starting over with small tank

[design1stcode2nd]

Unless I can find a way to do a 15g (aka convince the wife).

I am starting over with my 5g tank with the plan to just put in some live plants and a male Betta. In the future I will probably do a larger tank but this is what I have now and and it easily fits on my counter.

What I want to do is list out what I think I need and see if it's correct. Currently I have a 5g tank with hood, light, water de-chlorinator, siphon and HOB filter.

I think I will need the following:

Air pump
Air stone
Tubing
50w submersible heater
Thermometer
CaribSea sand substrate (or will most plants just use gravel or driftwood like Java Fern?) also how much? Would five pounds be enough?
Driftwood or other decorations for places to hide
Change out existing 15w bulb for CFL
Betta food eventually
Pure ammonia (going to try Ace hardware as that is the only place I've heard that carries unscented ammonia).
API Master test kit

Am I missing anything?

 

[logansmomma1228]

Looks good. I recommend PFS for substrate, it is quite cheap. I am not sure how much would work.

 

[mommytron]

list looks good but a few things depend on what type of plants you want to grow. with 3wpg i would say you have medium lighting, which may or may not call for CO2. did you plan to do CO2? if so, the air pump and air stone will be unecessary, as the air bubbles will diffuse the injected CO2. if you are not planning to do CO2, then air pump/stone are a personal preference, and not necessary anyway. with that amount of light over your tank and no CO2, be prepared for algae.

also, as far as substrate, again it depends on what type of plants you want. you could probably get away with using plain old PFS (pool filter sand) however i have not seen any bags less than 50 lbs, which would be overkill for your little tank if you want Caribsea you could go with EcoComplete which is good for plants (and for the amount you need will not be too expensive)

 

[Mark Hewitt]

Filter?

 

[mommytron]

he has an HOB filter already

 

[dkpate]

Skip the air stone, bettas don't like turbulance. If the HOB has a fast flow, then you are going to need to find some way to slow it down.
Bettas don't normally "hide" per se, but they do lounge. Make sure the plants you get are soft. The best test to use is to get a piece of pantyhose and run it over the plants, if it snags, don't use it.

 

[design1stcode2nd]

Ah I forgot Bettas can do some "breathing" from the surface as well so maybe no stone/pump then. I'm not familiar with adding CO2 how is that done? Assuming as with normal plants they need the CO2 to grow? They use the nitrates in the tank for something don't they?

For algae would I get a snail or algae eating fish? Shrimp? I don't really know anything about inverts.

The filter does have a fair amount of flow since it's a small tank I was thinking of putting something on the filter intake to slow it down a bit. Or perhaps keeping the water level high?

 

[logansmomma1228]

You could get a nerite snail for the algae. I don't know if bettas will eat shrimp or not.

I don't know about keeping the water level high either, doesn't the betta need some air in the top to breathe? I know some filters have knobs to slow down the flow.

 

[bluerose]

I have a lady betta, some tetras, and several amano shrimp in a 5gal Eclipse tank; they're all very happy and coexist quite nicely. The tetras and shrimp were established when I put the betta in which probably helped-- she chased the tetras for a day or two and then decided it wasn't worth the work, I guess.

Bettas do need to breathe from the surface, so finding the right balance between current and airspace is tricky in regards to water level-- altho be careful, my girl has hopped right out of the tank during feeding time (tank has a lid) when the water's high. She got a bit exuberant whilst nabbing betta pellets

I have a similar amount of light and unfortunately do have a lot of algae... The shrimp help but they'd rather scavenge leftover fish food before eating algae, particularly from the walls. I'm thinking adding more plants may help-- I have java fern and anubias nana, myself, but am thinking of adding anacharis.

So yes, your list sounds good, minus the airstone. You can probably do whatever you like with substrate if you do lower maintenance plants.

 

[mommytron]

just make sure there is enough space between the lid and the top of the water. if you are going planted, i would read up on lighting and CO2 a bit. with a low light setup, you will not need to worry about CO2 or ferts. in that case, keep your light to 2wpg (10 watts). if you do a 15w bulb you run the risk of the tank being overrun by algae and plant deficiencies.

 

[design1stcode2nd]

The max is 15 watts and just figured more was better. I'm sure I can find a 9 or 10 watt bulb and low light plants. I've researched a bit about beginner and low-light plants but not CO2 so I'll start googling that.

The Eco-complete substrate looks good and not too expensive. Comes in a 20lb bag which is more than I need but it's no big deal.

 

[dkpate]

Bettas do breathe air from the surface, as well as using their gills. Lowering the water is actually better than raising it, since the water would be more of like a waterfall. When it's too high, it's like a giant eddy/whirlpool and they have trouble swimming.
You can get some plastic craft mesh and some fishing line, and create a little dam type thing, with the mesh, and use the fishing line to tie it around the back of the filter.
As for the algae crew: You can try a snail, but some bettas won't get along with them, and will pester it so much that it won't come out of it's shell to do it's job. I have malaysian trumpet snails with my bettas, and they leave them alone, since they live in the sand during the day, and come out at night to clean when the betta is sleeping. I believe most bettas would eat little shrimp.

Bluerose~ Remember that you have a female betta, and they are not as agressive as male bettas.

 

[design1stcode2nd]

New plan, ditched the 5 gallon.

I now have a 20 gallon tall tank (24w x 17h x 12d). Going to go with moderately planted until I can afford to go heavily planted. I’ve tested everything for leaks and it’s all working fine. Going to get some eco-complete for substrate, driftwood and rocks (going to try and find slate or large river rock for caves) as soon as I can (need to get that driftwood soaking). Once I have that I was planning on ordering my plants and then starting the fishless cycle.

Now while I have a good month or so before I can add any fish it’s always fun to decide on what to stock.

Currently I’ve only decided on the following:

6 Cardinal Tetras
1 Starry Night Pleco
Number of Ghost shrimp or Cherry shrimp (can you have both?)

After this I’m not sure what to do with. I like colorful fish and want something interesting but I don’t have a lot of space left.

Some possible stockings are:

1 Male betta
3 Red Wag Platies

Or

2 Electric Blue Rams (costly though) Regular Blue Rams aren’t colorful enough for me.
3 Platies or Guppies

Assuming the Betta/Rams would eat the fry.

 

[BigJim]

The larger fish will eat the little shrimp. I have neons, guppies, and cories with RCS without issue. I've dumped dead RCS in my other tank and they're lunch very quickly. Try a bamboo shrimp instead. They're larger and they filter feed.

What kind of filter are you planning on using? I wouldn't use anything smaller than an AquaClear 50 on that tank if you get a pleco.

If you just get one sex of livebearer, you don't need to worry about fry.

I'd try the rams first, then see how your tank is running. You may have more room, you may not.

 

[mommytron]

i have a 20 gallon planted tank as well. if i were you i would get a nice big school of cardinal tetras (10-15) and a small pleco and call it a day. i personally have 9 cardinals (started with 11) and a pitbull pleco. i'm thinking of adding a few more tetras, but first i need to get my pitbull pleco a buddy or two, and see how that goes on my bioload. the pitbull pleco is pretty shy and is said to be more social and comfortable in small groups. but with just the one pleco you could do a bigger school of cardinals. since they are schooling fish, the more the merrier. i would get at least 8 for them to feel comfortable.

 

[design1stcode2nd]

The larger fish will eat the little shrimp. I have neons, guppies, and cories with RCS without issue. I've dumped dead RCS in my other tank and they're lunch very quickly. Try a bamboo shrimp instead. They're larger and they filter feed.

Bamboo shrimp look pretty cool, I'll have to see if I can get those locally.

What kind of filter are you planning on using? I wouldn't use anything smaller than an AquaClear 50 on that tank if you get a pleco.

Currently have a Topfin 30 but if I need to I'll upgrade it later when the wife won't notice.

If you just get one sex of livebearer, you don't need to worry about fry.

So 3 male guppies/platies won't fight?

I'd try the rams first, then see how your tank is running. You may have more room, you may not.

Going to do lots of research and see what I can get locally, going to take a month for the tank to cycle so I have time.

i have a 20 gallon planted tank as well. if i were you i would get a nice big school of cardinal tetras (10-15) and a small pleco and call it a day. i personally have 9 cardinals (started with 11) and a pitbull pleco. i'm thinking of adding a few more tetras, but first i need to get my pitbull pleco a buddy or two, and see how that goes on my bioload. the pitbull pleco is pretty shy and is said to be more social and comfortable in small groups. but with just the one pleco you could do a bigger school of cardinals. since they are schooling fish, the more the merrier. i would get at least 8 for them to feel comfortable.

I'm hoping with going heavily planted that I'll be able to handle a higher bioload over time. Planning on weekly 25% PCW's. I'll just be starting with the Tetras and then later the Pleco and then later something else if things are stable.

The LFS does have a 4/8 deal on neons or cardinals so I'll get 8 when the time comes.

Using this as my guide: AqAdvisor - Intelligent Freshwater Tropical Fish Aquarium Stocking Calculator and Aquarium Tank/Filter Advisor



I stopped by my LFS to look over various fish. They have a lot of nice fish but most need a much larger tank than I have. Every one I liked and then Googled was like (needs 50 gallon, needs 60 gallon, need a group of 12, very aggressive, etc, etc).

I picked up some Mopani driftwood that I have soaking. Was going to order some Eco-compete from Petco online but the shipping makes it more than what the LFS is charging. Don't have enough things to get to $60 for free shipping.

Oh well, this way I can mix some red and black eco-complete together as Petco only had black.

Also stopped by Ace Hardware and got that big bottle of industrial strength 10% ammonia. I'll start the cycle after I have the substrate in. I'm assuming I can do that with only 25%-50% of the tank filled?

I won't be ordering plants until I get my lighting figured out. Just realized 18" T8's are 15 watt only

 

[Mark Hewitt]

So 3 male guppies/platies won't fight?

They should be fine. I currently have two males in a tank, and I intend to expand it to 6.

 

[BigJim]

Bamboo shrimp look pretty cool, I'll have to see if I can get those locally.

The PetCo by me stocks them.

Currently have a Topfin 30 but if I need to I'll upgrade it later when the wife won't notice.

Good idea. It's hard to go wrong with an AquaClear. There are some good deals on eBay.

So 3 male guppies/platies won't fight?

Male swordtails will fight. Male guppies and platies generally won't. You could get a group of female platies if you're worried.

I'm hoping with going heavily planted that I'll be able to handle a higher bioload over time. Planning on weekly 25% PCW's. I'll just be starting with the Tetras and then later the Pleco and then later something else if things are stable.

The LFS does have a 4/8 deal on neons or cardinals so I'll get 8 when the time comes.

Plants can help a lot with bioload. My water sprite is a nitrate sponge. I still do 50% PWCs every week, but the plants give me a cushion, even with very heavily stocked tanks. Cardinals and neons look great in bigger groups. You won't regret it.

I stopped by my LFS to look over various fish. They have a lot of nice fish but most need a much larger tank than I have. Every one I liked and then Googled was like (needs 50 gallon, needs 60 gallon, need a group of 12, very aggressive, etc, etc).

That's always the way. Generally, half the fish in the local big box pet shop have no business being there. They get much too large for the average home aquarium.

Also stopped by Ace Hardware and got that big bottle of industrial strength 10% ammonia. I'll start the cycle after I have the substrate in. I'm assuming I can do that with only 25%-50% of the tank filled?

If your filter will run with only 25%-50% of the tank filled, you'll be fine. It's much more important to get the filter cycled than the substrate.

I won't be ordering plants until I get my lighting figured out. Just realized 18" T8's are 15 watt only

If you're serious about the plants, step up to T5HO right off the bat. The 20H needs more potent light to get to the bottom of the tank. A 2-bulb 24" T5HO fixture on a 20H will allow you to grow most plants. You probably will need CO2 though.

 

[mommytron]

+1 on everything BigJim said. i do have to say though, i have the fixture that came with my 20H tank and i have it planted. it's not heavily planted yet, but i have low light plants in there that are all doing great. i did upgrade the bulb to a 6500k bulb, but i have a crypt wendtii, anubias barteri and nana, java fern, water sprite, italian vals and red jungle vals that are all doing great. the only other thing i do is dose Flourish Excel once a week after a 50-60% PWC

 

[design1stcode2nd]

I just ordered my Seachem ferts and a 6,500k bulb. I'll try to put some foil behind the bulb as a reflector and see how things do. I can always play with the exposure times.

Picking up the eco-complete tonight and some wall straps to attach the stand to the wall (it’s a high stand and I have kids/cats).

I'll start the cycle off tonight. What's the recommend dose of ammonia to get to 5ppm in a 20 gallon tank? It's 10% ammonia.

I was just going to add it a couple of ML at a time until the test kit shows the right amount.

MT, from what I read on Pitbull Plecos most sites recommend 3 Pitbulls.

If I can’t get a Starry Night Pleco I may go for a Clown Pleco, they are supposed to like being solitary.