Help me setup my Betta fish tank

[TankRank]

Your fish is currently in a very small uncycled 1 gallon tank - you need to get him into the 5 gallon as quickly as you can. I know that's uncycled as well, but there is 5 times more water in the 5 gal so the ammonia he has been excreting since you got him if 5 times more concentrated in the 1 gal than it would be in the 5 gal.

I know that but because of school I really can do anything major on weekdays except daily 50% water changes. I have only fed him once since I got him in an attempt to lessen the ammonia.

 

[Essjay]

Have you been testing the water in the 1 gal and doing water changes? This is VERY important.

 

[TankRank]

Have you been testing the water in the 1 gal and doing water changes? This is VERY important.

Yes, about a 70% water change once a day. Everytime I tested it was yellow.

 

[Essjay]

That's good, keep up the good work. And get the 5 gal set up as soon as you can.

 

[CaT209]

The safe start plus is a 3.38 oz bottle for a 5 gal tank. The bottle says add entire bottle for up to 20 gal. Is 3.28 oz too much for my 5 gal tank?

Congrats Betta make good pets, don't worry everything should be fine if you do fish in the tank cycle if you pay close attention to the water quality. In a 5 gallon it shouldn't be too hard but can be tricky. The master test kit seems like something you could return for some test strips if you haven't used it yet. That master test kit is expensive and for just a 5 gallon is way more than you need for your first fish tank.

The more you interact with your fish the easier it will be to tell if things are off or starting to need attention in the tank.

Just keep it simple and enjoy your Betta they have great personality and will make you smile...


There's a lot of good videos on YouTube about Bettas, I'm sure watching a few will help you out some too...

 

[cdbaby123]

While cycling a tank with fish is not recommended or optimal, you can do it; especially with a Betta. Up until last year I had Betta's in my office (for at least 15 years) that never had a tank cycled when they were put into their bowl with no filtration and they lasted years.
Read everything you can on cycling a tank with fish in it. Make sure you test the water, the API kit is great and more accurate then test strips. Make sure you do your water changes daily while you are cycling or the ammonia will get to high.
Betta's are hardy fish and if any fish can survive the cycle they can. Do as much reading as you can and join other forums for fish keeping as well; most people are extremely helpful and will help you through the cycle.

 

[EllRog]

While cycling a tank with fish is not recommended or optimal, you can do it; especially with a Betta. Up until last year I had Betta's in my office (for at least 15 years) that never had a tank cycled when they were put into their bowl with no filtration and they lasted years.
Read everything you can on cycling a tank with fish in it. Make sure you test the water, the API kit is great and more accurate then test strips. Make sure you do your water changes daily while you are cycling or the ammonia will get to high.
Betta's are hardy fish and if any fish can survive the cycle they can. Do as much reading as you can and join other forums for fish keeping as well; most people are extremely helpful and will help you through the cycle.

Betta's are not hardy fish anymore. Genetically, they are weak. Fish in cycles are typically not recommended as the fish are more likely to suffer or die

 

[Sgooosh]

While cycling a tank with fish is not recommended or optimal, you can do it; especially with a Betta. Up until last year I had Betta's in my office (for at least 15 years) that never had a tank cycled when they were put into their bowl with no filtration and they lasted years.
Read everything you can on cycling a tank with fish in it. Make sure you test the water, the API kit is great and more accurate then test strips. Make sure you do your water changes daily while you are cycling or the ammonia will get to high.
Betta's are hardy fish and if any fish can survive the cycle they can. Do as much reading as you can and join other forums for fish keeping as well; most people are extremely helpful and will help you through the cycle.

Yep, but bowls are very not ideal for bettas. Id just give it a 5-10 g

 

[cdbaby123]

Betta's are not hardy fish anymore. Genetically, they are weak. Fish in cycles are typically not recommended as the fish are more likely to suffer or die

I have never had a cycled tank for my Bettas, as I had no idea about cycling until I started an aquarium last January. I have never had an issue with my betta's and I have had them in my office for the past 15 to 20 years. I have them for years before they go to the big tank in the sky. The one I currently have is 3.5 years old. I got him and put him a bowl in my office with no filtration and only changed the water every couple of months and when I did I washed all the substrate in it in tap water, so the cycle had to restart.... Last year when I started a home aquarium and learned about cycling is when he got a tank with a filter and I now test his water and do the water changes properly.

I understand it is not an ideal way to cycle a tank but it can be done with a fish in cycle and the fish will survive. My Betta's always have.

TankRank just keep testing the water, and do your daily water changes until the tank is cycled and hopefully you will have success with your Betta. Take this as a learning experience going forward; and if you enjoy it don't let a setback hold you back. There will be times you fail, it is how we learn. Do the best you can with what you have and enjoy it!

 

[cdbaby123]

Yep, but bowls are very not ideal for bettas. Id just give it a 5-10 g

When I had a bowl I did not know anything about fish keeping. that is how it was for 15+ years, now he has a cycled tank in my office....

 

[Sandretta]

Last night, my parents took me to the aquarium store to get a pet fish because I got good grades this year. The person helping me recommended a betta and said they needed a 5 gallon tank. He also gave me some stress coat, fish food, a internal filter, a 50 watt heater, some Tetra Safe Start Plus, a master test kit, and some sand. I wanted some plant's and some rocks/driftwood but my parents said only if the fish survives 1 month. I didn't understand much of the what the employee was telling me although he sounded pretty knowledgeable. What do I do with the stuff my parents bought me?

Set the tank up with 1/4 of quick start. I've done this and fish are fine.
Learn how to test water with your kit.
Tap water is fine and you will learn about that as you test the water.
Most important thing is to maintain same "settings" in his tank and to NOT overfeed which will ruin the water. No one can predict its fate.
Enjoy your fish!

 

[Sgooosh]

When I had a bowl I did not know anything about fish keeping. that is how it was for 15+ years, now he has a cycled tank in my office....

awww. thats sweet
so he lived for 15+ years?
or that was another betta

 

[Sgooosh]

Set the tank up with 1/4 of quick start. I've done this and fish are fine.
Learn how to test water with your kit.
Tap water is fine and you will learn about that as you test the water.
Most important thing is to maintain same "settings" in his tank and to NOT overfeed which will ruin the water. No one can predict its fate.
Enjoy your fish!

why the 1/4?
i think a little more wouldnt hurt the fish in cycle?
tap water is not fine in most places, though the ph is fine and gh (if softened) there are many bad things such as chlorine. ammonia. nitrite. nitrate. ADD A DECHLORINATOR FOR BEGINNERS
and i assume op is not going chem free