Possibly Getting My First Betta Tomorrow -- Advice?

[victorybear]

I'm still in the process of cycling my 5 gallon tank (about 1 week in), but I've fallen head-over-heels in love with one of the Betta in a fish store I frequent and asked them to put him on hold for me.

Since I left the store, I've been reading any Betta care website I can get my hands on to figure out how to care for the little guy until my 5 gal tank is ready. The problem is, much of the info I've found is kind of conflicting.

I know I'll need another tank--not a problem. The thing is, some people say anything smaller than a 5 gal tank is unacceptable, others say a jar is perfectly fine. Thoughts on this? The sites I've also read say I'll need to be doing 100% water changes 3 times a week for a Betta in a bowl. This seems a little scary to me, not to mention risky and stressful for the fish (don't they need all that healthy bacteria I'd be washing away?) I'm more inclined to get something bigger like a 2.5 gal or 5 gal tank to avoid the drastic and ridiculously frequent water changes, but then... that kind of defeats the whole point of me cycling my pre-existing 5 gal tank, doesn't it?

Another concern that I've had is that my room gets really cold at night and that any tank/jar/whatever without a heater of some sort will be too cold for a Betta. Even with a heater in my 5 gal tank, the water temperature drops four or five degrees at night. Will this fluctuation in temperature be too stressful for a Betta?

Thanks for hearing me out. Let me know what you all think!

 

[Carlovel1]

5 gallons is definately what I'd consider the minimum size for a Betta so you should be fine. Bettas are often kept in cold unheated tanks, but they do much better in a tank of 25C-28C, so I'd recommend getting a small heater, this way, your Betta won't suffer fluctuations in temperature as it would in an unheated tank.
Carl

 

[KittyKat]

Having kept and bred Bettas for a number of years, I can offer the following experiences:
1. Tanks between 5 and 10 gallons are best.
2. Without a filter, the addition of Java moss and other plants + 25% daily water changes worked well. You will need to make sure that the new water is of same temperature as old water.
3. Tank needs to be heated.

Why is your heater unable to maintain temperature? Who is it by? What do you set your temperature to?

 

[lilfishie]

A 5 Gal tank will be perfect for a betta

With a filter there is no need to be doing several waterchages a week, one will be just fine and then i personally do 50%

he will need a heater to stop the temp changing to much

HTH

 

[victorybear]

Thanks for all the quick replies, guys!

It seems the general consensus is for a 5 gallon tank. However, I can't just stick a Betta into a five gallon tank without cycling it, can I? If I do have to wait 'till the tank is cycled, how do I buy and take care of the Betta until it's ready?

Why is your heater unable to maintain temperature? Who is it by? What do you set your temperature to?

I have an Elite Mini Submersible 5 Heater (25W) by Hagen. There's no degrees printed on the dial so you just have to turn it up and wait for the thermometer to read it. Right now I'm just trying to get the water to a steady 76-78 degrees.

 

[KittyKat]

However, I can't just stick a Betta into a five gallon tank without cycling it, can I? If I do have to wait 'till the tank is cycled, how do I buy and take care of the Betta until it's ready?

I think if you add some plants and do 25% daily water changes, that should work. You will need to count out individual pellets for his food and test the water regularly.

Why is your heater unable to maintain temperature? Who is it by? What do you set your temperature to?

I have an Elite Mini Submersible 5 Heater (25W) by Hagen. There's no degrees printed on the dial so you just have to turn it up and wait for the thermometer to read it. Right now I'm just trying to get the water to a steady 76-78 degrees.

Haven't used that one, but it really should be keeping the temperature steady. Do you know anyone else from whom you can borrow another 25W heater to compare? I have never had a problem with Visitherm 25W heaters in tanks larger than yours. Is your thermometer a glass one or the type that is stuck to the outside of the tank? What is the room temperature (day and night)?

 

[victorybear]

Thanks for your input, Kitty Kat!
What I might do is get another 5 gallon tank + heater + gravel/plants and see if they can hold on to the little guy for one more day while I get the temperature regulated in the new 5 gal.

As for your questions about my heater... I had one that was the same kind except it was a 50W and I had it on lower. It malfunctioned after a week though and I had to return it. This one wouldn't properly heat my water at night when I first installed it, so I just assumed that's how heaters worked. After installing the 25W one a couple days ago though, things seem to be working a lot better. I checked my temp last night/this morning via my stick-on thermometer and the temp looked pretty steady. I guess I was too quick to judge the new one.

When doing water changes, how do you suggest treating the new water? I'm asking because right now I have a couple big water bottles of treated water under my bed adjusting to room temperature, but if the temp of the new water has to be the same as the old water (around 78-80 degrees), how do I raise the new water's temperature to match that? The only solution I've found online is heating it over the stove but that seems risky.

 

[KittyKat]

If it's a stick-on thermometer (which is on the outside of the tank) it is measuring the temperature of the room, not just the fish tank I suggest you get one of the little glass ones which goes inside the tank!

Personally, I treat the water in a bucket (to remove chlorine and chloramine), then top up with boiled water from the kettle. Some people use water directly from the hot tap.. a normal glass thermometer will help get the temperature right as you can use it for the treated water too (of course, don't poor boiling water directly on it). In the past, I also used a spare heater to heat the water overnight.

 

[victorybear]

If it's a stick-on thermometer (which is on the outside of the tank) it is measuring the temperature of the room, not just the fish tank I suggest you get one of the little glass ones which goes inside the tank!

Personally, I treat the water in a bucket (to remove chlorine and chloramine), then top up with boiled water from the kettle. Some people use water directly from the hot tap.. a normal glass thermometer will help get the temperature right as you can use it for the treated water too (of course, don't poor boiling water directly on it). In the past, I also used a spare heater to heat the water overnight.

Thanks for your advice! I ended up getting a ten gallon actually. I de-chlorinated the water, waited 24 hours, added some SafeStart and introduced the Betta into my tank this afternoon. But now he's just lying on the gravel, and rarely swimming around or going up to the surface. Is he just resting? I'm really worried.

*EDIT* My water temp is 80 degrees. I've also tested the water. Everything seemed to check out fine though. The ammonia levels were a little high, so I added a couple drops of AmQuel+. I've checked the ammonia levels a couple times after with similar results, which made me a little suspicious, so I checked the ammonia levels of regular tap water and it was the same. ??? So confused...

 

[KittyKat]

Yes, tap water may contain ammonia, which is why a dechlorinator which removes ammonia might be a good bet for that tank.

 

[bassbonediva]

Using Prime will help detoxify the ammonia so it doesn't harm your fish, but will still keep it available for the beneficial bacteria to use.

 

[AmazonFTW]

Why are you buying another tank.. that one won't have bacteria in it anyway.. so it may as well just go straight into the main tank? Also, if it's your first Betta, I would say get a bigger tank, not too big of course. This makes it a lot easier and you don't have to do continual water changes. Also if you have another tank that is fully running, take some filter media from that, it will seriously boost up the cycle rate.

Good Luck,
AmazonFTW

 

[KittyKat]

AmazonFTW, I think they point is to not subject the Betta to a fish-in cycle and keep the temporary tank ammonia free.

 

[Ethan]

Basic care sheet

feed once a day
change water once a week
keep water 75-83 degrees farinheit- close to 25-28 degrees celsios
pay lots of attention to bettas tend to be very jealous of other fish

And that's really all I would direct you to a page on a forum about keeping bettas but mingling through all the info this is what I basically found


good luck,
Ethan

 

[GuppyGoddess]

[/quote]

Thanks for your advice! I ended up getting a ten gallon actually. I de-chlorinated the water, waited 24 hours, added some SafeStart and introduced the Betta into my tank this afternoon. But now he's just lying on the gravel, and rarely swimming around or going up to the surface. Is he just resting? I'm really worried.

*EDIT* My water temp is 80 degrees. I've also tested the water. Everything seemed to check out fine though. The ammonia levels were a little high, so I added a couple drops of AmQuel+. I've checked the ammonia levels a couple times after with similar results, which made me a little suspicious, so I checked the ammonia levels of regular tap water and it was the same. ??? So confused...
[/quote]


You acclimated him to the water, right? Didn't just dump him in?

When I do water changes, I use a jug that I have a stick-on water thermometer on so I can make sure the water temp matches what's in the tank. That works well!