Hi

[Millerman]

Hello everyone I joined for general advice. I have a 10 gallon I got after getting a beta and was hooked and wanted more so i now have a cycling 55 gallon tank after lots of studying and research. I also want to turn it into planted tank. I can't wait to get a rainbow shark for my large tank too so any rainbow shark advise would be great!


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[Brian_Nano12g]

Hi Millerman,

Welcome to AA! Kudos to you in providing your betta a 10 gallon tank! It is certainly better than those tiny betta cubes that generally go unfiltered with no heater in the cooler months.

A 55g is a nice acquisition, too. You'll have plenty of real estate to explore in terms plants and aquascaping. I'm personally a planted tank enthusiast myself. You can usually find me and a lot of other experienced planted tank folks in the planted tanks sub-forum here in AA. So when you're ready to get that 55g planted, make your way there so we can offer more help (if you like).

Might I suggest in the interim, that you research differences between low tech and high tech planted tanks. Lighting (ie. LED vs. T5HO). Plant species that are appropriate for those given light levels. Fertilizers, substrates, CO2, etc. And calculating light with PAR verses WPG (watts per gallon). It's good to get a headstart to avoid headaches and issues (i.e. algae or plant deficiencies) later on.

Low Tech is a good starting point that is forgiving and you can learn a lot from. Less work, maintenance, ferts and no CO2 supplementation. If you find that planted tanks are your interest and you're in it for the long haul, high tech is a nice goal to work up to. Either which way, we're here to help.

 

[Millerman]

Thanks Brian, I soon realized after getting my betta that his less than one gallon bowl was cruel and not good enough for my little guy. So, after some research he now has a heater, filter, and water changes also.

I think I'm on the right page with the planted tank but am definitely not experienced so I will be probably asking some questions later. I bought some Eco complete substrate, Flourish comprehensive, and two t8 shop lights from Lowes. I'm to cheap to spend a hundred on lighting lol. I think it will work though I plan on running four 32w 6500 bulbs. This is my first planted tank though so any suggestions would be great.?


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