Hi - Moved from USA, need UK advice on Betta tank

[Nan]

We brought our 5 gallon tank, with Eheim heater and Tetra filter over and are now in the beginning stages of setting it up so it can cycle before we purchase a Betta for it. Of course, we need to replace the heater and filter as they won't (?) run on UK current. In the States we had a planted tank, with one Betta (who died of extreme old age just before we moved over here).

I need recommendations for a good, quiet, internal filter for the tank. I contacted Tetra and they recommended their Tetra Easy Crystal 250. We ordered one from Amazon, and it arrived with the package previously opened and it was non-working, so it's sent back. The bracket also would not clear the lip on the top of the aquarium that the flat tank lid rests on. While thinking about it, I note that it did not have a flow control option, as does our little Whisper10i (that we can't use without a transformer). Can anyone recommend a good, internal filter that allows you to control the output flow? I'd prefer one that had intake at the bottom or back of the unit. Again, this is a small tank, just about 19 litres and Bettas don't like a lot of current, so we are looking for something suitable that is reliable. (We may end up just purchasing a transformer to handle the whole setup, but I'd be more comfortable with using mains current - that way we don't have to worry about what to do if the transformer dies.)

Finally, my family has settled in Glasgow. I have been searching online and Maidenhead Aquarium Store has something called an Aquamanta IFX 50, but I can find no reviews online by anyone who has used this filter. We also went to city center last week on a recommendation for a supplies store, but Boyds is now out of business (storefront was vacant) and the pet store down the street was extremely questionable - I don't believe I'd buy anything in it. So I also need a recommendation for a good aquarium supply store accessible via public transportation in Glasgow.

Thanks for your advice!

 

[Essjay]

Hi,

I used to have a Maidenhead Aquatics Aqua Internal 50 https://www.fishkeeper.co.uk/product/aqua-range-aqua-internal-50-filter in my betta's 26 litre tank. If the mini spray bar is used this has a flow rate controller on it. The media is a sponge with a cavity inside which they fill with carbon. I just emptied the carbon out and filled it with more sponge. The only problem I had was that the suckers are fixed in so they can't be replaced, and then my betta started sleeping on top of it so it constantly came off the tank wall.
I changed it for an air powered sponge filter which I now prefer for a betta. The flow is controlled by adjusting the amount of air going through the sponge. I did recently get a new air pump as the first one was just so noisy (a JBL Pro Silent) and the new Eheim one is so quiet by comparison, although more expensive

 

[Nan]

Hi,

I used to have a Maidenhead Aquatics Aqua Internal 50 https://www.fishkeeper.co.uk/product/aqua-range-aqua-internal-50-filter in my betta's 26 litre tank. If the mini spray bar is used this has a flow rate controller on it. The media is a sponge with a cavity inside which they fill with carbon. I just emptied the carbon out and filled it with more sponge. The only problem I had was that the suckers are fixed in so they can't be replaced, and then my betta started sleeping on top of it so it constantly came off the tank wall.
I changed it for an air powered sponge filter which I now prefer for a betta. The flow is controlled by adjusting the amount of air going through the sponge. I did recently get a new air pump as the first one was just so noisy (a JBL Pro Silent) and the new Eheim one is so quiet by comparison, although more expensive

Thanks, Essjay! If the suction cups won't hold the weight of a Betta there's a problem with those suction cups, for sure! I have actually never heard of a sponge filter, so I'll need to read up. In the old days we had undergravel filters with airpumps and they were great. But they are non-existent now, so I was thinking of an in-tank, as we had in the States. It's been brought to my attention that the only reason we had that instead of a HOB filter was that we had a cat that would get into the HOB all the time. So I may look at those again as well, but can't remember if they are noisy or not. Thanks for the info on the MAAI 50 and the sponge options. Eheim makes good product - we love their heaters. - Nan

 

[Essjay]

There are a lot of different makes and styles of air powered sponge filter, but the chap at the shop recommended I get the type with a weighted base rather than the type that sick to the tank with suckers - after the way the filter kept falling off as the suckers hardened I thought that was sensible. Apparently, if a sponge filter comes unstuck and floats, it doesn't work properly. This is the one I have
http://www.aquaoneonline.co.uk/aqua-one-air-filter-30-7683-p.asp
If you have used an air powered UG, you know all about one way valves and splitters. I also use a 2 way splitter to bleed a bit of air off into the room to control the flow.

 

[Nan]

Thanks. We are off to the shop later this morning and will look at these. I'm thinking if I go with this type of filter something like an Eheim or a Tetra (if I can find one) air pump would be the quietest? Any recommendation for an air pump? (It's been a long time since I shopped for air pumps, and used to have to put a rubber band around them and a thick kitchen sponge to keep the noise from the vibrations down. I'd rather not deal with that again.)

On the one you are using - I assume you like it and it's effective or you would not still be using it. Is your Betta in a planted tank? How does it do with plant debris, etc? Do you find you are doing more cleaning of the tank than you did with your other filter?

 

[NickAu]

This is the one I have
http://www.aquaoneonline.co.uk/aqua-one-air-filter-30-7683-p.asp

That is perfect for a betta tank.

 

[Essjay]

I've had bettas, one at a time, for about 15 years. The first filter I had was a small Hagen internal filter which hasn't been made for years. When that finally wore out, I bought the Maidenhead Aquatics internal I mentioned before. When the suckers on that started to go hard and even just the weight of a betta made it fall of the glass, i got the sponge filter.
I currently have this Eheim pump https://www.eheim.com/en_GB/products/technology/air-pumps/air-pump which is almost silent - though I do have it on top of a piece of sponge as a precaution. The last one (JBL) was so noisy I could hear the humming upstairs and I had that suspended from a hook. (The tank is in the kitchen, and the hook was in the bottom of a wall cupboard)

The tank is sort of planted. I have java fern, anubias and bolbitis growing on pieces of wood, and water sprite floating on the surface, though nothing actually planted in the substrate.
As for cleaning the tank, it is about as effective as the two internals I had before the sponge filter. The only occupants of the tank are one male betta and one of the smaller species of nerite snail. The snail makes more mess than the betta, and wood that has been through a snail's digestive system - small black pellets - is quite heavy and just sits there under the wood. I have sand substrate which does make cleaning easier than gravel


Don't forget you'll need airline tubing and a one way valve - some pumps come with them, some don't.

 

[Nan]

Thanks, all. I went out to the store in Dobbies Garden Center in Glasgow (Fishkeeper Braehead) and they had only two pumps, both not what I wanted. I did get some sand substrate and some gravel - I like to have a "landscaped beach" in the tank, and a few plants to get things started. Right now I have a step-down transformer plugged in and am running the filter and heater on it to get things started. Need to find some bacterial starter (or maybe not) to get the nitrogen cycle kickstarted. THEN need to source a nice Betta. We prefer the old-style plackatt (sp?) tail ones. Any idea where we could find one? Doesn't need to be show quality, it will be a family pet. Prefer a breeder rather than a pet shop....