# Planning for a new tank! Please help!



## mepxx (Mar 8, 2015)

Ive been looking into upgrading my tank and adding some live plants to it. I have one betta fish and will soon have a 5 gallon tank. Ive been reading a lot about aquascaping and never realized how much went into it, but i really want to give it a shot. I read that you have to add CO2 and have proper lighting and add fertilizer etc, does any of this affect my betta?? This is also going to be my first time cycling the tank when i get it, should i add the plants after the process? Im going to buy a sponge filter (I would also appreciate brands for this), does the filter affect the plants at all?? If there are any plants for beginners that are pretty easy to take care of, please let me know! Thank you!!


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## Faolanz123005 (Mar 28, 2015)

Co2 should not harm your fish. Co2 is used in many filter pads (wash before using). I recommend you get a fish tank that is around 2.5 -4 gallons if you have only one betta and no other fish your betta will do just fine in a 2.0-2.5 tank. When you do switch tanks watch your betta and keep a bowl of old fish tank water just in case you see your betta fish starting to die or feel very uncomfortable. When changing tank to a larger tank make sure the water is close to the same conditions as standards and original tank. This will cause less stress and harm to your betta. Also you can add a pinch of salt. Bettas are tropical and brackish fish so they don't mind a little salt every now and then. If you progress slowly you can even make your betta become a salt water fish(but I don't recommend thug just a little salt everyone in a while Is a better idea). You should use this tank below this is the tank I use for my betta. I've had many betta last up to lowest being 2 to highest being four years of life with them I definatly reccomend this tank or something relevant. For additional information private message me. Hope this helped.

http://www.amazon.com/Aqueon-Led-Mini-Bow-Aquarium/dp/B00INCRQXG


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

mepxx said:


> Ive been looking into upgrading my tank and adding some live plants to it. I have one betta fish and will soon have a 5 gallon tank. Ive been reading a lot about aquascaping and never realized how much went into it, but i really want to give it a shot. I read that you have to add CO2 and have proper lighting and add fertilizer etc, does any of this affect my betta?? This is also going to be my first time cycling the tank when i get it, should i add the plants after the process? Im going to buy a sponge filter (I would also appreciate brands for this), does the filter affect the plants at all?? If there are any plants for beginners that are pretty easy to take care of, please let me know! Thank you!!


Hello and Welcome to the Forum!

It's great that you're getting a five gallon tank as they are so much easier to maintain and aquascape.

You don't need CO2 at all unless you get into more high-tech plants. If you don't have a light already, this one is great. Eight hours of light is plenty; more and you might be inviting algae.
http://www.aquavibrant.com/lighting/finnex-tri-color-stingray.html

You can add plants right along with your Betta if you do a fish-in cycle. I prefer to do a 25% water change when Ammonia or Nitrite reach .25ppm but you can do 50% at .50ppm as suggested in the link below.
http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=507585

For plants, if you have rooted plants (Swords, Cryptocoryne) you do need root and, IMO, Iron tabs. Swords, especially are heavy root feeders. There are several small Swords that won't get too big for a five gallon.

If you have Anubias, Java Fern, Moss, or floating stem plants, it is nice to have Seachem Flourish Comprehensive which feeds through the water column.

These are easy beginner plants: Swords, Cryptocoryne, Anubias, Java Fern, Moss, Narrow Leaf Anacharis, Guppy/Najas Grass. The Anubias and Java Fern have rhizomes so you don't plant them; instead, you anchor to something.

Have fun!


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## mepxx (Mar 8, 2015)

Thank you so much!! All the info was really helpful!


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## aaronpham (Feb 15, 2015)

Faolanz123005 said:


> Co2 should not harm your fish. Co2 is used in many filter pads (wash before using). I recommend you get a fish tank that is around 2.5 -4 gallons if you have only one betta and no other fish your betta will do just fine in a 2.0-2.5 tank. When you do switch tanks watch your betta and keep a bowl of old fish tank water just in case you see your betta fish starting to die or feel very uncomfortable. When changing tank to a larger tank make sure the water is close to the same conditions as standards and original tank. This will cause less stress and harm to your betta. Also you can add a pinch of salt. Bettas are tropical and brackish fish so they don't mind a little salt every now and then. If you progress slowly you can even make your betta become a salt water fish(but I don't recommend thug just a little salt everyone in a while Is a better idea). You should use this tank below this is the tank I use for my betta. I've had many betta last up to lowest being 2 to highest being four years of life with them I definatly reccomend this tank or something relevant. For additional information private message me. Hope this helped.
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Aqueon-Led-Mini-Bow-Aquarium/dp/B00INCRQXG


Off topic, but bettas are freshwater fish definately not brackish At least the variety many people keep at home. A Betta CANNOT be converted into salt water.


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## ThisDragonisNerdy (Mar 28, 2015)

Hello! I strongly recommend java moss and Marino moss balls. Both are beneficial for nitrite and fishies (as all live plants are), super hardy, and easy to care for! All they need is some light, and they can adjust to different water parameters. For java moss, I'm pretty sure you can just plop it in (that's what I've read, cuz I've only had mine for a few days and it hasn't rooted yet) or you can tie it down. Moss balls- they will sink unless you squeeze the water out of them. They actually suck up dirt (I've seen it!) And all you have to do for it is take it out and squeeze it when you do a water change. Oh- and the bettas will actually rest on the java moss like a pillow! It's super cute!


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## Faolanz123005 (Mar 28, 2015)

aaronpham said:


> Off topic, but bettas are freshwater fish definately not brackish At least the variety many people keep at home. A Betta CANNOT be converted into salt water.


Betts fish are tropical brackish water fish I know that for a fact I have done lots of research and taking care of bettas. You don't necessaryly need to add tons of salt but you can add a bit of salt to benefit them. Also it is possible to turn a betta to a salt water fish . I have a salt water beta in my tank.if you need more I for on this personals send me a message. Thx


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## Faolanz123005 (Mar 28, 2015)

Tip: betttas can breath regular air for a short period of time so of you take it out of the tank it can breath the same air you breath only for a short period of time. When you change your water make sure he temp is around76-82 degrees. Don't use your hand unless you know what temp water is with your hand if you don't I suggest u get a thermometer.


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## ThisDragonisNerdy (Mar 28, 2015)

Oh yeah... about what Fao said with the 2.5 gallon being better: while yes a 2.5 gallon is a minimum tank size, bigger is always better ( except for the rare bettas who prefers smaller spaces- but it's just that- rare. I wouldn't bet on it )
And them being brackish fish... well that's interesting. I've never heard that before.


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## Faolanz123005 (Mar 28, 2015)

THATDragonLovesBettas said:


> Oh yeah... about what Fao said with the 2.5 gallon being better: while yes a 2.5 gallon is a minimum tank size, bigger is always better ( except for the rare bettas who prefers smaller spaces- but it's just that- rare. I wouldn't bet on it )
> And them being brackish fish... well that's interesting. I've never heard that before.


Belives me I know betttas are brackish water fish. But it doesn't mean dump a load of salt in your tank just a bit of salt could help a betta a lot.


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## aaronpham (Feb 15, 2015)

Faolanz123005 said:


> Belives me I know betttas are brackish water fish. But it doesn't mean dump a load of salt in your tank just a bit of salt could help a betta a lot.


Bettas are not brackish as far as I know. Please cite your sources. The reason why I am still replying on this instead of pm is bc I do not want people to be misinformed. They come from patty fields and rice fields. Rice has very low tolerance to salt. Also, know brackish water isn't made with regular aquarium salt. You need marine salt for various minerals in it.


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## ThisDragonisNerdy (Mar 28, 2015)

No, no I believe you! I've just never heard that before. You learn something new everyday!


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## ThisDragonisNerdy (Mar 28, 2015)

I'd probably confirm it myself if I wanted to do that, but I probably never will. My bettas seem ok as is. And yes, I think he meant aquarium salt. You should NEVER put table salt in an aquarium.


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## aaronpham (Feb 15, 2015)

THATDragonLovesBettas said:


> I'd probably confirm it myself if I wanted to do that, but I probably never will. My bettas seem ok as is. And yes, I think he meant aquarium salt. You should NEVER put table salt in an aquarium.


Most freshwater fish can do okay with aquarium salt and even benefit from it. He's claiming Bettas are brackish, to create brackish water you NEED marine salt, not aquarium salt, they're two different things.


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## Faolanz123005 (Mar 28, 2015)

THATDragonLovesBettas said:


> No, no I believe you! I've just never heard that before. You learn something new everyday!


Ok i will send you my proof but not my marine research because it's confinential. I'm busy at he moment so I'll talk and send the links later.


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## Faolanz123005 (Mar 28, 2015)

aaronpham said:


> Any freshwater fish can do okay with aquarium salt. He's claiming Bettas are brackish, to create brackish water you NEED marine salt, not aquarium salt, they're two different things.


You can use ethier salt marine or aquarium just not table salt . And only use a little. You can epically use salt for the bigger and fancier bettas that live near the oceans.


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## ThisDragonisNerdy (Mar 28, 2015)

Yeah, I've read about the benefits of a little aquarium salt in any fw tank. Not sure about the differences between aquarium and marine salt..? But there is a difference between brackish fish and fish that benefit from a small amount of salt in their water. Fao,maybe they aren't brackish but benefit from a small amount of salt in their water..?


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## Faolanz123005 (Mar 28, 2015)

THATDragonLovesBettas said:


> Yeah, I've read about the benefits of a little aquarium salt in any fw tank. Not sure about the differences between aquarium and marine salt..? But there is a difference between brackish fish and fish that benefit from a small amount of salt in their water. Fao,maybe they aren't brackish but benefit from a small amount of salt in their water..?


From what I researched is that they benefit from salt water. I will explain the difference in salts later I am very busy. They are known to be partial brackish fish meaning they can live in brackish water and be fine.


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Hello there everyone,

Faolan, I'm a little confused here. Betta's are Freshwater fish, especially domesticated Betta Splendens. Perhaps you are confusing the term salt tolerant with brackish? Betta Splendens do benefit from approximately 1 Tablespoon of Aquarium Salt (NOT Marine salt, Marine salt has over 47 components which includes magnesium and calcium, two things that soft water fish are not exactly happy to be swimming around in. Aquarium salt is made up of two things; sodium and chloride as most of us know).

Another thing that may be mixed up, I know that it has been reported that wild Betta's, not Splendens, but other species have been found near Brackish environments where the Ocean starts to meet the freshwaters that they inhabit, but never will they thrive or even survive in a full Brackish environment.

_I am in, no way, attempting to attack anyone, but I just wanted to help set some of this information on the correct path for those who may not know as much or hasn't done as much research. _

Let's look at the different salts:

Marine salt is composed of over 47 different minerals and elements. These are elements either not found naturally in freshwater or in very minute amounts. No freshwater is truly void of any salt, but that does not mean that you should throw Aquarium salt around either.

Aquarium salt is made up solely of sodium and chloride, even on packaging it says that this does not make a Brackish environment if you read the directions on it. Sodium and Chloride are not naturally found in high quantities in soft water environments either.

Second, let's look at what Soft water really is versus Hard water:

These terms actually came about when people used to wash their linens and cloths in the streams and rivers around or at least use the water from those sources. In water with higher amounts of calcium and magnesium, soap was very hard to lather up and really get good suds from, hence, the term "Hard Water" was dubbed unto it. Soft water is the opposite, very little if no trace of calcium or magnesium found which makes lathering soap a easy task.

In hard water, much like Marine water (both of which naturally have a higher pH level, usually 7.6 and up. Ocean water is at 8.1) there are many different compounds, elements, minerals, etc. Sodium and Chloride are found naturally in harder water, however in soft water as I stated previously, there is little to none. This is why soft water fish are generally not tolerant to having AQ salt being added to their water; it's not natural for them to process. Plecos, Corys, Tetras, Bettas, are all softwater fish and should not be in any salted water.

That said, Bettas are tolerant of very wide ranges of Fresh water due to their domestication and hundreds of years of manipulation. Fancy Betta's are not found in the wild, the wild Bettas are very "dull" in comparison though they have their own subtle and sometimes not so subtle beauty. 

Anywho, I think I may have gotten a bit off track there, but I did want to state those things. Oh and there is such thing as a Marine Betta however not related at all to B. Splendens or any in its cousin complexes, it is a completely different fish and only is called a Betta because of it's excessive finnage. Perhaps that is what is being confused here? 

Back to megxx, Welcome to the forum! I do agree with Russell about the plants and that you can add them right away, they will definitely help keep your fish safer while your tank goes through the cycling process! If you have any other questions, please don't feel as though you're being shunned in this thread! Ask all the questions you need and we'll be absolutely happy to answer them! That goes for everyone of course!

:cheers:


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## Trip77Legit (Mar 15, 2015)

Wow, I wasn't following this post but I'm glad I checked it out. Good post from lilnaugrim, lot's of information there I didn't know previously. Thanks!

All I knew about AQ salt was not to use it unless it is necessary to treat something as it can weaken their immune system and make them more vulnerable to those same diseases. Not sure how accurate that part is but the majority of people on this forum seem to advise against the aq salt. So I stay away from it


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## Faolanz123005 (Mar 28, 2015)

"check out this link, it talks about the BRACKISH rice paddies, which is where bettas originate from. the ones in pet stores are far from their ancestors in rice paddies, but can still be put in brackish water if done slowly."
http://www.fao.org/docrep/field/003/AC180E/AC180E10.htm


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

I understand your intentions are good bit the information is unfortunately incorrect. If you read through the first page of that article, it states no mention of the betta population. It does talk about Bengal and India, both of which are near Thailand but that is not where bettas live, they come from south in Thailand and Cambodia. Just because it says rice paddy, doesn't mean bettas automatically live there.

Another thing, if you read my post, I did say that some wilds are found in slightly higher salinities. But WILDS ARE NOT DOMESTICS. I don't mean to "yell" that, but that's the most important part of this text. Just because you see or read about something in the wild, doesn't mean its good for the domesticated version. You wouldn't handle the chihuahua the same way you'd handle a wolf, sure, there are similarities but this is not, "one size fits all".

I do not mean to chastize you Fao, you seem to have the right intentions, just double check everything before doing it saying it lest you befall evils.


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## ThisDragonisNerdy (Mar 28, 2015)

Thanks lilaugrim, for clearing that up. I learned a lot from that post...
I think perhaps Fao was mixing things up a little?.. well, whatever, the discussion is over anyway


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## Romad (Jun 28, 2009)

I removed a bunch of posts here that were off topic and derailing the thread.

The OP came here for advice on planning a new tank so let's try to continue to help.

Thanks


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Romad said:


> I removed a bunch of posts here that were off topic and derailing the thread.
> 
> The OP came here for advice on planning a new tank so let's try to continue to help.
> 
> Thanks


Thank you.


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## Faolanz123005 (Mar 28, 2015)

I tried to help and give advice and no one belives me see this is why I don't bother to help others bye.


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## Romad (Jun 28, 2009)

Faolanz123005 said:


> I tried to help and give advice and no one belives me see this is why I don't bother to help others bye.


Sorry but pushing the point about brackish water over and over was not helping the member who started this thread looking for advice on CO2 and plants. 

Feel free to start your own thread on the brackish bettas if you'd like.


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## ThisDragonisNerdy (Mar 28, 2015)

Yeah, im sorry, i pushed the conversation too.  i didnt mean it to go that far.


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## Faolanz123005 (Mar 28, 2015)

Romad said:


> Sorry but pushing the point about brackish water over and over was not helping the member who started this thread looking for advice on CO2 and plants.
> 
> Feel free to start your own thread on the brackish bettas if you'd like.


My company tests stuff on animals not me I only research.


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## Romad (Jun 28, 2009)

Faolanz123005 said:


> My company tests stuff on animals not me I only research.


In regards to my signature line, it does not actually have anything to do with animal testing. It is an ironic statement only.

Just don't want anyone thinking differently here..


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## Faolanz123005 (Mar 28, 2015)

Ok


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Romad said:


> In regards to my signature line, it does not actually have anything to do with animal testing. It is an ironic statement only.
> 
> Just don't want anyone thinking differently here..


OT for a couple of sentences. When I was at the newspaper we found the hardest two things for readers to understand were irony and satire. You would not believe the letters I received from people who took Art Buchwald and Russell Baker seriously!


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