10 gallon planted Dwarf Rasbora journal

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BleuTheBetta

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Hello! I just very recently bought a 10 gallon tank to put in the front entryway of my house. I plan to make it a planted tank, with around 12 dwarf rasboras. Fry arenā€™t arenā€™t a problem, they donā€™t breed in my parameters.
Iā€™m super excited to start the process. The tank will begin cycling in a few days, once I get the filter and ammonia to start the cycle. Iā€™ll post a before pic attached to here! Iā€™ll try to post updates often.
Let the chaos begin šŸ˜„
 

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Oh cool!
Keep us updated!
Do you plan to plant the tank? If so, what plants do you plan to put in there?
 
If you already have a healthy cycled betta tank, you could borrow some filter media or even substrate from that tank to do a seeded cycle with this one. Much faster than cycling from scratch, since you're introducing both types of the needed bacteria straight away. :)
 
Yeah! Stick your bettaā€™s biomedia in the new filter and bam! Super fast cycle! I do it every time I start a tank or restart one and have never had an issue. Just part of it though, gotta leave some for your og tank. If you have a sponge and biomedia, leave the sponge and move over the biomedia. If you use cartridges, stick the old one in the new tank rather than toss it when switching them out. I like to plunk a few lava rocks in my filters and use those to startup my new tanks.
 
Do you plan to plant the tank? If so, what plants do you plan to put in there?
I do! Iā€™m thinking some anubias varieties, Java fern, christmas moss, etc. I guess Iā€™ll see when I get there!
borrow some filter media
Iā€™m not getting the same filter though. I may, if I can have a betta Ef 5 in my 10gal. Since it is a 5 gal filter, will that filter be okay in a 10?
Iā€™m planning on getting this filter- Quiet flow
If that one isnā€™t going to do me very well, what filter should I use? Iā€™ve only ever used filter cartridges though.
 
I do! Iā€™m thinking some anubias varieties, Java fern, christmas moss, etc. I guess Iā€™ll see when I get there!

Iā€™m not getting the same filter though. I may, if I can have a betta Ef 5 in my 10gal. Since it is a 5 gal filter, will that filter be okay in a 10?
Iā€™m planning on getting this filter- Quiet flow
If that one isnā€™t going to do me very well, what filter should I use? Iā€™ve only ever used filter cartridges though.
Ooohh honey, I'm glad you posted! Those cartridges are an expensive rip off, and encourage you to throw away your beneficial bacteria every month or so. There's no need, that's just how they make a profit. Remember that the filter is meant to sift out muck, and provide surface area for the nitrifying bacteria that processes the fish waste and keeps the water safe. You don't need ammonia remover cartridges or carbon all the time. You don't need to buy a new filter either, just some basic filter sponge you can cut to size to fit the filter you have, and ditch having to replace expensive cartridges all the time!

Helpful videos about adapting your filter and saving you a lot of money! Sponge only needs rinsing in old tank water now and then, and lasts for years. :)

You don't need the same kind of filter or to swap the filter over completely to seed the cycle of the new ten gallon. How many cartridge things are in the current filter? Swapping one cartridge and maybe a handful of gravel in a net bag or similar should be enough to "seed" or "kick start" the cycle in the new one.

You're basically adding live bacteria from your current tank, instead of trying to use the ones from bottles that might not be the right bacteria and might not help (patent stuff, @Essjay or @TwoTankAmin could explain much better!) but you're adding some of the beneficial bacteria you know you have in your current tank since it's already cycled. Make sense? Then it's just a case of growing those bacteria colonies according to your new tanks bioload needs. I've set up a seeded cycled like this in an emergency when I had poisoned shrimp, and it took about four days of nitrite spiking while those bacteria were catching up to the bioload, so I used Prime and did large daily water changes and it caught up in 4-5 days, no more spikes, and could reduce water changes.

If you do this, it isn't an instant cycle, and it's not a stable, established, fully cycled tank yet. But it is a lot faster than cycling from scratch, and most of us who already have a tank use current filter media etc to kick start a cycle, since it's such a long process otherwise!
 
How many cartridge things are in the current filter?
Thereā€™s one! This cartridge
Swapping one cartridge and maybe a handful of gravel in a net bag or similar should be enough to "seed" or "kick start" the cycle in the new one.
i canā€™t use gravel (black sand in 10gal and white sand in 5gal) but I can take the 5galā€™s filter and pop it into the 10gal for however long (?) since my 5gal is getting a wc tonight. It should be fine! Do I add the plants and decor before starting the cycle or after?
And, after the filter is taken out of the 10gal, what further do I do?
Thank you so much for all the help!!
 
@AdoraBelle Dearheart
is this a good filter?
I think you can put sponge in there. the filter in my 5gal is crappy, so i need recommendations for a new filter for in there too...
 
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@AdoraBelle Dearheart
is this a good filter?
I think you can put sponge in there. the filter in my 5gal is crappy, so i need recommendations for a new filter for in there too...
I use those for all my tanks ā¤ļøā¤ļøā¤ļø

Havenā€™t needed to replace the biomedia once. It needs rinsed off every so often but you donā€™t ever need to replace it unless it rips or something. And you donā€™t need to charcoal bag it comes with u les your removing medication from the tank. Theyā€™re nice and quiet, but make sure to have something to wedge in between the tank and the canister to help level it. Else, if the tank gets clogged, it can spill over the back. It comes with a leveler but something that fits super snug is preferable. I use binder clips or spare suction cups lol or just make sure the tank is flush against the wall
 
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88D6C78B-2E24-4BB2-A206-6A295B8CFA55.jpeg
D4C6C5BE-977D-4EED-B381-57CD3B66EC1F.jpeg

Hereā€™s mine just to show you what I mean. Pressed directly against the wall for support, and the other one has a suction cup wedged under it to keep it level.
 
are yall saying to never change filter cartriges @AdoraBelle Dearheart
Shes definitely not saying that.
You should replace your filter cartridges with foam.
These can be rinsed and reused every month.
Better for the fish and better for your wallet.
 

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