Whisper Fish Tank Filter Systems

Betta fish questions?

we’ll i got a red male betta like 2 days ago and i wanted a 10 gallon tank with a filter system to keep the water clean cause im not going to dump all the water out every 4 days to keep the tank clean so which filters do you use and are they good? also im geting a tetra whisper air pump to keep enough oxygen in the tank , i know betas need oxygento survive something with special gills gland? wellyeah some gravel maybe and a cave measuring 8.25″L x 4.5″W x 3.75″H with some plants around i guess and a hood lighting but what kind of bulb? 2nd question to last what are some good heaters?

and finally am i missing anything?

Ignore VB.

I HATE people who say that a Betta doesn’t need or shouldn’t be in a ”Small 10g” tank and prefer less water.

OK.. list of stuff you might consider.

1. JBL Sponge filter. – this would save you the trouble of needing a filter and separate air pump since they’ll be working as one, and will do the job without too much water flow for the betta. the betta is a labyrinth fish which means it breaths in oxygen from the air, so doesn’t need an air pump but for your situation it would be perfect.

you could even get a HOB filter, that would also do the job quite nicely.

2. Sand would be the best substrate for you to get, since it requires less cleaning since all waste settles on top of it. you only want 1-2 CM of sand though, cause any more then that and it will get stagnant areas. If you use gravel then yuo would need to get a gravel cleaner as waste from food and the fish will just build up in the gravel and if you left it can do some reall damage to your water and fish.

3. you would be better off with plants instead of the cave, if there is a nicely packed (but not too packed) area in the plants then he can hide in them. it would also be cheaper too, and help absorb some of the nitrate in the tank and it is produced. (elodea is the best for this as it has very low photosynthesis needs – hence being an oxygenating plant)

4. as for the lighting, try to find a Power Glo bulb and a ballast to go with it. you’ll only want something like a 14w or 15w.. that would be fine. the plants won’t grow too fast and it wouldn’t be too much light for the algae to start taking over.

5. heaters.. all heaters are good. you’ll want to get yourself a 50w heater – any make since they all do the same job and are all as good as each other.

6. you will want to get a small bottle of Tetra Safe Start. a 50ml bottle is enough for a 60L tank. it’s the best bacteria product on the market so far as it is self sustaining and doesn’t need to be topped up every week. Rumor has it that you can put your fish in the tank at the same time you put the safe start in, but i would still leave the tank for a week before you put the fish in to make sure there’s no Ammonia or Nitrite in the tank.

you will still need to do a water change every week or 2 (Keep an eye on your nitrate, if it goes above 20ppm then you’ll need to do a water change more often) but you don’t want to take all of the water out each time.. only 20% is needed as you’ll be removing the good bacteria from the tank if you took it all out.

hope this helps you,

Cordi

20 Gallon Tropical Fish Tank