Preparation Before The Big Day

[tetraqueen]

I have a small 11 Gallon tank that has neons platty and a Gouramis in it awaiting the large tank to do a fishless cycle.

When they move on to my large tank then do I just do a water change and add the Betta.

The heater needs to go to?

What about the undergravel filter will this be okay?

The tank has a hood and lighting how much per day?

The gravel is very small.

I there anything else I should know???

 

[tetraqueen]

Could someone say to me go away as it feels like I'm on ignore.

 

[modaz]

I have a small 11 Gallon tank that has neons platty and a Gouramis in it awaiting the large tank to do a fishless cycle.

When they move on to my large tank then do I just do a water change and add the Betta.

The heater needs to go to?

What about the undergravel filter will this be okay?

The tank has a hood and lighting how much per day?

The gravel is very small.

I there anything else I should know???

yep i would do a water change about 20% for your new betta just to ensure that its nice freshwater for him, undergravel filter is ok, ive used one for one of my boys for the past few months and its been great, the only prob is it will need completely stripping and cleaning underneath the filter once in a while as it does seem to hold a load of crap that eventually makes the nitrates go high, doing this and you should be fine, but make sure that you dont rinse all the gravel b/c its the gravel on undergravels that hold most of the bacteria, so but doing this you'll still have bacteria in his tank for when hes returned to it, he will need to acclimatised slowly to a freshly made up tank again a the 2 water conditions will be largely different (bad english lol)

you only need to give light for upto 8 hours a day if the tank doesnt have live plants, if it does then 10 is a good amount.

a few little items in there like pebbles, plants, marbles are good, a small cave maybe, dont have things in there that have sharp edges though. every month change the tank around as this will give his brain stimulation and you'll end up with a happy betta as they need to be occupied with activity.

 

[MojoDex]

well first you posted at 4:30am then again at 7:30am no wonder no1 has replied

keep the heater bettas like the temp higher than most of your average community fish i keep mine at 80 degrees f

undergravel filter not really my thing but it will cause minimal current and thats what bettas like "no current" so should be fine.

lights well that depends on a few things, if there are any plants ( i recommend this) then at least 8 hours a day IMO if not then less depending on how often your going to be viewing the fish take it from there

small gravel should be fine there not exactly the digging type anyway

feed him well and he will colour up beautifully as all bettas can and more importantly enjoy him

EDIT: curse you modaz posting while im writing my reply

 

[tetraqueen]

Thanks I do fel heaps better now I think I was very low as some comments on my English have been bad.

I understand what you are saying so that is great news.

What do I feed him and how often.

I am unsure where he is going to be as I can move his tank easily I think he maybe in the lounge however unsure of the noise and whether I'll disturb him, I thought maybe bedroom however hubby not too keen. The other place is the kitchen but then the smells from cooking,althought the tank has a lid we like spicy foods and that will perhaps penetrate through also there is a draft when the door get opened or left ajar most of the time.


I cannot wait to get him but I need to be patient as the other fish will need to be homed safely.

 

[branjie]

Great to hear that you're getting a Betta. Your tank sounds like it is well set up. I have plants that don't require much light. I have to admit, the light is only on for a couple of hours a day. I make sure the blinds are all open during the day though, so they get indirect sunlight.

As for the location, I don't think it matters a huge amount, others may have an opinion though. The main thing is not to have any fumey things like plug in airfreshners, but you probably know that already.

You can buy special Betta food. The food I have seen is in the form of micropellets. I'm feeding mine general tropical fish micropellets, as I also use them in the community tank for fish breakfast. You just give your Betta a few morning and night. Most Bettas won't eat flakes. Bettas like frozen food, bloodworms being their favourite. Every second night when my community tank has blood worms, I defrost some for my Bettas. I take the time to drop one in the tank at a time with a pair of tweezers, because 3 out of my 4 Bettas don't seem to notice the bloodworms that sink to the bottom. They may eat them later, but I don't want to take the chance of them decaying. Anyway, they also like live brine shrimp as a treat if you want. Hope that helps. Keep us posted. We'd love to see a pic when you eventually get your Betta.