Cycling A Betta Tank?

[Just_Another_One]

is there a need to cycle a betta tank before you put one in?? havent really heard anyone say you should so im not quite sure, also is "GoldFish Bowl" conditioner okay to use for a "Betta Tank".

 

[The_Dude]

First of all:
All fish need to have a FULLY cycled tank before their arrival, basically, before you get your finned friend, cycle his tank!

Second of all:
I have no idea what Goldfish Bowl conditioner is because I've never put a goldfish or any fish in a bowl.

Third of all:
I would suggest, and if not promote Jungle Start Right, it's a nifty lil' invention that you can buy at walmart. But REMEMBER, this stuff DOES NOT cycle tanks on its own, you need to let it stew for about a month because that's how long this operation is gonna take. It's basically a conditioner for the bacteria that ACTUALLY condition your tank.These lil' buggers eat all the bad stuff like ammonia and NITRITES, which are deadly as I've been told by two people who just served my ass in front of you.
I fixed it. Now I'm blushing out of embarassment.
BTW didn't mean to sound mean. Just get into stuff way too much sometimes.

 

[K.J.]

NITRATES BAD, NITRITES GOOD.

Nitrites deadly, nitrates harmful in large quantities.

 

[dmarie04]

NITRATES BAD, NITRITES GOOD

I think you got your I and A mixed up...and even then Nitrates aren't good..they just aren't as bad as nitrites, which are deadly (as mentioned above me).

As for the OP, if you are not going to have a filter for your betta, then there's nothing to cycle. When you cycle, you are basically cycling the filter. A betta's tank does not need to be filtered. It depends on the size of the tank as for if it's even possible. Bettas actually prefer not to have a filter since they love still calm water. However if it's not possible for you to do as many water changes as necessary with an unfiltered tank, then it's good to get one..just make sure it has an adjustable flow (or you can modify it) so your little guy/gal doesn't get blown all over the tank!
Goldfish bowl conditioner should be fine. Dechlorinators are sold in many different bottles, but they all do the same thing....remove chlorine from tap water.

 

[The_Dude]

I fixed it. It's alright now. I got this MAN! Now, LET'S ROCK

 

[Just_Another_One]

NITRATES BAD, NITRITES GOOD

I think you got your I and A mixed up...and even then Nitrates aren't good..they just aren't as bad as nitrites, which are deadly (as mentioned above me).

As for the OP, if you are not going to have a filter for your betta, then there's nothing to cycle. When you cycle, you are basically cycling the filter. A betta's tank does not need to be filtered. It depends on the size of the tank as for if it's even possible. Bettas actually prefer not to have a filter since they love still calm water. However if it's not possible for you to do as many water changes as necessary with an unfiltered tank, then it's good to get one..just make sure it has an adjustable flow (or you can modify it) so your little guy/gal doesn't get blown all over the tank!
Goldfish bowl conditioner should be fine. Dechlorinators are sold in many different bottles, but they all do the same thing....remove chlorine from tap water.

so basically if my tank is not going to be filtured then theres no need to cycle it?would changng the water 2-4 times a week be fine to keep my lil guy happy and healthy? thanks for the help

 

[dmarie04]

NITRATES BAD, NITRITES GOOD

I think you got your I and A mixed up...and even then Nitrates aren't good..they just aren't as bad as nitrites, which are deadly (as mentioned above me).

As for the OP, if you are not going to have a filter for your betta, then there's nothing to cycle. When you cycle, you are basically cycling the filter. A betta's tank does not need to be filtered. It depends on the size of the tank as for if it's even possible. Bettas actually prefer not to have a filter since they love still calm water. However if it's not possible for you to do as many water changes as necessary with an unfiltered tank, then it's good to get one..just make sure it has an adjustable flow (or you can modify it) so your little guy/gal doesn't get blown all over the tank!
Goldfish bowl conditioner should be fine. Dechlorinators are sold in many different bottles, but they all do the same thing....remove chlorine from tap water.

so basically if my tank is not going to be filtured then theres no need to cycle it?would changng the water 2-4 times a week be fine to keep my lil guy happy and healthy? thanks for the help

It depends on the size of the tank. If it's only 1 gallon then doing 50% water change every other day would be good. If it's larger then you can go a bit longer in between water changes. My 2 gallon tanks get 80% water changes once a week. The tanks larger than 2 gallons are all filtered and they get 20% water changes once a week.

 

[Just_Another_One]

NITRATES BAD, NITRITES GOOD

I think you got your I and A mixed up...and even then Nitrates aren't good..they just aren't as bad as nitrites, which are deadly (as mentioned above me).

As for the OP, if you are not going to have a filter for your betta, then there's nothing to cycle. When you cycle, you are basically cycling the filter. A betta's tank does not need to be filtered. It depends on the size of the tank as for if it's even possible. Bettas actually prefer not to have a filter since they love still calm water. However if it's not possible for you to do as many water changes as necessary with an unfiltered tank, then it's good to get one..just make sure it has an adjustable flow (or you can modify it) so your little guy/gal doesn't get blown all over the tank!
Goldfish bowl conditioner should be fine. Dechlorinators are sold in many different bottles, but they all do the same thing....remove chlorine from tap water.

so basically if my tank is not going to be filtured then theres no need to cycle it?would changng the water 2-4 times a week be fine to keep my lil guy happy and healthy? thanks for the help

It depends on the size of the tank. If it's only 1 gallon then doing 50% water change every other day would be good. If it's larger then you can go a bit longer in between water changes. My 2 gallon tanks get 80% water changes once a week. The tanks larger than 2 gallons are all filtered and they get 20% water changes once a week.

its a 2.65gal tank, so i should do about 80 once a week,, is it normal for people to stick bettas in non-cycled tanks, i just dont want to set myself or mr betta up for disaster,also it would probably be best to take mr betta outta his house before a water change eh, one more thing...
that gold fish bowl conditioner i mentioned came in the "goldfish starter kit" i wasnt sure if it was something special for goldfishes only, its by nutrafin and it says it removes chlorine&chloramine, neautrilzes toxic ammonia and detoxifies heavy metals.

 

[dmarie04]

its a 2.65gal tank, so i should do about 80 once a week,, is it normal for people to stick bettas in non-cycled tanks, i just dont want to set myself or mr betta up for disaster,also it would probably be best to take mr betta outta his house before a water change eh, one more thing...
that gold fish bowl conditioner i mentioned came in the "goldfish starter kit" i wasnt sure if it was something special for goldfishes only, its by nutrafin and it says it removes chlorine&chloramine, neautrilzes toxic ammonia and detoxifies heavy metals.

The water conditioner will be fine. It is actually pretty common/normal for bettas to be in non-cycled tanks. Of course it's best for the fish to be in a tank that has a filter that has been cycled. But a lot of tanks that small don't come with filters (or they aren't suitable for bettas) and it's hard to find small filters with adjustable flows (but not impossible). Bettas don't generally produce lots of waste (unless overfed). As long as you keep up with the water maintenance and don't over feed then your little guy shouldn't suffer at all. I'd say that with a tank that size a large water change once a week, or a couple smaller water changes twice a week would be fine. If it will make you feel better buy yourself a liquid ammonia kit. You'll know that your water changes are sufficient if you don't see ammonia in the tank. If you see ammonia in the tank do more water changes

 

[Just_Another_One]

its a 2.65gal tank, so i should do about 80 once a week,, is it normal for people to stick bettas in non-cycled tanks, i just dont want to set myself or mr betta up for disaster,also it would probably be best to take mr betta outta his house before a water change eh, one more thing...
that gold fish bowl conditioner i mentioned came in the "goldfish starter kit" i wasnt sure if it was something special for goldfishes only, its by nutrafin and it says it removes chlorine&chloramine, neautrilzes toxic ammonia and detoxifies heavy metals.

The water conditioner will be fine. It is actually pretty common/normal for bettas to be in non-cycled tanks. Of course it's best for the fish to be in a tank that has a filter that has been cycled. But a lot of tanks that small don't come with filters (or they aren't suitable for bettas) and it's hard to find small filters with adjustable flows (but not impossible). Bettas don't generally produce lots of waste (unless overfed). As long as you keep up with the water maintenance and don't over feed then your little guy shouldn't suffer at all. I'd say that with a tank that size a large water change once a week, or a couple smaller water changes twice a week would be fine. If it will make you feel better buy yourself a liquid ammonia kit. You'll know that your water changes are sufficient if you don't see ammonia in the tank. If you see ammonia in the tank do more water changes

thanks for all the help/non judgemental advice you gave, its one of the first times someones actually been nice to me on this forum.
i didnt reallly want to wait a month to get my betta but if i had to i would. i was thinking when poeple put them in those stupid bowls im sure they dont think to cycle it first so it shouldnt be that big of a problem. i have a master test kit from cycling my 33gal tank so hopefuuly it wont be hard to keep the ammonia under control

 

[dmarie04]

thanks for all the help/non judgemental advice you gave, its one of the first times someones actually been nice to me on this forum.
i didnt reallly want to wait a month to get my betta but if i had to i would. i was thinking when poeple put them in those stupid bowls im sure they dont think to cycle it first so it shouldnt be that big of a problem. i have a master test kit from cycling my 33gal tank so hopefuuly it wont be hard to keep the ammonia under control

No problem. I love bettas and always put the best interest of the fish first, if I thought that it would do your fish harm to be in an uncycled unfiltered tank, I'd let you know! As long as the water quality is good, then there's no problem. I totally understand about not wanting to wait for your fish. It took over a month to get everything cycled and set up for my 65 gallon. And then I had a filter malfunction and went through a mini cycle anyhow!
Be sure to post lots of pics of your new baby when you get him.
Oh, and if you do decide to add a filter then I recommend these: http/www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod...mp;N=2004+22769
I found them at Petco pretty cheap. I have two of them (one in a 3 gallon and one in a five gallon) and they are great. They have adjustable flow control so good for bettas

 

[Just_Another_One]

thanks for all the help/non judgemental advice you gave, its one of the first times someones actually been nice to me on this forum.
i didnt reallly want to wait a month to get my betta but if i had to i would. i was thinking when poeple put them in those stupid bowls im sure they dont think to cycle it first so it shouldnt be that big of a problem. i have a master test kit from cycling my 33gal tank so hopefuuly it wont be hard to keep the ammonia under control

No problem. I love bettas and always put the best interest of the fish first, if I thought that it would do your fish harm to be in an uncycled unfiltered tank, I'd let you know! As long as the water quality is good, then there's no problem. I totally understand about not wanting to wait for your fish. It took over a month to get everything cycled and set up for my 65 gallon. And then I had a filter malfunction and went through a mini cycle anyhow!
Be sure to post lots of pics of your new baby when you get him.
Oh, and if you do decide to add a filter then I recommend these: http/www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod...mp;N=2004+22769
I found them at Petco pretty cheap. I have two of them (one in a 3 gallon and one in a five gallon) and they are great. They have adjustable flow control so good for bettas

just took a look at your site, nice and informative, yet it was a simple good read. im hoping to get out to one of the many pet shops around here on wedsnday to pick up my new buddy, ill make sure to post a few pics after hes settled... comming out of those tiny dirty cups can i expect him to need any medicine when he comes home that i should pick up before anything bad arises.

 

[dmarie04]

just took a look at your site, nice and informative, yet it was a simple good read. im hoping to get out to one of the many pet shops around here on wedsnday to pick up my new buddy, ill make sure to post a few pics after hes settled... comming out of those tiny dirty cups can i expect him to need any medicine when he comes home that i should pick up before anything bad arises.

Thanks for the compliments on my website. It is a labor of love, really. I'm always finding new things to update and change and fix and whatnot. Some good meds to have on hand, just in case, are bettafix, Maracyn 1 and Maracyn 2, and aquarium salt. Those 4 things can fix just about anything you might run into with a new betta.