Best hardware for a 1 foot?

Hi guys

Setting up a 1ft tank for a betta (tank #3)

• What do I need?
• What works best?
• What's least "obstructive"/visible? i.e. filtration/heater?
• Other than plants, is bare bottom best?
• Canopy doesn't have a light - can I put one in? (Standard black plastic canopy)

Thanks!
CJ

 

Small sponge filter or a really small internal power filter.
25/50 watt heater.
A well planted tank, hence substrate, is good.
A suitable light is required.

 

Hi cj, so I've got a 1 foot, I'm using a 50w heater which perfectly, I assume a 25w would work well too, no substrate is best and if you do want plants you could add wood to the tank and have the plants that attach to it or the alternative is to have individual pots with the substrate in it which looks quite good, and yes you do get lights which fit in the canopy perfectly, I have 1 as well

Sent from my LG-D620 using Tapatalk

 

On a newly set up 1 ft (30 x 20 x 30) I am running the following:
25W heater
Cascade 100 HOB filter with a sponge over the intake.
Seachem Flourite Black substrate.
Pearlweed / HM (Hemianthus Micranthemoides) planted as a "high carpet" and planning to keep it at about 5-7cm high
Dwarf Hairgrass (Eleocharis Parvula) allowed to grow out, and planted in clumps.
6W Aqua-El Smart LED light. (Waiting for my Zetlight ZA1200 that can be connected to my Zetlight WiFi Controller.)

The tank is dosed with Seachem Excel and Scape Complete.

I plan on keeping either a couple of Galaxy Rasbora, Strawberry Rasbora or a single Betta male.

 

Thanks guys, appreciate it.

@Pezulu those plants sound like they need Co2? Or am I mistaken? Is it the LED's that are giving you enough light to grow them? I bought an LED strip from the LFS, just to try it out but it seems very blue - will this be adequate, or do I also need to take into account the colour scope with LED?

 

I am dosing with Seachem Excel, which is a carbon substitute.
From what I understand blue light is more for marine tanks, and it can promote algae growth in tropical freshwater tanks.
Apparently plants need red and white lights for growth.

The reason I want to get the Zetlight ZA1200 is that it is the correct spectrum for plants, and can be set to mimic the 5 light modes.
Dawn, Sunrise, Daytime, Sunset, Nighttime.
It will be controlled via the Zetlight A200 WiFi Controller that I have.

I have just done a trim and replant of the HM in the Nano tank.
This is only a week after I planted it.
Growth at this stage is semi-upright, with an indication that the plants are leaning sideways.
Not bad for a small 6W light that gives the correct spectrum.
With the 16W Zetlight I should either hear the plants growing, or burn them....

 

Haha @Pezulu, hopefully grow rather than burn. I need to check out Zetlight it seems - that after I told myself yesterday that I am going to stop buying stuff now.......

Does it ever end?

 

I am thoroughly impressed with Zetlights.
As soon as I am able I am going to be replacing all the lights on my tanks with Zetlights.
Price is just the prohibiting factor at this stage.
Even the small ZA1200 meant for nano tanks and 40L tanks is about R1200-00.

My 4ft will need 2 Lancia ZP4000-1200 lights, while my 2 x 3ft tanks can do with the ZP4000-895.
The 40L tanks can jointly share a ZP4000-895 or 2 x ZA1200 can do duty over each of them.

The good thing is that they will all work off the A200 WiFi Controller.
Just imagine - no more switching on and off of lights, no more worrying that the lights are on too long, and everything is automated.

 

Sounds good, but too rich for my blood unfortunately..... I am destined to buy R75 timers for the rest of my life hahahaha (or switch the lights on and off)