3 gallon eclipse

[DNA_Splice]

hey guys,
i juss acquired a 3 gallon eclipse system

i have been stalking around the forum for the past couple of days
and reading up on what i could possibly do w/ it.

first off i never knew gold fish needed so much space
i was planning on puttin 3 of them in here haha..
from what i read. thats a big NO-NO
the media is very misleading. good thing i came across some legit info.

so what i have decided was a beta. i have always been attracted to them when i am in my local pet store.
i also want to put 2 ADF in there.
i have seen that they are fairly compatible, depending on the beta's attitude.

i would like to also put some plants in there, but i am unsure what to put...

so i have a few questions =]
:help:


Is the 3 gallons suitable for one beta and 2 ADF?
What plants could be placed in such a small tank?
(when i did my research i found that Hornwort, anubias, java ferns/moss, anacharis, dwarf hair grass, and dwarf chain swords would work. yes? no?)
And what substrate would i use in my tank?

[SchizotypalVamp]

1) No. The footprint of the eclipse is not enough for the ADF and the betta tends to get territorial to anything else in a space that small. It will want the aquarium all to itself. I've tried it and seen people try it.
2) Crypt wentii, anubias nana, mosses, java fern. Skip the hornworth and anacharis, they will quickly outgrow it-higher tech, baby tears, dwarf hairgrass. The dwarf swords are finicky
3)I love ecocomplete. For a tank that small, you can use ADA soil for awesome results. You can also just go with playsand or that one cheaper plant substrate I am always forgetting.

[avatar]

I would stick with just the betta as well, or you could consider doing a shrimp tank. Although not together since the betta will eat the shrimp. Most of the above plants will work, and i agree with SchizotypalVamp that they will grow fast and take over the tank if you let them, but I would suggest weekly pruning when you do you water changes.

As far as substrate eco-complete is great for growing plants, however if you dont want them to overtake the tank you may want to consider sand or just regular gravel. Eco-complete has lots of neutrants for the plants in it and if you want to restrict plant growth a little you will want to avoid an abundance of neutrants. Plants will still grow in regular sand with proper lighting and the waste from the fish as a neutrant supply.

Also I would jus like to suggest that you get a heater, as bettas are tropical fish and like the water in the upper 70's to 80.

[DNA_Splice]

kool, sounds good.
and yes, i am gettin a small 7.5 watt heater for the thank =]

no adf? darn. haha

well i am going to start put the water in this week
and get it on a stable level b4 i add the fish and plants

thanks guys, ill post some pics and updates later on

[robbob2112]

I use a 25 watt heater in my 3 gallon eclipse... with no heater it varied from 72 degrees when I got in to work to 80 degrees by the end of the day because of the heat from the light. With a 7.5 watt heater it just moved that so that it varied from 76 to 84 during the day. I couldn't find a 7.5 watt heater that had a thermostat in it. The smallest I could find with a thermostat was a 25 watt... with it, the temp stays at a constant 78~80 degrees.

The 25 watt stands on end in the corner next to the filter intake, so is barely noticeable.

My stocking is 1 betta and juvenile mollie. They get along and play nice together... I was bringing 20+ baby mollies to a co-worker as feeder fish and kept them in the tank for the day. Missed one when I scooped them out. Eventually he will get to big and I'll have to take him home.

Substrate is fluorite with wisteria planted. I have to trim it every couple of weeks or it takes over.

Picture attached.

I keep and empty and full 1 gallon water container under the desk and use a piece of airline to siphon out a gallon and replace it once a week. Tossed the cheep-o filter cartridge the first time it needed replacing and instead I use two piece of filter floss... clean alternate one during the water changes and toss one as needed to maintain water flow... keeps the tank cycled and happy.

Only problem I have had is that I had it leaking from under the top trim ring... it is just pressed on, no sealant of any kind... so I popped it off and put silicon in the groove and put it back down, no more leak.

[jackiomy]

Definately get a 25 watt heater. I have had no luck with the tiny ones, they don't even move the temp! And your betta would rather be warm. They are much more active. I have a couple of ramshorn snails in mine and the betta keeps the population down. Here is my 3 gallon at work.

69852

[SchizotypalVamp]

I use the smallest marineland stealth on my 3 gallon. It works very well.

[jm1212]

try here
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=120193

[avatar]

Have you been able to read about a fishless cycle? If not here is a good article on it.
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=81388&highlight=Fishless+Cycle

[DNA_Splice]

oh baby. let the fun begin haha..

and yes, i actually did purchase a 25 watt marineland today =]

thank jm1212 and avatar for the useful articles :thumbsup:

edit: also what are the best testing supplies that use for my tank?
thanks.

[SchizotypalVamp]

A liquid drop test kit. Most people use API, though I'm currently reviewing the less expensive Tetratest Laborett against it.

[DNA_Splice]

hey guys i purchased the API master test kit
and ran the tests
my results were

pH = 7.6
nitrite=0ppm
nitrate= approx 2.5 ppm
ammonia was .25ppm

i did not know how to add ammonia to the tank
so i stuck one of my feeder goldfish in there for 24 hours
was this a wrong move?
if so i will start over.


here are some pics of the set up
that is a 25w heater
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b19/dna_splice/DSC01384.jpg

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b19/dna_splice/DSC01385.jpg
also is this bubbling normal when cycling the tank?
or does this indicate i need a water change?

thanks so much guys

[DAVIDFBT]

I would do a fishless cycle instead of adding a feeder fish to the tank. The bubbles are normal for a new tank IME.

[SchizotypalVamp]

Well, adding the feeder is really bad for it, it will damage its gills and burn its body.....

[DNA_Splice]

well the fish are out.
thanks for the feedback

[DNA_Splice]

Can i add plants now?
or will it be better to wait for the tank to have cycled?

[robbob2112]

add the plants and any decorations now, get it all like your want it and do your fishless cycle... or if you have an established aquarium you can steal some filter media out of either put it near the filter intake, or in the filter.

I think the bubbles are a sign there is something in the water, never see that on any of my tanks. Since you haven't started I'd break the whole thing down and rinse everything good in very hot water... no soap, no nothing else, just hot water.... if it still bubbles after that all you have wasted is a half hour, but at least you KNOW there are no contaminates.

[DNA_Splice]

kk kool
where can i acquire ammonia?
pet stores?

[robbob2112]

kk kool
where can i acquire ammonia?
pet stores?


I did my first fishless cycle with a pinch of food everyday... it rots and produces the ammonia... I have also read that you can use a single raw shrimp hung in the water inside a net and as it rots it produces the ammonia....

If you want to do it with liquid ammonia, a hardware store is your best bet... but make absolutly certain it is 100% pure ammonia, most cleaning ammonia has perfumes and other things in there that are NOT good in your tank.

Either way, the cycle will take 6~8 weeks, so be patient.

[SchizotypalVamp]

The bubbles have always appeared in my tanks, also, FYI.

[DNA_Splice]

awesome thanks guys! :thumbsup:

[NeonFlux]

Cool tank!! =)

[OldMan47]

Ammonia is almost never sold in pet stores. They view ammonia as something to control, not something to use. You will do best in a home improvement or a hardware store. If you are in the US, try Ace hardware and look in with the cleaning products. Ammonia is used as glass cleaner but you don't want any added odors, surfactants or other contaminants. You want what is called clear ammonia.
If you are in the UK, I have read that ammonia is available at Boots, I have no idea what kind of store that is.

[DNA_Splice]

^^ got it.
thanks!

[nguyendetecting]

Great looking start, all these eclipse 3's remind me of my tank I just set up in my hotel room =). I'm on business for 5wks and I miss my tanks so 15 dollars later I got a craigslist deal on a eclipse style 6 gallon came with blackgravel and sand. I bought some clay pots, wisteria, rotella, and a couple white clouds for it.

Tank is in my hotel room :headbang2:

[cam191919]

^ha, thats funny. also a great deal....

[platytetrafan]

I agree I would just put the betta in the eclipse. I have a 3g too with a betta and he loves the tank to himself. I am not experienced with doing a real planted tank so I put an artificial silk plant that looks real and he loves it. I use gravel for my substrate.