fish tank nerd blog~

i set up my fish tank today~! (ﾉ´ヮ`)ﾉ*: ･ﾟ

i thought about waiting to post this until i got my fish, but i was just too excited... :'D and i know a few people were really interested, so why keep them waiting? now, excuse me while i nerd out...

since i'm going to be getting a betta, i knew the basic tank requirements were between 5-10 gallons. at first i wanted to go with 5 or 7 gallons, but after a lot of research, i decided 10 gallons was indeed the best option. apparently, the bigger the tank, the less water you need to remove for water changes, which sounded great as a first timer. i was able to get the tank for really cheap off of facebook marketplace, so for anyone else planning to start fishkeeping as well, i highly recommend going the second-hand route!

oh, before i forget: please don't take anything i write here as the best, or only, way to start fishkeeping! i'm very new to this, and i had to do a lot of research. there's so much i still don't know about, and i'm really learning as i go here. basically, be sure to do your own research as well~ ^^ the r/bettafish subreddit and tiktok became my best friends during all this.

anyway, i kept flip-flopping between wanting to do silk plants or live plants at the start. i really didn't trust myself to care for live plants as well as a betta, but as i did some research, i felt increasingly more confident. as it turns out, caring for aquatic plants isn't all that difficult, and they do great things for the fish and your water! 

here's how the set up was looking as i was waiting for a few of the final deliveries to arrive:

the haul

not the prettiest of pictures, but bear with me... ^^; the only things not pictured here were my plants and my filter. i had purchased a filter earlier, but i ultimately decided the flow was just way too intense for a betta, and luckily i was able to get my money back! i'll explain more about the filter and plants below.

it was really important for me to get lots of hiding places, so i got this faux log tunnel that can sit against the glass and a hide that looks like one of those old VW buses (i really love them, so i had to get it, lol). i also got some of those betta leaves that suction onto the tank walls, a pink hide/tunnel that does the same thing, a floating hide, and some hoops. i believe the hoops can be used for both feeding and enrichment/play, so i wanted to get them! (*￣▽￣)b

when it comes to more technical stuff, i wanted to go with substrate since it would be another thing for the beneficial bacteria to grab on to. i used the the aqueon plant and shrimp substrate, but i think if i were to redo the tank, i would go for fluval stratum. i think i would also add a layer of sand on top of the substrate as well; i'm going to see if anyone i know has any sand they can spare, and i'll add a layer while my tank cycles if they do!

before plants

here's how my tank was looking before i added the plants! despite soaking my driftwood for multiple days, those two pieces refused to sink... (⇀‸↼‶) luckily, i was able to switch them out with pieces that would. as you can see, my substrate layer is pretty thin, but i think it's alright for now. i added some root tabs for the plants, but in the other photos you'll see most of them need to be re-buried, lol... i just did not have the strength to deal with them when i took these! so, if i can get my hands on some sand like i said, i will definitely be adding some.

for the filter, i ended up going with the aquarium co-op easy flow sponge filter in the small size. i did have to modify it for it to fit in my tank, but it works perfectly! the flow is nice and gentle, and it's very quiet. set up was also very easy, which i was happy about, since i had to purchase additional items for the filter to work. for the heater, i got the hygger aquarium heater. i liked it since it displays the temperature on the little control panel. i currently have it set to 80F, since bacteria like warmer conditions and i'm hoping to make the cycling process go a little faster wherever i can. when i add my fish, though, i'll likely set it to 72F. i also bought the hygger adjustable aquarium light, and i really like it too! i have it on full spectrum for now, mainly for the plants, but i'll also change it when i get my fish.

after plants

and here's how it looks planted! like i said, the root tabs majorly shifted as i was planting the tank, but i'll go back and fix them later, lol. i ordered a 10 gallon betta tank bundle from tofu's tanks off of tiktok shop, and i'm thrilled with how they look! in the background, i have italian val, some broadleaf sword they sent me for free, and what i believe is called narrowleaf (which they also sent for free). they also sent me some free aquatic moss, and i tried to get it to lay on the driftwood, but for now it's just floating. i sandwiched two java ferns and two anubias in between the driftwood, and planted 3 crypts near the front. planting this tank took me an embarrassingly long amount of time, and it doesn't look the best, since i started to get pretty fed up with them... (´-ω-`) so, this might not be the prettiest tank right now, but i can always shift things around! 

before i added the plants, i added some seachem prime to dechlorinate the water. a little apparently goes a long way, but i'm going to find out if there's a way to 100% know if your water has been dechlorinated, since i could seriously hurt my fish if it isn't... but for now, i think i'm okay! i also added some seachem flourish after i gave up was satisfied with the layout.

speaking of water: i also started fishless cycling, of course. for my ammonia, i used the ammonium chloride solution from dr. tim's aquatics; i added 40 drops since the directions said to add 4 drops per gallon, and it got me right at 2ppm when i tested the water! i'll touch on that again in a minute. after i added the ammonia, i added a capful of seachem stability, and i'll keep doing that for 7 days. i added a couple of almond leaves too, since i figured it wouldn't hurt. now i just need to wait for the nitrogen cycle to finish up!

day 1 parameters

if i had a resident living in this tank now, these results would be absolutely horrific, but for now... they're perfect! i think this is a great starting point for my nitrogen cycle, and i can't wait to see how it changes as it cycles~ ^^ i'll definitely be checking it like a psychopath until it's time to get my fish! the test kit i'm using is the api master test kit, and i'm glad i went ahead and splurged on it, because it's really a great kit. if anyone wants to start fishkeeping as well, i really think this is a must-have!

the only pieces of decor i added where the bus hide, the log hide, a mini spongebob pineapple home, and the floating hide... just because i wanted to see how it worked! (//▽//) when it gets to be time to get my new baby, i'll add the other goodies.

speaking of other goodies, i also decided to go ahead and get some seachem polyguard and seachem stress guard. i'm going to be purchasing from petsmart, and i'm kind of preparing for the fish to be a little bit poorly. i hope the almond leaves and stress guard are enough to stave off any serious issues, but i'm glad i'm prepared if need be. i also picked up two different types of fish food: the fluval bug bites and the new life spectrum betta pellets. i'm planning to start my fish out on one food for a little while, then i'll introduce the other food when i know they've adjusted to their new environment, since i know bettas like variety. i'm hoping to get some frozen food at some point, too. at a later date, i'm also going to get some netting to DIY a lid!

so... that's my fish tank! <(￣︶￣)> if anyone knows anything about fishkeeping, please don't hesitate to chime in if you notice any mistakes or things that aren't totally on the up and up! like i said, i'm still learning so i 100% will not be offended! also feel free to share anything you think i should know in general~

i'll update again when i have my new fishy friend, so stay tuned! ( ´ ∀ `)ノ～ ♡