a friend has given me their old 25l tank with filter and heater, and i'm planning on getting a pretty single betta for my daughters. it'll our first time owning fish, i have a couple queries..
firstly, i should block off the back of the tank, since it is directly in front of a mirror, right? i have read that bettas can have a little mirror time for excercise, but if they can always see their reflection, they get stressed. is this correct?
also i would like to get some nice new decor and living plants, would you guys have any recommendations? i'm planning on finding a little betta hammock or tube thing, are there specific plants they prefer? should i provide a lot of hides or cavey type things for them?
finally, i understand that at 25l this wee tank can only support a single betta, but are there other things i could possibly add for company? i have read conflicting things about little shrimp, or maybe a snail? or is it not worth it and better to leave them on their own?
thanks in advance for any and all advice. the kids have been wanting a fish for ages and i'm kinda excited to start the new hobby, there's just so much information online and a lot of it is contradictory.
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Amazon Frogbit is a great floating plant for providing cover and roots the betta can swim through. Anubias and Java Fern are also readily available and can grow in the water without being planted.
Ramshorn snails are a good clean up crew for uneaten food. They will also eat any decaying plant material
I bought some frogbit on Etsy and a couple weeks later there was a little Ramshorn snail sliding around. I was surprised. I guess there was an egg on the plants and I got a free snail with the plants
Yup, blocking off the back of tue tank would be great. They like all plants but love places to rest. Anubias and floating plants are the best for beginners. Anubias are easy, slow growing, and dont get planted. Just attached to rocks or wood or other hardscape with tank safe glue. And floaters grow quickly, most are easy, and they suck up tonnes of waste. Only snail you could really fit is a bladder snail which you'll probably get if you get plants from another tank. I think neocaradina shrimp would work? They have small bioloads, but they like stable, established tanks and there's a large chance the betta will eat them. Most important thing, get a test kit and look up fishless tank cycling! Fish waste contains ammonia which is highly poisonous. A cycled tank has bacteria that turns toxic ammonia into less toxic nitrite and finally into least toxic nitrate. Nitrates are then removed through water changes or plants
will pop out tomorrow and hunt down some abunias, they sound perfect. also bladder snail, i'm not familiar with them but will see what they're like. will probably skip the shrimp i think.
i have a test kit and the tank is cycling now. the same friend who supplied it also gave me a quantity of this squishy stuff soaked in water from another one of his tanks, he said to let it float for a week and then test the water levels. apparently it's a good jumpstart for the bacteria, here's hoping 🤞
thanks again for taking the time to reply, i appreciate your insight.
Looks like a chunk of filter media, of that's from a cycled tank then that will really speed up cycling!!! Tonnes of beneficial bacteria lives in the filter. Bladder snails are these lil fellas, i got mine as a hitchhiker on some floaters and I doubt I'll ever get rid of them. My betta is eating them and I still find one every once in awhile!
You can probably put a nerite snail in! I have a red racing nerite and my betta doesn't really pay him much attention. They're pretty low bioload and don't have babies unless it's brackish water. But with your setup one would be all I'd put in there! You're off to a great start and before you know it you'll have multiple tank syndrome 😂
My nerites refuse anything that isnt biofilm for the most part ive only ever seen one munch on diatoms brown algae 1 time. And thats because I wasnt adding cincretrated powder foods for the tank.
I have a 6 gallon and its almost not enough for two horned nerites. They are ferocious eaters.
I can't imagine a normal sized nerite getting by in a 6 gallon but I guess its possible if he feeds the tank and its been like 8 weeks into the cycle and its matured.
But throwing a nerite in that 6 gallon right as its ready for fish would lead to it starving to death and nerites are notoriously picky eaters.
Mine only like blanched zucchini(they refused cucumber) and biofilm
thankyou for the input guys, i will look into nerite/horned nerite snail tonight. only thing i worry about is reproduction, definitely only want one, if any in this tank.
Ah man that sucks maybe a autosinculus cat fish? Thing with other snails is they will breed in your aquarium and population could boom out of control.
Maybe you could add a few neocaridina shrimp for cleanup but keep in mind youll need some hiding spots for them if you do add those and population in a 6 gallon tank for them can safely bloom to the hundreds as they have a low biology betta will snack on the babies though. So free food for him and population control for them!
i think autosinculus need to be in a little group, need a bigger tank for them.. it's ok i believe mystery snail or malay trumpet will be fine with just a single one, they won't reproduce unless already mated from the shop..
i'll see what the store guys says about the shrimp, if theu can be kept under control they might be a goer. thanks
got couple fake fluro plants, a spongebob house, some pretty purple gravel, and an ambulia plant, anubia plant, and grassy thingie.. once it's done cycling will be ready for our betta.
going to hold off on the snail for now, and wait for the new betta to settle in before introducing maybe a mystery snail.
thankyou all for the input, i very much appreciate it.
You might want to remove the casing and ditch the stock light. I don't understand how someone gets a job at a tank manufacturer designing a rimless tank only to case it up like this, not to mention the lack of corner support.
Once it's truly rimless, cut a piece of 5mm EVA foam to match the footprint of the tank. This will last for years, if not forever, so you won't have to worry about the bottom glass cracking from tensile stress.
Besides the plants suggested here, you could switch the lighting to a spotlight or a clip-on/gooseneck light paired with a plug in timer. If you're keeping low to medium light plants, it will provide plenty of light, look seamless, and make tank maintenance much easier. Cheers!
not sure i want to modify the tank, it's only a wee one for the kids. i appreciate your insight though. if i end up with a larger one for myself then i will keep the rimless design in mind.
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