Reddit mentions: The best aquarium pumps & filters

Hello! Welcome to the wonderful world of betta keeping! I'm a bit late to the game, since this was posted a bit ago, and you've already recieved advice, but I'd like to offer up some as well.

As everyone has already said, it's a pretty big misconception for nearly all new betta keepers that bettas can be kept in small spaces without a filter or heater. This stems from the belief that bettas live in mud puddles, when it couldn't be further from the truth.

Bettas come from vast rice paddies, that will usually never dip below knee height and stretches for miles on end. In the dry season, the paddies do tend have lower water levels, but certainly not puddles. It's a densely planted ecosystem with moving water, and natural filters, ie. The plants and bacteria.

Since you're new to fish keeping (I assume, but apologies if I am wrong) you may not be aware of something called the "Nitrogen Cycle." While it may be confusing at first, essentially the beneficial bacteria that breaks down your fishes waste into ammonia, then nitrites, and then nitrates. This process is crucial for your fishes health and well being, and is very important in the fish keeping world, but I'll get into the specifics a bit more later in this comment.

While the "recommended" amount of space for a betta is commonly agreed to be 2.5 gallons, which is perfectly fine as a bare minimum, I would honestly not recommend such a small space for a beginner. This is because of the nitrogen cycle. I would go with a 5 gallon tank, or even a 10 gallon, which will be much easier to cycle and keep your fish much safer during the process.

As for the nitrogen cycle itself, the process happens on it's own, but you have to be the one to keep your fish safe during it. Basically, ammonia and nitrites are deadly to your fish, and for the first few weeks, these will be all too common. What your aiming for is the much safer, but still harmful in large quantities, and manageable nitrites at the end of the cycle.

The nitrogen cycle starts with the addition of ammonia into a new tank. This can be done in 2 ways, fish in or fish out. What you'll be doing is a fish in cycle. Beneficial bacteria will begin to grow in your tank to break down waste and convert them into the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrates. The bacteria grow on surfaces, such as decor, gravel, filter, heater, glass, and is NOT present in the water itself. This means that for the next few weeks, you gotta stay on top of your water change game.

50% water changes every other day for 2 weeks. 30% water changes every other day for 2 weeks. 40% water changes about every 3-4 days for a week. 30% water changes about once or twice a week at the end of the cycle. I know it seems like a lot, but your fish will appreciate it.

For more information on the Nitrogen Cycle, you can search it on google, and a helpful video to watch on it is KGTropicals youtube video "everything you need to know about the nitrogen cycle." They break it down so well and have more visual representations, so I definitely recommend it.

Some things to consider getting for your fish as well, and things that will help your cycle a TON. I'll be adding links for visual representation, as well as trying to find you the best prices I can.

1. A good sized tank. I recommend a 5 or 10 gallon, much easier to start and keep a cycle in a bigger tank, but yes, 2.5 gallons is perfectly fine if you need it space wise. Be aware that even more water changes will be required to keep and maintain your tanks balance though.
   
   No links for this one since shipping a tank is a PAIN, but 5 and 10 gallon tanks can be bought from places like walmart, or local stores, or petsmart and Petco. I'm not sure if petco is still having their dollar per gallon sale, but a 10 gallon tank would only be $10.
   
   
2. A good water conditioner. I recommend something like Seachem Prime or Neutral Regulator. These will remove any heavy metals, chlorine, and chlorimine from your water, AND detoxify ammonia, and nitrites for 48 hours. This is SO GOOD for keeping your fish happy and healthy during the cycling process.
   
   https://www.amazon.com/Safe-250-g-8-8-oz/dp/B0002A5WOC/ref=mp_s_a_1_8?keywords=seachem+prime&qid=1572116532&sr=8-8
   
   
3. A good filter. Personally, sponge filters are the way to go. Easy, cheap, reliable. Most local fish stores will have the sponge filter itself, but they can also be ordered on Amazon. The other things needed would be airline tubing, and an airpump. The tubing and air pump can be bought even at big retailers like walmart or meijer and replaced easily sin e they're so readily available.
   
   To clean a sponge filter is the easiest thing. While your changing tank water, out some in a clean bucket, take your sponge filter out, put in bucket of removed tank water, squeeze sponge filter, put back in tank. It also holds an awesome amount of the good beneficial bacteria and will not lose it when you clean it, unlike changing cartridges for a hang on back filter. They also aerate the water, bringing more oxygen into it, and don't create a high flow that will tire your betta.
   
   https://www.amazon.com/Lefunpets-Biochemical-Sponge-Breeding-Aquarium/dp/B07VM8DN5Y/ref=mp_s_a_1_7?keywords=sponge+filter&qid=1572116736&sr=8-7
   
   https://www.amazon.com/Tetra-Whisper-Pump-Gallon-Aquariums/dp/B004PB8SMM/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=fish%2Btank%2Bair%2Bpump&qid=1572116792&sr=8-3&th=1&psc=1
   
   https://www.amazon.com/Penn-Plax-Aquariums-Flexible-Standard/dp/B0002563MW/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=airline+tubing&qid=1572116832&sr=8-3
   
   Hang on back filters can be used too though, I just don't find them as reliable.
   
   https://www.amazon.com/Tetra-Whisper-Power-Filter-Three-Stage/dp/B001CHXJSK/ref=mp_s_a_1_16?keywords=fish+tank+filter&qid=1572117085&sr=8-16
   
   Be sure to use a hang on back appropriate for your tank size. Bettas can tire easily of water flow is too high, and in some cases you may still need to baffle the filter.
   
   https://youtu.be/Hse7F3pvHqI
   
   
4. A good heater. Ideally, you want one you can adjust. Choose a heater for your tank size as well. Too small, won't keep water warm, too bug, could possibly cook your fish. That's never a good thing.
   
   https://www.amazon.com/HITOP-Aquarium-Reptiles-Thermometer-50W-Grey/dp/B07MJJJ4QQ/ref=sxin_2_ac_m_pm?ac_md=1-0-VW5kZXIgJDIw-ac_d_pm&keywords=fish+tank+heater&pd_rd_i=B07MJJJ4QQ&pd_rd_r=429ee2a8-3699-45aa-8e2b-e30164b14a2a&pd_rd_w=uFCrj&pd_rd_wg=125c4&pf_rd_p=808372f4-ce06-4458-88ef-16b605aa053a&pf_rd_r=T4YHMVDAP5EAQSAGXKJV&psc=1&qid=1572117367
   
   
5. A good food. The recommended I've seen so far is Northfin betta bits, or Fluval bug bites. You can also go the frozen food route, but it's a bit more expensive and involved.
   
   https://www.amazon.com/Northfin-Betta-Bits-Pellet-Package/dp/B01C1ARV3K/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?keywords=northfin+betta+bits&qid=1572117834&sprefix=northfin+&sr=8-2
   
   https://www.amazon.com/Fluval-A6577-Tropical-Granules-Medium/dp/B07194GD1F/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?keywords=fluval+bug+bites&qid=1572117868&sprefix=fluval+bug&sr=8-4
   
   I use a mix of Aqueon, Northfin, and Fluval for some variety in my bettas diets along with frozen blood worms. They love them. I've heard Hikari betta food is good too.
   
   I don't recommend the generic foods sold at walmart. The pellets are too big, and the formula is low quality. It'll keep your betta alive, but just isn't great for them. Also, flake foods are a no no. It's just too messy, the fish doesn't eat all of it, and just isn't worth it.
   
   Lastly, you want to decide what kind of decor you will go with. If you go artificial, be sure to use soft, silk plants so your bettas fins do not get hurt.
   
   I recommend live plants always though, cause they help a lot in keeping your tank clean, produce oxygen, and will help absorb some of nitrates in the water. All around good stuff. Easy plants to take care of are anubias, java ferns, java moss, water wisteria, and floating plants like water lettuce.
   
   Bettas also need hiding places. This can be anything really. From the decor sold at walmart, natural looking rock caves, or even a terracotta pot. It doesn't really matter, as long as it doesn't have sharp points.
   
   The decor is up to you and what you like.
   
   Ummmmm, I can't think of anything else really. But if you need any help with anything, feel free to reach out! A lot of us are passionate about our quirky little dudes and gals and will be more than happy to help with anything you need advice on. And use the internet to your advantage too! There's TONS of good information and videos out there now, and you can find what you're looking for at the touch of a screen now.
   
   And also also, please do not feel bad about your start at betta keeping. We all start somewhere, and more than likely, we have all made this very same mistake. I know I did. The best thing to do now is to just work on upgrading your little dude and providing the best care you can for him. He'll start to heal up and REALLY shine.
   
   Apologies for extremely long message, but I hope this helps and wish you and your betta the best of luck!! ☺️

150 is totally realistic. Planted tanks are the best. I'm not sure what advice you've already received but 10 gallons is "big enough". It is just that the larger the body of water the easier it is to keep stable. 10 gallons is an awesome starting point. I'll take a shot at a $150 total setup, that is plenty for a planted tank:

• API master test kit. Most important of all important importants :). No really though, get one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000255NCI/ref=sr_ph_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1497496243&sr=sr-1&keywords=API+master+test+kit - $30
  
  
• 10 gallon tank from petsmart or petco - $14.99
  
  
• Aquaclear 30 hang-on-back filter - $32.00. This will eliminate the need for a air pump and sponge filter.
  These things are awesome.
  They are reliable, have adjustable flow, and make it so you can stack the media you want in your filter without having to go crazy expensive witha
  canister filter.
  They also come with really decent media. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00020SVDG/ref=sr_ph_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1497495329&sr=sr-1&keywords=aquaclear+30
  
  
• This light will grow low maintenance plants easily and is highly reviewed - $17.99: https://www.amazon.com/NICREW-Aquarium-Light-Extendable-Brackets/dp/B0191EWII2/ref=sr_1_4?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1497495518&sr=1-4&keywords=aquarium+led+light
  
  
• Cheap and awesome heater AND thermometer combo - $14.00 - https://www.amazon.com/Aquatop-Aquarium-Submersible-100-Watt-Thermometer/dp/B06X3RYRMD/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1497495598&sr=8-1&keywords=aquatop+100w
  
  
• Food of your choice ~ $4-8. I highly recommend Hikari Micro pellets. They are one food that my most stubborn will eat and they are small enough that no matter what age fish you get they will be able to eat them.
  
  
• Seachem Prime $13 - Hands down best water conditioner out there. MUCH CHEAPER online. Do not buy it in stores if you can avoid it. It will last forever too: https://www.amazon.com/Seachem-116043304-Prime-500ml/dp/B00025694O/ref=sr_1_1?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1497495705&sr=1-1&keywords=Seachem+Prime
  
  
• Hiding places and plants - $??? - The rest of your budget I guess. I like to build caves out of slate tiles and silicone from home improvement stores ($1.98/sq foot). Bettas like to explore and like places to get out of the light when they feel like it. Building slate caves is a really cost effective way to do that. Another idea is the super cheap clay pots. If you get clay pots just make sure you plug the hole at the bottom of the pot (the edges are very sharp and will cut your betta's fins).
  
  
  • As for live plants I have had the best success with shopping on amazon or /r/aquaswap. Some great vendors (and I mean great, the plants come in amazing condition days later in the mail) are substratesource and Aquarium Plants Factory
    
    
    So that is ~$120.00 without the plants and hiding places. That leaves you $30.00 for plants which is a great amount of money to get a very nice planted setup going. My 1 best piece of advice is to heavily plant the tank from the very beginning. The more plants you put in there, the more competition there is for algae and the better everything in your ecosystem will thrive.
    
    Edit: forgot to include cleaning basic tools such as a siphon: https://www.amazon.com/Python-Pro-Clean-Aquarium-Gravel-Squeeze/dp/B00BDPFYEI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1497496172&sr=8-2&keywords=python+siphon and a bucket :) make sure you get those.
    
    =D

Fair warning, incoming essay haha

27 gallons is perfectly fine. The first thing you will want to read up on is the nitrogen cycle and fishless cycling. The best way to cycle your tank is to ask a local fish or pet store if they can give you some used filter media to jump start your cycle. If not, buy an API test kit and follow the steps in those guides then your tank will cycle in about a month.

For filters you have two main options Hang off the back (HOB) or canister. HOB are easy to maintain and clean which seems great as a beginner. They need to be cleaned every couple-few weeks. Aquaclear are great HOBs. For your size tank I would get an aquaclear 50 or two of the 20/30s (one for each side).

I prefer canister filters. They give you more options for customization, can hold more media, and don't need to be cleaned as often as HOB. Buuuut they typically come at a steeper price. The most popular brands are eheim, fluval, and sunsun. I have eheims and love them. Reviews for sunsuns can be hit or miss, but they definitely have good value for their price. When picking a filter you generally want a turnover rate of 8-10 times your tank size. So 27 gallon tank, youd want about 216 - 270 gallons per hour (gph), keep this in mind when picking a canister.

If you plan on tropical fish you will definitely need a heater. Aqueon pro and eheim make good heaters. If you go canister, you can get an inline heater which are nice because you don't have to look at it or try to hide it in your aquarium.

For planted tanks you need a substrate. The cheapest option is to use pool filter sand along with some root tabs. Look into the walstad method if you wanna keep it low tech and cheap. The only problem with this method is that if you ever want to move plants or hardscape around it can be a bit messy. The more expensive route is to buy some aquasoil. There are a few types, but the most well known is ADA aquasoil. These substrates are packed with nutrients that last at least a couple years usually. In between is to use a porous substrate like Fluorite or eco-complete. These come with a little nutrients, but will need fertilizers to continue its benefit.

Fertilizers area great way to keep your plants happy and healthy, but for many plants are not really necessary. If you decide to use them you can buy them in liquid or dry form. I suggest buying dry because it is much cheaper, but you will have to figure out how much you need to dose. Luckily there are calculators out there that can do it for us!

Lighting you have many options. My favorite are finnex LEDs. They are middle of the ground pricing wise and do their job very well in my experience. Here is a good guide for lighting. When researching a light you want to use you should do so by finding its PAR value at the level of your substrate. Low is about 0-30 PAR, medium 30-50, and high 50+ PAR. Low you don't need pressurized CO2 to avoid algae, medium it is recommended, but you can get away with a densely planted aquarium and use of seachem excel, and high you need pressurized CO2.

I like to use hardscape in my aquariums. Things like rock and drift wood give a natural appearance to aquariums, provide shelter for livestock and take up space. If you get into aquascpaing, hardscape plays a major role.

Plant selection will depend on your lighting, fertilizer, and CO2. Here is a list of good low light/low tech plants. If you want more demanding plants do your research and ask questions if you have them!

Fish selection depends on you and what you like. See a fish you're interested in? Do NOT automatically trust a sales man at a petshop or fish store. Do your own research on the fish before buying and ask questions about people's experience with the fish and its compatibility with your tank. In a 27 gallon you can fit 1, maybe 2, groups of most smaller schooling fish and then some bottom feeders.

A general stocking plan would be 10-12 of a schooling fish like neon tetra (or something of that size), 10 salt and pepper cories, 6 otocinclus, and some red cherry shrimp.

The most important advice I can give you is to do your research. Doing your research will save you time and money. People are generally friendly and helpful on this subreddit so don't be afraid to ask more questions.

Okay, wall-o-text incoming! Here's some things I learned before and during the whole process.

• An adjustable heater is great to have. Having an adjustable heater was super helpful when I got an infestation of ich, since I just raised the temp for a few weeks and totally solved the issue. I got this one, which was the cheapest heater I could find that didn't have a lot of it-malfunctioned-and-killed-my-fish reviews. It does run a little hotter than the adjustment knob reads, but I just tweak it using my thermometer for reference. I'm happy with it and a lot of people on the aquarium subs I visit reccomend it.
  
  
• The filter: When I set up my tank, I wanted a small filter that didn't hang over the back (easier to put a lid on the tank, plus the waterfalls from HOB filters are louder than I wanted for a tank in my bedroom). I ended up getting this one, which has been really nice because 1) the output's adjustable so I can point it anywhere and 2) the flow is adjustable too so I can tweak it for a low flow that's not too much for my betta. It's also quiet!
  
  
• The light I went with was this one in a desk lamp. If you don't get a light that's specifically made for aquarium plants, make sure that it's in the temperature spectrum of 5500K-6500K (6500K is best). You're looking for something that mimics the temperature of sunlight. For brightness, people tend to argue about the best way to measure what you need, but since nobody wants to buy a PAR meter for just a 5g low-tech tank, you're probably okay going by the watts-per-gallon rule (that's actual wattage, not equivalent wattage). Low light would be 1.5-2 WPG, medium light would be 2-3. Mine's 2.6. Then there's how long you keep the light on: my understanding is that when you start a tank, you want to have the photoperiod shorter at first (like 6 hours/day) and then over a few weeks increase it to 8-9 hours/day. You can get a timer for a few bucks at Home Depot.
  
  
• Looking back at your plants, java fern and moss are great beginner plants and I've really enjoyed mine. Amazon sword grows leaves ~20 inches tall, which would be too big for a 5 gallon. Water wisteria also grows that tall, but you can keep trimming it back so it might still work. Anacharis and anubias are some other easy-to-grow plants that have worked for me.
  
  
• I started out using root tabs for fertilizer, but I've still had issues with nutrient deficiency, which in hindsight makes sense because most of my plants aren't super rooty. So recently I bought some liquid fertilizers - you need to take care of both macronutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, aka NPK) and micronutrients (lots of other trace elements). I bought Flourish to deal with the micros, and then Flourish Nitrogen, Flourish Phosphorus, and Flourish Potassium to take care of the other ones. The smallest bottles are about $8 each, but it's enough to last a long time for a 5g. Too early for me to see how it'll play out, though. Having a medicine dropper has been helpful for measuring both fertilizers and water conditioner.
  
  
• Lots of people also like to use a source of carbon for their aquariums (like Flourish Excel), although I haven't tried that yet. My understanding is that it's helpful for getting plants to grow better, whether or not you also use CO2.
  
  
• For cycling your tank and checking parameters, a liquid test kit is both more accurate and cheaper in the long run, so go with one of those. Having a lot of plants in an aquarium also helps it cycle faster, so that's good.
  
  
• A snail is great for cleaning up algae in your tank, although if you get runaway algae problems it's probably indicating some other issue. You can also try getting shrimp depending on your betta's temperament. For adding any tankmate, you'll be most likely to have success if you introduce it at the same time as your fish (or after majorly rearranging things) so he doesn't get a territory staked out beforehand and act more aggressive.
  
  That's what comes to mind right now, if you have any other questions feel free to ask and I'll try to help you as best as I can. /r/plantedtank is also super helpful for answering questions!

First and foremostly!!! You need this FISHLESS CYCLE GUIDE :) - The Nitrogen Cycle and the Fishless Cycle - getting your aquarium ready for fish - INJAF

>For light: I’m not too worried about this. I think I’m just going to buy whatever has good review on amazon?

Any light could do, even a table lamp with a good LED bulb w/ 4100K to 6500K (Kelvin scale) light color range, with 1-2 watts of lighting power per gallon.

​

>For heaters: I’m trying to decide between the Aqueon Pro Adjustable Heater, 100W ($32ish) and the Aqueon Pro Adjustable Heater, 50W ($17ish). Does anyone know which one is better for my 10 gallon?

10g tank only needs a 50w adjustable heater, UNLESS you live in an extremely cold climate where a 50w is not enough to keep the tank at the necessary 78-80F. Usually though, 5w of power per gallon is sufficient for heating power.

​

>For filters: I’m wanting to go with the sponge filters because I know they hold good bacteria and they’re more inexpensive, but I was also eyeing this aqueon quietflow (Aqueon Quietflow Internal Power Filter, 10 Gallon, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AWV4R8I/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_xPbNDbXVQYK33). I mainly would prefer the sponge filter because it’s so much cheaper and I know the flow won’t be too strong for a betta, but my problem is that I don’t understand what to buy. If anyone could dumb sponge filters down for me or recommend a bit of a filter shopping list, I would really appreciate it.

Here's my favorite sponge filter setup which I use in my own 5.5g tanks (they're rated for up to 20g and are nice compact sponge filters, so do not take away much space from your tank).

https://www.amazon.com/Powkoo-Double-Biochemical-Aquarium-Gallons/dp/B01M3VALFU/ Me and my bettas LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS!!!

AND from Petsmart - I HIGHLY recommend the TopFin Quartz BioBalls ceramic filter media, the rounded pearl shape makes them fit a lot more into a small space such as the dual-media chambers in the sponge filter I highly recommended above. It looks like this in store: https://i.imgur.com/Xz50k5F.jpg (I think it's not yet listed on their website because the stuff is still a new release).

https://www.amazon.com/U-picks-Aquarium-Gallon-Quietest-Accessories/dp/B07RRNDMXJ/ Nice air pump with all accessories to set it up - quiet mini air pump, check valve, and airline tubing.

See it all in action: https://i.imgur.com/KAyjMaj.mp4 (not my tank but my friends when she was fishless cycling hers, and the sponge filter is nicely visible. Mine is hidden behind bunch of silk plants :< lol)

​

>Substrate: I’ve decided I want a low tech planted tank from the getgo. I would like some kind of carpet, I know this will be hard to achieve without CO2, but I’m ready to try it. I also want one of those sword plants I see around this sun. I want my plants to be able to root, but I also kind of want sand because it is my understanding that it will be easier to clean? Can I do something like soil with a layer of fluorite and another layer sand on top? Am I unnecessarily adding a bunch of layers here?

I donno much about planted tank substrates, I just use regular gravel (but I don't have a fully planted tank - hopefully someone w/ more info on that can weigh in).

>I want to start cycling as soon as possible, but I can’t until I get this together and I just want to do this right the first time around. Any advice would be appreciated.

The Nitrogen Cycle and the Fishless Cycle - getting your aquarium ready for fish - INJAF

API Freshwater Master Test Kit MUST MUST MUST HAVE ... and then Seachem Prime and Seachem Stability...

​

>One more thing, I really like the look of the bonsai wood with Marimo balls unfurled on them to imitate little trees. Does anyone know if this is safe for bettas? I worry that the fins could get torn up or something.

I'd use Java Moss instead... looks more tree-like than Marimo moss balls on those driftwoods... should be ok if you are very careful to fill up any prickly sharp parts so that betta won't have any way to get hurt on them.

I would highly suggest you stay away from the integrated kit approach and buy components. As someone currently trying to overcome an Eclipse system, the burdens far outweigh the benefit of integrations and ease. There's more than enough on getting adequate components here, and I would be happy to help you out with the decision, as would others.

Seeing as how you (thankfully) seem to like to take your time and do this right, I offer you some suggestions:

• Whatever tank you want. They're not going to have the greatest selection at Petsmart, but if you find something you like, get it. There's other places online that will ship the tank, but this is probably your best bet to get locally. Though the LFS isn't stocked very well, they might have a number of respectable tanks. Make this decision count-- you will be stuck with it for a long long time, and the ability for your tank to grow with your tools/abilities is crucial.
  
  
• Just pony up the money and get an Eheim Classic. For a 20G, you'll probably want to get this one. If you're getting anything larger than a desktop tank (and, BTW, that's a pretty good one), you'll need a real filter. This may seem excessive, but the dainty POS filters that come in kits ALWAYS wind up biting you in the ass. There are people here that are still using the same Eheim Classic that they purchased 15 years ago. It's a standard for a reason-- it's effective and reliable. Pay for it once and you'll never have to buy another unless you really move up in size. If you really don't want to go that expensive, the best bet is to stick with an Aquaclear filter. For the price, these things do a bang-up job!
  
  
• Just don't skimp on a heater. This will do you well, and it's not too expensive. You don't want your fish either roasting to death or accidentally freezing in the middle of winter. Hagen is a good brand to go to here.
  
  
• LED lights these days are great, and have hit a point where the ROI is seen far earlier than previously, and I'm talking about a year. When you get fluorescent tube fixtures, you use more power and have to replace the lights at least every year, and some replace them every 6mo. It depends on how much light you need, but again, I feel you need to recognize that you will grow with this tank, and buying a lighting system now that is cheaper but unable to grow plants will wind up costing you way more in the long run than just getting an LED fixture for 60% more that will last you years and require very little money after the initial purchase. For a first-time tank, I'd suggest a Marineland Singlebright if you really never envision yourself growing plants (which is half the fun in a tank these days), or a Marineland Doublebright if you'd like to grow plants and want an easy, cheaper option now. Know that those two fixtures are the lower end of the LED lighting bars, and you would do well with something like an Ecoxotic Stunner, where you can start with a fixture or two and then add on to the circuit later when you want more light for more plants. Also note the size of all of these fixtures have to be in line with the size of your tank-- there's no universal size.
  
  
• Note, also, that if your LFS sucks in the stock department, and Petco irks you as much as a lot of people here, there's many places where you can order fish and plants online. I haven't heard any horror stories with the big guys, so maybe check them out. Unfortunately, my LFS's are great, so I've never had to resort to these means. I've heard good things about aquabid, and really, you should join plantedtank.net and see what you can find either locally or on the buy/sell/trade forum. Also, joining a local aquatic org can open you up to a ton of CHEAP possibilities.
  
  Good luck. There's lot to research and plan, as well as to spend on, but getting a good setup is so rewarding and relaxing, that it pays back in spades.

In addition to what the previous poster said about cycling the tank before you get your axolotl(s), I recommend a canister filter for a 20g tank.
I use this one: Penn Plax Cascade 500 GPH Canister Filter https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002DJIQW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_z1TDybRH4D83H
It comes with a spray bar to help with aeration without disturbing your axolotl(s). I used a small hanging filter at first but it did not do the trick. Every time I chemically tested the water it was far from the correct conditions. The information for replacement filter media is either included or easy to find.

I also can't recommend this enough:
25 Foot - Python No Spill Clean and Fill Aquarium Maintenance System https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000255NXC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_P3TDyb818ZDDW
It attaches to a sink faucet (you will need a tool to remove the aerator on the faucet) and will both drain and fill your aquarium and save you a ton of time. It disturbs the water way less than lugging containers back and forth. My axolotls don't care about it at all, sometimes they would stay right in front of the tube as it was pouring water. They make different lengths, so measure the distance between your tank and sink before you purchase it. You'll want a little slack, of course.

Get a bottle of dechlorinator for when you do water changes. A digital aquarium thermometer is crucial for making sure the tank stays below 68°F. Having a separate container and a net is helpful in case you need to take the axolotl(s) out for salt baths, tank maintenance, or fridging.

Live plants are good for the tank's ecosystem but having some additional fake plants gives the tank a nice look. Make sure your live plants are either the floating kind or you have them secured because axolotls snuffle and bobble around and have a tendency to pull up your plants. If you feed them frozen bloodworms (as adults) it's helpful to have a clear turkey baster so that you can suck up the worms and feed them easily and make sure that the baster is always clean. Make sure you have something to clean up their poo, like a designated spoon or something.

I had sand for a while but it's a little hard to keep clean, so I removed all my sand recently and my axolotls seem to like it better. I replaced all their decor recently (because they're spoiled, lol) and one of mine really likes all of the new hides and the other really likes all of the new places to climb. They really like laying on top of their plants for some reason? So get sturdy plants I guess.

If your local temperature is hot and humid, you'll probably want to invest in (or build) some kind of chiller because evaporative cooling with fans won't work in high humidity. If it's hot but mostly dry, you might be able to get away with fans and an insulator (like this guy did: https://youtu.be/zp6QhXArIEY). I built one slightly better by using two layers of foam core instead of cardboard, and cut the sides of the four panels so they sort of puzzle-pieced together, making it easier to check on them.

I apologize for the lots of scattered info but I hope it helps!

I’m sorry to say the above comments are right. Common goldfish get over 1 foot in length and are incredibly messy fish. They really belong in a pond, but you could theoretically keep one in 75 gallon (but a 90 gallon is the same footprint with a little more height, offering more water and therefore easier to keep clean). Really, they should have a tank that is at least 6 foot long and 18 inches wide, but a 75 (4 feet and 18 inches wide) would be the bare minimum. Anything narrower and the fish will have trouble turning around as goldfish get over 12-14 inches long if they are healthy. They will stay smaller if their growth is stunted, but this is extremely unhealthy for them and results in a much shorter lifespan. With a 75 or 90 gallon, be prepared to do 30-50% waterchanges every week (which should be pretty easy with a system like the python. You won’t need a heater, but you will need a great filter. I recommend a canister filter, but if that is out of your price range two of these or better yet two of these will work well. Goldfish are plant eaters so you won’t have to worry about plants, so you can get whatever light you like/what’s cheapest. Big tanks are expensive, but you can often find them used along with the stands (which saves a ton of money). You can also get a 75 gallon half off from Petco during the dollar-per-gallon sale, and then build your own stand (tons of plans online). For substrate, I would buy pool filter sand (very cheap and great for goldfish, it can’t get stuck in their mouths like gravel and it looks awesome, it’s easy to keep clean too). There are a lot of ways to cut costs, especially with a goldfish tank that doesn’t need a filter or fancy light. Feel free to ask any questions, and please do some research on the nitrogen cycle (introduction ) it’s the most important thing you can possibly learn as a new fishkeeper! You will need a test kit too, to test your water. Don’t bother with test strips as they are very inaccurate, go ahead and get this. If you want to cycle the tank quickly and without a hassle, this is the only one that really works. Welcome to the wonderful world of fishkeeping! Best of luck with your pet! Goldfish are lots of fun.


Edit: petsmart has a 75 gallon tank with stand, lid, and light for half off today for Black Friday (at $249 a screaming deal for a brand new tank!!) if you are interested.

20g is a nice size to start with.

Ok, seeing as you've come out and stated you have very little knowledge I'm going to list the absolute necessities. Apologies if you already have these covered, but it's better to be over cautious!

• Filter - Absolutely 100% required, this is only second in importance to the water IMO. The Aquaclear 50 would suit you well. However there are many other suitable alternatives, of which you may already have one.
  
  
• Heater - Ok maybe it's necessity depends on the stock you want to keep, but I'm guessing you'll go tropical purely since most people do. A 50-100W heater should be powerful enough to maintain tropical temps.
  
  I'd encourage plants. They give the tank a natural look, as well as giving the fish places to hide and relax. Happy fish are the best fun to watch, so it's worth making sure they're comfortable!
  
  There are literally hundreds, if not thousands of stocking options you could go with. Try using this website to try out different options. It's not the absolute gospel, but a very good indicator.
  
  As for general advice, read, learn, and live the Fishless Cycle. It explains why cycling is necessary, and how to do it.
  
  Good luck, and post pics as you go along :)

Bettas can get along with a variety of community fish. Whether an individual betta does is up to the fish--they do have different personalities so while one betta may be mellow and be perfectly fine with tankmates, another may not take too kindly to other fish in his space.

There are a few things you can do to maximize your chances of success in keeping betta with tankmates.

One is to not pick any fish to go in with the betta that are very brightly coloured and/or have long, flowing fins, because the betta is likely to mistake this other fish as another male betta.

The other is to introduce the other fish first; if when putting the betta into his new home, the other fish are already there, he's more likely to just accept their existence, whereas if you try to add new fish to HIS tank once he's already settled in, he'll see them as intruders.

A good bet with bettas are corydoras catfish, in a 10g you could do dwarf or pygmy corydoras which are the smallest species. Since they're bottom-level fish, they won't really intrude much on the betta's space because most bettas are middle to top level fish. One thing to note is that if you get corys you'll also want to do sand substrate, since gravel can damage their barbels.

So here is a list of potential gear, there are a couple of options on some categories:

10 Gallon Standard Tank $10 in-store at Petco (Dollar per Gallon ends the 19th BTW)

AquaClear Hang On Back Filter $28 This is a little pricey, but it's probably the best hang on back filter on the market. It's more powerful than the other ones I've listed. Part of why it's so great is because it's very customizable, you can put your own filter media in if you want (the stuff it comes with is not bad though). Also it's really easy to clean which is a plus.

Aqueon Quietflow Internal Power Filter $14 A lot of people don't like internal filters because it's a bit messier to clean since it's fully submerged; personally I don't mind cleaning it and also because it's totally underwater I find it a lot quieter that most filters which might be a good thing if you're keeping it in your bedroom. I'd suggest not using the little cartridge it comes with and stuffing it with your own biomedia and filter floss, but it's powerful and compact.

Tetra Whisper in Tank Filter $11 This is the only filter here I don't personally own, but I believe a lot of people on /r/bettafish use this one and like it.

Glass Canopy $20 Not necessary, but I think they look nicer than a bulky plastic hood. I do suggest some kind of covering for your tank since bettas are known to jump. It could be something as simple as a big sheet of plastic canvas cut to fit, which is a couple dollars.


So technically the above gear, assuming you buy the most inexpensive filter option, comes to $41 pretax. A little over the $39.99 all in one kit you originally wanted, but you are getting twice the gallonage, and also higher-quality gear--glass tank instead of plastic, and a semi-decent filter. And again, you could go a lot cheaper on the lid if you were so inclined and either save your money or put it towards a more expensive filter.

You'll also need a heater for a betta. I think a lot of fishkeepers have their favourite brands for this kind of thing, Hydor Theo is mine, self-regulating glass heaters are way better than the plastic pad kind without regulators because it turns itself on and off automatically as needed. Also, I would recommend ALWAYS getting a heater that can be adjusted to whatever temperature you need. Treating certain illnesses require you to turn up or down the temperature so that's an invaluable feature IMO. Also the knob on this model (unlike a lot of brands I've tried) is really easy to turn so that's kind of a bonus when your hands are all wet.

What size tank do you have?

If you are set on the paintball set up, you can't go wrong with the Aquatek mini regulator. It is the regulator I have set up on my 15 gallon and it has been fantastic. Basically, the parts you will need are:

• Regulator (Aquatek mini or if you have the $$, the GLA model is likely very nice.
  
• CO2 tubing (Aquatek has good stuff).
  
• Some kind of diffuser. These can be had for cheap on Ebay or Amazon. I bought a cheap one on Amazon and was disappointed with it, so I ended up buying this one and I love it.
  
• A bubble counter. There is a bubble counter included with the Aquatek mini regulator, but it is a cheapo unit. If you want to spend a little more money for a good one, check here for some good examples.
  
• Paintball tanks, obviously. I would recommend getting the largest one you can find and maybe getting two of them. That way you can have one on the tank at all times, when it gets low, swap them out and you will have a couple months to get the backup filled.
  
• A drop checker. This is used to estimate the levels of CO2 diffused in the water. It is filled with a pH indicator solution that changes color as the pH of the solution changes as the CO2 levels in the water change. It is a handy little device which will prove it's worth quickly. I use this one and have been very happy with it, but there are nicer ones here if you want that classy glassy look.
  
  Obviously, CO2 setups aren't cheap, but with the paintball route you can do it relatively inexpensively compared to the full scale regulator route. Good luck! I'd be happy to clear anything else up for you if you have questions.
  
  Edit: Make sure you have a check valve in the system somewhere. This will keep aquarium water from flowing up the line into the regulator. Some of those items I listed (like the GLA diffuser) have them built in, which will solve that problem. However, if you choose products without a check valve built in you will need to add one. Here are some (also more tubing there to choose from).

I don't know if it's different in Hawaii, but in most states a 5 gallon tank is like $13, and a 10 gallon is the same price. Used 10 gallons tanks are typically $10 or less, and petco/petsmart both do a "dollar per gallon sale" pretty often where brand new 10 gallon tanks are $10.

If that's still a pinch, you can use a plastic bin that holds a simiilar amount of water for like $5 or less. It wont look as pretty but it will keep him healthy until a tank is affordable.

As for heaters, here's a really cheap one that I've used!

Filters can be really cheap as well, especially sponge filters. This one is only $3 and would be great in a betta tank. Since it's a sponge filter, you also need an air pump, but those are cheap too. This one is like $6, you could probably do some googling around and find even cheaper ones though. You'll also need some airline tubing, which is pretty cheap as well, here's some that is $3 and way more that you need.

I've had my share of money troubles, so I know a lot of ways to make keeping a fish healthy a lot cheaper. If you get the filter and heater I recommended, it'll only cost $20.84 (plus tax and maybe some shipping costs). And then the tank or plastic bucket/bin or something will be another ~$10. So that doesn't seem too unreasonable. If you can't afford that all at once, the bigger tank should be top priority, along with the filter. The heater is also very important, but less so than the filter and the bigger tank.

If you can't get ANYTHING at all yet, in the meantime you'll need to be doing daily water changes (at least 50% of the water or more) to keep the ammonia down and safe for him. Make sure you're only changing the water with new conditioned water, not tap water. The chlorine in tap water is toxic.

One last thing, check your local craigslist listings too! I know Hawaii tends to be a bit more expensive than around here, but sometimes you can find REALLY good deals on used fish stuff compared to buying it new. That's always a good option on a budget.

Hopefully this helped a little bit!

OK, so here's one problem - you are not going to get accurate results with test strips. But, I don't know what your finance situation is, so maybe you need to use them for now and anything is certainly better than nothing. If you have a few bucks to spend, get a test kit like this one, which will test much of what you want to know about except water hardness, but this one does that.

Your nitrates aren't bad. Before we talk about things to try, I have to say the following: if you change more than one thing at a time you will never know what's working and what isn't. Try one change at a time, give each change two or three days to make a difference, keep a written record with dates (and time, if you're obsessive like me), and don't just write down what you change. Try to include things you observe, and try to take cell phone pics so you can accurately measure change. Be patient, observe the tank daily, be patient, and try to be patient.

An 8 hour split may be too much with the Nicrew, but it really isn't way overboard. I do a 7 hour split but I have no experience with Nicrews, I have two Finnex Planteds and a BeamsWork, and I don't know when you changed to the Nicrew and your 8 hour regimen. You could try a blackout for a few days, and then back to your current regimen.

If your light is sitting atop your tank you can try raising it a bit. A 10 gallon is what? 12 inches tall? You can jerry rig something to raise the light, or you can get something like this, or you can hang the light from the ceiling with fishing line. If you have aquascaping tweezers you can pull algae out manually, or you can use a toothbrush; not to brush the leaves, but to grab the algae in the bristles and pull it out. I've tried all of these things in different tanks, with good results. I've also used Seachem Excel, but only once or twice a week, not daily as the directions say. It definitely helps, but it isn't a cure and it only kills the algae, like the Algaefix you are already using. If you use Excel, wash your hands afterward. There are some scary and, to my mind not very scholarly, articles on the web about the chemical used in Excel, which Seachem claims is a different isomer than what it actually uses. But wash your hands afterward anyway - it's a simple precaution. Keep this in mind: if you use either one, it will make it harder to tell if the other things you are doing are having any effect. So, maybe bite the bullet for a couple weeks to try the other things, and if you start making headway you can use just a bit of the Algaefix or Excel to help push things along.

You should also consider how heavily planted your tank is. More plant load is better to out-compete the algae. If you have a lot of plants, you also want to provide them with nutrients or the light is next to useless. A good way to increase the plant load inexpensively and relatively fast is floaters. Check the AquaSwap forum here on reddit - /r/AquaSwap/, but keep in mind that you cannot be certain that you will not get snails with the plants, even if the seller claims the plants are dipped before shipping. Snails are not a bad thing, and would probably be helpful for you. Another inexpensive way to beat algae! And, if they get out of hand you just stick a stainless steel fork in a hunk of cucumber, put it in the tank for about two hours, grab a zip-loc baggie and hold it in the tank, grab the fork, put the cucumber and snails in the bag, pull the fork out of the cucumber, and close the bag. Into the garbage with it. It will be covered with snails.

Getting back to the floaters, they will suck up nitrates, provide shade for your anubias, and you'll be pulling handfuls out of the tank in no time (into the garbage! don't take a chance of letting them into the wild by throwing them in your yard). You can keep the floaters corralled with clear air line tubing and suction cups. Make sure the diameter matches, like these do. Cut a length of hose, heat near one end while holding the end so you can pull it until it comes off, leaving a pointy end that you can now stick into the other end of your length of hose, creating a circle. I use the silicon repair stuff to "glue" it together. This guy shows you a better way to do it, in his second video in the series at 2:45. But if you want to get motivated for your algae war, watch the entire series. You will never be the same. And after that, go learn here.

There are a lot more things you can do, but maybe start with these and keep reading about this stuff whenever you get a chance. Good Luck, and let us know how you make out.

It would certainly be easier to answer "What did you already know" before you started this. Nothing.

This list will inevitably be incomplete but here goes:

• How to fiberglass - also, fiberglass is nasty.
  
• How to use a router properly
  
• How to solder (for the lights)
  
• How to clean silicone off of every surface known to man (Vinegar and razor blades)
  
• The cheap white insulation foam at Home Depot sucks to carve. Get the pink stuff.
  
• When carving foam rocks, don't sweat the details because the concrete is going to completely cover them up anyway.
  
• Sanded grout/concrete (I think I actually used concrete), you basically need a splash of water per 2 cups of concrete - and sanded looks way more like real rock than unsanded
  
• You really only need 2 colors of paint to make realistic rocks (black and white). Nature will add the rest of the colors once you introduce plants.
  
• Cut notches in any PVC supports to prevent stagnant water in your pipe.
  
• What vivarium makers call egg crate is really the plastic lattice you find under commercial florescent lights.
  
• Egg crate is pretty darn studry and can hold a lot of weight when properly supported (used it under the planted sides).
  
• Use organic (non-fertilized) garden soil for the planted part of a vivarium. Actually, you might not need soil at all if you have fish since you basically end up with a closed circuit hydroponic system.
  
• Expanding foam is impossible to completely scrub off without taking some skin with it. Wear rubber gloves.
  
• Like the rocks, don't sweat the details with expanding foam if you plant to cover it (like I did with Hygrolon). I included a ton of texture that is completely obscured by the moss (but hey, the moss still looks great).
  
• Tape plexiglass before you cut it. It makes for a much cleaner (and safer) cut.
  
• Sheet moss can be pinned to your background with bamboo skewers and it works pretty darn well. The moss will take at least a few weeks to really attach to the background.
  
• You should really have your entire land area planted before introducing fish. The run-off from lots of new material can cause a few fish deaths. :(
  
• A powerhead doubles as a vacuum, reducing tank maintenance. Just scrape off the powerhead grate every few days.
  
• You don't really have to dechlorinate your water before doing a large water change (30 gallons in my case is not unusual). Before adding new water, dose your tank with prime for the entire tank volume.
  
• Purigen is pure magic. ..but don't count on being able to regenerate it, even if you've never used any of the fouling chemicals it lists.
  
• If you have a manifold, keep it over a bucket...just in case.
  
• Plants release CO2 at night (weird, right), so you might find your fish at the surface gasping for air. Add an airstone. Don't ask me how to properly weight down an air hose though, still working that bit out.
  
• There are ultrasonic foggers meant for ponds that work great in vivariums! They make the most fog when submerged but still fairly close to the surface. Make sure animals can't come in contact with the fogger itself though...they hurt pretty bad when you touch them.
  
• Plants will grow just fine under LEDs with the right spectrum.
  
• A fan at the top of your window and a small gap at the bottom will help prevent your window from fogging since dry air will be drawn across the glass.
  
• Snails are AMAZING algea eaters and their population naturally stays in balance with the available food supply. You don't need to order gobs of them, they reproduce very quickly on their own. And don't sweat it if you don't see them for a few weeks after adding them to your tank. Trust that they are doing good work.
  
• Little white worms in your substrate mean you are likely overfeeding.
  
• Pushing water vertically 8 feet is hard, yet my canister filter managed it pretty ok. I added an inline pump anyway, but if you have a smaller setup, a simple manifold on your filter output should probably be fine to split the water return to different areas.
  
• Finding aquarium manifolds with barbs is hard. Jeez, it shouldn't be so hard. Might be better to piece one together at the hardware store than spending a ton of time finding one online.
  
• Prepping found wood for a vivarium is a lot of work, but waaay cheaper than buying it. Just soak it in salt water for a few days, switch to fresh water and do water changes daily. If you're paranoid like me, boil it for a few hours and then leave it in your oven at 200 degrees for as long as it takes to dry.
  
• Large water changes are way easier with the Python: http://www.amazon.com/25-Foot-Python-Aquarium-Maintenance/dp/B000255NXC
  
  And probably another 1000 things.

I recommend checking out Craigslist if you are interested in a bigger tank and are only put off by the price. Lots of people sell second hand stuff for cheap. I was looking earlier today and saw seventy gallon set up with a stand, filter, and lighting for under a hundred in the Inland Empire.

If you are going small with first use equipment, a 3g is suitable for a single Betta and a non fish companion such as a larger snail or a couple of smaller shrimp (Ghost Shrimp are common and work well, but Cherry Shrimp are prettier if you can find them). I use this tank for a Betta, a large snail, and half a dozen ghost shrimp. The design is quite nice and the included air pump, filter, and lighting is sufficient for a small Betta tank, though you still need to buy gravel and decorations.

You mentioned frogs in your initial post -- African Dwarf Frogs are compatible with a Betta tank, but it can be a pain to feed them because their vision is terrible and a Betta is likely to try eat their food before they find it. If you don't mind that, they are pretty neat.

Bettas are aggressive to their own so you can only keep one per community except for female sorority tanks with 4 or more females. Unfortunately the females have the shorter fins and are less attractive generally. Also you have to avoid placing any fish that a Betta can mistake for a rival in the tank (i.e. fish with bright colors or flowing fins). So it's usually best to stay with non dangerous invertebrate like shrimp and snails in small Betta tanks. If you go for a larger set-up where there is more room, you can get fish like Neon Tetras who may provoke a Betta but can easily run away with enough room (a properly equipped 10g can hold a Betta and a small school of six Neons if you are diligent with weekly maintenance). Proving ample cover in the tank is also useful.

If you stay with going small, a Betta is likely hardy enough to deal with the initial cycle of your tank if want to start right away, just make sure you are diligent with partial water changes every three days while you do the first cycle (I stress it would be safer to do a fishless cycle). These fish are able to put up with being trapped in the small cups at Petco and Petsmart after all, not that they should have to. I would recommend you leave it at just the Betta at first to keep the cycle easier - the toxins from cycling will affect small shrimp and snails faster than it will affect the Betta.

I live in SoCal and my water stays at 74 to 76 without heating (windows closed at night) which is fine for a Betta, so I don't think you need a heater unless it gets very cold in your area at night.

Fake plants are fine, but go for silk versus plastic if you can. It's usually not an issue but plastic can tear up a Betta's fins because they are so ornate. Real plants help with water quality though and usually look prettier. Simple plants like Anarcharis or Amazon Swords should be under $5 at Petco or Petsmart.

Creating bubbles requires an air pump at the very least. You can get one sufficient for up to a 10g for only $7-$10 at Petsmart or Amazon. Creating multiple smaller (prettier) bubbles will require fitting the end of the tubing with an air stone or other bubble accessory (a bubble wand creates a backdrop curtain of bubbles against a wall of the tank for instance). However, Bettas flowing fins make it hard for them to deal with lots of current in the water so if you get a smaller tank you will want to have the bubble output isolated to one area so there's room for the Betta to get away. The same problem exists with filters; in smaller tanks the output can be too strong for a Betta and you may have to construct a "baffle" to break the impact of the filter's current.

One option that works well for small Betta tanks is to use a sponge filter. Sponge filters are powered by the movement of water from your air pump; rising bubbles force water to move and that draws surrounding water through the sponge to replace the rising water. The sponge will mechanically filter your water, and the bacteria for the nitrogen cycle will colonize the sponge to do the biological filtration. Cheap sponge filters go for under five dollars on Amazon, like this one, and they can fulfill your bubbling and filtration at the same time.

I marked things with a [w] if they're on my WL!

1. Something that is grey. China Glaze Polish Ecollection Recycle [w]
   
   
2. Something reminiscent of rain. Hehe, a watering can [w]
   
   
3. Something food related that is unusual. Miracle Noodles - they're these weird low-carb noodles [w]
   
   
4. Something on your list that is for someone other than yourself. Tell me who it's for and why. (Yes, pets count!) LARPing Book for my friend Dennis. His is missing several pages, which is very frustrating to him. He's endlessly dear to me. [w]
   
   
5. A book I should read! I am an avid reader, so take your best shot and tell me why I need to read it! Other People's Love Letters - doesn't that just sound romantic? :D [w]
   
   
6. An item that is less than a dollar, including shipping... that is not jewelry, nail polish, and or hair related! Mickey Mouse Cookies!
   
   
7. Something related to cats. I love cats! (keep this SFW, you know who you are...) SmartCat [w]
   
   
8. Something that is not useful, but so beautiful you must have it. Triple heart necklace <3 [w]
   
   
9. A movie everyone should watch at least once in their life. Why? Love Me If You Dare. Everyone should have more French film in their lives. It's a beautiful, artistic, funny, romantic movie. The main characters are hot.
   
   
10. Something that would be useful when the zombies attack. Explain. Cast Iron is heavy! [w]
    
    
11. Something that would have a profound impact on your life and help you to achieve your current goals. For exercise, way easier on my knees than the treadmill [w]
    
    
12. One of those pesky Add-On items. Awesome fabric softener - and I really want it, too! [w]
    
    
13. The most expensive thing on your list. Your dream item. Why? A Roomba. I have pets. I need to vacuum more often. I'm lazy. Also he would be my robot butler friend. I'd name him Alfred or Jeeves or Pennyworth. My cats would be afraid of him. [w]
    
    
14. Something bigger than a bread box. A mattress is quite a bit bigger! [w]
    
    
15. Something smaller than a golf ball. Pearl earrings [w]
    
    
16. Something that smells wonderful. Lilac and Lilies! [w]
    
    
17. A (SFW) toy. Cat toy! [w]
    
    
18. Something that would be helpful for going back to school. Chromebook! It's actually for when my husband starts college. [w]
    
    
19. Something related to your current obsession, whatever that may be. Filter for my new fishtank! [w]
    
    
20. Something that is just so amazing and awe-inspiring that I simply must see it. Explain why it is so grand. Electric bike so, my comment on this is: “Theoretically I would like to bike. Realistically I'd like to bike, except up hills. Oh, here we are!”. Right?! Also what they sell electric bikes on Amazon? Damn! [w]
    
    Bonus:
    
    Oregon Chai!

That is most likely a snowball pleco, which are nice little guys that are pretty hardy, good omnivores, and get to be about 4-6 inches. There are quite a few babies like this currently available in my LFSs, and I have a few that have done quite well in a community tank.

I agree with the other commenters that you are getting an ammonia/nitrite/nitrate spike from the addition of new fish. I recommend Seachem products to help (not affiliated, just long-time freshwater and saltwater tank hobbyist). First, use Seachem Prime as a water conditioner to help - after doing a water change. Your tank will need to do a mini-cycle to recalibrate the bacterial load for the addition of new fish. You will likely need to do frequent water changes until the cycle ends. Test with something like API master test kit to track the rise and fall of ammonia/nitrites/nitrates. Ammonia and nitrite spikes kill fish very quickly, while high nitrates shorten the lifespans of the fish by more slowly harming their organs (regular water changes help keep nitrates down long term). Add a bubbler to the tank to help with the stress by making sure there's not additional stress from low O2. For the fin rot, clean water can cure it. You likely will need to treat the fish as well with something stronger. Seachem makes paraguard, which I use all the time for quarantine and mildly ill fish. You can add an antibiotic like Seachem kanaplex to ParaGuard or treat separately with kanaplex to help with fin rot. Both medications work by being added to the water (rather than feeding to the fish). The best thing about Seachem products is that they affect the pH much less than any other products I have tried. Note the additional oxygen is usually necessary when treating with medications. Seachem Stress Guard can also help transition fish to a new tank. All these products are available on Amazon and usually are at Petco/Petsmart/LFS.

For future fish additions, I recommend 1) adding only 1-2 fish at a time to limit the cycling problem and 2) QUARANTINE your new fish, so you can treat any diseases they may have before adding them to your community tank. Even a small tank with just a bubbler can work as a quarantine for a small fish for a couple weeks, and can be a literal lifesaver for your other fish.

Also - there are a lot of great online communities for different types of fish that you can check out to learn more about these things. For plecos, start with this one. :) Good luck with your new guy!

If a fish is inactive, it usually means they don't have enough room to swim around and explore. 5 gallons is beautiful for a betta, you should do a 5 gallon with live plants, it's beautiful to look at! If you're concerned about price as well, here are some good options:

• Petco has 5 gallon Aqueon tanks for sale for ~$16 dollars.
  
• A good filter to use for these would be the Aqueon Quietflow Internal Filter AT10. I use one of these in a 1.5 gallon hospital tank, but the gph is good for up to 5 gallons. And it's only $15!
  
• You can use anything for a tank lid, but if cost is an issue, these guys work great, ~$7.
  
• A good, inexpensive heater is the Hydor 25 watt heater. ~15 bucks and from what I've heard (I'm getting one tomorrow for my new Spec V so I'll update if anything goes wrong) it's amazing.
  
• You can use any substrate that supports plant life, but I personally use Eco-Complete Plant Substrate. It's around $20 for a 20 lb. bag, so it's a pretty good deal as well.
  
• Plants in general can be quite inexpensive. If you just buy a couple of Anubias (the large variety) and some java ferns, maybe some Anacharis to float or bunch, you're looking at ~$34 dollars (give or take) for the entirety of your tank's plants.
  
  All in all, you're looking at ~$107 for a better tank for your fish, or ~$53 for just the basic set up (minus the live plants/plant supporting substrate). If you want lighting, I've heard that basic desk lamps like this one work great in lieu of expensive LED setups.
  
  OR
  
  You can buy a Fluval Spec V, they're on sale for $59.99 and come with a filter, lighting, lid, etc. All you would need is substrate and a heater.
  
  Let me know if you have any questions!

I've kept Bettas on a budget before- there are some things that you really do need, and some things you can do ugly and cheap. The trouble is that you're starting with two and have limited space, a bad combination. I'd suggest you really try hard to rehome at least one, but proceeding on the idea that you're absolutely determined to keep both, I'll lay out the least expensive way to get things done in my experience.

To pick up now:

-Dechlorinater/water conditioner: In your grandma's days, there were fewer additives in water than they are now, and not all of them gas off when left to sit out. If you absolutely can't afford even a tiny container of prime, which can really help in small tank situations because it temporarily neutralizes ammonia- then pick up a cheaper water treatment. Most pet stores carry generic ones, or API is $4 and change on amazon. Can't emphasize enough how much better prime would be though. The smallest bottle should last you for a couple months, so don't worry too much about volume.

-If you can do it, Petco's dollar/gallon sale is the best value you're likely to get on a 10G, as mentioned. Failing that, check your local thrift stores. I think a 10G would be ideal for you if you can make it work- it'll be cheapest and the least amount of maintenance, if you use dividers. Here's a way to make mesh dividers for it yourself from things you can pick up at any craft store, for a couple bucks total (you can also make lids out of the same material). I've made these before and as long as you measure them right, they work fine. If you absolutely can't get or fit a 10g, you bare minimum need about 3g per betta in separate containers or you'll be courting ammonia burns and finrot super quickly. Bowls aren't ideal, but if you're doing a temporary setup they may be easier to find. Be creative if you have to- you want something with horizontal swimming space, rather than vertical (avoid anything taller than it is long), but there are all kinds of odd glass vessels at your average salvation army. A ~3.5 gallon spherical bowl is going to be 12" in diameter. Anything with flat sides, measure and calculate the rough volume in cubic inches, then convert to gallons. Whatever you get, clean it thoroughly. If you use bleach, let it sit out in the sun for a few hours before filling it with water.

-Hides: Cheapest part. In college I had a Betta setup with a half-buried coffee mug and some silk plants from Michaels in it. Grab a couple mugs at the thrift store or throw in your least favorites. You want ceramic not plastic or metal, minimal or no paint if possible. Bury them halfway in the substrate. Craft store silk plants are inexpensive and are fine in a pinch, just boil them first. You want at least some that reach up to the top of the tank, to give them cover at all levels.

-Substrate: Whatever's cheapest is fine. A 5lb bag of imaginarium sand will run you $5 or so at petsmart. If you have a local fish store, they may sell gravel or sand in bulk for cents to the pound, so you could call around and ask. Whatever you use give it a quick rinse before adding it.

-Here's a $10 adjustable amazon heater. If you're doing two 5 gallons, get two 25 watts. A 10 gallon divided, get the 50 watt. A heater goes a long long way to keeping your fish healthy- once you need to start buying medicine your budget is blown. You won't see many non-adjustable ones for much less than this, and they're less reliable since they heat at a constant rate regardless of water temp. Get a cheap glass thermometer with it, they're in any big-box pet store.

To pick up soon:

-Filters and pumps: Sponge filters are the way to go in small betta setups for sure, and they are extremely cheap online. Here's one for $2 for a 10G; here's the one I use in my 7G for $4. Make sure to carefully read the guide on cycling before you put a filter in, because things will get less stable before they get more stable, which is why in your situation I'd be vigilant about water changes (see the caresheet for frequency) and put off the filter til you can afford an API test kit. Because things can spike so so fast, it's really not advisable to run through a fish-in cycle blind in any small tank. You'll pair it with an air pump, this one's $7.

-API master test kit: This is the most expensive thing on the list, which is the only reason it's under later. API also makes test strips, but they're $10 for a pack of 25, wheras the master test kit has far far more uses in it for $20 and is much more accurate. Knowing your water parameters is good any day, but essential once you introduce any kind of filter.

Altogether I think you could get this kind of absolute barebones setup done for around $30 up front and $30 later if you play your cards right, less if you find a home for one fish. It'll still require elbow grease to put together, though.

You have tons of people already going at you with the "just go for the 5 gallon" so I won't bother with that (2.5 gallon is still perfectly acceptable. I have a 1.5 gallon with a happy betta). Anyways, for filter you have a few options. I've used all of these filters as well.

Finnex Pure-5 Power Filter: https://www.amazon.com/Finnex-Pure-5-Power-Aquarium-Filter/dp/B004NP66M4

One of the very best filters for small set ups. A definite feature you'll love is the adjustable flow it has. Make sure to baffle it up if necessary. I personally use this one the most in my tanks.

AZOO Mignon Filter 60: https://www.amazon.com/AZOO-AZ13097-Mignon-Filter-60/dp/B005VEWCMO

An amazing filter that is very quiet and very powerful. Comes with a pre filter as well so your betta's fin will be super safe. Baffle it up though since it is quite powerful but it's also adjustable.

Fluval Nano Filter: https://www.amazon.com/Fluval-A455-Nano-Aquarium-Filter/dp/B004BZKDZC

This one is for when you do get a 5 gallon or bigger. This one is an amazing filter if you are willing to do some DIY on it. One of the major problems is the impeller is sometimes loose in some units and you'll have to wrap some teflon tape on it. If this bothers you, I'd skip this one but this is seriously a great filter.

Another option for filters is a sponge filter which is always cheap and readily available/easily made.

For heaters, you have a few options as well but I'll just list the ones I usually use. NOTE: I personally buy new heaters every year because the possibility of overheating still exists.

Tetra HT-50: https://www.amazon.com/Tetra-26447-Submersible-Aquarium-50-Watt/dp/B000OQO69Q

Don't let the 50 watt scare you because this one is probably one of the best and trusted non-adjustable heater. It is non-adjustable though so it will keep it at around 24-26°C.

Hydor Original Theo: https://www.amazon.com/Hydor-Submersible-Glass-Aquarium-Heater/dp/B0006JLPG8

One of the most trusted adjustable heaters. Useful for when you need to raise the temperature of your water. I haven't really used this one as much as the Tetra one but it does the job for me.

XiLong Heater: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Water-Heater-Fish-Tank-Adjustable-25-50-100-200-300-Pretty-Aquarium-Submersible-/261412637763

This one may seem like a sketchy buy but I honestly prefer it over the Hydor Original Theo. I use this for my 5 gallon and it keeps the temperature very very stable. Cheap as hell too.

Hmm odd that the water fizzed up. Did you rinse out the tank and rinse off the carbon and decorations before putting them in? The fact that you can smell chlorine is probably a good indicator you are best of to switch to a different water conditioner. (I like Seachem Prime.) Betta's like a low flow filter so just keep an eye on the filter or even switch to a sponge filter, or filter with a sponge over the intake, etc. Remeber to test your tap water too! I will link some products I have used or similar to those I have used in the past and had success with. (It may be a good idea to compare prices at your LFS store to Amazon, as I know my local Petsmart/Petco charges a fortune for a lot of aquarium items without much selection.)

API Freshwater Test Kit (Amazon wow $19.99 right now!) or at your LFS -Don't buy the test strips.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000255NCI/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

SeaChem Prime ($4-$13 depending on size from Amazon or at your LFS. I swear by Prime.)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002568S6/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

A thermometer is a good idea to make sure your heater does not create a major issue. I do not use this exact one but figured I would add it to the list with a link ($2)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002AQITK/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

Here I will just attach a link for a sponge filter I use in a 10 gallon (~$12). You will need some airline hosing and an air pump (tetra air pump works) if you get it, though I think it may be a little big for a 4 gallon. Also, an aquaclear is by far my favorite HOB filter if you go that route. Hopefully, your filter will workout!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LXRDZPO/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?smid=A316L92SV4DH0Y&psc=1
Tetra Air pump (~$7)
https://www.amazon.com/Tetra-77851-Whisper-Pump-10-Gallon/dp/B0009YJ4N6/ref=sr_1_1?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1506349229&sr=1-1&keywords=tetra%2Bair%2Bpump&th=1
Aquaclear 20 (110V ~$25): This may be a little big for your 4 gallon, not sure as I have the Aquaclear 50 on my 30 gallon but I will add it along just in case.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000260FVG/ref=twister_B00MO35VD2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Airline Tubing (a few dollars, great to have)

Household Ammonia without surfactant (to do your fishless cycle) see link http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/articles_51/fishless-cycling-article.htm

If you decide to go with silk aquarium plants, they have few fun options online. I would also suggest really plants as they will help reduce nitrates in the future. Some good low-tech plants would be anubias, or java fern (and some others). These can be tied to a rock or driftwood as don't need to be placed in the gravel/sand/soil itself. (A small clip-on LED for an aquarium should work
if you go this route.)
https://www.reddit.com/r/bettafish/wiki/plantsetc

I would provide food options, but r/bettafish has done a great job!
https://www.reddit.com/r/bettafish/wiki/food

Here are a few they have mentioned:

Ocean Nutrition Atison's Betta Food (~12)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/huc/view.html?ie=UTF8&newItems=C38WET63RPACA8%2C1

New Life Spectrum Betta Formula (~$10)
https://www.amazon.com/New-Life-Spectrum-Formula-Semi-Float/dp/B0038JTL1Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1506350883&sr=1-1&keywords=New+Life+Spectrum+Betta+Pellets

Hikari Betta Bio-Gold (~$13)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B013EXTU7S/ref=twister_B00ZJZMXIS?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

You should be able to find frozen daphnia, and frozen brine shrimp at Petco/Petsmart, and live brine shrimp at your LFS.

Will add on later! Happy cycling and keep us posted!

Finally at work so I can give some links, lol

Here's a cheap sponge filter, I love these for bettas because they have a gentle flow and no mechanical intake for the betta to get sucked into. The bacteria will live in the sponges so make sure to never clean them with tap water or else you'll kill them! You'll also need an air pump and some airline tubing to get the filter going. I've used all of these and it's a pretty simple and cheap setup.

To actually measure the ammonia/nitrite/nitrate levels, you'll need a test kit. I know some people and stores use strips, but they are hilariously inaccurate. You can have levels of 70+ ppm of nitrate (which is usually deadly) and the strips will tell you that you have 0 ppm. The liquid kit also lasts a lot longer! Your tank is cycled when ammonia is at 0 ppm, nitrites are at 0 pmm, and nitrates are at 0-20 ppm.

To make it easier to clean his tank, you can use a siphon. It sucks up the water for you, all you need is a bucket/tub to catch it in. Makes cleaning a lot less hectic!

Just a side note, Betta are actually tropical (and cold-blooded fish), so they need a heater. This is good for a 10 gal, it's what I use :) You can also get a glass or electronic thermometer to make sure the water is staying at the recommended 78-80 F. If you already have a water conditioner this is optional but Seachem Prime is what I use as it binds and neutralizes low levels of ammonia.

Here's the sub caresheet/wiki, and here's a guide to fish-in cycling (which basically just means cycling the tank with a fish already inside). I know this is a lot of info/expenses all at once but if you ever have any questions you're always free to PM me! I'm happy to help to the best of my ability. I'd recommend getting him a 5 gal or bigger ASAP, and with clean warm water his fins will be healing in no time :)

It's very kind of you to not just let him die! If you get him spiffed up you may be able to find someone who likes fish to take him in, so you don't end up feeling burdened...

but in the meanwhile, there is some basic stuff you can do. If your measurements are correct, then he's probably in a 2 1/2 or 3 gallon aquarium, which while not the best, will certainly suffice. This means the main things you'll need are a filter and a heater.

It would also be nice if you got him some stuff to hide in, so he doesn't stress. They make aquarium decorations, but a clean, well rinsed ceramic coffee mug or unpainted terra cotta planter will do the trick for cheap.

By the way, can you post the name of the water conditioner that you found in the tube? It will help me be able to figure out if it's a dechlorinator or not, which is the most important thing.

Also, does the tank have a lid? Bettas will jump out of water, especially if the water quality is bad.

Anyway, there is plenty of inexpsensive, decent equipment for a tank that size:

I personally happen to like this filter for a tank that size, and it's very easy to install/maintain.

Here's a nice little heater that's worked very well for me. You'd want to maintain his water between 75 and 80 degrees, so it's always a good idea to have a thermometer to make sure the heater is doing its job properly.

From there, maintenance is pretty easy. Feed him just 3 or so of those little food pebbles a day, and once a week give him some of the bloodworms for variety. The main thing is to not overfeed, because they have very small tummies.

Once a week, change out about 25% of his water, and rinse out your filter pads with old aquarium water if they need it. They make little syphons especially for this, because the suction they create helps you vacuum poo out of the substrate.

I would suggest a couple of things. I'm a cheapskate at heart, so take what I say with a grain of salt. A 10G tank is a perfect starting volume, but I think you can do it with way less up front cost.

First, I'd hold off on the CO2 kit until your tank gets established and you determine that CO2 is needed. For a 10G tank, you may find that a DIY kit is fine. I personally got a CO2 setup, but only because I found this one on clearance for $5 (http://www.amazon.com/Nutrafin-Natural-System-Activator-Stabilizer/dp/B00026058Y). It's essentially a commercial version of the standard DIY kit, and it bubbles for 2-3 months per charge.

Second, you may want to stay away from the HOB filter. I've got about a half-dozen of them around the house, but I have found that I really like the sponge filters way better, especially if you want to keep your cherry shrimp babies from getting sucked up. They do an excellent job with biological filtration, and if you just squeeze/rinse one of them out each time you do a water change, it will do a decent job at mechanical filtration as well. Can't beat the price either. http://www.amazon.com/Aquarium-Biochemical-Sponge-Filter-Fish/dp/B0056XVF82

I think your fish selection is great, but just wanted to note to you that Glowlight tetras are "moderately difficult to breed", so if you'd like a nice sustainable colony it may be worth checking out some of the livebearers. Nothing like buying 5 fish and then having 30 in a few months... I'm currently raising Endler's guppies. The males really make the tank pop, and they stay small so having 20-30 in the tank isn't too much bioload.

For plants, I think you've got the right idea with starting with some HC and then add more later. I'd also search around a bit and see if there is a local aquarium group. Trading is way better than buying... after going to my local Aquatic Plant Club monthly meeting I always walk away with 5-7 plants that I didn't have before. Your job will then be to grow like crazy to bring more back to the group for the ever-present "new guy" to get started.

For 3D supports, you may want to check out using "egg-crate", or lighting diffuser. It's dirt cheap from Home Depot and will hopefully keep the water/sediment from stagnating underneath your mountains.

Hope this helps, I'd try to spend as little as possible until you identify areas that need improvement.

I'm going to make a price list off of memory....

All in $$$

API master test kit: 18 (confirmed)

10G tank: 15 (confirmed)

Lid: ~10 (Memory, it has a plastic strip in the back. Designed so you can cut off parts of it to make room for cords and/or filters, basically customizable to your hearts desire.

Filter: Whisper 3i, acceptable if you have a single betta in your tank: <10 (Comes with a small air pump. You will need something bigger if you want to maximize the potential bioload of your 10g. Refill cartriges will check out to be ~$1.50 apiece, and each lasts one month.)

Side note: I like to use sponge filter for my Betta, in his planted tank. They provide adequate filtration, and a slow enough flow that the betta is not disturbed. I currently use this guy, as the double filter design allows me to clean half of it per water change, preventing a complete filter cycle reset. As a bonus, you don't have to buy cartridges for it; just swish the foam around in old tank water. Costs $5. Downside: Being a no-name filter, there's no "proper" way to calculate maximum bioload. You'll need to spend time monitoring parameters if you ever want to push the limits. Also, I use it in a PLANTED tank. Plants tend to cost a bunch of money, ~$5 for 2 depending on where you get them. But I find them worth it.

On that note: Plants: $20 (Optional.)

Seachem prime (Water conditioner): ~$5. The bottle has lasted me more than 6 months between 2 tanks, so it'll likely last you a full year.

Food: ~$2 per month. Varies depending on what you buy and how much you use. Expect an initial cost of ~$10.

Edit: Added: Substrate. Sure, you could get a bag of rocks for lotsa $$$ from petsmart or whatever. But, a tip I got from this subreddit, Black Diamond Blasting Sand. Apparently $10. And it's more than you'll need, so if you upgrade to a larger tank, you won't need to spend $$$ getting more substrate (in theory...) Just make sure to rinse it off somehow, before adding it to your tank.

Edit: Added: Lighting. Just use an old lamp. It is advised to change the bulb out with an aquarium-specific bulb, but it won't kill you to run with a household CFL bulb. You may need to fight algae though... use an old credit card or gift card as a cheap scraper, and consider adding 1 or 2 snails, such as nerite snails or mystery snails. Cheap at your LFS, or from your local breeder.

Total: Pretty sure there's an error... but, $65 $75. Assuming you spring for the $5 no-name filter (and not buying the whisper) and skimp out completely on plants. Of course, this is a very specific cost for a very specific tank setup of 1 fish.

Edit: Oh, I totally forgot substrate. Lemme check here.... Um.. gimme a sec.

Edit: Done! Though it should be noted, as you gain more experience, you tend to gain more items. For example, I bought a table just to set my aquarium on. $20 at my local thrift store. I should really have it set on a matt of some sort, so that it doesn't bend, and end up costing me a new aquarium. Another $10. I realized test tubes are fragile. A spare pack of 25 and a plastic test tube stand, $35. Various medications, small droppers to accurately adminsiter seachem prime, cheap disposable gloves for chemicals, lights, lamps, bulbs... it does add up. Bear in mind that $75 is a minimal setup, and it will likely end up costing you more. (Especially if you have to buy a stand... better hope you have a sturdy table & matt, or are able to build one yourself with exact tolerances!)

Edit: Oh my gosh. I forgot a heater. A necessity in ANY tropical aquarium. That's going to run you around $15-20 for a good one, you want one with an adjustable thermostat. They're more dependable, and of course, adjustable. Gonna need a thermometer with that too, though I've personally had trouble finding a reliable one. Some say my tank is 76 degrees, other say it's 80+. Personally, I use the fish's behavior as a sign. Make sure the fish is not gasping for air near the surface, and if they do, turn it down at least 2 degrees, closer to 4.

Well, the first thing we'll need to know is how much space do you have? Are you looking to fill an empty space on your night stand or are you looking to have a separate aquarium stand?

Next, we need to look at what your intent is. Are you looking to keep a few shrimp or are you trying to breed them? The breeding will happen whether you want it to or not, and without fish in there to eat all your baby shrimp you'll have a large population fairly quickly.

Once we've determined these things we can look at a few other things that might affect some minor aspects of your setup but for the sake of time we'll assume you're starting with a 10 gallon (which is a bit on the small side for a low maintenance aquarium) with an [Aquaclear 20] (http://www.amazon.com/AquaClear-20-Power-Filter-Listed/dp/B000260FVG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1457001271&sr=8-1&keywords=aquaclear+20) and you're doing a shrimp-only, planted tank.

We'll begin with plants: Live plants are better for shrimp and generally look better! [Here] (http://www.theshrimpfarm.com/articles/freshwater-aquarium-plants.php) are some good plants for shrimp tanks. Most of these can easily be found at any pet store.

Substrate is highly dependent on what you personally prefer. Some, like me, prefer [mineralized topsoil] (http://visual.ly/how-mineralized-soil-substrate) with a sand or gravel top layer. This is so that you don't have to dose your rooted plants with fertilizer but they'll keep their bright colors and good growth rate. Others simply put down the sand or gravel of their choice and put root tablets into the substrate so that the rooted plants get their nutrients. The disadvantage of this is that you have to replace the tablets every so often and still sometimes end up needing to fertilize.

For conditioner, the only thing you will likely need is [dechlorinator] (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D5WIP4S/ref=twister_B00TQZ76JS?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1). This simply takes the chlorine out of tap water so that it won't hurt your shrimp.

The [API Freshwater Master test kit] (http://www.guppysaquariumproducts.com.au/monitoring-control/test-kits/freshwater-master-test-kit.html) is the most widely used kit on Reddit from what I've seen.

You shouldn't need to add any minerals, but your water hardness should be slightly acidic for the best results in terms of color and health.

You can find these links in the sidebar as well, but [this] (http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/Tropical_Fish-A_Beginners_Guide.pdf) is a beginner's guide to tropical fish keeping, [Aqadvisor] (http://aqadvisor.com/) is a website that can calculate how fully stocked your tank is based on the size of your tank and filtering capabilities, and [here] (http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/Aquarium_Lighting.html) is a guide to understanding lighting.

Finally, [this] (http://aquariuminfo.org/rcs.html) is a helpful guide on red cherry shrimp overall. You NEED to wait for your tank to be [fully cycled] (http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/articles_51/fishless-cycling-article.htm) to add shrimp, but not to add any plants which means you can go ahead and plant any plants you want while it's cycling and they can get established while you wait. If you go with the tank size and filter I used as the example, you will easily be able to house 50+ shrimp according to Aqadvisor. For your plants, I recommend going low-tech, which means using plants that don't require a lot of lighting and not using any CO2.

The two biggest challenges with all-in-one setups for shrimp is light (not enough) and waterflow (too much.) Shrimp really require live plants to thrive, and those plants need enough light to grow. It's hard to judge from pictures, but that tank's light seems like it MIGHT be adequate for low light plants. Shrimp also require very low waterflow. High waterflow will blow them around (they're tiny and light swimmers compared to fish) and they will easily get sucked onto the intakes of most filters. The tank you linked would need some modifications to be suitable for shrimp: at the very least it will need sponges or pantyhose covering the inlet and outlets, and the flow will need to be turned down to the lowest setting, probably.

So, it might work. But if you're interested in shrimp specifically, you might as well spend a small amount extra and build a custom setup that is tailored to them. You'd need:

• a 10 gal tank (10 gal is cheaper to buy than 5, it's not any more work, and barely any more space.) Check thrift store for this if budget is a concern. You don't NEED a hood, unless you have kids or cats or something.
  
  
• A sponge filter , aquarium tubing, and an air pump. This is the preferred filter type for shrimp. While we're discussing filters, make sure you understand the nitrogen cycle, and the basics of cycling a tank.
  
  
• An aquarium heater and a thermometer. Don't stinge here. Maintaining a stable temperature is key.
  
  
• A nice light. Doesn't have to pricey. A desk lamp and a daylight CFL bulb works great, but LEDs like thisare not much, either.
  
  I think all of that will run you roughly $75, give or take. Obviously, more expensive than the all-in-one, but it would result in a tank that would be easier for a beginner to succeed with.
  
  You'll also need to get some non-equipment essentials, like subtrate for planting in, a test-kit for monitoring your water, and obviously food, and a petri dish for feeding is highly recommended.
  
  Then you can get into plants and stuff. Whew! Sounds like a lot, I guess. It is, but it's worth it, and shrimp are definitely a good place to jump into aquariums.
  
  
  

Here's what you'll need:

• 5+ gallon tank with a lid. You can go for one of the nicer-looking (but more expensive ones) or just a plain ol' tank from any pet store. Lids are necessary because bettas are jumpy by nature.
  
  
• Heater. Bettas are tropical fish so you need something that can keep the water at around 78ºF. I'd really reccomend an adjustable one because A) you can do extra fine-tuning and B) you can bump the temperature up if you need to (if the room gets extra cold, or if your betta gets stick, etc). Here's what I use in my 5.5g.
  
  
• Thermometer. Nothing fancy, but you need something so you can know what the temperature is. Get an internal one instead of the ones that stick on the front of the glass (those aren't very accurate). Again, you can find them at any pet store for a couple bucks.
  
  
• Filter. Filters are a must because they house the bacteria that maintain a tank's cycle (preventing your fish from getting poisoned). I would reccomend either reading up on the nitrogen cycle yourself and teaching your friend or giving them a link to a guide, since if they've got the fish in a little container they probably know nothing about it. An air pump + sponge filter is a cheap way to do it but as long as you can get a filter that makes less of a current you're good. Bettas (especially ones with long heavy fins) don't like fast flowing water. I've got this one in my 5.5g. The fact that it's adjustable is super convenient.
  
  
• Substrate. Looks nice, add extra surface area for more bacteria to grow, A+. You can get either gravel or sand. If you want to go cheap, regular pool filter sand or black diamond blasting sand will get you a ton for a few bucks.
  
  
• Decor. Bettas appreciate densely planted/decorated tanks with lots of hiding places. Make sure anything you get isn't rough/sharp enough to snag panty hose, because that means it'll also tear betta fins. That means no coarse decorations, plastic plants, etc. Silk plants are popular, and mugs are an easy way to add a little cave.
  
  
• Gravel vac. When you're doing water changes you need a gravel vacuum to clean down in the gravel. I've found that this one is a great size for my 5.5g. Others I've tried pull out water too fast to get a good cleaning in before you've removed the water you need to. She'll probably need some container to put the water into as well. I just use a plastic 1-gallon pitcher for my 5.5.
  
  
• Test kit. Back to cycling, you need to have a test kit so you can know the pH, concentration of ammonia, concentration of nitrite, and concentration of nitrate in the tank. The API freshwater master test kit is far and away the most popular since it provides all four. Whatever you get, go for the liquid kits rather than the strips because strips aren't very accurate.
  
  
• Betta food, but she probably already has that. Although if she's got flakes it'd be a good idea to move her over to pellets, since flakes make the water a lot dirtier. Also I would reccomend you advise her on how much she should be feeding her betta. They're little piggies and will eat themselves sick if you let them, so people who don't research betta care are prone to overfeeding.
  
  
• Water conditioner. Water conditioner removes chlorine from tap water so fish can live in it. Oftentimes you'll see betta-specific water conditioner at stores, but this is just a scam that preys on folks who don't know better. It's overpriced, comes in tiny bottles, and is watered down. At 1/10 mL per gallon, a single bottle of Prime for instance is way cheaper and will last way longer. I'd reccomend you also get a 1mL syringe for easy dosing. Whenever I want one I pick one up from my school's chemistry stockroom for like 25 cents.

I'll just give you my generalize copy/pasta I usually hand out in situations like these so if you wanna read it when you got a chance, then you have it! Also has tips and purchase links for Amazon as well for different axolotl stuffs.


HOW TO CYCLE:

1. Set up tank with clean conditioned water. 2. Add recommended amount of beneficial bacteria per label
   
   
2. Add "waste" to the tank, so a little bit of say fish flakes ( they're cheap and you need a waste source since you DO NOT put a fish or axolotl in a uncycled tank. The flakes are gonna break down into ammonia. The goal with cycling is to get benefical bacteria to build up so they can change (eat) the waste & breaks down the ammonia into nitrite then finally break it down further into nitrate. All these chemicals can hurt axolotl.
   
   
3. Test tank a couple days later with a testing kit ( avoid strips, they will lie to you and give false results) if there is ANY ammonia or nitrite present, you arent cycled. If there is no nitrate present either, you arent cycled.
   
   
4. If you find ammonia or nitrite, take 50% of the water out and add clean treated water. Add more seachem stability ( benefical bacteria) ( add these each time you change water. Even if it's cycled)
   
   
5. Add a pinch more flakes & Continue to do this until your tank is cycled. Meaning you have no ammonia, no nitrite and a presence of 40ppm or less of nitrate.
   
   
   
   Warnings:
   1.If your tank isn't cycled, you are going to chemical burn them with ammonia in the water. And they will suffer. Nitrate ( the final of the chemical process) can also burn the fish/axolotl. This is why we keep this number under 40ppm. If it is higher than 40ppm, change the water 75%.
   
   
6. This beneficial bacteria lives in the filter. If you change your filter, you just ruined your cycle. Don't do this. If it gets nasty/clogged & you have to replace the cartirage, leave the old cartirage in with the new one for a few days so the beneficial bacteria can inhabit the new filter. If you can avoid replacing that, just rinse/gently squeeze out the filter in old tank water when you do clean the tank to keep from murdering the bacteria
   
7. Letting the filter dry out will also kill a cycle.
   
8. 
   
   *NOTE: Most bottles of beneficial bacteria say they cycle a tank in a day. Cycling can take up to a month in some cases but usually just two weeks if you keep on it. This requires constantly monitoring, testing and replacing most of the water in the tank when you get high ammonia/nitrite levels. You need ammonia/nitrite to be 0 and nitrate to be more than 0. Definitely less <40. If all your levels are higher than this, or if nitrate remains 0, your tank isn't cycled.***
   
   
   Summery;
   So basically, cycling builds beneficial bacteria which makes these waste breakdown chemicals go through a cycle of breaking down into a less dangerous form which keeps fish/axolotl from getting sick/dying. ... Most new fish people don't do this. And fish store employees try & tell them just adding something like seachem stability fixes this. It doesn't. An uncycled tank is basically new tank syndrome and it kills animals.
   
   You still are going to need to keep an eye on chemical levels after the cycle..Occasionally different things can cause the cycle to "crash", like changing the filters or a high tempeture, or the filters becoming dry..
   
   Once your tank is cycled, and you have an axolotl, honestly it's not that much work. The cycles the worst part. I feed my adult axolotls once every other day, I change 75% of their water twice a month, and add water to top it off / spot clean occasionally two-three other times a month due to the water I lose due to evaporation.
   
   
   Stuff you'll need:
   
9. Air stone+ airline+ air pump ( cheap ones are at Walmart.
   
10. Seachem stability ( beneficial bacteria)
    
11. Seachem prime ( it's a water conditioner I just prefer seachem)
    
12. A tank, 10 gallon minimum for 1 axolotl. But the bigger the better.
    
13. A filter
    
14. Hides for the axolotl
    
15. A syphon / water vacuum ( to suck out the poo/change water easy. I have a long food grade plastic hose I got from Ace hardware. I syphon and let it drain into the yard
    
16. A bucket
    
17. A Tupperware
    
18. A fan. Literally any fan you can put on top the tank and point at it will work. I have a table fan sitting on top my tank and blowing at the water to help keep it cool. A chiller is best, but they are expensive.
    
19. A tank thermometer ( don't get the thermometer strips, they lie
    
20. A master fresh water test kit.
    
21. Worms or repashy or pellets
    
    
    
    Links:
    
22. Test kit https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000255NCI/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1549784772&sr=8-2&keywords=master+freshwater+test+kit&dpPl=1&dpID=51FQhbpfB0L&ref=plSrch
    
    
    
23. Fan suggestion
    
    https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001R1RXUG?aaxitk=NqgMhM9.r7.gAHICKezCoA&pd_rd_i=B001R1RXUG&pf_rd_p=0ef604ef-c787-43e9-9404-52a4ff25a95c&hsa_cr_id=8386596470601&sb-ci-n=asinImage&sb-ci-v=https%3A%2F%2Fimages-na.ssl-images-amazon.com%2Fimages%2FI%2F71pMktGGyRL.jpg&sb-ci-a=B001R1RXUG
    
    
24. Tank thermometer
    
    https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0002AQITK/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1549784880&sr=8-5&keywords=tank+thermometer
    
    4.
    Air pump + line + stone.
    https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B073DWVX5P/ref=mp_s_a_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1549784937&sr=8-11&keywords=air+pump+for+aquarium&dpPl=1&dpID=41%2BcSpzfDgL&ref=plSrch
    
    
25. Filter ( basic the tank you have probably already has one)
    
    https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000260FUM/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1549785038&sr=8-2&keywords=hob+filter&dpPl=1&dpID=41Rr1kpTVOL&ref=plSrch
    
    
26. Shower poof ( hang these so they slow the flow of water coming out of filter. Axolotls don't like a lot of heavy water flow. Get these at the dollar store and rinse them before going in tank. You don't have to get these online. I'm just showing you)
    
    https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01F88BMC8/ref=mp_s_a_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1549785094&sr=8-3&keywords=shower+pouf
    
    
27. Seachem stuff
    Prime; https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00025694O/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1549785181&sr=8-1&keywords=seachem+prime&dpPl=1&dpID=41Q0rRc8NML&ref=plSrch
    
    Stablity:
    https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0002APIIW/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1549785210&sr=8-1&keywords=seachem+stability
    
    
28. Food
    Pellets:
    
    https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0787T25J1/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1549785278&sr=8-1&keywords=axolotl+pellets
    
    Repashy:
    https://www.chewy.com/repashy-superfoods-meat-pie-gel/dp/166289?utm_source=google-product&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=f&utm_content=Repashy%20Superfoods&utm_term=&gclid=Cj0KCQiAkfriBRD1ARIsAASKsQLQAXpk3WwGiCwRMr6OQmbfUXPIZutYnADrujltXxW1PPSVgYpPduEaAmAaEALw_wcB
    
    Ice cube trays for repashy( frozen is better. It's a jello. It will really trash your tank. So frozen is better):
    
    https://www.amazon.com/niceCube-Mini-Ice-Cube-Trays/dp/B01L7ZFBXW/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1549785496&sr=8-2-spons&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=mini+ice+cube+tray&psc=1
    
    
    
29. Hides. Here's a good example..I soemthing similar. Just go to the reptile section at your pet store. Get one that's not rough but smooth. Plastics a good option. Just rinse it well before you put it in tank
    https://www.arcatapet.com/m/item.cfm?cat=22600&source=GA-PLA00522600&fullsite=0
    
    
30. Water vacuum. This is what I have + I have a big long hose for big water changes. I use this to spot clean poo and "vacuum' it into a 10 gallon bucket
    
    https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B011DDJZ9Y/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1549785739&sr=8-1&keywords=aquarium+vacuum
    
    Feeding tongs: They're actually tweezers for planting a planted fish tank. These can grip worms very well.. The Amazon ones that are silver suck and will make your life hell. Don't waste your money on ones on amazon unless you can find these on Amazon.
    
    https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/fish/feeding-accessories/fluval-straight-forceps

So you have a filter on a 6 gallon tank that's rated for 68 gallons per hour. This is great filtration (I use an eheim that's rates for over 120 gallons that's running on a 5.5 gallon tank here temporarily). However I myself found that i HAD to control the filter flow.

If you live near a PETCO they may have the Fluval sponges on clearance for 70.cents if not less. don't pay more than 2 bucks for one. I found out my Local petco had a a whole bunch of them on clearance for 70 cents so i picked up close to 30. lol

These sponges look nice, and work well. What you do is fit it over the outflow of the filter. if you get a couple you can cut them to your needs and even use one as an internal filter sponge if your filters design will permit it.

Bettas are used to being in still water. you want the water to have a very very gentle flow, it will look almost still. There's a good chance hes fighting the current and cant get up to the top to breathe regularly.

You mentioned your Nitrates at around a 5? i would prep some water (chlorinate it, maybe let it sit over night) and do a 50% water change, do this about twice a week until your filter is balanced and your tank is fully cycled. if you are seeing high nitrate levels you might be on the tail end of that cycle which is good.

As for clamped fins. Once the previous measures have been taken and your beta appears to be regaining health and vigor (give him a week or so) You can do "betta exercise" which is essentially putting a mirror in front of the tank for about 5-10 minutes once or twice a week. don't do it consecutively, so maybe Monday and Friday or something like that. This causes them to flare their fins and fan them out. preventing clamping and helping their muscles that they use for the fins get some strength. Just be sure to watch him and take it away after the 5-10 minute period. if he is in bad shape right now i would just do 5 minutes for a while and see how that works out.

That's about all i can give right now based on the info provided. Make sure the tank is not near a heavy sun window or an air vent.

Hang in there man and good luck. I know what its like to lose pets. Its a major let down and you feel like you failed. I've been there and im sure ill be there again at some point. I lost alot of dwarf shrimp in my early experiences, it will pay off once you figure out the nuances.

Best of luck and feel free to PM me if you need more help.

Good on you for taking the poor guy!

First, the spots don't really look like ich. Ich is more like the fish has salt grains sprinkled on them. The spots on the this guy look like either fungus or bacteria. Also, from the picture, it looks like he has some pretty bad fin rot and he's very pale.

I see an air pump, is it hooked up to anything in the tank? I don't see a filter, but you can use that air pump to set up a sponge filter.

The tank itself looks to be ok, although a very odd shape... I'm thinking it's probably 2.5-3 gallons which is alright for a betta (though 5 gallons is ideal)

Honestly, if there's no filter or bubble stone, I'd do a 100% water change, rinse the gravel really well to get any detritus out (judging by the state of the tank, I'm sure there's a lot...). Until you get a filter, you should do 50-75% changes every day. Look up fish-in cycling as well. I'm sure we have a link in our wiki. Scoop the little guy into a holding cup while you change the water, then slowly acclimate to the cleaner water. With his compromised immune system, too much stress may be a death sentence.

Like I said about the spots, it looks like a fungus or bacterial infection. Bacterial is more common and would fit with the MO of fin rot, so I'd start with that for treating. Any antibacterial would be good, but get him in clean water first.

Can you take a pic of the heater?

As far as buddies go, a single snail or a few shrimp would be fine with him. Nerite snails are one of my favorites. They eat all kinds of algae, lay eggs that don't hatch in freshwater, come in lots of colors, and stay relatively small. DO NOT do a mystery snail, they get huge and produce a lot of waste. Ghost or amano shrimp are good choices. Shrimp are much more sensitive to water quality though, so make sure you get the tank fixed before adding anything.

Finally, definitely get this test kit. You'll need it for cycling and is much more accurate and cost effective than strips.

I can't say much because you didn't specify what your parents are against and what you've done so far to try to convince them.

But from my experience (had to convince my parents too) collect as much information as possible and show it to them in a calm, non confrontational/emotional manner.

Info such as:

• Basic fish info: the nitrogen cycle & what the good bacteria does, stunting growth consequences
  
  
• Basic goldfish info: how long they live, how big they get, videos of happy & clean goldfish tanks such as Solid Gold on youtube
  
  
• Get an API liquid water test kit and and test the water. Have numbers to back you up!
  
  
• Tank size - do what purple_potato said. There are still a LOT of sites with misinformation that come up on the first pages of google so be careful! They might counter with that.
  
  
• Tank weight - How old is your house? What floor do you live in? Can the floor hold the weight of the aquarium? (75 gallons is about 850 lb with water. If you have fancy goldfish you won't need that big of a tank but if they're comets 75 is a good size, but realistically you won't be allowed to get a 75)
  
  
• Make a budget sheet. List all the expenses for the tank, filtration, heater (depending on where you live), air stone (if needed), water conditioner, siphon, food.
  
  How much money do you have? Be prepared to use your own money. Look around on craigslist/letitgo/etc for good tank deals. If you're short on money and can't find any good deals, consider using storage bins or other alternatives.
  
  Keeping it very clean, visually pleasing (eg live plants), and quiet (eg noise from the spray bar and air stones) also helps.
  
  Who's going to keep up with water changes and care? How old are you? Do you plan to move out soon? Since goldfish tanks are huge, water changes can quickly become a drag (unless you have money for a python or a similar setup) .
  
  Alternatively, find someone that will take the goldfish and get a betta or other suitable fish for a 10 gal. Happy fish and your parents still get to "care" for a fish!

Ha, love the name idea!

I'm not sure if you have read around and are aware of the proper care for a betta (if you have then ignore me) but if you haven't I'll go ahead and say a two gallon bowl isn't the best place for him, and is also another reason for the downvotes. He can live in it but he's not going to thrive. He does need a heater and a filter, if you have those then that is awesome, if not you can even get them as a broke college student.

If I can tell you one thing I'm positively sure of, there is always room for a fish tank. ;)

I'm just going to link you a cheap list of good stuff for little moneys:

Sponge Filter

Air Pump

Airline Tubing I bet you can find this in stores for less. Also less as an add on item.

Check Valve Most likely less at a store.

Heater, Heater 2 Costs a good bit more but I really love these.

Tank, Tank 2 There are many other options to look at.

If you go with the cheapest it will run you just about $58 with prime.

Hope the list gives you something to think about. If you've got any questions at all I'd be more than happy to answer them if I can.

Edit* Added a link.

This betta seems to have some pretty nasty finrot, this is often caused by poor water quality. It seems like he's in a fairly small tank, unfortunately, this is probably not a good environment for him. Bettas are tropical fish that need large enough (preferably 5 gallons or larger) heated and filtered tanks.

So the best way to help him is to get him into a better tank asap. The larger tank can be an aquarium or a plastic bin. The heater should be adjustable, with an internal thermostat. 25W should be fine, unless this betta lives in a particularly cold place.

A sponge filter is a good option for smaller tanks, here's a good sponge filter, it'll need to be powered by a air pump (like this one). Your friend will also need some airline tubing, and something to regulate airflow (this is a 10-pack, but you get the idea).

The water should be treated with water conditioner, like this one. Most people do 25-30% waterchanges, every week.

Cycling is another very important thing. Fish produce ammonia, which is very toxic to them. Luckily, there are bacteria that can convert ammonia into nitrite, and eventually into nitrate (far less toxic). These bacteria can live in the filter, and remove the bad ammonia from the water. A new filter doesn't have enough yet, by cycling we can make sure the filter media is colonized by the bacteria we want. This guide explains the process in more detail, this page here explains how to cycle a tank with fish.

Please also sent your friend a link to our caresheet, it might help them cure this little dude.

I konw this is a ton of information, but please ask your friend to give it a shot. This little dude can definitely recover :)

So, I used to have the same filter that is in your picture. I was in denial that I would need to get a new one. I ignored every single sign that it sucked, I disregarded every bad review, I convinced myself it would work for me. It finally stopped working and I wish that I had ditched it sooner because I notice a difference in my tank with the sponge.

ANYWAY I ended up buying this one on Amazon. It is perfect! It hooks right up the air pump for the Tetra filter. Although, I did get a check valve thingy because the bubbles were a bit much for my 5.5 gallon, but now it is great and barely disturbs the surface. My fish even likes to sit on it and against it.

It did take awhile to get here, but I would definitely say it was worth the wait. I would order it immediately. One of the reasons I didn't was because I was put off by the wait time, but like that time passed and I still had a crappy filter at the end of it, so I should have just ordered it and had a nice filter at the end.

Edit:

As far as backgrounds go, I think a black one would be really nice. I got a cheap one from my LFS, the one that has blue on one side and black on the other. It sticks on really easy, I just rubbed some Crisco across the back of my tank and set the background on. Then I rubbed a credit card over it to get bubbles out. It's still stuck on there pretty solid and makes my tank look much more put together.

Last edit:
Your tank and your fish are very pretty! The green decorations would pop with a black background and so would your fish's gorgeous coloring. My fish is pink too and he looks so good in my tank against the background.

That could be good enough, but I like to over-filter so I'd buy this one is bigger and, though it will take up a side of your tank, I believe it is better. The lift tube goes up higher so it has more pull and you can bury the bottom tubes a little into the sand to make it look better.

I have both and I like the bigger one better. Think soda can vs 1/2 of a red bull can.

Lighting is great, but pricey. My roommate and I just use a lamp with a high-temp (light temp is in Kelvins ~6000 is good).

Heater looks great.

Good luck!

(read your other post and I'm not sure about a pump but that one will get you by for at least cycling. If you want to upgrade, pumps aren't that much so no worries)

10 gal is fine. I started my first SW tank a couple months ago and I got a 6 gal. Now, you will have to have to have live rock. Without it, it will be nearly impossible to have a stable tank. I suggest you get around 15 pounds. Get all the live rock you plan to have in you tank at once so your parameters don't get an ammonia spike if you have a fish inside. Aragonite sand should be fine. I would stay FOWLR (fish only with live rock) because corals are much harder. The cycle is also very similar. Set up your tank, add sand, fill with a few inches of water, add rocks and aquascape, fill up with water, add a deli shrimp, and you should be good to go. You will need some salt, a hydrometer, a good reliable heater, some lighting, a power head and test kit. And also a filter.
This is what I would get
http://amzn.com/B000260FUM
I would put the bio rings and carbon aside and replace with this,
http://amzn.com/B0002A5VK2
http://amzn.com/B004PBD4J4
Add the matrix when you start cycling, then add the purigen when you are getting fish. The reviews are speaking for the product. Purigen is simply a godsend
http://amzn.com/B00019JOSO
Go for a refractometer if you can afford it but this works fine for me as long as I tap it an there are no bubbles.
http://amzn.com/B001EUE808
The test kit.
http://amzn.com/B0036S4YZ0
This powerhead should do fine in a 10 gallon.
http://amzn.com/B003M7P9YU
This is one of the best most reliable heaters on the market. Many will fail and bake your tank but not the jagar.
http://amzn.com/B003EE5GUS
These make life a whole lot easier BN testing water or adding things like calcium. You get 10 so they should def last a while.
http://amzn.com/B008SJ1H7A
Get like 5 of these. They are extremely accurate and last around 3 months each. Wrap the wire around the tank and have one on at all times. They also help when doing water changes. You should also pick up an extra heater for water changes, via aqua and aqua top have good ones. These are made in china and sent out to companies like coralife to be package and sold for like 10 dollars, see
http://amzn.com/B0002DI4TO

Now, this is the salt I use for water changes,
http://amzn.com/B0002DJU0G
This should last you a year or two and is way cheaper then continually buying salt. I personally use tap water that has been heavily decholinated with this,
http://amzn.com/B00176CVK8
You should get your tap water tested for copper which can kill invertebrates. A 5 gallon bucket is really useful as is this siphon for water changes,
http://amzn.com/B002LL8BWU
This net is really fine and will catch most tiny debris
http://amzn.com/B008HPOCUE
You will probably find it cheaper in a store. I leave it in front of my powerhead for a hour or two every couple to days to catch debris and waste.
These tweezers help for when you don't want to get your hands wet.
http://amzn.com/B001CWDSYA
But they do start rusting after a lot of
use.
http://amzn.com/B0002E7ITK
This has been the best fish food in my experience but all fish should be fed a varied diet. This is a good staple and should be substituted with brine shrimp, mysis shrimp (frozen) and seaweed.
Not everything here is necessary, I'm just telling you what helped me make the jump to saltwater.
Here are some pics of my tank:

http://imgur.com/p3PP7X7
http://imgur.com/9kUaq1g
http://imgur.com/wtUfCb5
http://imgur.com/yl82GRn

One last thing, in a tank that size, draw a small line where you want you water level to be, when it goes below that due to evaporation, top off water. Test your salinity often in that tank. I use seachem marine buffer to deal with pH issues but chemicals and buffets should be avoided.

Alright...time to start typing out this monster.

Ive been reading guides and stuff, but i have a terrible memory when reading things, and theres some stuff i want to double check, etc.

Im looking to set up my old 29 gal tank from when i was a kid (its been empty for 10+ years). My goal is to do a planted tank with primarily tetras and shrimp...maybe a pleco and perhaps another type of schooling fish.

I probably wont be able to start cycling for ~2 weeks or so, though by the time i buy stuff on amazon, etc thats probably a decent timetable.

This light was suggested to me by another user. Should be sufficient for growing plants in a low tech system, right?

Ive seen various numbers for how 'oversized' a filter should be. Right now im kinda looking at these two (1) (2). Any comments on brand? It looks like i can get either one in bigger/smaller sizes. 400gph seems like it might be a bit overkill...but is 250 too low?

Ive read that often the agitation in the surface water by the filter is enough to provide sufficient gasses to the plants/fish...do you think that ill be true in a low tech tank? Would an aerator help? I dont think i'll mind having bubbles coming up in the background if it will, but am i overthinking this?



I wish i had saved more links on substrate and sand and all. Any recommendations for substrate for plants? Would probably like black stuff. I think this is the one i had read about being good?

Thinking about doing a bit of gravel in the tank, but i'd also like to do some sand. Maybe something like 2/3 sand (maybe a couple different types?) and then the rest gravel? Thoughts/concerns?

I thought i had read somewhere that people often use blasting sand (rinsed well)....anyone have comments on that? I could probably get some for cheap from work, though im not sure i want dark sand...


Best place to get a larger piece of driftwood? Ive looked around online a bit and have seen a ton of different sites and whatever, but was wondering if anyone had a suggestion for where to go. Im probably going to want one big piece, and then i can get smaller pieces from wherever.


I assume when im doing water changes and stuff im going to want to bypass our water softener? Our water is supposed to be pretty hard, do i want to maybe mix softened with unsoftened? (ive seen a lot of stuff about adding minerals to pure RO water, but havent seen much on softeners)




Im sure ill think of more, but this should at least be a good start...

Edit: Best place to get rocks and stuff? I'd like a couple for a natural look, im just not sure where to get them. I could get some red granite around here, but im not sure how that'd work, and it seems like it'd be really heavy...?

>What plants?

This is a good place to start. There are lots of good beginner plants that are hard to kill and don't need a lot of light or special requirements. Annubia, java fern and java moss are the sort of 'go to' beginner plants. Bettas also like shade, so maybe look into some floaters like amazon frogbit or salvinia (not sure I spelled that right). I also enjoy water sprite and cabomba (again not sure of spelling) for stuff to grow taller in the background.

>What substrate?

If you keep things simple, you won't need a special substrate. A lot of the beginner plants take in nutrients from the water column, so they don't need any special soils or substrate to grow. In fact, many of them don't need to be rooted down at all, you can just glue them to rocks to keep them in place.

>How should I plant them?

Taller plants toward the back. Do research on plants you intend to get, some do feed from the substrate primarily and might need root tabs for healthy growth.

>How long in advance to plant, how to cycle a tank?

So, plant them when you start up your tank. No need to cycle, just toss them in dechlorinated water.

As far as how to cycle, this is a decent guide for a fishless cycle. You're going to need a way to test your water through this, the best bet is an API master test kit. The best prices are online if you've got time to wait for shipping. A little pricier than the test strips, but they're more accurate and last way longer, so it makes up for the price.

>What filter?

Personally I use sponge filters, they're super gentle and have a stupid amount of room for your bacteria to grow. They're super cheap, I got 2 for less than 10 dollars (plus shipping), but they do need an air pump to run them. You'll also want some check valves and a way to restrict the air flow - they make little inlets that have flow valves to control the air for cheap.

Alternatively, I've heard great things about the aqua clear 20 filter. It's got an adjustable flow so you can slow it down to suit your tank, and does a better job than sponge filters for water clarity. Also pretty cheap, and you won't need to buy the air pump.

>What to do with empty tank?

Make it a shrimp tank!

Cherry and blue dream are the same species and will interbreed.

I would recommend picking one or the other.

When they interbreed, you won't get purple, instead you'll get some poorly colored blues, some poorly colored reds and a lot of "plain" which are basically mostly clear with some light brown.

Also neocardinas like lower temperatures, if you're looking to build a colony you should avoid tropical fish since they prefer warmer temps. If you're keeping shrimp a heater isn't really necessary.

I agree to wait for the $1 per gallon sale, it really is difficult to beat.

Over the last few years I've had 6 20g's going at the same time with slightly different set-ups from sponge filters to HOB to canister. I experimented with all methods, hi-tech, low-tech, waldstadt.

The most important thing you can do is think about what your end goal is. You'll make mistakes at first, everyone does. But if you plan ahead you can minimize how costly they will be.

If I were to recommend a set-up to a beginner.

• $20 aquarium PetCo $1 per gallon sale
  
  
• $35 AquaClear HOB filter
  https://www.amazon.com/AquaClear-20-Power-Filter-Listed/dp/B000260FUM
  
• $8 SunSun powerhead
  https://www.amazon.com/SunSun-Submersible-Aquarium-Hydroponic-Powerhead/dp/B00OUJ60RY
  
• $90 LED + full spectrum. As far as lighting goes, I've never been let down by Current USA, but I've never tried this model.
  https://www.amazon.com/Current-USA-Satellite-Freshwater-Aquarium/dp/B00C7OTE0O
  
• $40 Substrate I recommend aquasoil
  https://www.amazon.com/Aqua-Soil-Amazonia-Liter-Normal/dp/B00519832W
  
• $80-$150 for hardscaping. I would recommend Seiryu, Manten, or Ohko stones. You'll want 20-30 lbs and the cost ranges from $3 per lb to $6 per lb.
  
• $10-$25 for plants. For starting off I'd recommend something easy and fast growing like hygro pinnatifida, cabomba caroliniana, dwarf hairgrass, and rotala indica.
  
• $10 initial livestock. Get everything set-up and planted. Then buy 5 white cloud minnows to cycle your tank for the first month. These guys love the same parameters as your soon to be purchased shrimp.
  
• $5 second livestock purchase, get 2 otolincus catfish. By this point your tank should be cycled and some algae may be growing, otos will clean that up in no time.
  
• Now you buy your shrimp. You can get decent quality fire red cherry shrimp for ~$3-4 each, or blue dreams for $5-7 each. You'll want to start off with 10. Be good with your 20% water changes every week and soon they will be molting afterwards. Soon you'll get babies, after your first batch is born, buy another 10 to improve the gene pool a bit.

It sort of depends really. They have specific needs, but they aren't too difficult to care for. I have a python water changer and it takes most work out of fishkeeping.

Once your tank is established (fishless cycling is the best way to do this) you only need to do a 20% water change weekly. I hook up the python, turn on the water (this creates a syphon/vacuum), then vacuum the gravel (using the python) while removing 20% of the water. Next you set the tap water temperature to the same as your tank. Put chlorine/chloramine remover into your tank, then you turn the end on the python, it makes the water go through the hose and into the tank. Once it's full, you shut it off and your all done.

It sounds kind of like a long process, but to clean and water change a 20 gallon tank, it takes about 3-5 minutes or less a week.

Really the key is to not overstock your tank and have good filtration. Good filtration makes for easy maintenance and happy healthy fish.

Repeating and adding on to what's already been said, neither would do well in that "tank". It's too small for any fish to live comfortably and doesn't allow for many if the things needed for fish to thrive. Because you're asking a question like this you must be new to fish keeping, which isn't a bad thing. As far as the tank goes, I would try and return it if possible. Like /u/_ataraxia said, goldfish need 30-40 gallons, minimum. To better display the reason why, here is a comparason of the goldfish you buy at the store to a full grown adult. Bettas also need larger, 2.5 gallons is the semi-agreed upon minimum for bettas. I put "semi" there because many argue that 5 or 10 gallons should be the minimum.

If you want to get some fish for you daughter and care for them in a humane way I'd invest in a 10 gallon tank. 10s are small enough to be affordable for beginners and allow for more than one fish to be kept in the tank. /u/kamikazeX already mentioned that petco has a $1 per gallon sale on now which you should really take advantage of if you want to commit to this. Personally, I think a 20 gallon long tank would be much better and would only cost about $10-15 more to set up and will make your life easier. Believe it or not bigger is better and the bigger the tank the less maintenance you have to do. For things you should research a small list would be:

• The nitrogen cycle and how to cycle a tank without fish, you may want to add fish right away but that would likely kill them due to ammonia poisoning
  
  
• What fish can fit in your tank
  
  
• Please, please, pleeeaaaaaaaaase research an individual fish before buying it. All too often people buy baby common plecos aka "sucker fish" when they're little, without knowing that they get massive
  
  As far as what I'd recommend buying to get started is:
  
  
• 20 Gallon long or 10 galon (up to you, but the 20 is easier to care for)
  
  
• Aquaclear 50 (if you wanted to go with the 20) or an Aquaclear 30 (for a 10 gallon)
  
  
• Black sand (the colorful gravel may be appealing, but the paint can wear off). I say black because with the darker substrate fish show more natural colors and look better.
  
  
• Fake or real plants and some rocks or caves (personally I think that the more natural the better, and live plants help manage nitrates)
  
  
• Decent lights
  
• Small heater or an appropriate size
  
  There may be similar products for lower prices, but with aquariums you always want to buy nice, not twice. When/if you get a proper tank and it is time to add fish go to trhe store and find the ones you like, write down what they are and leave. Don't buy them, leave. Go home and do your research so you know how to care for what you're getting and that it will do well in your tank. The last time I bought fish I had done a week of research on what I was buying.

Even at less than an inch, it can create a downflow too strong for a fish like a Betta with such large fins (as you've clearly witnessed). Think about a sail boat... even a soft wind will billow the sails. That's exactly what their fins are.

While the filter intake wouldn't be a problem for other fish with smaller fins, that might create an issue with a Betta. I'm sure he'll be fine for today while you go to work, though. For later, you can simply increase the size of the sponge on the intake to slow down the flow. I bought a bunch of these a while ago for various purposes (great for scrubbing glass on small aquariums!), and they're dense enough to slow water flow pretty significantly.

Also, I have to say - kudos to you for being so concerned and attentive to a fish you received as a gift. Most people (sadly) would throw him in a vase on a window sill and forget about him until he started smelling. I really admire your desire to learn as much as you can so you can take good care of him.

Haha I was confused for a second. When you want to make a post make sure you are into the text box for the thread and not someone's comments. You will be more noticed.

Butttt Lets see what I can help you with...

1. Larger the tank, easier it is to maintain water chemistry. Generally you want to do a water change weekly. I sometimes get lazy and will wait longer between water changes. When it comes to filters you want them to be larger than your aquarium. So, 75g tank you'll want something rated larger than that. You should not have to dismantle anything. I use I use this for all of my water changes.
   
   Also to this point I noticed you want a lot of different fish. Be careful. A lot of schooling fish like to be in groups of 6+ and some fish have anger issues. Using this stocking website will give you a good idea of how many fish you can have and if they work well with others.
   
   And then plants! Live plants are great to have. Make sure you look into them. Some get their nutrients from the soil while others get them directly from the water.
   
   
2. This hobby can be expensive. Without Black Friday my current set up would cost over $1,000 and that's not including lights. Since you are looking for a 75g tank make sure to keep an eye out for dollar gallon sales at petsmart. They happen every few months. You'll also want to make sure you have a sturdy enough stand for it also. When it comes to fish, just take a peek at petsmart website. Must of their fish are $3 to $10. If your town has a Local Fish Store (LFS) you may be able to find better deals. For plants, keep your eye on /r/AquaSwap for deals. I personally have had great success with /u/butteredscrimp. If you give them details on your tank and how much you are looking to spend, they will put together a package for you.
   
   
3. On the side bar there are a bunch of helpful links you can look through. Besides the ones I posted above some other ones are: Guide to Starting a Freshwater Tank, Fishless Cycling.
   
   Currently at 2365 characters and probably my longest reddit post. It is a lot of information and if you have any questions do not hesitate to ask!

I'm going to make this list assuming that you have Amazon in your area and that either you or someone you know has Amazon Prime. If not, then think of this as more of a template that you can tweak using what you have available to you:

• Tank: Finnex Rimless - This isn't a prefab as much as it is just a blank slate. 7.5 gallons is ample room for a nice little shrimp colony, the tank itself is quite attractive and Finnex is one of my more favored brands for LEDs.
  
  
• Filtration: Depending on your personal preference, I tried/like both the Tom Mini Filter and Deep Blue Biomaxx Nano. They're both quiet, gentle and have few moving parts for easy maintenance and cleaning. It just depends on whether you like submersible or HOB style filters, though if using the Biomaxx I'd suggest wrapping the intake with coarse filter pads or a sponge.
  
  
• Substrate: Eco-Complete - You'll probably be able to grow just about any plant you desire in this stuff, it's dirt cheap compared to other brands and is just as easy to use as plain old normal gravel. One bag should be all you need.
  
  Hopefully you have Amazon Prime available to you where you are, and if so none of this requires any shipping charge. If you do at most this will cost you $115.79, leaving you lots of money to spend on shrimp and plants! Hope this was helpful to you, best of luck!

That would be an extremely large diffuser. Maybe those dimensions are for the box rather than the diffuser itself. Your best options outside of a powerhead are a bubble ladder or a ceramic disk diffuser. Bubble ladders aren't very efficient so you'd need more CO2 and they take up more space. Ceramic disk diffusers are small and some work for DIY, but most DIY systems cannot output enough pressure.

If you have access to a power outlet I'd suggest something like this. You can just poke a hole right above the sponge and insert the CO2 tubing. As the CO2 is generated it'll get pushed into the impeller of the filter, which breaks it up into tiny bubbles that diffuse quite well. This is what I use on a 5 gallon and its reasonably efficient. I mix 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp yeast, 1/2 tsp baking soda (these are estimates since I never remember my actual mix) every 10-15 days. If you're curious about how I setup the diffusion I can take pictures when I get home and send you the exact quantities I mix.

It's really tough to give a solid answer for bubble rate because it depends on diffusion method. This is part of why no one ever agrees what the proper mix for DIY CO2 is. Different diffusion methods are radically different in the final amount of dissolved CO2. If you're using a moderately effective diffusion method one bubble every 10-15 seconds would be good. Just so you have some information to work with on 20 gallon long I do one bubble every second diffused through a powerhead. On my 10 gallon I do one bubble every three seconds diffused through a ceramic diffuser underneath a powerhead. For my 5 gallon I do one bubble every 5-10 seconds diffused through a filter like the one I linked above.

Sorry for putting such a huge amount of info. Hopefully you can get some good ideas out of it.

One thing I've seen over and over is that Dwarf Hairgrass needs pressurized CO2 in order to get an established carpet so you really might want to consider that. Our set-up consists of an AQUATEK CO2 Mini Regulator, 2 Empire 20oz CO2 Tanks (which are the same as what they use for paintball and very cheap to fill - and they last for months), a Reactor 100 diffuser (our Fluval broke...sucks), a Fluval 88g Bubble Counter, and a Fluval CO2 Indicator Kit. You'll need airline tubing too and a drop checker. It very simple to set up and use, if you'd ever consider it and your hairgrass would love you for it...but it really looks like everything in there is thriving so nicely!



Hairgrass also needs light so maybe cut back on whatever is blocking light from getting down to the hairgrass. If you do go with CO2, make sure you shut it off when your lights aren't on, since the plants can't use it without light and watch the indicator so you don't gas your tank and fauna. CO2 would also help regulate your pH, which your shrimp would love. Mine holds at a steady 6.8.



Maybe you could cut back your sword a bit and plant some of the runners in another tank, or if you don't have one, maybe you have a friend that would like some?



I think your tank looks great, a little jungly, but I bet the shrimp love that! Love your variety of Fauna!



Good luck!

Congrats on the first tank! My most successful tank was a 20 long, and honestly I think about going back very often.

If you're looking for a simple entry-level start to filtration, I would go with a simple hang-on-back filter (or HOB for short as they're called in the reefing community). You could absolutely add a small refugium/sump as mentioned here as well, which would increase your water volume and filtration ability, allowing you to get one or two more fish in the system, however as I'm sure you know it will be a bit more expensive and complicated to set up, with a few extra risks regarding any blockages in pumps.

If you're looking into the HOB option, I would recommend my personal favorite, the AquaClear filter (you can get it here https://www.amazon.com/AquaClear-50-Power-Filter-Listed/dp/B000260FUM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1486060633&sr=8-1&keywords=aquaclear+filter). I fill mine with the provided media (I replace the bag of carbon monthly with my own bags that I fill which are a bit cheaper), along with a small filter bag of phoslock to remove some of the phosphates on the top. Overall it's a relatively easy setup, and you can clean the sponge filter every week or two when you do water changes to get rid of any of the detritus that builds up.

Good luck with the tank!

Hey I just bought the same tank! I fit the same exact heater in the compartment next to the filter intake tube, it fit perfectly. I also used a little over half a bag of eco-complete. I just planted it a couple days ago. I bought a Nutrafin co2 kit but the ladder diffuser/bubble counter took up a whole wall so I ditched it and bought this glass diffuser and this bubble counter, they're still in the mail though so can't comment on how they work.

It looks like you're going with pressurized co2 which I sort of want to too but the replacement tanks seem expensive. Kind of wish I hadn't bought the Nutrafin and just made my own bottle DIY but the cannister is nice and so is the tubing it comes with and I'll just use the ladder diffuser on a bigger tank. There's not much room to work with and the lid seems annoying to fit things under, like tubing so I'm still working on that but overall it's a beautiful tank. Good luck!

A gentle filter, I find, is pretty much vital in any tank, whether it's 1.5 gallons or 20. Without one, you'll have to do water changes of much higher volume and far more often, and not only is it annoying for you, it can be more stressful for your betta to constantly have to be acclimated to new water. You can use a power filter and baffle it with something so it's not so harsh, but I recommend a sponge filter, they are gentler, quieter, easier, and a hell of a lot cheaper. I have a 4.5 gallon tank (Such a strange size, no?) and I use this with a tetra whisper air pump. I'm rather fond of the filter I have now, as it suctions to the tank wall and leaves more space for him to explore, and it's easier to clean the gravel. As for tankmates, it depends on the personality of your betta and what he works best with. Mystery snails are popular as they help keep the tank clean. Tetras and shrimp are also popular. You can only experiment. My guy works awesome with the snail in his tank, but others have had their snail mysteriously murdered. Experiment with it, see how he does.

He's a beauty! Good for you for seeking out help on providing for him. When bettas have big, warm, healthy environments they become very active and interesting fish. 5 gallons are generally the recommended minimum for bettas, and an ideal temperature is 78-80F / 25.5-26.5C. Lighting isn't really a big deal, but bettas really love swimming through dense live plants, so if you get some live plants you'll need some better lighting for the plants (I recommend anubias or java fern, easy beginner low-light plants.)

You will definitely need a filter, but in the meantime, make sure to do frequent water changes because ammonia builds up fast in a new tank that isn't cycled. You may have heard of something called "new tank syndrome" which means a tank hasn't established a nitrogen cycle, and there's no bacteria in the tank to eat ammonia. This will establish eventually, but if this is a brand new tank, you have to keep the water fresh and clean, otherwise he will poison himself with his own waste. I highly recommend Aquaclear hang-on filters although they might be a little big for a 5 gallon. Make sure filter intakes are always covered with sponges, bettas are slow swimmers with delicate fins that can be ripped off by filter intakes, and that filters are always on the lowest setting. Also, bettas can be jumpy - keep a lid on the tank if possible.

Also keep in mind bettas are carnivores, so make sure any food you get is made for bettas, or just get freeze dried bloodworms or brine shrimp. If you really want to spoil him, you can get frozen food to thaw out and feed him. Dehydrated and pelleted foods can sometimes cause bloating and constipation. Make sure you don't overfeed! Fish don't need to be fed every single day, and only need a little bit of food.

Keep an eye out for any changes in appearance and behavior, and don't be afraid to ask if you think something's wrong, there's a lot of common ailments that are treatable if you can catch and identify them soon enough.

Anything labled for bettas is probably junk, or at very least heavily diluted. I use Seachem Prime, and it's usually cheaper than the aqueon brand while being less diluted. A small bottle would last you a very long time.

As for the filter, definitely get a new one. While a mossball helps, you would need far more plants to use up all of the fish's waste. I'd recommend a sponge filter for that size tank so that you don't have to worry about the outflow being too strong. They're incredibly low maintenance as well.

This pump

Tetra 77851 Whisper Air Pump, 10-Gallon
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009YJ4N6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_zKHNyb1F5JD7D

With this sponge

Jardin Fish Tank 6-Layer Sponge Biochemical Water Corner Filter, Black
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DT1XXJW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_cLHNyb6XMKG3Z

Would work very well for a 5 gallon.

I would bump the temperature up a bit since bettas do best from 76-82f

Definitely read up on what those numbers mean (not just the ideal range). I think that r/aquariums had a good guide in the sidebar, and Google is your best friend for fish research.

Edit (added link): http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/guide-to-starting-a-freshwater-aquarium-186089.html

As far as tankmates go, for a five gallon with a betta your options are limited to shrimp and snails. But you can still have plenty of fun with those!

Don't be afraid to ask questions!

You're probably not going to find real quantifiable data like that because there are so many factors including growth media and I'm not sure it scales up and down linearly.

I have:

• a 10 gallon tank; with two goldfish; a water jet; airstones; automated feeders; and an eheim filter- supporting two house plants
  Imgur (left side)
  
  
• another 4l0L (10 gallon) with two or three yoyo loaches (rescued); a panda catfish; and an algae eater- that supports a large windowsill planter of growth media holding mint/shisou/thai basil and has a eheim filter for extra biomass and 2 water jets; airstones in the tank and biomass area; and an automated feeder
  Imgur (middle)
  
  
• Finally an outside setup with 150 gallon tub with 5 goldfish (rescued) that runs through PVC pipe with about 10 net baskets with heads of lettuce and an automated koi-pond outdoor feeder.
  imgur
  
  These are all stable systems that have lasted about two years a piece
  
  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Issues of any cruelty aside- this is fine as a starter/intro and you'll find that you'll likely want to upgrade as things work out- mostly because small systems are a lot harder to take care of.
  
  The thing with goldfish is that they put out a lot of ammonia (so in a small tank ammonia poisoning might be a thing) and the size of the container tends to cap their growth. But I wouldn't sweat the fish thing too much because a few of them might die due to the tank being new (although goldfish are extremely hearty) sketchy source: http://www.firsttankguide.net/newtanksyndrome.php
  
  It's hard to tell you straight away about how many fish etc because this aquarium system looks fresh and not yet cycled- ie. your aquarium probably doesn't have it's fill of microscopic plant life living in it and in the growth bed material you are using. Be aware you'll likely need to treat the new water you add into the tank. (chlorine remover etc) and that adding new water will have a relatively large effect on your tank due to it being compact. sketchy source: http://nippyfish.net/2009/05/27/cycling-a-small-aquarium/
  
  This means that you'll need to watch the amount of food you feed your fish carefully.
  
  100 grams of fish food will generally support about one square meter of plant life.
  sketchy source: http://www.doityourself.com/stry/aquaponics-knowing-the-fish-to-plant-ratio
  
  The great thing about what you are doing (cycling, establishing your grow bed as a bio filter) is that if you start a new tank, you'll be able to use this water and material to start out a larger tank faster (largely what you did by getting some of their gravel).
  
  --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Nice tips/ways to scale up or automate things to make your life easier:
  
  
• Petco often has dollar-per-gallon sales and there's usually tons of tanks on craigslist etc if/when you decide to scale up.
  
  
• Automatic feeders make the process less hands on:
  ie. http://www.amazon.com/Automatic-Fish-Feeder-AquaChef-Batteries/dp/B004249KFG
  
  
• A water pump to run the fish water through the growth media might do your tank very well and are quite cheap, this one is 8usd: http://www.amazon.com/Patuoxun-Submersible-Aquarium-Fountain-Hydroponic/dp/B00EU74MJY/
  
  
• Additional biomass:
  
  
• This filter (15usd) might add a little additional biomass, which makes your aquarium a little larger and helps breakdown the ammonia etc: http://www.amazon.com/TM1250-Aquarium-Internal-Power-Filter/dp/B00176GKM8/
  
  or
  
  
• (25usd) http://www.amazon.com/Aquarium-Rapids-Canister-hang---tank/dp/B000YJ0M1E/
  
  
• Again waterflow (helps with algae) then something like this is about 9 usd: http://www.amazon.com/Submersible-Circulation-Maker-Water-Aquarium/dp/B009YEEW2K/
  
  Note: most of these links are sketchy- just conveying ideas in an easy to read/digestible format.
  
  

The cheapest regular tanks with black plastic trim are in BigAl's, in store, not online. After Christmas but before New Year they have sometimes good sales. Next, AngelFins (ON) seems to be offering them online. 20 gal long is better than regular shorter shape, more swimming and aquascaping space.

But the main problem is the source of RO water. The cheapest, RO Buddie has no solid carbon block for chloramine, and without it you will have to change cartridges frequently, each of them $17+ and membrane around $50. After figuring out the source of problem, I switched to the cheapest RO filter from Home Depot: with solid carbon core block, large cartridges last for long, easily available, cheap, last close to half of year. This will not fit your budget. Tap water is also possible, but you could get nuisance algae growth r deaths if they release something in water main for maintenance.

Everything below is necessary and at lowest price, without tax and shipping. Check by yourself if it fits your budget.

Salt mix could be any, the cheapest is Instant Ocean or other on sale. ReefSupplies.ca, PetsAndPonds, AngelFins, BigAlsPets. If you are on the West coast, J&L Aquatics. Add ~$20 shipping. If you have any reef supplies nearby, buying in person could save money on shipping. Refractometer, at Amazon should be ~$18, make sure that scale is in 1.024 on the left, 35 ppt on the right, not 0/00. TDS meter to control quality of RO water (when change cartridges) also on amazon, HM digital, mine is blue at $25, with calibration solution for it, 342 ppm.

Filter:

• if canister filter, min $100 (ReefSupplies or PetsAndPonds),
  
  
• if HOB, power filter, large AquaClear is $90 at P&P,
  
  
• DIY filter could cost more than ready made.
  
  Powerhead, 1-2, for a flow. Koralia, $35, at ReefSupplies or Fluval Sea at P&P. MaxiJet is a bit cheaper but large.
  
  Water pump for mixing salt, MaxiJet, ~$30 . Heater for mixing salt, WalMart Tetra 200W, ~$16.
  
  Heater, choose by yourself. Tetra is the cheapest, but looks not nice and has preset 78F, on the lower side. 79F would be better. Adjustable heaters are more expensive and could not hold temperature at required range, then you might need external temperature controller like InkBird. Jager, Aqueon, Marina Precision, starting from $32 on Amazon.
  
  Reef rock you have to compare prices by yourself, too many of them and most of them are out of your price range. ReefSupplies seems to be the best, $74 plus heavy shipping. Live rock at Big Als is ~$8/lb. You could try local classifieds, if someone is going out of hobby. Last resort: gardening centres and landscaping companies, see if they have porous alkaline rock. Or DIY reef rock, not for doing this in apartment.
  
  Substrate: sugar sized aragonite is most common, but you can get by without substrate, bare bottom.
  
  Test kits: API is bottom line, $11-13 each, ammonia, nitrite, for cycling; nitrate, phosphate for controlling nutrient export, calcium, KH and high range pH for monitoring stability of water parameters and Salifert magnesium, $25. At AF, P&P, RS.
  
  Lights also could be out of budget, ask advice for this tank size for the low cost lights. Nicrew from Amazon might work. 165W could be too hot, read reviews for this tank size. PAR38 LED create cone of light, 1 sq ft. Even daylight shoplight from Canadian Tire, wrong spectrum for marine tank, could be comparable in price.
  
  Additives: Ca, alk, Mg, only when necessary. ESV B-Ionic in gallon size is economical at P&P. Or dry additives.
  
  Seachem Prime as water conditioner, dechlorinator and your safety net in case of ammonia spike. $10-20, depends on bottle size.
  
  Thermometer, as low as $2 in AF, micro size.
  
  Fish, invertebrates, coral frags, their food, variety of it. DIY recipes are online. I'm getting mine from local reef stores. $20 common small fish, $13 small frag, $4-8 snail, $4 hermit crab.
  
  Hope that I didn't miss anything.
  
  What will fit your budget, but not your requirements: fishless pico on bottled distilled water from grocery store or pharmacy, simplest 1, 2, or simpler in hardware, but more work with trimming and corals placement: Reef Vase and ReefBowl. Vases of this size are not available in Canada, at lest where I am, available are way too small to fit heater and coral frag.

You might be having low oxygen issues with the water -- the filter should help by breaking that surface tension and getting things oxygenated. If this is the case, you should see improvement soon -- you might lower the water level in the meantime just to make it easier for him to come up for air.

The HOB is fine in the meanwhile, but if you want something simple that won't need to be baffled and provides a good surface for beneficial bacteria, I'd suggest picking up a sponge filter and a small external air pump like the Tetra Whisper 10. You can also make your own pretty easily: http://homeaquaria.com/diy-sponge-filter/

I like to stick an airstone inside mine, but thats totally optional.

They're perfect for your 20L tank and don't disturb bettas or hurt their fins, but still give nice filtration and gas exchange at the surface.

Hey there!
Since the tank will be placed on a book shelf, I'll just do a sponge filter (a small air pump won't take much space, I promise). It will not take much space inside the tank. I'm currently using this one in my 2.5 gal hospital tank and it works wonder. People are happy with the exact same one in their 5 gal as well but you can always use 2 if you'd like. Your snails will probably love the sponge filter since the sponge part can provide them delicious food and does not affect the current much, win win.

I bought a 8 gal long from a local store last week, it cost me 30 bucks, 5 gal long was 25. I'm (Canadian) in Korea atm. That being said, you can get a 5 gal for 20~30 bucks shipped to you. Petsmart has a 10gal for 15 bucks That being said, mine came with a lid, I don't know if yours will, but you can make a cheap wire mesh/plexi lid for ~5 bucks at home depot, I'm not a fan of glass lids since I'm a clutz.

Heaters will also run you about 20~30 dollars for a good one, but you can get them cheap for about 10 bucks or so. Adjustable ones are great because they shut off if it gets too hot in the summer.

Lights: don't think too much on it. You don't have to get one that fits perfectly, and you don't need a professional aquarium lamp from the get go. You can pick a reptile lamp for under 10 bucks if you get them on sale. Unless you're going for a planted tank you don't need to spend 60+ bucks on lights and you don't need Co2. Hell, a desk lamp suffices.

Filter: bettas love slow water, I'd get a sponge filter like drysider said. pump is about 10 bucks, filter is 10~30 bucks depending on brand. air pump example Sponge filter example

I said some of this elsewhere but for lighting I have the finnex fugeray in 10" As well as a Marineland Penguin 100 filter. pretty basic, ya know. I have a diy CO2 system going using a fluval diffuser which is a really good diffuser. I also have a sponge wrapped around the intake of the filter to protect my invertibrates

For substrate, I just have some black diamond blasted sand. I have a piece of mopani driftwood that I searched months for! Found it in Petco, funny enough in their reptile section, though it said for aquarium use.

flora includes: Water sprite, Baby tears, Dwarf baby tears, Microsword, Duckweed, and a couple others' whose names I cant remember right now.

fauna includes: 1 oto, 6 cherry shrimp (so far!), one nerite snail, and a handful of malaysian trumpet snails. Very happy crew.

I dose with excel about once a week, and feed the shrimp part of an algea wafer every few days.

The one I was referring to comes with a little valve in the line and an adapter to connect it to your sink. I'll find a link when I'm at a pc.
edit: Here's the link

Little fish could go up it, but just be careful. It doesn't create a huge suction or anything.

As far as plants, both Java fern and pretty much any species of Anubias would be easy to care for and help out your tank. Anubias is a slow grower which means it won't use up a ton of nutrients (nitrate, etc) but Java fern should pull a little more out. There are also floating plants you can look into that work well. Honestly for this stuff /r/plantedtank is a great resource

Lighting: It depends on how deep the tank is. In my 55g, 29g, and standard 20g, crypts and small swords have a really hard time with standard T5 fluorescent lighting. With double-bright LEDs, they do OK.

Anubias and java ferns are my heroes. They don't grow very fast, but they just don't need a lot of fussing over, either.

Java moss won't grow where it doesn't get light -- but it doesn't have to be strong light.

If I had my preference, every tank I own would have the proportions of a 20g long. There's a lot of volume for water and fish, but it's nice and shallow so it's easy to light and for plants to thrive. My 20g long has the crappiest lights and the most prolific growth of plants.

HOB filters: If you look at the way Aquaclear filters are put together, there are three distinct components. There's a coarse foam insert for mechanical filtration. There are pumice beads with lots of surface area for bacterial cultures to grow (bacterial filtration). Finally, there's a carbon packet that's meant to provide chemical filtration. They're all really important in an aquarium, but I rely on my plants to do the chemical filtration bit.

Now, don't get me wrong -- I've run tanks with Penguin & Aqueon & Biobag filters with the carbon already in there and it didn't kill my plants. But with my heavily planted tanks (where I've upgraded to Aquaclear filters), I have been able to completely omit the carbon component to no ill effect for my plants or my fish.

If nothing else, it reduces my operational costs. All I do is rinse out the foam insert from time to time and/or run the pumice beads under the tap to wash off the schmutz. They don't wear out (at least not in the time I've had mine running), and they shouldn't be scrubbed or sanitized, because the invisicritters that would make us sick are the things that keep the tank healthy.

The biggest thing that I've discovered to help my low-tech, low-light planted tanks look great is to take advantage of vertical planting, meaning that I get big (tall) pieces of driftwood and anchor plants all over them. That way, I end up with greenery going gangbusters at various levels without having to rely on some kind of stem plant (although Hygrophilia difformis/water wisteria is a good one) to grow upwards all the way from the bottom of the tank.

Yeah, but this is probably the only way to reduce the amount of the stuff especially since you're not sure what it is. You should take a closer look anyway and figure out if it look organic or more like dust.

It all depends on what the sponge looks like. It needs to be a shape that will make a good seal around your intake. You can use a zip tie or a clamp of some sort if you need to. And you will know it needs to be unclogged when you return flow rate goes down. I'm sure if you google DIY pre filter you'll find a lot of stuff. Filter floss is very flexible and probably easier to work with than a sponge. If I had to do it again I would probably try filter floss and a clamp to seal it.

You can also get a fluval pre filter from petco/petsmart for like $4. Probably the easiest solution if it fits around your intake.

Buy a small filter sponge. These ones are easy to mod. In some areas they've been repackaged with the Fluval branding. You should be able to get them or something similar at any LFS. Cut a small hole and secure it over the filter out take, or get one that already comes that way. Should help reduce flow and maybe give him some respite. It will also provide a little bio filtration.

Definitely should check parameters too. His scales and eye look pretty unhappy. It's hard to tell but he may be harboring a bacterial infection. If you test high in nutrients that could corroborate that hypothesis. Water changes never hurt. 10% every day will only help secure ideal conditions, and isn't that demanding in a 5g. Might even want to do a little aquarium salt to help boost gills and slime coat.

And I would get those plastic plants out of there. Bettas like to lounge on stuff, and if hes trying to lounge on those and the flow is knocking him around, that could be part of the problem. Silk or live plants will be much more gentle.

Hey Phantomsgf! I also have a fluval tank and man those filters are strong! I hunted around for ages and I found a really easy, really cheap solution: buy a pre-filter sponge and pop it onto the filter output. Make sure, of course, that the filter motor is at the lowest setting, but even that is too strong for a betta. You really need the sponge.

If you're having trouble with the filter intake, which are the vertical cuts in the plastic, I guess you could put some mesh over it to, again, slow down the flow. I don't have my betta yet so I'm not sure if this will be a problem.

You might also want to get a thermometer and verify your water's temperature. If it's always about 100 degrees inside your house, even at night, then yes, I'd believe that the water is warm enough for your little guy. But it has to be really really really hot to keep a fish tank at 80 degrees.

As for cycling, you're basically going to have to do a lot of water changes really often. My instinct, which is amateur, says to do 50% a day every day. I also learned from experience that you should let water sit for a while to warm up before putting it in the tank or the temperature drops like crazy.

You can check out products like this that claim to add the bacteria to your tank that eat fish waste. Do they work or is it a myth? I don't know. But for tiny tiny tanks like the fluval you have, you will definitely need a water dropper that can measure a tenth of a millimeter to put this stuff in your tank.

Anyway. Those are my tips. And when you do get a heater, you can fit it where the filter output plastic tube is! So cool!

Oh: look at this leaf. So cute.

Looking at your original post...

The responses were valid advice, even if the tone may have been a bit condescending, but your responses were also very defensive and rude.


If you want to keep your water from being cloudy, upgrade to a tank with a filter. 1 gallon really isn't large enough for a betta, and they are tropical fish so should be in a heated tank.

You can pick up a pretty cheap kit that includes a light and filter.
Something like this looks nice, is adequately sized, and comes with a filter (although its not a GREAT filter, its certainly better than none) This little heater works well for a 3 gallon (which is what I linked earlier) and doesn't take up much room or look crappy in the tank.

A filter is not a cure all, you will still want to do partial water changes occasionally, and if youre having trouble with cloudy water, you may be over feeding. your fish's stomach is about the size of it's eye, it only needs 2-3 or those little betta pellets once a day, and if you want to keep 2 male bettas, you'll want to get something at least 5 gallons, and the divider should be something they cant see clearly though as it will stress them out. You can usually pick up a little 5 gallon glass tank at most pet stores for about $11, but you would need to get a filter, heater, etc seperately. Bettas are jumpers, so youd want to either leave about an inch unfilled at the top, or put some kind of lid on there.

This little filter works great for ~5 gallon tanks, and has adjustable flow. (bettas dont like a lot of current, so you wanna keep the flow on any filter pretty low for them)

Getting a siphon, or just a 2-3ft piece of fountain tubing (you can get it from any hardware store) makes partial water changes a million times easier as well. If you WANT to put forth the necessary effort to properly house and car for your fish, send me a PM and I may be able to help you out if you truly can't afford it. But if you TRULY don't have the time to screw with it, give them away to someone who does, and try again when your life situation is less stressful.

Just a heads up, that turtle is going to get very big in the next year. The flotation piece will not hold the turtle and you will need something bigger. It will work for a few months but it is something I wish I knew.

Also, the bigger the filter, the better. I waisted so much money because I thought fish filters would work. I can't see what you have but spending the $100- $150 on a huge filter is 100% worth the investment. They are also quieter. You can't even hear it once it is going. The bigger filters also have all the clay and carbon and such that fish filters lack (which is important for your turtles health).

Keep in mind that the UV light only lasts 6 months. It will continue to work (be on), but not actually be doing anything to benefit the turtle.

Also, I totally recommend this product. It is absolutely amazing. I mean anything like this will work, but this requires no buckets. I used to lift my turtle tank until I upgraded to a bigger one. This also saves me so much time.

Get a sponge filter like this: https://www.amazon.com/XINYOU-XY-2835-Aquarium-Cylinder-Sponge/dp/B005LMQCW2/ref=asc_df_B005LMQCW2/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=167154348866&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=46583133798037292&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9032191&hvtargid=pla-307225004780&psc=1

Get some gravel and maybe some plants like anacharis. Fill the tank, dechlorinate the water. Let the tank run for a week with nothing in it. Add some food when you start this. Dont fill the tank to the top, leave about an inch or an inch and a half at the top (for the mystery snail). (Read about cycling your tank).

Red cherry shrimp eat mostly biofilm and algae. So if you feed lightly, they'll clean up the tank. Mystery snails eat veggies so a blanched zucchini or spinach is definitely good for them. They need a lot of calcium so spinach and dark greens are recommended.

Change 10-20% of your water volume each week. Vacuum the gravel to remove poop. Dechlorinate before you add the water. If you put anacharis in there, prune them monthly. Throw away bottoms of the plants, as tops are where they actively grow. You can keep them in the gravel or floating. It doesnt matter. Monthly take your sponge filter out, and squeeze it out in the water you took out of your tank before you throw it away. Dont rinse it in tap.

If you want you can add some wood like oak or cholla wood into the tank. Make sure you soak the wood in a bucket for a good long time, maybe weeks, until it sinks and the water stops turning brown. Boiling can help it along faster. Wood will help bacteria grow and give the shrimp more food.

aquarium cycling is the buildup of bacteria that convert ammonia and nitrite (poisonous) into non toxic nitrate. The bacteria mainly live in your filter media that you do not have because you don't have a filter. The nitrogen cycle is the single most important part about fish keeping. Daily water changes can be stressful. Do you keep him in the tank while changing the water or cup him? Sponge filters are good filter because they have an adjustable flow, but any filter appropriately sized for your tank can be baffled (slowing rate of water output). Whatever filter you get remove any carbon and replace it with biomedia such as seachem matrix or ceramic rings. How many gallons is your tank? Bettas need at least 2.5 gallons but the bigger the better because it will help keep your parameters stable. Also test strips are not that accurate so I would highly suggest getting the liquid test kit. Here are the links for everything I recommend. I hope your guy starts healing soon! Fin rot's best treatment is clean warm water. Maybe lay off the medicines for now because they can be harsh on their organs.
http://fins.actwin.com/mirror/begin-cycling.html
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f12/fish-in-cycling-step-over-into-the-dark-side-176446.html
http://www.amazon.com/Jardin-Aquarium-Cylinder-Sponge-Filter/dp/B005LMQCW2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1425449975&sr=8-2&keywords=sponge+filter
http://www.amazon.com/Matrix-500-mL-7-1-oz/dp/B004PBD4J4/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1425449994&sr=8-4&keywords=biomedia
http://www.amazon.com/API-Freshwater-Master-Test-Kit/dp/B000255NCI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1425450046&sr=8-1&keywords=api+liquid+test+kit

We ran our 5.5 gal beautifully with one of these but you need an air pump to run it

Aquaneat Air Driven Bio Corner Filter Sponge Fry Shrimp Nano Fish Tank Aquarium 20 Gallon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078WP442W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_ZHnhDbKSFVG4D

This is a GREAT option though and id do this if i did it over again. But one thing is i would remove the filter things inside and replace with a piece of filter foam or just poly floss and some ceramic rings or similar media inside. Floss or foam against the intake grates and the rings behind it. I love these cause theyre super strong little guys and are completely silent

Aqueon Quietflow Internal Power Filter, 10 Gallon, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AWV4R8I/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_mKnhDbT1RMMTG

This looks awesome!

I don't have too much to input, but I do have the same setup (Aquatek Mini) and I can vouch for it. I haven't had any issues, but I have heard that the Customer Care is great. Also, my paintball co2 lasted about 4 months in a 29g.

Adding some references...

• http://www.amazon.com/AQUATEK-OF-CALIFORNIA-Regulator-Mini/dp/B008TJCPSY/ref=sr_1_1?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1380759544&sr=1-1&keywords=AQUATEK+paintball
  
  
• http://www.amazon.com/Fluval-Ceramic-88g-CO2-Diffuser-Ounces/dp/B004GCO35G/ref=pd_sim_petsupplies_3
  
  
• Also --> Grab a tank at your local paintball/sporting goods store.
  
  
  Profit!
  
  EDIT:The regulator comes with a bubble counter, but for NOT come with tubing! You will need to buy the tubing, diffuser, and the co2 indicator. Amazon sells everything you need and is free shipping with their Super Saver option.

If it was me, I'd start by doing this:

• Upgrade his tank to something larger, at least 3 gallons, although something like 5 is more preferable. Despite the common misconception that bettas need a minuscule amount of space to swim around, they actually prefer larger areas. It's like keeping a horse exclusively in its stable. ...Except underwater.
  
  
• Invest in a filter (this filter requires a separate air pump but it's worth the extra cost) and a heater. Filtration and heating are necessities for bettas, and poor water quality is detrimental. Buying a water test kit will tell you everything you need to know about your fish's quality of water. If you can't afford the kit, your local fish store might be able to test the water for you if you bring a sample of it to them.
  
  
• Make sure your plastic plant is soft enough that it can't rip his fins. A good way to check is to run pantyhose over the plant, and if the pantyhose rips, the plastic is too hard. Live or silk plants are normally the way to go.
  
  I hope this helps! I know it can get a little pricey but it's more than worth it to ensure Flameo's healthy and happy.

Here's what I have so far and my quick write up.

My dad started the tomato plant that I am using in soil. He had too many for his garden, so I used that instead of starting one from seed in rockwool. My next plant will be started from seed.

I picked up a 5 gal bucket and Lid from Home Depot. <$5.

I cut a hole in the Lid to fit the 3" Net Cups. I put one right in the center. I quickly found out the cup it too small to support the plant so I had to use a support stick. I just bought this 6" net cup bucket lid.

The plant is supported in Expanded Clay balls. I chose this material as apposed to 'Hydroton, Coco coir, Viagrow stones, pearlite...' because from my very little research I found the clay to be the most environmentally friendly and easiest to use, disclaimer: I could be very wrong here.

The nutrient solution used General Hydroponics Maxi Grow. Simple to use, add X scoops per X gal of water. I am about to switch to Maxi Bloom. She is flowering and starting to produce fruit. I do now know when the best time to switch solutions. I am learning by experiment here.

To keep the nutrient solution oxygenated, I used this Air pump,two of of these air stones, and tubing. Any items will do, I used this products because I know an employee of Penn Plax and got them for cost $. Any pump will work, I got a two outlet pump for future expansion.

You should also be sure to have the correct pH for your particular plant. Here is a chart and a great site. I used this pH Test Kit and pH adjust.

It's that simple. Right now the plant is outside and gets about 8 hours of sun. I plan on keeping it outside as long as possible, then will bring it in and have to choose a light source for it.


tl;dr What I used for my first DWC tomato plant experiment. Step 1: Click all links above. Step2: Buy. Step 3: Tomatoes

Edit: Also, Watch this video

No I have the fluval one that came with it, the pump isn't loud for me personally but it's in my kitchen so the noise doesn't bug me.

The filter output is really strong yeah, but I bought some of these: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002LL32RY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_2QgvDbJYGTT0K and it's baffled the flow of the two nozzles perfectly when I aim them upwards and a little bit above the water line. There's still a little bit of flow, but my betta can swim around very happily now with no issues :) Hope this helped you!

Sounds like fin rot to me, but it's hard to tell without a picture. Treatment for fin rot involves adding aquarium salt (1 tsp/gallon) to his tank with 100% water changes every day.

Sponge filters are great (I have this one) because they are small, make little to no current, and make great places for beneficial bacteria to grow when cycling a tank. Which brings me to my next point:

In a 5.5 gallon tank, cycling is important. Here's a guide to fish-in cycling with bettas. Once it's cycled, you'll want to just do 50% water changes once a week. Don't ever rinse gravel because it kills your beneficial bacteria that work to eat up the ammonia and convert it to less harmful substances, which is what makes a cycled tank so great!

Also, real plants are AMAZING. They use the waste that bettas produce as food. There are several plants that are very low-maintenence and can make a world of difference in water quality of your tank. Plus, you can get them for really cheap online (I've had luck with ebay!).

TL;DR: For a betta you need to upgrade your setup to have a filter, and a minimum 5 gallon tank but preferably 10 gallon. I highly recommend you buy [this filter] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000260FVG/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1500346286&sr=8-5&keywords=fluval%2Bfilter&th=1&psc=1).

1 gallon is not okay for any fish. Maybe plants. You need to read up about the nitrogen cycle, and why cycling an aquarium is necessary in order to keep water quality good. The water will build up good bacteria to counter the bad bacteria. But if you're doing 100% water changes, you are physically preventing your tank from cycling and building up any good bacteria. You really need a bigger tank (at least 5 gal but preferably 10), and you need a filter! The constant movement of the water is the filters main function, and that's what allows for good bacteria to build up. I'm sure your water parameters weren't 0/0/0 before the water change. Maybe that's what it reads after the water change, but next time check your parameters before the water change because I guarantee you that you have ammonia building up.

It's a myth that betta's are completely fine without a filter or a normal size tank. They will live a much longer life if you take better care of them. The myth comes from the fact that Betta's have an organ that other fish don't, which allows them to breathe oxygen by coming up to the surface and not having to depend on their gills alone for oxygen. This allows them to be able to tolerate worse quality water, but that doesn't mean you should subject them to worse quality water throughout the course of their life! Please improve your setup. At the absolute minimum: never do 100% water changes, 80% should be the absolute max used only for emergencies, buy a filter and you should be able to get by with 50% water changes until your tank is cycled, at which point you should aim to get down to 10-20% water changes once a week, and then down to 10-20% to once every other week.

I was hoping Ny bc I would've taken him from you and put him in my hospital tank.

A vase is not a tank and a filter is recommended bc a tank needs to be cycled.Cycling is when it can sustain the nitrogen cycle using bacteria that lives inside your tank and your filter. Having a suitable tank, gravel and filter allows the tank to provide a stable environment for your fish.

The setup I recommend is
a 5.5 gallon tank from your local petstore. Petsmart or petco usually has them. If you can get a bigger one then I would suggest that.

The filter i recommend is either an aqua clear hang on back filter like this http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000260FVG/ref=twister_B00MO35VD2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
or a Im pretty fond of these filters also, http://www.amazon.com/Penn-Cascade-Internal-Filter-Aquariums/dp/B0002DJLEQ/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1450977072&sr=8-7&keywords=penn+plax
Get a filter that is rated for a tank 1-2 times the size of the tank you would purchase.

I can't recommend a low cost heater but I do recommend you get one and also a thermometer.

Pick up a bag of gravel and maybe a little decorative house also for your fish to hang around and swim in. Providing a stimulating environment for your fish will combat him being "lazy."

I also suggest you read up on the nitrogen cycle and pick up a test kit so the next time you have an issue with your fish, you can tell anyone what the ammonia, nitrate or nitrite levels are in the tank. You can find out what those are from reading about the nitrogen cycle. I suggest this http://www.amazon.com/API-Freshwater-Master-Test-Kit/dp/B000255NCI/ref=sr_1_1?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1450977370&sr=1-1&keywords=aquarium+test+kit

Read more about properly taking care of you betta and you will see less of these problems and have happier fish. Feel free to ask any questions

For the 5.5 I am setting up now, I'm using an Aqueon Quietflow Internal Power Filter, 10 Gallon and have high hopes. I removed their plastic comb thing they call a bio filter and filled that compartment with some bio rings because I think they'll do a better job. I don't like that I have to pop off the suction cups to clean the filter and wish it had some sort of bracket that it slid into, but that's a minor annoyance as I'll probably be messing with it a lot less once I'm satisfied with the scape. These are very much initial impressions as I've been running it for only a couple months, but so far so good.

Also, I paid $10 not the $15 it is currently listed for. The 15 gallon model is currently $10, so maybe that's a better buy if it will fit.

Ninja Edit: I added in some filter material between the filter cartridge of this and the intake vents to hopefully keep theoretical future shrimplets from being sucked in. I know that this isn't ideal as now the filter doesn't collect detritus, but hopefully it'll be OK. Also the flow is adjustable with a (very stiff and well hidden) adjustment slider thing just under the output of the filter.

I haven't seen anyone give an extensive, quick, and friendly guide so here's a quick one!

You're going to need a 5.5 gallon in order for him to thrive, otherwise you're gonna have a very unhappy fish who might live but will not be doing good. An aquarium is a tiny ecosystem in an enclosed space, so a .5 gallon gets very toxic, very quickly. It'll hurt his gills, it'll hurt his fins, just everything. The ammonia will buildup quickly and reach very dangerous levels, and although 100% water changes will decrease that, an established bacteria colony (made up of harmless ones) needs to be there for the fish to really be healthy!

When you see a happy and healthy betta, you will never want to go back!

Cheap quick solution for now: Five gallon Rubbermaid from Walmart, this filter, paired with this air pump, and this connector tube. It will run you about $20, and can hold for a while!

Long Term: Buy a 5.5 standalone aquarium tank from Petsmart (only $14.99) and a little pack of gravel, and some live plants of your choice! Check our r/aquaswap for some cheap plants from other Reddit users. Just move over the filter and heater, and you have the perfect set up! There are also some cheap lighting solutions that you can buy to help your plants grow!

Everyone gets tricked in the beginning, but making steps towards helping your betta will enhance his life so much! The whole set up, the filter/air pump/tubing and tank from petsmart, will cost you $27.48 since you've already got the heater!

If your heater is too small, I've got the link to a $6 one (which is $10 less than the cheapest at any pet store I've been to) on amazon that works perfectly and is recommended all the time on this sub.

Lots of great comments here, I'm just going to add my experience. I dunno if they're the best practices, but it works for me for now.

I mix 5 gal at a time and that lasts about a week, maybe 10 days depending on how much runoff and when in the grow it is. I just add more water when it's low or empty and only wash it at the end of the grow, and it hasn't been bad at all (2 grows finished like this). I have a black reservoir with a 4" airstone disc and this quiet pump. I water 2x per day with a little runoff to waste after the 4th or 5th nodes come in. Sometimes it'll go a few days with no runoff if I get careless though. In the reservoir there are some bubbles or foam on top, but its over the airstone and doesn't get more than about 2" thick.

I use gen hydro flora series, armor si, gen hydro cal mag, liquid kool bloom (relatively new for me), epsom salt sometimes, recharge, and mammoth P (been out for a few weeks though). I pH the water to 5.2-5.9 and over a few days it will rise to around 6.0-6.8 or maybe up to 7 a couple times. Before I was using recharge I saw a similar rise, maybe not quite as much but I don't remember exactly. With recharge, once pH rises over time it takes a lot of pH down to lower it, much more than a fresh batch pre recharge, so I don't like to try to lower it after the fact. I wonder what reactions are happening to use up the acid and how that's affecting the nutrient availability. I may be way overthinking things though, haha

With the recharge even when the water was up to 7 the plants haven't looked bad, I was really surprised the first time I found it that high. I think the recharge helps increase the acceptable pH range, partly because it is causing the change. I could be wrong though, just guessing, and it may do less than I think. I dunno if it's good to keep recharge bubbling that long, I emailed the company but they didn't respond. I've had great results and it's really easy, so I'm gonna keep going!

Yea, I ran into the same thing. Tons of different prices everywhere depending on what you want to get. I highly recommend this one https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DOG63OY/ref=twister_B00DV4370M?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1. Great deal for the price and a lot of us over on the subreddit use it with great success. If you're looking for more help, you should come join us over on the Discord channel at https://discord.gg/kAdFSu5. There are tons of us over there and we're more than happy to help with anything we can.

Your best bet would to be use something like this sponge filter as it not only will prevent inadvertent fish chumming, but will also act as a second media for beneficial bacteria to grow.

If that is either too much of an eyesore or it inhibits your flow too much, use a mesh screen like this to prevent Khuli sushi.

Also, sorry for your loss, Khulis are sweeties! Try Zebra Botia (Loaches) as well, they're great for small tanks and click extremely loudly when excited!

Might be worth mentioning sponge filters. Tetra Whisper air pumps on Amazon run about 7 bucks and the sponge filter itself will run you all of 3 bucks and you don't have to worry about replacing cartridges or anything so that's really nice and easy for beginners!

I would recommend Seachem Stability, too! Great way to help a tank get cycled faster which is a great thing when you're fish-in cycling.

Best advice is to take your time and buy what will make you happy. You'll only spend more money in the long run if you compromise now. Luckily, not everything needs bought at once. Tank, filter, and heater are necessary purchases now. Lighting and decor can be figured out more slowly.

I can recommend what I'd get in your position.

If you're going to buy a kit, this is a good one. Personally, I like this heater, but they do sell a cheaper version. So, about $100 for the tank, heater, filter, and light.

If you want to buy the parts separately, you can get a 10 gallon tank for $10-$15 or cheaper checking craigslist. You'll also need some kind of lid to cover the tank. You can buy glass ones or some people get a piece of glass or acrylic cut to cover it. Tank + lid: $25-$30

Aquaclears are my favorite filters for my tanks, but you could use a sponge filter. You'd need an air pump for the sponge one. So, $20-$25 for a filter.

Real plants are nice, but not necessary. You can do fine with fake ones, just make sure the edges aren't sharp. If you do want plants, the Spec V light should be plenty for low light plants. If you want to buy the light separately, this or this would be fine. I've had a Nicrew one on my larger tank before and it's enough for low light plants.

Or you could just get a clamp on lamp from the store and a daylight bulb. That whole set up would be about $10.

Until you get a new set up, I would recommend water changes at least once a day, if not more. I would also strongly recommend buying a water testing kit.

These are the plugs you want. 1/4" fittings

[This is the type of tubing you use with the plugs. 3/16", close enough am I right? lol] (http://www.amazon.com/Standard-Airline-Tubing-Accessories-25-Feet/dp/B0002563MW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1383142677&sr=8-1&keywords=air+pump+tubing)(the clear tubing used for air pumps is a lot easier to work with than the black plastic tubing, which is stiff and likes to bend)

You got a good pump (same as the one you already picked, comes with 5/16" fitting, damn close enough), use plumbers tape and silicone (Waterproof glue) to seal it completely.

Digital timer is good.

I don't think the poly tray will fit all your plants during flower? (you have 4?).

Check out target for different size sterlite containers(for watering trays), those clear plastic ones, see which ones are a good size for you, and home depot/lowes for reservoirs(in the storage section) I don't see those online is the reason.

I would basically set my plants up exactly like in the picture. Tray on top of the reservoir. Drill a hole in the tub cover. Line up the holes, basically what you already presumed.

Picking up the one on the left in this photo might not be too bad of an idea either. If you can find one locally that'd be the cheapest option, hydro stores usually carry them.

Not to mention they'll eat a lot of plants! A 20 long is a perfect sized tank for any beginner imo (planted, saltwater, or basic setup) cause there's a lot of room to work with and not hard to find a light that penetrates deep enough if you've got something to grow.

Just not for goldfish! They are very messy, eat a lot and poop a lot and overall are messy babies bumping into things. Cute, tho!

Some tips:

• Check craiglist
  
• Better yet, see if there is an aquarium club/meetup in your area. Clubs will often swap supplies and tanks as people upgrade.
  
• Learn how to do a water change
  
• Learn about the aquarium cycle
  
• Get a filter that can do your tank's size and more (if you've got a 20gal get a filter rated for 30-40gal) Personally I really enjoy AquaClear filters, they move a lot of water for their size and you can even play with the filter media a bit to exactly how you want it. And on top of that it's very quiet!
  
  And my best advice of all..RESEARCH! The world of fish keeping can be a little daunting at first, since there's so much to know before you can even take the first steps. But stick to it! It's not as difficult as it seems and honestly? You're gonna be fine as long as you keep up with water changes and practice patience.
  

You've already gotten some answers but here's a little more info:

1. Either (or both) is fine, although shrimp might enjoy munching on driftwood as it slowly decays. Any aquarium driftwood is fine like you said. Shrimp do however go nuts for cholla wood. It decays over like 6 months to a year and in the meantime it provides a nice hiding and munching place. For rocks, you probably want something inert (unless you have a gH/kH you need to raise). Granite, quartzite, often sandstone (unless it's cemented with calcite), etc. If you know what to look for it's easy to go digging around in your local riverbanks or hillsides.
   
   
2. In my low tech tanks I have java moss, java fern, anubias, brazilian pennywort, crypts, and bacopa monnieri. I also have pothos and philodendron growing out of my tank (you just take a fresh cutting and stick the end in the water so it'll grow roots in the tank). Water sprite and water wisteria are a couple others that I haven't grown myself but I hear are easy.
   
   
3. My understanding is that shrimp stratum is aimed more for crystal red shrimp in that it gives you a lower pH. I would just double check that it creates conditions that are appropriate for whatever particular shrimps you want to keep.
   
   
4. You can start with a handful and you'll end up with hundreds.
   
   
5. I use a glass lid on my tank just because I don't like having to compensate for evaporation. My larger tank's lid came with a plastic back where you can cut out sections for the filter and cords and such. My smaller tank has a little indent on the corner of the rim so that cables can fit through.
   
   
6. If you're getting a sponge filter, you need to buy the sponge+pump+tubing. Other filters (internal filters, hang-on-backs, etc) are an all-in-one thing. Sponge filters are great for shrimp but you can use other filters too as long as there's no way for bebe shrimp to get sucked up (so like covering the intake with a bit of sponge if needed). If you want a sponge filter, something like A B C will work (haven't used any of these personally so I can't vet for them, just googled it).

As some others have said, that plant is Anubias. That hairy stuff is algae and the brown crud looks like diatoms which is common in new tanks. The "suckerfish" (on the underside of that leaf) you have looks to be some sort of plecostomas which don't eat really anything but certain types of green algae. They aren't algae scrubbers like the old school of thought suggests. I would suggest getting some nerite snails. They cannot breed in fresh water so you won't have explosion of them.

Also, as others have said, get a timer and start keeping your lights on a schedule. Start at 8 hours on and the rest off. You can set it to be whenever you like if you want to enjoy it so you could start it at Noon and push it to 8 pm or however you like. That will help the plants "out compete" the algae.

Finally, get a filter. I have an Aquaclear filter with a pre-filter sponge to keep shrimp out of it. This will also help disturb the surface to keep surface bacteria managed and increase gas exchange at the surface ensuring you have enough oxygen.

My life became a lot easier and my tank became a lot cleaner when I removed the substrate. Your turtle doesn't care about the rocks on the bottom of the tank, and it may try to eat any that are small enough.

That being said - it sounds like you guys are doing 100% water changes, which is overkill (and removes the bacteria that make up a good environment). Most people recommend 20-50% water changes depending on how dirty things are.

If the rocks are river rocks, then I'd just fill up a bucket with the rocks and carry that to strain/wash them. You can use a traditional hose with suction to empty dirty water, or something like this python aquarium cleaner. Basically you hook it up to your sink and can fill up a tank OR drain it using suction. You may not have a sink that has the right threading though - I had 2 apartments where it wouldn't work and now I need an adapter, but its amazing.

You could also get a better filter. Getting an external canister instead of the internal ones that hang on the side (which never stay on...) was a huge plus for me.

There are probably also water vacuums that would help. But I don't know of any.


Easiest thing though is to get rid of the substrate. Stick to doing 30%ish water changes instead of cleaning it completely. Perhaps upgrade your filter (you should probably have a filter rated for a 80+ gallon tank).

First, I would remove the male, leaving only the gravid female. Assuming the eggs are fertile, you'll slowly see them develop over the next few weeks until you can begin to see little crayfish inside each one. I don't think you need to swap out your filter; I prefer covering the intake with a sponge pre-filter (e.g.). I say this because you're going to want to keep your tank clean while minimizing water changes which could lead to you sucking up tiny crayfish.

Once you get to the point where eye spots develop in the eggs (two little black dots), you'll know the eggs are close to hatching. Monitor them closely as you'll want to remove the female shortly after the babies hatch and begin to move around freely. If you don't remove the female, she'll eventually eat the babies.

Once the babies are on their own, it's pretty easy. I feed them like I do adult crayfish, except that I grind the food up a little bit. For example, ground up algae wafers are always welcome. Make sure you provide plenty of hiding places for them to seek shelter when they molt, which they will do very frequently at first.

Good luck and keep us posted!

Remember, you will have to do regular water changes as maintenance (I do 20% every other week). The cheapest and most economical way in the long run is:

1. Purchase a Reverse Osmosis kit from ebay. These are the best prices I've found recently.
   
   
2. Purchase salt. You can go with the cheaper grade if you're doing a FOWLR since you're not concerned with trace elements.
   
   
3. Mix it up at home. You will want to use an aerator to keep oxygen levels up to promote good mixing.
   
   I recommend against purchasing from the fish store, or taking it from the ocean.
   
   Have fun! You're starting a really nice hobby :)

I really like these filters
http://www.amazon.com/AquaClear-50-Power-Filter-Listed/dp/B000260FUM

for a 30 gallon tank you'd want one capable of up to 50 gallons or so.

Theyre great because of the three separate cartridges- Also, ignore the packaging, you can reuse the sponge and the ceramic rings indefinitely unless a terrible awful disease breaks out. So this filter saves you money too!!

Edit: Puffers are usually too big/aggressive/brackish to include in a tank like this. Unless you had mollies/platys which have a high salt tolerance. Cories have zero salt tolerance tough.

Some of my favorite community fish are Galaxy Rasbora or Celestial Pearl Danio (same fish) I also like Badis. Theyre anabantids(sp) like the Betta.

I'd also highly recommend live plants. they really make you look good. Aquariumplants.com has total and trace substrate pellet fertilizer which Is pretty good at keeping them well fed.

Fishkeeping can be really high effort or really low effort, depending on the animals you choose, the tank size you choose, the filter size you choose, and how much cash you're willing to shell out.

I have several tanks, and my largest tank is definitely the easiest to maintain (my Python does all the heavy lifting for me). My smallest, my ten-gallon, is definitely the most energy (gotta keep that sand clean, goddamn it), but even that one isn't more than maybe 15 minutes every couple days.

My recommendation to keep everything low-energy: pick easy creatures to care for and do not overstock. Get a GOOD filter, with way more filtration than you need. If you're starting out with the right stocking and equipment, everything else will be easier. AqAdvisor is a good resource for a beginner who is trying to figure out stocking stuff. Aquarium Wiki also has good info on stocking a 10-gallon.

1- I’m aware of the window issue, but my house is full of windows (no complaints there!) and there wasn’t a better spot. That window is north facing and we rarely open the blinds.
2- except for the somewhat impulse bought setup I’m over planning.
3- substrate is sand and river stones.
4- I’m probably going with no background anyways, just out of laziness. I like the light strip idea.
5- definitely going with real plants
6- obviously. :) I have a dumbo plakat
7- I’m 100% getting corys. Do the different types have different personalities or just coloration? I’m leaning towards panda. I’m probably getting Harlequin Rasboras. I’m considering a snail because of the window/algae situation. I’m going to stock it really slowly though.
8- it came with a light.
9- already bought this filter https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000260FUM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_kbSaBb411RKF2
10-13- already done
14- probably going with a floating log (or two)
15- I might use the small tank I’m moving my betta out of for shrimp.
16- will do. In the small tank I have I use a turkey baster as a “vacuum”, that’s not going to work anymore. Haha.

I’ll definitely post updates :)

Hey friend! I skipped a couple because others have answered.

1.I have no experience with that brand, but if you decide to replace the filter this is a great one for a 5G with a single betta. Low flow sponge filter, very little noise. I have it in two betta tanks.

4.Pellets make less of a mess. 3-4 pellets a day, I try and split it into two meals. A betta's stomach is about the size of his eye, and they bloat very easily which can cause health problems such as swim bladder issues. A lot of people fast them once a week. Of note, they can go a few days without food fairly easily, so it's better to fast over a short weekend trip than to use one of those little dissolving feeder things, those are awful.

6.(and 7)You can easily do pool filter sand (won't affect the water chemistry at all, betta will not eat) with a bunch of different low tech plants and not worry about much else. This is my 10G with ludwigia, wisteria, anubias, and amazond sword. No tabs, no CO2, I just turn the light on and off. Java fern is also a great low tech plant. I'd suggest not overthinking it at first. You can certainly do more with ferts/CO2/etc if you want, but you don't have to.

8.Live plants won't help cycling, but they will help lower your nitrates once the cycle is established. You want to cycle with no fish in the tank, using straight up ammonia with no surfactants in it, asit allows you more control over how much ammonia you're putting in. You can speed up the process with either a piece of filter from someone else's cycled tank, or with additives like Safe Start and the like. There is a ton of info on cycling in the Helpful Links, so check that out.

Cheers!

You won't need to change it ever, just clean it/rinse it with used (non-chlorinated!) tank water while you're doing tank maintenance every so often. (I clean my betta's sponge filter real good once or twice a month by giving it a few good squeezes in a bucket of used water before I throw it out.)

Basically you'll want a small air pump like this along with a tank-size appropriate sponge filter. I recommend one like this *and some airline tubing to connect them :)

This video has some great advice. I used it when I got my DIY system set up. I purchased a kit from amazon for around $15. Totally worth it so far. Citric acid and baking soda lasts two weeks (when I'm doing it correctly) and I've had great growth so far. Be sure to also pick up a bubble counter and diffuser. Baking soda is easily found at any store with groceries, I had to order citric acid online because my Cub foods didn't have any. Overall the system is totally worth it for around $25.

Otocinclus Catfish are small algae eating armored catfish that get about 2 inches long. They are shy, peaceful fish that eat algae. You can compare them to a dwarf pleco pretty much.
There is no need to QT plants and I'm not sure what you mean by which way the stems will grow out from. The only thing I can think of is that you're asking which way you should plant the seeds? Plants always grow towards the light, so you should have no problems there. I would recommend starting with plants that are already grown though. This way, even if you have low lighting, they'll be a decent size and you won't have to wait ages for them to grow.

I see you have new questions! Here we go:

• Aqueon Versa top lids will fit pretty much any tank. If you get a standard 10g you can order this and it will work fine for you. As for lighting, I use this. It grows my plants ridiculously fast and also has blue lights for nighttime use. It as adjustable "feet" so it's guaranteed to fit your aquarium.
  
• I would suggest a Aquaclear 20 or Marineland Filter for your tank. Aquaclear is pretty much the best thing ever. If you're worried about flow, there is a slide option on the top that will reduce the amount of water coming out. You can set it to whatever you like.
  
• Tannins are a compound found in plants, this will not hurt your fish at all. However, if not removed, the tannins will color your water yellow. I haven't seen pre-soaked driftwood in petsmart/petco. You can try ordering it online and simply boiling it or soaking for a few weeks to get the tannins out.
  
• I make bullet points by clicking the bullets option above the comment box, this may be a feature of reddit RES though. You can make bullets simply by typing * and putting a space behind it.

I think you did okay, but I personally just rinse a tank with diluted bleach, thoroughly rinse then air dry the tank upside down in a dry place for over 24 hours. This ensures all the bleach has fully evaporated before I use it. If it had calcium build up, I'd use vinegar, baking soda and pillow stuffing to scrub it off (harder stains I usually get a paint scraper to get off and get the smaller stains with my homemade cleaner).

Aquaclear filter: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000260FVG/ref=twister_B00MO35VD2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

I love these filters. They're beginner friendly, decent price and adjustable flow-- my betta loves his. I recommend just using pillow stuffing (ensure it's not the kind that is fire proof since that has harmful chemicals). Give it monthly, harsh shakes in old filter water to get junk out and put it back in the filter to keep nitrates down in your filter (of course along with weekly water changes). I picked up the pillow stuffing trick from a guy in the hobby for over 40 years. I've been using pillow stuffing for a few months and it's been going great so far :D

Oh ok, well, while it was still probably unfortunately something from the stream. It's also possible that once one shrimp died there was no bacteria in the filter to take care of the ammonia. You can read up on the Nitrogen Cycle on the r/Aquariums sub off to the right and there's probably also some info under the tabs at the top. You'll need to get a sponge filter for the bacteria to live on. That's what handles all the stuff that builds up in an aquarium. I'm sort of surprised there were no problems from this before, but at the same time, shrimp have such low bioload, I'm also not surprised since they don't produce too much normally. An easy fix for your situation is to grab a Fluval prefilter sponge like this and slide your airstone inside, making your own sponge filter. It's inexpensive at Petco/Petsmart, like $3. But, since you only have 1 shrimp and a few snails left, it's very important to keep what bacteria you have left in your tank going until you add something else living to the tank that will produce food for the bacteria. I suggest you keep "feeding" the tank a little bit of food every couple of days. And that you also grab a bottle of beneficial bacteria at the LFS like Seachem Stability which is very good for keep the bacteria going in a tank. Just dose a ml or two every couple of days to keep things going too.

You should probably also continue to do small regular partial water changes every 3-5 days to get rid of whatever toxins may be in the water that killed the dwarf shrimp from the waterway. (just add the water back in gradually/slowly) And you may ask at your LFS for a mild treatment for the tank before adding anything new.

Good luck!

ITS A TRAP - or at least it seems like a gamble with a sketchy newly built website (registered 2 weeks ago), a decent company would've put a little more effort into a business name than "4aquarium" the site is nothing but generic ebay/no-name products...their facebook is like 2 days old...

As someone mentioned below it was "free" but had $5.50 shipping...

Here is the same product for $3.92 plus free shipping on Amazon. Or here for $2.68 plus free shipping on aliexpress...

It has this high quality about us section..."The 4aquarium.com shop was created to help people to get a aquarium stuff easiest way."

Plus this website is getting posted by some sketchy reddit user that uses multiple accounts to spam his youtube channel all day.
https://www.reddit.com/user/BestBeating
https://www.reddit.com/user/LunacyChillout
https://www.reddit.com/user/FalseLunacy

As stated in title, Fishy is the newest member of our household.

My first instinct was to read up on bettas and in doing so, found this subreddit.

I have several doubts, such as:

• what kind of betta is this?
  
  
• Is it healthy? (Ive seen more vibrant colors on pics posted here)
  
  
• Can/Should I pair it with other fish?
  
  
• Are pellets preferred over flakes?
  
  As per suggestions on this sub, I think buying a bigger tank is my number 1 priority; im currently looking into a Tetra Tank (3 Gallons), this one is favored by my wife, as she finds its aesthetically pleasing (and I agree). However, most people suggest a 5 Gallon tank, so Im also looking into a GloFish Tank, we both dislike the blue led on this model and the black plastic lid it comes with.
  
  In any case, we're also looking to buy the following:
  
  
• heater
  
  
• Thermometer
  
  
• Silk plant
  
  
• Log/Hiding spot
  
  
• Filter * which we think we would only buy if we get the Tetra Tank, as per amazon commenters suggestions.
  
  We already have a net (for scooping), drops to dechlorinate water, aquarium salt (for cleaning) and what you see already in the tank.
  
  Please help us give this fish an awesome life!
  
  PS.: We are not in the US, if it even matters.

1. What are the dimensions of the tank? You can tell the volume from that.
   
2. Styrofoam goes under the tank, not in it. It's also completely unnecessary if you have a rim on the tank.
   
3. There's not really an 'unsafe' amount of rock. Water is also extremely heavy and the tank holds that, so any reasonable amount should be just fine as well.
   
4. The best filter for a beginner on a tank that size is hands down an Aqua Clear 50, in my opinion. It will run quietly as long as you keep the water level nice and full.
   
5. Don't buy fish store brand lights if you want plants. Invest a little bit of money in something from Finnex (planted series) that will last forever and are designed from the ground up to grow aquarium plants.
   
6. Night mode is just low-light blue LEDs most of the time. It's essentially simulated moonlight. I personally do not use any lighting at night. The Finnex Planted 24/7 has a built in, automatic night mode.
   
7. Yes, 8-10 hours is pretty normal. Less light means less algae, and yes your lighting needs will depend on hardscape and plant choices.

No problem, it was my planned set up until my betta moved in. :c

I'd recommend something more like an aquaclear and a sponge on the end. Or if you really like canisters and have the money to spend I'm in love with these. Just put in whatever media you like (it comes with the basics of ceramic rings, sponge, and carbon) and then you secure one of these to the intake. Just make sure to get the pre filter sponge in person, it's cheaper at petco I believe.

If none of those I'd suggest a sponge filter. It's easier to keep baby shrimp alive and not getting sucked into the filter than an in tank filter. Especially if some are occasionally getting nabbed.

Unfortunately turtle poop is sometimes too big to be picked up by a gravel vacuum :( I use one too, the biggest one the pet store has, and it'll get little pieces but I still scoop up larger pieces (and shell scutes that have shed) with an old fish net. My gravel vac now is mostly used for emptying the tank into buckets. People recommend these for bucket-less easy water changes though.

And yep, I use sand! A little bit of sand has gotten into my filter but that's mostly when I'm too impatient to let the sand settle before turning the filter back on after cleanings. It's important when you first get sand to wash it really well in a bucket to rinse out all the finer particles ("dust") that don't settle quickly. If you rinse it well enough it won't cloud the tank except for a little while after first adding it. I keep my filter intake a few inches above the sand. A little bit of sand got into my filter's motor and I was able to get it out. I use Fluval and you can buy new parts for their filters, so if I broke the motor I'd have to only replace that instead of a whole new filter. I don't know about other brands, but that gave me a little peace of mind about the sand.

And yeah, turtles are little bulldozers!!

I actually ordered everything individually from Amazon. I’m sure you could probably find everything locally as well but it was easier for a newbie like me to get it all from the same place.

Aluminum CO2 Paintball Tank https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0008G2WAW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_J3vBDbY97P8E0 - $22 ( + $5 to fill with CO2)

Aquarium CO2 Regulator with... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07F7P8TL3?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share - $53

AQUATEK CO2 Paintball Tank CGA... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004M49QDC?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share - $12

aFe Power Magnum FORCE 54-11473... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N36MAO4?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share - $18

AQUATEK CO2-Proof Tubing 16 Feet https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008UCOFJW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_z6vBDbMW07193 - $8

Century 24 Hour Plug-in... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MVFF59S?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share - $9

Aquarium Carbon Dioxide CO2... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01C9DGXV0?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share - $11

Total: $148

Again, total newbie and this is the bare minimum of quality and price I was comfortable with. I plan on upgrading to a bigger tank and a better regulator in a few months. Do your own research too.

Bubbles are great for both playing and helping a little bit with oxygenation in your tank (but not a whole lot). My oranda loves to play in them. You really can't go wrong by adding one I don't think, unless you find down the line your fish likes to eat bubbles.

I use Tetra Whispers. I have a 10g one and the 40g one - what you're seeing in the pictures is the 40g on a split air line, full blast. They're not that noisy - not that much if at all noiser than the filter you use at least. I have one on a non-slip pad and the other on a hand towel and they're quiet. The air stone is just a generic one I got offline, it's circular.

I was recommended this Beamswork light on here awhile ago and it has been great for me for the last year or so. If you are looking for a budget light this one has been great for me so far.

As far as co2 goes it is super easy to do honestly. It only cost me about $100 to set mine up and it is great knowing I can put almost any plant in and it has a chance. I am currently starting a carpet in my tank since I've had the co2 setup for awhile. Here is my setup:

But here is a copy pasted comment explaining my setup and links to all the parts I used that I gave to someone else:

Ok. I'll try to type out my whole setup.

The biggest parts of the setup are the tank and regulator. I use an Empire/Tippman co2 tank with a Double Sun Hydroponics Regulator.

Now, aquarium regulators aren't made with paintball tanks in mind, but most sporting goods stores won't refill tanks above 24oz due to safety reasons. So instead of buying a 5lb tank that no one can refill, I just use a simple Aquatek Paintball co2 adapter to attach the regulator to the tank I have. So for that part of the setup you just attach the adapter to the regulator and then after you fill your Co2 tank attach the tank to the adapter, done (make sure the regulator is plugged in and everything is tightened if you have already filled the co2 tank). Do not attach the adapter to the Co2 tank first, the adapter opens the tank so you'll just empty your Co2 into the air. So attach everything to the Co2 tank last lol.

I also use teflon tape on the tank threads and adapter threads just to help prevent any loss of co2 through the adapter. It probably wouldn't leak without it but I would rather be sure so I just wrapped up both pieces before the install.

Now that you have your regulator/tank setup we just need to get the co2 into the aquarium. I attach Aquatek co2 tubing to the bubble counter that comes attached to the regulator and attach it to a Rhinox check valve, this prevents any water from getting to the regulator, then run co2 tubing from the check valve to a Rhinox co2 diffuser, this condenses the co2 into tiny bubbles so it absorbs into the water.

Boom, almost done. We have co2, we are getting it into the tank, but now how do we know how much? We need a NilocG co2 drop checker and some Drop Checker Solution to put in it. This will come with a card that says the proper colors. I would suggest starting with low co2, check the next day, if the drop checker is still blue, increase the co2 a tiny bit and check again the next day, repeat until it turns green, yellow is bad and you might gas your fish so don't increase co2 too much at a time to protect the fish.

I recommend upgrading your filter. Those whisper filters are pretty crappy IMO mostly due to the cartridge system they use. Pretty much everyone loves aquaclear filters and I'm a fan of my C2.

Unless your Ph is crazy high (8+) I wouldn't mess with it. A stable Ph is more important than a "proper" Ph in most cases.

Good Luck!

I use a syphon hose. Right here on amazon

I would like to add that I live in Spokane,WA. And use tap water every time.

After every water change I treat my water with Stress Coat

I own 1 Oscar, 1 Red Jewel Cichlid, 1 Convict and 1 Pleco in my 75g.

As far as moving the fish, nothing changes when you go bigger. The steps listed above are perfect. My best advice is, if the fish store can hold the fish for you until you set up your tank at home, do that. Other than that you're just at a race against time from the moment the fish go into the bags. You benefit from being close to your LFS, so don't worry! And post pics when its done!

http://www.amazon.com/AquaClear-50-Power-Filter-Includes/dp/B000260FUM
thats the filter equivalent of your p200. or you could go up to a 70. but the main thing is the bio media in the back. swap out the carbon for even more and you have a super strong bio filter going on.

this canister is pretty cool too. http://www.amazon.com/Fluval-A207-206-External-Filter/dp/B005QRDDM4/ref=sr_1_1?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1406263645&sr=1-1&keywords=fluval+206

3/12/15 Update!

http://imgur.com/a82EFp5

I got a brand new filter, the aqueon quietflow internal filter

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AWV4R8I/ref=sr_ph?ie=UTF8&qid=1426184823&sr=1&keywords=aqueon+quietflow+10

Put it in my tank, did a 50% water change, and waited about half an hour and my tank is absolutely crystal clear! I'm so happy I decided to take your advice and get a filter. I'm sure there will be tough days ahead, but for now I'm celebrating a small victory.

The shrimp are being mischievous as usual, and my betta is currently exploring his new/old tank. (I moved some stuff around).

My only real complaint right now is the plants don't really hide the stuff as much as I had hoped, but I can always move the stuff around later on.

Oh, I also added a tiny bit (Half a cap) of Bacteria.

Anything else I should do in the meantime?

Thanks for any and all help!

At one point didn't transthetics have the option to buy detachable balls that could be added to their prosthetics? I could have swore that was a thing but looking at their website now I don't see it. It sucks because that would hit everything you want.

I have a couple freetom prosthetics. I've never heard of anyone that offers to add an ejaculation system to posthetics you already have unfortunately. You might be able to DIY some sort of ejaculation system for them? Like if you filled something with lube and put it in the shaft and squeezed the shaft, or maybe put it more in the base with a tube going up the shaft. Using a tube like that would be the only way it could work if you also wanted to use the insertable rod that comes with freetom prosthetics. My first thought is one of those little cake pipette things like these with a tube attached, maybe like this or this? Kind of similar to the idea of combining the peecock pleasure rod with a freetom but hopefully without the problem of pieces of it sticking out or not fitting right, and without having to buy a whole second prosthetic. No idea if that would actually work or not though. I also found this link talking about another method of piecing together different parts of different packers, but using cheaper products, maybe that would work?

Just went through my box of fish goods. Probably the best things (which I coincidentally got off Amazon) are random airline accessories. One-way valves, random connectors, suction cups, and a pack of check valves have all proven useful. It's great having extra pieces for whenever you need one. I built a drip acclimation line that I saw for sale somewhere with these parts, I have two DIY sponge + K1 filters that I needed one-way valves for to regulate the airflow, etc. Just so many uses :)

Some other good purchases:

Seachem Purigen

Bubble Counter - for DIY CO2 or DIY in-tank brine shrimp hatchery

Yeast - for DIY CO2

Metal Faucet Adapter - for gravel vacuum that attaches to your sink

Pre-filter Sponge Pack

So biomax stuff is your biological media stick some in the filter this is normally where they’d be I do have some scattered through the gravel. Just more surface for bacteria but your main source would be the filter. Never water change and clean filter on same day.

Nitro cycle
Is 0ppm ammonia, 0ppm nitrite and between 5/10ppm nitrate. If no ammonia and nitrite in tank, this is sign of established cycled tank. If present not established. You can buy bacteria in a bottle these days which helps.

I’ve also got a betta and in the beginning worried about flow myself. Fluval makes a pretty good sponge for this type of thing. It worked a treat. :)
Fluval Edge Prefilter Sponge https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002LL32RY?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

They're selling you a blackbox education package and some weirdo modular farm for $2500. You have no idea what you're getting in either. All I can tell you is this:

A 200 sq ft system (including everything) cannot feed 8 people. 1,100 lbs of vegetables and 400 lbs of tilapia won't feed 8 people, and that's what they claim their system makes. Average people eat 4.5-5 lbs of food in a day on average, meaning 1652-1825 lbs per year per human. A system that produces 1500 lbs won't even feed one person, but they say it right there:

>This one module will feed 8 people FOREVER

That's a lie. Even on their inflated estimates of how much food they produce, that's an outright lie.

Another thing I know: This system does not include fish tanks. Fish tanks are the most expensive part of every build I've ever done, and this system asks that you provide your own. This system does not include filtering tanks, either, which will run you another good bit of change. Potentially most importantly, This system does not include fish. Food-fish are hard to source, and you'll have to source your own.

And to add insult to injury, this system does not include grow medium or PVC. You are paying over a thousand dollars a unit at the the lowest prices (which you can only get at huge volumes, over 50 units) for grow beds, a patented water pump, two air pumps (for no reason, one air pump works just as well), two air stones, tubing, a patented electrical panel, worm castings, mineral dust, and a list of all the other shit you'll have to buy.

Let's price this out:

• Grow Beds - they're not using box beds, they appear in the pictures to be using black pvc sheeting, like for ponds. 250 ft sq - $150
  
• Water Pump - Dr Nate from Bright Agrotech says moving all of your system volume once every two hours is okay. if you have an 8 inch deep grow bed filled to 2 inches below the top of the medium in a medium that takes 60% of the space in the container that would be roughly 320 gallons, so you need to move roughly 160 gallons an hour, and you'll probably want to move them three feet up. So using Pondmaster pumps (a pretty solid brand I see in heavy use) you'd use the Pondmaster mag Drive 3 - $65
  
• Air pumps - fuck it, use whatever. If it won't kill aquarium fish, it won't kill aquaponic fish This looks like insane overkill, let's buy two, then add air tubing and a fistful of junctions and Four of these air stones and call it a day (I measured NOTHING and I don't regret it, everything I picked was probably insane overkill) for a grand total of $125 for the air setup.
  
• A patented electrical panel? We'll use a surge protector. $10 if we're fancy here.
  
• A pound of worm castings - $6
  
• Two pounds of Azomite Mineral Dust - $12
  
  And the grand total is: $368 for everything they offer, minus the list of other things you'll have to buy.
  
  Hope that list is worth $600+ in your mind.
  
  Seriously though, just go watch all of Bright Agrotech's videos five or seven times apiece to get the science and then read here to figure out what kind of system you want. I just spent fifteen minutes and saved you over a thousand dollars setting up your system. Imagine what you can do in a couple hours.

Keep it until it's falling apart - same as the sponge. It should take a long time, perhaps years. Just clean them periodically. The only things you need to replace regularly are the optional filter components: carbon every 3-4 weeks and loose filter floss as needed.

I've been running the Aquaclear 30 on a tank for 16 months and the sponges and ceramic are still in great shape. I keep two sponges at the bottom and two bags of ceramic on top. No carbon. I've replaced the prefilter once.

Doubling up on the media is beneficial in a couple ways. First, it's extra room for bacteria to grow. Second, once it's seeded you can take some if you need it for a new, hospital, or QT tank.

For instance: Last month I set up a small QT tank and instantly cycled it by taking some of the Aquaclear 30's media. I used this $5 filter with this $7 air pump plus some airline and the tank was up and running. I replaced what I took from the 30 with fresh media and the next time I need another tank I'll repeat the process. 😀

I got a 3.5 gallon tank for my daughter's Betta. I have been dealing with fin rot, but it looks like he's getting better. I am trying to find a better filter than the one I have now. I'm using the one that came with the top fin aquascene tank. I don't think he like it because it disturbs the water too much. I was looking into the quietflow at10. I think this will work great for my tank. The one question I had about it is the filter.
First off they are expensive and it has carbon filled in it. I have seen people say you can fill it with your own media to create your own filter. I have seen sponges and ceramic rings? I just wondering what I should look for and how to go about it. I accidentally killed my cycle anyways so don't worry about that. That happened before I even knew what a cycle was. I want to start fresh and have something I know my fish will like and will help create and sustain my cycle.

I barely started using flourish and excel so I can't attest to their usefulness. I have some bb algae and my plants weren't doing so well. Flourish should help, i've heard/read some great things about it seachem(flourish manufacture) also creates specific liquid nutrients like flourish iron, flourish magnesium, etc.

If I were you i'd use regular flourish(it's your choice if you also want to use excel) and see if your plants makes a comeback after a month.

Also if you're interested in the wasteland method this video gives a detailed explanation how to start it.

Very cool write-up, thanks!

Your diffuser is very clever, but even for a DIY system, I personally recommend to buy a diffuser. I tried about half a dozen different DIY diffusers, and eventually decided to just give in and buy one. I am currently using the Fluval Ceramic one, and will never go back:

http://www.amazon.com/Fluval-Ceramic-88g-CO2-Diffuser-Ounces/dp/B004GCO35G

$20 got me the diffuser, plus 3 replacement ceramic disks. Mine has been running for a month, and makes a ton of tiny micro-bubbles. I placed it at the bottom of my tank under my powerhead, and my plants absolutely love it.

The only drawback to this diffuser is your Co2 system needs a LOT of pressure for it to start working. If you use it, make sure you are using thick bottles and well sealed air lines.

Oh dear. Is this your first big fish tank? Or first fish tank?

I would highly recommend getting a Python Water changer. It is a little pricy but it is worth the cost.

Other things you will probably need with your python for doing water changes/filling the tank.

- Some 5 gallon buckets from home depot (Great for all sorts of things, they just come in handy in the hobby, a must-have) Very cheap

- A Digital thermometer for water to help temperature match to your tank before adding the water.

- A fish saver cover for your python water changer to help you save fish when you're doing a water change.

Do you know what kind of cichlids and catfish you have? There aren't many that are appropriate for a 15 gallon tank as they will grow too large.

An aquaclear 30 would work well for the tank and it's not too expensive. You can use play sand as a substrate, but you have to rinse it really well before you put it in the tank. You can get it from home improvement stores or Walmart for cheap. Good plants would be any low light, hardy plants like anubias, water wisteria, java ferns, anacharis, etc. and they can be bought from petsmart, petco, any other local fish stores, or online.

When you're renovating the tank you can keep them in a large bucket with a bubbler.

My Ammonia and Nitrites spiked. After some help from you all my fish couldn't be happier. I got a second filter The AC50. I am leaving the old filter running in the tank for 6+ weeks to help grow good bacteria. I currently dont have another tank so I will leave both filter running, that and with 25% water changes every other day for a week plus Prime and Stability the fish should be quite happy.

• Slow water changes rate down to weekly.
  
• Next plan is to get some plants and a better lighting.
  
• Maybe start my plants in a second 10g tank, then move a few over to my big tank.
  
• My SO isnt too happy about my plan to spend more money on my fish tank but I enjoy it. so will see :D
  
  
  Thank you guys so much for all your help.

https://smile.amazon.com/Aquaneat-Sponge-Filter-Aquarium-XY-2831/dp/B078T77JB7/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=sponge%2Bfilter&qid=1567390654&s=gateway&sr=8-5&th=1

I like this style of sponge filter, if you want to seed a second tank you can take one of the sponges off and move it to your new tank, the 'neck' of the filter is also adjustable so you can change it to suit your water level

https://smile.amazon.com/Tetra-Whisper-Easy-Aquariums-Non-UL/dp/B0009YJ4N6/ref=sr_1_1?crid=17VOB87VMMJW7&keywords=tetra+whisper+air+pump&qid=1567390717&s=gateway&sprefix=tetra+whisper+%2Caps%2C211&sr=8-1

This is the air pump I use, I've tried a few brands and these are my favorite. They are quiet and tend to be reliable

https://smile.amazon.com/Patelai-Pieces-Valves-Device-Aquarium/dp/B07H33NN41/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=check+valve+airline+tubing&qid=1567390757&s=gateway&sr=8-6

I also HIGHLY recommend using a check valve. This is important because if you have a power outage and the water starts to back siphon it wont fry your pump, if that did happen the worst case scenario is an electrical fire

The basic set up is attach some airline tubing to your filter, cut some of the tubing and put the check valve in, then use another length of tubing to attach your pump. Its pretty simple though sometimes the tubing will be a little tricky to attach. I like to keep my tubing longer than I need, it can help to create a drip loop (extra safety precaution) and it makes moving the pump around easier

Necessities

api liquid test kit

sponge filter

airline tubing for sponge filter

air pump for sponge filter

thermometer

fluval spec v kit. Comes with filter, decent light that can grow some lowlight plants, idk what else but I hear it's pretty good, I would look around on other sites to find it cheaper

dechlorinator if you don't already have it

heater, I happen to live somewhere where the temperature of my tank floats right in the bettas range, but if this isn't the case for you then you'll need a heater

You'll need something for a lid, can't find anything on amazon but you have a few options: going to a petstore and looking for a 5 gallon lid, going to other websites to look, or making a DIY lid, which can be done with greenhouse panels, or even wood if you don't mind cutting.

Substrate is optional, but if you want it you can either get pool filter sand, which you can find at your local Home Depot or lowes (assuming you're in the US), you'll have to rinse it first but it's really cheap, $8 for 50lb which is more than enough.

I would buy the tank in person at a store or on some site like Craigslist where you can find used tanks for cheap

Also, don't forget to cycle your tank, if you don't know what that is I would do some research on it, it's possibly the most important thing in keeping any aquatic creature

Off the top of my head, will continue to edit to add stuff

I just recently purchased a 125 gallon tank and am slowly building up all the stuff to get it set up. I am looking at filters now and was looking for advice. I plan on planting it pretty heavily and stocking it with some big fish like black knife ghost fish, some catfish, and arrowana (knowing i will upgrade the size of the tank) I was looking at possibly doing an aquaclear. The 110 seems like its slightly too small for my tank which brings me to my question. would it be better to use 2 aquaclear 70 or 3 aquaclear 50 to make up for the size? are there some nice canister that would look and function better than multiple aquaclears? Thanks.

To piggyback off of Betta fish, besides the tank you can get your filter, heater, and light for pretty cheap.
Here's what I have:

filter
Air pump
light
heater

Altogether it might not be the cheapest items, but they work fantastic for me and my Betta and shrimp tank. Plus it costs less to get good filters and supplies first than it is to buy a beginner set and upgrade everything over time like I did.

this is what it all looks like in my tank.

First-timer in over his head here. Could use an assist with setup. The ultimate goal is setting up something my (soon-to-be) 2 year old daughter will enjoy watching.

Planning on purchasing:

Tank & Stand: Aqueon 45G tank ensemble - $250

Light: LED - Included with tank

Filter: MarineLand Penguin 200 Power Wheel - $21

Heater: Orlushy Submersible Aquarium Heater 150W - $18

Python: Python No Spill Clean and Fill Aquarium Maintenance System - $40, 24 inch adapter - $10, [hook] (https://smile.amazon.com/Python-Spill-Aquarium-Gravel-24-Inch/dp/B004PBHX4G/ref=pd_bxgy_199_img_2/146-3053739-1242457?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B004PBHX4G&pd_rd_r=42a7c2bc-877d-414d-b0c9-2960fa629e40&pd_rd_w=q7tkK&pd_rd_wg=fjx36&pf_rd_p=a2006322-0bc0-4db9-a08e-d168c18ce6f0&pf_rd_r=ZE4SB0SAMR7BKXT7Z4QW&psc=1&refRID=ZE4SB0SAMR7BKXT7Z4QW) - $20, and this adapter for my non-threaded faucet - $12

Conditioner: [API Water Conditioner] (https://smile.amazon.com/API-CONDITIONER-Aquarium-Conditioner-16-Ounce/dp/B004LO9KSY/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2SD31AR7OVW3V&keywords=water+conditioner+aquarium&qid=1567987105&s=gateway&sprefix=water+condition%2Caps%2C159&sr=8-3) - $7

Bacteria: [API Quick Start] (https://smile.amazon.com/API-CONDITIONER-Aquarium-Conditioner-16-Ounce/dp/B004LO9KSY/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2SD31AR7OVW3V&keywords=water+conditioner+aquarium&qid=1567987105&s=gateway&sprefix=water+condition%2Caps%2C159&sr=8-3) - $4

Test Kits: [API 5-in-1 Test Strips] (https://smile.amazon.com/5-IN-1-AQ-Test-Strips-100CT/dp/B077YS7Y4Y/ref=sr_1_3?crid=VPPBFJ1NJSMG&keywords=api%2Btest%2Bkit&qid=1567987538&s=gateway&sprefix=api%2Btest%2Caps%2C210&sr=8-3&th=1) - $26

That takes me up to $408. That leaves me about $100-150 in the budget my wife gave me to get decorations and the fish themselves. (It was supposed to be $500, but we always go slightly over budget)

Any recommendations on large and colorful fish that could attract and keep a toddler's attention? Preferably peaceful.

Any other recommended tweaks to the build? I haven't purchased anything yet, so I'm willing to completely scrap this and start over if somebody has a better idea of how to use the money.

Okay this is easy then.

Don't use tap water for anything at all.

1. First we need to get your TDS down to where it should be.
   We are going to do what is called a water restart. You are going to empty the water (save 5 gallons of water in a bucket and put the little guy you have left in the bucket).
   
   You will have to purchase this product (http://www.hanaquatics.com/salty-shrimp-shrimp-mineral-gh-kh/)
   If you get 200g it will last you a lifetime.
   
   Once all the water is drained you will fill the RO/DI water into buckets and add the salty shrimp to RO/DI water until the TDS is between 200-250. Add this water to your tank. Now your tank should be between 200-250 TDS.
   
   Wait 24 hours with the filter running etc.
   
   Take a small bucket of water and drip acclimate your shrimp (see: https://youtu.be/ZSnJjTEjWyU).
   
   This is going to take a few hours. Every 30-45 mins make sure to take some water out of the bucket. Eventually the water in your bucket and the water in the tank will be within 20 TDS of each other. When the water in the bucket is close to the water in the tank you will be set to transfer the new shrimp into his home.
   
   
2. Top off water with RO/DI water. Dont worry about pH swings you will have enough kH in your water that it will be a non issue.
   
   
3. Neos are pretty hardy. You could probably go 3-4 weeks easy before you will need a water change depending on how much crap you add to your water. When your tank gets to 250-300 TDS (or 3-4 weeks depending on which happens first) it's time for a water change.
   
   
4. When doing a water change the end goal is to make sure the TDS will end up between 200-250 TDS. It's a little bit of a guessing game (since I hate sitting down and doing all the math) but lets say your tank is at 300 TDS. I would do a 20% water change and when I am adding new water to the tank I would add gh/kh+ to the new RO/DI water until the TDS was 120-150. Once I added that to the tank the tanks TDS should normalize to about where I want it.
   
   A few pointers about your tank:
   
   
5. You will want a new filter. From the picture I saw I would araid of shrimplets getting sucked up into the big cracks you have on the filter you have. I would suggest a small aquaclear and to purchase one of these (http://www.hanaquatics.com/ss-filter-guard/)
   
   
6. I would purchase a small air powered filter (http://www.amazon.com/XinYou-Aquarium-Biochemical-Sponge-XY-2821/dp/B009V3UGDS) or (http://www.amazon.com/XY-380-Aquarium-Biochemical-Sponge-Filter/dp/B0051XIN78)
   
   The sponge filter will grow mincroorganisms that the shrimp love to eat. It will allow your shrimp to graze and be healthy at all times.
   
   I know this is a large wall of text but once you get the hang of it Neocardina are quite forgiving.
   
   NOTE: The salty Shrimp gh/kh is very concentrated so a little will go a long way.