Fishless cycling: Can my betta fish stay in good health until the new tank is ready?

[tbetta]

Hello everyone,
As I have mentioned in a previous post, I have a betta in a 2.5 gallon tank with at least 5 ppm nitrites, Ph of 7.6, ammonia at 0 ppm, and nitrates that are at 20 ppm. The tank is heated to 78 F. I know these are terrible water parameters and have been doing everything I can to fix that, however nothing has been working out. After doing research online, I realized that a 2.5 gallon tank is not sufficient for my fish, and I am planning on doing fishless cycle on a 20 gallon tank (I will also add neon tetras to the new tank at some point after the cycling is complete). I was wondering if my betta fish will be able to remain healthy enough to recover once the cycling is done and is transferred over? He is showing no outward signs of health problems, but I'd be a fool to say that his health is not being affected by the nitrites. I will still work tirelessly to try to save my betta.

 

[april_fish]

Hello everyone,
As I have mentioned in a previous post, I have a betta in a 2.5 gallon tank with at least 5 ppm nitrites, Ph of 7.6, ammonia at 0 ppm, and nitrates that are at 20 ppm. The tank is heated to 78 F. I know these are terrible water parameters and have been doing everything I can to fix that, however nothing has been working out. After doing research online, I realized that a 2.5 gallon tank is not sufficient for my fish, and I am planning on doing fishless cycle on a 20 gallon tank (I will also add neon tetras to the new tank at some point after the cycling is complete). I was wondering if my betta fish will be able to remain healthy enough to recover once the cycling is done and is transferred over? He is showing no outward signs of health problems, but I'd be a fool to say that his health is not being affected by the nitrites. I will still work tirelessly to try to save my betta.

Hello!
Not an expert, but your betta should be fine. S/he might get fin rot. 2.5 gallon is the bare minimum for a betta, so you could keep your betta in that tank. Although I definitely think that the bigger the tank the better.

Good luck!

 

[eaglesaquarium]

The 2.5 is ok for the Betta. For the nitrite problem, step one: water change.

A large water change will bring down the nitrite. Step two: add salt. The salt will inhibit the nitrite from entering the blood stream and keep the fish healthier during the rest of this process.

This link will explain how much salt to add (it won't be much at all in such a small tank): http://www.fishforums.net/threads/rescuing-a-fish-in-cycle-gone-wild-part-il.433778/