Help me build a betta tank :)

Hello Fishlorians!

My mom has never had her own tank but has watched as mine come together and loves the plants. She's always kept a nice yard and garden but since she moved in with me in Nevada, her green thumb hasn't been put to much use.

Well I scored a free 5.5 gallon glass aquarium. I know it's 16" wide, one of the rectangle ones you'd see at Petco or PetSmart.

I know she loves the look of bettas and I think they make great beginner fish, though mainly I'll probably be taking care of it. I personally love Plakats, but I wouldn't put one in anything smaller than a 10 gallon considering the fact that they are faster and more active swimmers. But luckily, for mom, the more fin, the better.

So, I've already ordered a glass lid, should be here today or tomorrow, and a filter.
Marina SlI'm S10 HOB

I have one on my 10 gal RCS/CPD and one on my 10 gal QT tank.
The pump is inside the tank, so it's very quiet. The intake comes with sponge over, self priming, and I believe it's between 50-55 GPH. Flow is adjustable so I can make sure not to blast the betta with a strong current. I will be using sponge and a bag of ceramic that I will be seeding in my 55 gallon.

The next thing I need is a heater. I would love to try and under tank mat heater unless that sounds ridiculous. I want the tank to have as little clutter as possible, as well as maximizing swim space since I'm working with limited space. If anyone can recommend something very small or inconspicuous, that'd be great.

Next thing, I want to create some elevation, sloping downward toward the front of the tank. I know in terrariums or vivariums people will use a material under mesh for drainage and to build dimension. Anything lightweight that can be fully submerged that anyone can recommend? If anything, I almost might just use bulk carbon underneath. It will help keep the tank clear and after a few weeks it'll stop working but will still give me that height. Was going to then top that with mesh. I was thinking sand or maybe eco complete so I can plant easily, but small gravel would help me pull waste in the underlayer up.
How do I prevent pockets of unwanted gas or bacteria? What is the best solution here?

I was going to create a hill in one back corner, and pile up some black lava rock on the other that appears to crumble into smaller chunks moving towards the front.

I need suggestions for small plants that could creep or carpet for the foreground, and more broad and bushy stuff for the middle. I mighy stick some Java fern and moss to rocks as well. I won't be using CO2.

I also am looking for a good LED light for this size tank, that will be decent for plant growth. Clip on preferred.

Any other random input or suggestions appreciated. This will be a total surprise for her, and I want it to be beautiful and easy.

 

I can't help with sloping part, but here's my opinion for the others:

MTS if you're worried about air pockets I have some in my betta tank.

Since you won't be adding CO2 or a fertilized substrate, you can't have a true carpet. What about S. repens, dwarf sag, or C. parva instead? You can do larger crypts for the mid ground, or Rotala if you don't mind trimming.

I'm always a fan of the Finnex, and the Planted Plus comes in a clip-on version.

Pics of the setup and the betta when she picks it out!

 

I can't help with sloping part, but here's my opinion for the others:

MTS if you're worried about air pockets I have some in my betta tank.

Since you won't be adding CO2 or a fertilized substrate, you can't have a true carpet. What about S. repens, dwarf sag, or C. parva instead? You can do larger crypts for the mid ground, or Rotala if you don't mind trimming.

I'm always a fan of the Finnex, and the Planted Plus comes in a clip-on version.

Pics of the setup and the betta when she picks it out!

I thought of MTS, but if I go with the sand or Eco Complete I'd have that mesh to keep it all from settling under the carbon or whatever other material. I could trap some snails there but they wouldn't have food.
I'll look into the plants, thanks. Probably won't go for anything that needs top much trimming as I have two other planted tanks and like 1 hour of free time a week, haha.

 

I was having trouble understanding how the mesh situation worked, but now with your explanation of trapping the MTS, it makes sense! Don't get them haha.

 

I wish I had a better memory to tag the aquascapers around here. I know there's a simple solution out there, but I've not seen it myself, haha.

Where do you buy your plants if you can't find them locally?

 

I wish I had a better memory to tag the aquascapers around here. I know there's a simple solution out there, but I've not seen it myself, haha.

Where do you buy your plants if you can't find them locally?

Aquabid or from fellow FL members. I've also bought from members of the aquarium clubs near me.

 

Getting the hardscape in. Popped a peace lily in the filter.



Picture I sent my mom as a teaser, haha.



As far as I've gotten for now. Would appreciate notes and ideas as this is my first real attempt at aquascaping.
Next steps are to wait for the Finnex clip light (bit the bullet there, poor wallet, haha) and the stuff for me to frost the back of the tank.
I actually ended up finding a betta I knew she would adore at work so picked him up. He stays in the cup for now while the filter media is still cycling in my sump and all the gas bubbles in the tank calm down. He's getting daily water changes for now.
I'm gonna hit the LFS today and see if they have dwarf baby tears.



Assembling all this in my bathroom but can't wait until it's all done and settled in it's new home.

 

Looks good.

Just my opinion, putting him in the tank has only benefits. Not like that cup has a nitrogen cycle. Fish in cycling is safe and easy enough

 

Looks good.

Just my opinion, putting him in the tank has only benefits. Not like that cup has a nitrogen cycle. Fish in cycling is safe and easy enough

That's true. I guess I'm just scared because it's used and I don't know if there are any residual chemicals or something. I was going to grab some horned nerites to throw in there and see how they do, but my LFS was out.

I'll probably put him in tomorrow.

 

For future reference, if you're worried about chemical contamination, bleach the tank. Use only bleach and water (most bleach cleaners have added detergents). Rinse it well, let it air dry, then set it up and use a double dose of conditioner. All I buy are used tanks.

If you're concerned about this tank, do as large a water change as possible before adding the fish. Any contaminates that were present in the tank should go with the water, unless they're in really high concentration.

 

For future reference, if you're worried about chemical contamination, bleach the tank. Use only bleach and water (most bleach cleaners have added detergents). Rinse it well, let it air dry, then set it up and use a double dose of conditioner. All I buy are used tanks.

If you're concerned about this tank, do as large a water change as possible before adding the fish. Any contaminates that were present in the tank should go with the water, unless they're in really high concentration.

I'll do a large water change after work today. I have one carbon cartridge in the filter with the sponge, so I'm hoping it will have absorbed any possible toxins. We use a fish safe type disinfectant at work (someone must have done something with bleach because we're no longer allowed to use it) that I did use a tiny bit in before I brought it home. It's what we soak our decor in. Not that we ever do that, because it does almost nothing for algae, and there's no real reason to kill off bacteria if it's not even going to help with algae. Haha.
If interested, I can include a picture of the label later today.
I remembered that the water conditioner I dosed the other night might not be binding chlorine or ammonia in my source water anymore. I dosed some more this morning, will do a water change today and then add TSS+ and fish 24 hours after that.

 

He's in and seems kind of overwhelmed. Mostly hides out. I'll mess with the filter and see if I can lower the flow and see if that helps, not that it appears strong but he's used to still water. He hasn't eaten yet either.
I'll give him a few days to settle in before I freak out. Once lights are out I'm feeding the hara hara catfish some bloodworms so I'll try target feeding him some with a needleless syringe. I need an eye dropper and a few petrI dishes but I'm cheap, haha.

 

It'll take a few days to a week for him to settle in.

 

It'll take a few days to a week for him to settle in.

That's what I assumed, though it has been about 3 years since we've had a betta in the house and I didn't remember them being so shy.
He did eat a lot of bloodworms. I accidentally added too many and an hour later I came in with the turkey baster and he had eaten them all, lol.so no food today until his pot belly goes down some.