Betta in an aquarium with sand?

[ExPeNsIvE HoBbY]

Oh and BTW, this is an old ReefKeeper trick but you can get rid of hitch-hikers on live rock, plants, driftwood etc by placing the item in a bucket/container filled with seltzer water/carbonated water, and the hitch-hikers will go running for the hills! Then simply rinse the item under tap water and throw in your aquarium.

It's an oldie but goodie. The high level of CO2 makes them search elsewhere for better water, meaning they rush off the item quite quickly. And as I recall, the CO2 won't hurt the plants either. Usually you soak the item for around 5 min I believe. Depends on what you are working with.

 

[wackorash84]

Oh and BTW, this is an old ReefKeeper trick but you can get rid of hitch-hikers on live rock, plants, driftwood etc by placing the item in a bucket/container filled with seltzer water/carbonated water, and the hitch-hikers will go running for the hills! Then simply rinse the item under tap water and throw in your aquarium.

It's an oldie but goodie. The high level of CO2 makes them search elsewhere for better water, meaning they rush off the item quite quickly. And as I recall, the CO2 won't hurt the plants either. Usually you soak the item for around 5 min I believe. Depends on what you are working with.

now, that is definitely an old goldie!:grinyes:

I will definitely get my hands on some carbonated water and soak it for 5 minutes before rinsing it with tap water later today.

This would be a tip that i'll treasure forever as its going to be handy. Hehe... Only in AC you can come across tips like this. Thanks!!

 

[ExPeNsIvE HoBbY]

Glad I could help

 

[echoofformless]

Don't the snails multiply so quickly? That's probably why I'd rather not have any to start with at any time. Hopefully the tap water would have killed the parasites or bugs on the driftwood, if there were any in the first place. I'll keep it quarantined for about 2 or 3 days before adding it to the betta aquarium.

They sure do. It's wonderful. Snails are clean, interesting and extremely beneficial little creatures. And they require no special care at all to thrive in your aquarium. In my opinion snails are almost as important as plants and bacteria. I will not do a tank without them. Especially trumpet snails.

But my question is - where did you get this driftwood that you're so concerned about? I have never had a problem with anything polluting my system from driftwood.

 

[wackorash84]

But my question is - where did you get this driftwood that you're so concerned about? I have never had a problem with anything polluting my system from driftwood.

Just got it from a LFS. They are one of the decent ones. However, they just received their stock on the day and adviced that they cannot vouch for the supplier. (Btw didn't see any snails in their plant-aquarium when I bought it)

They said that they always advice anyone who has purchased the plants to ensure it's washed and rinsed under tap water before adding it into the aquarium.

I think it's a good and responsible advice. I guess I also wanted to be safe rather than sorry later.

I've put the java fern driftwood into a bucket with carbonated water for 5 minutes as per Expensive Hobby's tip. Hehe....40 pence from the local supermarket. It was interesting as the driftwood was bubbling consistently for the entire 5 minutes.

 

[wackorash84]

Another pic after after adding another java fern with driftwood and an ornament to break up water flows.

 

[ExPeNsIvE HoBbY]

Haha that's funny about the driftwood bubbling. Another trick about checking to see if something is safe for your aquarium... If you have a rock that you would like to place in the aquarium but aren't sure if it will affect PH, you can pour vinegar or a baking soda liquid mix and look for any bubbling with either.

First time I tried it was with my buddies "Portland Cement DIY Base Rock" to see if it was stabilized, and it did bubble for some time. But a rinse with a muratic acid/water mix seemed to have stabilized it.

 

[wackorash84]

From my picture above, you can see that I have 2 filters working. One is a HOB and the other a standard black internal filter. Wanted to boost the cycling since the standard black internal filter has some established bacteria on the sponge.

Question:-

As I'm having a Betta in this aquarium, will the input/output of this filter be too 'stressful' for the Betta. From research, I've been reading that their water curent must be as still as possible but wanted to know how are peoples experience out there?

Cool to hear your reviews? Thankssssss

 

[RiVerfishgirl]

I had a very long finned betta in a 20Long with two penguin filters for a couple of years until he died, and the current never bothered him. When I first added him he'd get blown around sometimes when he swam near the outflow because he was weak from sitting in a cup at the store, but he built up stamina and strength pretty quick.
As long as there are spots in the aquarium without flow for him to go and rest/sleep he'll be fine. Mine used to go inside his little vase ornament to go to sleep, or sometimes he'd actually sleep sucked against the intake strainer of the filter (thought he was dead a few times because of that, but if I tapped on the glass he'd wiggle off the strainer and swim up to me).

As long as he's not having to work constantly to get around the tank because of the flow, it shouldn't be too much. Your plants don't seem to be blowing around everywhere, so I'd assume you're just fine.

 

[wackorash84]

Nice one.
I'd agree that the water current isn't strong as I ensure it's in the minimum and the plants arent really blown about or move (if any) due to the water current.

I've check ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. Good to see tht they are all zero. Ph was at 7.2 so everything looks good.