Hi. I'm fairly new to fish and really new to big aquariums. I have a male Crowntail Betta named Taco who was originally my younger sisters but, after a year, she got tired of caring for him and he would have died if I didn't take over. Right now he's in a 1 gallon tank and I just got him a 5 gallon tank which I would love to make a natural planted aquarium (he's still in his 1 gallon tank). I want him to have as natural of an environment as I can give him. I read Byrons "A Basic Approach to the Natural Planted Aquarium" and have some questions.
I plan to put the new aquarium on my desk that's near a window. The aquarium comes with a light but would natural light from the window be enough? It's not direct sunlight.
I was going to start the cycling process as soon as I got some substrate and decor for the new aquarium but if I do a planted tank should I do the cycle? From what I understood, if the aquarium is planted then it's better for the plants if the tank is not cycled. It's easier for plants to use ammonia. After setting up the tank, should I wait a few days/weeks before putting Taco in? Do I need to check parameters often with a planted tank?
Should I not use chemical/charcoal filtration? Will it remove plant food/fertilizer? The aquarium came with an Aqua-Tech 5-15 filter.
Any suggestions on which plants I should use and what substrate I should use? I saw in another post that Bettas would like water sprite.
How often should a planted tank be cleaned and how much/what % water change?
I hope I'm not jumping in too quickly. I just think natural looking planted tanks look so beautiful and peaceful and would really love to have a successful one for Taco.
Thank You so much!
1. Tank size:
5 gallon Hawkeye AquaBrite 5, 15 1/2" L x 9 3/4" W x 16" H (for Crowntail Betta)
2 Watts and type of lighting:
Fluorescent light. On the bulb it said: 2U 9Watt Daylight 120V/60HZ 116mA. I tried using the "Chart for Lighting" link under "Freshwater Plant Informations" but it doesn't seem to be working at the moment, at least not on my computer. The box the aquarium came in did say "Environmentally friendly longer lasting lamp. 5,000K Illumination simulates bright light on a sunny day."
3. Number and types of plants:
None. Not sure which ones I should use. I was thinking of water sprite, java fern, wisteria, some sort of sword and/or anubias. Very open to suggestions.
4. Substrate type:
None. I was thinking of getting Eco-complete planted with some black rock gravel on top of that. Very open to suggestions.
5. Age of tank:
New, just got it last week.
6. CO2 injection:
None. I wouldn't want to use it if possible.
7. Water Parameters:
No water in aquarium at the moment.
8. Detailed description of plan problems:
Would like advice on how to successfully start and keep a 5 gallon planted tank and what type of plants are best to use for my tank.
I plan to put the new aquarium on my desk that's near a window. The aquarium comes with a light but would natural light from the window be enough? It's not direct sunlight.
I was going to start the cycling process as soon as I got some substrate and decor for the new aquarium but if I do a planted tank should I do the cycle? From what I understood, if the aquarium is planted then it's better for the plants if the tank is not cycled. It's easier for plants to use ammonia. After setting up the tank, should I wait a few days/weeks before putting Taco in? Do I need to check parameters often with a planted tank?
Should I not use chemical/charcoal filtration? Will it remove plant food/fertilizer? The aquarium came with an Aqua-Tech 5-15 filter.
Any suggestions on which plants I should use and what substrate I should use? I saw in another post that Bettas would like water sprite.
How often should a planted tank be cleaned and how much/what % water change?
I hope I'm not jumping in too quickly. I just think natural looking planted tanks look so beautiful and peaceful and would really love to have a successful one for Taco.
Thank You so much!
1. Tank size:
5 gallon Hawkeye AquaBrite 5, 15 1/2" L x 9 3/4" W x 16" H (for Crowntail Betta)
2 Watts and type of lighting:
Fluorescent light. On the bulb it said: 2U 9Watt Daylight 120V/60HZ 116mA. I tried using the "Chart for Lighting" link under "Freshwater Plant Informations" but it doesn't seem to be working at the moment, at least not on my computer. The box the aquarium came in did say "Environmentally friendly longer lasting lamp. 5,000K Illumination simulates bright light on a sunny day."
3. Number and types of plants:
None. Not sure which ones I should use. I was thinking of water sprite, java fern, wisteria, some sort of sword and/or anubias. Very open to suggestions.
4. Substrate type:
None. I was thinking of getting Eco-complete planted with some black rock gravel on top of that. Very open to suggestions.
5. Age of tank:
New, just got it last week.
6. CO2 injection:
None. I wouldn't want to use it if possible.
7. Water Parameters:
No water in aquarium at the moment.
8. Detailed description of plan problems:
Would like advice on how to successfully start and keep a 5 gallon planted tank and what type of plants are best to use for my tank.