10 Gallon Planted Tank Journal

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OliveFish05

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Hello! I decided to make a journal about my 10 Gallon Betta Tank!

Here is a little story about how it started out as a betta tank.
Originally I kept guppies in this tank with my sisterā€™s female betta and two mystery snails. I did not realize at the time that the different fish needed different water parameters. My guppies started dying, and I couldnā€™t figure out why. In the meantime, I upgraded my light from a MingDak submersible led light strip to a Nicrew SkyLed Plus, and immediately after plugging it in I find that every one of my guppies is covered in ich. Over the next couple days, as I started taking action to treat it (raising the tank temp and doing substrate vacuums and water changes) I lost all my guppies and my sister decided she didnā€™t want her betta under my care anymore (I can see why. Sooooooo I found myself with an empty tank. After being around here for a while, I see how strongly @PheonixKingZ and others feel that a 10 gallon tank is the best tank size for a betta, so have decided that this will be a betta tank, no other tank mates except some shrimp and snails. In a bit of an emergency situation, I ended up with a betta much sooner than I was expecting. ā€œSooner than I was expectingā€ as in the day after my last guppy died of ich. So, I didnā€™t really know what to do so I removed all the water from the tank and rinsed my filter pad in it, then scrubbed all plants, rocks, sides of the tank, and the filter (not filter media) with a toothbrush and fresh water, filled the tank and stirred up all the sand, emptied the tank again, then filled it again with dechlorinated water, all in the hopes my new betta would not get ich. I even did daily substrate vacuums, but I missed 2 days and guess what! My betta has ich. The tank is at 86 degrees and Iā€™m doing daily 30% water changes and substrate vacuums to get it under control and the betta is doing well. So! This is where the tank is at right now! I am not that proud of how the plants are looking right now to be honest, but I am very happy with the Dragon Stone layout. I would love to hear peopleā€™s thoughts and opinions!
 

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A little bit of info about the tank itself and the current setup...


10 Gallon Tank
Random lid that I found at Goodwill
Nicrew SkyLed Plus Led Light
MyLivell Aquarium Heater (it got good reviews on Amazon)
AquaClear 20 HOB Filter equipped with 2 sponges and a little bag of rocks
20 pounds CaribSea Super Natural Crystal River Sand
About 10 to 15 pounds of Dragon Stone
2 small Amazon Swords
2 Anubias Barteri, about 6 leaves each
2 small Dwarf Sag
A ton of Java Fern that I hate
1 Banana Plant
A big bunch of floating Pennywort
A small stem of floating Water Sprite
 
I love the glass snail! Very cute. I like the tank layout too. Hopefully your betta gets to feeling better and beats ich
Thank you! The glass snail is like my favorite thing ever, it was the only thing that got to stay in front of the tank. Thank you, he is already on the mend! He still doesnā€™t have a name...
 
Thank you! My LFS sells it for just $3 a pound!

Yes, I was told this was the temp to treat ich
$3 is pretty good. My LFS sells it for $2/lb. :hey:

Ah, ok, must have missed that part. I thought you constantly kept the tank at 86F, lol. :lol:
 
Very bad news :blush: I am apparently very bad at keeping bettas alive. The betta died, I think it was the ich or something, I really don't know. All the water parameters are fine, he showed no signs of injury, I think he was just too weak to fight off the ich or something... Those pet store bettas have such awful genetics. I feel awful, I killed him:rip:? So I suppose this is the end of the "betta tank journal". Maybe I'll change the title and keep it going, I don't know. I just feel so awful. Somehow my mom and sisters can keep bettas alive in 1 gallon bowls with no filter, no heater, no live plants, and I go out and buy a 10 gallon tank with quality equipment and start growing these nice plants, and I can't keep a betta alive for more than 3 weeks.? I love bettas, but I don't think I will be getting another one.
 
Sorry for the loss.
You didn't "kill" the fish, you tried your best to give him a good life.
Now that you have some experience and help from the folks here, you'll have better luck next time, I'm sure.
 
Sorry for the loss.
You didn't "kill" the fish, you tried your best to give him a good life.
Now that you have some experience and help from the folks here, you'll have better luck next time, I'm sure.
Thank you for your kind words. What should I do with the tank? I would like to eventually get more fish for it, maybe have a guppy tank or a group of pea puffers. I would even consider trying to get my pygmy cories to breed and set it up for them. Do you know what I would need to do (like cleaning) to make it safe for more fish, and how long should I wait to add more fish?
 
Thank you for your kind words. What should I do with the tank? I would like to eventually get more fish for it, maybe have a guppy tank or a group of pea puffers. I would even consider trying to get my pygmy cories to breed and set it up for them. Do you know what I would need to do (like cleaning) to make it safe for more fish, and how long should I wait to add more fish?
Maintain the high temp for another two weeks, add no more fish.
After the 2 week period, do a large WC and gravel vac, return the tank to regular temp for the new fish you are considering.
 
Maintain the high temp for another two weeks, add no more fish.
After the 2 week period, do a large WC and gravel vac, return the tank to regular temp for the new fish you are considering.
Thank you! I will do that. It will definitely be a while before I add new fish. There is currently a little Nerite Snail in the tank, what should I do with her?
 
Iā€™m sorry for your loss. :(


Thank you! I will do that. It will definitely be a while before I add new fish. There is currently a little Nerite Snail in the tank, what should I do with her?
You can leave her in there, or remove her if you feel uncomfortable with the idea.


Maintain the high temp for another two weeks, add no more fish.
After the 2 week period, do a large WC and gravel vac, return the tank to regular temp for the new fish you are considering.
I do perform a 100% water change, just to get a fresh start. (Keep the media in your filter though)
 

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