TLDR: I'm paranoid and don't know if I actually know what I'm doing or if I'm messing up majorly.
Hello! So I posted about two weeks ago about a Betta fish I got as a white elephant present. The original recipient was going to dispatch the little guy so I took him in. Everyone here was such a major help in getting me informed and figuring things out, I have read all the wikis and deep dived into the nitrate cycle and bacteria and all that. I think I know what I'm doing, but the only real way to know is to take it to the people who know 1000x what I do and double check.
I'm doing fish in cycling and it's actually terrifying. We had our first ever spike today when I tested. Yesterday ammonia and nitrite were at 0ppm in them and this morning both were at 1ppm. Nitrate is holding steady at 10ppm. I test with the API Freshwater Master Kit. So of course this morning I did a big water change, ~ 50%. He's in a 10 gallon long if that helps too.
I also noticed yesterday that he had some tears in his fins that did not look like niping, it was 2 long clean cuts so I can only assume one of his silk pants was the culprit. So I order the Indian almond leaves and they arrived this morning, I boiled one for 10 minutes and let it cool completely while I did the 50% water change. Then I added 1 cup of the tea plus the full leave to his tank for the tannins to help with his stuff. His tank is set to 78°f for temperature and his filter is baffled with hella sponge media and he can rest in the flow directly, but it still agitated the surface just enough for oxygenation. Also since obviously he had issues with the silk plants, all have been replaced with live plants. I got a java fern, an annubias, an Amazon sword, and a ludwigia. All are in pots because I don't have substrate. He has a Pothos and philodendron clipping as well to help keep the nitrate under control and he has water lettuce floaters (though those are dying and idk why, I wanted frogbit so I'll probably keep pruning daily until their dead then replace with frogbit).
This also isn't his forever tank. As soon as I'm able, I'll be setting up another 10 gallon long, fully planted with substrate and cycled PROPERLY this time. A snail and some tetras may be introduced to that tank too so he has some friends, but that's probably about 1-2 months away so like 3-4 months before he gets to move into it.
As far as diet, my local fish store recommended a local fish food manufacturer that has a Betta formula with no wheat or plant products but I no longer have the bag it came in, it's now in a little jar. He gets 2-3 pellets 2 times a day and he's always happy and eager to come eat.
His behavior is also great. We love to play finger chase with my finger on the glass and I have slowly been introducing my finger to his tank (fully clean my hands, rinse with warm water for minimum 1 minutes, then I rinse them in prime treated water because I'm paranoid) and he likes to nibble at me to start then he has recently begun to brush up against me, so I don't think he hates me! Which I will take as a win. He also likes to follow my cat's tails. They'll sit next to him and stare at him and he comes up to great them, never flares, and then just follows them around until they leave.
All of this to ask… Am I doing it right? Will he be fairly happy in this tank until I can get the other one done properly? I know it's not perfect, but I'm just trying to be sure I'm handling him the best I can under current circumstances. And the bright tube was my 3 year olds pick, sooner rather than later it'll be replaced by something more neutral tone and I want to add a cave to see if he likes caves more than tubes but again, right budget, we're doing this as well can. So… How am I doing?
https://www.reddit.com/gallery/1q0larv
Posted by Bunnybutt996
3 Comments
fwiw I think i’m actually losing sleep stressing over doing the fish in cycle and waking up one morning to the worst 😭 so I feel you deeply on that front. I personally think I will be excited about my first spike though! It means that your ecocycle is progressing (..right? 😅)
My only question is, why cant this tank be done properly? Why are you setting up another seperate same sized tank to move him to? That’s the only thing i dont understand lol, the rest is fine. The luwdigia and sword will probably die being kept in the pot like that though and without substrate.
As for tankmates in a 10g, it is not big enough for tetras (or most other fish). They are a very active fish that do best in ideally 20g tanks, or 15g if it has a really good footprint. The betta doesnt want or need friends either, btw. And tetras are generally not at all recommend with bettas due to their activity level and other behaviours. They are very zippy, and often nippy. Their presence alone can be too much as they also tend to crowd bettas. It’s especially bad during feeding times. All of this gets worse with slow moving long finned bettas too. When looking to do a betta in a community setup, you should look at calm, peaceful and more sedate tankmates and true nano fish. Heavily planting etc of course goes without saying.
Sounds like you are doing great and on the right path! He will be very happy once he’s in a planted tank. The food you bought sounds great, you can also add some variety to his diet with frozen food (not dried) like bloodworms, daphnia and brine shrimp. Remember when feeding that their stomach is only as big as their eyeball and they will over eat very easily. I would suggest feeding one piece at a time until you notice the belly starts to round then stop and make sure you don’t feed again until the belly returns to its original size. I only feed my fish once a day.
I’m not sure if you’ve seen this photo but this is what use to cycle my tank and figure out my water changes. I find it super helpful. As for tank mates a 10 gallon is going to be too small for other fish, a nerite snail would be fine just know they do leave a big bioload and will leave eggs all over the tank. The eggs need brackish water to hatch so you won’t have to worry about them hatching. You could also try shrimp but depending on the betta they might become expensive snacks. It’s also best to add any tank mates first then add the betta so the fish doesn’t become territorial or stressed by the change.
Hope some of this info helps, you are definitely on the right track and it’s clear how much you care for your fish.
https://preview.redd.it/bi74dd78hlag1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=64f5a9f6fa9e00f0b529c58d80be82f53bf6c435