5 Gal Betta Set-Up: Advice/Help

Hey I am brand new to the forum, so I sincerely apologize if this is in the wrong location or thread area.

I recently purchased a 5 gallon Hex aquarium (Marineland Eclipse Hex 5) to house a Crown Tail Betta and a few ghost shrimp on a desk. The tank itself came with a small (35 flow) filter and a 15 watt incandescent hood light.

Other things I added to the tank are:
-small stone substrate
-fake bed plants (lower level)
-Amazon Spear
-Java Fern (subspecies)
-Anubias
-floating Betta log
-Mangrove Root Decor (fake)
- and a thermometer of course

I live in the south, so the house temp is always at 78-80 degrees, but I did order a 25 watt adjustable heater (which is in transit to the house) just to be safe. For now I am closely monitoring temperature, but so far it's been 79-80.

Here is an of the tank:



And an of the fish:
(excuse the bad photo quality)



I did immediately notice that the surface flow from the filter was far too strong for a little guy, so I did add a water baffle via the water bottle method and he seems to be way better as far as swimming around the surface.

My concern is his behavior...he has been extraordinarily active, swimming up and down the tank walls and around the tank quickly, sometimes with quick erratic movements. He never seems to rest, and if so its for a brief second or two. He is eating (and I mean voraciously eating) so no issues in terms of food. He also actively follows my finger and interacts with me when I approach the tank. I have seen him flare a couple times, but only when I was up close to the tank itself.

Water levels were normal when I placed him in the tank (1.5 days ago), though I only tested once and am awaiting a new box of test strips to also arrive to the house.

Is this normal behavior? I could be over worrying, but I just want to be certain everything is properly set-up and the decor/plants are placed adequately for a Betta. I've kept larger aquariums in the past, so I have more experience with tropical communities but even so it's been a few years because of moving locations. I have a 20 gallon (long) of hermit crabs, but I missed having fish so I settled with something small (primarily due to space constraints).

Any advice/tips/etc is greatly appreciated!

 

It sounds like he's happy in there! It certainly looks good. The only thing I have to ask is what your exact water parameters are. Unfortunately the test strips aren't very accurate and a liquid test kit is recommended. Also the strips don't include ammonia. Is your tank cycled?

 

Looks like a great setup for him! It's so nice to see people give bettas the space they need.

Do you know about the nitrogen cycle?

 

Absolutely gorgeous set up!! That betta will be so happy

 

Again these readings were taken roughly 2 days ago, as I am waiting for a better new kit to arrive. But the levels were:
pH: a little over 7
Nitrates and Ammonia: was at 0

The tank was cycled, but with a API setup kit and was left to sit for 48 hours. Unfortunately I wasn't able to do a more natural method.

And temp is currently at an even 80.




Oh also...is it safe to house ghost shrimp in the tank? I am reading conflicting info and am slightly concerned after learning pet stores sometimes mix up prawn which I know can be dangerous with a Betta.

 

looks great! I'm moving my betta to a 5.5 gallon from his 2.5 gallon very soon and after seeing your post I'm even more excited.

 

Again these readings were taken roughly 2 days ago, as I am waiting for a better new kit to arrive. But the levels were:
pH: a little over 7
Nitrates and Ammonia: was at 0

The tank was cycled, but with a API setup kit and was left to sit for 48 hours. Unfortunately I wasn't able to do a more natural method.

And temp is currently at an even 80.

What was included with the API setup kit? Was it a bottled bacteria? If so, letting it sit for 48 hours would have caused the bacteria to starve to death. Your tanks isn't cycled I'm afraid:-\

 

Yes it was bottled bacteria and liquid pouches as well. Oh man. :-/ Pet Store told me 2 days...ugh should know not to fully trust them. The ghost shrimp and plants were added after 24 hours though and were fed/creating waste pretty quickly, would that have been enough to keep the bacteria alive? There were about 7 of ghost shrimp total.

Now I hope that water test kit arrives soon.




I knew 48 hours sounded too long...even argued a little. That's why I ended up adding shrimp and plants ahead of time, but again not sure if they produce enough waste. I've actually never kept ghost shrimp before since my tropical community fish would always devour them.

 

I really don't know, some of those bottled bacteria include ammonia to last a little while (I think) but only the test kit will know for sure.

 

Just checked my shipment dates. Water test kit (which tests everything: ammonia, pH, etc) should come either tomorrow or the next day. What should I do for now though?? I'd hate to do a water change and disturb any remaining healthy bacteria. The fish doesn't seem to be too stressed (other than being very active), gills aren't flaring/moving quickly and color is good as well as appetite. Do you think it will be ok?

 

Bettas are very low bioload fish. You'll probably be OK for a day or two but watch for signs like you mentioned.

 

Yes I am going to keep a close eye on him. I am watching him now and his movements seem to be more of a territorial perimeter "search." So I'm guessing he's still might be getting used to his new surroundings. I also have a taller silk plant on the way to give him more of a jungle feel.

He was a rescue from the dreaded Petsmart, so I'm sure he's just glad to be out of the tiny cup they house the bettas in. As for the ghost shrimp can they cause harm to bettas? There is one that is rather large (almost 1 inch) that seems to be more brave than the others. I'm not sure whether to remove it or leave it....I don't want my Betta being harassed if he wants to rest on the lower layers of the aquarium.

 

Ghost shrimp ime are pretty timid. They're more likely to flee at the approach of a fish. There is a kind of shrimp that looks like a ghost shrimp that sometimes gets mixed in with ghosties that I've heard can do some damage but mostly they're a danger to small fish that don't have the attitude that Betta's do

 

Sometimes Whisker (or Macro) shrimps are sold as ghost shrimps. They get larger, and seem to have fatter and longer legs with the claws. I was worried about the same thing when I added ghost shrimp to my betta tanks, but I think that what I have is just some older ghost shrimp that are pretty big. So far, I've not had any problems with keeping them together, but admittedly it's only been about 6 weeks or so. And the bettas are both fairly young, I think. The smaller shrimps tend to stay away from my bettas. The larger ones are cautious, but don't avoid them. My male betta ignores the shrimps, but my female will occasionally stalk them and quickly do a small nip at them. It almost looks like she's messing with them and doing it for fun, as she doesn't chase them but seems to like to see them jump away. I think it all depends upon the individual personality of the betta, which of course you don't know until you bring one home!

 

Thanks for the info guys! I feel much better about the ghost shrimp. The one big one did try to approach the Betta and he nipped at him when he had enough of them messing with him and they quickly sky rocketed away from him. They were not houses with other fish when I purchased them so perhaps they are just curious and the large one may indeed be an older adult.

The Betta is still doing good, no signs of ammonia or nitrate stress. I do have one more question though...I just received my Hydor Theo 25 watt (submersible) heater and I wanted to ask if anyone uses this model? Just watched a rather disturbing video of someone with a 100 gal set-up that had his Hydor heater over heat @82 degrees when it had been set to 78. Do I need to set it to 78 or lower?

 

Don't know about that particular brand of heater, sorry. I have found with the one heater I have that actually shows the temperature, that when it is set at 76F the separate thermometer I have in the tank shows 78F and a meat thermometer (LOL, don't laugh) shows 80F. I don't know what to think! I wonder how well thermometers are really calibrated......

 

Oh I know what you mean. Yes I just installed the heater (close to the water output as the tank design will allow) and have it set to 78 but my thermometer is saying its 80 yet the heater has its light on?? Hopefully just because it's the first time being plugged in. Will have to keep an eye on it.




Ok now the light just flipped off lol

 

I don't know anything about Hydor but I thought they made good quality products. I think you could have problems with any heater really. The majority of my tanks are heated with 50w Tetra preset submersibles. They have terrible reviews but I've never had a problem. The other heaters I use include the Hagen Elite, Marineland Stealth, and Ebo Jager. Just be sure to keep a thermometer in the tank so you can double check that everything is OK

 

UPDATE: Betta did begin to show signs of panting, so I did a small 20% water change to see if it helps. He still ate with a normal appetite, and I only gave him a small amount to be certain all pellets would be eaten to reduce waste. Water test kit will be arriving Saturday :-/ wish it would arrive sooner but there's no postage on New Years.




He is now at the bottom still panting...I'm really starting to be concerned. I did just do the water change (added dechlor of course) so maybe he is stressed from the commotion. I am going to leave him for 10-15 mins and see if there is any improvement. Any advice?

 

Turn his light off?

 

Yes I turned all of the lights off completely as to not stress him any further. I am back on my way home so I will be checking on him soon.




Ok I just checked on him. He is now off the bottom of the tank and at the surface resting against his floating log. He is still panting, but not nearly as bad as before. Tomorrow I think I am going to take a water sample to a local pet store and have them test it for me to be safe. If the tank did not fully cycle should I purchase a quick start kit that does not include ammonia or continue to do 20% water changes till the levels bottom out? I'd hate to find that I now have to cycle with the Betta, but I want to do whatever is best for the fish and his health. And if I should continue with water changes how often do you think?

 

If you get you water tested by lfs, get exact numbers. They will probably tell you "your water is fine". Dont accept that.
You might want to dose with prime, detoxify what ammonia is in the tank. It should perk him up a bit.
Ill let others chime in on %wcs

 

Prime! I keep forgetting that. Yes, add the Prime to detoxify what ammonia is in the tank. It will only take out a certain amount but that might be all you need. Thanks Peacefantasy!

 

Another update: the Betta is back to swimming around the aquarium, though he is still panting slightly. I am taking a water sample to a nearby store to have it tested till I get the strips tomorrow.




Just getting back from the store. Thankfully I had an experienced employee who tested my water and showed me the numbers. Ammonia is just under .5, Nitrates 0 but pH is a little weak and metals are down. Picked up some pH increase and also some stress coat (which I had none of on hand). Also forgot about a siphon pump to do proper water changes so I also picked one of those up as well. Will update on the Betta when I get back to the house. He seemed to have been doing much better though when I left. I'm sure it was an ammonia spike that did it (which most likely means the tank did not properly cycle unfortunately) It could have also been the temp which jumped to 81 due to the heater being slightly higher than the adjuster shows (i.e. 79 setting really equals 81). I already corrected it when I caught it so the tank is back down to a healthy 78-79.

Should I do another 20% water change today to try and get that .5 ammonia down more? Or wait a day and do another test tomorrow? I kept the lights off and shades mostly shut to keep the fish comfortable for today.




I am not adding the pH increase though till the ammonia is under control though. Just on hand since our water (which I also had tested) seems to be weaker with few metals.




Oops meant nitrite above, stupid spell check only recognizes nitrates. Nitrate levels were also normal though.




Sorry don't mean to be spamming or anything, but now I'm reading that it's not recommended to alter pH? Our water has a really low pH naturally, is that going to be alright for the Betta? Others are saying attempting to alter pH is slightly futile since it doesn't last or can sway the numbers in a harmful manner for the fish. I guess I could switch to using spring water, which is zephyr hills water and dechloring it.

 

Did the employee test nitrites as well? What exactly is your pH? It's not usually a good idea to mess with the pH because a stable one is more important than the supposedly "right" one. Most fish can get used to it.

 

Ok Betta is MUCH more active now (currently begging voraciously for food when I approach the tank) panting has decreased even further and he seems to be back to 99% normal. He still is moving his gills slightly fast (and I mean very barely fast). Could be caused from his excitement for food. I'm sure the .5 ammonia is causing the slight pant so I might do another 20% water change later tonight.

 

0.5 isn't bad at all, just be sure to add enough Prime for the whole tank volume to make it safe for him.

I think you're right that the panting is more from excitement than toxicity. So many new things! Is there much surface movement in the tank? It may help him out to add an air stone to increase the gas exchange rate.

 

Yes they did test nitrites which were 0. pH was in the ball park of 6-6.5, I know 7 is ideal but is mid 6's going to harm him? I'd rather not mess with pH since I really don't have experience doing so. They did only have the strip testers, so when I say .5 ammonia I am figuring slightly more than the reading since it was hard to guage (not to mention off the behavior I saw with the Betta last night). I am getting my liquid test kit tomorrow.




There is a little bit of surface movement from the filter, but not enough to blow him around into the walls. I could definitely look into getting a small air stone.

 

Yeah, that pH isn't terrible. I'd retest when your own arrives and just keep an eye on it.

 

pH is a little low, but not horrible for a betta. A temp of 81F is good, I wouldn't worry about it or stress to get it back down to 78F. Your betta probably likes the temp. If you can find crushed coral, put some in your filter media to slowly raise the pH. Don't use chemicals yet. I've recently learned that pH is intricately tied to KH and GH. If you don't have a tester for those, you might want to consider getting them. While my area is a high limestone area (and typically a hard water area) my tank and tap measurements don't align with that. The panting could be due to the low pH, I've found that most LFS don't have a pH that low so your betta is probably adjusting to the difference. From what I've learned if the pH is in the 6's, the ammonia level is not as toxic. So .5 might not be as bad as you think it is. I'd still do a partial water change. When you get your testers, test the water out of your tap as well as what's in your tank. You might be surprised at the difference, I know I was.... Post up your measurements when you can get them and folks on here will be able to give you more advice on what you might need to think about doing... If you can find your local water supplier's page online, check out what the water parameters of your tap should be. Mine do not align, and this may be the case in your area as well. I think it can depend upon how far away you are from the source, the pipes that are used in your area, the pipes that you have running into your house, etc. It all makes a difference.

 

Yes that what I figured in regards to the ammonia and pH. Now as for crushed coral, I live right by the ocean lol. Is there a way to use natural stuff? And if so what species coral would I be looking for, and what would I need to do to clean it?I just finished doing a 20% water change (sooo glad I have a minI Python siphon now, lol). Also added the prime to the tank, fish and shrimp have perked up like CRAZY! Shrimp keep swimming up down and around the tank as well as the Betta. He is panting very subtly, but definitely is most likely due to the fresh water change. Will let him sit and re-check on him in a hour or two.I want to thank you guys again dearly for all the info. It's been awhile since I've housed fish, but it's nice to hear the soothing filter noise at night again! Oh and when my water kit comes tomorrow I will post the new levels/readings.Woah just checked temp and its 84??? How the heater is set to below 79?? Is 84 ok??

 

Woah just checked temp and its 84??? How the heater is set to below 79?? Is 84 ok??

I would turn it down, that's just a bit high.

 

Adding some s....




Ok here is a serious question guys....

My house ALWAYS stays at 78-80. I live in the south south so even in the dead of winter the house is 78-80. Lowest temp ever in the house was 77. So here's my question...do I seriously need the heater? This heater pushing the temp to 84 is really infuriating. It's supposedly a good brand, yet even set BELOW 78 (75 about) it still put the temp up that high. Now I guess it could be the thermometer which is defected...but honestly the water feels a little warm.

So heater? Yes or no?
I know all good aquarists always have heaters, but this is such a small tank and the house never drops below ideal temp ever. On top of that the light in the aquarium (15 watt) does heat it up a little, so I'm thinking both combined is just too much.

 

In that case, I think it's safe to take the heater out. Keep it aside in case of freak weather though

 

In that case, I think it's safe to take the heater out. Keep it aside in case of freak weather though

Should I return this heater though? I am testing the thermometer now, but if it checks out then it means the heater is defective.




That higher temp would also explain the slight panting as well...




Seems to me it's the thermometer that's off -_- (seriously?) alright what thermometer brand do you guys recommend?

 

Cheapest route is to get a second thermometer to double check the first. I rather doubt it's the heater that's at fault here though. I'm guessing that if you were to just run the tank and the lights and other equipment that your temperature would be high anyway.

 

Betta seems to be way more perked up and happy. He's back to zipping around the tank and exploring the plants and decor. I definitely think I was dealing with an ammonia spike, and I noticed only 6 shrimp so it could have been 1 dead shrimp that caused it. I could not find the remains, so I think the other shrimp handled it. One had damaged legs and was lethargic so it doesn't surprise me it didn't make it. I am just so relieved/happy to see Ryuu (finally have chosen a name) is happy and back to enjoying his new tank. It'll be interesting to see the levels tomorrow though, fingers crossed ammonia is down.

As for the thermometer I ran another test, via the cold test and it failed....miserably. It's off by roughly 7-8 degrees. So when it read 85 it really was 78-79 (room temp). Though with the light and heater I wouldn't be surprised if it spiked the temp slightly. The light does put out some heat to it and the plastic inner lid/guard is rather warm if I run it for 10+ hours. I am going to keep the heater (like you said for a just in case scenario) and go return the thermometer and purchase two separate ones...probably one glass and one crystal liquid.




And of course I will re-test the heater when I get the new (and hopefully non defective) thermometers to be safe. For now it's remaining unplugged just to be 100% safe.

 

When I set up my 2nd 10G about 2 months ago, I ended up buying a new heater because an old one I had wasn't maintaining the temperature - it was all over the place. So I bought a Marineland that has the temperature reading on it. I have mine set at 76F, and it keeps the tank at 80F. I did some switching around with thermometers, and even used a meat thermometer to check both tanks for a 3rd comparison. That's how I figured out that the reading on the heater did not correspond to how warm the water was, and also that my previous thermometer (that I trusted) was not reading exactly as well. Now I know that there is a 4 degree difference between the setting on the heater and the actual tank temperature, as well as the difference between both thermometer readings. Whew. You can take your heater back and get another one, or you can dial down the heater you have and trust the thermometer in your tank. I know your house is always warm, but I think I'd keep a heater of some sort for one of those 'just in case' times - if you have a cold snap and maybe lose power or something like that. I think this is one of those "better safe than sorry" situations.

 

Ok here are the new readings:
Ammonia: .5
Nitrate: 0
Nitrite: .5
GH: 150
Chlorine: 0
KH: 40
pH: about 6.5 - 6.7

So I am going to do another 20% water change today to again help get that .5 ammonia down. As for the .5 nitrite any further advice? pH seems to have gone up slightly.




And temp is at a nice 78 (room temp)

 

I don't think a heater is going to be much good in a power outage