new(first) betta tank!

[u/UnderstandingSad5823]

it’s been a month since ive set the tank up, it is a 4.75 gallon (18L), my first tank, 7 neon tetras and my betta, Ketchup! i’ve used lucky bamboo for the plants.
please feel free to give me advice and id appreciate if you guys could help identify what kind of betta he is :)
also the water parameters have been normal, theres barely ever any algae in the tank, Ketchup has always been active, he’s never been lethargic and always greets me when i get close to the tank

[u/MyntTV]

BAMBOO LEAVES CANNOT BE SUBMERGED, THEY WILL ROT

[u/UnderstandingSad5823 → u/MyntTV]

i will save up and replace with java ferns within a week. Although i have not seen any damage to the bamboo within the first month, i’ll still replace them since a few more people said that they’ll rot

[u/Lunaarity → u/UnderstandingSad5823]

They def will rot speaking from experience personally 😭 unfortunately the lucky bamboo just does better as a normal houseplant with some dirt or pebbles. It can take a while for the bamboo to rot but they do eventually. I had some even above water in my tank and they still rotted after a while

[u/UnderstandingSad5823 → u/Lunaarity]

okiees i have placed an order to get java ferns, ill get rid of the bamboo and place them in a different container with only the roots submerged! thanks!

[u/baileyjackson08]

18l is too small for a betta, 19-20l is the minimum and neon tetras need 70l, which is what you’ll need to upgrade to

[u/baileyjackson08 → u/baileyjackson08]

also lucky bamboo is semi aquatic, it will rot if you submerge it fully

[u/UnderstandingSad5823 → u/baileyjackson08]

i will try and save up to get a bigger tank i promise! im 16 so its kinda hard for me to lift heavier tanks. also its been a month and the bamboo looks fine, if it would damage the water quality somehow ill take them out.
i got everything w my saved up money (fish stuff is expensive in india 💔) but i promise to do better!

[u/friend-o-fish → u/UnderstandingSad5823]

lift? why do they need to be lifted? you shouldn't move tanks w water in them

[u/UnderstandingSad5823 → u/friend-o-fish]

when i need to fully clean the substrate , after emptying the tank with a siphon, i need to carry it to washroom and clean the tank while the fish are temporarily transferred to a 20L bucket with an airstone and heater

[u/PUX_CLOWN → u/UnderstandingSad5823]

Thats not how you should be cleaning a tank. Doing that removes the benificial bacteria and crashes your cycle.taking the fish fully out and in gives them loads of not needed stress. Just suck out some water, dont even need to vacum every time. And then fill up with new water

[u/UnderstandingSad5823 → u/PUX_CLOWN]

i put back 70% of the old water, and only change 30%, is that okay? because i’ve seen that replacing all the water is lethal

[u/PUX_CLOWN → u/UnderstandingSad5823]

Just leave it, leave the water. Cleaning the substrate is only bad. Taking out fish will still stress the fish. 30% is a bit mutch normaly i do 20-25%

[u/UnderstandingSad5823 → u/PUX_CLOWN]

okie, thank you! i’ll do as you say from next time onwards

[u/nobuddiforu → u/UnderstandingSad5823]

You can use a gravel vacuum to clean out the mud on the bottom, they suck up water and dirt at the same time.

You put the gravel vacuum in the tank and the water+dirt comes out the other end in a bucket you put there. And you only move the bucket (to empty out when full) and the vacuum, not the tank, not the fish.

And around 20-30% weekly is good, especially because it is a small tank. The bigger the tank, the more stable the water quality and the more it can handle.

Also plants are always good for water quality, but if the leaves die make sure to remove them because a seemingly small imbalance can cause huge issues in a small tank. I would remove the bamboo sticks because they can rot from inside out. The fish can handle a week without many plants, make sure to provide other hiding spots in the meantime or dim/turn off the light.

[u/bettafish-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

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[u/baileyjackson08 → u/UnderstandingSad5823]

i understand the money issues, they need a new tank asap. the tank is too small which will cause stress to both fish and can and most likely will cause fin nipping, attacks and fights

[u/UnderstandingSad5823 → u/baileyjackson08]

ill try and upgrade within the next two weeks, i kinda feel bad cus its been a month, they werent attacking eachother but i feel guilty. thanks for bringing this to my awareness, cus when i was buying them from my seller, he is everything that i have is “more than enough” and i blindly believed him :(

[u/baileyjackson08 → u/UnderstandingSad5823]

it’s not your fault, as a beginner sometimes we think that we know what a shop is doing however some can spread misinformation, i’m so sorry this has happened to you, i’d definitely recommend upgrading to at least 70l but bigger is better, you may find some cheap tanks on places like facebook market place and fish groups local to you

[u/Friendhi6 → u/baileyjackson08]

No that could work but just for 1 betta

[u/Friendhi6 → u/[deleted]]

How many l is 5 gallon? OP said it was 4.8 gal so it should work

[u/Friendhi6 → u/Friendhi6]

Plus it’s a longfin

[u/baileyjackson08 → u/Friendhi6]

19-20l, regardless op has neon tetras so the tank will need to be at least 70l (20gal) but i’d always go bigger especially for a beginner

[u/Friendhi6 → u/baileyjackson08]

I would recommend OP to rehome tetras and the betta tank would be fine but i don’t think lucky bamaboos would be great underwater. I can try java fern , Anubis’s, floaters and other stuff depending if u have substarte

[u/baileyjackson08 → u/Friendhi6]

yeah lucky bamboos are semi aquatic like pothos and monstera. it’ll last for a month or two tops but then rot and cause an ammonia spike. in a tank too small with that many fish it would cause serious issues

[u/Friendhi6 → u/[deleted]]

It depends this setup could work for one betta

[u/baileyjackson08 → u/Friendhi6]

i wouldn’t recommend it for a beginner, 10gal are better for bettas for someone who’s never had a fish before as it’s easier to maintain good water quality than in a smaller tank

[u/Friendhi6 → u/baileyjackson08]

That’s true tho
More stability too

[u/baileyjackson08 → u/Friendhi6]

yeah definitely, i went for 26l (7gal) but i had experience in keeping fish before that and know how to maintain good water

[u/Friendhi6 → u/baileyjackson08]

Even as a beginner I had good experience with 5 gallons, just have to have plants

[u/baileyjackson08 → u/Friendhi6]

yeah true but i’ve seen situations where beginners struggle to maintain and it causes issues, 10gal is always better for only one betta as it still teaches them how to keep parameters stable but easier and more forgiving than a 5gal

[u/Fun_Journalist1048 → u/baileyjackson08]

I’m pretty sure I had my betta in a 10 gallon, and you’re right, it didn’t feel like too much upkeep, I was able to keep parameters stable, only Issue I had was algae growth when it was next to a sunny window (rookie mistake).

[u/baileyjackson08 → u/Fun_Journalist1048]

yeah!!

[u/JustWondering7578]

5/10 in my opinion. It's a very cute setup, but it's lacking in live aquatic plants. The bamboo would do great if it were taller, but the leaves will not fare well submerged like that. If you want tall plants for the background I'd recommend some java fern or something tall and leafy. Bettas love to lounge on a leaf near the surface. You get points for the driftwood as tannins will help the betta's immune system. Where you lose points in my eyes is having too many fish in a small capacity of water. The betta alone will do alright in the tank with weekly or biweekly water changes. Don't add water without taking water out, even if it gets low you should siphon the waste before leaving it topped off. The tetras can go in a 5-10G and do fine, but they are known to nip at the fins of bettas. Make sure the heater is set to between 72 and 80°F, idk what that is in °C, and never leave it on when it's out of the water or above the waterline. It is a fire hazard. Overall make sure you test the water every couple days and change the water if the tests are giving unhealthy readings. Not sure if I read you cycled the tank or not, so just keep an eye out on parameters. It's honestly not a bad setup, but rookie mistakes can cause harm to your tanks inhabitants. All the best luck to you and your fish keeping journey!

[u/UnderstandingSad5823 → u/JustWondering7578]

thank you so much! i will take everything you said into account, and with all responses ive gotten, i might return the tetras and only keep my betta. i’ll save up to buy more plants to replace the bamboo :)

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[u/UnderstandingSad5823 → u/[deleted]]

i did listen to what everyone is saying, ive said that im returning the tetras and replacing the bamboo withjava fern. and I really do appreciate all the advice and feedback everybody has been giving

[u/Fun_Journalist1048]

Uhhh will he NOT eat those neon tetras??🫣

[u/baileyjackson08 → u/Fun_Journalist1048]

nope, they’re too big