Starting a planted 10g soroity?

[Jwillis]

Hello, I'm new to the forum, been lurking on here for a few days now. I don't have any bettas yet, but I would like to change that. I have a 10g tank sitting in my basement that I plan on cleaning out.

But I have no idea what I really need to start this project. I want to make sure I have everything I need before I start going to buy Betta and get them killed.

If anyone would give me advice on what I need to start this project it would be much appreciated.

[toad]

Hello! Welcome to our little community :)

I think that your 10 gallon project sounds wonderful! I'd suggest that you have the tank set up for a couple days before bringing the little guy or girl home.

Some basic things you'll need: a thermometer, a heater, bottle of water conditioner and a light. Depending on the plants you want to grow, a regular little incandescent bulb can work just fine - in fact, I have those in my own 10 gallon.

Easy plants to grow when you've never kept aquarium plants before include the anubias (I LOVE these!), java fern, wisteria, hornwort, mosses such as java moss, and my favorite plant ever - the marimo moss ball.

These plants are low light plants and do a lovely job of keeping your water clean :) Beware of heavy root feeders, as they can be picky about substrate and demand extra fertilizers (had to buy root tabs for an Amazon Sword I bought before knowing this!).


Please do post pictures!

[ChoclateBetta]

It is a bit small for a female tank but with hiding spots and introducing them at the same time it is possible.

[Jwillis]

Is the 10g too small for a sorority? I don't want to kill any thing. Is there a subtrate thats better that others?

[LittleBettaFish]

10 gallons is fine for 5-6 females. However, as this sounds like a brand new set-up I would strongly recommend reading up on aquarium cycling before adding any stock. Stem plants and floating plants can help speed up the process of cycling by helping to remove ammonia from the water, but they need to be healthy and visibly growing to be able to do this.

Depending on what sort of plants you are looking at, you could use anything from sand, to gravel to specialised aquarium soils. It all comes down to how much time and effort you want to put into the tank long-term.

[toad]

Originally Posted by Jwillis

Is the 10g too small for a sorority? I don't want to kill any thing. Is there a subtrate thats better that others?

I personally wouldn't do a sorority in less than a 20 gallon, but I also don't have a sorority, so I'm not saying that from experience. You could divide it down the middle and put a girl on either side, or you could just put one fish in it (my 10 is home to just 1 fish, and some plants) and perhaps some snails or shrimps.

Substrate is all of a matter of preference and what you want to use it for - for example, there are plant specific substrates, or you can use plain aquarium gravel, or sand. Or, you can use pool filter sand, which is chemically inert and just the perfect grain size, IMO. Only problem is, it only comes in white :/

[Jwillis]

ALright, well I won't do a sorority then. I'll just do one Betta and maybe some shrimp and an AFD or two?

[toad]

Originally Posted by Jwillis

ALright, well I won't do a sorority then. I'll just do one Betta and maybe some shrimp and an AFD or two?

Ooh that sounds lovely :)

[Jwillis]

@LBF I was going to make sure to read up on cycling and hopefully let the plants just be in there for a while, to make sure they don't die off and realease a bunch of bad stuff(ammonia? I think?) before I think about adding any fish.

[LittleBettaFish]

I don't know why everyone is suddenly against 10 gallon sororities. My sorority has gone through various incarnations, from a 7 gallon to 25 gallon and then down to a 10 gallon when I got rid of some excess females. Apart from one or two females who couldn't live in that kind of environment, I haven't had any major aggression issues.

The success of a sorority really depends on planning. As long as you do your research and take your time, I think your plan is perfectly feasible. I will have to get photos of my 11 females in their 11 gallon tank that I currently have set-up. The worst I see out of them is the occasional flare and nip.