New Here, Need Help

[bellafish]

Hello all

I have had a 10gallon tank sitting around my home for quite some time (it was previously used for frogs) and I decided it was time to put a beautiful fish in there. I have always wanted a fish however I did not want a too high maintenance fish. I went to the pet shop and saw her, she was a beautiful pink betta fish ( it was actually a male but at the time i knew nothing of bettas and named him Bella, after I would introduce him as bella my gay pink fish and called him a her)ANYWAY... that’s not important, what is important is i loved this fish and wanted to provide a great home. I bought some soft plants a little fake leaf for it to rest on and aquarium rocks. I bought some water conditioner and fish food. The pet store boy told me bettas need to live in room temp and to feed them 3 pellets a day also told me to buy the conditioner. I let the tank sit for 24 hours, put some conditioner in it and also put my fish in (along with the water from the bag)I later read that is wrong, is it? I read up that I needed to do water change however I did not know the percentage and when it was time to change the water ( i waited 3 weeks, i didn’t know how often) I changed it probably 90%! I put in water conditioner and let it sit for about 10 hrs before I put my betta back in as I thought the conditioner would help and I no longer had to let it sit for 24 hrs ( i read that I'm wrong ) did I mention that not all but some of the rocks were previous rocks from a frog tank. My fish started slowing down and I thought it was just relaxing until I really looked at it and realised that it was depressed, so i set aside some water to sit for 24 hrs and I was going to put it in to try to help my fish but it was too late, I woke up the next morning to my fish on it's side, still alive but barely. I transferred her to the 24hr large vase of clean water and i had to go to work. I came back from work and she was a goner. I cried and felt like i killed the most beautiful creature. I didn’t see the mistakes when I was doing them but after much research I see that the water change, the frog gravel and the house is pretty cold all contribute to her death. I was unsure of her age, that could have been it... but i doubt it. I was so happy to see her in a large home instead of a small bowl but I wasn’t careful enough. I am here so I can get some help, I am going to purchase another betta but this time I am going to make changes. below i have listed the changes and questions, if you have answers or additional ideas i am all eyes!
I am going to buy a heater (can i get the smallest one for a 10 gallon tank?)
I am going to buy a filter (how often do you change water with a filter? I’m guessing once every 2 weeks?)
I am going to put in new rocks ( I had new ones and the old ones from the frog tank in there, can I use the new ones still and not the frog ones as long as i wash them?)
I am going to her a thermometer and make sure the water is at 75F to 80F ( when I am doing water changes, How do I make sure the water in the large vase matches the water in the tank, im wanting to know, how do i heat it to be the same!? this is a very important question as I really am needing an answer to this one!)
I have to purchase a gravel vacuum (do I vacuum once a week?)

So my plan is to clean the tank with hot water ( do I need anything else to clean it cause the old fish got sick? this is also where frogs were once kept but I made sure to clean it with steaming hot water the first time)
then after i clean it with hot water I am going to fill it with clean rocks and then cold water. I am going to wash my plants and place them in the tank. I am going to put in water conditioner, then I am going to set up my heater. I am going to let this tank sit for a week and I will do a 30% water change ( how do i heat this watterr?? and do i need to do that?) then I am going to let that sit for 24 hrs and after that i am running to the pet shop and Im going to grab a betta in a small cup and hope that I don't hurt it! I am going to try my best to provide a wonderful living environment for this poor fish in a cup!
I would really like to keep this fish around for a while. ANY info and answers much appreciated.

 

[bellafish]

ALSO. Are you ever supposed to do a %100 water change? If SO HOW OFTEN?

 

[KittyKat]

I am going to buy a heater (can i get the smallest one for a 10 gallon tank?)

If your house is cold, you should be looking at a 50W heater (smallest are 25W). As a general rule, I use 1 watt per litre of water.

I am going to buy a filter (how often do you change water with a filter? I’m guessing once every 2 weeks?)

Great! About 10-15% every week with dechlorinated water is good. The most important point is that you should only clean the filter in old tank water and never under the tap and never replace the sponges. When getting a filter, keep in mind that Bettas like very slow flow.

I am going to put in new rocks ( I had new ones and the old ones from the frog tank in there, can I use the new ones still and not the frog ones as long as i wash them?)

You can use both, but do a vinegar test on them first and give them a good scrub under the tap.

I am going to her a thermometer and make sure the water is at 75F to 80F ( when I am doing water changes, How do I make sure the water in the large vase matches the water in the tank, im wanting to know, how do i heat it to be the same!? this is a very important question as I really am needing an answer to this one!)

If you are doing about 10% water change, you don't need to worry about that. For anything over, I mix it with water boiled in a kettle and some people will use warm water directly out of the tap.

I have to purchase a gravel vacuum (do I vacuum once a week?)

Yes, during water changes.

So my plan is to clean the tank with hot water ( do I need anything else to clean it cause the old fish got sick? this is also where frogs were once kept but I made sure to clean it with steaming hot water the first time)

That should be fine. For extra thorough cleaning we sometimes use a weak pure bleach or pure ammonia solution, but you shouldn't need to do that.

then after i clean it with hot water I am going to fill it with clean rocks and then cold water. I am going to wash my plants and place them in the tank. I am going to put in water conditioner, then I am going to set up my heater. I am going to let this tank sit for a week and I will do a 30% water change ( how do i heat this watterr?? and do i need to do that?) then I am going to let that sit for 24 hrs and after that i am running to the pet shop and Im going to grab a betta in a small cup and hope that I don't hurt it! I am going to try my best to provide a wonderful living environment for this poor fish in a cup!
I would really like to keep this fish around for a while. ANY info and answers much appreciated.

Read about fish-less and fish-in cycles in the resource centre. This is the most important thing you can possibly do. Seriously, not joking. While I always support fish-less cycling over anything else, in your case, a silent cycle may be the easiest option as you want to keep only one fish (this involves getting lots of live plants).

ALSO. Are you ever supposed to do a %100 water change? If SO HOW OFTEN?

Only if there is a serious problem with the water quality or right after a fish-less cycle.