xenxes's Fluval Spec 2g - Betta Tank

[xenxes]

MOVED TO: http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/pl...ml#post1817861

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Current Status (3/8/2012):

First Tank.

Tank Progression Pics




Equipment:
- Fluval Spec, all stock ($32 from Wag's 1/2 off coupon)
- Pagoda from Petsmart

Fauna:
1x Male Half Moon Betta
6x Malaysian Trumpet Snails

Flora:
2x Crinum Thaianum (water onions)
1x patch of Hemianthus Callitrichoides (baby dwarf tears)
Ludwigia Arcuata
Frogbits
Red Root Floaters
Green Cabomba
Lindernia Parviflora
Amazon Micro Sword
Rotala Macrandra
Hygrophila Polysperma (maybe, not sure what the 3 green leafy plants in the middle are)

Substrate:
1/2" Miracle Grow, baked @ 350F then filtered
1/2" Fluval Plant Stratum
1/2" Tahitian Moon Sand
(not sure what I was going for here...)



Original Post:
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First time aquarium owner here, found a Fluval Spec for $32 and couldn't resist. Originally wanted to keep red cherry shrimp, grow some baby dwarf tears, a red plant, but the local Petsmart was understocked, so I made do with what they had.

Fish:
1x Male Betta
3x Ghost Shrimp

Plants:
1x Anubias
1x Crinum Thaianum, aka Water Onion (bulb)
1x Aponogeton Ulvaceus (bulb)

Substrate: mixture of Tahitian Moon sand and aquarium gravel, my finance picked the blue I would have stuck with natural colors, at least it matches the fish.

Equipment: stock Fluval Spec, pump turned to lowest setting.

I read 2 gallons were too small for Bettas and was hesitant at first, but anything seemed an improvement from the pet store containers they were stuck in. He's settled in after a day, and has even started eating out of my hand!

Pics (Day 0):






__________________
Marina Kit 0.5g | Stemmed Vase 2g | Fluval Spec 2g | Aqua Culture 5g | Fluval Edge 6g | EHEIM Aquastyle 9.2g | Aqueon Long 20g | Balcony Planter 24g

[JessDay06]

I love that little building!!! An that is a beautiful Betta!

[diwu13]

Aw the betta in the building is super cute! And betta's are fine in 2gallon bowls with filters. Heck, people even place them in bowls without filters :[

I would tone down the filter a bit more, or just place a piece of sponge over it so your betta can't get sucked in. Don't wanna damage its fins any! Also, add some frogbit or something to suck up the nitrates! Betta's poop lots.

[Basil]

Awesome! The blue gravel is ok, but that betta looks good. If you're going to do a red plant then you'll probably need a stronger light than the stock LEDs and you'll also need to dose iron. I'll let someone who actually knows of red plants to reccommend a species for your tank. It's a cool little tank, i just started one as well.

[xenxes]

Thanks, I think I'm going to redo the plants.

I'm thinking:

1x Telanthera
1x Golden Nesea

Both are medium to high light, and Dwarf Baby Tears for the flooring...

Also that blue gravel has to go will replace with some river rocks & mix in black moon sand.

Any suggestion on a new light source?

[Basil]

I suggest the Fluval 13 watt PC clamp on light. Send a PM to somewhatshocked, I think he's still got one.

[xenxes]

Think I'll keep it low tech for now, too many things on my plate. I poured some sand over the blue gravel to hide it a little, planted another onion (they shoot up fast!), did a 50% water change. Will grab some frogbits over the next few days (thanks for the suggestion diwu13), and a light when Amazon prices go back down to $25 (thanks Basil).

I stuffed a sponge into the filter, but it kept getting blown out, trying a piece of cotton ball instead.

Betta is doing great, so are the 3 shrimps, 2 of them molted. I left the molt in the tank for them to eat.

I've been dropping a few pellets to the bottom on purpose to feed the shrimp, is this necessary? They seem to be fighting each other for food, and the 2 slightly smaller shrimps have 1 antenna shorter than the other. Pretty sure the bigger shrimp did it, the Betta avoids them. Food seems to calm them down.

Lastly, I might have too much substrate in the tank now... maybe 2.5", will probably tweak it when my second tank arrives.

Pics (Day +3)


Betta flaring.


Shrimps pigging out.

[diwu13]

Gotta say, the black sand makes the entire scape look much better! I like it. Bad news is after a while the sand will fall through the gravel so maybe slowly scoop the gravel out with a larger mesh net or something. If you do decide to remove all the blue gravel completely make sure to add some MTS into the tank to help aerate the sand!

The ghost shrimp probably need 1-2 pellets for all three. So don't feed them specifically, just let them get what falls. Also, keep your eye out for the ghost shrimp. If they start to eat each other chances are you bought a macrobrachium shrimp without realizing it. This mistake is quite common with devastating results. If you notice it, remove all the ghost shrimp asap as the one that is macrobrachium will end up going after the betta.

[doncityz]

Beautiful betta.

I'm surprised that your betta haven't eaten your shrimps yet.

I got 2 CAE's in my betta tank and they're both always in hiding.

[xenxes]

Originally Posted by doncityz

Beautiful betta.

I'm surprised that your betta haven't eaten your shrimps yet.

I got 2 CAE's in my betta tank and they're both always in hiding.

TY. I'm getting very fond of the betta, he has a very mellow personality but perks up and follows me as I move across the room (and my finger when I'm in front of the tank). I'm glad I didn't get the fiesty red one.

Originally Posted by diwu13

Gotta say, the black sand makes the entire scape look much better! I like it. Bad news is after a while the sand will fall through the gravel so maybe slowly scoop the gravel out with a larger mesh net or something. If you do decide to remove all the blue gravel completely make sure to add some MTS into the tank to help aerate the sand!

The ghost shrimp probably need 1-2 pellets for all three. So don't feed them specifically, just let them get what falls. Also, keep your eye out for the ghost shrimp. If they start to eat each other chances are you bought a macrobrachium shrimp without realizing it. This mistake is quite common with devastating results. If you notice it, remove all the ghost shrimp asap as the one that is macrobrachium will end up going after the betta.

Wow, thanks for the advice. I'll definitely keep a closer look. They all have little red stripes on their antennae, front legs, and tail... I did a quick search and they're virtually indistinguishable from ghost shrimp. One is particularly larger (over 1") and has a big appetite. If he gets over 1.5 I guess I'll know. Also, all the pellets on the bottom are now gone (hours later), maybe 7-8.

My betta is greedy and never lets any pellets fall. He snatches them as soon as I drop them, and does this juggling trick until they're soft enough to swallow. I don't want to over feed him (fed maybe 12 today), his belly is getting very round. I'll drop 2-3 pellets for the shrimp every other day or so, went a little overboard today.

I think I'll keep the gravel mixed in for now, kinda like the specs of blue. Those snails sound scary and I don't want too many critters crowding the tiny tank.

Pics of the shrimps, in case anyone can distinguish:


1 - largest, red stripes on clawss


2 - smallest, red stripes on claws


3 - second largest, no stripes on claws, white-ish where the other 2 are transparent clear (think this is actually a ghost shrimp, and the other 2 macros?)

[diwu13]

Originally Posted by xenxes

Wow, thanks for the advice. I'll definitely keep a closer look. They all have little red stripes on their antennae, front legs, and tail... I did a quick search and they're virtually indistinguishable from ghost shrimp. One is particularly larger (over 1") and has a big appetite. If he gets over 1.5 I guess I'll know. Also, all the pellets on the bottom are now gone (hours later), maybe 7-8.

My betta is greedy and never lets any pellets fall. He snatches them as soon as I drop them, and does this juggling trick until they're soft enough to swallow. I don't want to over feed him (fed maybe 12 today), his belly is getting very round. I'll drop 2-3 pellets for the shrimp every other day or so, went a little overboard today.

I think I'll keep the gravel mixed in for now, kinda like the specs of blue. Those snails sound scary and I don't want too many critters crowding the tiny tank.

As you said, it is REALLY REALLY hard to tell between ghost shrimp and juvi macrobrachium shrimp :[. I can't really tell until you notice one eating all the others or getting extremely large. The red claws could be an indication, but some ghost shrimp also have that haha. Super vague. But if one gets larger than 1.5" it's definitely not a ghost shrimp. I can't tell from the pictures either >.>

As for feeding the betta, you should consider feeding like twice a day, in smaller amounts instead of all at once. Not sure if you do that already. I heard it's better for them, just like it's better for us to eat more numerous smaller meals haha. Not too sure though, nothing proven. Cut down on the feedings a bit? Maybe 10 a day? And sinking 2-3 pellets is a good idea for the shrimps.

Those snails are actually one of the best snails IMO (besides nerites) as they burrow into the sand and allow gas exchange. If you didn't have them you would have to stir up the sand yourself to avoid any pockets of gas that builds up and become lethal. Any inverts take up no bioload so you can have as many as you want :]!

[xenxes]

Originally Posted by diwu13

As you said, it is REALLY REALLY hard to tell between ghost shrimp and juvi macrobrachium shrimp :[. I can't really tell until you notice one eating all the others or getting extremely large. The red claws could be an indication, but some ghost shrimp also have that haha. Super vague. But if one gets larger than 1.5" it's definitely not a ghost shrimp. I can't tell from the pictures either >.>

As for feeding the betta, you should consider feeding like twice a day, in smaller amounts instead of all at once. Not sure if you do that already. I heard it's better for them, just like it's better for us to eat more numerous smaller meals haha. Not too sure though, nothing proven. Cut down on the feedings a bit? Maybe 10 a day? And sinking 2-3 pellets is a good idea for the shrimps.

Those snails are actually one of the best snails IMO (besides nerites) as they burrow into the sand and allow gas exchange. If you didn't have them you would have to stir up the sand yourself to avoid any pockets of gas that builds up and become lethal. Any inverts take up no bioload so you can have as many as you want :]!

Lol and I thought I had the shrimps figured out.

I had no idea about potential gas buildups. I'll follow your suggestion and get some Malaysian Trumpet Snails (right?). What's a good number? 6? I read they breed like crazy. I have about 2-3" of substrate in the tank right now and the water filled almost to the brim. Snails would give me an excuse to not remove an inch of the substrate.

Also, will they mess with my plant roots? Have an Anubias, 2x Crinum Thaianum, and the bulb of the Aponogeton Ulvaceus hasn't come out yet.

Pics (Day +4)


Crinums are growing about 1/2" a day in low light! Threw in a couple large river rocks. Water quality perfect.

I just realized the 2nd largest shrimp (on the left in pic) isn't as transparent as the other 2, it's more white-ish solid.

[diwu13]

Uhoh. Cloudy shrimp generally means bacterial infection and it could die. It does look that way in the picture too. You might have had a little spike somewhere down the line.

And yes, MTS are the way to go! I'd only get like 2-3. The snails WILL breed like crazy if you feed them. I'd pretty much feed the betta specifically, and drop in 2 pellets every other day for the shrimp and snails. No need to feed the snails extra. If you see them breeding a ton you should start removing some by hand, and cut down on feeding. If you have only a few MTS your rooted plants will be fine. The issue is when you first plant the plants and their roots aren't very long that the MTS can dig them up. But when the roots get going the MTS won't dig up your plants. Unless you have like 100 of them in there haha. Then even the pagoda might go!

I guess the only issue with the MTS would be that they'll mix the gravel and sand much faster.

[xenxes]

Originally Posted by diwu13

Uhoh. Cloudy shrimp generally means bacterial infection and it could die. It does look that way in the picture too. You might have had a little spike somewhere down the line.

And yes, MTS are the way to go! I'd only get like 2-3. The snails WILL breed like crazy if you feed them. I'd pretty much feed the betta specifically, and drop in 2 pellets every other day for the shrimp and snails. No need to feed the snails extra. If you see them breeding a ton you should start removing some by hand, and cut down on feeding. If you have only a few MTS your rooted plants will be fine. The issue is when you first plant the plants and their roots aren't very long that the MTS can dig them up. But when the roots get going the MTS won't dig up your plants. Unless you have like 100 of them in there haha. Then even the pagoda might go!

I guess the only issue with the MTS would be that they'll mix the gravel and sand much faster.

Yikes, you're probably right. The water was cloudy one of the days (think I left too much food in the tank). I've been feeding less, doing more frequent changes and adding water conditioner and it's been clear since. Should I isolate or remove the shrimp, or wait and see?

[diwu13]

I would remove the shrimp... to the toilet :X. You don't want the ghost shrimp to die and the betta/other shrimp to eat it. Then they all might get a bacterial infection. You could wait as well, but then remove it as soon as it dies.

If you have paraguard, you could attempt to treat it. But I don't know how much ghost shrimp is worth near you but near me they are 10 cents each. So it's cheaper to let it die and then buy a new one :X