Betta tank

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bruinsbro1997

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So I was going to set up a betta tank, the tank has been cycling for about a month and I think it's ready to go. I wanted to grow some plants, but unfortunately I don't have any lighting for the tank. Is there a lighting system for such a small tank?
I also wanted to add some RCS into the tank, but I've never taken care of a shrimp in my life. What do they need?
 
What type of tank do you have? I have a similar problem with my Fluval Chi where the LED light basically doesn't support plant growth. I had some Water Sprite die in a matter of days once introduced. As much as I dislike fake plants, the Chi's actually have some decent looking artificial centerpiece plants. You may be able to find some very hardy low light plants which will do decently, you can check out this site here for some info-
PlantGeek.net - Plant Guide

RCS with a Betta are not necessarily a good combo, it really depends on the individual demeanor of your Betta. Larger shrimp like Amanos or going with a snail or two may be a safer bet.

As long as your water has a decent mineral content, shrimp don't really have special requirements. They need calcium in the water, and if your water is low in this mineral you can supplement using something like cuttlebone in your tank.

As for feeding, shrimp are scavengers and will consume anything they can find like leftover food. Amano Shrimp are fantastic algae eaters.
 
Cuttlebone is actually a treat for birds, it provides the different trace minerals they need for the health of their beaks. I've heard some members take it and shave portions of it into the water column, I'm not certain of the exact process or how much to add...but I'm sure someone has an answer on that. Crushed coral also provides a calcium source, but if you add too much it can increase your pH pretty quickly.

Here's a link for cuttlebone-
http://www.tankgeek.com/2010/10/29/cuttlebone-for-healthier-more-colorful-shrimp/
 
I picked the largest Amano shrimps from Petco and put them in my Betta 5 gallon and they still got eaten. I just have one really mean Betta.
 
a desk lamp works for lighting,ive got one on my 10 and my java moss is growing really well.
 
alLexX said:
a desk lamp works for lighting,ive got one on my 10 and my java moss is growing really well.

Java moss can grow in near no light condition. I wouldn't use desk lamp, they emit alot of heat most of them anyways.
 
Java moss can grow in near no light condition. I wouldn't use desk lamp, they emit alot of heat most of them anyways.
without the lamp,there is no light most of the time.its doing better than it did in my other tank that had really horrible lighting(like...1/2 watt per gallon), and i dont have any problems with it heating the water,it stays pretty close to 80 all day.
 
Revenantwing said:
I picked the largest Amano shrimps from Petco and put them in my Betta 5 gallon and they still got eaten. I just have one really mean Betta.

Your betta ate Amanos??? My amanos are BIGGER than my betta. Lol. He flares when they get on top of the driftwood in "his" section of the water column, but other then that, you wouldn't even know they were in the same tank.
 
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