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My 2 foot Betta tank


NickAu

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Please do not be too harsh, This is my first attempt at fish keeping.

His name is microsoft and he has owned me for 3 months now.

I did a bit of research about bettas on youtube, Lots of iffy advice and some great ideas also.

This was his old home.

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Its a work in progress.

And this is his new home, Same filter as above. I add IAL ( Indian Almond Leaf to the tank )

jtavq9.jpg

Edited by NickAu
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Added petrified wood, got rid of resin ornament, other than the heater thermometer the water pick up and return no plastic or fake items allowed. Next I am getting some glass type shrimp, any suggestions. Prefer native.

x1ac68.jpg

Edited by NickAu
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Hi Bettarazzi

Where are you going to get your shrimp from?

Aquagreen have native shrimp. A lot of people say good things about Dave.

I guess that I will give Aquagreen a try then, thank you for the suggestion, once I get them I will let you know how it works out, they could end up fish food LOL.

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Corydoras make good tank mates. And there are some very cute ones you can get these days. I prefer getting groups of at least 3 but usually aim for 4-5. For that size tank you want to stick to the smaller varieties like the panda cory. But they're not particularly dirty and you've got a massive filter. They'll add some activity to the bottom of the tank. You could possibly have them coexist with the shrimp. Steer away from tetras as tank mates. I always find them nippy.

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you've got a massive filter.

If you are going to do it, I say over do it.

I am new at this never kept fish before, So i looked at a lot of stuff re filtration on youtube, Moving bed filters, Powerheads with shampoo bottles, Under gravel filters, The powerhead with shampoo bottle while a cool idea looks ugly full stop. same as internal moving bed filters, both take up tank space that could be used for plants or swim room for the fish. those under gravel filters.... Well I just figured they suck, I dont want stuff building up in the gravel even thou I vac it. hang on backs are ok however I would need to cut the glass top on my tank.

Also as I was using a 20 lt tank originally the canister gave me extra water volume. So canister it was, and it was about the same as an internal powerhead unit. Since I watched all those videos on youtube I had a fair idea about media so 1 tray is full of BioHome media and the other with those ceramic noodles.

This is the filter I have. I got it on ebay.

Aqua Aquarium Filter External Canister Fish Tank Water Sponge Pond 800LPH

This is the 1 I was looking at.

Hailea Internal Aquarium Fish Tank Filter Sponge Aqua Power head RP-600 WARRANTY

See why I went with the big canister?

The media.

Biohome Mini Ultra Bio Filter Media 1 kg - for Fresh Water or Marine Aquarium

I have this 1 as it came with the filter.

1.8kg Ceramic Noodles Rings Aquaponics Aquarium Canister Filter Media Tank cnr

I also built a power head vacuum, It's a great idea and works well you can give the gravel a good clean without worry about water levels in the tank, after I vac the gravel I change some water about 25% with aged water I put it in a bucket overnight with a powerhead running and some Prime water conditioner, Oh yes I also stick a heater in the bucket so when I add the new water it is the same temp as the water in the tank.

The catfish sound cool, I will have to add extra food for them as there is no wasted food in my tank, He gets a combination of pelets and frozen and fresh bugs , however his daily portion size of food is equal to about 6 or 7 pelets. I feed things to him 1 at a time LOL, Even his brine shrimp.

The pelets I feed him.

Aqua Delight 200g Betta Siamese Fighting Fish Food Pellet

Edited by NickAu
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Well I put 6 cherry shrimp in the tank $3.50 each a few days ago, At least Microsoft enjoyed eating them, I know he got 2 for sure I have not seen the other 4 in a few days now.

Yes the powerhead vac is a neat idea, There are also some great ideas regarding moving bed filters, tank scaping etc. Some bad ideas too.

Stuff like this.

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Beautiful! Now unfortunately that variegated plant you've got isn't a true water plant. It's not going to be able to be submerged in the long term. The leaves will begin to rot and this will foul the tank. It's a very attractive plant though so don't chuck it. They look great in terrariums and hanging baskets combined with ferns. They like a moist environment but not completely submerged. I really wish pet shops would stop selling them as aquarium plants.

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Wow! Of course it could simply mean that it had been in the PetBarn tanks much longer than that. They would experience the melt themselves. It's quite mind-boggling that they wouldn't learn more about the products they sell. They must go through so many before sale and while it might not be a huge loss, wouldn't you go, hey, what's going on here? The suppliers to these shops must rub their hands in glee when they see these inexperienced franchisees coming along. Why they would accept such a lousy shelf life is beyond me. I'm glad you got your money back. So many customers would just leave it. I guess that's what they count on.

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Sad news.

Microsoft died a few days ago. He was quite happy on the last night, Put on his usual feed me show, I gave him 2 pellets he ate them and all was well.

In the morning when I turned on the tank light he was still in his usual sleeping spot dead. All the water params are fine, The shrimp and snails are fine.

I am devastated, but it looks like he went in his sleep, and did not suffer.

I will be getting another Betta, I also remodelled the tank a bit.

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Yes it is unusual, I got some Betta pellets from Pet Barn, That night as I said he put on his usual feed me display, I fed him 3 pelets of the new stuff, He scoffed them down and did his I want more by swiming around the tank flaring a bit looking cute, All was well, He swam off into his plants when I went to turn the tank light off he didnt realy come out to say good night. In the morning he was in his sleeping spot among the floating fox tail dead. I cried. I gave his body to my Pitcher Plant.

When I went to my local fish shop, R&J Aquatics, I was telling the guy about it, he asked to see the pellets, so I took them in, The guy said they were out of date by nearly 6 months and did not smell "right".

I threw out all the food and treats I had for Microsoft, and got fresh stuff from the fish shop, The guy even had me bring in a sample of my tank water that he tested in the shop everything was fine.

Then he gave( not sold but gave) me Yobbo, And sold me fresh food and treats for him. I also got a few big silk plants from the shop.

I do not know if it was the food or not. However I am never going to buy anything from Pet Barn again, This is the second time they have sold me dodgy products, The first being that verigated plant Bettarazzi

Warned me about here,

http://www.ausaqua.net/index.php/topic/15869-my-2-foot-betta-tank/?p=176956

From now on I will only buy stuff from the Aquatics shop, He may be a bit more expensive, But the guy has 5 display tanks with bettas in them, and he wont sell you stuff unless he uses it in his tanks. In his shop you wont see anything with " Fix " on it eg Bettafix. He says there is no such thing as fix in a bottle. Good clean warm water, Good food, Indian Almond leaf, Is all you need to keep the fish healthy.

Edited by NickAu
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That is a very upsetting story. I think the out of date food is most likely the cause. It could happen in any aquarium shop though. Even in our own homes. We buy food. Take longer to use it than we thought and it can go off without us noticing. It's a very sobering story and I think everyone should be wary.

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