Is my filter and environment ok?

[Dragony]

I got my very first betta today. Got my friend who works in a tropical fish store to get me everything I needed and got it all set up.
Just from reading over this forum it says bettas don't like too much water flow? I think my filter is too much as he can't sit near the top of the tank unless he hides up in the corner behind the filter unit as he gets blown around a bit.

Also I was told I didn't need to put plants/ornaments in to start with and could just do it when I wanted to. But can also see on here that Bettas like to have places to hide. Do I need to get ornaments/driftwood that have been treated or can I find something around home to put in his tank?

I think I have everything else right He has plenty of room, good water temp and pH, and has 2 platy's in there to keep him company. But some advice on the questions above would be great

[Oldfishlady]

Welcome to the forum and to the wonderful world of Betta keeping...

What size is the tank, type of filter, type of additives used, type of food and feeding plans, your water change plans and water temp.....

What is your source water and if you have test supplies-what are the readings on both the source water and the tank itself.....

Bettas will so much better with some type of cover to help make them feel secure-you can use a coffee mug as a cave if needed.

Bettas are great fish to keep and fish keeping in general is a great hobby to be apart of.....

Love to see some pics....

[Dragony]

Hiya, I have a 30L (approx 8gallon) tank and a Haile HL-BT-200 filter.

To be fair I'm not sure what additives were put in. My friend helped with all of that and gave me it in unmarked bottles (from the store to save me on the set up). She said one was a prime and the other a stabiliser. She also did the pH test and said it was fine before I put the fish in. I will be buying my own test kits etc but haven't as yet as the set up (let alone the fish) cost me a pretty penny and she is happy to so all that for me until I get that sorted next week.

I have tropical flakes for my platy's and high grade betta pellets for my betta. Current plan is feed every 2 days, as much as they can consume in 2mins or so I have been told. I'm sure we will fall into a routine as I get to know them better

And part of the reason I came on here was to check how often I need to change their water The tank instructions state weekly with a magnetic brush and only a 1/3 change monthly. But everyone on here seems to be saying every few days. So I guess it will be every few days.

I will get some pics soon. He is a beautiful dragon betta in silver, blue and red. My daughter picked him out and is very pleased with herself.

Thanks for the advice. I will put a couple of coffee mugs in the bottom until I can go and get some ornaments for him next week

Water is at 25C

[Oldfishlady]

In 8gal-it is really not big enough to meet the needs of other species of fish along with the Betta, however, you can most likely make this work since most of the platies are generally a slower moving fish....and adding live plants will also help.....

Since its a new setup you will be establishing the nitrogen cycle with the fish...thats not a problem as long as you make the needed water changes..

In 8gal filtered with that stocking level-I would make twice weekly 50%...1-50% water only and 1-50% to include the substrate by vacuum or stir and dip method for the first 6 weeks....also, make a 50% water only at any time you have behavior changes in any of the fish as a general rule.

Once the nitrogen cycle has established-make 50% weekly with vacuum to maintain water quality

Filter media needs a swish/rinse in the bucket of old tank water with a water change a couple of times a month-unless the water flow is compromised I wouldn't rinse the filter media until your nitrogen cycle is established in about 4-8 weeks.....

Feeding can sometimes be one of the issues in mixed species tanks with the Betta-they tend to be a bit slower to eat-but as you posted sometimes these thing have to be figured out as time passes and you get to know them better....

For Bettas a good quality varied diet fed in small frequent meals daily-with one day of the week fast-don't overfed and this can be easy to do sometimes since Bettas tend to wag their tail and beg for more....lol.....

Dose the dechlorintor with any water added to the tank-its better to use too much than not enough since it is really hard to overdose these products.

Look forward to pics and hearing more about your fish keeping adventures...this is a great hobby to share with the whole family.....

[Dragony]

Thanks for the info. I'll keep up on the water changes while everything get established. I went and purchased the fish myself from a store and told them what size tank etc I had and they were happy for me to put the little platy's in with my betta with a tank that size. We only have 2 of them

Am going to go and research on getting some plants and stuff today and will get them all sorted out.

I have put a coffee mug in there as suggested although he seems happier hiding up behind the top of the filter. He comes out and swims about regularly and seems to be happy so here's hoping he stays all happy

[Dragony]

Just to update. I went and saw a guy at the local pet store who is super keen on tropical fish and even breeds bettas. He recommended some good plants to go in the tank (that my platy's won't eat) and gave real clear instructions on how to do water changes with the tank/bits that I have. Also gave me lots of pointers and double checked my pH as my beautiful betta looked a bit depressed this morning. But apparently it's normal as they are not super active fish. Showed him some pics aswell and he just thinks I'm being paranoid lol. He was pleased that I'm taking an active interest and trying to make sure I had everything right.