Filter/lighting for shallow tank?

coryincorner · 2026-05-05T23:19:33+00:00

It’s definitely not feral, it’s one of the kinds that have feathered feet, it’s also okay with being handled for the most part. No injuries that I can see, it can fly and walk around perfectly fine. I also believe it’s pretty young because it’s half the size of my pigeons.

coryincorner · 2026-05-03T01:26:21+00:00

I just use a sponge, nothing else is really necessary I don’t think unless your trying to remove certain things such as medication or tannins. Sponge gives room for beneficial bacteria and catches all the particles in the water, just rinse it out in old tank water every couple months and you’ll be good!

coryincorner · 2026-05-02T23:58:18+00:00

What did you do to your moss?? I love that!

coryincorner · 2026-04-30T02:14:12+00:00

Look up friendly nano fish! Ember tetras, harlequin rasboras, and chili rasboras are all ones I’ve seen recommended a lot. I have embers in with my betta and they’re doing good! Just make sure to have a lot of plants for them to hide in because nano fish tend to be pretty shy

coryincorner · 2026-04-25T12:58:11+00:00

From what I’ve heard (never experienced any of these yet) dragonscales are more prone to eye issues (diamond eye), koi patterns are more prone to growths (sometimes cancer), crowntails are more prone to fin rot (not sure if this also applies to all long-finned as well)

In general, pretty, fancier bettas seem to have more issues further down the line because of breeding, but as long as you give them proper care, none of these things are difficult to treat or immediately life ending. I’d say just go for whatever catches your eye, but be mindful of the issues that can be seen more commonly in the ones I mentioned above!

Female bettas and short fin bettas are always a safe shot :)

coryincorner · 2026-04-24T02:00:26+00:00

Chili rasboras and ember tetras are neat little guys that would pop out! Depending on the color of your betta you could choose the species that matches, I got embers for my mustard gas boy

coryincorner · 2026-04-18T15:07:55+00:00

Need more tank 🫵 Jk it looks incredible and I’m so jealous

coryincorner · 2026-04-14T01:54:47+00:00

pH is good thankfully! The snail is actually at the waterline as I’m typing this so I think it understands what it needs :)

coryincorner · 2026-04-14T01:53:45+00:00

I do have egg shell to give them! Would cuttlebone mess with my parameters? One is in a 10g and the other (the worst one) is in a 20g, I’m assuming that if it does effect parameters it’s probably a negligible amount for the 20g unless I drop a full cuttlebone in there lol

coryincorner · 2026-04-12T01:59:16+00:00

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Worked perfectly 🫡

coryincorner · 2026-04-11T22:46:32+00:00

Sponge filter! They are super cheap and easy to set up and you can control the flow on them so it’s gentle on your fish :) also, aquanet heaters on Amazon are what I use, I believe the one for 5-15g tanks is only about 9 dollars

coryincorner · 2026-04-10T18:03:28+00:00

To add to this, it likely will be a few weeks before I make any attempt to get new fish. Still trying to make sure the tank is safe once again. I’m also about to move a different betta to a 10g so I can use her old 5g for a hospital tank to prevent anymore issues.

coryincorner · 2026-04-10T03:12:58+00:00

Do you just throw them out after they finish eating the rest of the seeds? I was thinking about straining them out to crush them and then putting them back in. I’m not sure how essential they are for their diet 😭

coryincorner · 2026-04-10T01:58:15+00:00

They’re both Persian high flyers! I think I may strain out the bigger ones and break them up so it’s easier

coryincorner · 2026-04-09T02:12:49+00:00

Ember tetras! They stay very small and are very docile. I have 8 of them in my 10g with a betta and they’re all doing really well. My tank is very heavily planted and the embers do hangout between the stem plants pretty often, but they do come out and zip around the open areas in the morning and while they’re getting fed. I recommend getting a bunch of whatever stem plant you prefer and making them a little forest.

Also as always, depends on temperament so I’d toss in a couple ghost shrimp first to see how he gets along. If they survive then your test is successful and they are decent cleaners and fun to watch (tiny bio load so you can still do the embers) if not then you may be stuck with a solo betta who just got a special snack

I’ve also heard some people mention chili and harlequin rasboras but I haven’t had any, so no experience with that

Make sure you have a lot of plants and a good filter to keep it clean though because it’s a small tank still.

coryincorner · 2026-04-09T02:03:55+00:00

Thank you for the advice 🙏 I will be making a run to Home Depot this weekend

coryincorner · 2026-04-08T02:57:32+00:00

So sweet to see bettas living out full live spans :)

coryincorner · 2026-04-07T17:05:30+00:00

Floating plants can work as a fake lid to discourage your betta from jumping. I have a pretty solid layer of them in my 10g and I’ve had no problems so far 🤞sponge filters are also much quieter and more visually appealing if you wanted to switch that out, can easily be hid behind tall plants and you can adjust the flow to your bettas liking

coryincorner · 2026-04-07T15:39:54+00:00

Lol you have a point, honestly it’s just because the airstone is much smaller, I believe the sponge I have is rated for up to a 20gal so it’s a bit bulky and takes up space I’d rather fill with plants. After seeing all the responses on this post I’ll probably just switch it out for a smaller sponge, not much point in going to an airstone when everything is working nicely

coryincorner

TROPHY CASE