# Herb Growing Betta Aquarium/AquaFarm



## Mashiro

http://store.backtotheroots.com/product_p/aquaponics.htm










It appears to be big enough to house the betta, but since it needs daylight for the plants to grow, I'd be concerned about algae growth.

Also, it looks like it would be pretty easy to add a heater and it would probably even be beneficial for the plants.

What do you guys think?


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## lilnaugrim

Does it have space for him/her to breathe at the top? Otherwise yeah it's pretty cool, I'm sure the plants would the heater as well, it will be like spring for them all the time! haha


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## Mashiro

From their prototype they recently posted on Facebook, the betta seems to have plenty of air to breathe.










This company also sells home mushroom growing kits, if you're into that. ;P


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## lilnaugrim

Oh that's cool, glad they took that into consideration!

(Sorry, mushrooms gross me out  lol) But cool nonetheless!!


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## LittleBettaFish

I have always wondered how successful this system with only a single betta is. 

In aquaponics, it seems like they tend to overstock their systems and use fast-growing and sometimes 'dirty' fish. I assume this is to maximise the amount of nutrients available to the growing plants. 

I am not sure that a single betta is going to be able to provide the necessary nutrients to grow plants. I was always under the impression terrestrial plants much prefer to use nitrates over ammonia, while aquarium plants prefer to utilise the latter. Therefore, wouldn't the aim of the system be to produce as much nitrates as possible? 

Just wondering in case any with aquaponics experience can answer me.


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## sareena79

well my betta didnt have any problem sustaining my pothos plant....but who knows, its a cute idea if done right


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## Mashiro

Well, guys, I caved.

I bought the AquaFarm and ordered a 7.5w heater and thermometer.

The site said it's going to be released sometime this month, so I'm hoping it'll be here soon.


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## lilnaugrim

Cool, good luck with it! I know, I personally would suck at growing the plants/herbs haha but I've at least got a green thumb when it comes to aquatic plants thankfully XD

So good luck and tell us how it turns out! Should be pretty neat


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## Mashiro

Will do! 

Now I can get a new betta as well! *sosorryforthebettainsanitylol*


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## lilnaugrim

Lol, please, I'm up to 15 Betta's now XD I do need an intervention! I've got 4 boys, 9 girls and 2 younging's waiting to be sexed. All of this in 5 tanks lol


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## Freyja

I'm also concerned about breathing room for the betta. The plants are on a base that allows for water to flow up to where they are but does the betta have access as well?


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## Mashiro

Yes, it does appear from the two photos, especially the second, that the betta has plenty of air to breathe, for a fish.


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## tekkguy

Hmm, they say it's organic, but that would depend heavily on the fish food and water conditioner used. Wonder what they include with it? Most water conditioners say not to use with food fish. I would take that to mean that you shouldn't water food PLANTS with it either.


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## Mashiro

tekkguy said:


> Hmm, they say it's organic, but that would depend heavily on the fish food and water conditioner used. Wonder what they include with it? Most water conditioners say not to use with food fish. I would take that to mean that you shouldn't water food PLANTS with it either.


I was wondering the exact same thing, tekkguy.


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## Mistygrayc

I'm so happy I found this thread! I will be a beginner betta guardian with this tank. I've been waiting since December to get it since I ordered it with their Kickstarter. 

http://store.backtotheroots.com/product_p/aquaponics.htm

Freyja - If you look at the pictures on the website, you will see that the amount of air that is in the tank is based on how much water is in there. I will not be filling mine up to the top. I'll also probably have a water heater cord coming out of my feeding location to vent more air into the tank.

http://theaquaponicsource.com/frequently-asked-questions/aquaponic-gardening-rules-of-thumb/

It looks like there are Hydroponic water conditioners that should be used with the food plants. 

The website says that the AquaFarm will include "Fish food and water conditioners to get started right away"

I'm thinking about adding a small water plant of some sort to reduce the betta's stress a bit... also maybe a marimo moss ball, a snail or some ghost shrimp into my tank. What do you think? Will it all fit?


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## Laki

how big is the tank thing? It looks fine with the herbs and stuff on top but not an ideal set-up for a betta. They like to live among plants, not underneath.


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## Mistygrayc

That's why I want to get a small plant for inside the aquarium as well. I'm not a fan of plastic in general. 

I'm thinking maybe a Anubias Barteri. 

The tank is roughly 10" wide, by 11" high, by 6" deep. The tank itself holds 3 gallons of water.


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## Laki

3 gallons is good  Yea, you can make that betta friendly with a driftwood and some plants... But I think you'll need to be careful since the herbs on top will be competing for the nutrients in the water and as LBF already mentioned, one single betta might not produce enough Nit/Amm by itself.. Maybe get an apple snail or nerite too.


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## Mashiro

*Update!*

Finally got my Aquafarm in and all set up! Here it is and it's growing plants just great! My betta was a little stressed the first few days, but he's adjusted wonderfully now. 










I have wheat grass, basil, and kaleidoscope lettuce growing in the netty pots.










Claude is resting at the bottom, being a bum!


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## shushcat

How awesome that would be if it was bigger and wider! As it is, it still seems cool! How easy is it to heat, and what are water changes like?


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## Laki

3 gallons is what I keep Osha in- it's plenty big for one betta. Does Claude rest like that a lot? If he seems to be pouting about, maybe add some extra things for him, like a cave or "fluffy" plants like a piece of hornwort. To me, personally, the tank looks bare .. And is it even heated? But I looooove the plant growing idea!!


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## Mashiro

It is heated, yes. I'm also looking for more things to add to his tank to stave off the boredom.

As for water changes, you don't do them! The plants on top filter out the fish waste from the water and clean water drips back down from the root tray into the tank, creating a self-cleaning system. I'm very happy with my Aquafarm!


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## Laki

Surely, you need to do water changes. There must be some poop solids reaching the bottom of the tank? It's healthy to reduce stagnant water by applying a little water change here and there. I don't believe that that amount of plant will mean no water changes. I keep more plants than that in my tanks and they require weekly refreshments!


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## lilnaugrim

Laki's right, even though the idea behind it is really good, there are other non-dissolvable and dissolved organic compounds other than fish waste in that water that needs to be removed with water changes. I understand the concept and I really do think it's a great idea, but there needs to be some sort of water change at least once a month at the least. Plants don't soak up the organic compounds and there's no filter to filter at least half of them out and with the water not moving as it would in a river/stream/body of water, it will become polluted and then end up with a dead fishie :-(

So is there any way that you could at least siphon out some like every 2-3 weeks or so? I just don't see how this would be healthy for a fish to sit in their own waste and other stuff forever, even if the water is "clean". Plants don't and can't filter out everything unfortunately.


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## Mashiro

The company sells a product called Tidy Tank that's marketed to reduce 'sludge buildup' in the tank. I'm guessing that is supposed to break down the organics that the plants can't?


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## lilnaugrim

I'm not sure, I'd have to see the product. But even still, non-dissolved organic compounds really don't break down like the dissolved ones do. I'm not exactly sure of what those two things entail preciesly but I know that is half of the reason that we need to do water changes, that and replenishing the minerals the fish needs to live. Now I assume then that when you water the plants, that's what's being filtered through and then goes into the tank, the plant is going to take up most of the minerals and nutrients which then depletes your fish from using them or getting the most of them, you see?

So I think this can still work but you should definitely at least try to do a monthly water change at the least for him. Can you take the lid off and test the water to see what it's at?


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## Mashiro

I see now and yes, the lid is removable and I have the API Master Test Kit.


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## lilnaugrim

Oh okay good ^_^ I just want to see the usual; pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate


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## Mashiro

Okay.

Ph: 8.0
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 1.0
Nitrate: 3.0

This doesn't look good, does it?


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## lilnaugrim

That's actually not as bad as I was thinking! At least the ammonia is 0, I expected that to be at least buffered by the plants for sure. Nitrites are high definitely, I think it's in the process of just establishing itself and Nitrates are really high!

Can you do at least a 50% water change? That will help to start. What I think should happen is, can you do live plants in the water as well? This will help to buffer at least from Ammonia and Nitrites, nitrates are normally eaten a little by plants and then mostly taken out by water change. But the toxic stuff will at least be buffered by plants. You could so like an Anubias and then some water wisteria or something fast growing to soak up the ammonia/nitrites and that should help!

I really do think this can work, just needs to the right things for it to happen ^_^ I definitely think a water change at least once a month is necessary since there's no filter to get the non-dissolved organic compounds out along with fish waste and stuff like that. But right now since it's in the process of establishing some BB on the walls and gravel and such, I think you need to test daily and do a small water change while it get's established. Just like you have to do with every tank and then once it's established, the once a month cleaning should be fine 

But I think some low light, slow growing plants; Java Fern and Anubias, will definitely kick it off in the right direction ^_^ It will help improve the water quality and your little one will love to play/rest in them :-D


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## Micho

Just a question to any owners of this tank, I know there's an airline in the tank which purpose is to blow air out so water gets pushed up and that's how the plants ontop get the water and it gets recycled back down.

Does it disturb the substrate? 

I was thinking of doing a NPT with this tank but if the airline knocks substrate around I so t think my plan will work.


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## lilnaugrim

Micho said:


> Just a question to any owners of this tank, I know there's an airline in the tank which purpose is to blow air out so water gets pushed up and that's how the plants ontop get the water and it gets recycled back down.
> 
> Does it disturb the substrate?
> 
> I was thinking of doing a NPT with this tank but if the airline knocks substrate around I so t think my plan will work.


If there is, perhaps an airline tube can be attatched so that it is directed towards the upper parts of the tank so that it doesn't disturb the substrate? Of course, I'm not an owner but that's just my speculation about it. I think it would make for a good NPT after everything is established! :-D


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## Avalonian

I have an aqua farm too and it's been a very challenging fish tank.

A lot of this might have to do with the fact that I'm 100% new to fish care so when I set up the aqua farm I didn't let the tank cycle for 24 hours or a week or however long it's supposed to be before putting the fish in.

Please correct me if I'm wrong but from all the reading I've now done I think the best strategy for maintaining this 3 gallon tank is to do a 50% water change twice a week. The only problem is I've had the tank for a week and it is insanely dirty. There is a layer of algae or something white and slimey all over everything.

The tank has three little snails and a bottom feeder fish that doesn't affect the fish count of the tank and aside from the snails who hardly move everyone in the tank looks unhappy!

I think the excessive slime is due to too much food not being eaten which I am now going to remedy. That said I don't know what to do with the currently dirt tank. I want to a 50% water change and a thorough rinse of the rocks and fake plants (I have a rock "cave" with silk plants on either side).

The problem is I had to do a 100% water change earlier last week because my beta had a fungus and the experience nearly killed him. I'm not sure if what stressed him out was the time he spent in a small bowl while I cleaned the tank and replenished it with new, treated water, or if it was the already-existing fungus...or something else entirely, but I'm worried if I put the fish in a temporary container while doing a 50% water change and cleaning the tank, it will stress him out all over again.

To be honest this whole thing has been really frustrating. I have never owned fish before and I didn't realise what I was getting myself into when I bought the aquafarm. Dumb I know. I just don't know what to do at this point to make sure my beta is happy and the tank is clean without accidentally killing the poor thing or stressing him out again.

I might get ich myself I'm so stressed!!


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## lilnaugrim

Avalonian said:


> I have an aqua farm too and it's been a very challenging fish tank.
> 
> A lot of this might have to do with the fact that I'm 100% new to fish care so when I set up the aqua farm I didn't let the tank cycle for 24 hours or a week or however long it's supposed to be before putting the fish in.
> 
> Please correct me if I'm wrong but from all the reading I've now done I think the best strategy for maintaining this 3 gallon tank is to do a 50% water change twice a week. The only problem is I've had the tank for a week and it is insanely dirty. There is a layer of algae or something white and slimey all over everything.
> 
> The tank has three little snails and a bottom feeder fish that doesn't affect the fish count of the tank and aside from the snails who hardly move everyone in the tank looks unhappy!
> 
> I think the excessive slime is due to too much food not being eaten which I am now going to remedy. That said I don't know what to do with the currently dirt tank. I want to a 50% water change and a thorough rinse of the rocks and fake plants (I have a rock "cave" with silk plants on either side).
> 
> The problem is I had to do a 100% water change earlier last week because my beta had a fungus and the experience nearly killed him. I'm not sure if what stressed him out was the time he spent in a small bowl while I cleaned the tank and replenished it with new, treated water, or if it was the already-existing fungus...or something else entirely, but I'm worried if I put the fish in a temporary container while doing a 50% water change and cleaning the tank, it will stress him out all over again.
> 
> To be honest this whole thing has been really frustrating. I have never owned fish before and I didn't realise what I was getting myself into when I bought the aquafarm. Dumb I know. I just don't know what to do at this point to make sure my beta is happy and the tank is clean without accidentally killing the poor thing or stressing him out again.
> 
> I might get ich myself I'm so stressed!!


If you don't have a filter of sorts it would be hard to start a Nitrogen Cycle, which is what we refer to as Cycling a tank. Basically what you're doing is growing a colony of Beneficial Bacteria, or BB. Those BB is what convert ammonia into nitrite and nitrite into nitrate which are then taken out of the water by a water change. Both Ammonia and Nitrite are very toxic to fish of all sorts. The "24 hour cycle period" that stores talk about is only good for letting you know if your heater and filter is working properly, that's it.

I would do one 50% and one near 100% so like 90% or so to keep the fish wet is what I'd do. But if you're having issues, you can do as many changes as you want so daily water changes around 50% will be just fine!

And why do you say a bottom feeder fish that doesn't effect the fish count? Corydoras and other bottom feeder fish do NOT eat other fish poop, another common myth from the stores. They scavenge which means, they scavenge mostly for flakes, sometimes algae and will love bottom feeder tablets. Also all Cory's like to be in groups for social reasons. Some fish can't be alone but have to be in what we call a Shoal which is a group of fish that stay together for social and safety reasons. Cory's are one of them, you may be able to get away with it but I still don't recommend it and it might be beneficial for your tank if you took it back if you can.

We all start somewhere and it's not always the easiest's of rides but just do some more reading and ask things around the forum and you'll gradually learn things to help your fish out  if you ever need anything explained or have a question, feel free to PM me at any time  I'm usually on pretty often so no worries!


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## fidget

Avalonian- I was in the same boat as you a couple of weeks ago. Some people put a small piece of filter sponge in the plant tray to help the bb grow.
If you're doing partial water changes with the fish in the tank, be careful. A lot of the waste on the bottom will get kicked up and can make your fish sick... I took mine out, did the water change, then let the tank filter and settle for a while before I put him back in. I also gave him a blood worm in his holding cup so he stopped being scared of it.
I gave up on my Aquafarm and got a regular tank. Check out the Aquafarm reviews on Amazon for helpful tips- particularly the posts from WildScalare. Good luck! 

Edit- I had to take my betta out of the aquafarm because he got fin rot. I treated him in a small tank and "fed" the aquafarm while he was out of it. It was cycled, or at least close to it, by the time Digger was ready to go back in, but I was done with aquafarm experience by then.


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## fidget

Micho- No, it doesn't disturb the substrate.

Lilnaugrim- You're right about the water changes and tidy tank stuff. I wish I would have found this forum before I found the aquafarm lol. I would have been so much less frustrated. It's easy for a novice to get overwhelmed by this tank without additional info. The directions/advertising say it's "self-cleaning" which it is to some degree.


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## Avalonian

Lilnaugrim - Thanks for your reply. You were right about the corydora. The poor thing died. I'm not sure if it was the atmosphere created from the plants or what but he couldn't hack it. I won't be adding any other fish to the Aquafarm anyway--it's such a small tank to begin with.

I'm going with your advice of a 50% and 90% water change and Fidget's advice about taking the beta out of the tank while doing this since yes it does kick up a lot of stuff from the bottom of the tank.

Fidget can I ask how long you had the Aquafarm before you finally got rid of it in place of a real tank? I have a feeling the Aquafarm will run it's course and I'm anticipating the conversation about upgrading to a regular tank. I honestly did not think I would end up being this involved in owning fish!!

I think things are ok now. My poor beta nearly died in the first week we set up the tank but now things have settled down and the beta is swimming happily. No bubble nests yet!

I am worried, however about finrot.

Fidget - my beta has similar colouring to yours in your photo but to be honest I can't remember if when we bought him he had red accents at the tips of his fins. Now he does and I voiced my concern that he might have finrot and my boyfriend told me I was being a fish hypochondriac. I guess I'll just have to watch his fins over the coming weeks.

The one thing I'm concerned about regarding finrot is on the forum it suggests 100% water changes. That seems to be the thing that stresses out the beta the most. Is that really what is necessary to cure finrot?


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## lilnaugrim

Betta* not Beta lol, greek vs. thailand fish ;-)

Sorry about the cory, things happen though and sometimes it's not always pleasant but something good usually comes out of it.

As for red tips on the fins, that's probably just coloration, fin rot will appear black in nature, the blackest black you've seen on the edges of the fins. Then the fins will start to deteriorate or rip up. However this shouldn't be confused with bitten fins or casually ripped/torn fins which will just be slits or U shapes in the fins which do not appear black.

You don't need to do 100% necessarily, 50% daily or every other day will be just as good. Feel free to do more though. The easiest way to keep a Betta not stressed during water changes is to scoop them up in a solid colored cup like any plastic cup will do as long as it has not seen soap. So like, red solo cups will do just fine. This way the Betta cannot see what's going on, it has a small calming effect on them, and covering the cup will futher the calming effect. Darkness is what keeps the Betta's at ease oddly enough so covering the cup will help lots. It's also easier to cup them rather than net them.

Some fish don't like the cup and you'll have to chase them around, but once they're in the cup, feed them something. After a while they'll associate the cup with food which equals good things! And they'll swim right into the cup without hassle! It may take a while to train them but it sure is worth it. Then you can do your water changes, replace the water with similar temperature water with your conditioner and there you go! Then you can gently slip the fish back into the water from the cup.

That's probably the easiest way to do things for any tank.

And yeah, I never thought I'd be this into fish either! Welcome to the forum ;-) :cheers:


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## Avalonian

Thanks Lilnaugrim. That's really helpful. I'll definitely use a solid cup. That explains a lot about my Bacala's behaviour when he's out of the tank. Sorry about the spelling error! Funnily enough in Scotland they're note even called Betta fish. They're called fighting fish or something. Every time I would go to the pet store and say something about my "betta fish" they would look at me blankly. 

And I'm glad to know it's probably not fin rot. Plus at this stage I don't think he can reach his fins--they're not very long. Supposedly he was a young thing when we bought him. I'm not inclined to believe the pet shop people as they don't seem like fish experts but he is a small little betta!


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## lilnaugrim

Yeah, each place calls them something different, I like it's in Germany or somewhere around there that they're even called Rumble Fish! I think that's pretty neat haha. They're called Fighting Fish here too but generally people just call them Betta's, but each place is different  I know that if I pronounce Betta correctly people give me blank stares as well. Pronounced Beh-tah not Bay-tah as most people here call them which is the greek letter Beta. Now that you know more than you ever wanted to know....lol

He could be a Plakat Betta boy then, or perhaps just a female. You can PM me with some pictures and I could give you some insight of that, your you can post there here too ^_^ but it is also possible that he is just a young boy and still has plenty of growing to do. In which case, if he is still a juvie, I would actually up your water changes. Baby Betta's excrete a growth stunting hormone that, in the wild is a defense mechanism to stunt the babies around him so that he grows up to the biggest, baddest, meanest Betta around ;-) but in the home aquarium, this backfires and stunts their own growth. So to remedy this, frequent water changes have to be done in order to get that hormone out. For babies, daily water changes are necessary from 50% or more, juvies can handle daily but other day is also fine. And then they stop producing when they become adults around 3.5 months for healthy growth.

But that's just if he's an actual juvie. To help him grow though, you can feed him two or three times a day. Small but frequent meals are the secret for Betta growth, just like any other baby animal


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## Avalonian

Genuinely interesting! Thanks for your offer I'll definitely post a picture. I'll try to catch a picture of the little guy when I get home from work.


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## lilnaugrim

Feeding time is a good time to grab some photos usually because they're so focused on the food, they don't zoom around as much ahaha...well usually it's a good time ;-)


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## fidget

I had my aquafarm for six long weeks lol. To be fair, it was cycled at the end and wouldn't have been as difficult to keep clean but I was over it by then. It was clear mine wasn't going to grow anything besides wheat grass, and I really liked being able to take the lid off my little tank and see my betta from above.
I want to add, that in addition to what Lilnaugrim said, one of the best pieces of advice I've gotten so far is to trust your instincts. If you think your fish is acting lethargic or sick, he probably is.
My boyfriend said the same thing to me about being a hypochondriac! I could have saved myself a lot of worry had I listened to my gut. 
My little guy has sooo much red on him now! I've been trying to get a good picture of him but he so rarely sits still lol. I've had him for a month now and he's gone from all blue to half blue, half red. 
This forum has been invaluable to me. The people here are so helpful.Definitely post pictures or send em to lilnaugrim if you're worried.


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## JustinieBeanie

So would any of you aquafarm owners recommend it? Or is it one of those things that's a great idea but lacking in execution? Also if you do recommend it, do you think it's too difficult for newbies and is better left to the more experienced fish keepers out there?


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## Avalonian

*For Those Interested in the Aquafarm*

You know, after a rollercoaster week of thinking: this is great, oh my god my fish is dying, this is ok, this is crazy, this is going to be ok...oh my god my fish is probably dying...I can say the Aquafarm is pretty good.

Some things I wish I had known/done before buying it, however:

1. Read this forum about basic and general betta fish care. There is A LOT I wish I knew before, especially about cycling the tank.

2. Read up about cycling a tank and don't buy a fish the second your aqua farm arrives. Set the tank up sans fish and let the water do it's thing to become a healthy environment for your future fish.

3. Read the Amazon reviews written by WildScalare. That person (guy?) is very helpful. He wrote a great review that he then edited, and then under his reviews' comments he adds even more useful information.

4. Don't put some of the shale rocks the Aquafarm gives you in the water. For some reason they tell you to, but the rocks are full of air and therefore float to the top of the tank. DUMB!

5. Make sure you thoroughly rinse the shale rocks. SO THOROUGHLY. I didn't and the water was very cloudy and despite the instructions from Back to the Roots saying the water will settle in a couple hours it didn't settle for a few days (a few days of me freaking out!!).

6. Come to terms with the fact that you're not just taking care of a fish, but maintaining water. Which is why you'll have to buy the following:
Ammonia and nitrate test kit
Ph test kit
Aquarium heater
Thermometer
A large bucket/container that can hold at least 3 gallons of water that you don't use for anything else
A solid-coloured container/cup/thing to put the fish in when you're cleaning their tank

Buying a fish is more of an investment than people think, but if you want to have a functioning aquafarm that grows cool herbs and has a cute happy fish swimming in it, you'll need to make sure you have healthy water, which is what the test kits are for. Aquarium salt might also be a helpful thing, a lot of information suggests using aquarium salt when your fish is sick before resorting to medicine.

I've probably spent just under £100 on stuff for the fish/tank including a new pump because the pump Back to the Roots supplies is terrible (and is supposed to live inside the chamber that holds the plants which is a terrible idea). I feel like this is coming off negative but I just want to make it clear that for a newbie who has never had fish, it's a lot more than just the tank and a fish. But now that I have it all set up, and I've done my reading, and my poor fish isn't dead, I am pretty happy. I have wheatgrass that's about seven inches tall in just a week, and my cilantro and basil are sprouting.

I have a feeling eventually the aquafarm will run its course and I'll probably end up getting a normal tank but for now it's ok.

Just do your research! And thank heaven there's this forum full of really helpful dedicated betta fish lovers!


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## fidget

He also commented on a lot of other reviews with helpful tips.
Personally, I would wait for version two of the Aquafarm. I have read that they are putting together an informational pamphlet to go with the tank, hopefully changing the pump and pump placement and adding a slot for the heater. They also really need a grow light. 

The wheat grass grows like crazy but everything else stalls after the first two weeks without a light. My tank was getting indirect sunlight, but a lot of it, from two different windows and it wasn't enough. My basil grew to about an inch and a quarter, dill grew about two inches and cilantro died in six weeks.

Knowing what I know now, I would say that if you are planning on buying an aquafarm, save yourself some heartache and do the research first. Also, like Avalonian said, be prepared to spend some money in addition to the cost of the tank. I also spent probably $100 on things I "wasn't supposed to need" with the tank.

If you already have an extra heater laying around, pump, water test kit etc, you'll be all set.

I think that for a novice, be prepared. Back to the Roots really over simplified things (and left out others), including the fact that the betta you get from the shop might need some TLC before you throw him into an uncycled tank... but if you go in with that knowledge, it shouldn't be as frustrating for you as it was for me.

That said, I still love the idea and maybe down the road I'll get another aquafarm. I'd say it's ok for a novice if you put the time into research/fishless cycling (and maybe aquatic plants) and that someone more experienced would probably have a better time with it.

Edited to say- When I bought mine, it had just come out and there wasn't a whole lot of information out there...on the aquafarm anyway, I wish I would have found this forum before I found the aquafarm


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## Avalonian

*My Betta Bacala*

Hey all, I managed to get a few shots of my little Betta! Can anyone tell if he actually is a baby/young?


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## lilnaugrim

Ah yes, just a young boy. He's most likely around 3-5 months old but probably stunted, not from you but just in general. So I think if you upped your water changes and his feedings, he should really start to grow more ^_^

It looks like he actually bit his tail and it's healing back slowly with some rot on it. So those extra water changes will also help take care of that rot as well, and will invigorate his healing process  You can feed him twice or three times a day, smaller meals but frequently is the key to getting him to grow ^_^


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## Avalonian

Thanks Lilnaugrim. I had a feeling there was a bit too much grey in his fins. Do you think water changes 3 times a week is enough? Or more like every other day?

Also if there is some rot do you reckon aquarium salt or stress coat is helpful or just the water changes on their own is enough?


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## lilnaugrim

Yeah three times is great, which is basically every other day.

Aquarium salt is a bit controversial, many people do believe that it cures fin rot but in fact it does not. The only things that AQ salt does is balance out electrolytes (which can be good) and is irritates the slime coat so that your fish over produces and sheds off the old slime coat. This can be good if you're trying to fight off some external parasite like Ich or Velvet but otherwise does nothing for fin rot. It's the daily/every other day water changes that does it!

Stress Coat is great since it has aloe vera in it, there's also some chat about whether or not aloe works the same in fish as it does humans but it's pretty much always worked for me. So, it won't help the rot while he still has it but once he get's rid of the rotted fins, he'll regenerate his fins faster with the use of Stress Coat 

So for now, just do the water changes, you can use the Stress Coat if you want; I use it all the time for my sorority since someone always has nipped fins.


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## Avalonian

Good to know! Thank you so much for your helpful information. I think I have a dechlorinator that has aloe vera in it so maybe I can hold off for now on buying yet another thing for Bacala.

Is 50% water changes ok since it's so frequent or do you reckon something higher?


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## lilnaugrim

Avalonian said:


> Is 50% water changes ok since it's so frequent or do you reckon something higher?


You can do whatever you feel is necessary, I suggest more of the bare minimum's generally. So 50% every other day should be your minimum but you're more than welcome to do as much water changes as you like and as you can handle. If you want to do 50% everyday that's even better! Of course I wouldn't recommend like 50% changes 3 times a day haha but I think you get my point ^_^

I think a good happy medium is doing 30-50% one day and the next to do a bigger one around 70-80%. You can however split up a 50% to make it two 25% over an hour or so if you find it stresses out your fish less. So it's also how your fish will take it and all. It's pretty much guaranteed that your fish will be stressed out during a water change anyway but some stress more than other's is all. So just watch your fish and how he acts.

I do have one fish that seems to love water changes and playing in the flow of the water, he also likes to flare at the siphon lol. And then I have another that get's curious about the siphon but once he realizes it's water change time he sorts of freaks out and goes to hide behind his driftwood until I'm completely done. So each fish is different


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## mocsharp

Hello! I just got my Aquafarm this past weekend. I was wondering how long will I need to do this water change? Will this be every other day forever? or for a few weeks, months?

Thanks!


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## lilnaugrim

mocsharp said:


> Hello! I just got my Aquafarm this past weekend. I was wondering how long will I need to do this water change? Will this be every other day forever? or for a few weeks, months?
> 
> Thanks!


Do you know about the Nitrogen Cycle and how it works? You'll have to do the frequent water changes until your tank is done cycling which is generally about a month if you are doing the Fish-In process. If your plants are actively growing, that will help the situation out which is always nice.  But after that, if you have added extra sponge material in the tray which I do suggest with these tanks, you should only have to do it once a week at best, twice if you notice your fish not feeling well and/or ammonia is getting high. It's important to have a full testing kit so that you can monitor this situation! ^_^


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## mocsharp

Hi lilnaugrim,

What kind of filter are you using with Aquafarm, (if you are using Aquafarm)?

Thank you!!


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## lilnaugrim

I don't actually have one but I know about them. If you look back in this thread they are all using sponge filters that connect to the bottom of the intake tube in the middle but you can also squeeze extra sponge (not kitchen sponge but filter sponge) into the tray of the top so that you can house extra bacteria up there!


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