Unfiltered tanks

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Squeakybetta

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I have a female betta who is currently living in an unfiltered/heated 2.5 gallon. I do 100% water changes twice a week.

I belong to another online betta community that basically says unfiltered is abuse and their care sheet specifies a 5 gallon heated/filtered tank as a bare minimum.

Anyone here maintain an unfiltered tank long term? Tips/tricks?

I am looking to upgrade from the 2.5 but do love the simplicity of a quick water change right now. I have added a pic of her current home. The white dot is just a weird reflection from the flash. 15790600099755164821406471494724.jpg
 
Hello and welcome to the forum. I kept my Betta in a 5 gallon, heated and filtered tank. You could use a simple sponge filter-not too expensive. Live plants would also help filter the water, floating plants like hornwort are good at absorbing ammonia. Moss balls absorb nitrate and Betta seem to like them. Water changes are good-are you using a water conditioner for the chlorine when you do the changes?
 
I’m afraid that I have to agree that a betta should be in at least a 5 gallon tank with a heater set at 80F and a sponge filter. Are you aware of the aquarium nitrogen cycle? Please read this. https://www.fishforums.net/threads/cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first.421488/. The tank needs to be cycled. Do you have a test kit? It’s important to know what the ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and PH are.

Yes to all of the above. My plan was a cycled 5 gallon but found this forum randomly and read the care sheet here.

Might be an idea to update it to reflect what you have said.
 
Hello and welcome to the forum. I kept my Betta in a 5 gallon, heated and filtered tank. You could use a simple sponge filter-not too expensive. Live plants would also help filter the water, floating plants like hornwort are good at absorbing ammonia. Moss balls absorb nitrate and Betta seem to like them. Water changes are good-are you using a water conditioner for the chlorine when you do the changes?

Yes, of course. I use API StressCoat for water conditioner but have used Prime as well.
 
You need to get sponge filter, its very cheap about 3$
 
The betta communities can be really difficult and judgemental, here every seems very nice and helpful. I once talked at length with my pet shop owner(small independent animal loving pet shop owner who wasn’t trying to sell me a fish) who said that they tried all different settups when breeding betta including heated, filtered tanks and the greatest success they had was very small, unfiltered tanks with partial water changes every single day. Keeping a happy long lived pet is different to keeping thousands of betta fry alive until they can be sold though.
 
Yes to all of the above. My plan was a cycled 5 gallon but found this forum randomly and read the care sheet here.

Might be an idea to update it to reflect what you have said.
Yes I agree your setup adheres to the TFF Betta Splendens Caresheet.
It is a good suggestion to update it, it contains some poor advice.
BTW, your betta is gorgeous!
 
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Yes I agree your setup adheres to the TFF Betta Splendens Caresheet.
It is a good suggestion to update it, it contains some poor advice.
BTW, your betta is gorgeous!
Thank you.. She has a great personality too!
 
I rarely enter a Betta thread, but the title caught my attention and I would like to offer some comments on the issue of filters.

From the photo of your Betta (a beauty) and tank, I would leave well enough alone. There is no need for a filter in this tank. I am assuming it is heated, I see a heater in the right rear corner. I would suggest some live floating plants; the plants in the photo appear to be artificial (?) and there is nothing wrong with that, but live floating plants are quite beneficial. Your water change schedule is fine, though live floating plants and a larger (5 gallon) tank would mean only one water change per week required, and it could be less than 100% which would avoid removing the fish every time which I assume you must be doing.

I read the Betta Care Sheet and see nothing amiss there so far as filtration and temperature are concerned. I had a 10g tank running for over a year with no filter, just a heater. It had live plants and groups of pygmy cories (11) and dwarf rasbora (Boraras brigittae, 12) and received a 70% water change once a week. This was something of an experiment, and it became clear that provided the tank is biologically balanced, has live plants including lots of floating plants, and receives a substantial weekly partial water change, there is no need for a filter as far as clean water/bacteria is concerned. The bacteria colonize the substrate and even in tanks with filters theree are more bacteria in thee substrate than the filter and the substrate bacteria are the most important for a healthy biological system. The filter can keep the water clear, crystal clear; but this has no impact on the fish per say. I added a sponge filter to my 10g after the year, and it did make the water clearer. And the filter obviously is the source of water currents (beyond the normal thermal currents that are active in any healthy aquarium) which may or may not be necessary depending upon the fish species. A Betta does not need, and does not appreciate, water currents. The "playing in bubble streams" is a very different thing and not indicative that these fish like water currents.
 
Yes I agree your setup adheres to the TFF Betta Splendens Caresheet.
It is a good suggestion to update it, it contains some poor advice.
BTW, your betta is gorgeous!
Please bring this up to the bard.
 
Yes I agree your setup adheres to the TFF Betta Splendens Caresheet.
It is a good suggestion to update it, it contains some poor advice.
BTW, your betta is gorgeous!
I brought your comment to the boards attention. Thank you.
Yes to all of the above. My plan was a cycled 5 gallon but found this forum randomly and read the care sheet here.

Might be an idea to update it to reflect what you have said.
Thank you for the suggestion. I have brought it to the Boards attention. :)
 
have some floating plants in the container to use any ammonia that is produced, and do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate 4-8 hours after feeding to help remove ammonia..
 
I rarely enter a Betta thread, but the title caught my attention and I would like to offer some comments on the issue of filters.

From the photo of your Betta (a beauty) and tank, I would leave well enough alone. There is no need for a filter in this tank. I am assuming it is heated, I see a heater in the right rear corner. I would suggest some live floating plants; the plants in the photo appear to be artificial (?) and there is nothing wrong with that, but live floating plants are quite beneficial. Your water change schedule is fine, though live floating plants and a larger (5 gallon) tank would mean only one water change per week required, and it could be less than 100% which would avoid removing the fish every time which I assume you must be doing.

I read the Betta Care Sheet and see nothing amiss there so far as filtration and temperature are concerned. I had a 10g tank running for over a year with no filter, just a heater. It had live plants and groups of pygmy cories (11) and dwarf rasbora (Boraras brigittae, 12) and received a 70% water change once a week. This was something of an experiment, and it became clear that provided the tank is biologically balanced, has live plants including lots of floating plants, and receives a substantial weekly partial water change, there is no need for a filter as far as clean water/bacteria is concerned. The bacteria colonize the substrate and even in tanks with filters theree are more bacteria in thee substrate than the filter and the substrate bacteria are the most important for a healthy biological system. The filter can keep the water clear, crystal clear; but this has no impact on the fish per say. I added a sponge filter to my 10g after the year, and it did make the water clearer. And the filter obviously is the source of water currents (beyond the normal thermal currents that are active in any healthy aquarium) which may or may not be necessary depending upon the fish species. A Betta does not need, and does not appreciate, water currents. The "playing in bubble streams" is a very different thing and not indicative that these fish like water currents.


Thank you! I actually joined a group that is affiliated with the IBC. They do not encourage filters either. Much like you have said, bettas don't appreciate water movement and surface agitation can make surface breathing trickier than needed. Planted, heated, unfiltered is preferred

And to clarify - you are correct. She has a heater and silk plants right now :)
 

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