Quote:
Originally Posted by Jubs
There is the classic way of adding a few hardy fish and letting time do it thing and risk harming the fish. There is fishless cycling using ammonia to do it. There is a seeding a tank from an established tank ( you can ask a friend or a fish store for some filter squeezings if you don't have another tank yourself, which I am assuming you don't). There is "instant" cycling using Biospira but I don't think it is made anymore and the inventor has branched out and relabeled it under a different name but I can't recall what it is right now. I have done all of these methods with the exception of fishless as I have never had to go about it in this manner and personally have a hard time buying into it, I have seen too many have too many problems with this method for me to personally use it, but that is just my personal opinion for my tanks and I am not discouraging you from using this method. With all that said I will let you form the best option for you, if you research it and you will a ton of different opinions and options.
Your interest in fish are good ones for a beginner but there is a catch with the bettas and guppies. The two can cause some problems when put together. The reason is that the bettas natural instinct to fight over territory with other male bettas can be a problem do to the fancy guppy and it's flowing fins. The betta can sometimes can not determine the difference in the fins of another male betta and a fancy guppy male.
As for what I would personally do with your tank, I would personally get a school of 4-6 White cloud mountain minnows Tanicthys albonubes, a male betta, and 3-6 Albino Corydoras aeneus, some people call them albino corycats. While this once they are full grown is a bit more that the "rule" of 1 inch per gallon this is a pretty safe setup of a hardy fish and you will get activity at all levels of the tank.
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Just a few thing I wish to make comment on. First, the Bio-spira for the Freshwater tanks is being made under the new name of SAFESTART by Tetra. It is the same product but no longer requires refrigeration and special handling so many more people will be able to afford it, if they can find it. Second, there is another product out there if you can find a place that handles it called Turbostart 700 that is the same thing as a Bio-spira product but DOES require special handling (refrigeration) and is wonderful. It is used by big aquariums all over to do their cycle process and can be sold in a small bottle (as small as one ounce). The big cost is in the shipping.
Next, with reference to the bettas, no they do not make good community tank fish for a variety of reasons. (not all because of the betta) They tend to not understand how to be community fish. They have been raised in containers where they are the only inhabitant and do not know what is a good friend and what is not. They tend to either despise their tank mates to the point of being aggressive or ignoring them to the point of being in peril from them. Guppies, platies, danios, tetras, gouramis, any semi or fully aggressive fish and some of the more calm smaller fish will attack or harm bettas by at the least nibbling on those fine flowing fins. Then you have a betta with infected fins and will probably lose it. They cannot, as has been said, be put in with any other fish that has long or flowing fins as they do think it is another betta and will attack it as such. Gouramis and other labyrinth organ fish are just as bad. If the betta does not kill the gourami the gourami will kill the betta. It is just something to think about but if you truly want a good community tank then a betta would not be my recommendation.
I do want to commend you on the decision to ask the questions before adding the fish. Too many times people run out the same day they get the tank and buy twice the amount of fish they can safely put into the tank and then want help to know what to do. About the 1" per gallon rule: Please know that this is adult size and for some fish that are considerable waste producers is not really appropriate. Also a snail adds a big bio-load to a tank so consider it very heavy and if you decide to add a snail it will take up the room for at least 3 other fish of the 1"variety. Also be aware the fish you see in the store are generally juveniles so if you see one that you think you cannot live without it is always a good idea to look up its essential information and especially its adult size estimate before the purchase. It will save you a bunch of heartache later.
I do have a recommendation on the heater. I have had wonderful luck with the Visitherm Stealth heaters and they come with a Lifetime warranty. (be sure to keep the box and receipt) I get a spare just in case and then if anything happens I just use the spare while I have the option of getting the old one replaced. (this is the plan but has so far never had to be done) It costs less to run a good heater at the proper wattage than to buy a smaller or cheaper one and have to do frequent replacements. The two things I never skimp on in my tanks are filter and heater but of the two the heater is by far the most important.
Thanks for listening.