Jleem's 5.5 Gallon Tanks

So I went to the store for ONE THING.....and lost all self control.

I lost it over another betta of all things. I can't really get a picture in his cup because his water is mostly blue, and he's pretty much solid white twin tail.

I splurged, and got all the stuff for him a 5.5 gallon home. About to set it all up. Pictures will eventually be posted.

I can not let this happen again. Lol.

EDIT: The beginning of page 7 starts the second 5.5 gallon build for those wondering why the title says tanks plural.

 

This is why I am not allowed to go into pet stores alone LOL.

Luckily I have two empty tanks at my disposal.

Good luck!

 

This is why I am not allowed to go into pet stores alone LOL.

Luckily I have two empty tanks at my disposal.

Good luck!

I always do really good when I go. Like the most I splurge for is a snail or something. Not this time. I had to get a whole new tank.

 

I always do really good when I go. Like the most I splurge for is a snail or something. Not this time. I had to get a whole new tank.

I wish mine was just a snail. My other half has to talk me out of basically anything living that I see. Snakes, turtles, guppies...the list goes on. I can spend hours inside a pet store. We are lucky if I leave with *a* plant. Or *a* toy.

 

Well, it took a bit but I got it set up. I even lucked up with a really nice looking filter that has an adjustable flow! As you can see, he's temp acclimating right now. You can probably tell how blue his water is too. I'm not sure if I'm going to slowly pH acclimate him or not. I literally bought him 5 minutes away from home.

 

Oh wow! He is a very pretty boy! I wish I knew why they kept them in blue water cups...it only makes it harder to see them.

 

Oh he's just stunning, and so lucky look at his lovely new home!

I do exactly the same thing, splurge whenever I see an animal in need... but I haven't seen Bettas kept in cups here in the UK, I wonder if it's just done like that in USA?

There's a Betta I have my eyes on in my LFS... he's been there for months now and is a stark white, but his tail fins are really tattered so I don't think a anyone wants him. I've already named him Barry, just need to get my tank cycled so I can bring him home... COME ON TANK!!!

 

I accidentally got my first Betta back in March. He started in a 2.5 gallon tank with a plastic plant. Within a week he was upgraded to a five gallon with five live plants and a snail friend.
Then I went to my local shop to buy things for my ball python and accidentally bought another Betta! He now lives in my 20 gallon with some Neons and a snail.

 

Oh wow! He is a very pretty boy! I wish I knew why they kept them in blue water cups...it only makes it harder to see them.

I can't wait to actually get a good shot of him. I've wondered before if the blue water is something like methylene blue, but figured they wouldn't "waste" that on the bettas in cups. It does make them a lot harder to see though.

Oh he's just stunning, and so lucky look at his lovely new home!

I do exactly the same thing, splurge whenever I see an animal in need... but I haven't seen Bettas kept in cups here in the UK, I wonder if it's just done like that in USA?

There's a Betta I have my eyes on in my LFS... he's been there for months now and is a stark white, but his tail fins are really tattered so I don't think a anyone wants him. I've already named him Barry, just need to get my tank cycled so I can bring him home... COME ON TANK!!!

Like I said, I completely lost control yesterday. I've left behind bettas I wanted a lot more than this one, but for some reason......

I wish I knew somewhere that doesn't keep bettas in cups. Well, besides the one place I've been too that doesn't. It doesn't really matter that much there because it seems like a horrible store. Oh, and he was trying to pass off a solid red crowntail as "rare", and wanted $20 for him.

I accidentally got my first Betta back in March. He started in a 2.5 gallon tank with a plastic plant. Within a week he was upgraded to a five gallon with five live plants and a snail friend.
Then I went to my local shop to buy things for my ball python and accidentally bought another Betta! He now lives in my 20 gallon with some Neons and a snail.

This whole hobby started when my girlfriend and I bought a betta and a 0.75 gallon cube in February of 2017. Sadly, we lost him after a few months and upgrades (0.75, 1.5, 10, 20 long). We found another betta though that now shares the 20 long with some harlequin rasboras, corys, and a couple snails.

In addition, that little betta caused me to also have,

10 Gallon
40 Gallon Breeder
this new 5.5
and I already want a 75 when we move
Lol

 

Great! Not so great for the loss of self-control
Haha, who cares right?

My obsession has caused me to start off with my 2.5 gallon bowfront, and upgrade.
I currently have my 55 gallon, 31 gallon, 26 gallon, 20 gallon, 10 gallon, 5.5 gallon, and my 2.5 gallon.

 

So, little guy is hard to take pictures of for two reasons.

1. He's either very curious or threatened by people looking at him because he'll rush to the front glass, look a second, and then dart away.

2. He's close to solid white so the light glares off of him, practically making him glow.

Anyway, this is the best picture so far.

 

He's very pretty. I'm sure he'll be even more colorful once he's had a few weeks to adjust to his new home.

I always look at the bettas when I go to the store too. And then have to remind myself I can't justify a 4th tank.

Did you manage to sink one of those floating betta logs on the left side?

 

He's very pretty. I'm sure he'll be even more colorful once he's had a few weeks to adjust to his new home.

I always look at the bettas when I go to the store too. And then have to remind myself I can't justify a 4th tank.

Did you manage to sink one of those floating betta logs on the left side?

No it's just a little log decoration from PetSmart. I've got three of those all in different tanks because I've had several fish like them, including a betta. Same deal with the tower. I've got two of those. Lol.

 

Okay, sorry to sound like a broken record player, but I got a shot quite a bit better. Still not the greatest, but I'm working with an Android mobile camera.




I'm hoping he colors up a lot to where you can't see his spine, organs, and veins. Lol. I'd even be okay with his gray streaks growing some.

Something I've noticed already is that he seems a lot more aggressive than my other bettas. While trying to get this picture, he kept flaring at and chasing his own reflection. Neither of my other bettas ever did that very much, if at all. Should I try to do anything about this to prevent stress? Or let him have at it for exercise?

Trying to decide when to try feeding him the first time too.

 

Hey guys.

Actually looking for a little advice this time.

So, for this betta, I just went with the 5.5 gallon kit. It being on sale really helped with that decision. Also, I really like the looks of the filter. It's a TopFin Silentstream 10 Power Filter. It even has an adjustable flow rate (good for bettas). Full gph though is 85, and I only need like 55 for this small tank.

Well, obviously, it didn't come with the best media. It came with the standard carbon/floss cartridge and a blue plastic thing that's supposedly supposed to grow bacteria on it. I don't see that happening very well though.

I thought about getting a small media bag, putting some established clay biomax from another tank in it, and trying to slide it down in place of the blue thing. Thoughts, opinions, ideas? Here's a picture to better show how it looks, and what space I have to work with.

 

Hey guys.

Actually looking for a little advice this time.

So, for this betta, I just went with the 5.5 gallon kit. It being on sale really helped with that decision. Also, I really like the looks of the filter. It's a TopFin Silentstream 10 Power Filter. It even has an adjustable flow rate (good for bettas). Full gph though is 85, and I only need like 55 for this small tank.

Well, obviously, it didn't come with the best media. It came with the standard carbon/floss cartridge and a blue plastic thing that's supposedly supposed to grow bacteria on it. I don't see that happening very well though.

I thought about getting a small media bag, putting some established clay biomax from another tank in it, and trying to slide it down in place of the blue thing. Thoughts, opinions, ideas? Here's a picture to better show how it looks, and what space I have to work with.
View attachment 441787

Certainly, that should work!
I would suppose it will fit in that space unless you pack the bag too tightly.

 

Certainly, that should work!
I would suppose it will fit in that space unless you pack the bag too tightly.

I'd like to eventually find something to replace the carbon pack with too. Can't put anything too thick though or it'll take up water space, which cuts down on the gph.

 

Two things in this post.

1. How long should it take a brand new 5.5 gallon tank and filter, with one betta to show ammonia?

2. Any name ideas for the little guy? So far we have,
Sephiroth
Ghost
Casper

 

sephiroth l o l... I like casper! i'm thinking about getting a white/pale betta if one calls out to me

 

Two things in this post.

1. How long should it take a brand new 5.5 gallon tank and filter, with one betta to show ammonia?

2. Any name ideas for the little guy? So far we have,
Sephiroth
Ghost
Casper

View attachment 442443

Well, saying this in the place that the tank isn’t cycled, then I would expect ammonia to show up within a day or two. It shouldn’t take too long for it to spike up, but of yoy have the tank cycled, nothing to worry about.

Here’s a list of named for you to try

Casper
Prism
Emanuel
Ghost
Sephiroth
Perót
Jacques
Alver

 

I would think you'd get more bacteria growth on the regular filter cartridge than on that plastic thing.

A name? How about Edgar? (for Edgar Winter, an albino rock star from years past)

 

Well, saying this in the place that the tank isn’t cycled, then I would expect ammonia to show up within a day or two. It shouldn’t take too long for it to spike up, but of yoy have the tank cycled, nothing to worry about.

Here’s a list of named for you to try

Casper
Prism
Emanuel
Ghost
Sephiroth
Perót
Jacques
Alver

Well that's just it. This filter is nowhere near cycled. It and the tank are both brand new, with new media in the filter. Ammonia is still 0, and today is day

I would think you'd get more bacteria growth on the regular filter cartridge than on that plastic thing.

A name? How about Edgar? (for Edgar Winter, an albino rock star from years past)

That's what I thought too.

 

I bought the same 5.5g kit this weekend, almost bought a 10 gallon kit too..
Here is what I did with the filter, I may work in a little polyfil too. not sure yet.
I found these AC foam inserts to be the best deal on amazon and cut to size. There is a piece on the bottom and side.

 

I bought the same 5.5g kit this weekend, almost bought a 10 gallon kit too..
Here is what I did with the filter, I may work in a little polyfil too. not sure yet.
I found these AC foam inserts to be the best deal on amazon and cut to size. There is a piece on the bottom and side.
View attachment 442535

Does stuffing it like that not hinder your gph rating?

 

Does stuffing it like that not hinder your gph rating?

The foam is very porous, I made sure not to compress it in there. I'd have to put the stock back in to check but appears to be no difference in flow.

Can also cut a piece to put over the intake for more mechanical/bio filtration

 

The foam is very porous, I made sure not to compress it in there. I'd have to put the stock back in to check but appears to be no difference in flow.

Can also cut a piece to put over the intake for more mechanical/bio filtration

Gotcha. It just so happens that I run two Aquaclear filters. They're smaller sizes though, so I have AQ20 foam inserts. You're using the 70 size foam right?

 

I have a topfin 20 and did the same thing. It clogs really quickly and overflows near the intake pipe. The problem with putting foam there is that you reduce the water intake area to 2"x 1" rather than the intended 5" x 6". I replaced it with an Aqueon 20 and modified it to use bio media.

 

I have a topfin 20 and did the same thing. It clogs really quickly and overflows near the intake pipe. The problem with putting foam there is that you reduce the water intake area to 2"x 1" rather than the intended 5" x 6". I replaced it with an Aqueon 20 and modified it to use bio media.

The Aqueon 20 doesn't have an adjustable flow though does it?

 

Okay, sorry to sound like a broken record player, but I got a shot quite a bit better. Still not the greatest, but I'm working with an Android mobile camera.

View attachment 441575

I'm hoping he colors up a lot to where you can't see his spine, organs, and veins. Lol. I'd even be okay with his gray streaks growing some.

Something I've noticed already is that he seems a lot more aggressive than my other bettas. While trying to get this picture, he kept flaring at and chasing his own reflection. Neither of my other bettas ever did that very much, if at all. Should I try to do anything about this to prevent stress? Or let him have at it for exercise?

Trying to decide when to try feeding him the first time too.

I would try a little less bright lighting, that can be stressful to a beta. Or better yet, just add a few floating plants to create shady spots and a place to build a bubble nest. I just found a betta to take home yesterday, white with a little blue on the tail.

 

I would try a little less bright lighting, that can be stressful to a beta. Or better yet, just add a few floating plants to create shady spots and a place to build a bubble nest. I just found a betta to take home yesterday, white with a little blue on the tail.

It's really not as bright as it looks in the pictures. I would like to get him some live plants though. Possibly for the bottom, as well as some floaters. I've not had such great luck with any plants yet though (in other tanks). I'm just now actually learning about ferts and such. He's come out of hiding a lot the past couple days, so floaters would probably help with that as well as make it easier to get pictures. Mostly worried about adding any plants before the cycle is done though. Still not showing any ammonia to start with.

Do you have a picture of your new one?

 

Gotcha. It just so happens that I run two Aquaclear filters. They're smaller sizes though, so I have AQ20 foam inserts. You're using the 70 size foam right?

The AC20 filter is probably close to the size that I cut from the 70. They were just the best value to buy.
Ill keep an eye out for clogging but never had a problem with them clogging before.

 

The Aqueon 20 doesn't have an adjustable flow though does it?

Nope. AquaClear and TopFin have adjustable flow. This was for my QT and I didn't want to spend too much. Lots of people here like the QuietFlows so I thought I'd give it a shot.

The AC20 filter is probably close to the size that I cut from the 70. They were just the best value to buy.
Ill keep an eye out for clogging but never had a problem with them clogging before.

Mine would clog weekly on a QT that doesn't get fed a lot. The main issue was the filter and bio insert were 2 separate inserts and you can't sandwich the bio media in between them like the Aqueon. Either way, it's way overkill for my 10 gallon QT as I also have a sponge filter in there too.

The QuietFlow 20 was the smallest filter that used the Large filter insert. It's too big for a 10 gallon but the flow isn't bad at all.

 

Beautiful boy you got there! And your tank set up looks like your new boy will be happy and healthy And I relate with you, literally every time I go to the petstore, I have to stop bt the betta section!

 

Beautiful boy you got there! And your tank set up looks like your new boy will be happy and healthy And I relate with you, literally every time I go to the petstore, I have to stop bt the betta section!

Yeah, I usually stop by. Just don't usually buy while stopping by. Lol.

He's gained a lot of color now. After work today, I may try to get a current picture to share.

 

He's beautiful J!! I noticed your profile pic change a while ago and thought dang that's a fine fish. Just ran across the thread today, and I'm so glad I did. How goes it with the filter and cycle?

 

He's beautiful J!! I noticed your profile pic change a while ago and thought dang that's a fine fish. Just ran across the thread today, and I'm so glad I did. How goes it with the filter and cycle?

Yeah,.....about that, I've had him for almost two weeks and still no measurable ammonia. I'm very confused. Lol. I have not traded out the filter media yet due to this confusion and because well, life. He has gotten a water change, and is due for another.

Also, I took him out just long enough to try and get a new picture. He refused to stay still, but maybe you can get an idea of his new coloration from these. When he's in the tank, it almost has a grayish purple tint. Oh, and he LOVES people now.

 

I'm still in awe of my own very first betta. It's crazy how much their coloration changes in such a short time... I knew that but silly me, I named mine based on his coloration, lol.

Saw a snow white betta in an LFS over the weekend and thought of you.

The ammonia, or lack there of, is a bit confusing, but not concerning because you're on top of it. Any nitrates? Just thinking that perhaps you're missing the ammonia if it's already converting.

 

I would be tempted to name the Beta Skye from now on. LOL. Beautiful coloring!

 

So I went to the store for ONE THING.....and lost all self control.

I lost it over another betta of all things. I can't really get a picture in his cup because his water is mostly blue, and he's pretty much solid white twin tail.

I splurged, and got all the stuff for him a 5.5 gallon home. About to set it all up. Pictures will eventually be posted.

I can not let this happen again. Lol.

I have a deep spiritual connection to this.

 

Nice