I'm confused, are you planning on building up a tank like that and try to keep a fish alive in it as well? Or do you just want a tank with live plants on their own? 2.5 gallons is way too small for that much decoration AND a betta, I really wouldn't recommend more than one or two live plants. Multiple silk plants is one thing, they of course don't grow. And I absolutely would not recommend fertilizer in a fish tank, that sounds like a sure way to kill your fish.
As for the teacup, I've been told anything used by humans to consume food and drinks would be safe to use in a fish tank, just make sure it's in perfect condition because you don't need paint flakes floating around the water or having the betta hurt itself on any edges.
My intention was to keep live plants in the tank with the fish. I've been researching to find plants that don't grow tall or take up much space. I was thinking just one shoot of a java fern anchored to the cup, and keeping it trimmed. I think then, a moss carpet would be overwhelming to the small environment? I suppose I've been disillusioned by all of the aquascaped nano-aquariums I've seen. Boo, lol.
I had planned on buying the cup and saucer brand-new and cleaning it well before establishing it in the tank. Thanks for sharing your opinion! I'll have to consider things much more carefully than I'd thought.
Keep in mind that although a lot of those photos and ideas look pretty, very few of them are actually any good, way too many of these companies think bettas only need a couple inches of water to live in and just treat them like living decorations. If you wanted to do this, I don't think you'd want a smaller tank than 10 gallons. You really can't cycle a small tank, you have to do full water changes every couple of weeks and I'm not sure if live plants would mean you'd have to do it even more often. I've yet to have live plants so I'm not speaking from experience, but it seems like live plants AND fish are a bit of a pain in the butt to handle, especially in a small tank.
Yeah, I do full tank changes every week with two 25% changes twice in that week. I don't have any filters installed, so this is my way of keeping the Betta waters clean. Live plants are "supposed" to act as natural filters, but I'd still have to clean the gravel. I know the tanks I have are way small for the fish, but one tank was not of my choosing, and the other I bought to use as a hospital tank when my lady Betta got sick. I'd love to upgrade both of them, but that's just not in my budget lately. I have a 10G that I would love to dust off and start using, but I need to wait for a good paycheck before I can begin: I'd need a new filter and hood and everything. Barring that, I want to upgrade completely to a 30G.
My only concern with live plants is proper trimming and picking something that fits the environment that is already established. Apparently the java fern is larger than I thought, so I have no idea what to even try, despite looking up dozens of plant species.
I had three 2.5 gallon tanks and did one full water change a week, you don't really need filters with small tanks and unless you're feeding them with flakes (which cloud up the water something fierce), you can cut back on the water changes if you wanted. Unless your fish don't mind, mine sure hated even partial water changes. That size is fine for a betta though, 1 gallon's small but female bettas can be super tiny so that might actually be alright too.
If it's possible, then I'm sure someone will have some suggestions for you, and if not then I'm sure someone will still be able to give suggestions for when you upgrade to a bigger tank.
It doesn't seem like my fish prefer flakes, so I've switched them to pellets. They leave nothing behind because I feed one/two at a time. My Plakat seemed to show signs of stress during the full changes, but I've tried another method that doesn't seem to bother him half as much. I use the little plastic cup they came in when I do partials - it seems less invasive for my purposes.
I like opinions simply because it's been so long since I've kept any fish and I'm essentially re-learning everything. And, everyone has their own preferred method of care. Something someone suggests might make more sense than something I'm doing, and I'm always glad to find new knowledge. Thanks again for your input on this. :)
As for the teacup, I've been told anything used by humans to consume food and drinks would be safe to use in a fish tank, just make sure it's in perfect condition because you don't need paint flakes floating around the water or having the betta hurt itself on any edges.
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I had planned on buying the cup and saucer brand-new and cleaning it well before establishing it in the tank. Thanks for sharing your opinion! I'll have to consider things much more carefully than I'd thought.
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My only concern with live plants is proper trimming and picking something that fits the environment that is already established. Apparently the java fern is larger than I thought, so I have no idea what to even try, despite looking up dozens of plant species.
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If it's possible, then I'm sure someone will have some suggestions for you, and if not then I'm sure someone will still be able to give suggestions for when you upgrade to a bigger tank.
Reply
I like opinions simply because it's been so long since I've kept any fish and I'm essentially re-learning everything. And, everyone has their own preferred method of care. Something someone suggests might make more sense than something I'm doing, and I'm always glad to find new knowledge. Thanks again for your input on this. :)
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