Nano 30L Setup

[aliB]

Hello,

I own a 30L Dennerle aquarium, for the past year it has been the home of a couple of annual killis (the seller clearly didn't mention they were annual fish).

I am looking at getting a Betta fish this, and would appreciate some advice on how to setup my tank this time, since store employees aren't quite helpful.

I have the Dennerle filter + the extension + the material in the attached image.

I would like to know which type of gravel would be suitable for a Betta fish, are natural plants a must ?

I have always had issues in my previous setup with green/brown algae and my plants slowly died turning brown and transparent.

Thanks !

 

[Aiken Drum]

Have you kept the old tank running since you lost your killifish? If you kept it running and the time the tank has no ammonia going in has been kept to a minimum then there should be no need to recycle the tank.

A betta should be fine with whatever gravel you already have in there. A single betta might suffer from boredom being alone, so i would try and make it an interesting place to live. Maybe try and get a cool piece of driftwood or other decoration that he can explore. Ensure there are no sharp edges or protrusions he might catch his fins on. I keep a betta in a tank with artificial plants just fine. Try and get good quality silk plants rather than cheap plastic ones to again ensure they have nothing the betta can catch his fins on. If you want to try real plants we can look at that with you. Maybe you're selecting unsuitable plants or simply not giving them enough time. What you saw was normal for new plants and its often enough to give them time for new growth to replace the old dying growth.

 

[aliB]

Hello,

Nope I did not keep it running, there were lots of algae stuck at the bottom and limescale build up so I did a thorough cleaning of the tank and other equipments.

Check the attached image of the tank, I think they were sword plants.

I am considering getting a somewhat larger type of gravel because the one I had was a nightmare to clean.

I did not know about silk plants, they look real !! ?
I read somewhere that those ball shaped plants are good for Bettas.

 

[Aiken Drum]

Thats a lot of amazon swords for a 30 litre tank and even 1 sword would probably outgrow your tank. It does look like normal plant melt which is what happens when a plant transitions to fully submerged growth. You should have started to see some new growth after a couple months. Some root tabs and liquid fertiliser might have helped.

Java fern and anubias would have been great plants to start with. They just need attaching to a piece of rock or driftwood and placing on the bottom. They dont need to root into the substrate and are super easy to keep. Marimo moss balls are easy too. Moss balls are great first pets for kids keeping them in a jar.

Bigger gravel will be more difficult to keep than smaller gravel. Dirt and waste can more easily get trapped in the bigger voids between larger pieces of gravel, needing more cleaning to prevent it decomposing. The gravel you have looks too big IMO. Smaller gravel or sand will keep waste on the surface and be easier to clean.

You will need to recycle your tank, but you've done that before.

 

[aliB]

Is 0.7-1.2 mm gravel small enough ?

I will probably stick with some silk plants and a couple of moss balls to keep it simple.

For filtering which combination would you suggest ?

I will check your previous post on recycling a tank, I remember you recommending recycling the tank with a fish.

 

[Aiken Drum]

That gravel will be fine. 3 to 5mm is typical. My gravel in the betta tank is similar size to what you suggest.

Im not sure what you mean by filtering combination. Do you have more than 1 filter? The filter that came with the tank along with the extension would be ideal. Or are you asking what to put in the filter? Some sponge and those bio rings are all you need.

 

[aliB]

Yeah I am referring to what I would put in the filter, it came with a mesh/sponge, but I saw a lot of people complaining that the filter becomes dirty quickly so I used instead a "FilterModul" which I filled with those rings and the extension with bio fine stones (Bio FilterGranulat) as well.

So I am wondering if this combination is not good since it doesn't use a mechanical filter.

 

[Aiken Drum]

Personally i would want mechanical and biological filter media. Mechanical filtration will prevent your biological filtration from getting clogged up and make it work more efficiently. Less detritus will get into your pump and keep the impeller running smoothly and will need replacing less often. Overall less maintenance. Periodically rinsing a sponge or replacing a polishing pad is less work and less money IMO than replacing impellers and biological filter media too often.

Im a fan of preventative maintenance. Clean my filters including impellers etc and replace polishing pads every 4 to 6 weeks. Replace impellers, impeller shaft and covers in my filters every 12 to 18 months. I recently let an impeller last 2 years but it got really rattly.

 

[aliB]

I've setup the tank yesterday and got the fish today, I've added live bacteria right before adding the fish.

Fingers crossed for a better experience this time ?.