(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best aquariumdecor plastic plants

>My friends got their first betta fish (male lunar flare) today on a whim

That's not really a good thing actually, getting a fish before having an established nitrogen cycle in a tank of appropriate size could be harmful to the health of the betta as ammonia and nitrite can build up in an uncycled tank especially a smaller tank, but it's not too late to fix if the friend will be super diligent with Fish-In Cycling. A 5g tank is the recommended minimum here, so I hope your friend has a 5g tank for the betta or will consider getting one asap.

Please read & share: https://www.reddit.com/r/bettafish/comments/c8evu4/nitrogen_cycle_art_by_me/

This is FISHLESS cycling - The Nitrogen Cycle and the Fishless Cycle - getting your aquarium ready for fish - INJAF

FISH-IN cycling, which is now what your friend has to do: https://www.reddit.com/r/bettafish/wiki/fishincycle

In a 5g tank it would be 30% partial water change EVERY OTHER DAY, and frequent water testing with API Freshwater Master Test Kit - test for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrAte. https://www.amazon.com/API-FRESHWATER-800-Test-Freshwater-Aquarium/dp/B000255NCI/ <--- ABSOLUTELY MUST HAVE, VERY IMPORTANT, liquid water parameters test kit. Three main things to check daily or every-other-day: Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate. Not cycled will read 0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrite, 0 Nitrate. Cycling in progress will read some ammonia and/or some nitrite, but little or no nitrate. Fully Cycled will read 0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrite, and 5-10 ppm of Nitrate, then when nitrate reaches 15-20 ppm in a cycled tank a water change is necessary to reduce said nitrates.

Seachem Prime to dechlorinate, and Seachem Stability to add beneficial bacteria directly to the filter, filter media and tank water to help boost the nitrogen cycle.

This is the tank I recommend, if the friend is currently keeping the betta in less than 5g: https://www.petsmart.com/fish/starter-kits/top-fin-essentials-aquarium-starter-kit-5262256.html

>- They didn't get him anything to hide behind, but after some quick research they realized he needs something. There is a layer of small pebbles on the bottom of the tank and one small leafy plant that doesn't provide a lot coverage but its something. Are there any household items that are safe to put in the tank for a few days so he has a place to hide and doesn't get stressed?

I wouldn't risk putting random household items into the tank... Silk Plants and/or live aquarium plants would be best, and bettas like a jungle of plants rather than a lot of open water.

Biorb Silk plants are pretty great: https://www.amazon.com/biOrb-Silk-Plant-small-green/dp/B003BG2TEA & https://www.amazon.com/biOrb-Silk-Plant-small-green/dp/B003KGBJ06

There are also many easy beginner live plants:

Java Fern (don't bury the bulby rhizome roots), Marimo Moss balls, Java moss, to name a few.

​

>- They read betta fish don't like bright lights.

I would only leave the tank lights on for 6-8 hours per day MAX, any more than that and you'll get an algae bloom + bettas do still need a day and a night cycle.

​

>- The PetCo guy recommended they buy Omega One brand pellets. They plan to feed him 3 times a day as instructed on the bottle.

Omega one brand is ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE w/ not 1, not 2, but 3 nasty toxic preservatives, 2 of the 3 preservatives are known to cause cancers (BHT & BHA). Don't feed "as much as betta can eat in x-number of minutes" (if that's what the bottle says) - more details & photo reference on how much to feed betta given below...Works for all types of betta food + bettas of all juvenile/adult sizes (not sure about baby bettas/betta fry).

NorthFin Betta Bits, Fluval/Nutrafin Bug Bites, and New Life Spectrum Betta are HIGH quality betta pellets with good ingredients and little or none of the bad filler crap or nasty preservatives.

Hikari Bloodworms are great as a treat/diet variety as they add vitamins to their bloodworms, and ZooMed Betta Dial-A-Treat is nice for a 3-in-1 treat wheel container.

I'd recommend getting at least two different brands of the pellets I linked below + some variety of treats like bloodworms, mysis shrimp, brine shrimp, and daphnia. Alternate them day by day, meal by meal or otherwise mix them up such that the betta isn't always eating only the same thing day in and day out for every single meal.

- https://www.amazon.com/Northfin-Food-Betta-Pellet-Package/dp/B00M4Q5DQ4/ <-- my favorite go-to betta pellet

- https://www.amazon.com/New-Life-Spectrum-Betta-70g/dp/B077MG4JR2/

- https://www.amazon.com/Fluval-A6577-Tropical-Granules-Medium/dp/B07194GD1F/

- Bloodworms with vitamins added: https://www.amazon.com/Hikari-Bio-Pure-Freeze-Dried-0-42-Ounce/dp/B00025K1GQ/

- ZooMed Betta Dial-A-Treat is a decent 3-in-1 treat wheel container which has 3 different treats for betta diet variety. https://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Laboratories-AZMBP5-0-12-Ounce/dp/B003ZWCTZO/

- You can also try adding a vitamin drops to the food AND tank water - VitaChem Freshwater - Vitamin drops for aquatic animals - REFRIGERATION needed after first use/opening, to keep the liquid vitamin drops fresh. https://www.amazon.com/Boyd-Enterprises-ABE16708-Freshwater-Vitachem/dp/B00BS96V78

Beware of overfeeding, which is equally bad for bettas as underfeeding (they are gluttons and would eat till they burst if given the chance) https://i.imgur.com/4RR2LZ9.jpg. (save this pic for reference, feed betta as much as makes his belly match between 1st and 2nd photo, then let him digest back down to a normal belly before feed again.)

​

>- Lastly, they are concerned about a strange red growth on the right side of his head

I'm sorry, I can't make it out much from the grainy photo quality... Most betta illnesses stem from bad water quality, so your friend needs to take action to upgrade the tank if possible (assuming current tank is less than 5g, or less than absolute bare minimum of 3.5g) and get super diligent on FISH-IN cycling.

Please have your friend thoroughly read the articles provided by the community, I think there's a lot more your friend could learn, so he/she can give the betta the best quality of life: https://www.reddit.com/r/bettafish/wiki/index

He's gorgeous! Such a grumper face but still cute :)

Be careful with that plastic plant. It can tear up those beautiful fins. You can replace that with silk or live plants! This is the one I started out with: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GTNBLX7/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_D3lQDbQDFFSXQ

Super soft, just make sure the tops aren't pokey.

(1) Create a baffle out of a plastic bottle or plastic cup to attach to the filter in order to weaken your current. Bettas aren't very good swimmers, and the strong current will make it difficult for him to move around the tank.


(2) If you're adamant about fake plants, replace the ones you have with silk plants. If your betta rubs up against the plastic plants you have now, it might damage his fins. Real plants would be a better option. Anubias and java ferns are extremely easy to take care of (ESPECIALLY the former), don't need to be planted in substrate, and don't require much light.


(3) The layout looks nice. It might be a good idea to add a cheap log decoration with 2-3 holes for the betta to swim in and out of. They seem to like that. Also, buy a betta hammock. They're really nice because they serve as a resting place for your betta to use while he builds a bubble nest.


(4) I don't think that's algae. It's probably just biofilm, which is harmless. If you still want an algae eater, a nerite snail would probably be best for that. But if you're lazy like me and don't want to deal with another organism, just buy an algae remover from Petsmart haha.


(5) Yeah, it does feel a little bit cold at first. Does your tank have a heater?

Aside from thanking everyone who replied, I want to take the time to update on whats going on.

After I posted, I was leaning into purchasing a Fluval Spec V to house Fishy. 170). I started looking for other options such as buying another tank, buying at a LFS or commissioning a tank.

A reputable tank maker quoted me US$45.00 to make a 15 Gallon tank, with the following dimension 16.25''x16.25''x13.25'' (LxWxH) made with .88 mm glass or aprox 1/3''.

In turn, I would have to buy a filter, a heater and light (as well as substrate and plants). Here is what Im leaning towards, advice would be very much appreciated, as its my first tank in about 10 years:

Heater: Eheim 25 watt.


Filter: Aquaclear HOB Power Filter 20.



Light: Finnex Stingray 16'.

An acquaintance suggested I buy this filter instead:

Aquaclear Power Head + Aquaclear Powerhead Attachment.

Even suggested I fit my tank with two of those instead of the HOB filter.

Being a noob, I dont really know much about those types of filters.

For plants Im thinking something like this:

Fluval Anubias 12'.

Fluval Lizard Tail.

Substrate: Im looking forward to adding real plants in the future.

Soil - ADA Africana.

Sand - something along that color.

I already own an APC UPS, similar to this one or even the same one (i dont really remember).

Again, any tips or suggestions are welcome.

Cresties love to climb, I saw some awesome mushroom looking vertical cage decos on amazon he'd probably love.

Edit: Couldn't find the mushroom ledges again but I found some other cool stuff:
https://www.amazon.com/Magnaturals-Small-Feeder-Ledge-Earth/dp/B00481MPTG/ref=sr_1_53?ie=UTF8&qid=1495220950&sr=8-53&keywords=reptile+cage+decorations

https://www.amazon.com/Magnaturals-Gecko-Ledge-Mojave-Magnetic/dp/B00DOZH9PM/ref=sr_1_58?ie=UTF8&qid=1495220950&sr=8-58&keywords=reptile+cage+decorations

https://www.amazon.com/Fluker-Labs-SFK51019-Branch-Habitat/dp/B0009YEB52/ref=pd_sim_199_21?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B0009YEB52&pd_rd_r=312P93K3JNHVMY0WCYG9&pd_rd_w=xvi8N&pd_rd_wg=sAbVh&psc=1&refRID=312P93K3JNHVMY0WCYG9

https://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Naturalistic-Bolivian-Croton/dp/B0002DIUPW/ref=pd_sim_199_79?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B0002DIUPW&pd_rd_r=312P93K3JNHVMY0WCYG9&pd_rd_w=xvi8N&pd_rd_wg=sAbVh&psc=1&refRID=312P93K3JNHVMY0WCYG9

Amazon has a pretty good "plant bundle" that has several different plants in it. Over at /r/AquaSwap there are tons of people selling frogbit and other floaters. I bought my frogbit from /u/adequatesteve and it was great.

Nah I'm just taking it from the top and I'm pouring the new water in my filter and my heater box that's it's stored in to make it look neat so I pour my water in there so it doesn't effect my sand. Can it effect if you add to much tap safe. I'm not to sure how you add tap safe should you put it in ever fresh bucket worth of water or put it all in the tank then add tap safe. I don't have anyone and all the fish places here don't have gravel it's just a bare tank. This is my gravel. Pettex Roman Gravel Black Sand 8 kg https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B006CPUC0U/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_FygPzbJRWYPHF.

Then I've got some ornernents from my old tank that leaked then I bought these plastic plants DIGIFLEX 10 X Mixed Aquarium Fish Tank Plants Accessories https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00V8EDPD6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_rBgPzbBSC7M4A

Make sure you're dosing CO2 and nutrients (Flourish contains copper, if you have crustaceans then try this one ).

You can also use a CO2 gas diffuser rather than a carbon-containing liquid. Those setups are more expensive; I don't use one so maybe someone who does could explain how they work, but I hear they're very effective for larger tanks. My tanks are 5.5 G and 20 G and the liquid works fine for me.

You could also try adding inverts that eat decaying plant matter, such as snails and shrimp, if they're compatible with your setup. Also check your water parameters and make sure nothing crazy is going on, though since I assume your fish are fine then that would be my last guess.

I think it depends on how large you want his permanant home to be. If it's 5 gal or over, then I would worry about cycling it before adding the fish. I've heard that cycling anything smaller can be difficult to maintain, and I've never bothered to do so with my 2.5g tanks. Only my 6.6g tank is cycled. I do 2x weekly water changes with the 2.5g

If you want a large tank, I'd say get a medium size Kritter Keeper and set that up as his temporary home as your bigger tank cycles. Kritter Keepers are pretty cheap- around $10 and the medium size is around 2.5g.

Here are some of my faves:

http://www.amazon.com/Petco-Bookshelf-Freshwater-Fish-Aquarium/dp/B004FJ9SDC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1371862792&sr=8-1&keywords=petco+bookshelf+tank

I get these cheaper at my local Petsmart ($14.99)
http://www.amazon.com/All-Glass-Aquarium-AAG10002-2-5-Gallon/dp/B0002AS1PE/ref=sr_1_5?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1371862806&sr=1-5&keywords=2.5+gallon+aquarium

Great for small tanks
http://www.amazon.com/Elite-Submersible-Preset-Heater-25-Watt/dp/B00106X8QG/ref=sr_1_2?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1371862842&sr=1-2&keywords=elite+25+watt

This is what I heat my 6.6g with
http://www.amazon.com/Elite-Submersible-Preset-Heater-25-Watt/dp/B00106X8QG/ref=sr_1_2?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1371862842&sr=1-2&keywords=elite+25+watt

Prime water conditioner
http://www.amazon.com/Seachem-436-Prime-250ml/dp/B0002568S6/ref=sr_1_2?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1371862888&sr=1-2&keywords=prime

These are awesome silk plants
http://www.amazon.com/Hagen-Marina-Naturals-Pickerel-Plant/dp/B005JW5VGW/ref=sr_1_8?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1371862917&sr=1-8&keywords=marina+natural