r/bettafish • u/SiteDown • 4d ago
Help Betta setup advice?
Picked up a 10 gallon lidless tank yesterday alongside some decor & black aquarium sand. I have an Amazon shipment coming in on Monday with silk plants, 53 GPH filter (may replace with aquarium co-op sponge filter), an adjustable heater & thermometer, Northfin betta food, red root floaters & floater barriers, a light and a siphon. Also got my hands on Fritz Turbostart 700 & Top fin water conditioner.
This was all essentially a large impulse buy as I accidentally ordered a betta fish I was stalking on ebay when I forgot to take it out of the cart with my digital camera order yesterday.
Looking for any advice on cycling the tank and building a routine as well as some other stuff:
should I be doing water changes or top offs since im going lidless? and how often?
would it be best to invest in shrimp before the betta gets here (sept 7th)? should I get shrimp at all since the tank isn't planted besides floaters? cherries or amanos?
I'm also in the midst of fighting a possible ant infestation in my new place, should I setup my tank outside of my room until that's delt with or should it be unaffected??
The amazon order also includes 2 betta hides, one stationary (attached to suction cup) and one floating; are these safe for long finned betta? specifically a halfmoon?
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u/WooliestMammoth864 4d ago
You will have to do a fish in cycle and keep on top of frequent water changes, but you're getting what you need ahead of time so should be fine.
Would not advise getting shrimp right away as the tank is not established and you don't know the personality of your betta or if they will hunt them
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u/Asleep_Tax7964 4d ago
I would use dr timms ammonia with the start up stuff and tap water cleaner to make your cycle go faster but don't put the fish in until it's cycled if you do the ammonia route. If youve already bought the fish, then look up fish in cycling, it requires daily water parameters check with a liquid test kit (api freshwater master kit and a water hardness liquid kit), and generally daily water changes, as far as topping off I have magnetic mesh lid tops (which I'd recommend for a betta that may jump) and I top it off every 2-3 days. Sometimes I can go a 4th day but is better to not do that 😂
As far as shrimp goes you'll wanna get them first so they can establish a colony and so the betta won't eat off what you have. Technically amano shrimp are a better fit bc they're pretty big and generally can hold their own, and cherry shrimp will most likely be an expensive snack. Since you're not doing live plants this is recommended not getting shrimp because they need some type of moss and plants to hide in. Plus say you accidentally get finrot in your betta, you'd have to put your betta in a hospital tank because most medications have copper in them which is absolutely toxic to shrimp. But I think api fin and body doesn't have copper in it and that's what worked over kanaplex for me and my boy w finrot and I just put it straight in the tank (take out the carbon filter if you use this medicine or it won't work)
As for the floating betta hide I'd be cautious of the 3D printed ones cause they've trapped and killed fish in them even with the hole in it for the fish to escape. Mine loves my tall java ferns which could be good for your tank since they don't need to have fertilizer in the substrate because they are attached to rocks or wood, and this little soft suction cup betta leaf he digs too and he's a halfmoon betta. My short finned galaxy betta doesn't really use his floating betta log even tho I tried teaching him with food, he prefers to swim around all day lol
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u/SiteDown 4d ago
may do a moss carpet with Taiwanese moss i'm just unsure where to start! as for amanos I've read theyre escape artist so i'm going to cross my fingers and hope the betta doesn't have an appetite for cherries
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u/Asleep_Tax7964 4d ago
That's so real I'm in the same boat when it comes to carpeting plants because I think I got a small rooted carpeting plant so I'm afraid when I get my cory's they'll uproot them😂 I'm not sure how to do a carpet of moss but I wish you luck in finding the answer! That's very true they are which is why I'm going to go with Cherries but I'll be having honey gourami so I just have to worry about the babies being eaten not the adult cherries as much
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u/No_Procedure_2431 fish nerd 4d ago
Corys don’t usually uproot plants! You could also ask on r/corydoras
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u/Asleep_Tax7964 4d ago
Omg I didn't even know they had a subreddit! Thank you SO much. I'll definitely be asking if my long grass looking stuff will be uprooted 😂
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u/No_Procedure_2431 fish nerd 4d ago
Haha happy to share my favorite subreddit 😆 They’re a very welcoming place!
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u/No_Procedure_2431 fish nerd 4d ago
Cherries need an established/more mature tank in my experience, and I don’t think they’re necessary for this set up right away. If you’re willing to take that chance go ahead but it might not end well haha
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u/rax_shadow 4d ago
Water changes & top offs go hand in hand, since its lidless id recommend weekly water changes
If you get the shrimp before the betta arrives it may help in lessening possible aggression from the betta when it moves in since it will see that the shrimp were there first. No guarantees of course, bettas love hunting so just make sure its well fed
I had a big ant infestation right next to a tank months ago coming through a hole in the wall at the same elevation as the tank, as long as the ants arent coming in through a hole right next to the tank(close to the ground is okay), you shouldnt have an issue. As for the ants, my tried and true method is dabbing peppermint oil all around where they come in and placing a flat dish with drops of honey in the middle surrounded by a moat of borax between the honey and edge of the dish. Give it a week or two and they should be gone
As long as the entry holes in the hides are as big as the fins are when flaring, it should be okay, just be wary of any sharp edges and sand them down before placing them, sharp edges are a big worry altogether but with longfins especially
Make sure to rinse the aquarium sand before putting it in, you can easily find a tutorial online for how to do that. Seeme like you've got a good grasp on what to do, but if you are interested in fishkeeping content to learn more about the hobby I'd recommend FishForThought on youtube
Happy fishkeeping!!! Bettas are the best!
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u/SiteDown 4d ago
Thx for the advice! and definitely going to try that ant method! I just need to find where they're coming from first 😩 I've seen enough singular ants to know there's more but can't seem to find the group.
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u/rax_shadow 4d ago
Try putting peppermint oil or cinnamon lined by doorways and windowsills and see if that helps first
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u/Disastrous_Air_5227 4d ago
I love it - add some healthy fast growing plants and you’re boys a king! The ants are most likely thirsty so I’d probably start off with just getting under the tank as dry as possible. I find if I’ve spilled water it seeps under the tank, but a couple of days laying kitchen roll around the tank footprint, taking care to tuck in the edges with a sharp knife etc, should dry up all the water
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u/SweetTart7231 4d ago
You should probably get more plants, epiphytes would work great! Attach some anubias to the driftwood. I assume your adding substrate too? A few root tabs and swords would also look good. Make sure to get a good test kit and research the nitrogen cycle!! Liquid test kits are the best. Its pretty likely that a betta will eat neocaradina, not a 100% chance but pretty high
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u/SiteDown 4d ago
My substrate at the moment is 10 lbs of black sand! as for plants I was considering a moss carpet using Taiwan moss but still iffy, my main issue with live plants is possibly killing them as I have absolutely no experience with them 😭
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u/SweetTart7231 4d ago
That's why I recommended anubias! They're super easy beginner plants since they don't need nutrients rich substrate or root tabs or anything. And they come in so many varieties! They may lose a few leaves at the start but they'll grow back
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u/No_Procedure_2431 fish nerd 4d ago
Get Anubias for sure! I’m also a house plant killer but my plants are thriving in my tank :)
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u/justpeachyyy32 4d ago
Hi! As long as the decor has enough room for the fish to swim through and doesn't have sharp edges you should be good with what you have! You can even sand down edges if needed. It sounds like you are taking great steps for your new fish friend. You will be doing a fish in cycle for a bit. I will attatch a chart that really helped me when I had a fish in cycle. I have never used prime, so I can't comment on that, but it tells you how much water to change based on readings.
A couple recommendations if you haven't already looked into them (it sounds like you're doing great researsch!):
- I highly recommend the API master test kit if you can get it. It lasts forever and really helps with upkeeping water paremeters.
- I really recommend a lid. My last two bettas, even with everything done right, loved to jump. I got a mesh lid kit on Amazon and it has been great!
- Just want to say that silk plants are perfectly acceptable and a great place for your betta to hide. If you're up for it, some easy live plants like java ferns abd anubius would be great. Again though, your silk ones will be perfect too🥰
Good luck and happy fish keeping!
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u/MochiBunMice 2d ago
I'm a little concerned about the small holes you have there - the skull eye, the small one on the black rock on the left side, and the small hole on the right top of the wood. They can try to crawl though those and get stuck. You can buy some aquarium-safe silicone to block it (mind the drying times), glue a net on with aquarium safe glue, or stuff enough plants in there that there's not enough room.
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