Inherited A Betta In Tiny Tank - How Do I Switch To Bigger?

[jenny6165]

well basically my sister in law had a betta in a tank which she bought a few months back but has decided she doesnt want it anymore. Shes given me him in the tank, but its only a 1 gallon tank with a few bits of plant and rocks. basically, i want to upgrade him into a larger tank, possibly a 5 or 10 gallon. Depends whats available at the lfs. Is there anything i should look for to make sure he is basically healthy and not stressed? hes just sitting there in the tank, occassionaly moving a bit, hes not eating, so i guess hes a bit stressed?

Also, can i just switch him straight over to a new tank? will he be ok?

 

[zoekin8yg]

you can switch him straight over if you are planning on doing daily water changes, otherwise you will need to cycle the tank first

 

[chibi]

Float him in a bag like you would any other fish you buy at a petstore. I'd use the water from the small tank he is used to in the bigger tank so it's not as big of a shock to him. Good luck~!

 

[jenny6165]

what size tank would be best for him?
i know everyone has different views, but the 1 gallon definetely not big enough for my liking.

 

[PaPeRo]

IMO get him at least a 2.5 gallon.

 

[RandomWiktor]

2.5g is widely becoming more popular than 1g, since it is closer to the inch-per-gallon minimum of the species, which means better water quality. I personally keep my bettas in 5g, and you'll probably hear anything from 1-10g on this forum. 2.5 is a nice starting point, and if you'd like to do something bigger like a 5 or 10, you can get both sizes much more cheaply than some fancy MiniBow 2.5 if you stick to standard AGA tanks.

 

[jenny6165]

thanks everyone for your advice. I will see what the lfs have. the one near to me has some nice tanks that they keep bettas in.
hopefully he didnt get too stressed in the move, im really worried he'll die of stress. probably me just being paranoid.

will keep u updated

 

[zoekin8yg]

try the aqua start 320 i think its called thats a nice size, not quite 10 gallons. or if you dont want a filter and want to do daily changes you can just get a 2.5g plastic tank. But dont forget to get a heater

this is a great UK site on bettas http/forum.ukbetta.co.uk/index.php

 

[jenny6165]

im a bit worried about him this morning. ive never owned a betta so dont know if this is normal. but hes just sitting on the bottom of the tank. i thought he was dead this morning, he wedged himself between a rock and the side of the tank and looked lifeless. i was about to fish him out and he started moving. hes very still today, the tank isnt heated and the water looks a bit murky. should i do a 100% water change with some warmer water?

 

[Miss Wiggle]

im a bit worried about him this morning. ive never owned a betta so dont know if this is normal. but hes just sitting on the bottom of the tank. i thought he was dead this morning, he wedged himself between a rock and the side of the tank and looked lifeless. i was about to fish him out and he started moving. hes very still today, the tank isnt heated and the water looks a bit murky. should i do a 100% water change with some warmer water?

it's pretty normal for a betta to just sit around on the floor of the tank, cos of they're fins they're not very good swimmers so they do like to rest, however the tank he's in doesn't sound too good for him.

do a 100% change, don't make the water too warm, this could shock him, you need to increase the temp very gradually.

i take it the current tank isn't filtered? if it is then make sure you move the filter media to the new tank, if not and you have other tank's then take some filter media from them and put it into the new tank, if that's not an option either then i'd do a fishless cycle on the new tank before putting him in it, this will make it safe and he'll be loads happier in his new home.

 

[jenny6165]

ok well i bought a 5 gallon tank. Ive put all the gravel and plants etc in it, i cleaned everything really well, but the water has gone cloudy. how long will it take to clear? should i wait for it to clear before i move the betta over.
ive got a filter running in it at the moment and i even did a gravel vac which picked up some of the dust. i need to pick up a spare plug cos i dont have enough slots for the heater and lights.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

ok well i bought a 5 gallon tank. Ive put all the gravel and plants etc in it, i cleaned everything really well, but the water has gone cloudy. how long will it take to clear? should i wait for it to clear before i move the betta over.
ive got a filter running in it at the moment and i even did a gravel vac which picked up some of the dust. i need to pick up a spare plug cos i dont have enough slots for the heater and lights.

has the filter got mature media in it or new stuff? you've got a community tank haven't you? if everything's healthy in it then take some of the sponge from that filter and put it straight into the new one, you then need to put the betta in within 12 hrs. if you want to leave it a day or so for the water to clear up by all means do but the media will start to die after 12hrs with no ammonia source so when you sort the filter, move the fish at the same time.

 

[jenny6165]

the filter in the community tank is square sponges, whereas the 5 gallon has a long thin sponge. can ijust cut up the square one to fit or does it need to fit snug?
the filter in the 5 gal is just a black carbon sponge

 

[Miss Wiggle]

the filter in the community tank is square sponges, whereas the 5 gallon has a long thin sponge. can ijust cut up the square one to fit or does it need to fit snug?
the filter in the 5 gal is just a black carbon sponge

just cut a bit up to fit, it'll be fine

get rid of the carbon, just add sponges. carbon's only really good for removing meds from the water, it doesn't work for long and when it stops working it releases all the bad toxin's it's sucked up from the water.

 

[jenny6165]

what colour sponge do i need to use? i have black, green, blue and white. all do diff things apparently.