hyde wrote:First time Fish keeper:
Just a few questions! So, I am likely to get a 5-10 gallon tank and definitely a betta. I am considering shrimp as I really love them. I also really want a planted setup.
- What items do I need to get? (In terms of food and other necessities.)
- What kind of tank-mates work well with a Half-moon/Delta/Super-delta Betta?
- Are all shrimp able to live with Betta's or are there certain types?
- Do Betta's get lonely? (I know Males don't work well together, but should I get tank-mates?)
- What are the best plants to use? (And do they require different substrates?)
- What should I all-round avoid?
I won't consider tank-mates until a few months after getting the Betta unless it's a must and they do better with other fish.
-Betta food is probably easiest to get 'right' in terms of food. But if your store doesn't sell betta specific ones then preferably a small floating pellet that has good protein content and is not vegetable/algae based. Honestly flakes are fine imo, but they are not as good value as pellets. Siphon for water changes, bucket(s) for water change purpose (I prefer to have ones that are only in aquarium use), a net, algae scrape if you want but old credit cards and such work just as well and water tests I would highly recommend as well. And of course the filter, heater and light for the tank plus decorations for your taste.
Those should get you started.
-Generally small schooling/shoaling fish that aren't nippy. So quite many rasboras and tetras fit that bill, though among tetras there are some nippier species. Many barbs are too nippy in general. Endler live bearers seem to work too. Also species that live near the bottom are okay, but you have to be mindful of the temperature requirements of the different species. Like corrydoras for example, temperament vise would be great but most like the water bit cooler than bettas.
So basically anything that doesn't nip/harrass the betta or end up being attacked by being too flashy, and tolerates the temperature the betta requires. And isn't too tiny to end up being eaten by a betta. ^^; Buuut if you go for 5gal, I would not get any other fish than the betta. For 10gal you could maybe fit a small school of some small fish.
-Some bettas eat shrimp with passion, so it will mostly come down to the individual can you keep shrimp with a betta. I'm not a shrimp expert but I believe most of the commonly sold shrimps are okay with a betta.
-Nope, I don't think they really care about the company. My betta also had the problem that he's bit slow eater and kinda stalked the food before going for it, so the endlers kinda end up dominating at feeding time as they really just go for the food as soon as they notice it.
-Plants that are marked for beginners and to have low light requirements are usually the way to go. Anything red usually has more demanding requirements in terms of light (tiger lotus being exception), so I would avoid those. You might need to go through some trial and error with plants to find out which ones do the best in your tank. So I'd go into the store and pick two or three types and see how you do with those. There's also limit amount of space in the tank, so 2-3 should be good start and leaves space for the plants to spread out. Like with stem plants over time you can propagate them by cutting them down about half way after they've reached the surface and then just plant the cut piece.
Some plants to consider which are listed as easy ones:
-anubias species
-java fern
-bacopa species
-crypts (=cryptocoryne species)
-Hygrophila polysperma
-Hygrophila difformis
-Hygrophila corymbosa 'siamensis'
-Limnophila sessiliflora
-Vallisneria
-tiger lotus (surprisingly easy but flashy looking plant, can grow big though)
Anubias and java ferns don't need/like to be planted into substrate of any sort, instead they do well when tied or glued on piece of wood/rock or jammed into some nook. They will then eventually form roots that attach to the piece of hardscape. Anything else I mentioned needs to be planted into substrate of some sort. I would suggest coarse-ish sand, so that it's not really gravel but it's also not too fine, which has risk of getting clogged. Not saying you can't use gravel in a planted tank, but personally I think sand is easier to mainting if you end up with lot of plants.
-Getting a sick fish just because you feel bad for it is probably the number one thing to avoid when you are a beginner. Next is all those fancy sounding water additives that promise this and that. You really only need a good water conditioner/de-chlorinator to put in your water and that's it. Using carbon in the filter is also unnecessary 99% of the time, so if your filters comes with carbon just take it out and save it for the day you will actually need it.
I'll upload a few pictures soon c:
