okay but like… my single betta in a planted 13 gal basically never needs water changes. just gotta feed him every day, inspect him and make sure he’s kickin’ and healthy, and test every so often.

If they wanna drop $250 on the initial purchase for a 10+ gal and ONE betta plus plants, heater, substrate, filter, and a test kit, that’s pretty darn low maintenance, “no fish until cycling” be damned. Needs a couple water changes in the first month MAYBE, and after that you’d probably actually need fertiliser depending on how many plants you have.

My betta tank is seriously super low maintenance because it’s planted and big for one two-inch fish.

Really, the secret is plants. I cannot stress that enough. Plants, plants, plants. You occasionally have to trim them (more than occasionally if you like it to be aesthetically pleasing, but it’s a fun chance to interact with your tank; underwater gardening is fun!), but trimming is way less effort than water changes.