I have never had a fish before and just purchased a betta from Petco two days ago. The person helping us at Petco assured us bettas are low maintanence and all we need is distilled water and a tank of any size. We used distilled water and a 2.2 gallon tank. Upon further research apparently it's a common myth that bettas need such little care. We can get him a larger tank and hopefully transfer him pretty easily without too much stress ... but what I am more concerned about as I have researched is the nitrogen cycle and cycling the tank. I have never heard before that a tank needed to be tested and cycled in this way for 6-8 weeks before fish can even be put into the tank?? Is it true my betta will likely die in that timeframe in his new tank? I have heard it is dangerous to cycle a tank with fish in it so we would have to cycle the new tank for 6-8 weeks before we could put him in. I really don't want him to die!! Please help!! Thank you
First time Betta Owner, nitrogen cycling??
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Hi and welcome to the forum 
An established (cycled) biological filter will help keep the water cleaner and safer for any fish living in it.
You can cycle a tank with fish in it and that is called a fish in cycle. Or you can cycle a tank without fish and that is a fishless cycle. It is preferable to do a fishless cycle, however you can do a fish in cycle and have a healthy fish.
------------
To do a fish in cycle, feed the fish a couple of times a week and do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate 4-8 hours after feeding. Monitor the ammonia and nitrite levels and do a 75% water change if there is any reading above 0, and do a 75% water change if there is a nitrate reading above 20ppm.
Add some floating plants to the tank and they will help keep the ammonia levels low. The best float plant for Bettas is Water Sprite (Ceratopteria thalictroides/ cornuta). It grows rapidly on the surface but can also be planted in the gravel.
When the filter has cycled you can feed the fish more often (once or twice a day) and do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate once a week.
--------------------------------------------------
The Filtration Cycle is described below.
Anything that breaks down in the water, be it fish food, fish waste, dead plant, dead fish, etc, produce ammonia. In a healthy tank with an established filter, the ammonia is eaten by beneficial bacteria and converted into nitrite. You get more good bacteria that eat nitrite and convert it into nitrate. You get rid of nitrates by doing water changes.
In a new tank the bacteria is not normally present and you get a build up of ammonia that harms and can kill the fish. A few weeks after the tank has been set up, you get the first colonies of good bacteria that eat the ammonia. A couple of weeks after that you start to get the other good bacteria that eat the nitrite. It normally takes about 4-6 weeks for an aquarium to develop the colonies of good bacteria that keep the ammonia and nitrite levels at 0.
When the ammonia and nitrite levels have gone up and come back down to 0, and the nitrate levels start to go up, the tank will be considered cycled (developed the necessary good filter bacteria) and you can feed the fish once or twice a day and do a 75% water change once a week. Until then you keep feeding down and water changes up. By reducing the food going into the tank, you help to keep the ammonia levels lower. By doing big water changes, you help to dilute any ammonia in the water.
In a newly set up aquarium without an established/ cycled filter, you should only feed the fish to 2-3 times per week. Don't worry, the fish won't starve. You should also do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate 4-8 hours after feeding. And you should monitor the ammonia and nitrite levels and do a 75% water change any day you have an ammonia or nitrite reading above 0, or a nitrate reading above 20ppm.
*NB* Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it is added to the tank.
The big water changes will not harm the filter bacteria or fish as long as any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it is added to the tank.
-------------------------
During the first month of a tank's cycle, you monitor the ammonia and nitrite levels. You normally get ammonia readings for the first few weeks. The ammonia goes up and as the beneficial filter bacteria build up in numbers they gradually convert the ammonia into nitrite. After a few weeks the ammonia level will suddenly drop to 0 and the nitrite will start to go up. A couple of weeks later the nitrite levels drop to 0 and the nitrates start to go up. You get rid of nitrates by doing water changes.
During the cycling period you do not test for nitrates until the ammonia and nitrite have gone up and come back down to 0. Nitrate test kits will read nitrite as nitrate and give you a false reading. So you monitor ammonia during the first few weeks and then start monitoring nitrite as well. Once they have both gone up and come down to 0, you start monitoring nitrate.
-------------------------
Do not clean the new filter for the first 6-8 weeks. This allows the filter bacteria a chance to settle in properly and stick to the filter media. Two weeks after the filters have finished cycling, you can start to clean the filter.
Established filters should be cleaned at least once a month and every 2 weeks is better.
To clean a power filter or internal sponge/ box filter. You get a bucket of water from the aquarium and squeeze the filter materials out in the bucket of tank water. When they are clean you put them in the aquarium. Wash/ rinse the filter case and impellor assembly (for a power filter) under tap water. Remove any excess tap water by tipping the filter case upside down, then put the filter materials back into the filter and set it back up and get it going.
If you have an undergravel filter, that will be cleaned when you do water changes and gravel clean the substrate. You can buy a basic model gravel cleaner from any pet shop and they are worth getting. You only need a basic model gravel cleaner like the one in the following link. Do not buy the expensive fancy types because they are no better than a base model gravel cleaner.
https://www.about-goldfish.com/aquarium-cleaning.html
-------------------------
If you get a filter that containers pads/ cartridges that need replacing on a regular basis, do not replace them. Go to the pet shop and buy some sponge for a different brand of filter (I use AquaClear sponges but there are other brands), and use a pair of scissors to cut the sponge to fit in your filter. Keep the sponge and filter pads together for 2 months, then remove the pads and throw them away. Replace the pads with more sponge.
Sponges get squeezed out in a bucket of tank water and will last 10+ years.
You can also get round/ cylindrical sponges for some brands of internal power filter. These round sponges have a hole through the centre and they fit over the intake strainer of most external power filters. They add extra filtration and prevent small fish and bits of plant form being sucked into the filter.
-------------------------
The larger the volume of water (the bigger the tank), the more the ammonia is diluted and the safer it is for the fish. So if you can get a bigger tank (say 10 gallons/ 40 litres), then get that and move the fish into it and cycle him in the bigger tank.
An established (cycled) biological filter will help keep the water cleaner and safer for any fish living in it.
You can cycle a tank with fish in it and that is called a fish in cycle. Or you can cycle a tank without fish and that is a fishless cycle. It is preferable to do a fishless cycle, however you can do a fish in cycle and have a healthy fish.
------------
To do a fish in cycle, feed the fish a couple of times a week and do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate 4-8 hours after feeding. Monitor the ammonia and nitrite levels and do a 75% water change if there is any reading above 0, and do a 75% water change if there is a nitrate reading above 20ppm.
Add some floating plants to the tank and they will help keep the ammonia levels low. The best float plant for Bettas is Water Sprite (Ceratopteria thalictroides/ cornuta). It grows rapidly on the surface but can also be planted in the gravel.
When the filter has cycled you can feed the fish more often (once or twice a day) and do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate once a week.
--------------------------------------------------
The Filtration Cycle is described below.
Anything that breaks down in the water, be it fish food, fish waste, dead plant, dead fish, etc, produce ammonia. In a healthy tank with an established filter, the ammonia is eaten by beneficial bacteria and converted into nitrite. You get more good bacteria that eat nitrite and convert it into nitrate. You get rid of nitrates by doing water changes.
In a new tank the bacteria is not normally present and you get a build up of ammonia that harms and can kill the fish. A few weeks after the tank has been set up, you get the first colonies of good bacteria that eat the ammonia. A couple of weeks after that you start to get the other good bacteria that eat the nitrite. It normally takes about 4-6 weeks for an aquarium to develop the colonies of good bacteria that keep the ammonia and nitrite levels at 0.
When the ammonia and nitrite levels have gone up and come back down to 0, and the nitrate levels start to go up, the tank will be considered cycled (developed the necessary good filter bacteria) and you can feed the fish once or twice a day and do a 75% water change once a week. Until then you keep feeding down and water changes up. By reducing the food going into the tank, you help to keep the ammonia levels lower. By doing big water changes, you help to dilute any ammonia in the water.
In a newly set up aquarium without an established/ cycled filter, you should only feed the fish to 2-3 times per week. Don't worry, the fish won't starve. You should also do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate 4-8 hours after feeding. And you should monitor the ammonia and nitrite levels and do a 75% water change any day you have an ammonia or nitrite reading above 0, or a nitrate reading above 20ppm.
*NB* Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it is added to the tank.
The big water changes will not harm the filter bacteria or fish as long as any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it is added to the tank.
-------------------------
During the first month of a tank's cycle, you monitor the ammonia and nitrite levels. You normally get ammonia readings for the first few weeks. The ammonia goes up and as the beneficial filter bacteria build up in numbers they gradually convert the ammonia into nitrite. After a few weeks the ammonia level will suddenly drop to 0 and the nitrite will start to go up. A couple of weeks later the nitrite levels drop to 0 and the nitrates start to go up. You get rid of nitrates by doing water changes.
During the cycling period you do not test for nitrates until the ammonia and nitrite have gone up and come back down to 0. Nitrate test kits will read nitrite as nitrate and give you a false reading. So you monitor ammonia during the first few weeks and then start monitoring nitrite as well. Once they have both gone up and come down to 0, you start monitoring nitrate.
-------------------------
Do not clean the new filter for the first 6-8 weeks. This allows the filter bacteria a chance to settle in properly and stick to the filter media. Two weeks after the filters have finished cycling, you can start to clean the filter.
Established filters should be cleaned at least once a month and every 2 weeks is better.
To clean a power filter or internal sponge/ box filter. You get a bucket of water from the aquarium and squeeze the filter materials out in the bucket of tank water. When they are clean you put them in the aquarium. Wash/ rinse the filter case and impellor assembly (for a power filter) under tap water. Remove any excess tap water by tipping the filter case upside down, then put the filter materials back into the filter and set it back up and get it going.
If you have an undergravel filter, that will be cleaned when you do water changes and gravel clean the substrate. You can buy a basic model gravel cleaner from any pet shop and they are worth getting. You only need a basic model gravel cleaner like the one in the following link. Do not buy the expensive fancy types because they are no better than a base model gravel cleaner.
https://www.about-goldfish.com/aquarium-cleaning.html
-------------------------
If you get a filter that containers pads/ cartridges that need replacing on a regular basis, do not replace them. Go to the pet shop and buy some sponge for a different brand of filter (I use AquaClear sponges but there are other brands), and use a pair of scissors to cut the sponge to fit in your filter. Keep the sponge and filter pads together for 2 months, then remove the pads and throw them away. Replace the pads with more sponge.
Sponges get squeezed out in a bucket of tank water and will last 10+ years.
You can also get round/ cylindrical sponges for some brands of internal power filter. These round sponges have a hole through the centre and they fit over the intake strainer of most external power filters. They add extra filtration and prevent small fish and bits of plant form being sucked into the filter.
-------------------------
The larger the volume of water (the bigger the tank), the more the ammonia is diluted and the safer it is for the fish. So if you can get a bigger tank (say 10 gallons/ 40 litres), then get that and move the fish into it and cycle him in the bigger tank.
You were also badly advised about using distilled water. This has no minerals in it, and all fish need some minerals. Unless your tap water is poor, all you need is tap water and a water conditioner to remove the chlorine or chloramine that your water provider adds.
Distilled and reverse osmosis (R/O) water don't have minerals, which is an issue for fish from hard water but Bettas naturally occur in soft water so it's less of an issue for them. However, I agree with Essjay about using tap water if it's good. Unless your tap water has nitrates or is very hard (has lots of minerals), or you use well water that is contaminated, then just use tap water because it's a lot cheaper and easier than carting water back and forth.
librarygirl
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Hi and welcome. Your Betta will not die if you are vigilant with water tests and changes as needed. Good for you for doing research and putting him in a larger tank. I would suggest a 5 gal, minimum 3, but that's just me. Feeding him a quality betta food, one or two pellets once or twice a day is fine. I do a "fast" day where the fish gets nothing and then the day before or after microwave a frozen pea, split it to take the skin off and feed it a small piece, these aid in digestion.
Get a good water testing kit like API's freshwater kit. Each day or night, whatever is good for you, test the water (read instructions carefully, particularly for the nitrate test, as each bottle needs to be shaken and has to sit for a certain period of time before you take results). You'll likely start to get ammonia readings first as the fish excretes waste. Any ammonia readings, do a water change to get it down to as close to 0 as you can. The higher the ammonia, the more/larger water changes you'll need to do, sometimes upwards of multiple 50% water changes. After a while, could be days or weeks, you'll see nitrite readings. Again, do water changes to get them down. Then same for nitrates (when you start getting nitrate readings and 0 ammonia and 0 nitrite then your tank is cycled). Use Prime, or a similar water de-chlorinator, and plain tap water. It works instantaneously so you can put in a few drops of the Prime into the tank after draining however much water you need, then you can add tap water right away. Never change the filter media, only clean it in old tank water but not for the first month or two at least (until the tank is fully cycled). If/when it gets gross, add new media first with the old media to transfer bacteria, then you can toss the old media out, but that won't need to happen for a while.
Good luck!
Get a good water testing kit like API's freshwater kit. Each day or night, whatever is good for you, test the water (read instructions carefully, particularly for the nitrate test, as each bottle needs to be shaken and has to sit for a certain period of time before you take results). You'll likely start to get ammonia readings first as the fish excretes waste. Any ammonia readings, do a water change to get it down to as close to 0 as you can. The higher the ammonia, the more/larger water changes you'll need to do, sometimes upwards of multiple 50% water changes. After a while, could be days or weeks, you'll see nitrite readings. Again, do water changes to get them down. Then same for nitrates (when you start getting nitrate readings and 0 ammonia and 0 nitrite then your tank is cycled). Use Prime, or a similar water de-chlorinator, and plain tap water. It works instantaneously so you can put in a few drops of the Prime into the tank after draining however much water you need, then you can add tap water right away. Never change the filter media, only clean it in old tank water but not for the first month or two at least (until the tank is fully cycled). If/when it gets gross, add new media first with the old media to transfer bacteria, then you can toss the old media out, but that won't need to happen for a while.
Good luck!
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