New keeper, HELP planted betta ten gal

first time keeper looking for advice!!!
planning a ten gal planted aquarium for a betta fish. bought the basics in prep for cycling:
10 gal
fluval stratum 8.8 lb
test kit
flourish tabs
gravel vac
omega one flakes
Fluval 50 watt heater
thermometer strip
seachem water conditioner
Aqueon quietflow filter

currently have a 6watt light (yikes) to try and keep the plants alive. will they die under this? i forgot to grab one at the store, and can’t go back for at least a few days. never kept fish before! i really wanna do it right. I was gonna get seachem flourite substrate, but they only had one bag of fluval stratum and other substrates i wasn’t familiar with. I decided to grab it, and now i’m worried it’s not enough at all lol. can anyone pls info dump on me, i would appreciate the help greatly!

 

Well I personally think Fluval Stratum is better than Seachem Flourite, I've used both. What are the plants? If they are hardy and low light they should be fine, really almost any plant should be ok for a few days while you wait to get the better light. You are definitely doing things right! A planted ten gallon for a betta is wonderful!
One other thing, tannins are very helpful for bettas, they can help maintain basic health. Tannins will make the water a brown tint, it depends on how much you add. Driftwood releases a lot of tannins. Catappa leaves are great and I really think you should get some, they release tannins, they will float on the water and if you get a male betta, he will likely make a bubble nest under the leaf and hang out under there. Alder cones are also a nice looking addition that releases tannins. If the water reaches a tint that is too brown, a water change will take care of that.

 

Catappa leaves sink within a few days, but agree, adding these leaves is helpful for many fish, including Bettas.

 

Catappa leaves sink within a few days, but agree, adding these leaves is helpful for many fish, including Bettas.

Yep, I recommend buying in bulk. I just replace the sunken one with a fresh one. Thankfully I can actually wait much longer than a few days as my betta's bubble nest holds the leaf up.

 

Or stroll outside and collect some dry leaves, free from bird poop and at some distance from roads. Oak, walnut, beech, hornbeam, silver birch, hazel, mulberry, to name a few, are suitable.

 

Well I personally think Fluval Stratum is better than Seachem Flourite, I've used both. What are the plants? If they are hardy and low light they should be fine, really almost any plant should be ok for a few days while you wait to get the better light. You are definitely doing things right! A planted ten gallon for a betta is wonderful!
One other thing, tannins are very helpful for bettas, they can help maintain basic health. Tannins will make the water a brown tint, it depends on how much you add. Driftwood releases a lot of tannins. Catappa leaves are great and I really think you should get some, they release tannins, they will float on the water and if you get a male betta, he will likely make a bubble nest under the leaf and hang out under there. Alder cones are also a nice looking addition that releases tannins. If the water reaches a tint that is too brown, a water change will take care of that.

awesome!! i’m def gonna get driftwood, is it okay to wait and add it later? i’ll look into the other stuff as well, thanks for the suggestion

 

awesome!! i’m def gonna get driftwood, is it okay to wait and add it later? i’ll look into the other stuff as well, thanks for the suggestion

Yep, I’m not sure how much you are going to scape your tank. I like to get all my hardscape in before the planting, but no issue if you add it later. Ruud is also right about finding random leaves outside, just try to stay away from chemicals and boil the leaves.

 

I think you’re doing excellent! To second what others have said, your plants should do fine- they, in my experience, are only a bit trickier than houseplants.
You are in for a real treat once you finally get your betta! Where are you going to buy?

 

I think you’re doing excellent! To second what others have said, your plants should do fine- they, in my experience, are only a bit trickier than houseplants.
You are in for a real treat once you finally get your betta! Where are you going to buy?

I’m not sure yet! if you have any suggestions for where I can buy a healthy betta I would be very grateful I moved my plants to a bucket with dechlorinated water, and am dosing it with fertilizer (one drop every two days when I do 20% water changes) it’s under a low light and I think they’ll be fine until my tank is cycled. I already love sitting in front of the aquarium in the morning when i’m having my coffee, the filter sounds so relaxing. i’m glad i decided to try this out!

 

One of the hardest things is being patient, not getting fish too soon.