Hey Guys! I'm new and have lots of questions!

[Link109]

Hey everyone! I'm new to the forums and I have A TON of questions! I just started my 10 gallon aquarium! yaaaay!! It's my first one and I had a little advise from a friend but that's about it. I'm using the sea chem flourite with my betta, I dropped a few rocks I had sitting around that I found when I took a trip with my family to alaska. I'm looking to put some wood in there as well...is there any specific types of drift wood I should use for my betta?

Also he has two cherry shrimp tank mates and I'm looking to maybe get two corys and 6 harley quinn rasboras. Is that to much? Really what I'm looking for is a bottom feeder that will help clean the sand and keep the food from turning into a white furry fungus if left uneaten. Also...anyone know of any good websites where I could buy some live plants? I'm looking to start that soon. Currently I'm running a fluorescent t8...Im not sure the wattage I would have to look that up when I get home. Any advice at all would be greatly appreciated! thanks and hello everyone!

[Laki]

Hi and welcome!!
Sea Chem Flourite is for planted tanks. I think it's used in tanks with soil and sand or soemthing. Are you using that in place of a water conditioner which removes chlorine?

For wood, you can buy mopani driftwood and another type of driftwood. If you find some in a local body of water, boil it for a while to remove any bacteria and things.

Shrimp are the better bottom cleaners. Cories like eating food, not waste. 6 rasboras, a betta and shrimp might be too much for the tank. Is it filtered?

The "white fuzzy stuff" should not accumulate if you're feding the right amounts and removing uneaten food appropriately. You can do this simply with a turkey baster or gravel vacuum. I think there's a type of bacteria that grows in white fuzz but you can battle that in other ways.

I think for most plants, 2 watts per gallon is enough. I bought all my plants locally because shipping to Canada, and my province, is off the wall.

[NorthernLights]

Hello!

I think you are wanting to put wayyyy more fish in that 10 gallon than it can reasonably house. Remember, your betta is not a schooling fish; they like to be alone. That doesn't mean he can't have tank mates, but he will need and want his own space, which will be pretty hard for him to have in a 10 gallon tank with 6 other fish plus two snails.

Also, keep in mind that the bottom-cleaner type fish produce waste of their own. Algae eating fish are pretty cool, but they will not keep the tank clean for you.

Out of curiosity, what kind of filter system are you using?

[Link109]

Originally Posted by Laki

Hi and welcome!!
Sea Chem Flourite is for planted tanks. I think it's used in tanks with soil and sand or soemthing. Are you using that in place of a water conditioner which removes chlorine?

Im using the flourite as my substrate...is that bad?


And my filtration is a Aquaclear 20 filter.

[Laki]

Oh!!! no it's not bad. But it's rich in nutriets, you should add live plants to it. If you get an easy starter plant like anubias or java fern with a thick rhizome just don't bury the rhizome in the substrate. :)

[Link109]

Oh ok haha! A friend bought me seeds for the aquarium. I planted them and they already started to grow. I'm still researching plants and things before I buy any and add them to my tank.

[Myates]

If you do use a lot of plants, the amount of fish you want will be fine, bio-wise. As for space.. there shouldn't be too big of an issue due to the fact the cories are bottom dwellers, the rasboras are mid swimmers, and a betta's territory is top of the water. The rasboras are pretty small - personally I don't see an issue with that set up, I've had more than that in a 10g over the last 20yrs.

For the plants.. there are many sites out there, but it being winter (unsure about your area), you may find it difficult to get some good healthy ones shipped to your home. The cold tends to kill them quickly this time of year. I had some delivered in November and the java moss was dead and the others were going bad (luckily saved all but the java) - and this is a site that haven't heard anything bad from, was just a cold time of the year. Also got some around the same time from a breeder friend and it came in weak as well and I had to nurse them back and I know they were healthy and vibrant when shipped.
So take that into consideration when getting plants during winter - there is a chance they may come in not in the best of shape.

Are those seeds the "betta bulbs" or whatever they are calling them now? Be very careful, as most people who have used them have said that most of the plants that had grown aren't true aquatic plants.