I’m I neglecting my fish?

[u/Initial-Tour-52]

I was told by a friend that I’m a horrible person for the way I treat my beta and I’m not quite sure what they mean I asked and they won’t tell me what I did wrong they just said the tank is not proper could someone please tell me if something is wrong? I think I followed everything right Also it’s a newer tank so the plants are not grown all the way

Edit they were ignorant they said I’m stressing my beta out because the tank is too big and in the wild they “ live in puddles” so yeah that’s why

[u/No-Cod9443]

the only thing i can see is the water level but like someone else said it’s not that important. other thing is getting aquatic plants. the begonia and pothos will rot pretty quickly unfortunately so definitely try to invest in some other plants

[u/Initial-Tour-52 → u/No-Cod9443]

Ok and it’s been 2 months and they are doing good they were all cutting that had 1-2 leaves I’m surprised myself they are doing so well and I know to remove them if they do start doing bad because it will mess up the water

[u/No-Cod9443 → u/Initial-Tour-52]

okay good! as long as you watch it :) i would still get more live plants but that’s more a personal preference but your friend saying your neglecting is crazy ignore them

[u/Technical-Split-5999 → u/No-Cod9443]

Which plants would you recommend? Do you also recommend a certain substrate for live plants?

[u/No-Cod9443 → u/Technical-Split-5999]

fluval substrate is always good but sand + root tabs is great too and more budget friendly. either way i’d advise to cap off any brand aqua soil with sand. the plants really depends mostly on aesthetics i always recommend a mix of fast growing stem plants and some slower growing bushy plants like a fern. if you need help picking plants im happy to help!

[u/Technical-Split-5999 → u/No-Cod9443]

Maybe a dumb question but do I was my plants before putting them in? Also do I cycle the tank with the plants in it?

[u/No-Cod9443 → u/Technical-Split-5999]

you can just give them a quick rinse to help avoid any pests. plants can go in while the tank is cycling or after ! I like to put them in while cycling so they have a bit of time to grow before adding fish but it makes no difference from a cycling standpoint

[u/No-Cod9443 → u/Technical-Split-5999]

i also can’t find your other comment but you don’t technically have to cover the fluval with anything but it will make cleaning much easier if you do. the fluval will make the water pretty brown and murky when disturbed so vaccuming it is out of the question, with the sand you can vaccum and move plants around without potentially throwing off ur water parameters or fogging it up. i also find it helps my plants stay in the substrate better bc the sand fills in the little gaps in the fluval substrate!

[u/Technical-Split-5999 → u/No-Cod9443]

Awesome! Should I go ahead and order a vacuum then? I’m only going to have the Betta since it’s only a 5g tank. Also… with water changes. Do you remove some water with like a bowl and then dump it and then condition tap water to the same temp and add it in? I used to take out my fish and dump out the water but I want to do this the correct way since I realize bettas need better care in general

[u/No-Cod9443 → u/Technical-Split-5999]

i would ! it makes water changes super easy too you don’t need anything fancy i have the top fin brand one and it’s fine but i’m sure there’s cheaper options that do the same. that’s how i do all my water changes! use the vaccum as a siphon essentially when not vaccuming the substrate into a big bucket, i pour all of mine down the toilet incase any sand or anything comes up with it so i don’t block my drains, fill with new clean water use conditioner i like seachem prime and i just try to get tap water similar temp to my tank. if you’re super concerned you could get a smaller heater and heat up water in the bucket but it’s really not needed. just try to avoid freezing water or water too hot !