Temperature, Food, Lighting Etc.

[halfpass]

Yesterday I officially became a fish owner. I got my first betta, Alphi (al-fee). I know next to nothing about fish so my brother got me set up. Now I have some questions:

My betta is in a two gallon (Waterhome 2) aquarium tank with that bright coloured gravel in the bottom and two small silk plants in the corner. I read that bettas need fresh air so have the top of the tank propped open with a gob of stickey tack (don't worry, he can't jump out, it's only about 1/2 inch). This looks kinda stupid but I didn't want to sufficate the poor guy. My bedroom is pretty cold... the tank gets down to 66F at night but in the day it's up to 72F with my desk lamp on. I'm feeding him a pinch of Nutrafin Max Betta Food in the evening and some freeze dried blood worms in the morning. I don't have a filter. I use Betta Plus/ Aqua Plus to get the chlorine etc. out and Nutrafin Fish Bowl Cleaner. The water is a bit cloudy though.

1. Should I invest in a heater?
2. Can I close the lid? The tank cover has two holes in the back for cords. What if I was to use a hot pin and melt some more holes in the lid? How much air does a betta need?
3. Is his food okay?
4. Are the tank chemicals okay?
5. How much light should he have a day? Are the Marina LED lights okay? Would they be bright enough? I don't really want to use my desk lamp since I really need it at my desk.
6. How much plants, ornaments etc. are too much?
7. Is there anything else wrong with my tank?

 

[tnhowery]

1. Should I invest in a heater? Yes
2. Can I close the lid? The tank cover has two holes in the back for cords. What if I was to use a hot pin and melt some more holes in the lid? How much air does a betta need? Close it there will be enough air getting in.
3. Is his food okay? Yes
4. Are the tank chemicals okay? Yes
5. How much light should he have a day? Are the Marina LED lights okay? Would they be bright enough? I don't really want to use my desk lamp since I really need it at my desk. 12hrs
6. How much plants, ornaments etc. are too much? Dont go overboard but some are ok.
7. Is there anything else wrong with my tank? Not that i can see.

 

[stang1]

Congratulations on your first fish.
First thing to do is buy a water test kit to check that your ammonia, nitrate, nitrite and PH are ok. It is definitely worth buying a heater as Bettas prefer a temperature of about 25-28C, if the water is too cold they will become ill.
It would be worth adding a couple of plants and an ornament so the little fella has somewhere to hide. As for feeding I would only give him bloodworms a couple of times a week as they are quite a rich food. Feeding him flakes once or twice a day is fine.
I also wouldn't worry about adding more holes, as long as he can get to the surface to breathe then he will be fine.

 

[halfpass]

Sooo, I get myself a heater. There is one made by Hagen (Elite 25W). Is that small enough for a 2 gallon tank or will I end up with fish and chip?

Lid is now closed

Blood worms are more of a treat then? I've heard flakes can give them constipation. Does it matter that the blood worms are freeze dried? They don't really seem to have much substance.

Chemicals will remain the same. I'll ask my brother to test the water for me.

Does it matter how bright the light is? Are the little LED ones okay?

Horray I can decorate!!!

 

[stang1]

A 25w heater should be fine, just keep an eye on it.
Fish flakes are fine as long as you don't overfeed, bloodworm is a bit of a treat.
Get your brother to test your water as soon as possible, if the tank hasn't been cycled then it could cause problems.
If you are using real plants then you will need proper lighting, if not you could probably get away with some LED ones.

 

[liz2]

It could be the gravel making the water cloudy. Congrats you are doing your best for the little fella!

 

[matty101]

Seems like your doing a good job. An opinion on those 7 questions you asked earlier:

1) Yes definately. You won't need the assistant of a light, if it was providing heat. It also helps with those chilly nights that I have as well.

2) He needs about 1-2 inches off the top for enough air. I can't tell form the picture whether it's enough or not but it looks to be sufficient.

3) Food could be better. Use Hikari Betta- Bio Gold Baby Pellets and he'll love you everytime you feed him. Feed him bloodworms only one day a week as a treat. You may or not want to leave a day of fasting during the weak, which is a day they don't eat.

4) Yup. I use those as well. It does helps heal fins too and that's why I'm using that.

5) I'd give them about 8-12 hours and leave it off at night. Marina LED lights are great choices.

6) When you can't see the betta at first sight, that's too many . To your setup, you could possibly add 3-4 moe plants of medium to long length and that will also give the betta a nice hiding spot or two.

7) Doesn't look like it. I personally dont use gravel because it's a mess to siphon (gets stuck in the tube too much) and you can't really tell how dirty your tank is. With an empty bottom, or clear glass beads, you usually tell how dirty the tank is and predict when to siphon and what not.

 

[halfpass]

I got him two more plants but bushier ones and I grouped them all in one corner to give him some private space. He kept trying to catch my fingers when I was setting up the plants I think that's good... he's inquisitive... or stupid. I got him a 25W heater... he seems to like it.

If I leave my blinds open during the day, would that be enough light. The tank is at the opposite side of the room as the window which is firmly shut in winter (10-12ft away)?

I don't want to feed him something baaaad for him but if it's not the best that's okay too. He seems to like the flakes better than the blood worms and that suits me just fine. I may skip a day of food a week... though he sure does like his meals.

Is it normal for thier top fins to droop? His goes up sometimes but mostly it lays on his back.

Also, aquard question, my brother's platies poop constantly in like little poo tubes. I don't see any of that with my betta. What does betta poo look like? I want to make sure the food is going through him afterall

Thanks everybody for your advice so far. I think Alphi really appreciates it too.

 

[stang1]

If you've got real plants then you will need proper lighting or there is a chance the plant will die and pollute your water. I learnt this from experience.
It's perfectly normal for his fin to droop, you'll notice when he flares that he'll spread all his fins out and give you a nice display!
As for fish poop, it looks like a little piece of string.

 

[halfpass]

My plants are fake. They are some kind of fabric...

How often should the water be changed in a 2 Gallon tank? If the cloudyness is just dust from the gravel (which I think it is since it got worse since I messed up the gravel to put the new rocks in) is that okay as long as the pH and stuff is okay? How exactly to you clean the tank? I've heard that you take the betta out and I've heard that you leave the betta in but only take out a certain portion of the water.

Can anybody tell me what kind he is? Actually is it even a male... I just kinda assumed...

 

[stang1]

You'll need to get a picture of him close up to find out what type he is.
How long has the tank been set up? The cloudiness coul be from the gravel but could also be caused by it not being cycled yet.
To be honest I'm not sure how often to change the water on a filterless tank. Mine have filters and I do a water change every week. I change about 10-15% of mine but I think it may be a bit more for yours. Hopefully someone else will be able to help you out on that one.
I keep my Bettas in the tank when I do a water change. I use a small gravel vac or siphon to clean the tank and it doesn't seem to bother my little fellas. If anything they get curious and come and have a peek at what I'm doing!

 

[halfpass]

The tank has been set up for 4 days and with a better for 2&1/2. It only got really cloudy when I started messing with the gravel to put the plants in (once when I got the betta and once today).

 

[stang1]

Hopefully your water stats will be fine but it generally takes about 2 weeks for a tank to cycle. Please have your water checked as soon as possible. It's well worth investing in a test kit so you can check your water on a fairly regular basis, it'll give you peace of mind as well.

 

[matty101]

just make sure evrything is low and you'll be fine...don't worry too much about cycling..it just happens with water changes and stuff

stang, dont mean to put you down, but try not to bog the kid with tons of info about cycling and stuff. Just let the tank go, tell him about the nitrites and nitrates and ammonia and such but dont tell him about cycling ingeneral. That may and probably already has confused him. Look at my 10g for example. I knew about cycling but didn't even test my waters. It's six months later and I treat it the same way I would back when I got it and all the fish are fine.

Halfpass, just make sure that there isn't serious direct sunlight because that'll creae algae on the side of your tank. Only do this untill you have the Marina LED light. Fake plants obviously don't need light, or that I know of , and light on for 8-12 hours gives them enough light for the day.

Hoep it helped

 

[little_betta_boy]

I Think it would be a good idea to invest in your own test kit. They're not cheap so you shouldn't waste your brothers money!!

Ahaha..

SiMoN