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Or more so, I have already pre-ordered a hybrid (copper imbellis x halfmoon) male, but now I'm wondering if I have the right environment for it. I had assumed they would be more hardy than wild bettas but now I'm not sure.
Tank: 20 gallon long, cycled/established since early this year.
Livestock: 10 (male only) endlers, 12 red neon blue eye rainbowfish (pseudomugil luminatus), 2 nerite snails, 10+ neocaridina shrimp
Light Intensity: I use a Finnex Fugeray Planted+ light. Will this be too bright for a betta? I have used floating plants in the past and decided against it with this tank, so that the plants would get enough light.
Filter: An Eheim 2213 canister filter; I have the flow from the lily pipe turned down a little so nobody gets battered or rushed around.
Heater: I'm using an in-line heater set to 78 F.
Parameters: My water is hard, which I know betta splendens can adapt to, while wild bettas do better in soft tannin-infused waters in the wild.
Tannins: I have driftwood but I don't wish to add botanicals, or to have my tank tinted like blackwater.
Compatibility: I am prepared to lose some shrimp or shrimp fry. I know the temperment of a betta can vary; if in this case he was bullying fish, or for some reason being bullied (this hybrid is mixed with a halfmoon so he has tail size in between hmpk and halfmoon; I don't know if the nano fish would chase or bite at it) I would have to rehome him. Usually the ones I have had imported from Thailand have a calmer temperment but I know it's still a gamble when you own a betta.
Plants: The tank is heavily planted, with very little substrate showing. The sides and back are tall enough to reach the surface, and gets lower toward the front center where I have monte carlo growing as a carpet.
Breeding: I know people have expressed concerns about tainting bloodlines and purists tend to dislike hybrids, so I'd like to make it known that I do not plan on breeding.
Lid: I can't fit a lid on my tank; my lily pipes stick up past the top (several inches high in the case of the outflow pipe, because they don't seem to make one for the height I needed in my tank), so I couldn't fit a lid on. To combat this, my surface level is 1.5" from the top of the rim (which thankfully is rimmed just enough to keep the nerite snails from going on adventures). I do a water change every Sunday (for EI dosing ferts); by the time it gets to that point, the water has evaporated enough to be 2" below the top of the tank. I could also add saran wrap on top, since I read that even 2" isn't going to stop a betta from jumping.
The only jumping incident I've had was an endler jumping out when I had filled the tank to 1" below the top, but afterward I made sure never to let it get that high again.
Tank: 20 gallon long, cycled/established since early this year.
Livestock: 10 (male only) endlers, 12 red neon blue eye rainbowfish (pseudomugil luminatus), 2 nerite snails, 10+ neocaridina shrimp
Light Intensity: I use a Finnex Fugeray Planted+ light. Will this be too bright for a betta? I have used floating plants in the past and decided against it with this tank, so that the plants would get enough light.
Filter: An Eheim 2213 canister filter; I have the flow from the lily pipe turned down a little so nobody gets battered or rushed around.
Heater: I'm using an in-line heater set to 78 F.
Parameters: My water is hard, which I know betta splendens can adapt to, while wild bettas do better in soft tannin-infused waters in the wild.
Tannins: I have driftwood but I don't wish to add botanicals, or to have my tank tinted like blackwater.
Compatibility: I am prepared to lose some shrimp or shrimp fry. I know the temperment of a betta can vary; if in this case he was bullying fish, or for some reason being bullied (this hybrid is mixed with a halfmoon so he has tail size in between hmpk and halfmoon; I don't know if the nano fish would chase or bite at it) I would have to rehome him. Usually the ones I have had imported from Thailand have a calmer temperment but I know it's still a gamble when you own a betta.
Plants: The tank is heavily planted, with very little substrate showing. The sides and back are tall enough to reach the surface, and gets lower toward the front center where I have monte carlo growing as a carpet.
Breeding: I know people have expressed concerns about tainting bloodlines and purists tend to dislike hybrids, so I'd like to make it known that I do not plan on breeding.
Lid: I can't fit a lid on my tank; my lily pipes stick up past the top (several inches high in the case of the outflow pipe, because they don't seem to make one for the height I needed in my tank), so I couldn't fit a lid on. To combat this, my surface level is 1.5" from the top of the rim (which thankfully is rimmed just enough to keep the nerite snails from going on adventures). I do a water change every Sunday (for EI dosing ferts); by the time it gets to that point, the water has evaporated enough to be 2" below the top of the tank. I could also add saran wrap on top, since I read that even 2" isn't going to stop a betta from jumping.
The only jumping incident I've had was an endler jumping out when I had filled the tank to 1" below the top, but afterward I made sure never to let it get that high again.
