my name is ed, im really new to this whole bettafish.com! i have a betta named (Bizkit) i got from petsmart over a year ago, at first i had him in a one gallon starter kit. and about 5 months after i just felt bad for him and upgraded his one bed apartment, to a 10 gallon tank. it has gravel, live plants and plenty of hiding spots. about a month ago all my plants died? i also have a snail named (gravy) <- hehe! to help out with the cleaning, but im starting to think a 10gal is far to big for him to do on his own.
what im asking is what kind of plants should i have, also what are some good tank mates for bizkit and gravy?
my name is ed, im really new to this whole bettafish.com!
Hello and welcome! :)
i have a betta named (Bizkit) i got from petsmart over a year ago, at first i had him in a one gallon starter kit. and about 5 months after i just felt bad for him and upgraded his one bed apartment, to a 10 gallon tank.
Yay! I bet he loves it. :)
it has gravel, live plants and plenty of hiding spots. about a month ago all my plants died?
What kind of plants did you have? Do you have a light? Do you use any fertilisers? All this will help us figure out why they died. :)
i also have a snail named (gravy) <- hehe! to help out with the cleaning, but im starting to think a 10gal is far to big for him to do on his own.
Snails are actually not great at cleaning. There really isn't such a thing as a "cleaner" when it comes to a tank, except you. :) Some snails will eat algae, but honestly, they poop so much. None of them will eat waste, which is what produces ammonia. Snails can make cool tankmates, but in terms of cleaning, you are way more effective.
what im asking is what kind of plants should i have, also what are some good tank mates for bizkit and gravy?
Some great beginner plants are java fern or java moss(tie it to decorations), anubias (don't bury the rhizome!), elodea (if you have light), wisteria, vallisneria, ambulia or cabomba. Let me know if you'd like any more information on any of these. :)
Because it is a ten gallon, there are a couple of different tank mates you could try, depending on how aggressive Bizkit is. However, before we can suggest any, we need to know a couple of things: what is the pH of your water, and how hard is it? pH is easy to test with a testing kit (I recommend a liquid one, not strips, which are inaccurate). Hardness can also be tested with a kit, or you could ask your local water authority. :)
The reason this is important is that some fish do well in hard water, others in soft, and will have different pH preferences. For instance, my water is very soft with a neutral pH, so I can't have cichlids, which need very hard water and a high pH, unless I want to alter my water hardness chemically. Good fish for me are those from South East Asia, such as bettas, gouramis and loaches, or things like my Ember Tetras. :)
sorry, im a total newb at this!
No apologising allowed! :p Nobody comes into this game and instant expert and it seems to me that you are doing everything right. I just want to check, though, on a couple of things:
- Do you have a heater, and what temperature is your water?
- Do you have a filter?
- Is your tank cycled?
- How often do you change your water, and what percentage?
You are probably doing all this correctly, I just want to a be a nosy fish-welfarist and double check. :p
Best of luck!
hello! thank you for replying i wasn't sure if anyone would or if i even posted that correctly lol.
No apologising allowed! :p Nobody comes into this game and instant expert and it seems to me that you are doing everything right. I just want to check, though, on a couple of things:
- Do you have a heater, and what temperature is your water?
- Do you have a filter?
- Is your tank cycled?
- How often do you change your water, and what percentage?
You are probably doing all this correctly, I just want to a be a nosy fish-welfarist and double check. :p
Best of luck!
1.yes i have a heater i think its between 76 and 78. thats what the little thermometer says lol.
2.filter, yes it was a 10 gallon tank kit from wal-mart. it came with the one that hangs on the back of the tank, (i like it but it seems like its too rough? does that make any sense? too fast, not calm enough?)
3.cycled? um if you are referring to the water and the filter? than yes.
4. i change it every other weekend, and about 20 percent.
as far as my plants im not to sure what kind they were i just remember seeing them and thinking they were nice looking lol.
hello! thank you for replying i wasn't sure if anyone would or if i even posted that correctly lol.
1.yes i have a heater i think its between 76 and 78. thats what the little thermometer says lol.
Awesomesauce.
2.filter, yes it was a 10 gallon tank kit from wal-mart. it came with the one that hangs on the back of the tank, (i like it but it seems like its too rough? does that make any sense? too fast, not calm enough?)
Some filters can be a little rough, but you can baffle them to make them better for your fish. :) There's a how-to somewhere on the forum. :)
3.cycled? um if you are referring to the water and the filter? than yes.
By cycled I mean, has it gone through the nitrogen cycle to build up good bacteria in the filter. :)
4. i change it every other weekend, and about 20 percent.
That's ok for now, but if you add any more critters make sure you do it weekly. :)
as far as my plants im not to sure what kind they were i just remember seeing them and thinking they were nice looking lol.
Can we have pictures? :D I want to see this Bizkit fellow.
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Bomba
