How to hold Betta during cycle?

[Matthew Etheridge]

I got my Betta 2 days ago with no prior knowledge on fish keeping. However, I have been reading a lot and can't figure out how to cycle my tank and hold my fish. So far I have cleaned my tank, cleaned my gravel, and cleaned the decorations using only water. I setup my tank and filled it with tap water. It has been filtering for more than 24 hours now and at a stable temperature of 77°F. I added the correct amount of Top Fin conditioner and it's been about 24 hours now. I'm ready to put my fish in the tank, but after reading many articles on cycling I'm worried it's not safe. I want to go to the store and buy a kit to start the cycling process, but I don't know how to properly keep my fish in the meantime. It has been kept in its small cup from Petsmart for two days and has began to poop in it. I'm worried the water is quickly going to become toxic and that's my issue. How can I keep my fish safe in this cup I have while I start to cycle my tank. If anyone has advice or knows what to do please help. Thanks.

 

[Colin_T]

Just do a fish in cycle.

You feed the fish 2-3 times per week and do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate 4-8 hours after feeding. You should also monitor the ammonia and nitrite levels and do a 75% water and gravel clean the substrate any day you have an ammonia or nitrite level above 0.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it is added to the tank.

Try to keep the pH around 6.9 to reduce the toxic ammonia that forms in water with a pH above 7.0.

Put some floating plants in the tank to use nutrients and provide the fish with shelter. Water Sprite (Ceratopteris thalictroides/ cornuta) is the best plant for Bettas.

After about 1 month the filters should be close to cycled and you can reduce water changes to once a week and not worry about the pH.

 

[KrystaK]

If you already have the fish and don't have an already cycled tank than it would be best to do as Colin says. The tank you have is a larger volume and will ultimately be an easier environment to control. The solution to pollution is dilution - so the waste the fish produces in the small cup will become toxic more quickly because there is less water for it to be diluted into.
Put him in his new home and make sure to keep the water very clean and he should be just fine. (Assuming he has an appropriately sized tank with a filter and heater.)

Congratulations on your new pet, and I'm glad you are taking an interest in his welfare

 

[Matthew Etheridge]

Okay thanks! I tested my tank this morning with the masters kit and all levels were @0ppm. I fed my fish and am changing the water tonight 75%. I also got a plant. Unfortunatly I couldn't get the ome reccomended, but I got a Narrow leaf Water Fern. My ph was high at ~7.5. My two questions are what can I use to kick start bacteria growth or is the ammonia from the poop enough? Also how can I get my ph balanced?

 

[Colin_T]

You can buy liquid bacterial supplements in a bottle from most pet shops. I recommend adding them at a double dose every day for a week and then if there is a little bit left, pour the rest in the tank. If there's a lot left you can keep adding it each day at a normal or double dose or put the rest in the fridge and use it for another tank. Normally I just pour the rest in the tank.

Try to add the bacterial supplement near the filter or filter intake so it gets drawn into the filter and is trapped by the filter materials, where the bacteria live.

Try not to buy the bacterial supplements if they are kept in a warm room or near a heat source. They should be kept in a cool place, and preferably the fridge.

Bacterial supplements are not essential and you will get denitrifying bacteria growing in the tank over the next month or so. However, the supplements can help speed things up a bit.

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Most pet shops sell a product called "pH Down", which is normally sodium biphosphate. It is a white powder and you add a small amount to a bucket of dechlorinated tapwater, aerate for 30minutes and then check the pH of that water. When the pH of the bucket of water is about 6.9-7.0, you use that water to do a water change.

When you first use this stuff you should only do a 25-30% water change each day using the water with a lower pH. This will allow the pH in the aquarium to come down slowly over a few water changes. As the pH in the tank water gets closer to 7.0, you can do bigger water changes with the water that has the lower pH.

When the pH of the tank is 6.9-7.0 then you can do 75% water changes again.

Once the aquarium has cycled and the filters have developed the first group of beneficial bacteria (after about 2-3 weeks), and you are no longer getting an ammonia reading, you can stop using the pH down and just let the pH come back up to normal tap water levels.

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The other option is not to worry about the pH because it is only 7.5. Any ammonia in this water will be toxic but if you do a big water change whenever you have a reading, it should keep the levels low enough so they don't do too much damage to the fish.