Nano tank betta gift - help!

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FishAuntie

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Please help me get my nieceā€™s birthday gift right!


Basically Iā€™m preparing a fish as a gift and donā€™t want anything going wrong. Iā€™ve kept both fish and beta before, and she has had a fish before, but I havenā€™t known as much about it as I should. Iā€™m planning on surprising her with everything she needs as well as a detailed care sheet because she is only 8.

The tank is from a local pet store and is just under 7 gallons, unusual shaped. Came with a filter, and I am planning on buying a heater (15 watt sounds about right, yeah?)

Itā€™s been cycling with some treatment (betta safe) for the past 4 days. When a week hits I plan on taking 25% out for a water change. Then a week after repeating it, getting it tested. Iā€™m aiming to have it gifted in just under 3 weeks.

Info off town water site:
PH: 7.96 (7.0-8.4)
Alkalinity: 24.16 mg/L (16.7-33.3 mg/L)
Hardness: 18.8 mg/L (13.0-22.0 mg/L)
Turbidity: 0.08 NTU (0.06-0.17 NTU)
0.08-0.79 NTU in distribution system

Intended inhabitants:
Fish: 1 Betta (to be added just before birthday), 1 pleco (not added until 1 month after beta)
Extra: Marimo moss ball
Question: Would 4 neon tetra be an okay addition, or a biological overload? I read theyā€™re alright with betta and think my niece would adore them!

Tank itself: aquarium gravel, driftwood, silk plants, beta leaf shelf, & whatever other decor looks good


Basically I just want some guidance from you guys because Iā€™m nowhere near the hobbyist level as 95% of you all. Being that itā€™s a gift for a child Iā€™m trying very hard to get it right & properly prepped so sheā€™ll enjoy it and the fish will live a comfortable life. Is there anything I posted that raises a red flag? Anything that you would advise me to improve, change, or add?
 
Not sure about the tetras but the pleco wonā€™t work. Even a bristlenose or rubbernose will have too big of a bioload to be in such a small tank. Itā€™s a great size for the betta though. Get some Safe Start + bottled bacteria to get your cycle started since you donā€™t have a lot of time. Good luck!
 
This is exactly why I wanted to check - thank you so much Deanasue!

Bioload didnā€™t cross my mind. I just thought they would eat up more gunk than they put in because they are a bottom feeder, see, Iā€™m learning already! What could I replace the pleco with that would eat up some nasties at the bottom? Are snails the right option?

Duly noted the two products - will pick them up tomorrow! I was already planning on a trip to the store to get the heater anyway. 15watt is good for a 7 gallon?
 
Typically it is 3-5 watts per gallon, I think you need a bigger heater. Maybe a 21-25 watt heater. For a low maintenance tank, I think you might need some more live plants. What substrate are you planning to use?

I would only put maybe 1 betta and 1-2 Nerite snails in a 7 gal. Maybe if it was a 10 gal. You could put tetras in there, but it is only a 7 gal. Tank. Nerite snails are a good option because they donā€™t have that much of a bio-load, and they are not aggressive at all.

For plants, it really depends on what substrate you are going to use.

Any more questions? :)
 
This is exactly why I wanted to check - thank you so much Deanasue!

Bioload didnā€™t cross my mind. I just thought they would eat up more gunk than they put in because they are a bottom feeder, see, Iā€™m learning already! What could I replace the pleco with that would eat up some nasties at the bottom? Are snails the right option?

Duly noted the two products - will pick them up tomorrow! I was already planning on a trip to the store to get the heater anyway. 15watt is good for a 7 gallon?
Snails would be a great option! Japanese trap doors are good and donā€™t breed often. You may have to order them. I got mine through EBay. Any others snails will breed like rabbits. Lol!
 
Nerite snails donā€™t breed in freshwater either. They breed in murky saltwater tanks, they might lay some eggs, but they will never hatch. And.......they are a lot more common than Japanese trap door snails. You can literally find them anywhere. Thatā€™s just my opinion. :)
 
Oooh! Thank you!! Somehow I got 2 watt in my mind, probably read too much at once & it mushed together in my head. Iā€™ll get a bigger heater! Iā€™m very glad I asked first. I checked online and after 15 watt they jump to 50 watt. Would it overheat? Is that too much? The specific one I looked at is an Aqueon 50 watt for ā€œup to 20 gallons.ā€

I didnā€™t have anything in mind besides the moss ball. Substrate is traditional aquarium gravel, blue color (I know white can be problematic so I got all blue). Should I be looking at live Anubias? Would live plants be low maintenance themselves? Iā€™m over there at least once a month so I can do monthly plant maintenance if itā€™s needed, just throwing that out there.

Iā€™ll probably go with a Nerite snail or two then. Iā€™d rather not tempt any neon tetra if itā€™s too small - Iā€™m all about go big or go home when it comes to animal well being. Too bad 10 gallon is beyond her capacity (shelf size wise I mean, I know where itā€™s going in her room) but better safe than sorry. The betta will be more than lovely enough

I guess the only other question I have is I saw a lot about local water quality while lurking. I know all water needs to be treated & wouldnā€™t use any otherwise, I just wondered if my town water happened to be ā€˜averageā€™ or generally ā€˜okayā€™? Is it hard or soft?

So many hugs to you guys for your help!!!
 
If you really want to go easy, I would recommend the Tetra brand heaters, they are realitvly cheap, and keep the water temperature at 78+1 degrees Farinhite!! Here is a picture of the box, this specific heater cost me about $12, and it heats anywhere from 2-10 gal. Tanks, here is a link https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000OQO69Q/?tag=ff0d01-20

For some reason my math is wrong, it says a 50 watt heater heats 2-10 gal. Tanks. You can get any kind of heater you want, but with any adjustable heater, it is just so easy to bump it, and the next thing you know, your water temp. Is at 63 Degrees!! This is my favorite heater. :)

As far as plants go, you could get Anubis, but you would have to attach it to some driftwood, or tank decor, for it to grow properly. I suggest gently tying or supergluing (yes itā€™s safe! ;)) to a piece of decor or driftwood. Another great choice, the ā€œAnacharisā€ plant. You can not kill this thing!! I will, include a full tank picture of my 2.5 gal. Betta tank, and you can see the heater and Anacharis plants in the tank. What are your tap water readings?

I know that this was a lot to process, but please, ask me any questions you want, better to do it right the first time, than to do it over again!! :)
 
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Here is a picture of my tank. :)

I know the plants look droopy, but they are Anacharis (btw, what lighting source are you useing?) you can see the Nerite snail in the bottom left hand side, and the heater next to the filter, on its right. I hope this helps!!
If you want a picture of the snails separate, just let me know. ;)
image.jpg
 
That's a great looking aquarium!

It definitely does seem like some of those plants don't have enough life. Generally it's not recommended because of algae blooms, but if you don't want to add a light above it, I'd recommend putting it near a window or a room where it can get some natural light.
 
Thanks, it has a 60 watt over head clip on desk light. :)
 
Thanks for the heater 411! Iā€™ll sniff around the tetra line next.

Amazing that superglue is okay! Good tip there. Iā€™m not sure this aquarium will have enough light to sustain more than a moss ball but thatā€™s why Iā€™m here so you guys give me your opinions! I donā€™t know what kind of light it is - Itā€™s the imagitarium 6.8 gallon semi-hexagonal tank so I am just using the lights that came with it (LEDs in the hood). Something un-killable sounds perfect for a kid though!

Nice looking aquarium & what a fly little betta guy!
 
Thanks!! Yeah, like I said, Anacharis is pretty hard to kill!! :D

Moss balls should be fine, you could try the Anubis, and if it doesnā€™t it doesnā€™t work, but at least you can try! :)
 
I might just do that because worst case scenario is it withers & Auntie removes it. My green thumb is better than my nieceā€™s for sure. If I do decide to do one, what alterations if any should be done? I imagine a different, or additional substrate to feed the plants? Or is liquid fertilizer added to the water? Or pre-existing microorganisms within the water feed them? Just wondering what supports them biologically!
 
Wait, you mean about the Anubis? As long as it has some lighting source, and it is attached to a piece of driftwood, it should grow fine. If you are talking about Anacharis plants, like I said, they are one of the very few plants you can just stick in gravel, and it will grow!! The moss balls are very hardy, and donā€™t need anything, juts a little light. :)

Here are some suggestions on fertilizers if you do choose to get some (they are not at all nessisary, but will help your plants flourish!)

Root tabs:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000255QLG/?tag=ff0d01-20

These are one of the best root tabs I know, you simply just stick it in the gravel, at the base of the plants (where the roots will/are be, and then leave it be!) you want to make shure you get it deep enough, so it doesnā€™t come up-rooted. :)

Liquid Fertilizer: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00025696M/?tag=ff0d01-20

Itā€™s got to be the Seachem brand again, it isnā€™t the best! Just dose it to the tank as the instructions say on the bottle and Vwala!

You donā€™t have to do either one, but if you at lest got the root tabs, your plants will flourish!! If you get both, even better.

I have only used the Seachem root tabs, and they worked fin for me, you will know when to put another one the gravel, when your plants look like they are dying!! Thatā€™s pretty much it! Any more questions you will oils like to ask me? :)
 
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