(10(and a bit) gallon/40 liter tank)
I don't mind to have patience: in the meantime I'm reading even more about betta's and watching a lot of fish & aquascape videos, it's so relaxing. And making sure that I can care well for the betta that will be living in it. Oh and I'm visiting the LFS almost weekly lmao.
https://i.redd.it/n9kx6m30fo0g1.jpeg
Posted by catnips3
1 Comment
This tank looks very nice!
Here are the things you need to know that people might not tell you.
For long term health, your real enemy is not ammonia/nitrite, it’s opportunistic bacterial infections. These bacteria are everywhere but they only cause infections when conditions are favorable (hence opportunistic). The conditions that favor these bacteria are 1. lots of organic waste in the water, and 2. temperatures around 80F.
[I do not recommend keeping bettas at 78-80F](https://www.reddit.com/r/bettafish/s/yjDu1zZJyz).
Ammonia/nitrite/nitrate tests are like smoke detectors. They tell you if your house is on fire. They do NOT tell you if your house has termites, or radon gas, or carbon monoxide.
Organic waste comes from uneaten food, eaten food, and plant matter. It is the food source for the potentially harmful bacteria, and the more organic waste there is, the more bacteria there are, and the more likely it is that they will be able to overwhelm the fish’s immune system and cause illness. Biological filtration removes organic waste from the water, but you need a LOT of biofiltration surface area (foam, not ceramics) to accomplish this. More than is required to get rid of ammonia/nitrite.
You can’t realistically test for organic waste in the water, or pathogenic bacteria. Those kinds of tests require specialized lab equipment. The best “canary in the coal mine” you have is water clarity. Lots of things can make water hazy, but most of them will go away within a few days. But if you have haze in the water that doesn’t go away, that’s your warning bell, telling you you need more biological filtration. No matter what filtration you currently have, persistent hazy water is an unequivocal sign that it isn’t enough.
Lastly, about plants. Plants are not a filter. Plants remove nitrogenous waste from the water, but plants are net IMPORTERS of organic matter to the tank. Plants can and often do *increase* the amount of organic waste in the system. If ammonia/nitrite/nitrate tests are smoke detectors, plants are sprinklers / fire extinguishers. They help with ONE aspect of water quality, which just happens to be the most easily measured.