Tank mantainence

[tttnjfttt]

Everyone has been so helpful with my betta, I was hoping you could settle this debate my mom and I have over how she cleans (or doesn't clean) her tank. Her idea of tank maintenence is adding additional bottled drinking water when needed, and stiring up the gravel to bring more alge to the surface for her snail infestation to eat (probably 12 in a 1 gal tank).

I'm telling her she should vacume the gravel atleast biweekly, or at a minimum, take out some water and put in fresh, which would atleast keep nitrates down (amonia and nitrites are both zero).

Nicole

 

[MegTheFish]

Ammonia won't evaporate with the water. So all that ammonia is still in there, even if she does "top it off". Are you sure the ammonia is at 0? Is she not feeding the betta or something? Because it would have to be pooping and such to make ammonia...so if theres no ammonia....???

 

[tttnjfttt]

I probably should have added that there is an undergravel filter in this tank, and she has had it for probably 5 months, so it probably is cycled by now.

Nicole

 

[Kiarra]

You are absolutely right on your idea of maintenance. Your mother is absolutely wrong. In addition, bottled water is not very good for them. They do need the minerals that are in tap water, but tap water (and bottled water) must be dechlorinated.

 

[MegTheFish]

I probably should have added that there is an undergravel filter in this tank, and she has had it for probably 5 months, so it probably is cycled by now.

Still...there would have to be atleast SOME ammonia in there if she has taken none of the water out. Why don't you offer to clean the tank for her? (and demand money, of course! J/K)

 

[Tolak]

Without taking some of the water out the nitrates will climb, eventually being toxic. Using bottled water isn't the best idea, even though common sense would say it is. If the water has no minerals, being very soft, you are asking for ph swings, another bad thing.

I would do a 10% w.c. daily, with dechlorinated tap water. If you do too large of water changes in a tank that has not been maintained, you will get ph swings, and the difference in fresh water compaired to the water they are living in now may kill whatever is living in the tank.

You are on the money with vaccing the gravel, bad bacteria as well as good live in it. That is the reason bare bottomed tanks are better for fry or other more delecate fish.

Tolak

 

[tttnjfttt]

Still...there would have to be atleast SOME ammonia in there if she has taken none of the water out.

My understanding is that in a well cycled tank ammonia and nitrites will be at zero because there is enough good bacteria to take the NH4 -> NO2, then NO2 -> NO3.

The good news is she has said that maybe she needs to do something with the tank, but first she wants to ask who she got the fish from. I'm hoping that person knows about this stuff, but there is a chance since she has a large tank (not sure of the size, but bigger than my 20 gal). Her excuse: She doesn't have the time to do water changes. This is the same lady who went into the LPS with me yesterday, and came out with two new parakeets. Some people need to learn to take care of the pets they have.

Nicole

 

[Kiarra]

If she doesn't have the time, she doesn't deserve the critter.

You may have to intervene here for the good of the fish. That may mean doing the water changes yourself.

 

[daudy_dojo]

if my mom did that i would sneak behind her back and change the water while she was at work... or give the betta to some one with knowledge!! and the lady thing!! pff i would shoot her... no wait ppl like that dont deserve to be shot!!! its wrong to do such things to fish... well ANY ANIMAL!! argg this kinda stuff makes me so mad!!

 

[tttnjfttt]

No Mommy, I swear i haven't touched the water in your betta's tank

I didn't attempt to vacume out the gravel b/c the vacume goes so fast in small tanks. I changed about 15% of the water just by scooping it out adnd adding new. first time in months that this fish has had water purposly taken out of its tank