Is my tank over-decorated?

[tbetta]

Hello everyone, I was wondering if my tank is too over-decorated for my betta fish? The tank is cycled with stable water parameters.

 

[Ch4rlie]

Looks nice.

Have never kept a betta so am a little unsure how much swimming space they require to be honest.

Couple things I do know of though, the plastic plants can rip or snare on betta fins, so be careful with these types of plants.

Perhaps if you run a fine pantyhose or stocking over the edges of the leaves, if they snag or get caught on the plant then chances are it will happen to the betta as well.

And bettas require at least 2.5 to 10 gallon tanks, am unsure what size that tank is, hard to tell tbh and does not look lke the water line is very high, perhaps its just me....

Am sure experienced betta keepers will chime in with more useful advice

 

[SnailPocalypse]

Isn't that one of those 1.5 gallon tanks?

 

[tbetta]

Thanks! It's a 2.5 gallon tank. I'll go try that test. I think I'll also raise the water line.

 

[Ch4rlie]

2.5 gals is the minimum really but as long as the water is good and temperature is stable etc then all is good.

Just a quick query, when you say the tank is cycled, how did you do this?

 

[tbetta]

2.5 gals is the minimum really but as long as the water is good and temperature is stable etc then all is good.

Just a quick query, when you say the tank is cycled, how did you do this?

Thanks! The story is that I made the mistake of not doing enough research on the tank. I did not know about cycling, and the nitrites started to increase. I kept trying to fix the problem with frequent partial water changes, etc., but nothing worked. I then started using nite-out II. It has the bacteria that converts nitrites to nitrates. After awhile, the ammonia, nitrates, and nitrites all fell to 0. I don't know how conventional this method is, but I was desperate.

 

[Ch4rlie]

Right, it seems not quite 100% to me that this tank is cycled.

Mainly due to the fact there is no nitrate, in a cycled tank, there will usually be a amount of nitrate whihc is the by product of ammonia and nitrite being consumed by the relevant bacterias.

I think having all 3 (ammonia, nitrite & nitrate) at zero could simply mean there was no food source for the bacteria to produce nitrite and nitrate.

Could you do a test with some ammonia?

1ppm of ammonia would be more than enough for a tank for a single betta splenden.
In which case 9 litres of water to have 1ppm of 9.5% stength ammonia is 0.09ml, a 1ml syringe would do the dosage easily.
Ammonia is not expensive and can be obtained from online or at certain hardware stores.

If 1ppm ammonia is added, and the tank is cycled then in 24 hours both ammonia and nitrite should read at zero.
This is the easiest way of testing if your tank is cycled.

However, its fairly common for betta keepers who have bettas in small tanks to do daily routine water changes every day in order to keep ammonia and nitrite at low / neglible levels.

 

[NickAu]

Is there a fish in the tank?

I was wondering if my tank is too over-decorated for my betta fish?

Its perfect, The only thing I would do is get rid of the plastic plants and use real ones.

The tank size is OK as long as the water parameters are stable.

However, its fairly common for betta keepers who have bettas in small tanks to do daily routine water changes every day in order to keep ammonia and nitrite at low / neglible levels.

Yes you could do that, Live plants do help a lot including floating plants, For small tanks with fake plants a small bag of Purigen in the filter is also great.

 

[FroFro]

Hello everyone, I was wondering if my tank is too over-decorated for my betta fish? The tank is cycled with stable water parameters.

I strongly disagree with Charlie's statement about 2.5 gal. being the minimum. 5 gallons is the bare minimum for a healthy betta.

 

[Ch4rlie]

I strongly disagree with Charlie's statement about 2.5 gal. being the minimum. 5 gallons is the bare minimum for a healthy betta.

Thats fair enough, certainly entitled to that opinion.

I am not personally a betta keeper and I plan keep a betta in a 7.5 gal tank when my son is older for his first fish tank.

The reason I mention 2.5 gals tanks being the minium is from a very well known keeper and breeder of betta splendens, she is a member of this forum, wildbetta, her knowledge of betta keeping is second to none imho.

Quoted from her Betta Splenden Caresheet -

"2.5 gallons is a great starting point for a new betta keeper. 5 gallon tanks and above are easy to heat, easy to filter which means they need to be cleaned much less often. Contrary to popular belief, there is no minimum or maximum size tank. Bettas kept in larger tanks tend to be less prone to problems such as ammonia burn, bacterial infections, and obesity."

I for one am not going dispute this, and 2.5 gals as a minimum is okay but not neccessarily recommended is a starting point.

This is a topic that has been argued by many over the years and still continues to be a hot topic if am honest, I am of the opinion 5 to 7.5 gals being the ideal size for a single betta splenden but since I am no expert and have no experience but I will stand by wildbetta's opinion when it comes to bettas.

 

[NickAu]

I would never recommend a novice get a 2.5 gallon tank, Thats for experienced fish keepers. I think 5 gallon is the minimum.

However with a bit of advice and good house keeping it can be done.