Hi folks, soon to be a betta owner with a few questions

[IcecreamLtDan]

So, I've decided to take the leap and get a betta. I've been considering a fish tank for awhile but, due mainly to space limitations, have held off. My wife and I decided we'd like to get a betta. I've done a lot of research here, and in other places and still have a few questions.

We went out and bought the 5 gallon Wal-mart Minibow setup and I plan on putting it together after we get back from vacation in a week or two. Now, I've read up on cycling the tank and the like, but I read in certain places that it's not necessary to do if you use live plants. Is this actually true? I had always intended to get a live plant or two, but if it will help speed up the cycle or even eliminate it then I shall definitely go that route. I also wonder what would be a good plant or plants to go with. I've read that bettas like to rest on the leaves of plants and have no idea which would be best. If I still need to do the fishless cycle routine will it hurt the plants or should I just wait to put them in after the tank cycles?

I plan on getting some corys, probably two, to be bottom feeders as I've read they are compatible with Bettas, for the most part. Now, I know that Bettas have different personalities, just like people, and some bettas will be more tolerant than others. Knowing that, would it be a good idea to put the betta and the corys in at the same time, or would it be better to do them separately, and if so, who first?

One last thing, gravel or sand? I've read that gravel could damage the Bettas fins if he or she tries to forage around in it, and then I've read that they'll be just fine, especially since there will be corys around to help keep the bottom clean, along with proper water replacement.

Thanks in advance for your help, this has been a very informative site so far and I hope to be able to interact with everyone here going forward. I'm an amateur photographer so you can be sure of many pictures once I get the tank up and going. Thanks again.

[zackish]

In just a beta tank you could get away with just strictly water changes and no cycling. However if you plan to have corys I suggest on cycling your tank.
You should get 3-4 aeneus, albino or sterbai corys if you want any at all. These are smaller and would fit your tank better. They betta shouldn't bother them at all as they moreso like to hang around the top.

Edit: about the live plants, you still need to cycle if you have them it may just take a shorter time. Also, if your tank takes say 2 weeks to cycle you could see some of the plants dieing because of no nitrates let alone anything else. Unless of course you get some real easy plants like anubias, amazon sword, or a java fern.

[MeganL3985]

Good choice! I love betta's and i'm sure the cory's will work fine with it. I have gravel in my tank, b/c the mini bow I recieved (2.5gal) came with an undergravel filter by mistake, but I had originially planned it to be sand substrate. Either way I think it is all preference. Personally i've heard a lot of great things about sand, especially being that it keeps the wastes and debris on top and not inside like the gravel does.

As for cycling, I can't be of much help with that, since I know nothing about live plants and the cycling process together. But someone will be around shortly to give you information on that! :)

Goodluck!! Please share pics of the set up if you can! I would love to see it when its done! :)

[SkarloeysMom]

We went out and bought the 5 gallon Wal-mart Minibow setup and I plan on putting it together after we get back from vacation in a week or two.
Great pick! I have 5g and a 2.5g Minibows with a betta each. Both are cycled and I would definitely recommend doing the fishless cycle. If the Betta is in there when its cycling he could come down with any variety of illnesses due to the stress of cycling. (I almost killed Skarloey that way)

I've read that bettas like to rest on the leaves of plants and have no idea which would be best. If I still need to do the fishless cycle routine will it hurt the plants or should I just wait to put them in after the tank cycles?
In a 5g tank with the amount of light that the bulb puts out you might have trouble keeping live plants alive. My bettas both rest on fake plants just fine and have never had problems with ripped fins.

I plan on getting some corys, probably two, to be bottom feeders as I've read they are compatible with Bettas, for the most part.
Oto cats are also a good choice with Bettas. I've heard lots of folks have had corys and betta without a problem. I'd suggest 3 or 4 of the smallest species you can find. They really need friends to be happy.

One last thing, gravel or sand?
That's up to you...I have gravel in both my betta tanks. I've never had any problem with it ripping their fins. If you get corys, they will like the sand better. If you get gravel and corys just make sure that its smooth gravel, not the rough stuff.

Good luck with your set up! Take your time and cycle. It will save you the heartache of a sick fish. Can't wait to see the pictures!

[gm72]

You should get 3-4 aeneus, albino or sterbai corys if you want any at all. These are smaller and would fit your tank better. They betta shouldn't bother them at all as they moreso like to hang around the top.

Sterbai corys are a bad idea, they can get up to about 3", too large for a simple 5 gallon setup.

Although you can get away without truly cycling the tank, it is generally not a good idea. Please refer to the sticky post on fishless cycling and follow the instructions therein. Your fish will be happier and healthier.

[squirt_12]

Does the setup that you bought have a heater????? Because the corys will need to be in water around 80 degrees and the betta would love it in the temperature aswell.
Also the betta may be fine without a cycle but would the corys get stressed without a cycle????
I would wait about a week or 2 after the betta has been in there so that he can claim is oarts of the tank and then i would add the corys. This was the tank will be cycled better and the corys will have something to do when they get into the tank.

[gm72]

Bottom dwellers like corys are traditionally extra susceptible to ammonia peaks, so a lack of a cycle would indeed be bad for the corys. Great point about the heater, too. They all will do well with warmer temperatures than just room air. Corys won't tolerate non-tropical temperatures without some sort of detriment.

[MeganL3985]

The minibow's don't come with heaters.

But might I recommend the Hydor mini-heater. I have it in my 2.5 gal and it works awesome!! I imagine it would work even better with a 5 gal!! :)

http://www.hydor.it/inglese/mini.htm

[radiant sea snail]

Megan, where did you buy your heater?

[MeganL3985]

Ebay for $12 I believe. (That included the shipping price)

[IcecreamLtDan]

Thanks for all the replies so far folks, it's been really helpful. I had always intended to do a fishless cycle with the tank after reading about it here, so no worries on that, I had just read that using live plants eliminated the need for cycling. This tank is one of the ones that has the HOB filter.

As far as a heater goes I bought one of the Whisper 50 watt jobs, along with a net, master test kit, and other odds and end the day I bought the tank. We made a trip to Wal-Mart to get some of the stuff and then went to PetSmart and PetCo for other stuff. Of course, while at PetCo my wife saw a female betta she fell in love with but she understands we must wait. We have visited the LFS here and the have a small selection of male bettas, but no females. We haven't decided on a sex yet, it'll be more likely that when we go to purchase the fish we'll look at several in several places and decide then.

I have some gravel I got from Wal-Mart and was thinking I'd mix that in with some sand to use as a substrate, it's the naturally colored stuff. So it seems that the general feeling is that after the tank is cycled start with the Betta and then add the corys later so I'll go with that and some plastic plants. I imagine they would need to be the silk type so I'll need to look around some more for those. Megan, I saw your coconut cave thing and that looks pretty cool, I may do that myself.

Oh, one other thing, the HOB filter has a charcoal cartridge in it which I hear varying opinions about. Some people say they are fine, others recommend you use something else. What would be the best thing to use if the charcoal filter is indeed not the most beneficial thing to use? I know that by using the HOB filter I need to put it at it's lowest setting and I plan on using some plants to cut back on any current it creates as I know bettas prefer water that is still.

As far as the corys go, I guess I need to check around as to what is available around here. I've seen albino ones in PetCo, what other species would remain small and be effective in this tank? I want to make them as comfortable as I make the betta and I know even less about them than bettas. I've picked up a few books about bettas and they seem to spend most of their time speaking on different types and colors, and how to breed them, as opposed to actual proper tank setups and do's an don'ts, but they have been helpful.

Once again, thanks for all your help so far. My wife and I are leaving for vacation tomorrow and we'll be gone all next week. My plan is to start setting up the tank the week after next. I'm looking to get a decent stand for the tank now as that is all I am missing for the most part.

[MeganL3985]

Coconut cave is my fav! My betta is constantly in that thing! I will go up in my room for something or when I go to bed and i'll look in on him and he always comes shooting out of the coconut cave! hahah :) I'm really glad I did it.....and it was very easy also.

[RobbieG]

If you can remove the charcoal from the filter just go ahead and remove it and use the insert without it. If you can't you could probably go just a size or two up and have the option of puting the charcoal into the insert if you want to or just using it plain.

[IcecreamLtDan]

Oh Megan, I forgot to mention, I notice you're in Fayetteville, I was raised there, went to Cape Fear HS. My mother and most of my family live there.

Oh, my wife just reminded me, she wanted me to ask about those vacation feeders. Are they worth anything, or are they just junk? Are there any types, brands that are recommended, or need to be avoided? We won't be going much of anywhere else after this vacation, but she wanted me to ask so we can keep it in mind for the future.

[MeganL3985]

I used the tetra weekend feeder while I was gone in PA for a week, it worked fine. You can get them from walmart pretty cheap :)

http://www.petco.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=1031520&cm_ven=smarter&cm_cat=79&cm_pla=1031520&cm_ite=1031520

Btw, that awesome that you were raised here! :) I'm originally from PA, i've lived here for a little over 4 years. Its not bad here, but I do miss PA a lot. Mooresville isn't that far from here...I think about 2 1/2 hrs maybe? Thats over near Salisbury right? I drove over that way a few times.

[IcecreamLtDan]

Mooresville is just north of Charlotte and Salisbury is probably an hour or so north east of us. I lived in Goldsboro for 10 years or so while in the Air Force, then lived in the Raleigh/Durham area for 5 years or so and have been here in the Charlotte area since 2000. I don't get back to Fayetteville much these days, need to do so and see my family. Mooresville is called RaceCityUSA, a vast majority of NASCAR teams are based in and around here.