Seeking advice for new betta tank, with plants

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User40

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Sep 6, 2010
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Hi,

I am looking for advice on setting up a betta tank. Here is what I am considering.

Fish:

1 Betta
Later, I may add about 3 zebra danio (Danio rerio)

Tank setup:

10-gallon rectangular glass tank (I have it already), with lid. I could start with a new tank, but my inclination is not to go any smaller than about 10 gallons. The Hagen Fluval 6 gallon tank looks interesting, but may be on the small size.

HOB filter: Hagen AquaClear 20 power filter (Start with the lowest flow setting. Increase flow over time as plants grow in, and if betta fish can tolerate the current.) I have read various opinions about filtration. It seems best to have a good filtration system, and modulate the current, if needed, with plants or by other methods,.

Heater: Eheim Jager 50W (alternative: Visi-Therm Deluxe 25W). Set at 78 F. 25W might be good enough, but many express a preference for the Jager heater.

Aquarium gravel, rinsed well. About 1 inch deep.

Lighting: About 15 W (fluorescent lamps). Use timer to keep on for 10 hours per day.

Plants:

I am considering some of the the following. I willl probably start with two or three types, based on advice from LFS or from this forum.

Vallisneria spiralis. (Requires 50W/25 gal). (May spread quickly - keep up with pruning)

Amazon sword - anchor in substrate. Requires iron-rich fertilizer. (Requires 50W/25 gal)

Java fern - anchor in gravel. (I will avoid Java moss since it is spreads rapidly). Useful to consume some ammonia. Does not need much light. Best if roots are tied to driftwood or a rock. (Requires 50W/25 gal)

Hornwort - anchor in gravel.

Foxtail - May provide an interesting color variation. Consider later.

Acknowledgement: Names of plants are from Elizabeth Christopher betta blog. Most sites recommend Java fern. The notes summarize opinions from various sites.

Cycle tank; establish plants first.

(I have a 40-gallon saltwater tank, but I have not cared for a betta before.)

If I missed an earlier thread that recommends tank setups or plant setups, please send me to those sites.

Thanks!
 
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If you search betta biotope, or south east asian biotope you may get more ideas. Here's my big list by scientific names and I haven't managed to get all of them

blyxa spp,
blyxa aubertii
Blyxa japonica
hygrophila corymbosa,
Hygrophila augustifolia
Hygrophila difformis
pogostemon helferi,
cyperus helferi
java fern and
java moss.
Nomaphila stricta
Rotala wallichii
Rotala rotundifolia
Cryptocoryne nevellii
Cryptocoryne lucens
Cryptocoryne wendtii
Microsorium pteropus
Vesicularia dubyana
Microsorium pteropus
Barclaya longifolia

also consider
peat filtration
Indian Almond Leaves
Mopani/Malysian wood
But only if you like tea colored water.
 
Does your tank lid only have one socket? And can it only hold up to 15W? If possible, try to get more lighting on that. As far as plants go, you might want to steer clear of the hornwort unless you don't mind cleaning up the mess from time to time. The amazon sword might not survive with that little light. I would recommend anubias though. I've had great success with it in my betta tank with low light. As far as cycling the tank and then introducing the plants and then the betta (which I think is what you said), you can just introduce all of the plants right away. If you put enough of them in there, it's pretty much an "instant cycle." The tank hasn't actually produced much bacteria, but the plants will be absorbing all of the nutrients. Later on, as the bacteria grow, they'll actually be competing with the plants for nutrients. You should maybe put the plants in there, add some pure ammonia, and see how long it takes for it to disappear and figure it out from there.

As far as adding peat, IAL, or mopani for darker water, there's a better way. Those methods will make the water acidic and inconsistent. There's a bottle you can purchase (sorry, can't remember the name) that you just pour some into the tank and it gives the same color without affecting the water chemistry.
 
Thanks for both comments.

I can add more wattage than that. I just returned from Petco and saw a 16 gallon Aqueon starter kit that looks reasonable. (I assume I will have to change out the fluorescent lamp that comes with it, to get a better spectrum).
 
Do they come with flourescent or incandescent? You might be mixing them up (or I just might be having a brain fart ;)). If they come with incandescents, you can switch them out with something called mini compact flourescents. Another thing to keep in mind is that the whole watts per gallon (WPG) rule is not very accurate, especially when you're talking about smaller tanks which is why I'm recommending using the most amount of wattage possible that is safe for the unit. By doing so, it'll give you the option of trying out different plants later on that might require the extra light. And of course, the quicker the plants grow, the quicker the excess nutrients are removed from the water :).
 
If you're looking to get into freshwater planted tanks you might want try a book or two by Peter Hiscock. Really good books worth picking up.

The mini encylopedia: aquarium plants that I got includes and easy to setup biotope you might want to do for your betta.

What would be your plan for the 16. You might be able to do a nice betta sorority with all females. Female bettas have lots of personality and imo give you more attention then males.
 
Zebra danios are notoriously nippy fish and not recommended for betta tanks. 10g is also too small a tank for them.

Amazon swords will outgrow your tank. Crypts will give a similar look (wendtii or lutea) but will stay more within the scale of a 10g.

I agree that if you load up your tank with enough plants, you can have a silent cycle (where the plants take care of the small amount of ammonia from having one fish aka your betta). But I must emphasize "load up with plants" meaning 60-75% of tank space having plants.

A better choice for tankmates could be dwarf cories (habrosus or hastatus) or African dwarf frogs... But it really will depend on your betta's temperament. Some are just too curious/nippy and/or aggressive for tankmates.
 
You might want to test the betta with something like a snail. (Because the snail can protect itself better) If he nips at it and act territorial he probably won't appreciate other tank mates. Then you can return the snail or place him in another tank.
 
Thanks, all. Your comments are quite helpful.

Plants.

Amazon sword and horwort now have come off my list. I will read some of the references on plants.

Will the Vallisneria also become too tall?

Tank

I've decided that the components in the starter kits won't deliver what I am looking for. So I am settling on a 20-gal tank, using 2-lamp T5 HO lighting, with the HOB filter noted above. Although more expensive initially, that will give me the ability to have a range of lighting

Fish

The current idea is to either get one male and a small number of smaller tank mates. After reading further, the suggestion of smaller Corydoras catfish is an excellent one. My understanding is they are a schooling fish and I would need about 5 or more. I'll consider more the suggestion about a group of female bettas (but my daughter will be picking the betta(s)...)

From what I am reading, sand is a better substrate than gravel for corys. Any insight on this?
 
vallisneria will grow quite long but it is very easy to give a 'haircut' to, lol. just take kitchen scissors and cut off the length that you wish on an angle, to reduce the 'hack job' appearance.

i have tiger vals in a 2.5 gallon betta tank, lol, and only hack them down once in a while. my betta loves to lounge in the ribbons that crisscross just under the water's surface.
 
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