Betta 5 Gallon/20 Litre Community Tank

[melave]

Hello,

I'm new to this forum; it looks like a very well-informed place. I was wondering if anyone had an opinion on a tank I want to set up. I want to make it as close to this as possible.



This looks the business! I want to get a 5 gallon/20 litre square shaped aquarium and put in some cory catfish also. Do you think that size tank would be big enough for 1 Betta and 2 Corys? Any advice would be appreciated,cheers.

 

[OldMan47]

Moved here from the species index. A new member's query.

 

[melave]

Apologies, I posted it in the wrong place.

 

[OldMan47]

No problem, that's why we are here to help. I moved the two duplicates to the junk pile. Figured you really only wanted to post the question once.

 

[melave]

Yeah, I posted it once and couldn't find it anywhere, sorry mate!

 

[Jonty]

Well, that's a nice size for a betta. Unfortunately Corys generally need a bigger tank than that, and like to be in groups of 6 or more. If you could find some Pygmy Corys, you could probably have a group of 4 in there. Alternatively you could have cherry shrimp or maybe an Apple Snail? If you're prepared to make a bit of effort at feeding time, you could have 2-3 African Dwarf Frogs.

Remember research all of these first, and introduce them BEFORE the Betta.

 

[aly_starh]

Welcome to the forum!

Oh i saw that tank too! its very nice and creative.

I have a male betta divided tank, each section is 5.5G, im planning on adding Pygmy cories into one section.

If you do get cories a group is reccomended so 4-5 is ideal. If you dont get them you could try some shrimp and snails too

So yes its ideal for the betta and a few cories. Have you read up on cycling the tank?

 

[kelly528]

With the recent discovery of many timy species, a 5.5g community is becoming more and more feasible. The problem with working suck a setup around bettas is that in this size, any fish you can fit in there is usually something the betta is capable of eating!

While pygmy and dwarf cories are tiny enough to thrive in ths tank size, you should be aware that depending on your betta's personality he may snack on them. The same goes for any fish of about 1 inch or under.

You may get away with an apple snail or shrimp (who, again, bettas have been known to eat) but that's about it.

On the bright side, a lone betta in a 5.5g will demand a far less rigorous maintenance schedule, espescially if you cycle the tank.

PS. If you go whole hog and do the bamboo, don't submerge the leaves. It's not truly aquatic so it need to have a little sticking out of the water otherwise it will 'drown' and rot in the tank.

 

[melave]

I like the idea of pygmy corys alright. Theres an aquarium store close to me which has them.

Thanks

I was also thinking that it would be good to have an aquarium with fish from Thailand only. So I might gt the shrimp instead! I'll have to decide!

 

[aly_starh]

What buy shrimp instead of the betta?
Piccies would be great once tank is set up!

 

[melave]

Hello Kelly528,

I was going to get bamboo branches which are already dead, like the one plant stores use to help prop up plants. I'll put them in boiling water to clean them and kill any bacteria. I haven't got real plants in a tank before and would be hppy with fake silk plants instead.

I think I'll get the betta first and see if its aggressive or not. I would be happy to have a betta on its own in that sort of set-up.

What buy shrimp instead of the betta?
Piccies would be great once tank is set up!

I definitely want to get the betta, I like those fish alot. I'll just have to decide if its right to put anything in with him!

 

[melave]

If my tank looks half as good as the one in the video I'll put up photos alright!

 

[kelly528]

You'll want to treat the bamboo with an aquarium-safe sealant so it doesn't rot.

 

[StrontiumDog]

You'll want to treat the bamboo with an aquarium-safe sealant so it doesn't rot.

I'm no expert but even when you add bogwood it rots in your tank, so are you saying that all wood that you add in your tank should be treated with sealent.

Dont forget melave that if you have sections of uncut bamboo between the notches that thesse contain air pockets. it's probly not a good idea too use green bamboo.

I never tried bamboo but after reading this maybe worth a try would look nice "A bamboo jungle under water"

 

[melave]

What does the sealant do and how does it stop the wood rotting? I could still do the same kind of aquarium without bamboo and it would look well. The bamboo I'd use would be just like in the video, dead and brown. I would have a few branches leaving enough rom for the fish to swim around.