[Jessa24]

Hey! I have some questions and I was hoping some of you wonderful and so filled with betta knowledge could help me. Anyhoo, I have a 10 gal now for Splash. Which by the way he loves it!!! So active and happy! Well now that I have a bigger tank all for him I am becoming highly interested in decorating my tank. So far I have two ornaments and three plants. I am getting three more plants and two more ornaments, one of which is big. So for my questions:

Do you think five ornaments and six plants are enough for a 10 gal tank? Or should I have more? Splash isn't an extreme hider but I still want to make him feel comfy and cozy with enough stuff but not too crowded. I still want him to be able to enjoy his swimming room.

Also I have been considering sand. What do you think is best? Gravel, sand or pebbles?

If I do go with sand what is the best way to clean it? How often do you clean the sand? Does it take a long time to settle when you do water changes?

 

[Myates]

Fill it as much as you like - he will be happy with whatever you choose. I don't have a set number of items I place in tanks.. I have tanks that are filled to the brim of live plants, others are half filled with plants and caves, and yet some that have the bare minimum - such as just a betta hammock and a IAL leaf. So I say decorate as you wish, he will love it.. if it's full of things, just means more for him to explore in. Even if you fill it halfway with goodies, he still has 5 gallons of swim space - and he can't fill up all 5 gallons at once.. just a few inches

Unsure about the sand, as I go with gravel or bare bottom (considering sand for a new tank that will be purchased soon).. from what I understand there is a certain snail that you may want as it digs in the sand and will help prevent dangerous gas bubbles from developing - or you can poke around yourself.

But unfortunately, that is about all I know when it comes to sand - boyfriend hasn't decided on substrate for the new tank yet, so I haven't done any research on sand yet.

 

[sandybottom]

i use play sand in my tanks and love it. the initial set up, it takes a day or two before you have clear water. i hold the vacuum about 1" above the sand and use circular motions to stir the detritus from the bottom. after i vacuum i usually run a chopstick around in the sand to get rid of any gas bubbles. i do this after vacuuming because i don't want to stir any detritus into the sand where i can't remove it and turn into a gas bubble later. i only do the chopstick thing once a month. if you do decide to go with sand, remember this. no magnet scrubbers, or even green aquarium scrubbies anymore. sand will get caught in them and you will scratch your tank. use a plastic scraper instead. i have used old credit cards before.

 

[OrangeAugust]

From what I understand there is a certain snail that you may want as it digs in the sand and will help prevent dangerous gas bubbles from developing.

They're Malaysian Trumpet Snails.