24 Litre Tank

[sorgan]

righty guys, i have just returned from the LFS with a new 24l tank. it was on offer and i couldnt help myself, after sitting and looking at it for a while many ideas ran through my mind. 5G nano reef with a goby maybe? maybe not such a wise move (i am sure my rainfordi goby would be less then pleased with the downsize) so after much thought i decided to do a very small tropical fish tank.
so everything sound good but now ive hit a wall, i know next to nothing about tropical freshwater, marine fish i can do but fresh water!!! its all new to me.

so here we go i filled my tank with RO (is that ok?) with my tank i got these aqua pure bacteria balls and red stuff to cycle the tank so the first dose of tthat has gone in.
heater, filter pump and thermometer are in and now i am waiting the reccomended week before doing anything.

so here are my questions -
will a betta be ok in this size tank, if so what kinds?
what other fish will a betta live with?
can i use live plants with a betta?
can i have shrimp and/or snails in there?
apart from the usual ammonia, nitrite and nitrate tests is there anything else that needs to be testeed for (i have to test for all sorts of things in my reef)

any help would be great guys.

 

[BethK]

Yes, a betta will be ok in there, they like to swim up alot, so I found that the upper space of the tank would be better off clear IMO.

Bettas will go with the smaller tetra breeds. I am sure other members will advise on other fish that could go with a betta (this is based on a male betta).

And yes, you can have live plants in the tank. Just make sure there is a fair gap between the water surface and the tank lid, as bettas need to breath in air, also, they have a tendency to jump, so make sure the lid is kept on.

Snails, I don't think they have an issue with, my betta leaves my teeny tiny hitch hiking snail alone but as for shrimp? Not so sure...........

 

[MewMew42]

freshwater is a doddle compaed to marine lol

as long as the tank has a heater and filter youre good to go with a betta in that tank, RO water is fine, though you might wanna put trace elements back in

a betta splendens will be fine in that tank, any tail type that grabs your fancy, any otehr species of betta will have to be okayed by someone else!

bettas are hit and miss with tankmates, but in that size tank best to stick with snails and pygmy cories, maybe shrimp but he may eat them!

live plants are the best for bettas, anubias is a very good one as the like to sit on it and swim round it, very easy to keep to! but alll other plants are good, they like it densely planted

nope nothing else really that needs to be tested for, youve got it covered pretty much!

ps could you let me know if you could let me know if the aqua pure works? thanks! =]

 

[sorgan]

thatnks for the fast replies, its a shame about the shrimp but then i suppose i have shrimp anyway

this aquapure stuff looks like it should be ok, will soon find out.
we will soon also find out if freshwater is so much of a doddle

PS marine really isnt hard its just a bit nasty to the wallet to set up, you just need to be switched on.

PPS how much nitrate can be present in a freshwater before i should worry? 20ppm??

 

[MewMew42]

aye the money for marine

there is some debate to what should be present lol most people keep its around 5-10 but higher isnt gonna do any harm

 

[sorgan]

righty, about these plants ive got a layer of orange gravel on the bottom of the tank, obviously the plants wont take hold in that so what can i put under it or should i scrap it and use something else?

 

[BethK]

Some people use sand, I never have but it might be worth a look into x

 

[MewMew42]

take hold? pardon my ignorance lol

plants will be happy in most things really, if you wanted to really keep the plants well you could add a layer of plant fertilizer under the gravel

if you do get anubias then the best bet is to tie it to some wood or a rock

 

[sorgan]

just the job, thanks for the help.
do plants get added after the tank has cycled? or should i get them in first

 

[MewMew42]

Im not sure about the effects on plants during a cycle

but i would add plants after just to be sure!

 

[BethK]

Have a look at what plants you will use. Pop down to the plant section on this forum, see what they say x

 

[sorgan]

right i have just put a tiger lilly of some kind and an anubias that i tied to a bit of bog wood.

betta is picked and paid for and (if water tests ok) i will pick him up on sunday and put him in.
i am looking foward to doing a water change that doesnt need to be planned 3 days in advance

 

[BethK]

If you have the spare cash, see if you can pick up some blood worm too, frozen or live. Betta's love the stuff. I went out this morning and picked some frozen cubes up and my betta went to town, like never before!

Good luck, bettas are pretty hardy fish and do very well x

 

[sorgan]

will do, just had a rummage through my frozen food and have come up nil for bloodworm. i have artemia cominh out of my ears, chooped mysis and all kinds of oceanic food, no fresh water ATM. oh well i will get some when i pick the little guy up.
he is a red crown but you will have to wait untill sunday for pics.

 

[BethK]

Apparently they will also eat mosquito larvae, brineshrimp, daphnia