# Heavily planted low tech 10 gallon for Betta



## BoyNature (Aug 13, 2013)

Here's a pic of Peter :fish1:


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## rcs0926 (Jun 14, 2013)

Beautiful tank and betta!


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## TrogdorSlayer22 (May 10, 2012)

That's one NICE betta. Where'd you get him?

Nice tank too!


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## Ziggy (Sep 2, 2011)

Thats pretty intense for low-tech! Details please (lighting etc).


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## artresz (Aug 24, 2012)

Beautiful! I'd also like to know how you started it up and the details. =]


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## kcoscia (Jul 24, 2013)

That betta is gorgeous


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## shambhalove. (Jan 22, 2013)

Yes, details!

That bad boy is awesome. The tank too


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## BoyNature (Aug 13, 2013)

*My tank set up*

Good morning everyone!

Thank you all for the wonderful comments  I've spent a lot of time on my tank and I love it and it makes me really happy to see people with way more experience and expertise than me like it too :fish: The only other person who's ever seen my tank is my flatmate! Lol! 

About how I set it up. Well, I knew that I wanted a low tech tank given my limited budget. Also, where I am, the planted tank hobby isn't what one would call popular... Tank enthusiasts here usually use fake plants,ceramics, etc... but real plants often take a back seat. So the Planted Tank forum was where I got most of my information from. I really can't stress enough how amazing this forum has been for me, and all of your contributed expertise!!! There's a real wealth of knowledge here! :bounce:

Substrate: I wanted to go with a dark substrate and one that would settle well yet not pack too tightly and still enable plant root growth, so I went with Tahitian Moon Sand. 

Decorative objects: 1 driftwood & 1 river stone. The driftwood was not soaked/boiled, etc. before placement in the tank so the water does take on a very slight golden tinge but that's usually sorted through my weekly water changes; and the rock was from a nearby river which has a beautiful greenish tint to it - I suspect it is algae but because the tank is so heavily planted, I've never had an algal bloom.

Plants (the most important bit!!!): Ok. As stated earlier, I knew I wouldn't have enough financial resources to invest in a Co2 tank or a chilling mechanism for temperate plants so I decided to do my research and obtain tropical/semitropical plants (I live in the tropics). My plant list is as follows:

Banana Lily (Nymphoides aquatica), Dwarf Papyrus, Bolbitis heudelotii, Anubias nana, Egeria densa, Vallisneria, Java Moss, Salvina natans, Crinum calamistratum, Pistia stratiotes, Mayaca fluviatilis, Dwarf Hairgrass (Elocharis acicularis) & Pellia.

As you may have noticed, my last 2 plants (Elocharis & Pellia) are both non-tropical and would benefit from large amounts of Co2 which may explain why they are growing - but not thriving, in my tank. Especially the Dwarf Hairgrass. It's bright green and it isn't dying but it shows very, very, VERY slow signs of growth. So basically, most of my plants - both submerged and floating are either African, South American or Southeast Asian in origin. 

Fertilizer: Regular tank plant fertilizers are so unbelievably expensive where I am (they are all imported) that I had to look for a cheaper alternative. So I went with pond water lily tabs. Yup, that's right. Each tab contains 9% Nitrogen, 23% Phospate and 20% Potash. So I think it's pretty heavy stuff as far as Macros are concerned- and a board of 20 tabs only cost me USD 2. I took 2 tabs, cut them up into small pieces and pushed them into areas of the substrate close to where I knew I was going to plant my plants. I didn't want them to burn the roots of the plants so they were a few inches off from the exact position of the plant. For Micros, I had no choice but to buy a bottle of JBL Ferropol weekly liquid fertilizer which contained no Macros but complete Micros. 

Co2: Because my tank houses only 1 fish (Peter the Betta), I thought I may have to introduce some form of carbon into my tank and so I use liquid Co2. I bought a small bottle which cost me USD 7 and lasts about 4 months.

Lighting: I decided to go with LED lighting. I know that they are a new addition to the planted tank interest but I decided to give them a go. Anyway, I bought a 6" 8 Watt high output clamp light which produced light amounting to 6500k. It was by far the most expensive thing I bought for my tank. It cost me USD 37. It may not seem like much in USD but it is a little pricey in Ringgit Malaysia (approximately RM 120). My tank faces the Eastern window so it gets some shaded morning light but not much.

Filter: HOB filter which filters approximately 100 GPH.

Water changes: 25% once a week.

Water Conditioner: Tensiongon which removes chlorine & chloramine.

So that's about it. I have to add that it was a learning curve for me and I had no idea how to set up a planted tank. This is my first attempt, it's been two months and (fingers crossed) things seem to be going well. I haven't had an algal bloom, not even visible algae on my tank walls but I do have an active population of Daphnias (no idea how they got there). Also, the driftwood has some white fungus growing on it in small patches, but from what I've learned in the Planted Tank forums, that will sort itself out 

Thank you all and have a great day! 

G.


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## BoyNature (Aug 13, 2013)

Oh and about Peter... He's about 5 months old (at least that's what I was told by the breeder who sold him to me) and comes from a line of Bettas bred for show purposes. Still, he was cheaper than the lighting for the tank! LOL! Primarily I feed him 3 Betta pellets twice a day (morning and evening), and supplement his diet with frozen bloodworms twice a week, and mashed peas once a week. The only day I don't feed him is on Monday - just so his digestive system gets a chance to rest and cleanse itself, and come Tuesday morning, he's more than ready to have his peas! Lol!


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## TankYouVeryMuch (Jul 5, 2013)

Answered everything but where you boughtnhim... 

Where do people get these cool bettas? I only see sad looking ones locally



Edit
Got ninja'd


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## BoyNature (Aug 13, 2013)

Hi Tank! I bought him from a local dealer here in Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia  The shop's called HYS Betta Fish Shop, and they do have an FB page under the same name. I wouldn't know if he ships - or even if it IS possible to ship, a Betta that distance


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## BoyNature (Aug 13, 2013)

*Tank surface*

This is the surface of my tank. The Banana Lily had only 3 leaves when I bought it a month ago, and now has about 10 with a few more soon to open.. It's also sending up a few shoots to the surface however none of the leaves are submerged. The Water Lettuce as you can see is sending out baby stolons and they had none when I bought them 3 weeks ago. The Salvinia natans is also extremely prolific. I started out with an amount the size of my palm and in 3 weeks it's almost taken over the surface. Peter seems to like them and they are much easier to remove than duckweed! 

I wanted the floating plants because the root systems help absorb excess waste, leaving little for algae and it keeps the water clear


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## pinkman (May 16, 2013)

very nice looking, ur betta must be lovin it


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## BoyNature (Aug 13, 2013)

pinkman said:


> very nice looking, ur betta must be lovin it



He does! Never knew Bettas had such personalities.. I'm really glad I have him  That's a really nice colored Betta you've got there. Gorgeous!


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## etk300ex (May 1, 2013)

love the red on green!


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## annyann (Aug 31, 2013)

Just found this thread, you have a beautiful tank!! Would you consider the Banana lily and water lettuce to be low light plants? I mean Im planting to set up a low light tank do you think they would do well?


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## GMYukonon24s (May 3, 2009)

That's a gorgeus betta!


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## Luminescent (Sep 13, 2013)

That is Gorgeous! What a lucky betta. 



BoyNature said:


> Hi all
> 
> My first post here! But I've been lurking around the Planted Tank forums for close to 2 months now - and learned so much from all of you. So I'd like to thank you all before I start :icon_smil
> 
> ...


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