Looking to start a tank :)

[mstev2112]

Hey all!
I'm new to aquariums and was looking for some advice - one of my friends has had a few tanks including a betta sorority, cories and siamese algae eaters, and bettas and cories. I would love to do a tank with a male galaxy betta, b grade if that matters, and 3-5 emerald corydoras. This is where the questions come in
Will they get along? would 20 gallons work? how do I go about finding good quality tools (filters, heaters, etc.)? are plants necessary? Just basic set up questions haha. Any help is greatly appreciated, thanks!

 

[ADsnail]

Hi, Welcome! If you're buying your tank off the shelf at a LFS (Local Fish Store) or big-box store it will usually come with a filter. Sometimes you can buy the tank as a whole kit, even including heater, even a bit of starter food. Go to the store and spend some time looking at exactly what's offered. Anything not included will be close by, hopefully several choices, so read the package carefully to determine what works for you. If you're not finding what suits you, plenty of options are online (though it can be a minefield with so many, many choices). Bettas require low-flow water, so check out whether the filter is adjustable so you can turn it down to the lowest outflow.

Bettas are good with live plants and silk plants. Plastic can shred their fins. They need hiding places and something to do - places to explore, loop in and out of, basically take ownership of and even shove or drag around until they have their home the way they like it. A good place to start is with the Betta Log, which is exactly as it sounds - it's their bedroom, hiding place, safe spot. There is betta food, betta water conditioner...these things are good. They also need open space to swim their long luxurious fins around. Setting up the right balance of decor/plants/ space is fun!

 

[mstev2112]

Hi, Welcome! If you're buying your tank off the shelf at a LFS (Local Fish Store) or big-box store it will usually come with a filter. Sometimes you can buy the tank as a whole kit, even including heater, even a bit of starter food. Go to the store and spend some time looking at exactly what's offered. Anything not included will be close by, hopefully several choices, so read the package carefully to determine what works for you. If you're not finding what suits you, plenty of options are online (though it can be a minefield with so many, many choices). Bettas require low-flow water, so check out whether the filter is adjustable so you can turn it down to the lowest outflow.

Bettas are good with live plants and silk plants. Plastic can shred their fins. They need hiding places and something to do - places to explore, loop in and out of, basically take ownership of and even shove or drag around until they have their home the way they like it. A good place to start is with the Betta Log, which is exactly as it sounds - it's their bedroom, hiding place, safe spot. There is betta food, betta water conditioner...these things are good. They also need open space to swim their long luxurious fins around. Setting up the right balance of decor/plants/ space is fun!

Thank you so much! This was super helpful and very much appreciated

 

[ADsnail]

You'll hopefully get more help from others here who keep bettas and corys together (my bettas live the single life, albeit with a snail or two).

Forgot to address some of your questions. Corys are best in a group, like 6-8 in a 20g. They're a good choice with bettas because of their peaceful nature, though this will depend on the temperament of your betta. Some bettas are very aggressive, but generally, because corys like bottom areas and bettas like the top, they share space well. Of course, everyone goes everywhere eventually, but if your betta is a peaceable fellow he may just restrict his interest to checking out his "subjects" (being the king, of course) to see what they're up to.

 

[ADsnail]

And a couple more things. It's a funny rule, but the more hiding places you give a betta, the more he stays out in the open. If he has nowhere to hide, he'll spend all his time looking for a place to hide. It makes a certain kind of sense. He may hide a lot at the beginning, but your thoughtfully arranging his new home will allow him to come out and make it his own much sooner. This leads to them befriending you, coming up to greet you whenever you're near. They'll even recognize their name and come out to do a flip for you when you call them. It's very endearing.

They like water temps in the 77-81º range. If your heater doesn't include a thermometer, get one and place it at the opposite side of the tank so you know what the general temp is all over.

I like Marimo moss balls in all my fish tanks. They have many benefits, including harboring beneficial bacteria and sucking up nitrates. Some bettas even like to roll them around for play. Look them up online by "benefits of moss balls" and you'll find a whole lis of why some people like them. You can put one or several in a tank. They last for years. Most big box stores and LFS sell them.

 

[Aiken Drum]

Mixing bettas with any other fish is always a risk, but a good size tank like a 20, not overstocking and selecting fish that arent seen as competition to a betta and arent going to nip at the bettas reduces the risk. It will all come down to the temperament of individual fish. Corys are a good choice. I've kept my betta with celestial pearl danios and otocinculus with no problems.

Live plants arent necessary, if you go artificial silk plants are much less likely to harm your betta than plastic. For only a little extra effort and knowledge the benefits your tank will benefit from live plants.

20g is going to be a bit big and maybe look a bit empty for a handful of bottom dwelling fish. You might want to consider a small school of neon tetras or maybe celestial pearl danios. These fish and bettas are often kept together with no problems.

If you want some advice on things that are good to know, then a rudimentary knowledge of the nitrogen cycle and how to cycle a tank is a good place to start and will pay dividends down the line.

Here is a link to some articles for new fishkeepers.

https://www.aquariumadvice.com/foru...ou-get-started-with-your-aquarium-154837.html