A new fish person with some questions...

[Essjay]

It would take anything up to 8 weeks to do a fishless cycle with ammonia. it is difficult to be precise as every tank is different.

The filter in your link -
I have found one site that says the filter has a turnover of 80 gallons per hour. This is 8 times the tank volume per hour which is too much for a betta. The other thing about it is the carbon cartridges, which are not good filter media.
For a betta, an air powered sponge filter is ideal. Like this
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XKLG9HW/?tag=ff0d01-20
You would also need an air pump, airline tubing and a one way valve to stop the water sucking back along the tubing.


The heater -
It is recommended to get a decent quality brand as they are less likely to fail than cheap imports. I use Eheim Jager heaters but they tend to be quite long and may not fit a 10 gallon tank. Our American members will be able to suggest reliable brands.



Plastic plants are not recommended for bettas because they have sharp edges which can cut bettas' fins. If you don't want live plants, look at silk plants.
Plastic decor can also have sharp edges. The way to check is the pantyhose test. (If you are male, 'borrow' some old pantyhose from a female of your acquaintance). Run an old pair of pantyhose over the decor. If they snag, either don't use the decor or smooth the rough bit with sandpaper.

 

[NannaLou]

It depends upon the plants. The faster growing they are, the more ammonia they assimilate. Given this is for a betta, I would look at the more substantial floating plants, like Water Sprite, Frogbit, or Water Lettuce. Bettas also like to have this type of plant to browse among for food (off the roots). Salvinia helps, but is not as useful or effective.

I’ve just put water spangles in with my Betta and he spends hours inspecting the roots and then grabbing at something…I have no idea what…but it does keep him busy

 

[BlazerBuddy]

It would take anything up to 8 weeks to do a fishless cycle with ammonia. it is difficult to be precise as every tank is different.

The filter in your link -
I have found one site that says the filter has a turnover of 80 gallons per hour. This is 8 times the tank volume per hour which is too much for a betta. The other thing about it is the carbon cartridges, which are not good filter media.
For a betta, an air powered sponge filter is ideal. Like this
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XKLG9HW/?tag=ff0d01-20
You would also need an air pump, airline tubing and a one way valve to stop the water sucking back along the tubing.


The heater -
It is recommended to get a decent quality brand as they are less likely to fail than cheap imports. I use Eheim Jager heaters but they tend to be quite long and may not fit a 10 gallon tank. Our American members will be able to suggest reliable brands.



Plastic plants are not recommended for bettas because they have sharp edges which can cut bettas' fins. If you don't want live plants, look at silk plants.
Plastic decor can also have sharp edges. The way to check is the pantyhose test. (If you are male, 'borrow' some old pantyhose from a female of your acquaintance). Run an old pair of pantyhose over the decor. If they snag, either don't use the decor or smooth the rough bit with sandpaper.

Would driftwood like this hurt the Betta? Also, are you sure sponge cleaners are the only safe way for a clean Betta cage? I see people using normal filters and there Betta is doing just fine.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086X44MD3/?tag=ff0d01-20

 

[NannaLou]

Wold drift wood like this hurt the Betta?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086X44MD3/?tag=ff0d01-20

Yes, I would say it will…I had a piece that had less sticky out bits that that and my Betta ended up with a little tear in his tail…needles to say the wood was removed pdq

 

[Essjay]

I used a sponge filter in my betta's tank when I had one. Before I got the sponge filter I had an internal which is not available in the US, unfortunately. The media was just a sponge and the water flow could be turned down.

I now have an Eheim filter in my shrimp tank which would work but I have no idea if you can get them. This too has just a sponge inside and an adjustable. Is there anything like this in the US?

EHEIM pickup 45

The EHEIM pickup is a small practical filter with a special concept The filter is simple to attach in the tank with suction cups. The special…

eheim.com

If you want wood, do the pantyhose test on that. I had a bit of wood in with my betta - it's now in the shrimp tank - and it is smooth with no sticking out pointy bits.

 

[BlazerBuddy]

Yes, I would say it will…I had a piece that had less sticky out bits that that and my Betta ended up with a little tear in his tail…needles to say the wood was removed pdq

Wait, so what decor for the aquarium, would you recommend?

 

[Essjay]

Live plants, silk plants, smooth rocks, smooth wood......

 

[BlazerBuddy]

Live plants, silk plants, smooth rocks, smooth wood......

So what your saying is that a filter like this is bad for a Betta?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XHSJ8MV/?tag=ff0d01-20

If an air pump says 20-40 gallon tanks, can I still use it for my 10-gallon tank?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009YF4FI/?tag=ff0d01-20

 

[Essjay]

These small filters have carbon filled cartridges which are not very good media. But if you don't use the cartridge and instead use filter sponge, any make, cut to the size of a cartridge, that are better.
The nest question is the water flow. Filters should give a turnover as so many gallons per hour. The bigger the number the more water flow. Bettas have big fins and they get blown around the tank if there's too much flow. Think of a ship with sails in a hurricane. For a 10 gallon tank with a betta, 40 gallons per hour is the most you want, perhaps even less than that. If a filter has a flow rate adjuster, that's even better so can adjust the flow to suit the fish.

 

[BlazerBuddy]

These small filters have carbon filled cartridges which are not very good media. But if you don't use the cartridge and instead use filter sponge, any make, cut to the size of a cartridge, that are better.
The nest question is the water flow. Filters should give a turnover as so many gallons per hour. The bigger the number the more water flow. Bettas have big fins and they get blown around the tank if there's too much flow. Think of a ship with sails in a hurricane. For a 10 gallon tank with a betta, 40 gallons per hour is the most you want, perhaps even less than that. If a filter has a flow rate adjuster, that's even better so can adjust the flow to suit the fish.

So would a sponge filter set like this work?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07L56LB5G/?tag=ff0d01-20
Air Pump-
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009YHU6Y/?tag=ff0d01-20

Would these aquarium pieces be sufficient for a 10-gallon tank?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084KT7SR7/?tag=ff0d01-20

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QLBPJ7V/?tag=ff0d01-20

 

[Essjay]

Those would all be fine - though with the log I would check it for rough edges where a betta would swim through. Just because the description says it's smooth doesn't mean there isn't a tiny bit left sticking out from when it was made.

 

[BlazerBuddy]

Those would all be fine - though with the log I would check it for rough edges where a betta would swim through. Just because the description says it's smooth doesn't mean there isn't a tiny bit left sticking out from when it was made.

Okay so when it comes to sponge filters, the up to 60 gallons doesn’t matter if I gave a 10 gallon tank?

 

[Essjay]

With sponge filters, they get bigger as the tanks they are designed for get bigger so a 60 gallon sponge filter might well fill too much of a 10 gallon tank. See if the item description gives the dimensions.

It is the air pump which determines the amount of flow. They usually give the amount of air they can pump per hour. This doesn't equate to the amount of water moved per hour but gives an indication of the power of the pump. And manufacturers usually give the size tank they are designed for.
If a pump does turn out to be too strong, there is a simple remedy. My air pump created a bit too much water flow for my betta so I put one of these in the air line tubing

I opened the spare outlet to bleed air into the room and reduce the amount of air going into the tank, which reduced the water flow.





Can I ask which room this tank will be in? Some air pumps can be noisy and if it is to go in a bedroom, you would need to find a quiet one. In a kitchen, it wouldn't matter.

 

[BlazerBuddy]

With sponge filters, they get bigger as the tanks they are designed for get bigger so a 60 gallon sponge filter might well fill too much of a 10 gallon tank. See if the item description gives the dimensions.

It is the air pump which determines the amount of flow. They usually give the amount of air they can pump per hour. This doesn't equate to the amount of water moved per hour but gives an indication of the power of the pump. And manufacturers usually give the size tank they are designed for.
If a pump does turn out to be too strong, there is a simple remedy. My air pump created a bit too much water flow for my betta so I put one of these in the air line tubing
View attachment 140045
I opened the spare outlet to bleed air into the room and reduce the amount of air going into the tank, which reduced the water flow.





Can I ask which room this tank will be in? Some air pumps can be noisy and if it is to go in a bedroom, you would need to find a quiet one. In a kitchen, it wouldn't matter.

It will be in a office room. Out in the open.

 

[Essjay]

In that case, it doesn't matter how noisy the air pump is (unless anyone working in there will find it too distracting )