# I need some advice for new first time setup.



## driver (Jun 21, 2017)

Hello guys, I am completely new to this site, fish tanks, and planted tanks and I am exited to get my first planted beta tank. I am kinda overloaded with information!

I went with a Fluval Spec V tank, I also purchased a heater and bubbler, and a temperature probe. I am trying to setup a low tech planted tank for a Beta fish, 3 ghost shrimp and a zebra snail or two.

I need your advice on my tank, my fish mates for my betta, I want to make sure I am not over crowding the tank.

I am also getting these plants and I would like to know if these are enough, too much, and good plants, I got them from endless research, and I may have picked a plant or two by impulse. Here is the list!

Dwarf Lily 
Anubias barteri 
Anubias Afzelii
Clover Four Leaf
Hairgrass Dwarf
Hydrocotyle tripartita "Japan" 
Anacharis
Java Fern 

Asside for all that, I also got a test kit, prime water conditioner, aquarium salt, and bettafix.

I did not get any ferts, or co2 anything since I want it to be low tech, but is there anything else I should have? 

I plan on setting the tank up, then putting soil down topped with gravel. I have seen people use a heat strip under the soil, do I need that for a small tank?

Thanks to anyone who spends the time and helps me out here.


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## Aqua Aurora (Oct 4, 2013)

driver said:


> Hello guys, I am completely new to this site, fish tanks, and planted tanks and I am exited to get my first planted beta tank. I am kinda overloaded with information!
> 
> I went with a Fluval Spec V tank, I also purchased a heater and bubbler, and a temperature probe. I am trying to setup a low tech planted tank for a Beta fish, 3 ghost shrimp and a zebra snail or two.
> 
> ...


First of all make tank betta only-too small for any other fish. 

Do not add shrimp immediately-they are very sensitive and will die during tank nitrogen cycle. If you aren't familiar with this read stickies here on cycling and water changes:
http://www.bettafish.com/30-betta-fish-care/
http://www.bettafish.com/101-betta-fish-bowls-habitats-accessories/

If you are really set on shrimp tank must be densely planted and ideally set up with live plants and filter running for 6 months before adding shrimp-this lets tank stabilize, cycle, and grow micro fauna the shrimp can eat. Even still shrimp may not be a wise idea as bettas are predators and will hunt/kill shrimp, yes eve the 'big' kind like amano and ghost shrimp-one of mine did and pecked apart his kill.

Snails are also a possible risk for being killed by bettas-some members here have told of their bettas picking up and slamming snails against tank glass, or nipping off eyes and antenna. Also snails make a LOT of poop. They're not really worth it as a 'cleaning crew' and you just trade wiping off algae for increased water change frequency to siphon out all the poop. Also not good to add when first setting up tank-there won't be enough algaes immediately so they can starve (and they'll raise ammonia higher quicker). If you want a zebrea nerite snail wait 2-3 months until tank is cycled and diatoms (aka brown algae) has taken hold in the tank before getting one. Be mindful in that small of a tank you should only have 1 snail and will have to supplement their diet. Nerites are picky eaters and won't eat most fish foods other snails accept. You can buy a powder you make a gel from called snello, or repasy soilent green-hard part is making sure snail gets it not betta.

I've nto owned that tank so can't speak of the light it comes with as only light source for plants.. but with regards to pants there's no such thing as too much (densely planted is always good). But some can get big. The anubias Afzelii gets over a foot tall.. plus height from rhizome and roots. 

If you are keeping dwarf flily you'll want to get either a liquid or root tab fert specific for potassium-lily is a real postpartum hog and will get large holes in leaves if it doesn't have enough.


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## khaotickross (May 28, 2017)

Some bettas do fine with shrimp I currently have 15 red cherry shrimp in with my betta and 90% of the time her ignores them. The other 10% he tries to follow them under and around the plants. Best thing I've found its lots of ground cover and when you float the shrimp do it until the fish ignores them in the bag. But that's just been my experience. 

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## driver (Jun 21, 2017)

khaotickross said:


> Some bettas do fine with shrimp I currently have 15 red cherry shrimp in with my betta and 90% of the time her ignores them. The other 10% he tries to follow them under and around the plants. Best thing I've found its lots of ground cover and when you float the shrimp do it until the fish ignores them in the bag. But that's just been my experience.
> 
> Sent from my LG-K371 using Tapatalk


From my research it seems some don't mind some mates, others do. I will have to find out.


My whole point it to give my little girl things to look at and also have the tank as close to maintenance free as i can get. From my understanding the shrimp and snails will eat the poop and any algae, but some people say its a lot of clean up after snails, but i thought the snail poop will be plant food.

Can someone please explain that part to me and clear up those contradictions. I want enough critters to produce co2 for the pants and poop to fertilize the plants so i don't need to fertilize or clean. I am not sure how to reach that balance.


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## khaotickross (May 28, 2017)

Well my tank requires very little to maintain I only have to do a small water change every other week. Its a 7.9 gallon. With mostly Java ferns a wad of Java moss some ludwigia repens, dhg. Some dwarf sag. There's a couple other plants. But I don't dose ferts really and no co2. My livestock is a betta and 15 cherry shrimp. I check my water parameters every few days. And its pretty consistant.

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## khaotickross (May 28, 2017)

Sorry I'm not the best with the chemistry. I just know what works well for myself.

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## driver (Jun 21, 2017)

khaotickross said:


> Sorry I'm not the best with the chemistry. I just know what works well for myself.
> 
> Sent from my LG-K371 using Tapatalk


I hope I reach that point without losing my hair.


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## khaotickross (May 28, 2017)

driver said:


> I hope I reach that point without losing my hair.


I know how you feel. I had restarted a few different times before I finally got it figured out enough


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

First, Welcome to the Forum! :wave:

No critter eats poop. You're the one who keeps the tank clean by vacuuming up waste and leftover food. There is no such as a maintenance-free or near-maintenance free aquarium. Most seem to be under the misimpression that water changes are strictly for keeping the tank clean. That is not true and, IMO, this lack of understanding contributes to many early Betta deaths. In addition to cleaning the tank and keeping parameters stable, they replenish the depleted minerals, etc., which the fish need for *long-term health.* A weekly 25% water change after the tank is cycled may be a PITA to some but it is life-essential to the inhabitants. 

I've kept tanks for a long time and AA is correct: Tanks need to be well-established and several months past cycling to give shrimp as much care and consideration as we do our Betta. Unfortunately, some people, and IMO selfishly, only consider the needs of the Betta. I have various shrimp and dwarf crays in my Betta-based community tanks. However...I also have densely-planted, mature tanks because the #1 killer of shrimp is not Betta predation but stress. This compromises their immune systems and they die. By densely-planted I mean I have to look to see my Betta unless they are right up against the front glass. IME, a Betta cannot kill a healthy shrimp in proper habitat; they prey on compromised shrimp or opportunity feed on dead ones.

A Nerite also needs a mature tank because they only eat natural algae. The #1 killer of Nerite Snails is starvation. People put in algae wafers/vegetables and because the Nerite skates over them or take a nibble or two they think their snails are being fed. In an immature tank there's not enough algae but you can grow it if you place rocks in a dish with water in a bright window. Trade the rocks out of the tank as the algae is consumed. A suggestion: Think about getting Horned Nerites instead of the larger Zebras. IME, the Horned produce very, very little bioload as they are less than .5". You could have a couple.

So my advice:
1. Get your tank planted
2. Get to know your Betta's personality
3. Wait a couple of months past cycling so the tank is mature and parameters stable
4. Get some shrimp and a couple of Horned Nerite*
5. Have a back-up plan (this should be #1)

*If you grow your own algae you can get the Nerite as soon as your tank is cycled.

Here's this site's cycling tutorial which will help you. Beneath it is why water changes are more important than most people realize.
http://www.bettafish.com/30-betta-fish-care/507585-cycling-two-sentence-tutorial.html

I use Seachem Stability to 1) help cycle my tanks from 2.5 gallons+; 2) when I add tank mates to help prevent a cycle crash or mini-cycle from the added Ammonia.

http://www.bettafish.com/99-betta-f...eases-triggered-poor-habitat-maintenance.html


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## Lekoguy (Dec 1, 2016)

Hi Driver - Welcome to the Forum !!!

Let me congratulate you on doing your research before plunging into your first tank. It will serve you well.

With a five gallon tank you don't have to be so stingy with inhabitants. What you propose is more than reasonable. I agree that it is best to wait about six months before adding any shrimp. They need a mature tank to thrive.

My tank is a 2.5 gallon which is stocked with my Betta Yul, five miniature horned nerites, two regular Zebra Nerites, and I don't know how many Neocaridina Shrimp. I started with five and the colony has grown. I would call it heavily planted. It was cycled with the tank being planted and the Betta introduced. After two weeks, I added the snails. It's amazing how quickly the algae will grow.

Though you want to set up a low-tech tank, your plants might need a little help to get started. Here is something you might consider: Freshwater Aquatic Plants in Aquariums: Flourish Liquid Plant Packs - The fundimental pack should work well.

The best thing you can do is ask questions and when things don't work out like you planned, just keep at it. After a while, everything seems to come together.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Forgot about ferts: When I remember I use Seachem Flourish (not Excel) all purpose. At various times I used the liquid supplements but it's all I've ever needed to keep my plants healthy and growing. Although with floating red plants I do use an Iron supplement. They make Red Root Floaters "pop." The Excel I use only when I need to get rid of Algae.

However, IME, root tabs and Iron tabs are absolutely necessary. I find these every bit as good as name-brands without the cost. I get the RU (all purpose) and Iron-Up. Iron is necessary for red plants and Swords.
RU TABS Root tabs aquarium fertilizer plant ferts substrate clay micro macro | eBay


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## driver (Jun 21, 2017)

Thank you all for your kind help! You guys seem awesome and I am glad I came on here. I do plan on waiting before getting tank mates for the Betta, and I planned on cycling the water as well! I was trying to minimize poop siphoning, I thought the shrimps and snails will process some, and the plants and substrate break down the rest. I am not against it tho, I don't want it to get dirty or be poison to my fish! I believe I have a selection of 10 plants to begin with, I am not sure I will use them all, I don't really know what I am doing, some may be too big for my tank, but I do plan on having it densely planted.

I am planning on using my well water, it is a drilled well and I don't think its particularly hard or soft water. Is there any prep work I need other than making sure the hardness and ph are ok? I will be treating it with prime as well. With soil in there, will the Nitrogen Cycle kick in? My plan was once my water is ready to add, I was going to add and plant, do a 90% change a couple of times to get rid of any buildups from the new soil as needed, then wait for the nitrogen cycle to start and finish before adding a betta. I will wait a few months until the growth is well on its way and things are lush in there before adding a snail or two. And then finally the shrimp of all looks well in there.

For maintenance I figure I will be doing weekly water testing and 25% changes. I also will be testing nutrients and adding as needed too. I am hoping I wont need to add much, maybe once a month, do you guys think a once a month poop vacuum is enough?

I hope I am on the right track, all the information is overwhelming.


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## driver (Jun 21, 2017)

RussellTheShihTzu said:


> Forgot about ferts: When I remember I use Seachem Flourish (not Excel) all purpose. At various times I used the liquid supplements but it's all I've ever needed to keep my plants healthy and growing. Although with floating red plants I do use an Iron supplement. They make Red Root Floaters "pop." The Excel I use only when I need to get rid of Algae.
> 
> However, IME, root tabs and Iron tabs are absolutely necessary. I find these every bit as good as name-brands without the cost. I get the RU (all purpose) and Iron-Up. Iron is necessary for red plants and Swords.
> RU TABS Root tabs aquarium fertilizer plant ferts substrate clay micro macro | eBay


I will be using organic potting soil, and I got some red clay powder to mix in there as well. How do I know when I need to fertilize the water? I got some Flourish, Flourish Nitrogen, Flourish Potassium, Flourish Excel, and Flourish Trace Elements. I understand the soil's nutrients will be depleted at some point, how do you know when you need add some root tabs / iron tabs?


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

I don't do soil-based tanks. Be careful with all of those additives that you don't over-fertilize. I strongly recommend you wait to see how they do before you started supplementing with anything except liquid all-purpose and Iron. And if you do get shrimp you need to cut back on the Excel and let the shrimp get used to it by gradually increasing.


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## driver (Jun 21, 2017)

RussellTheShihTzu said:


> I don't do soil-based tanks. Be careful with all of those additives that you don't over-fertilize. I strongly recommend you wait to see how they do before you started supplementing with anything except liquid all-purpose and Iron. And if you do get shrimp you need to cut back on the Excel and let the shrimp get used to it by gradually increasing.


I agree, I got them so I am prepared for quick disaster response. No stores near me sell any of this, it is all from amazon, and if I need to save my plants and fish I don't think they will appreciate waiting 3-5 days.


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## driver (Jun 21, 2017)

Hello guys. Check out what I got done. It's my first time so be nice and I would love some constructive criticism.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Looking good. Before you get any shrimp you'll need 2-3x that many plants.


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## driver (Jun 21, 2017)

Really? That is insane! I thought I was getting close to too much. Is there anything I really need to watch out for? Water is a bit hard. PH is 7. Nitrates and nitrite are at 0 and 20. I added a bubbler for the night.

So 2x to 3x the plants. These should get denser tho. I would like the dward grass, 4 leaf clover and the hydrocotyle so. To carpet. I also read I can pull stems off most of the plants and replant. That will give me density too if needed.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

driver said:


> Really? That is insane! I thought I was getting close to too much. Is there anything I really need to watch out for? Water is a bit hard. PH is 7. Nitrates and nitrite are at 0 and 20. I added a bubbler for the night.
> 
> So 2x to 3x the plants. These should get denser tho. I would like the dward grass, 4 leaf clover and the hydrocotyle so. To carpet. I also read I can pull stems off most of the plants and replant. That will give me density too if needed.


If you have shrimp in a Betta tank there needs to be enough planting so the Betta doesn't have a clear shot at the shrimp. Normally a Betta cannot catch a healthy shrimp; however, if the shrimp can't dodge it might be possible. Plus, the more dense the less stressed the shrimp. For density you can also use a plant weight and bunch them in the corners. Hornwort doesn't have roots so it can't be planted, anyway.

Try to get the Nitrates down to 10 or under. Twenty is okay but 10 or under is better. 

These are two of the few photos I have of one of my 5.5 tanks. It still hadn't completely filled in when they were taken. Poor Hobbs is no more. He was my "dream" Betta. :-(


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## driver (Jun 21, 2017)

Thanks for the suggestions guys. It's hard planting once it starts getting dense! Plant one and pull another out. I really hope everything lives. It feels a bit of a jumble of plants but I added some more. I'm going to quit screwing with it see what survives.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

You're absolutely correct: Uprooting and replanting is a big pain. That's why I only plant Swords and Crypts and carpet plants. The rest I weight down and let them root on their own...even Anubias and Java Fern. I'm lazy. 

Ignore/Testing


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## driver (Jun 21, 2017)

One of the leaves has big black spots. Is this of concern?


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## ryry2012 (Mar 31, 2015)

They are reproductive spores. You have a healthy Java Fern


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## driver (Jun 21, 2017)

Thank you


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## khaotickross (May 28, 2017)

Here's a picture of my betta/shrimp tank. Still working on getting more ground cover but its enough that the shrimp freely roam. I feel personally this is almost minimal for shrimp and bettas. I also found it helpful to have a decent size chunk of java moss to add some ground cover while the plants filled in.


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## driver (Jun 21, 2017)

Ok I have 3 months or so of waiting anyway right? In one month I'll get a betta. I'll let these plants establish. I have some floating plants on the way. I'll order some more hairgrass, moss for the rocks, maybe some more plants too when I know my tank is surviving and doing well.

I did a water test again this morning. My nitrate and nitrite levels are close to 0. My PH is a bit high at 7.5 or may be a bit more. I added a tiny bit of buffer to help not kill my plants. My water is also quite hard so I think I'll get some ionized water and do a 20% water change with it.

When I was adding bigger a few grains fell on a plant. I knocked it off I hope I did no damage. Next time I'll at it to a cup of water and add it to the pump column of water so it mixes in there with the rest and spread out with the pump. Sounds sane?

My plants look healthy. I don't see any "melting yet.


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## khaotickross (May 28, 2017)

The more small plantlets of dhg you can put in the faster it'll fill in. The dhg in that picture started about as big around as a pencil a month and a half ago. Once it gets a bit established it'll slowly start filling out.

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## driver (Jun 21, 2017)

I should stop messing with it for a bit and let it establish and let the roots grab on properly tho right? I also want to do a 20% water change with TO water I got. Is that safe to do now? My water hardness is maxing out my test strip I think. I have rocks in there that passed the vinegar test. I got then from the beach and scrubbed them down. One rock had two or three tiny fizz spots that stopped fuzzing in about a minute. I figured it's dirt stuck on. It would be interesting to see if after the change my hardness will slowly climb again.


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## ryry2012 (Mar 31, 2015)

What is TO water?


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Don't mess with the pH. Betta are hardy and all of mine live quite well in 7.8-8.2. A stable pH is more important than the numbers. I also have semi-hard water. I don't mess with it, either.

How are you cycling your tank? Fishless or are you just letting it run? The latter is not cycling as without an Ammonia source it won't cycle.

Here's this site's tutorial for fish-in cycling. I use Seachem Stability to help jump-start the process.

http://www.bettafish.com/30-betta-fish-care/507585-cycling-two-sentence-tutorial.html


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## khaotickross (May 28, 2017)

To add to what Russell said about ph. My ph is 6.3 and both my bettas do just fine.

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## driver (Jun 21, 2017)

It is a cashless cycle. I added a few fish food pellets for ammonia. My plants still look ok, today I found some white hairfuzz on a plant. My tank smells like fish from the plants I got. I find that kinda strange. I should also get ammonia from the organic soil I used right? I have a bottle of stability on it's way to add. The water test shows a bit of ammonia in it. Today I had a tiny bit of nitrite in the water it should go down on it's own and turn to nitrate by tomorrow I hope.


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## driver (Jun 21, 2017)

ryry2012 said:


> What is TO water?


 I ment RO for reverse osmosis.


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## driver (Jun 21, 2017)

driver said:


> It is a cashless cycle.


 I ment fishless.


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## driver (Jun 21, 2017)

It looks so good! I am so happy with it. If there was something really wrong I'd be able to tell by now right? Here's an updated picture. My daughter is just ecstatic with it. She wants to go betta shopping like right now lol.


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## ryry2012 (Mar 31, 2015)

Looking good!
The light should be on for 8 hours. If you leave it on longer, you will grow a lot of algae. 


It must be difficult to tell your daughter that she should wait a bit more before getting a betta  If you are planning to get one at Petco or Petsmart, I would recommend to call the store and ask when they usually have new shipment of betta on shelf. It's the best day to snatch a betta.


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## driver (Jun 21, 2017)

ryry2012 said:


> Looking good!
> The light should be on for 8 hours. If you leave it on longer, you will grow a lot of algae.
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks for the advice! My ammonia is at 0.25 ppm. It should cycle with that right? My stability bottle won't arrive till Thursday. I have been dropping about 4 betta pellets in when ammonia goes down to 0.


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## ryry2012 (Mar 31, 2015)

If you can get pure ammonia, it's the best. Ace Hardware sells it. When I started cycling a tank with a raw shrimp method, a knowledgeable member told me using pure ammonia was the best because rotten shrimp and fish food could grow unwanted bacteria that might cause fish disease/infection later. 


When you do a fishless cycling, you'd better have ammonia under 2ppm. I would boost it up to 1 ppm because it will fasten the cycle than just having 0.25ppm of ammonia.


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## driver (Jun 21, 2017)

ryry2012 said:


> If you can get pure ammonia, it's the best. Ace Hardware sells it. When I started cycling a tank with a raw shrimp method, a knowledgeable member told me using pure ammonia was the best because rotten shrimp and fish food could grow unwanted bacteria that might cause fish disease/infection later.
> 
> When you do a fishless cycling, you'd better have ammonia under 2ppm. I would boost it up to 1 ppm because it will fasten the cycle than just having 0.25ppm of ammonia.


I will try to increase it then. I've been so paranoid. I did try to get ammonia but I can't find any here. I am in Canada and it seems there are regulations or something restricting sales. I found one amazon store selling a bottle of ammonia but it's over 20 bucks and almost the same to ship!!

I may go get a hardy fish from some store for now. I'll see how I manage the ammonia levels manually for now.


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## ryry2012 (Mar 31, 2015)

Then don't worry about getting pure ammonia. Many people use fish food without problems. Just be sure to remove all the food and do bigger water change when the tank is cycled.


What's the temperature? At 84F, the cycle would go faster. When I was cycling, I set the temperature at 80 - 82F because I was worried the plants might melt if it had been higher. 


Oh, you should go for a betta! It's one of the hardiest beginner fish. You can even do fish-in cycle with it. I cycled my Spec V with one


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

You can also go ahead and get the Betta and do the fish-in cycle using the tutorial I linked on Page 1. If you have Prime there is no danger to the Betta as long as you do a 25% water change at .25ppm Ammonia or Nitrites. You do not do fishless cycling the same way one does fish-in. In fishless, as ryry2012 said, you *must* get the Ammonia up to at least 2-4ppm; doing water changes at .25ppm is delays a fishless cycle. At least that's my understanding.

Betta are extremely hardy. I've only done fish-in and haven't killed even one Betta during cycling. Using Prime you are converting the toxic Free Ammonia (NH3) to harmless Ammonium (NH4). Because the API tests register "Total Ammonia" (NH3 and NH4) you will still get an Ammonia reading but it will be NH4.


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## driver (Jun 21, 2017)

That's great news! Should I put betta fix in the water? Does that hurt cycling? You guys got me really exited now!


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## driver (Jun 21, 2017)

My temp is around 80 as well for the plants not to cook. My heater is off but the lowest it gets is 75.5. It's gone up to 30 before and I panicked! Opened the windows and top and put a bubbler in as well lol.

I don't know if I'll be able to find the food! I dropped a total of 8, 4 shortly after setup and 4 today. They are small pellets. I'll try my best to find them and remove them tomorrow but how bad is it if I don't? What if I can't find a couple?


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## ryry2012 (Mar 31, 2015)

Russell and I use Seachem Prime and Seachem Stability. They are all you need 


This is the forum fish-in cycle tutorial. 
http://www.bettafish.com/30-betta-fish-care/507585-cycling-two-sentence-tutorial.html
All you have to do is to keep water change schedule and keep eye on water parameters. They should be Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0 and Nitrate 20 or lower all the time. You can dose Prime 2 drops per gallon everyday while the tank is cycling. It binds ammonia for 24-48 hours.


If you can get, I would recommend a Seachem Ammonia Alert. Seachem Prime can cause false ammonia reading when you use a API test kit. But Ammonia Alert doesn't. You can leave it in the tank, so it's very easy to use.
https://www.amazon.com/Seachem-001001-Ammonia-Alert/dp/B000255R5G


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## driver (Jun 21, 2017)

Ok I got 2 of them! One for ammonia and one for PH.

Today I had a small spike in everything so I did a 25% water change. I see some plants starting to discolor and dissolve. I guess that's normal. The only decent fish shop is about 2.5 to 3 hours away. I think I will make the trip today or tomorrow to get Mr betta. I found them yesterday! They also have plants. I am also getting myself ready for maybe a 55 gallon tank for the living room next. If this one goes well anyway .


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## ryry2012 (Mar 31, 2015)

You can always call the store and ask when they get a new batch of betta. It's good to have options as many as possible if you have to go that far ;-)


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## driver (Jun 21, 2017)

ryry2012 said:


> You can always call the store and ask when they get a new batch of betta. It's good to have options as many as possible if you have to go that far


Yeah I did call thanks to your suggestion. They got a batch in on Friday and they said usually once a month they get a batch. So I went there with my daughter and they had beautiful betta fish there. My daughter unfortunately picked the least attractive one of all lol. It's pretty but nothing like some of the ones there. It's tiny too! Anyway... I tried to sway her but nope! So everyone. Here is our new fish  l think he really likes his new home. He was checking and rubbing up against all the plants, getting right into them. Made a few bubbles under the Lilly. I really feel his happiness and he also ate from my finger!

I'm not sure why pics I upload here look like they were taken with a potato. They look much better everywhere else! 

I also got ammonia alert and colony while I was there while I wait for stability to get here.


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## ryry2012 (Mar 31, 2015)

Yay for the new betta! 


He might have been the least attractive at the store, but he will be prettier once he fully settles in the tank


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## driver (Jun 21, 2017)

Will he grow or is he a dwarf betta? Lol


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## ryry2012 (Mar 31, 2015)

He will grow. There is no dwarf betta :-D


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## driver (Jun 21, 2017)

Hey guys! I am here to update you guys and ask a few more questions 

So the betta already looks SO much better. He is super playful, eats out of my finger, jumps for it, he is always happy and exited to see us. I am really fascinated by it. I never thought a fish can have so much personality to be honest. I will attach before and after pics of Tiny. That is his name.

My question is regarding algae, I have been keeping my lights on from 6 to 8 hours, temp is 27 +/- .5. I am noticing some hair on some leaves, mostly in the upper 1/2 of the tank, its not a lot where i am freaking out, but i definately want to put a stop to it right now and control it. I will attach a picture of it. I tried to gently brush it off but i quickly stopped since i did not know what i was doing and decided to seek help here.

I have been using colony daily, my bottle of stability arrived yesterday so i switched to that. I have also been using prime daily and a 25% water change every few days when i get readings of ammonia over .25, and any signs of nitrite and nitrate. 

Am I on the right track?


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## Aqua Aurora (Oct 4, 2013)

what light are using? distance from light to surface of water/to substrate?
6-8 hours is good photo period but if light is too strong/close you can still get hair algae (looks like you have). You may need to either raise your light or find a way to diffuse it-adding floating plants like duckweed (hard to get rid of but grows fast), salvinia minima, riccia.. or you can put window screen down on the lid (or over the light) to reduce the strength of the light-I do this in my marimo only tanks + use riccia on surface since marimo needs so little light.
I'm not sure what colony daily is, guessing "stability" is the seachem product with beneficial bacteria in it? Just my opinion: if you keep up on dosing prime and frequent water changes you don't need to spend $ on other products. Prime in larger dose (see bottle) binds ammonia and nitrite for up to 48 hours.. many betta owners here subscribe tot eh method of 2 drops per a gallon per a day to cycle a new betta tank (+ water changes)


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Yes, you are on the right track. Make sure you remember to shake the bottle of Stability. And double dose on Day 1 and single dose on Days 2-8. You can dose even longer if you wish. It is really good to have on hand should you add tank mates as it will circumvent a "mini-cycle" or cycle crash from the added Ammonia.

Stabiity doesn't have beneficial bacteria. It's more along the line of fertilizer for beneficial bacteria.


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## driver (Jun 21, 2017)

Aqua Aurora said:


> what light are using? distance from light to surface of water/to substrate?
> 6-8 hours is good photo period but if light is too strong/close you can still get hair algae (looks like you have). You may need to either raise your light or find a way to diffuse it-adding floating plants like duckweed (hard to get rid of but grows fast), salvinia minima, riccia.. or you can put window screen down on the lid (or over the light) to reduce the strength of the light-I do this in my marimo only tanks + use riccia on surface since marimo needs so little light.
> I'm not sure what colony daily is, guessing "stability" is the seachem product with beneficial bacteria in it? Just my opinion: if you keep up on dosing prime and frequent water changes you don't need to spend $ on other products. Prime in larger dose (see bottle) binds ammonia and nitrite for up to 48 hours.. many betta owners here subscribe tot eh method of 2 drops per a gallon per a day to cycle a new betta tank (+ water changes)



It is the light that came with Fluval Spec V! The lights height isnt adjustable, but I do have plants that are now growing to the surface and helping with shade, I also got 2 nerite snails today, im going to try to figure out which one is female and donate her, my tanks too small to have eggs everywhere.

I think my tank is cycled, most readings are now zero, but the colors are never exact, i find it very hard to read those tests but i would say they are closer to 0 than the others numbers, sometimes i think ammonia is .25 but its hard to tell, i drop a few drops of prime in if i am concerned. Ammonia alert is always safe never changed since the day I got it. Colony is a product that introduces bacteria, I thought stability does too but RussellTheShihTzu probably knows alot more.

Today is the first day I have not added any prime at all to the tank or colony or seachem. Most my plants are very happy, I have a 4 leaf clover that died, all the cuttings I put around just died, I hope the snails clean up well. My dwarf lilly is producing new leaves as well, I am very happy with that too. my dwarf hair grass doesnt seem to be doing anything, its just.. living... it has seed pods that are starting to turn brown maybe it will spread soon.

After reading your comments I should add some colony and stability now then since I introduced two snails!

I am unsure what I am looking for to know when I can introduce shrimp. I can now see different forms of algae around the thank, its not bad tho, but I think there is enough to sustain shrimp.

I would also like to add I think everything is safe with my betta, he is so calm and chill. He likes getting fin rubs and rubs up against me, he does not react much at all to his reflection, and he has not reacted much to the snails at all. I left them floating in a little container in there for a few hours, he just looked at them at first and now he doesnt even care. I will keep an eye on them, but I am pretty sure they are safe and so are shrimp, mostly because he is not even aggressive towards that pretty male betta in the mirror. 

Awesome fish! I love him to death.

Thanks guys! Ill keep you updated 


Edit: I looked it up!

Stability® will rapidly and safely establish the aquarium biofilter in freshwater and marine systems, thereby preventing the #1 cause of fish death: "new tank syndrome". Stability® is formulated specifically for the aquarium and contains a synergistic blend of aerobic, anaerobic, and facultative bacteria which facilitate the breakdown of waste organics, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. The bacteria employed by Stability® are non-sulfur fixing and will not produce toxic hydrogen sulfide. Stability® is completely harmless to all aquatic organisms as well as aquatic plants, thus there is no danger of over use. Stability® is the culmination of nearly a decade of research and development and represents the current state of the art in natural biological management.

The bacteria used in competing products are inherently unstable. The conditions necessary for their growth and development fall into a very narrow range of temperatures, pH, organic loads, etc. When any of these parameters are not strictly within the proper range, the bacterial culture quickly crashes and dies. Stability® does not contain any of the aforementioned bacteria.


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