Adopting A Betta

[goldfish98]

A friend is looking for someone to take her betta, and i'm the only one that could possibly take it. If I don't, it will be flushed. She is giving me a bowl with it as a temporary home in case the 10 gallon  is still toxic. The betta lived in that 1.5 gallon unheated and unfiltered bowl for a very long time, without water changes according to her. I want to give him a better life. 

 

[Gizaroo2]

What do you mean by the 10 gallon is still toxic?
 
If you feel you can give him a better home, by all means take him. If you can't put him in the 10 gallon right now, I'd advise getting at least a little bit larger of a tank to put him in. He definitely will need a heater, and a 1.5 can be hard to keep heated properly. Acclimate him very slowly when you get him, if he hasn't had any water changes in a long time. You don't want to shock him.

 

[goldfish98]

Well I had quite a few deaths in the past with that tank. I recently replaced all of the gravel in the tank and added some fake plants. My 10 gallon tank is heated, filtered, and aerated. 

 

[Ch4rlie]

Was the tank cycled?
 
If so, how did you cycle the tank, following this  fishless cycle article?
 
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/421488-cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first/ 

 

[goldfish98]

No, its not. I'm going to keep him in the bowl that hes been living in until the tank is ready, that or put him in and move him when/if he shows signs of distress. But the bowl must be even worse on him.

 

[bluesword23516]

Do you have another tank? If so definitely put old media in, I know it made my bettas tank go way faster. 

 

[goldfish98]

Ya, I have another betta in a 2.5 gallon. The betta bug got to me... help...

 

[Mamashack]

If you can get hold of Dr Tim's One and Only or Tetra Safe Start that would help speed up the cycle process even more. You'd still need to add ammonia to check to progress, but with either of those it shouldn't take long at all.

 

[DreamertK]

What about temporarily getting one of those plastic containers for holding things until your 10g is ready? It's a temporary solution, but as long as it's food-grade it shouldn't leak anything toxic into the water.

 

[goldfish98]

The person is giving me the bowl the betta has been living in.

 

[DreamertK]

I dont see why you're forced to use the bowl.

 

[goldfish98]

I'm not really being forced to, but the bowl is a decent size (a little less than 2 gallons), and when i get it I will do an emergency water change because the old owner never does them. 

 

[goldfish98]

I got him.

 

[goldfish98]

When I first got him, his fins were all clamped up. When I put him in my tank, his fins opened up quite a bit. He seems pretty happy.