Finally Starting Again!

I am looking for some advice, recommendations, and/or suggestions regarding setting up a new tank. However, here's a bit of a story first.

In 2010, I impulse-bought my first Betta fish. With little knowledge about Bettas, I bought him, pellets, and one of those “tanks” they call a “Betta fish keeper”. Ugh, calling it a "Betta keeper".. making newbs like I was believe it was a suitable living environment for him. He did survive in there for quite a while. After a few months of having him in that tiny plastic "tank", I learned, and upgraded from that horrible “betta keeper” to a 1.5 gallon tank. Then eventually I wanted to expand more, and add more fun decorations for him, and I upgraded a 5 gallon. Then a 10 gallon. I had SO much fun transitioning to the 10g, trying out some live plants, etc. Until one unfortunate day, it was sometime in 2014, I believe, when I was at work, and my 10 gallon had sprung a leak. 10 gallon worth of water soaked into my floor, and my betta fish was dead.

ALL my hard work, growing and learning about this wonderful fish-keeping hobby, realizing my beginner mistakes, and learning about cycling tanks and so forth, the need to properly wash decor items before placing them in the tank, and overall providing an awesome species of fish with an awesome tank, ended with a 10 gallon water mess.

I didn’t have anything to try to start over with. The 1.5g I had was some square thing with an attached light that I tossed soon after upgrading to the 5g. When I upgraded from the 5 gallon to the 10g, the 5 gallon was given to my nephew. And, to be honest, I was a little too disheartened to immediately get a new tank and start again.

But..a few years later, I now have a lovely “office” room in the house, which I have been thinking for some time that it’s missing a little something. Ever since the tiny thought popped into my head, I’ve been wanting to start up the fish hobby again. Now that I have better background knowledge from my previous mistakes, I am prepared to begin with a new tank, and have fish once again. Well, not fully prepared...I still need all the equipment! (And I need to brush up on the nitrogen cycle and some other things).

This time around, I am thinking that I want something bigger than a 10g. But, with the space I have available, I think I’m also looking for something 20 gallon or less. But, if I do end up with a 10 gallon again, I will be perfectly fine. This all does depend on the resources available to me.

As for stocking this unknown sized tank, well, I am on the Betta thread! I have had thoughts about possibly doing a community tank, (NO BETTAS in that - just to be clear!), but for now I want to stick to what I know, and I know is Bettas. I will be perfectly content with creating a fantastic, huge living space for an awesome Betta



Here's where I would like some help..

I would like some input on equipment. I am sharing what I am looking into getting, so please let me know your personal thoughts, preferences/experiences, or of course if these items will work well in the tank for a Betta, or if you have suggestions on different items.

First of all – Tanks. Any preferences on brands of tanks? What are thoughts on Fluval tanks with the built in filter? Do those filters have low enough flow rates for a betta? (Take this one, for example..though basically all the Fluval tanks on amazon seem to be saltwater kits?? ). Also, as I will mention later, I would like to venture into making this a planted tank, so I am aware that lighting may need to be different, though I don’t know specifically what to take into consideration for that.

I am highly considering this filter: I like that it’s a submersible filter, that I could potentially hide behind decor. I also would like to avoid having to get a filter that I need to MacGyver into something with a low-flow current, but, if need be, that’s something I can manage.

These are the heaters I am looking into getting. Can’t quite decide which one, though.
1:
2:

I am looking into getting this thermometer. Love the fact that it’s digital, and will not take up much tank space at all!


Plants:
As I mentioned earlier, I am interested in making this a planted tank. I did try this in my 10 gallon I had, but I didn't start out well. One certain plant I bought apparently was one that needed to be half-submerged and didn't last long. That's understandable, as I didn't properly look into the plants before buying. So, I'm asking here: What are some good, hardy plants to start out with?
I am considering "quarantining" plants before getting them into my tank. I don't want any mystery living things showing up and infecting my tank!
Also, I am under the impression that I need to run completely through the nitrogen cycle before planting. Is this the best way to do it?

How do you prepare/wash other decoration items for your tanks?
I am thinking I will be getting some sort of fine gravel. I assume preparing this consists of washing and straining, and as far as I can tell, it mainly helps to decrease the cloudiness your tank will get when you kick on the filters.
What about other items though, such as plastic, rock, driftwood pieces, etc. I have heard to boil items. Is this the best way, no matter what the material it is made out of?


Lastly, I saw a tip about applying frosted window glass to the back of the tank!! I think this is a really great idea! I’ve used those sheets with the plant backgrounds before, so there would be something other than my wall behind the tank, which are great, but I really want to do something else with this new tank. I think blocking out the wall behind it, and accentuating the decor IN the tank, is the way to go, and the frosted glass is a real simple, and beautiful way to do it. Has anyone else used this method? What do you think?!


Thank you to anyone who reads this giant post, and sorry if this was a little all over the place, it is currently 1:30am and I've had fishtanks on the brain all day! I'm already planning to head out to check out PetCo and Atlas today to see what they may have regarding tanks and equipment.

 

Cant help you with tank kits because where I live they don't sell brand name stuff BUT

If you are going to start a tank, I would really recommend buying JUST the glass aquarium. From my experience, it's been cheaper that way and I can customise the filter to whatever I want, but it's really your choice.

The filter you were looking at is a sponge filter, and you will need an air pump with that. Air pumps are/can be noisy because of the bubbles poping at the surface, but I got used to it- its in my bedroom.
If you are looking for a filter that's inside your tank, I would recommend going with a internal filter. I got mines for 8 dollars on sale for my 10 gallon tank. It's silent and small. The flow was intially too strong for my betta, but after some use it calmed down. I hide it with some plants along with my heater.
You could also go for a hang on the back filter, but i've never used those.

I've got no idea about heaters- I just pick up whatever my local fish street is selling, mostly off brand items because I live in Hong Kong. BUT, in my personal opinion, I would go with the Cobalt one, based on the reviews and the design, compared to the Aqueon one - Someone apparently got shocked.

Not sure about the thermometre, I usually just go with the stick on ones that have the red liquid inside which goes up and down, just because it's cheaper and I really don't need to know the temperature to the decimal, since my fish are so hardy.

Plants I use for my tank (Never dosed, some crappy light my dad gave me because he didn't want it)
Some plants that have survived me accidentally leaving them out for an hour without water are Anacharis/Elodia. They can be floated or planted, and grow quite tall so I usually use them as a background plant. For some reason mines kept shedding, but I think that might just be mines.
Hornwort
They are bushy and soft and my betta loves to swim through them. Similar to Anacharis, they grow tall.
Banana plant
They are adorable and easy to keep. I once had one in completely no light for a week and it still grew a new leaf, go figure ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Moss balls
Fuzzy and circular. Grows quite slowly. Some people make fake moss balls though, so watch out.
Amazon sword
They grow quite tall, but in my exprience they aren't that fast of a grower. TrI'm the outside leaves to keep it dense and short

You can also bleach dip your plants instead of quarentining it, at least that's what i've heard. I don't do this method because I wouldn't like to be dunked into bleach so, i'd rather just quarantine for 2-3 weeks.

Substrate and decorations
If you are planning on having plants, I would recommend using aqua soil. I got it from my local fish street for only 11 usd, and it was about 10 pounds.
You got the part about gravel right, just wash and strain.
For other decorations, such as plastic hides and man made items, I usually just wash them throughly and let them dry for a few days to make sure everything is off.
But for driftwood and rocks, because I really don't want to make my pots and pans dirty, I soak them in watered down bleach for a while, and scrub with a toothbrush.

On the frosted windows, I think it looks really cool! I think king of DIY did a video on it, if you want to check it out! But I don't think the stick on ones are removable though.

 

Sheila.. Fluval does make freshwater tank kits suitable for plants, the edge and the spec V. The spec V is a 5 gallon with the built in filter and a decent light for plants. The edge comes in bigger sizes but also has a built in filter and light (I think , not as familiar with this one.)

The spec V would make an awesome planted betta tank. I have a reqular 10 gallon glass tank with a finnex clip on light





This would also make a very nice, and inexpensive, betta tank if you turned down the filter. I don't curretly have any bettas, but when I move my endlers to a 20 long I want to get one again. I just turn down the flow from my hob filter and buffer the flow by keeping the water level high. I have seen people use 20 oz. water bottles to buffer the flow also.

As for the filter, a betta would be fine with the sponge filter also, you would just need an air pump. If you go with a sponge filter please use a check valve to keep water from siphoning out onto the floor.

For plants anubias and java ferns are my favorite low light plants. They are slow growers but foolproof and have many different kinds of each. Also recommend wisteria and swords. Wisteria is considered a weed in some areas but many love it and it grows very fast, swords are in the middle speed wise, but will grow huge.

I wouldn't bleach dip my plants because I enjoy snails( have 100+ in all 6 of my tanks.)

I grow all my plants in pool filter sand, cheap and inert so I dose pps-pro dry ferts and use root tabs. (I recommend these for all planted tanks, but not a have to thing.) My corycats love my sand and it keeps the tank cleaner also.

I just rinse all my decorations well unless they have been in a sick tank.

I would recommend the frosting if you think you would like it. I don't have that problem, can't see through some of my tanks for the plants.

Hope this helps!

 

Fluval also have 9 and 15 gallon Flex tanks similar to the Spec line.

 

Cant help you with tank kits because where I live they don't sell brand name stuff BUT

If you are going to start a tank, I would really recommend buying JUST the glass aquarium. From my experience, it's been cheaper that way and I can customise the filter to whatever I want, but it's really your choice.

The filter you were looking at is a sponge filter, and you will need an air pump with that. Air pumps are/can be noisy because of the bubbles poping at the surface, but I got used to it- its in my bedroom.
If you are looking for a filter that's inside your tank, I would recommend going with a internal filter. I got mines for 8 dollars on sale for my 10 gallon tank. It's silent and small. The flow was intially too strong for my betta, but after some use it calmed down. I hide it with some plants along with my heater.
You could also go for a hang on the back filter, but i've never used those.

I've got no idea about heaters- I just pick up whatever my local fish street is selling, mostly off brand items because I live in Hong Kong. BUT, in my personal opinion, I would go with the Cobalt one, based on the reviews and the design, compared to the Aqueon one - Someone apparently got shocked.

Not sure about the thermometre, I usually just go with the stick on ones that have the red liquid inside which goes up and down, just because it's cheaper and I really don't need to know the temperature to the decimal, since my fish are so hardy.

Plants I use for my tank (Never dosed, some crappy light my dad gave me because he didn't want it)
Some plants that have survived me accidentally leaving them out for an hour without water are Anacharis/Elodia. They can be floated or planted, and grow quite tall so I usually use them as a background plant. For some reason mines kept shedding, but I think that might just be mines.
Hornwort
They are bushy and soft and my betta loves to swim through them. Similar to Anacharis, they grow tall.
Banana plant
They are adorable and easy to keep. I once had one in completely no light for a week and it still grew a new leaf, go figure ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Moss balls
Fuzzy and circular. Grows quite slowly. Some people make fake moss balls though, so watch out.
Amazon sword
They grow quite tall, but in my exprience they aren't that fast of a grower. TrI'm the outside leaves to keep it dense and short

You can also bleach dip your plants instead of quarentining it, at least that's what i've heard. I don't do this method because I wouldn't like to be dunked into bleach so, i'd rather just quarantine for 2-3 weeks.

Substrate and decorations
If you are planning on having plants, I would recommend using aqua soil. I got it from my local fish street for only 11 usd, and it was about 10 pounds.
You got the part about gravel right, just wash and strain.
For other decorations, such as plastic hides and man made items, I usually just wash them throughly and let them dry for a few days to make sure everything is off.
But for driftwood and rocks, because I really don't want to make my pots and pans dirty, I soak them in watered down bleach for a while, and scrub with a toothbrush.

On the frosted windows, I think it looks really cool! I think king of DIY did a video on it, if you want to check it out! But I don't think the stick on ones are removable though.

Buying everything separate was the way I was leaning towards, I had just been wondering about the built-in filters on the Fluval tanks. I have gotten kits before, and have had to "upgrade" equipment, so I definitely understand. I have had HOB filters before, and I just wanted to avoid buffering the flow, and thought an internal one would be the way to go.
I definitely don't like the thought of bleach dipping...I think letting them hang out in a bowl or something for a little while before planting will be my way to go.
I will look into the soils. I can layer my gravel on top if I want to go that route, yea?
I wouldn't mind if the frost is permanent, if it looks good! haha.

Sheila.. Fluval does make freshwater tank kits suitable for plants, the edge and the spec V. The spec V is a 5 gallon with the built in filter and a decent light for plants. The edge comes in bigger sizes but also has a built in filter and light (I think , not as familiar with this one.)

The spec V would make an awesome planted betta tank. I have a reqular 10 gallon glass tank with a finnex clip on light

View attachment 378915View attachment 378916

This would also make a very nice, and inexpensive, betta tank if you turned down the filter. I don't curretly have any bettas, but when I move my endlers to a 20 long I want to get one again. I just turn down the flow from my hob filter and buffer the flow by keeping the water level high. I have seen people use 20 oz. water bottles to buffer the flow also.

As for the filter, a betta would be fine with the sponge filter also, you would just need an air pump. If you go with a sponge filter please use a check valve to keep water from siphoning out onto the floor.

For plants anubias and java ferns are my favorite low light plants. They are slow growers but foolproof and have many different kinds of each. Also recommend wisteria and swords. Wisteria is considered a weed in some areas but many love it and it grows very fast, swords are in the middle speed wise, but will grow huge.

I wouldn't bleach dip my plants because I enjoy snails( have 100+ in all 6 of my tanks.)

I grow all my plants in pool filter sand, cheap and inert so I dose pps-pro dry ferts and use root tabs. (I recommend these for all planted tanks, but not a have to thing.) My corycats love my sand and it keeps the tank cleaner also.

I just rinse all my decorations well unless they have been in a sick tank.

I would recommend the frosting if you think you would like it. I don't have that problem, can't see through some of my tanks for the plants.

Hope this helps!

I am really looking for something 10g+, but I will keep the Spec V in mind. Maybe sometime in the future if I want to do a smaller tank again.
Yikes, thanks for the tip on the check valve!
I just think the frost would make it look sleeker. Where I am thinking my tank will go is a plywood type, dark wood wall, and I want something that looks lighter to hopefully accentuate the plants!

Fluval also have 9 and 15 gallon Flex tanks similar to the Spec line.

I'm not really into the Flex tanks, personally. I like the long rectangular tanks rather than the cubish ones. Thank you though!


Thank you everyone for the replies! I will definitely look more into the plants that were suggested!

 

So.... I bought my supplies today!
Of course, going into the stores to "look around" failed a bit, and I ended up buying everything!ead:
The first store I visited was my most local fish store (about half an hour away), where I ended up getting a tank - a 15g! - a hood, heater, filter (Aqueon QuietFlow), and a digital thermometer.
I wasn't quite sold on any substrate or decoration items. For some reason, I really wanted to get the "right" substrate before even trying to buy any decor items. (I'm pretty proud of myself here - usually I'll buy with intent "I'll return it if I don't use it.." Which inevitably means I waste money cause I never return it.)
So, I moved on from my LFS to PetCo. Here, I found the Fluval AquaClear Filter! I am more excited about this than the Aqueon one I got from my LFS.
I also found substrate here, but I wasn't completely sold, even though I bought it.. I also went home with API Stress Coat and an API test kit. (I thought I may still have those last two from a previous tank...but I couldn't remember, so better safe than sorry.) At PetCo, I did see a plant fertilizer and a plant substrate...I decided against getting these today, because I didn't plan on getting plants today, and I want to do some more research first.
Still not completely set on the substrate, though I bought it, I headed over to WalMart, where I wanted to look for some other things anyway - frosted window tint for the background, and a shelving unit. I found the latter, as well as a bag of substrate that was darker than I bought at PetCo.
Finally, since I had all my items, I didn't want to go home before I had some frosted window film on hand!! I ended up getting some...at a bit of a price.

Anyway, here's my haul! I'm going to do some rearranging and shelf building, then I'll be posting in the tank build forum about the rest!




The top gravel is the one I bought from WalMart. I like the darker look. The bottom one is from PetCo. I'm unsure how much gravel I need for my 15g, so I may just end up mixing the two.

 

HI Shiela:

Not to pick your purchases apart (I understand wanting to get all the things right away!) but may I share some wisdom with you?

The hood you bought may not make you happy. I love planted tanks and have found that the glass hinged lid with a plant light that stands on the rI'm of the tank is generally the way to go.

Currently, I think the Finnex 24/7 Planted Plus is the one everyone’s using (and they are very reasonably priced! Considering I used to buy coralife twin bulb T-5 fixtures for 250$... and these are around 100 on Amazon...)

I once heard someone say “one pound of gravel per gallon” but that doesn’t take into account the footprint of the tank or anything. I find it very inaccurate. To plant, you’ll want like 1.5-2.5” of substrate. And that’s more about volume than weight.

Do you like brown gravel? It looks like you are trying to get a finer grain size than you are likely to find at petco or petsmart or petland or whatever. I personally, kinda like flourish red sand. Flourish Black is awesome, too. And they come in bags that have mesh inside so you can rinse it right in the bag. Not cheap, though. >.> I also like “blasting sand” - you can find the exact same thing labeled as “Tahitian moon sand” or “black onyx sand” but for more money per pound. Though this stuff is black, not brown.

As far as the backing... I usually don’t put a backing on any of my tanks, though I did once pick up a used one that had a black background, and I thought it gave the illusion of being just a window on a larger pond.

As far as filters and suchlike... I tend to lean toward sponge filters - the bigger the better. I don’t find the air bubbles obtrusive. You can also hook one up to an internal powerhead and it will run pretty darn quiet.

As far as plants... With what you have right there? Maybe Water Wisteria would grow pretty well... java fern might do ok. If you get java fern, it will need its rhizome to be glued to something or tied to something so it can live.

OH! And you can order tissue culture plants so you don’t have to quarantine them or dip them or anything.

 

Never bought a hood light, but wouldn't that block the HOB filter from getting on? If it covers the top.
Good luck on everything though!

 

HI Shiela:

Not to pick your purchases apart (I understand wanting to get all the things right away!) but may I share some wisdom with you?

The hood you bought may not make you happy. I love planted tanks and have found that the glass hinged lid with a plant light that stands on the rI'm of the tank is generally the way to go.

Currently, I think the Finnex 24/7 Planted Plus is the one everyone’s using (and they are very reasonably priced! Considering I used to buy coralife twin bulb T-5 fixtures for 250$... and these are around 100 on Amazon...)

I once heard someone say “one pound of gravel per gallon” but that doesn’t take into account the footprint of the tank or anything. I find it very inaccurate. To plant, you’ll want like 1.5-2.5” of substrate. And that’s more about volume than weight.

Do you like brown gravel? It looks like you are trying to get a finer grain size than you are likely to find at petco or petsmart or petland or whatever. I personally, kinda like flourish red sand. Flourish Black is awesome, too. And they come in bags that have mesh inside so you can rinse it right in the bag. Not cheap, though. >.> I also like “blasting sand” - you can find the exact same thing labeled as “Tahitian moon sand” or “black onyx sand” but for more money per pound. Though this stuff is black, not brown.

As far as the backing... I usually don’t put a backing on any of my tanks, though I did once pick up a used one that had a black background, and I thought it gave the illusion of being just a window on a larger pond.

As far as filters and suchlike... I tend to lean toward sponge filters - the bigger the better. I don’t find the air bubbles obtrusive. You can also hook one up to an internal powerhead and it will run pretty darn quiet.

As far as plants... With what you have right there? Maybe Water Wisteria would grow pretty well... java fern might do ok. If you get java fern, it will need its rhizome to be glued to something or tied to something so it can live.

OH! And you can order tissue culture plants so you don’t have to quarantine them or dip them or anything.

No worries! That's why I posted Honestly, I asked the lady at the counter if they had hoods for the aquarium I picked out, and she went and got it herself, so I didn't see if there were any other choices. When I went to the next store to look for some other things, I only saw the same types of hoods (Though, I didn't look specifically for them). I will see how this hood goes, possibly replacing it in the future if I'm not happy with it

I was just thinking about how much substrate I need! I believe one of the stores had CaribSea Eco-Complete soil, about a 20# bag. I'm thinking that I will need more than one bag for my 15g...and now I'm getting worried that it will be too much to put some gravel on top of it! That's what I get for my "I'll just get this now in case I can't find anything better.." mindset! Gah! lol.
I am not completely sure if I want something finer like sand. I do like the sizes of the gravels that I have purchased, I was just hoping for a darker color, but I still wasn't completely sure on what exactly I'm going for.

Speaking of the java fern - I did see this cool thing at the store, and thought it would look cool to attach some moss or something to it, and watch it spread over time!

 

Never bought a hood light, but wouldn't that block the HOB filter from getting on? If it covers the top.
Good luck on everything though!

Hoods have some removable areas on the very back! Unfortunately, they don't always conform with WHERE you want to put stuff...and the pieces you take off don't snap back on...but, they have the areas.

 

Hoods have some removable areas on the very back! Unfortunately, they don't always conform with WHERE you want to put stuff...and the pieces you take off don't snap back on...but, they have the areas.View attachment 379263

Ohhh okay.
On a completely different topic, I would really recommend you have atleast some plants in your aquarium, they absorb a lot of harmful things in your aquarium and provide oxygen!

 

Ohhh okay.
On a completely different topic, I would really recommend you have atleast some plants in your aquarium, they absorb a lot of harmful things in your aquarium and provide oxygen!

I will be planting it! Just not sure with what yet

 

I will be planting it! Just not sure with what yet

If you're planting without aqua soil, I would recommend getting some root tabs!

 

If you're planting without aqua soil, I would recommend getting some root tabs!

I think I will be getting some soil. What I will end up getting, due to availability is eco-complete. I'm thinking I would still like to layer some gravel on top of it...but we'll see when the time comes!

 

I think I will be getting some soil. What I will end up getting, due to availability is eco-complete. I'm thinking I would still like to layer some gravel on top of it...but we'll see when the time comes!

You can layer gravel ontop of it, infact I think that it helps keep the aqua soil dust to the bottom. I once just dumped the water straight onto the aqua soil and the tank stayed brown for a whole day. Whoops.

 

I find that if you layer gravel on top of aqua soil, it just ends up mixing together in a short amount of time. Soooooo I would recommend getting a gravel that approximates what the aquasoil looks like.

 

Aqua soil is fine but pool filter sand and black diamond blasting sand will grow the same plants way cheaper.

Many high tech tanks (co2, high light and eI dry ferts) do fine with these inert substrates because the high difficulty plants require ferts and root tabs anyway.

I'm on 3 forums and know many who get along with these substrates just fine. Not trying to start an arguement, just make sure the op has all the options. Aqua soils can cause problems or lose their effectiveness over time also
My corys and snails love the pool filter sand.

 

I find that if you layer gravel on top of aqua soil, it just ends up mixing together in a short amount of time. Soooooo I would recommend getting a gravel that approximates what the aquasoil looks like.

That's what I was afraid of

Aqua soil is fine but pool filter sand and black diamond blasting sand will grow the same plants way cheaper.

Many high tech tanks (co2, high light and eI dry ferts) do fine with these inert substrates because the high difficulty plants require ferts and root tabs anyway.

I'm on 3 forums and know many who get along with these substrates just fine. Not trying to start an arguement, just make sure the op has all the options. Aqua soils can cause problems or lose their effectiveness over time also
My corys and snails love the pool filter sand.

Oh, that's disappointing about the soil :/ So, would I still need to utilize root tabs and things with the sand?


To both of you - I was just trying to find a way to stick with a substrate I enjoy the look of. I have not dealt with sands before, and personally I just feel like I might not like it. Who knows - it may become my new favorite substrate! I'm willing to look into and try new things to make this an awesome planted tank