# Aquafarm Users



## onting

Hello all! I was introduced to the betta world due to the Aquafarm v2. I haven't been successful in finding any forums directly related to the Aquafarm, but here I am to start one.

Just wanted to get Aquafarm users' thoughts and experiences.

For me:
- I have a few pieces of tape on the grow bed cuz it sank in a bit and affects the flow of water to the tank. 
- Every week, I have to add a container amount of water (with D-Klor) of course to increase the water level back to the line.
-I have Spongebob's house but Tuna does not seem to like to swim through its holes.
-Also have the hammock which Tuna seems to ignore.
-After the rounds of wheatgrass and radish sprouts, I have 5 plots of green onion growing. Going to wait for the warmer and snow-less weather to grow other herbs/plants.

Please feel free to upload pics! Advice and stories appreciated!

Please, no hate on the Aquafarm compared to "real" aquariums.


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## lilnaugrim

Hey there! I don't have direct experience with the AquaFarm, but I do have indirect. It's a good little system, though there still leaves a lot of room for improvement since one Betta can't exactly produce enough food for the plants up top to feed. Also, it's not a "whole" fertilizer either, there are other components to fertilizer than just the poop/waste.

Do you have a heater in the tank as well? That's on the biggest things that tends to be overlooked ^_^

Is the tank in a well lit area/sunny or do you have a grow light over top? I only ask because if you have it in where the sun can reach it, you're going to end up with LOTS of algae in there, so I recommend some sort of light over top of the plants versus the side of the tank where it can hit the water if that makes sense to you?

Do you have other decor in there besides the hammock and the house? If not, I definitely recommend getting some of PetCo's silk plants, tall ones are great as Bettas use the tall leaves to rest in when they get tuckered out from swimming. It also helps them with their stress levels; the more plants you have, the more your fish will be out in the open and happy that it can dash away to hide if it spots a predator. Of course, the fish doesn't know there aren't any predators around ;-)


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## onting

Hey there! Thanks for your response! I'm not exactly sure how to attach a photo here though. I did get a heater, it is Aqueon's Mini Heater 10 watt. I've read so many reviews about it overheating and not working, but I must have gotten a lucky one. The tank is placed well enough by the sun to reach the top, and just a tad of sunshine on the tank. 1 month in and no algae problem and plants grow just fine. Like, the ledge of the windowsill is just about level with the grow bed. Hope that describes the right picture. 

Those are the only 2 decors I have. I really did not want to overcrowd the tank since it is small to begin with. I do notice Tuna sleeping near the heater/filter by all the wires and such. I always thought that was because it might have been warmer there. I will definitely check out the silk plants. I don't know what to do with Spongebob's house... Actually used to have 2 snails, which both happened to die, but one was all over it like no other. After writing to Back To The Roots, they recommended to get a Nerite snail, which I am looking into getting it at PetCo. Tuna seems to be okay with having other snails in there. 

Really appreciate your feedback!


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## lilnaugrim

Okay, yeah, I get the picture of it ^_^ That's good.

Yeah, he'll definitely appreciate the taller plants if you get them. You can always switch out the house for the plants. Betta's are made streamlined for a reason; they slip in and out of plants very easily in the wild and in captivity as well  As I noted before, the more plants they have, the more comfortable they are as well which is always great to have a comfortable Betta! 

Nerites are great but ideally you want 10 gallons for one and a fully established tank. Reason are, Nerites are not only sensitive to bad levels (ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate) which are easy to obtain in smaller tanks unfortunately, and second reason is that they are extremely efficient eaters and also very picky ones as well. Generally they only eat green and brown algae and hardly eat prepared foods like wafers, pellets, or veggies. They can starve themselves to death.

One thing you can do if you really want a Nerite is to culture green algae by placing river stones in a cup on the windowsill or under a bright light to grow green algae and then routinely switch them out each week in the tank. BTW, they can clean a 10 gallon full of algae in just a few days! 

Oh and for a good small heater, you can try this: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3743+11368&pcatid=11368 the 25 Watt is good for 1-8 gallons and it's adjustable which is very good. Especially if your boy randomly gets Ich, you can just bump the temp up to 86-88 degrees to get rid of it in a nice easy and less stressful way for your fish ^_^


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