Best Way To Clean Water? Betta Beginner.

[Volleyball_Rox]

Okay, Hullo!
I'm new here so if you have any tips, please reply.
I just got a blue male crowtail betta on Sunday Febuary 14th, 2010. I bought him at Petco. I bought a One Gallon glass fishbowl kit from walmart which included 1 pound colored gravel, One packet of AquaSafe Tretra Aqua water conditioner, one packet of TetraFin Golfish food, and a plastic plant. I also bought a can of Aqua Culture Betta Pellet food. I took him home and he seemed fine and happy, exept he didn't seem to be eating. I would put pellets in, 3 or 4, and he wouldnt come to the surface and eat, and I left them in there for a while, and i saw them float to the gravel.
I continued to feed him 2 pellets a day, but my tuesday, the water was starting to cloud. So then on Friday I went out and bought a hidey hole, a ceramic fish rock with holes in it so he can hide, Tetra Easy Balance water conditioner and Tetra TetraColor Tropical Fish Flakes.
So on Saturday, the next day, I got some of his cloudy water from his bowl, and put it in a smaller, quart sized bowl and netted him out into the smaller bowl. I added some food, thinking he might eat without distractions in the bowl.I also added freshwater fish aquarium salt for added electrolites. He was acting normal. Then I cleaned the gravel and poured out the old water, cleaned the plants and hidey hole. I added new water, tap, a lil bit of warm, a lot bit of normal. Then I added water conditioner, let it sit a minute, and netted the fishie back into the clean aquarium. He seemed kinda funny, swimming oddly and twichyly, then became lethargic at the bottom of the bowl. I figured he was adjusting. Then he began to come to the suface, and staying there. He wouldn't move if I tap the glass, or even touch the water. His gills were moving, but not his fins or anything. I freaked, I thought he was dying. I bought some stress coat and added it to the water. After a day, he was back to kinda normal. Still recovering from shock, so a little lethargic, but he is at least swimming around and moving his fins and whatnot.
But the water is starting to look cloudy. Again.
So, what should I do?
I set out a bowl of clean tap water, with conditioner in it. I was going to let it sit for a day, to adjust it to room tempurature, with I was figuring was why he went into shock. Tomro I planned to cup some water out and add the new water. Will this be okay? Will it uncloud?
Should I do this often, then once a month completely take him out to clean the gravel?
Does this sound okay? Do parcial water changes everyother day, then once a month completely remove him and clean gravel and accesories?
P.S He still doesn't seem to be eating. Maybe it's just me, and he is eating, but not when I'm watching. Should he be swimming to the top to gobble up the food?
THX!

 

[woodstock]

Well first off, he's a new fish. There's ALWAYS a need for acclimation, so never expect them to eat. And if you ever see food, take it out! EDIT: I meant they won't eat immediately...hopefully they do eat! Hahaha

And please. Please...please please! Google up (I don't have a link on hand haha...) "Aquarium Nitrogen Cycle." Please read at least 5 pages of that. It will ALWAYS save your betta. I can't stress this enough - so crucial (not to be scary!!)

For me, personally, 1 gallon is just not enough... and they're tropical fish as well. So first off: Give him more room! I have mine in 5 gallons! And not only are they more interactive, but you can decorate that 5gal so beautifully, it's great in the house. So consider getting him a larger tank, but PLEASE get him a heater! They thrive in 78-80 (give or take one. Many people argue on this so....)

Good with the hidey hole. They love caves!

Oh, and this will probably only make sense after you read up Nitrogen Cycle. (WE're all open for questions though!) But never, ever, ever completely clean out gravel. This is where beneficial bacteria can build up (its a good thing). Even moving more than 50% will cause your bowl to launch into a mini cycle - or rather, an entire NEW cycle. Nobody wants that.

And also - netting actually isn't the best way to get a fish out. I thought it was, but it's just not. Especially if he's new, you know? So just get a cup, with water, and scoop him out. He'll never get out of the water or anything, and plus, chasing him down with a net is terrible. (Chasing him down with a cup is kinda just as bad, so be gentle!) If you feel that the net is going for a waste, I still use mine to get just "stuff" out that I can't get my hand into.

Ah. i forgot. Since you're still cycling, do partial changes EVERY day. Especially in such a small bowl. This is why most prefer bigger bowls - less maintenance. But we underestand if people are on budget $$.

And bettas don't seem to like glass/bowl/tank-tapping all too much. I know when I tapped mine, he just ran into the other side of the glass. Never seen him more white! Not sure why, but I can tell it irritates and stresses them out. And no, it doesn't really get them more active :\

 

[kwarpinski3]

I'm a semi-new betta owner as well. I've had my wonderful fish since a little after Christmas. I first had him in a tiny tank, a bit less than a gallon. He was happy there for a while and I changed his water every week. In about a month, though, his fins closed up and he got a little lazy. Whatever I did he wouldn't flare.. so recently I got him a 2.5 gallon tank with a small heater, and he LOVES it. His fins are almost completely open now!

So about your problems, I'd say let him adjust and change the water twice a week, especially since the water is getting cloudy. If at all possible, try to get a bigger tank. Everyone here likes the 5gal option, but to be honest I have a 2.5 and my betta is very active, hungry, and happy. He's staring at me from his favorite heater spot right now.

Good luck!

 

[woodstock]

I'm a semi-new betta owner as well. I've had my wonderful fish since a little after Christmas. I first had him in a tiny tank, a bit less than a gallon. He was happy there for a while and I changed his water every week. In about a month, though, his fins closed up and he got a little lazy. Whatever I did he wouldn't flare.. so recently I got him a 2.5 gallon tank with a small heater, and he LOVES it. His fins are almost completely open now!

So about your problems, I'd say let him adjust and change the water twice a week, especially since the water is getting cloudy. If at all possible, try to get a bigger tank. Everyone here likes the 5gal option, but to be honest I have a 2.5 and my betta is very active, hungry, and happy. He's staring at me from his favorite heater spot right now.

Good luck!

Actually, since she's cycling, she needs to perform daily water changes to prevent any ammonia burns to her betta.
Oh, if it's possibly, it's easier to leave the betta in during changes. I mean, unless the water level gets that low or it's impossible, then yeah, take him out.

 

[GuppyGoddess]

Your betta is in a 1-gallon bowl/tank? With a small size like that, it's advisable not to put gravel in as it takes up precious water volume and the more water the tank has, the less the ammonia will build up in the water. Your fish should have 100% water changes every other day and only decorations that take up very little water space should be used. If you put too much stuff in, your fish will only be left with 1/3 the amount of water the tank is suppose to hold!

The water, if properly cleaned, shouldn't cloud up. One of mine is in a 2-gallon bowl and only has about 1/4" of gravel, a terracotta pot to hide in and his heater dangling in. I plan to get him a silk plant, however, nothing more so he has as much water as possible.

ETA - I re-read to see you're cycling. Personally, I think it'd be very tricky to cycle a tank that small. I've done my 3-gallon Eclipse and that was hard enough even with that much more room and barely any gravel. Maybe post about that in the beginners section.

 

[Assaye]

I just got a blue male crowtail betta on Sunday Febuary 14th, 2010. I bought him at Petco. I bought a One Gallon glass fishbowl kit from walmart which included 1 pound colored gravel, One packet of AquaSafe Tretra Aqua water conditioner, one packet of TetraFin Golfish food, and a plastic plant. I also bought a can of Aqua Culture Betta Pellet food.

I can't vouch for the quality of that betta food but it'd good that you got some dedicated betta food. However, he needs more than a 1 gallon bowl. I would never keep a betta in anything under 4 USG (and that's in an emergency) and 5-10 USG is much more appropriate. They are slow moving fish but they require stimulation, places to hide, space to flare and swim in the open, space for a heater and ideally a filter and enough water that they are not suseptible to sudden drops in ambient temperature or sudden changes of water quality. 1 gallons will not suffice for these purposes.

I took him home and he seemed fine and happy, exept he didn't seem to be eating. I would put pellets in, 3 or 4, and he wouldnt come to the surface and eat, and I left them in there for a while, and i saw them float to the gravel.

This is very common in fish that have had a major environment change. Don't worry too much. Persist with the pellets and when he gets hungry (amybe aftyer a few days) he WILL eat. You need to make sure that any uneaten pellets are taken out of the tank within an hour. Uneaten food just rots and makes the water bad.

I continued to feed him 2 pellets a day, but my tuesday, the water was starting to cloud. So then on Friday I went out and bought a hidey hole, a ceramic fish rock with holes in it so he can hide, Tetra Easy Balance water conditioner and Tetra TetraColor Tropical Fish Flakes.

Don't feed him the flakes - they are not designed for bettas and can give them digestion problems. You also need to make sure uneaten food is removed daily - that will be contributing to cloudy water. Cloudy water happens when bacteria living in the water (NOT our beneficial filter bacteria) start to eat excess organic matter. Cloudy water (AKA a bacterial bloom) causes elevated ammonia levels in a tank and ammonia kills fish.

So on Saturday, the next day, I got some of his cloudy water from his bowl, and put it in a smaller, quart sized bowl and netted him out into the smaller bowl. I added some food, thinking he might eat without distractions in the bowl.I also added freshwater fish aquarium salt for added electrolites. He was acting normal. Then I cleaned the gravel and poured out the old water, cleaned the plants and hidey hole. I added new water, tap, a lil bit of warm, a lot bit of normal. Then I added water conditioner, let it sit a minute, and netted the fishie back into the clean aquarium. He seemed kinda funny, swimming oddly and twichyly, then became lethargic at the bottom of the bowl. I figured he was adjusting. Then he began to come to the suface, and staying there. He wouldn't move if I tap the glass, or even touch the water. His gills were moving, but not his fins or anything. I freaked, I thought he was dying. I bought some stress coat and added it to the water. After a day, he was back to kinda normal. Still recovering from shock, so a little lethargic, but he is at least swimming around and moving his fins and whatnot.

You did 100% water change and didn't carefully adjust him to the new water - sounds like he got a bit of a shock! This is why filters and larger tanks are important - there is a MUCH greater consistency of water quality and the fish will hardly notice a water change. If you don't get a filter he'll need daily water changes of about 50% (which he will notice but it's better than having him living in ammonia!) and 100% water changes a few times a week (to prevent long-term ammonia build up). When you do 100% water changes carefully adjust him to the new water by mixing old and new water together bit by bit over about 30 minutes.

But the water is starting to look cloudy. Again.
So, what should I do?

You need to start testing your water. At the moment you are flying blind. You don't know how much ammonia is in the water and how long it takes to build up. You also need to know what temperature the water is - as your bowl is unheated it will be too cold but you do need to make sure it stays as warm as possible and it always stays the same temperature. Having the temperature fluctuating wildly won't be helping him. As I said before, cloudy water is caused by dirty water. You can't fix the cloudy water with partial water changes as the bacteria grow really fast but you need to do water changes anyway to remove the ammonia that is building up. Once things stabilise you will notice the water clearing.

I set out a bowl of clean tap water, with conditioner in it. I was going to let it sit for a day, to adjust it to room tempurature, with I was figuring was why he went into shock. Tomro I planned to cup some water out and add the new water. Will this be okay? Will it uncloud?
Should I do this often, then once a month completely take him out to clean the gravel?
Does this sound okay? Do parcial water changes everyother day, then once a month completely remove him and clean gravel and accesories?

You need to do a full water change much more frequently than once a month. Every time you do a partial water change you leave a trace of ammonia in the water . . . this will build up quite quickly. You'll need to do full water changes at least twice a week. You'll also need to clean the gravel every week. Get a gravel vacuum - this does a water change and gravel clean all in one!

TBH, you need a bigger tank. I don't care what people say. Someone will always pipe up and say "my betta prefers a 1 gallon bowl to a 5 gallon heated, filtered tank" but do we really know if they are happy? Really? If someone said "I don't keep my horse in a field or ever let it out of it's stable for exercise - it's happy just sleeping in it's stable all day . . . oh, and I only clean it out once a week" we'd all call animal abuse. We can never truly know if an animal is happy which is why we need to approximate their natural habitat as closely as possible. A planted, filtered and heated 5-10 gallon tank is much, much closer to nature than a sparsely decorated bowl with no heating and with ammonia building up.

 

[woodstock]

TBH, you need a bigger tank. I don't care what people say. Someone will always pipe up and say "my betta prefers a 1 gallon bowl to a 5 gallon heated, filtered tank" but do we really know if they are happy? Really? If someone said "I don't keep my horse in a field or ever let it out of it's stable for exercise - it's happy just sleeping in it's stable all day . . . oh, and I only clean it out once a week" we'd all call animal abuse. We can never truly know if an animal is happy which is why we need to approximate their natural habitat as closely as possible. A planted, filtered and heated 5-10 gallon tank is much, much closer to nature than a sparsely decorated bowl with no heating and with ammonia building up.

You don't know how much this just DISTURBS me. It's just... that's impossible to hate that much space. I bet, I just bet they didn't allow time for acclimation, or there is just too much open space, or whatever. Probably tried a couple hours or something. I know it sometimes takes up to TWO full weeks for perfect acclimation. Not common, but still possible. Makes me want to break my laptop in half... and I would NEVER do that to my laptop! -Sigh-

I'll stop there. I can rant on forever and ever

 

[Assaye]

TBH, you need a bigger tank. I don't care what people say. Someone will always pipe up and say "my betta prefers a 1 gallon bowl to a 5 gallon heated, filtered tank" but do we really know if they are happy? Really? If someone said "I don't keep my horse in a field or ever let it out of it's stable for exercise - it's happy just sleeping in it's stable all day . . . oh, and I only clean it out once a week" we'd all call animal abuse. We can never truly know if an animal is happy which is why we need to approximate their natural habitat as closely as possible. A planted, filtered and heated 5-10 gallon tank is much, much closer to nature than a sparsely decorated bowl with no heating and with ammonia building up.

You don't know how much this just DISTURBS me. It's just... that's impossible to hate that much space. I bet, I just bet they didn't allow time for acclimation, or there is just too much open space, or whatever. Probably tried a couple hours or something. I know it sometimes takes up to TWO full weeks for perfect acclimation. Not common, but still possible. Makes me want to break my laptop in half... and I would NEVER do that to my laptop! -Sigh-

I'll stop there. I can rant on forever and ever

Tell me about it. Once a betta is settled into a large tank and has enough plants and places to hide they are so beautiful and active! They just love to explore. Sure, it can take weeks to get them settled down after a huge change (like moving from a small bowl to a tank) but when they do settle it's wonderful to see how relaxed and active they are.

 

[woodstock]

Tell me about it. When I changed from 1/2 gallon (I know! Please...don't guilt trip...) to a 5gallon, they went in circles, up and down, and wouldln't come out of their plants for a week. But nothing relieves stress from an overworked high schooler like the serenity of a betta fish and its flowy, flowy fins. Times two (I have two bettas )

And plus, I love re-arranging their "furniture" about once a month. I get so excited lol.

 

[Honeythorn]

I just bet they didn't allow time for acclimation, or there is just too much open space, or whatever. Probably tried a couple hours or something.

Both correct. Most of the people I'v encountered who claim their betta hates a larger space and attempts to justify keeping it in something far too small because of that, either haven't allowed time to acclimate ( and yes this can take weeks) or don't have the tank heavily planted enough. It's most often a mix of both.

I've owned a couple of nervous bettas in the past and found one of the best ways to acclimate them to a bigger tank is to keep them in a guppy breeding net or betta show trap ( with all the dividers removed ) in that tank for at last one week. I also placed a clump of Java moss ( riccia would also work) in the trap for the fish to hide in/under.

This way the fish has the "security" of the smaller space it's previously been used to, yet can see and sense the larger tank it's in. Over the course of the week/s it can get used to seeing and being in this larger space wthout having to immediately try and patrol the area and establish a new and much larger territory than it's used to ( which is generally what happens if you float it in a bag for 30 mins and then just release as so many people do )

Ive found that nervous fish sulk far less and aclimate quicker after the net/trap "quarrantine"

I was lucky enough not to have to do this with Bronson as he's always been kept in a properly sized amount of water and has never been nervous (quite the opposite!! ) so upgrading him to his 12 gal was quick and easy with no sulking whatsoever.

Thick planting, wether real or silk is also a must IME. The bettas we buy may not be wild, but they have all the instincts of their wild counterparts who cme from waters filled with vegetation both live and dead, bits of twigs and dead leaves ect. They like to hide and also stake ou their territories and defend them amongs the stems and leaves and murky water.

So a mostly bare tank with bright clown sick gravel and a couple of plastic/silk plants and a spongebob squarepants ornament may suit the owners tastes, but it's the fish who should be thought of. You can't keep a betta in a tank like that and expect normal natural behaviour.

 

[woodstock]

And Honeythorn, in response to your comment, I've also heard people (in response to "they need more space!") say
"Duuuuude they aint directly from the wildddd it dont matter.... just stick em in there and they survive just fine" or the so terribly thought of "rice paddies are like, the size of a foot!" Yeah, when they dry up with dead bettas inside. I have cousins who have seen dead bettas in smaller puddles in the countryside. And bred bettas, like the ones we own, are probably more delicate as well. All the more reason to take care of them better.

Oh my gooooodness.

And yes, to the plants as well.

 

[nessar]

If you get a bigger tank you could get a filter this means less water changes and better water quality.
I dont know if you could put one in the tank you have, but im sure someone will tell you
The problem is, I've never done it but I'm sure it would be very very hard, if not impossible, to cycle a tank properly without a filter. Which means constant water changes. Problem is even in very small amounts ammonia damages the gills


You can buy a filter, or you can make one.
Sponge filters seem to be preferred by the bettas on this forum, because there isnt a big current (which can stress them out). Also some other types of filters are known to suck up, and then rip, the betta's fins.
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/85297-super-simple-5-minute-sponge-filter/
thats the link for a DIY sponge filter.
You need to buy an airpump to make it, but these are generally cheaper than filters and also airate the water.
I think at the bottom of page 4 or 5 there is a diagram saying how the sponge filter works - have a look because its a bit confusing at first.

Here is a lovely thread with lots of links to other threads which pretty much have everything you need to know!
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/277264-beginners-resource-center/

 

[woodstock]

nessar , she's working on getting this

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/322158-best-betta-care-book-websitemagazine/page__gopid__2674585&#entry2674585

Just fyi

But yes, agreed to your comment.
Oh, and I'll be using the link too, thank you very much

 

[Volleyball_Rox]

If you get a bigger tank you could get a filter this means less water changes and better water quality.
I dont know if you could put one in the tank you have, but im sure someone will tell you
The problem is, I've never done it but I'm sure it would be very very hard, if not impossible, to cycle a tank properly without a filter. Which means constant water changes. Problem is even in very small amounts ammonia damages the gills


You can buy a filter, or you can make one.
Sponge filters seem to be preferred by the bettas on this forum, because there isnt a big current (which can stress them out). Also some other types of filters are known to suck up, and then rip, the betta's fins.
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/85297-super-simple-5-minute-sponge-filter/
thats the link for a DIY sponge filter.
You need to buy an airpump to make it, but these are generally cheaper than filters and also airate the water.
I think at the bottom of page 4 or 5 there is a diagram saying how the sponge filter works - have a look because its a bit confusing at first.

Here is a lovely thread with lots of links to other threads which pretty much have everything you need to know!
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/277264-beginners-resource-center/

Ohh thanks! That's a cool link, and I will use it asap!

nessar , she's working on getting this

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/322158-best-betta-care-book-websitemagazine/page__gopid__2674585&#entry2674585

Just fyi

But yes, agreed to your comment.
Oh, and I'll be using the link too, thank you very much

Oh wonderful you r using it too lol. If you do/when, can you tell me how it works? I need to get an empty fish food container, first.

 

[woodstock]

Volleyball_rox, I'll be frank. I'm probably not going to start until the summer hahaha... I do seriously want to consider it though. But no time at all. UNLESS my filter breaks, then I'll start early. Don't get your hopes up, sorry...! Actually, I think my biggest issue is the empty food canister. Where can I get that? I'm no where close, and I do'nt want to overfeed. Do you think I could just go to a LFS?