To many decorations or enough

[Helpwithmy_snailpls]

Hi do I got those two decorations one is  driftwood and a other is a castle the both big and I am worrying 1.the betta gets stuck in the castle and siblings said no bc he is tin 2.I feel like if I put them both in they will make the tank over fill and if I take water out and the decorations take to make space it would make it like a small tank my sister said to angle it to the side stand up and the castle in the back I thought was a good idea but I am unsure and sacred he will get stuck and the tank would be uncomfortable I could try and see if it is to much I could take it out  also I am boiling and leaveing the driftwood in water for four days and putting it in the tank I just want some of your opinion to see if it’s really safe or not

[Helpwithmy_snailpls]

And I got 3 plants to help remove brown algae

 

[Galabar]

Can you share some pictures?

[Tanked]

We can't see what you see, so some pictures will definitely be helpful. 

Generally speaking, if a fish can swim into your castle, as long as there is room to turn around, they can swim out again.  You might want to feel around for rough edges on the inside of the openings. 

I have fish fences in some of my tanks.  The small fish know how to swim in and out, and some of the larger fish have been seen squeezing through the gap between the wall and the fence.. 

[Helpwithmy_snailpls]

I don’t have storage I tried to put a link

 

[Helpwithmy_snailpls]

Any suggestions?

[Helpwithmy_snailpls]

Anyone please help

[Tanked]

My personal opinion is that you should choose one decoration.

In terms of size, Have you ever seen a log as big as a castle? The log and the castle do not go together, and would clash.  

Placing the castle at an angle on one side with short plants in front could hide some of the equipment, and give the allusion of distance.  I don't think you have to worry about the betta getting trapped.  

If you soaked and boiled the log, it should be safe.  The log and plants by themselves would give a natural feel and look to your aquarium, and could be arranged in many ways.  Ultimately whatever is pleasing to your eye is all that matters.

 

[Helpwithmy_snailpls]

That’s what I wanted to put it like and I wanna try and see if it works and I don’t wanna hurt the betta while I do it so I was thinking I tried and take him out then while I am done I put him back in

[nabokovfan87]

@Streetwise or @Guppysnail maybe this should be in general and help get eyes on it?

 

On 5/21/2023 at 11:06 AM, Helpwithmy_snailpls said:

That’s what I wanted to put it like and I wanna try and see if it works and I don’t wanna hurt the betta while I do it so I was thinking I tried and take him out then while I am done I put him back in

Whenever I work on a betta tank I usually put them into a container to the side to relax.  It's very easy and lowers the stress for them.  Having a dedicated plastic container for the fish, a jar, or something that you can use will be helpful I think.  You might need a lid, but possibly ok without one!

I did something similar in my tank with the artificial decorations.  I had one on the left side of the tank and one on the right side of the tank.  The one on the left was a wood shaped piece that was taller and the one on the right was a series of rock caves that was very tall.  Eventually I removed both of those and replaced it with a ship that fit the tank better, but also gave room around the tank for fish to swim a bit easier.

I would go with whatever fills the tank nicely in your opinion.

I like both options.  For the castle you'd want to be careful of the artificial plants on the side.  They can sometimes be sharp and tear fins.  With this piece in the tank, is their room in the front and the back of the tank?

[nabokovfan87]

On 5/18/2023 at 5:21 PM, Helpwithmy_snailpls said:

I am boiling and leaveing the driftwood in water for four days and putting it in the tank I just want some of your opinion to see if it’s really safe or not

Which piece of wood?

[Helpwithmy_snailpls]

There is a little room in the back and the fake plants feel soft heres a picture of the driftwood  but this weekend I am going on a trip for 4-5 days and I wanna do it when I get back so I can monitor what’s going on then when I get back I put everything in he should be fine if I feed him 10 pallets before I leave right?

[RennjiDK]

Ok, so this is where the coop shines IMO, and I'm surprised no one has chimed in yet. A lot of people would rag on you for the rainbow gravel and decorations, but I see an appropriately sized tank, a heater, and filtration. This is better than what most bettas get from people just starting outside of the aquarium hobby, and you've nailed the big three. So kudos to you. As for the decor, go wild. Your betta isn't going to get trapped. Just make sure there are no sharp edges that it can tear it's fins on. If you're leaving on a short trip, just feed the normal 4-6 pellets. Adding more will not help. 4-5 days isn't life or death, though your betta would really appreciate a cheap auto feeder like the ones on Amazon for $10. Either way, it's up to you. Just a heads up, the anubias (far left) and Java fern (center) aren't supposed to be planted in the substrate. They grow "on" things. Just wedge or glue them onto one of your decorations.

[BeeGryphon]

Just feed him the normal amount just before you leave. He will be fine not eating for a few days, and there are likely little critters in the tank he can hunt. Feeding more all at once can lead to an ammonia spike or digestive issues when you're gone.

I like your decorations! The good news is once you put them in, if you feel it's too much you can always remove something or just move stuff around, it's not set in stone. I really like the black substrate with bright rainbow rocks, it looks so cool! You should be able to keep the anubias and java fern in the substrate if you want, but they are probably in too deep. The rhizome (kind of like a thick horizontal stem that separates the plant from the roots) should not be buried, or it can rot and your plants will die. Make sure it is resting above the substrate. Or you can pull them up and stick them to your decorations!

[Helpwithmy_snailpls]

Ohhhhh that’s why it was drying so I can just leave it on top of the gravel or I can put it on of the driftwood and I am leaving today so I am going to clean his tank and feed me

I should be back in 3 days thank you so much for your guys help!

[Helpwithmy_snailpls]

Like this

[Lennie]

Pellet sizes change a lot. 

If I feed my bettas 4-5 pellets of NLS (I don't use betta one) or Dainichi per day, gradually they would lose weight because the pellet sizes I have are 0.5mm.

Meanwhile omega1 betta pellets are really inconsistent when it comes to their size. My bettas never eat the bigger sized ones. There are so many different ones that are likely falling between the sizes of  0.5-1.5mm in the pack.

Ocean nutrition pellets seem pretty big too. Meanwhile, Hikari ones are quite small.

I would suggest trying to create a feeding routine based on your pellet size (ideally more than one food=), and observe it's weight gain/loss based on the feeding schedule and the food you are providing.

And as other friends said, overfeeding will be no help but actually bad for your betta as bettas are prone to bloating. Not feeding for a couple days is usually fine for a healthy fish. Healthy fish can do okay.

I have 6 bettas and literally all of them likes the 0.5mm size and refuse anything bigger. Live bbs is being there fav snack once every two days.

I have a question tho. Why is your water level so down in the tank? Even heater seems exposed to air, which may result in it exploding/breaking down. Very risky

Edited May 25, 2023 by Lennie

[Lennie]

I personally am not sure about the decoration btw. I find longfin bettas very open to injury and even tear their tails and fins by a simple driftwood. I would only use even driftwood in my plakats tanks, which I actually do.

My halfmoon male lives in planted tank with a few rocks that arent sharp and that's basically it. They really want that open space with a support of big leaf plants whenever they wanna take a nap around and that's kinda it

[Helpwithmy_snailpls]

I set it the tank up how it said to and the water level is perfect  and I use omage one pallets to feed him

Ohh oki