Best Equipment and Brands For A 10 Gallon Betta Tank?

I have plans for a 10 gallon betta 'dream tank'. Which will be my first true attempt at fishkeeping. Here's all the things I'm going to get only for the tank and I want you all to tell me the best type/brand/seller of said thing, i.e. _______ brand adjustable heater. Link would be appreciated!

-Substrate, preferably a dark colored sand.
-Heater
-Betta, if I can't find a good enough plakat to 'rescue' at my local petco (my lfs doesn't sell bettas)
-Live plants, if I can't find the right ones at my lfs or petco
-Sponge Filter, I'm gonna replace the HOB that comes with the kit because I read they aren't very good for betta.

Note: I'm on an incredibly tight budget where I could barely scrape up $60 out of a presumed $120, but still give me suggestions for the best of the best. I'm willing to invest a lot into this 'project. Also, I still don't have to pay rent so I might as well take advantage of that.

Other Note: did not include kit itself because I already have one in mind.

Please tell me if I forgot anything and thank you all in advance!

 

Not gonna post a link but, the eheims and aqueon pros are pretty good, IMO.

Get black petco sand, 20 pounds for like $12 online but they price match.

Get any java fern/anubias they sell at your LFS

buy a pre filter sponge for the intake and use a water bottle cut in half as a baffle instead of buying a whole new filter and air pump.

 

If you are planning to go with live plants and on a budget try easy growing plants like hornwort or anarchis (I personally have a lot of luck growing top water plants like water lettuce). Since 10 gallon is great room for a betta is there plans to add inverts like shrimps or snails or bottom feeders ?

 

If you are planning to go with live plants and on a budget try easy growing plants like hornwort or anarchis (I personally have a lot of luck growing top water plants like water lettuce). Since 10 gallon is great room for a betta is there plans to add inverts like shrimps or snails or bottom feeders ?

I've been planning on using hornwort, anacharis, anubias, java fern, and moss. Oh and there's definitely room in my budget for another species.

 

If you can a pair of cory catfish will do wonderful in your tank one of the best bottom feeders in my expirence

 

Oops, thought my reply didn't send

If you can a pair of cory catfish will do wonderful in your tank one of the best bottom feeders in my expirence

Don't corys need to shoal in groups of 6 or so?

 

Yeah kind of bad wording on my part (my bad) the smaller types of cories will be able to fit and get along with the betta

 

Don't corys need to shoal in groups of 6 or so?

Yes, they do, and therefore much bigger than a 10 gallon. On top of the fact that only certain breeds can handle ideal betta temps long term.

Substrate: Black Diamond Blasting Sand if you have a local Tractor Supply. Less than $9 for 50 pounds.

 

Yeah kind of bad wording on my part (my bad) the smaller types of cories will be able to fit and get along with the betta

Pygmy corys right? I've only seen bronze and emerald at all my lfs/lps, but I can check when I get the chance.

Yes, they do.

Substrate: Black Diamond Blasting Sand if you have a local Tractor Supply. Less than $9 for 50 pounds.

I have some left over after putting some in my 20 gal, though it took a few months for all the sand to fall to the bottom (some stuck at the surface), any methods that can prevent that?

 

Yeah most fish without long fins and sharp colors will do as the betta will fight them

I have some left over after putting some in my 20 gal, though it took a few months for all the sand to fall to the bottom (some stuck at the surface), any methods that can prevent that?

Try soaking it in fresh water this usally happens to me in saltwater tanks

 

Not gonna post a link but, the eheims and aqueon pros are pretty good, IMO.

Get black petco sand, 20 pounds for like $12 online but they price match.

Get any java fern/anubias they sell at your LFS

buy a pre filter sponge for the intake and use a water bottle cut in half as a baffle instead of buying a whole new filter and air pump.

I told my sister to look around in my fish stuff for an air pump and she said there's one with some airline tubing and all.(I'm visiting other family in another country so I'm not there to physically check)

It'll only be a max of $5 to buy a sponge filter, plus, I can sell the HOB or keep it as a backup.

Oh and would the bubbles from the sponge filter benefit the whole aquarium or should I abandon the sponge filter idea already?

 

Keep the filter if you ever need to quarantine and just get a tub from a dollar store just in case the worse happens enough and there should be enough air as longer as the filter is the right size

 

Try soaking it in fresh water this usally happens to me in saltwater tanks

For how long? And what's the best method to clean the sand? It left my water murky for like a week!

 

I leave it for a day then scrape it off with a sponge that has not been dipped in any chemical

 

I told my sister to look around in my fish stuff for an air pump and she said there's one with some airline tubing and all.(I'm visiting other family in another country so I'm not there to physically check)

It'll only be a max of $5 to buy a sponge filter, plus, I can sell the HOB or keep it as a backup.

Oh and would the bubbles from the sponge filter benefit the whole aquarium or should I abandon the sponge filter idea already?

You can get something else with those $5, I would save it, especially if I was on a budget.

You can’t really keep much in that tank to where you’ll have to separate to quarantine. Plus QT don’t need filters.

The bubbles add more oxygen when they agitate the surface. From experience, if this is going in your room, I wouldn’t do it. It’s really annoying.

Bettas also have an organ that allows they to live in oxygen deprived water. But, the hob would have enough agitation.

 

I have some left over after putting some in my 20 gal, though it took a few months for all the sand to fall to the bottom (some stuck at the surface), any methods that can prevent that?

For how long? And what's the best method to clean the sand? It left my water murky for like a week!

I put about 10 pounds in a plastic tote at a time, take it to the spigot out back, run water into it, swish it around, dump the water, repeat. I do that about 12-15 times per 10 pounds and put it in the tank. Haven't ever had cloudy water. The remaining floaters sink when I tap them on the water surface.

 

I don't know if they are still selling them, but for a betta I always really liked the 6.6g Bookshelf tanks that Petco used to sell. They suit a betta well because they are somewhat shallow and somewhat long.

 

You could also use the HOB that comes with the kit & baffle it so it's more betta-suitable.

 

Put the sand in a 5 gal bucket, rinse with hose, let water spill out, gently dump it occasionally without dumping out your sand. Mix the sand around a bit with your hands. Keep doing that until the water runs clean. 1 gallon of sand is roughly 12.75 lbs. I filled a one gallon bucket with sand, dumped into the 5 gal to wash it, then put into a 10 gallon tank, worked out fine. Or just use slightly less if you want to stick to 10 lbs of sand.

If your budget is tight, use the heater that comes with the kit as long as it stays pretty consistent with temps it will be fine for now, you can get a better one later.

If you want to do a sponge filter, I recommend ATI Hydro Sponges. They are cheap and work very well, especially if you already have an air pump. That being said it really depends on how your are with the noise of the pump and the bubbles. You can put an airstone inside the Hydro Sponge which will make the bubbles a lot finer and get rid of the the glug glug noise. I had a 10 gallon kit that the HOB was extremely loud on. I was much happier with it running a sponge filter. It was mainly for African Dwarf Frogs, so they appreciated the calmer tank as well.