watt CFL should work. You can use a clip on light also.

Haven't ever tried dry Ferts. Seems too much effort for small tanks. Can't measure that small.
So no advice.

I use liquid and root caps and Excel ( excel only used on non Shrimp tanks. )

Alrighty, then what fertilizers SPECIFICALLY do I need? What do you have?

 

[Coursair]

Alrighty, then what fertilizers SPECIFICALLY do I need? What do you have?

I use Flourish (comprehensive) and DIY root caps.
Flourish root tabs will work.
Excel can help plants grow faster.

If you want to know about Dry Ferts, you can see many posts and sales threads on them on The Planted tank forums ( free to join).

Or you can ask a seller such as http://www.aquariumfertilizer.com/Aquariumfertilizer.com

 

[Gboy66]

Alrighty, then what fertilizers SPECIFICALLY do I need? What do you have?

I'd go with Excel, and Flourish Comprehensive. Thats what i am going to use. I actually dones a miniscule amout of comp, and a drop of an iron&manganese supplement today! Also added flourish root tabs (2). Lol, doesnt take much.

Pheonix, you might want to look at a few of my threads. I have also been working on my 2.5 gallon planted betta tank. Alot of your answers can be found where i was posting if your willing to look a little bit. Small threads so answers come quick

 

[phoenixkiller]

I'd go with Excel, and Flourish Comprehensive. Thats what i am going to use. I actually dones a miniscule amout of comp, and a drop of an iron&manganese supplement today! Also added flourish root tabs (2). Lol, doesnt take much.

Pheonix, you might want to look at a few of my threads. I have also been working on my 2.5 gallon planted betta tank. Alot of your answers can be found where i was posting if your willing to look a little bit. Small threads so answers come quick

Well the 17-page thread wasn't so small! lol

Ok, now that I have read that thread, it's making me reconsider DIY CO2 on my 2.5... what do you guys think? It just says that overdosing CO2 would have really bad consequences and is not a good idea. Any thoughts?

Also, would the fertilizers keep the plants alive? There is only a minuscule amount of waste produced by Bettas (Ok, maybe not minuscule, but they are no plecos!). Would they die off without any waste?

 

[phoenixkiller]

I'm not using CO2 for the ten gallon. What's the number of lamps that I should get for it now that you know that?

Would this filter work:
Amazon.com: Hagen Elite Underwater Mini Filter, UL Listed: Pet Supplies

And by dry fertilizers I meant the dry, powdered fertilizers.

Alright, new question.

1. What size bulb is the best to achieve high (But not TOO high) lighting on my 2.5?

2. What size bulb is the best to achieve high (But not TOO high) lighting on my 10 gallon?

3. Would a normal desk lamp work with a good bulb on it in the 2.5?

 

[Gboy66]

Well the 17-page thread wasn't so small! lol

Ok, now that I have read that thread, it's making me reconsider DIY CO2 on my 2.5... what do you guys think? It just says that overdosing CO2 would have really bad consequences and is not a good idea. Any thoughts?

Also, would the fertilizers keep the plants alive? There is only a minuscule amount of waste produced by Bettas (Ok, maybe not minuscule, but they are no plecos!). Would they die off without any waste?

Oops!

Overdosing anything is a bad idea in such a small tank. Not good for shrimp if you ge them, but the betta should be fine. Definitly try not to though!

Ferts should do the trick for the plants..

I'd go 10 watt on the 2.5, 2 10-13 watts on the 10 or 1 20 in a lamp. Yes a normal desk should work with a good CFL

 

[CrimsonBlayde]

Also, would the fertilizers keep the plants alive? There is only a minuscule amount of waste produced by Bettas (Ok, maybe not minuscule, but they are no plecos!). Would they die off without any waste?

I am not an expert. However, I have two 5 gallon betta tanks that are heavily planted with NO CO2 added. I have a single 10 watt, 6700k CFL over each tank. I use Excel at half the dosage and PPS Pro for fertilizers mixed exactly by the standard recipe (no tweaking). My plants grow quite well. One of the tanks even has a carpet of dwarf sag. I think you'd be surprised what you can grow in a small tank without CO2 or anything super high tech.

When these tanks started, I was only using Excel and Flourish comprehensive. The plants grew fairly well with that. I switched to PPS Pro because that was what I started using on my 30 gallon. It is easier to use the same stuff across all the tanks. And of course, the PPS Pro mix is cheaper.

I do find my nitrates are higher with the PPS. The betta tanks used to test at between 0 and 5 ppm of nitrates with only the Flourish. On the PPS, they hold at 10 to 15 ppm. But my point, finally, is that both ways grew the plants fine. Hope that helps a little.