The Betta Tank Cycle? Is It Needed?

[NameUser]

ok hey, i got a betta fish. in a little tank. no filter, no heater.. im changeing the water every other day, about 20 percent water changes, or more if the water looks really cloudy.

well ive got him a new 20 gallon tank, its been set up and running for 3 days now, with bio-support fluids, and bio-clean fluids, heater and filter all running.

should i be waiting for this cycle that seems to be all the rage. lol.

im not making fun or being an idiot.. i just think, okay ive waited a couple days for the tank to settle a bit, and i only somewhat understand that whole cycle thing.. but im wondering how can my 20 gallon tank be any worse for my fish, if he is now in a tank thats cloudy, smaller, colder, and no filter. if anything the smaller tank is not cycled either, and it should be worse for him then the 20 gallon tank right now. No?

as long as i do a weekly 20 percent water change with my 20 gallon tank, shouldnt he be better off?

 

[Honeythorn]

A cycle won't happen without you adding filter bacteria from an established filter,ammonia, or a fish ( not reccommended but considering your description of the betta's current tank it can't be any worse ) I suggest you read the fishless cycling thread thoroughly.

Certainly it can't be any worse than what you have him in now, and why you have in a small unfiltered and unheated tank at all when cheap equipment and large plastic tubs have existed for quite some time is beyond me.

But if the 20 gallon has a GENTLE filter ( like a songe filter, something with a gentle output that won't blow him roundthe tank in the current ) and heater, plenty of soft plants and places to hide, then you should be able to add the betta to it straightaway. If he's the only fish in the 20 gallon then 20% weekly should be fine for a water change, although it would help to do small water changes every 3-4 days for the first couple of weeks as the filter WILL cycle if you have a fish in there producing waste, and you don't want the ammonia to spike.

A cycle ( preferably fishless as it is FAR kinder ) is nesesscary for all fish to have a healthy biological tank environment. Bettas are no different to any other fish and should be treated the same way .

 

[NameUser]

yea thanks. kinda what i figured.

well i have him in the small fish tank cause the fish store said it was okay, and they sell it. silly me (honestly) to believe a person being paid by a large corporation to sell products and assume they're doing whats best and proper for the animals and not for the money.

anyways, got him home. did some reading. realized, hey, i want to give him a better home. so long story short, here i am.

thanks for the info anyways. ive actually responded to another thread that you replied to about getting him some tank mates.. but now im not so sure, seeing as id like to get him in that nice big filtered heated tank sooner then later. and i kinda figured from the start that if i was gonna get some tank mates, i might wanna put them in first, before my betta goes in there and claims everything. lol. little bugger. i just dont want him to die, yet anyways.

 

[newfishy]

a betta can better survive the high ammonia spikes in an uncycled tank better then some other fish, its still not comfortable for them. when I start up a new tank I simpley clone it from an old filter, I take a chunk of used media and jam it in the new filter, feed lightly the first few days and keep an eye on the water stats. I have actualy never had an ammonia or nitrite spike, the levels always stay good for me.

also the way I have extra filter media is I run an extra filter on my 29 gallon at all times, and when I use media to clone I replace it with fresh so I have a never ending supply of healthy media.

 

[Honeythorn]

also the way I have extra filter media is I run an extra filter on my 29 gallon at all times, and when I use media to clone I replace it with fresh so I have a never ending supply of healthy media.

I also do this with a Fluval 1 in my 30 gal. Even with the Eheim running the whole tank it gets REALLY mucky within a month or so. I just either squeeze the sponge over the new media, or switch the sponges so the well used stuff is in the new/spare filter. It always pays to have a spare running in a stocked tank somewhere, you never know when you might need one

 

[juanveldez]

yes a tank that size would have to be cycled, even when my wife was breeding bettas, all of her filters spent time in my cichlid tanks first before going to her betta tanks.

 

[ghent_3rd]

I always clone tanks from others, it is sssoooo much easier and you can add fish into the tanks straight away!