New tank for newish fish

[seth556]

A few weeks ago I got a cheap betta on an impulse buy at the pet store and now it's escalating into more stuff haha. But today I bought a cheap 10gal glass tank with the intentions of putting a divider in (maybe divide it more later) and putting another fish in.

Right now until I make a divider I have my betta fish in it. I just cleaned it with the glass tank sponge thing that is made for it and then filled it up, put the couple of plants in, and then conditioned it. Is there anything else I'm supposed to do to make it better for the fish? That's all I did with the last tank (1gal) and he was happy.

Also for the bottom should I use rock or marbles?

[AngelicScars]

Sounds like it should be fine. It is highly recommended that you do cycle a tank that large though. Do you have a filter and heater and a hood?
As far as the bottom, you should use whatever you'd like (fish safe of course) that you'd want to keep clean. Sand, gravel, and river rocks are a popular choice.

[seth556]

I have none of those, although I'm planning on making a hood out of plexiglass and putting some little flaps that open to put food in like the hood you pay for, and maybe a light. I have a light over it unrelated to the tank.

[seth556]

How do I go about cycling the tank? I don't have a heater or filter. Although I don't think I actually need a heater if my room temperature is usually around 78 to 82 degrees? It's winter right now and being in Florida it's not too cold and after letting the water sit for about an hour it's come up a few degrees to 74ish.

[AngelicScars]

A filter is necessary to cycle. I haven't cycled a tank before, but there are several resources and information on that on this forum.

78-80 degrees F is the ideal temp for Bettas, but a light alone might do the trick if your house stays that warm. I know your summers can be VERY warm.

[seth556]

Do I need to cycle the tank? And if so can you recommend a cheap filter?

Here's what the tank and fish (george) are looking like right now, pretty bare.

[1fish2fish]

Okay.. this is gonna be long.. bear with me ;) (oh and btw Welcome!)

Plexi glass will make a good divider (just make sure air can still get into the tank. Another good (and cheaper) way to make a top is to get plastic mesh and cut it to size and cover the edges in plastic report binders. The mesh comes in big sheets and is really cheap.. as are the binders. These let air in better than plexi and your betta will need 1 in of air at the top to breath.

It sounds like you don't need a heater but get a thermometer to check the temp.. you really want a stable temp as fluctuations can stress your fish. Either a glass in tank thermometer or a digital kitchen thermometer will work well.

Personally I use gravel and from what I've read on various forums etc gravel is probably the most easiest to clean and deal with (especially for newbies). But what ever substrate you are comfortable with is fine.

Ok now on to cycling (don't worry it sounds way harder than it is)... I've been answering a lot of cycle questions lately so what I'm going to do is write all I know out in a thread I hope it helps :)

[AngelicScars]

It's highly recommended to cycle the tank. I like the Aqua Tech Filters personally. The are about $10 at Walmart. The filter can be harsh for bettas, but a little modifying can slow the flow.

[seth556]

Can I wait before I cycle it? I am going to get more plants and substrate but don't want to shell out a big wad of cash all in one sitting.

[1fish2fish]

you can wait but keep a close watch on your fish and keep up with weekly water changes until you start cycling. Try walmart for gravel and fake plants... they tend to be cheaper than the petstores.