# Tank Arrangement for College



## bettacrazygirl86 (Jan 21, 2013)

So this fall, I'll be going off to college. The college I'm going to allows fish, from what my friend has told me. I'll be sending them an email to find out how big the tanks are allowed to be.

If they allow it, I'll be buying a 10 gallon and divide it. Petsmart has a 10 gallon kit for $20 right now, and they also have mesh dividers I could use to separate my two bettas.

What I plan to do is put the divider in the middle to give both Tiny Tina and Patriot 5 gallons. Patriot is already in a 5 gallon, so he'll just be relocating, really. Tiny Tina is in a 2.65, so it'll be an upgrade for her. However, she isn't too fond of the filter. Patriot doesn't mind it and just swims through his filter current without a care in the world. Tiny Tina on the other hand gets shoved all over the place as she's so tiny. I'm planning on putting Tina on the opposite side of the tank, away from the filter, and I'll put Patriot on the side with the filter. I'll also put Patriot's 25 watt adjustable heater on his side, under the filter, so it'll circulate through the water more. I'll put two thermometers in the tank, one on each bettas' side of the tank to make sure they're both the same temperatures. If not, I'll likely buy another heater for Tiny Tina's side of the tank.

I'm thinking about going with live plants this time around, to keep water changes to a minimum. I may or may not get a few ghost shrimp again, as the last two died. One became a meal and the other simply died. Not sure how it died, but it did.

Does this sound like a good idea?

Tiny Tina is female and Patriot is a male. I've heard that females give off something that could potentially stress the male, so I'm concerned. Will they be okay?


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## bryzy (Nov 3, 2012)

That sound like a good plan! I wouldn't recommend Ghost Shrimp,simply because the ones that I have had mess with my bettas.


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## Elsewhere (Dec 30, 2012)

Both of my divided tanks have a male and female on each side- they will FREAK OUT for a week or so, but they soon get used to each other, so don't panic at first.


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## bettacrazygirl86 (Jan 21, 2013)

bryanacute said:


> That sound like a good plan! I wouldn't recommend Ghost Shrimp,simply because the ones that I have had mess with my bettas.


Awesome! The two ghost shrimp I had last generally left my bettas alone. Tiny Tina was chasing her shrimp around and eventually had him as a snack though. He would just run away and hide, but she always found him. I never saw the shrimp trying to bully them.



Elsewhere said:


> Both of my divided tanks have a male and female on each side- they will FREAK OUT for a week or so, but they soon get used to each other, so don't panic at first.


Okay, good. Just wanted to make sure! I only want what's best for my bettas, and if I couldn't do that, I don't know what I'd do. I can't leave them here when I go to college because no one will take care of them, and all my friends are going away too. My only other option would be to bring them back to the fish store.  And I don't want to do that, ever. They both seem very happy and healthy here with me. I just want to make sure they'll be happy and healthy after I go to college too. I'm hoping they'll not mind each other and be okay.

What do you recommend me to do or add to the tank?

I'm not sure if I should get new decorations or keep the ones they have. The only hiding spots they both have is a terracotta pot and the floating betta log (Patriot) and a sunken ship (Tiny Tina). I'm going to get Tina her own log, as I'm sure she'll love it as much as Patriot does. But I don't know if I should just get completely new decorations for both of them or what. Patriot doesn't really hide in the pot very much. The only times I ever see him in it is after I clean the tank and he explores to check everything out again. Tina uses her ship to hide in when she wants to rest, but I know these little decorations won't be enough in a 10 gallon. 

I just don't want upgrading to be so much money, because I will be on my own in college. I know the tank and dividers will be about $25-ish, plus medications (counting on $15-ish) and conditioners ($5 for big bottle?), filter cartridges ($10-ish), test kits ($15?), light bulbs for the plants ($5?), and possibly a second heater ($15). Then I need to get new substrate, since the gravel I have for them is two different colors and I'd rather stick with something more natural for both of them. Would sand be a good idea? I know sand isn't really that expensive, but I need something that the plants can grow in. What would you guys recommend I get as a substrate?

It's already going to be about $100 for the tank and everything I need for it. Are plants expensive? Are there any cheap and easy to care for plants you guys would recommend? I haven't had plants before.


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## Hadoken Kitty (Jan 24, 2013)

My plants were expensive, but then again I was stocking a 20 gal for a sorority. They're alive, and I'm not much of a plant grower so I hope that explains something about care. I just use gravel and a liquid growth additive called Envy.


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

For plants there are a couple of different ones that are easy to grow. 

Tall plants: elodea (also called anacharis), red ludwigia, wisteria, hornwort, cabomba and ambulia
Mid-plants: java fern, anubias
Ground plant: java moss, dwarf hairgrass
Floaters: duckweed, frogbit

With the exception of the hairgrass, all of these plants take their nutrients primarily from the water rather than the substrate, so what you plant them in won't really matter. I'll attach a photo of my tank so you can see the riotous growth I get with these plants just from plain old water, gravel and sand.


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## Hadoken Kitty (Jan 24, 2013)

not sure why, but my red ludwigia kept dying. I have read somewhere that you're supposed to have enough iron in your water to keep it alive. Is this true Bomba?


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

I did use iron supplements at first, but after a while I stopped and it stayed red and healthy. It looks awful in there because I haven't trimmed it in months, but the leaves are still red.


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## Hadoken Kitty (Jan 24, 2013)

Huh. Well, maybe I'm just not meant to have it then.


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## AyalaCookiejar (Nov 20, 2012)

Might I suggest that you get an extra 25watt adjustable heater anyways... A ten gallon should have at least 50 watts. A 25watt might work, but it will overwork your heater and it may not heat as consistently.

Otherwise, as long as water can easily pass through your divider, I don't see any issues with having the filter on one side. And fast growing live plants will do wonders for your water quality.


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## bettacrazygirl86 (Jan 21, 2013)

Hadoken Kitty said:


> My plants were expensive, but then again I was stocking a 20 gal for a sorority. They're alive, and I'm not much of a plant grower so I hope that explains something about care. I just use gravel and a liquid growth additive called Envy.


About how much do you think it would cost, approximately, to plant a divided 10 gallon?



Bombalurina said:


> For plants there are a couple of different ones that are easy to grow.
> 
> Tall plants: elodea (also called anacharis), red ludwigia, wisteria, hornwort, cabomba and ambulia
> Mid-plants: java fern, anubias
> ...


Nice! Which is easier to clean? Sand or gravel?



AyalaCookiejar said:


> Might I suggest that you get an extra 25watt adjustable heater anyways... A ten gallon should have at least 50 watts. A 25watt might work, but it will overwork your heater and it may not heat as consistently.
> 
> Otherwise, as long as water can easily pass through your divider, I don't see any issues with having the filter on one side. And fast growing live plants will do wonders for your water quality.


I plan on getting mesh dividers so the water can pass through. Would having two 25watt heaters be better than just getting a 50watt? I figured I could adjust each heater based on the temperature of each half, assuming the heater near the filter doesn't really heat the other half.


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## AyalaCookiejar (Nov 20, 2012)

bettacrazygirl86 said:


> I plan on getting mesh dividers so the water can pass through. Would having two 25watt heaters be better than just getting a 50watt? I figured I could adjust each heater based on the temperature of each half, assuming the heater near the filter doesn't really heat the other half.


You might just want to buy a 50 watt, especially if you plan on keeping the current tank and maybe putting a fish in there later on. You could also keep the 25watt to use in a hospital tank if you ever need one...

I have Hydor Theo heaters and I know that the 25 and 50watts are the same price, but they get a little more expensive for each bigger size. So if the 25 and 50 watt heaters are the same price, there's really no reason to get another 25 watt if the 50watt is identical in price... and then you'll be able to keep the 25 watt around for future use, if needed. It's more efficient to have two heaters able to heat two tanks rather than just one.


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## Hadoken Kitty (Jan 24, 2013)

Well, I dropped some coin at the local pet store for some of their plants. Like, $86 worth at one point and that didn't stock it to the point it is now (I ended up buying more later). Buying from people off of here is definitely the cheaper route to go. If you look in the classifieds section, there is always someone looking to sell. From the sounds of it, you might be able to buy from bomba soon too.


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## AyalaCookiejar (Nov 20, 2012)

If it helps, I just ordered 6 different plants (anubias barteri, java fern, jungle Val, java moss, hornwort and water sprite) from a member here for $40, including shipping and a heat pack. I just looked in the classified section.

I don't know how much it would cost for that in a pet/fish store because I'm weary of buying anything live, there. At least members here are more knowledgable, you will know for sure if they have snails in the tank and the health of the fish in the tank as well, and what temp the plants are at/what pH the water they are being grown in is, etc... Plants can acclimate to different temps and pHs just like the fish, but I still like to know the temp and pH they are used to for acclimation purposes.

One thing I like about live plants is they multiply on their own, unlike silk plants  lol. That means money saved in the long run, plus cleaner water for my fishies. And live plants are also more interesting than silk ones. It's just hard to go wrong... Unless, of course, you have a hard time keeping them alive. But even then, its all a learning experience.


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

As for cleaning, gravel is definitely easier, especially in a planted tank. You just dig the siphon in and watch it suck. With sand, you have to hover the siphon over the surface and suck up the minute dirt particles, which really show up on sand. They don't show up on gravel so much. 

It's got to the stage in some members' tanks on here, my own included, where we have so many plants that we don't clean the substrate any more because we simply can't get to it.


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## bettacrazygirl86 (Jan 21, 2013)

AyalaCookiejar said:


> You might just want to buy a 50 watt, especially if you plan on keeping the current tank and maybe putting a fish in there later on. You could also keep the 25watt to use in a hospital tank if you ever need one...
> 
> I have Hydor Theo heaters and I know that the 25 and 50watts are the same price, but they get a little more expensive for each bigger size. So if the 25 and 50 watt heaters are the same price, there's really no reason to get another 25 watt if the 50watt is identical in price... and then you'll be able to keep the 25 watt around for future use, if needed. It's more efficient to have two heaters able to heat two tanks rather than just one.


If the 25 and 50 watts are the same price, I'll just get the 50 and save the old 25 for the hospital tank. If they're different, I'll just get another 25 watt and whenever one of the fish needs to go into a hospital tank, I'll just move their heater with them.



Hadoken Kitty said:


> Well, I dropped some coin at the local pet store for some of their plants. Like, $86 worth at one point and that didn't stock it to the point it is now (I ended up buying more later). Buying from people off of here is definitely the cheaper route to go. If you look in the classifieds section, there is always someone looking to sell. From the sounds of it, you might be able to buy from bomba soon too.


I only want a few. I don't want it to be too heavily stocked to where I can't find my fish. I want to be able to put in hiding spots and be able to see them swimming around. I'm hoping it won't cost too much! I might just take your advice and buy from someone on here.



AyalaCookiejar said:


> If it helps, I just ordered 6 different plants (anubias barteri, java fern, jungle Val, java moss, hornwort and water sprite) from a member here for $40, including shipping and a heat pack. I just looked in the classified section.
> 
> I don't know how much it would cost for that in a pet/fish store because I'm weary of buying anything live, there. At least members here are more knowledgable, you will know for sure if they have snails in the tank and the health of the fish in the tank as well, and what temp the plants are at/what pH the water they are being grown in is, etc... Plants can acclimate to different temps and pHs just like the fish, but I still like to know the temp and pH they are used to for acclimation purposes.
> 
> One thing I like about live plants is they multiply on their own, unlike silk plants  lol. That means money saved in the long run, plus cleaner water for my fishies. And live plants are also more interesting than silk ones. It's just hard to go wrong... Unless, of course, you have a hard time keeping them alive. But even then, its all a learning experience.


I definitely don't want snails! I don't want to have to worry about them exploding my tank with babies. I just want my bettas and maybe a few shrimp to help with algae and dropped food. I think I'll look into buying from someone on here. :3



Bombalurina said:


> As for cleaning, gravel is definitely easier, especially in a planted tank. You just dig the siphon in and watch it suck. With sand, you have to hover the siphon over the surface and suck up the minute dirt particles, which really show up on sand. They don't show up on gravel so much.
> 
> It's got to the stage in some members' tanks on here, my own included, where we have so many plants that we don't clean the substrate any more because we simply can't get to it.


Will that siphon out the debris from the fish too, though? I want something that's easy to clean up after the fish. I don't mind so much about whatever mess the plants make. If it can't hurt the fish, I don't mind it being there. I just want to make sure I can clean up the dropped food and poo.


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

It's the fish that make the debris. You may get the occasional leaf or needle falling from a plant, but it's fish waste that the siphon is cleaning.  

In my tank, the food that doesn't get eaten by the fish gets nommed by the snails. Most of the poo just ends up in the layer of gunk inside my gravel and the plants suck it all up.  When a tank is planted enough, that's what happens. Until that time, though, keep siphoning.


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## bettacrazygirl86 (Jan 21, 2013)

Bombalurina said:


> It's the fish that make the debris. You may get the occasional leaf or needle falling from a plant, but it's fish waste that the siphon is cleaning.
> 
> In my tank, the food that doesn't get eaten by the fish gets nommed by the snails. Most of the poo just ends up in the layer of gunk inside my gravel and the plants suck it all up.  When a tank is planted enough, that's what happens. Until that time, though, keep siphoning.


Oooh. I guess that would explain why I had such a hard time trying to siphon out Tiny Tina's tank today. I wound up just dumping the gravel into a strainer and cleaning it that way instead of siphoning it, because I wasn't getting anything. Am I supposed to bury it in the gravel and then siphon it? I was just trying to pick it up off the top, and then swirl the gravel to stir it up and get what settles... It didn't work too well.

I think I'll use gravel though. I'll probably get more natural colored gravel like I have in Patriot's tank, rather than having to buy a whole bag of sand that will fill 10 gallons. I can just get 5 more gallons worth of gravel.


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

Yep, you stick the nozzle right down into the gravel, then lift it back out again.  You should see stones and dirt dancing around in the tube.


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## bettacrazygirl86 (Jan 21, 2013)

Bombalurina said:


> Yep, you stick the nozzle right down into the gravel, then lift it back out again.  You should see stones and dirt dancing around in the tube.


The siphon I have is too long to actually use in either of my tanks, so I got a turkey baster to clean it with. I'm sure the siphon would be way easier, but there's no room to use it in either of my tanks, and I think it would empty out Tiny Tina's tank super fast. Would I still stick the turkey baster into the gravel and suck it up that way, or...?


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

Unfortunately I can't help you there - I have a pretty tiny siphon, but all my tanks, barring my hospital tank, are 5 gal+ so I've never used a turkey baster. Hopefully someone else will know!


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## Hadoken Kitty (Jan 24, 2013)

bettacrazygirl86 said:


> The siphon I have is too long to actually use in either of my tanks, so I got a turkey baster to clean it with. I'm sure the siphon would be way easier, but there's no room to use it in either of my tanks, and I think it would empty out Tiny Tina's tank super fast. Would I still stick the turkey baster into the gravel and suck it up that way, or...?


Turkey basters are harder to use. I find that my basters usually suck up gravel as well and don't spit it back out is I do it this way. So I sort of look for the poo or food and just suck from right above it. I can usually get it this way.


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## bettacrazygirl86 (Jan 21, 2013)

Bombalurina said:


> Unfortunately I can't help you there - I have a pretty tiny siphon, but all my tanks, barring my hospital tank, are 5 gal+ so I've never used a turkey baster. Hopefully someone else will know!


Mine is like, super long. It can't even fit inside the 5 gallon hex to siphon it. I might have my brother cut it down for me.



Hadoken Kitty said:


> Turkey basters are harder to use. I find that my basters usually suck up gravel as well and don't spit it back out is I do it this way. So I sort of look for the poo or food and just suck from right above it. I can usually get it this way.


I've noticed! I had to keep pulling it apart to get the gravel out of it.

--

So, I emailed the dorms and someone got back to me. Yay! Unfortunately, he said they don't allow fish tanks with filters or air pumps, but bowls are allowed. I'm thinking this would include my KK that I originally had my Tiny Tina in. If that's the case, I'll just get Patriot one too.

Would I still be able to plant those? Do I NEED to have a filter? Or could I just plant it and let the plants take care of cleaning up after the fish for me? I'm thinking it'd be a lot cheaper this way anyway, as the KK I got for Tiny Tina was $16 and the heater I have was only $15. I'd buy another one for her, and the other KK for Patriot, and I can just use the same gravel and decorations I have. I'd have to get another desk lamp though, to light Patriot's KK. But if I can plant them, that would be great. The KK I have for Tiny Tina and would be getting for Patriot is 3 gallons, just so you know, if it's necessary information. If I do plant it, how will I grow them? I only have a desk lamp to light the tank. Is there a special kind of bulb I should get, or what?

I feel bad for having to downgrade Patriot, but I don't have anyone to take care of him while I'm gone, and I'd really rather not have to find a new home for him. I think he'd still be better off with me, even if he may not be quite as happy in a smaller tank.

I think once I get out of college, I'll still set up a 10 gallon for Tina and Patriot. My dad should be giving me a 50 gallon which I plan to use for a sorority too, once I'm done with school.


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## AyalaCookiejar (Nov 20, 2012)

You don't need a filter. They might actually like it better if they didn't have one. The plants will act as a filter and still make water changes easier because you will never have to do 100%s. you'll want to find fluorescent lights that are 6500k (kelvins) and get 2 watts per gallon.


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## bettacrazygirl86 (Jan 21, 2013)

AyalaCookiejar said:


> You don't need a filter. They might actually like it better if they didn't have one. The plants will act as a filter and still make water changes easier because you will never have to do 100%s. you'll want to find fluorescent lights that are 6500k (kelvins) and get 2 watts per gallon.


Oh, awesome. That'll definitely be good then. Is it okay if it's more than just 2 watts per gallon? I doubt I'm going to be able to find a light bulb that is only 6 watts.


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## AyalaCookiejar (Nov 20, 2012)

Probably... With a lot of extra light, you might experience algae growth, so you'd need fast growing floating or stem plants to combat it or to adjust the amount of time the light is on.. possibly. Algae isn't harmful, though, just ugly.

You'll need to set a certain time to turn the lights on and off every day and stick to that schedule. If you can't stick to a schedule, I would highly recommend getting a light timer. I have four of my tanks hooked up to one timer.


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

Lol, I can't seem to find a light here that is *more* than 6 watts.


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## bettacrazygirl86 (Jan 21, 2013)

AyalaCookiejar said:


> Probably... With a lot of extra light, you might experience algae growth, so you'd need fast growing floating or stem plants to combat it or to adjust the amount of time the light is on.. possibly. Algae isn't harmful, though, just ugly.
> 
> You'll need to set a certain time to turn the lights on and off every day and stick to that schedule. If you can't stick to a schedule, I would highly recommend getting a light timer. I have four of my tanks hooked up to one timer.


If algae becomes a problem, I might try a few shrimp again, or maybe a nerite snail, if I can find one. My fish already have schedules as far as lights go, so it's not hard to keep up with. The lights go out when I go to sleep and the lights go on when I wake up. The times are generally the same or close to the same, but since I'm currently not in school, I don't really have a real schedule. When I go to college, I will, so the lights will be on almost all day, until nighttime.



Bombalurina said:


> Lol, I can't seem to find a light here that is *more* than 6 watts.


Where do you find them? I was trying to find some that were 6400k, but I can't find any that would work with my lamp. I have a clip on desk lamp that I use and it lights up the KK just fine. When Tiny Tina was in the KK before I got her the new tank she's in, I had the lamp clipped onto my window sill above her KK and I could see everything in the tank and I used it as a light for myself too, since it was more than bright enough.


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## AyalaCookiejar (Nov 20, 2012)

Assuming that you don't sleep for 12 hours a day, you're leaving the lights on too long. 8-12 hours is max for how long the lights should be on. You will definitely grow algae if there's more than that and the fish probably aren't getting enough rest.

I didn't recommend shrimp or snails because of the size of the tanks. 5 is usually minimum for a shrimp or snail tankmate... However if the tanks are super heavily planted with nothing but thriving, fast growing plants, it may work (or if you do extra water changes). I just don't recommend it, since there are other ways to combat algae that don't add to the bio-load.

Edit: also, I'd go to a hardware store with a huge lighting section. I have the hardest time finding bulbs that will not only fit my light fixtures, but are also 6500k... Most are like 3100k, even the ones that are special "plant and aquarium" bulbs. Don't assume that they are 6500k if they say that! Many of them don't have a k temp on the box, which is also annoying, and probably means that they aren't near 6500 (IME).


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## bettacrazygirl86 (Jan 21, 2013)

AyalaCookiejar said:


> Assuming that you don't sleep for 12 hours a day, you're leaving the lights on too long. 8-12 hours is max for how long the lights should be on. You will definitely grow algae if there's more than that and the fish probably aren't getting enough rest.
> 
> I didn't recommend shrimp or snails because of the size of the tanks. 5 is usually minimum for a shrimp or snail tankmate... However if the tanks are super heavily planted with nothing but thriving, fast growing plants, it may work (or if you do extra water changes). I just don't recommend it, since there are other ways to combat algae that don't add to the bio-load.
> 
> Edit: also, I'd go to a hardware store with a huge lighting section. I have the hardest time finding bulbs that will not only fit my light fixtures, but are also 6500k... Most are like 3100k, even the ones that are special "plant and aquarium" bulbs. Don't assume that they are 6500k if they say that! Many of them don't have a k temp on the box, which is also annoying, and probably means that they aren't near 6500 (IME).


I'll start turning the lights off around 8 pm. Would it be okay if I keep the lights on while I'm in the room, but say I leave for class and turn them off for about 4 hours, and turn them on again when I get back? If not, I'll just turn them off at 8, but I like having the lights on while I'm in the room. If I can turn them off and let them rest while I'm not home or at class, that would be best.

Okay. I just figured it might help, but I don't really want to add any shrimp or snails anyway. My girl is really territorial and had the last shrimp I gave her as a snack instead of a cleaning buddy.

I'll try to find some. I have until August to find lights and plants, though I'd like to have it all set up before I have to go to college. I could just lower the water level, put my fish in their cups in my cupholders, and but the lowered water level tanks in my trunk. It's only a 2 hour drive, and it's in the summer, so I'm sure they'll stay plenty warm back there. Then when I get there, I can set them up and acclimate my fish into the tanks.

I would like some more recommendations on fast growing, low maintenance plants for beginners. My tanks are 3 gallon KKs. I'd definitely like something that's easy to keep, so my fish will be able to actually keep the plants in their tanks so I don't have to revert back to silk plants.

Also, how much would you recommend I do water changes? It would be a 3 gallon unfiltered, heated KK with just the fish and live plants. I'm sure if the plants suck up all the debris from the fish, I won't need to siphon anymore, but I'm sure I would still need to do water changes to get rid of the ammonia as it builds up. How often and how much should I change the water?


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

It depends on your level of planting. The best thing you can do is keep a careful eye on nitrite, nitrate and ammonia and do a change whenever things get too high, until you have figured out the kind of schedule your tank needs.


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## AyalaCookiejar (Nov 20, 2012)

Obviously, you'll need a test kit to do that. Test every day for a week, and change the water any time you see ammonia or nitrites and any time you see nitrates over 20. Some people have done tests on five gallon tanks (unfiltered and unplanted) and found that water changes are necessary every 4-5 days. A fully established planted tank might only need one or two changes per month.. But it take a few months for a planted tank to be established, and this is probably a little different with a smaller (3 gallon) tank. Without a test kit, I think I would probably stick to two 50% changes a week in a 3 gallon planted tank, as long as your plants are fast growing and thriving. Dead/dying plants will cause ammonia spikes.

I also do believe that you'll still want to siphon a planted tank, just siphon about half of the gravel instead of all of it, maybe during one of your two changes per week.

When you get some daylight fluorescent bulbs (6500k, about 2 watts per gallon), if you don't have an NPT (dirt substrate) you will need a plant nutrient to add to the water like Seachem Flourish. If you have a lot of rooted plants, Seachem also makes root tabs. Stem and floating plants are the faster growing ones that will use up the ammonia, so those are the ones you will want.

I'm not a plant expert at all (I just actually ordered my first plants and I should get them tomorrow so I might be more help in a month or so, lol) but the plants I ordered were Anubias Barteri, Jungle Val, Java Fern, Java Moss, Water Sprite, and Hornwort. The last three are faster growing, and they are obviously supposed to be beginner plants since I am obviously a beginner  Some people seem to have more luck with certain types of plants than others, though, for some reason. Also, plants seem to like lower pHs, but from what I know, they can be adjusted to different temps and pHs like the fish. It's pretty easy to look up care sheets for each plant to find the ideal conditions for them.

Some other plants that are often recommended for beginners include Swords and Crypts (I believe) and floaters like duckweed (although I hear these are hard to get out of a tank because it multiplies so fast and can make a big mess during water changes, so I decided to stay away from that one).

There's plenty of members here who have helped me out a lot on plants (OldFishLady is the plant expert, though, lol). I also purchased my plants from a member here. If you want, you can PM me and I can give you a link to the thread and/or his FB page as it has all the plants he has for sale and some good information on them as far as the parameters for each of the plants and the difficulty of care. I also created a document of the specifics on the first 6 plants I listed if you don't want to look them all up individually, lol.

Edit: You'll also want to find out how the plants you get propagate and the proper way to trim them. You might be doing a bit of trimming in a three gallon tank... and also look up ways to QT/disinfect the plants if you don't want a ton of little snails hitching a ride and multiplying like rabbits o.o


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## bettacrazygirl86 (Jan 21, 2013)

Bombalurina said:


> It depends on your level of planting. The best thing you can do is keep a careful eye on nitrite, nitrate and ammonia and do a change whenever things get too high, until you have figured out the kind of schedule your tank needs.


I'm not even sure how planted they'll be. I guess it depends on what plants will help me the most and which ones I have the most luck with!



AyalaCookiejar said:


> Obviously, you'll need a test kit to do that. Test every day for a week, and change the water any time you see ammonia or nitrites and any time you see nitrates over 20. Some people have done tests on five gallon tanks (unfiltered and unplanted) and found that water changes are necessary every 4-5 days. A fully established planted tank might only need one or two changes per month.. But it take a few months for a planted tank to be established, and this is probably a little different with a smaller (3 gallon) tank. Without a test kit, I think I would probably stick to two 50% changes a week in a 3 gallon planted tank, as long as your plants are fast growing and thriving. Dead/dying plants will cause ammonia spikes.
> 
> I also do believe that you'll still want to siphon a planted tank, just siphon about half of the gravel instead of all of it, maybe during one of your two changes per week.
> 
> ...


I do plan to get a test kit. I actually don't have one yet, and they're super expensive. I just try to keep up with water changes now, to make sure I keep everything down without having to actually test it.

I use a turkey baster to clean up the debris, so I usually just pick up what I can see.

I already knew about the Seachem, but thanks for reminding me! I had read somewhere that I would need it, but I actually forgot about it until now. I know I do want stem plants and floaters. The floaters would provide more shade for my bettas to rest and I know I want some plants that have leaves so the fish can rest on them. Tiny Tina doesn't really have anything that floats near the top of the tank to rest on yet, but Patriot has a betta log to rest in, and he sometimes rests on his heater. Tina's a little ball of energy and I almost never see her resting anywhere.

That would be great! I was actually looking at those plants that you listed anyway, and I do like them. I'm running out to the store in a minute to pick up a new thermometer, as I dropped mine in the sink. ahdksfhgk When I get back, I'll shoot you a PM.


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