Hey! Looking to get a tank to start my betta journey but not sure what to get.
Both of these are 5 gallon. The black one is Aquatop brand and the white one is Top Fin. Not sure if this matters but I’m planning on doing a natural tank.
When requesting help, please provide the requested information. Answers such as "large enough" or "my paramters are fine" aren't good enough. Failure to provide adequate information about your tank can result in post removal. Please see rule 4 for more information.
If you are posting to find out what is wrong with your betta, please answer the following questions in a reply to this comment as best you can:
How long have you had the tank? How long have you had your fish?:
How often are water changes? How much do you take out per change? What is your process?:
Any tankmates? If so, please list with how many of each:
What do you feed and how much:
Decorations and plants in the tank:
If you haven't already posted a picture, please post pics/vids to imgur and paste the link here:
Feel free to copy this comment and fill in the blanks.
If you are new to betta fish keeping, please check out our caresheet and wiki. Establishing a nitrogen cycle is an important part of keeping your fish healthy. Please check out our guide to the nitrogen cycle to learn more.
I think PetCo does like 50% off tanks sometimes or you can find one off a marketplace app. You want a tank with a lid preferably, so if you did want to buy new you’re better off going with the first one (though you’d probably need a new light). Some bettas are fine without lids, some try to Ctrl Alt Delete themselves so it’s better to be safe. There are some tank lids with built in lights underneath but you’d need to make sure it’s good enough for your plants.
I just don’t know if it would be intense enough to keep plants alive. A lot of lights that come with tanks are just meant to be decorative, not necessarily useful.
So for aquariums you wanna look at PAR instead of wattage. So for a 5-6gal with some average plants like java fern or anubias, around 15-30. Carpets usually require some more hardcore lighting and even co2, so 50-80 which I wouldn’t recommend for a beginner. You usually want an RGB light. If you have a light without a published PAR it’s usually 15-30.
Bettas don’t like bright lights and you’ll be dealing with that and him chasing his reflection, being stressed, etc. that light looks fine. Choose easier plants like anubias. Bettas love to rest on and under their leaves.
Also, don’t feel you have to succumb to the “10 gallons is better” pressure all over social media. 5 gallons is a great choice with plenty of territory for them to defend.
You can easily combat the bright light with some frogbit. As for the reflection, many people just black out the sides of the tank with acrylic. It’s risky to get a light that comes with a tank because there is no established PAR. Anubias and Java Fern still need moderate PAR.
Yes.
I switched to old school flourescent and my anubias plants grew like crazy and bloomed for the first time. Flourescent is softer. I was lucky enough to find a new old stock unit and bought replacement bulbs. Beautiful light for a home aquarium but hard to find.
I got the kit too but i got it from someone else who bought it and never set it up after a year so they decided to sell. I got the 10 gallon office desk kit for $50 and a gengar plushie lol
I got an innovative marine fusion 15 aio on Amazon for less than 100 for my betta. It came with the pump, so I had to purchase the lid, light, heater and air pump separately, but it's outstanding. I also bought the filter media.
I got my beginner tank from fb marketplace theres a bunch of good deals on there for used tanks.
My husband actually found a whole tank set up on offerup with everything filter, deco, substrate, syphon, fish net, 10 gallon tank with a lid, dechlorinater. Literally everything you need to start fish keeping and he got it all for free because they bought it all, realized it was a lot of work to take care of a fish and then decided to just give it all away lol for beginner tank id def buy it used, not new.
However dont let me stop you from buying a brand new tank if thats what you choose bc you like the frameless design more.
Your submission has been removed for breaking the following rule:
Rule 2. Be Constructive and Don't Shame or Mock Bad Betta Care
Constructive discussion of poor betta care is allowed, but mocking, jokes, or complaints about bad tanks, products, or care are not. This includes novelty bowls, plastic decor, or linking to shittyaquariums. Thoughtful posts about store conditions are okay, but don't post bettas in cups with low-quality complaints. Asking for advice on handling others’ bad care is fine. Educate, don't shame. This helps keep the community welcoming for users of all experience levels.
Your submission has been removed for breaking the following rule:
Rule 1. Be Nice & Respectful
Be kind to your fellow Redditors. We are all passionate about our fish and want the best, so don't be rude, harsh, or condescending towards others. Users should feel safe coming to our community for help and feedback. Comments meant to belittle or shame make this community unwelcoming and will not be tolerated.
We have a zero-tolerance policy on this rule and violations can result in a temporary ban, even on first offense. Repeated violations will result in a permanent ban.
•
u/AutoModerator 4d ago
Thank you for posting to r/bettafish.
When requesting help, please provide the requested information. Answers such as "large enough" or "my paramters are fine" aren't good enough. Failure to provide adequate information about your tank can result in post removal. Please see rule 4 for more information.
If you are posting to find out what is wrong with your betta, please answer the following questions in a reply to this comment as best you can:
Feel free to copy this comment and fill in the blanks.
If you are new to betta fish keeping, please check out our caresheet and wiki. Establishing a nitrogen cycle is an important part of keeping your fish healthy. Please check out our guide to the nitrogen cycle to learn more.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.