My Betta

[Sarahm92]

Hi guys, 
 
I wanted a little advice on my fighting fish.. 
I just got him a few days ago and right now he is living in this little bowl.. Pet store people said he would be happy in a really small space and I know that some people keep them in even smaller tanks/vase
 
he swims around and doesn't seem stressed but I want to set up a bigger tank for him..
I have another tank that I'm currently not using its about 17 litres..
 
so I'm just wondering what bettas like? should I try adding live plants? I'm thinking I'm going to buy a heater tomorrow since its winter here and bettas should have a heater right? he had no heater in the pet store either..
 
here he is:
 

 
 
Also can you put snails with a fighting fish? and what type? (if you can)
 
I really love him already and just want him to be happy
 
 

 

[Lillefishy]

He'll be much happier in a larger tank with live plants, especially broad leaved tall ones as they like to rest on them
You need a filter & a heater & as the filter won't be cycled, you're looking at 50% daily water changes.
You could also do with getting a water test kit such as the Api one.
Yes you can have snails with Betta, they usually don't bother them

 

[Sarahm92]

He'll be much happier in a larger tank with live plants, especially broad leaved tall ones as they like to rest on them
You need a filter & a heater & as the filter won't be cycled, you're looking at 50% daily water changes.
You could also do with getting a water test kit such as the Api one.
Yes you can have snails with Betta, they usually don't bother them

 
okay thank you, I have a filter for that tank as well I just need to get a heater tomorrow  
What type of snail do you recommend?

 

[attibones]

I keep nerite snails with mine. They clean off any diatoms (brown algae), and they cannot reproduce in freshwater. They come in a variety of colors too.

You'll definitely want a larger tank with a light, filter, and heater. The minimum for a betta is debatable, but many people here agree it is five gallons (although some will tell you 2.5, bigger is always better). That's roughly twenty liters for a five, so your 17 liter should be sufficient. Of course, you'll have to do a fish-in cycle, which is a tedious process, but it can be done.

How many water changes a day are you currently doing?

 

[Sarahm92]

I keep nerite snails with mine. They clean off any diatoms (brown algae), and they cannot reproduce in freshwater. They come in a variety of colors too.

You'll definitely want a larger tank with a light, filter, and heater. The minimum for a betta is debatable, but many people here agree it is five gallons (although some will tell you 2.5, bigger is always better). That's roughly twenty liters for a five, so your 17 liter should be sufficient. Of course, you'll have to do a fish-in cycle, which is a tedious process, but it can be done.

How many water changes a day are you currently doing?

 
what is a fish in cycle? I've only had him for a few days and haven't changed the water yet?
The tank and filter have already previously had fish in it and been running is this bad?

 

[Blondielovesfish]

Follow the link in my signature to find out about fish in cycling.
If you could possibly do a 50% water change with warm and dechlorinated water as soon as you possibly can. If you could also then do another tonight/tomorrow morning.

 

[Sarahm92]

Follow the link in my signature to find out about fish in cycling.
If you could possibly do a 50% water change with warm and dechlorinated water as soon as you possibly can. If you could also then do another tonight/tomorrow morning.

 
thank you I read the link..
so I guess it doesn't matter that the fish tank and filter are not new? like there would already be the bacteria built up?
 
anyway I will do a water change tomorrow morning too. and test the water
sorry if I'm asking silly questions.. I'm very new to this! and its all a bit confusing 

 

[attibones]

If the filter has been dry for a while, then your bacteria has most likely died off. However, if you have a friend with a matured fish tank, then you could very well take a small piece of their filter media and set it in your filter to help boost the process.

Until you get the tank up, you'll be doing daily water changes (100%) in his current... Bowl... Thing. When you get the tank set up, you could be doing up to eighty percent water changes a day, depending on the amount of ammonia he produces.

Does that make sense?

 

[SamB]

In my initial experience with fish keeping the whole idea of filters was very confusing as I started with budget equipment that I now alter slightly to make more suitable.
 
Filter media refers to the "stuff" inside of your filter. In small, cheaper tanks/filters, these are usually cartridges (white, held together with plastic and usually contain carbon). In my opinion / experience, cartridges are a money wasting scam that are ineffective. The main idea of a filter is not to catch debris as one might think, but rather to cultivate a colony of beneficial bacteria that turn nasty chemicals into less nasty chemicals that we deal with with water changes / live plants. When you use a cartridge, if you follow manufacturer instructions, you throw away your bacteria colony every month when you change the cartridge, and end up giving your fish a bad dose of those nasty chemicals, which rise very quickly in the absence of the beneficial bacteria.
 
Because of this, almost all experienced fish keepers (at least, on this forum) do not use cartridges in their filter. In addition to the issue of throwing them away, filter cartridges include carbon, which is completely unnecessary in most fish tanks and is ineffective after a month. The main use for carbon in the hobby is removing medication or (occasionally) tannins (dyes released by driftwood) from the water.
 
So what do you do with a cartridge filter? Assuming it is a hang on the back filter, they can be adapted to use much better media than cartridges. I suggest purchasing ceramic media from your LFS (fish store nearest you) as well as some filter sponge / padding / floss. Place a nice size chunk of floss near the filter intake in the water holding portion of the filter, and then (using a filter bag from the LFS) fill the rest of the filter with the ceramic media. The filter will then begin to cycle (since you already have a fish in there). You need to keep up water changes while this happens, since the bacteria has not yet developed. Crazy things will be happening with the bad chemicals.
 
If you have an in-tank filter, and it is cartridge based, I am unsure if you can adapt it. I would suggest making one yourself with a filter sponge and ceramic media, a water bottle, air tubing, and an air pump. Here's a link to a great video on it. http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROkhHGIPwj4&feature=c4-overview&playnext=1&list=TLhtEwzslU9vA
 
That is what I have used in my 10 gallon tank for the bettas in there and so far I have had success with it
 
Anyways, I hope that helps! Everyone here is very helpful so if you don't understand something, just ask. No such thing as a dumb question, all of us started somewhere.

Also, we use heaters to make sure the temperature stays stable, not just to heat them up. Fish don't really like too much fluctuation!