What should i do about my betta fish during winter break

[Navfish]

i am currently a college student that needs to go home for three weeks for winter break. do you guys think i should keep my betta at college w an automatic feeder (issue is water changes) or have a tank set up at home to put him in?
Thoughts?

 

[Colin_T]

Have some live plants in the tank.
Feed him more frequently with a variety of live, frozen and dry food for a few weeks before you leave.
Do more frequent water changes and gravel cleans when feeding more often.
Clean the filter a couple of days before you go.
Have a cover on the tank to stop the fish jumping out and water evaporating.
Have the tank light on a timer to come on for 12-16 hours a day.
Leave him there and he will be fine for 3 weeks if you do the above.

 

[f_luxus]

3 weeks? It's a single betta...
I don't want to treat a fish like a human, but he will be completely alone for this time.
I would take him with me, or find someone that takes care in this time. Easy Betta setup: 4cm Sand, Pearlweed micranthemum sp. or any other fast growing plant. A indian almond tree leave and Phyllanthus fluitans floating plant.
5 gallons tank is enough, more is better
But, you should run it with bacteria starter. I recommend Microbe Lift Nite Out and Special Blend. Special Blend smells like a public toilet, but it helps stabilise the tank.

 

[GaryE]

You've asked a complicated question that will get a variety of answers. People will visualize your tank. Some will imagine a tank with plants, other will see Sponge Bob ornaments. Their answers will reflect that.

If:
your tank is already heavily planted;
your college room is somewhere where they won't turn the heat very low while you're gone;
the Betta is healthy;
the tank is a 35L/10 gallon (or at least a 5 gallon)
and the tank has a good cover to keep evaporation down and temperatures steady...

then he'll probably be fine for 3 weeks. He'll lose some weight, but if he stays at 24c/74f, he should remain fine for that period. At 2 weeks, I'd be confident. 3 is pushing it a bit, but in range.

If you transport him back and forth, then he has the physical stress of that, possible temperature fluctuations and an arrival in an uncycled tank with possibly different water chemistry. He is an air breather, so he can handle water differences slightly better. The cycling products @f_luxus suggests aren't going to be available to you in the US, as he/she is in the EU.

 

[Magnum Man]

is it possible to find a friend that could care for the fish while you are gone ( a chance to get someone else interested in the hobby ) even if things didn't go well, transporting it, also has risks

 

[gwand]

Did you think about this issue before buying the fish?

 

[f_luxus]

The cycling products @f_luxus suggests aren't going to be available to you in the US, as he/she is in the EU.

I always thought Microbe Lift is from the United States

Another solution could be, to buy some Neocaridina shrimps. They usually spawn after 2 weeks and their babys are a good food and activity for your betta. Otherwise, if you find someone that feeds your fish 3-4x during vacation it seems to be the easiest way.
Buy him a medical box and portion the right amount of food for every feeding day.

Good luck

 

[Navfish]

You've asked a complicated question that will get a variety of answers. People will visualize your tank. Some will imagine a tank with plants, other will see Sponge Bob ornaments. Their answers will reflect that.

If:
your tank is already heavily planted;
your college room is somewhere where they won't turn the heat very low while you're gone;
the Betta is healthy;
the tank is a 35L/10 gallon (or at least a 5 gallon)
and the tank has a good cover to keep evaporation down and temperatures steady...

then he'll probably be fine for 3 weeks. He'll lose some weight, but if he stays at 24c/74f, he should remain fine for that period. At 2 weeks, I'd be confident. 3 is pushing it a bit, but in range.

If you transport him back and forth, then he has the physical stress of that, possible temperature fluctuations and an arrival in an uncycled tank with possibly different water chemistry. He is an air breather, so he can handle water differences slightly better. The cycling products @f_luxus suggests aren't going to be available to you in the US, as he/she is in the EU.

Here is a pic of my tank. Its a 5 gallon tank with all live plants and there is a heater and i also have a smart light plug to monitor lighting and an automatice feeder (i havent used it yet since i manually feed)

 

[Navfish]

3 weeks? It's a single betta...
I don't want to treat a fish like a human, but he will be completely alone for this time.
I would take him with me, or find someone that takes care in this time. Easy Betta setup: 4cm Sand, Pearlweed micranthemum sp. or any other fast growing plant. A indian almond tree leave and Phyllanthus fluitans floating plant.
5 gallons tank is enough, more is better
But, you should run it with bacteria starter. I recommend Microbe Lift Nite Out and Special Blend. Special Blend smells like a public toilet, but it helps stabilise the tank.

i was thinking that…i have fish tanks at home that arent currently in use. I could use some gravel and some live plants and make a temporary tank and do water changes frequently.

or i have the option of draining all the water of my tank but keeping it moist for plants and saran wrapping the lid. then putting it in the box it came in and transport that home so i wont need to redo the cycle. But idk if would work in terms of ruining bb. Any thought?

 

[f_luxus]

i wont need to redo the cycle

If the gravel stays moist, there should be enough bacteria surviving. That's no problem. You can fill the dry aquarium with blown up plastic bag, so the gravel will not change place so much. Wrap the tank it in foil to avoid scratches and watch it the first days if water is draining somewhere. Moving is always a risk for damage, even with small tanks.

General thoughts regarding "the cycle":
It's not only nitrobacter et al that is important. If nitrate would be the only problem, you could give a bit NaCl to the water and be save. Imagine the microfauna as a microbiome, that means a closed biological system that needs to do several adjustments to find some kind of balance. If you do something, that balance can be disturbed, but the stronger the balance is, the less you should worry about that. If you have a stable tank, he will easily "survive" the movement.

 

[Navfish]

If the gravel stays moist, there should be enough bacteria surviving. That's no problem. You can fill the dry aquarium with blown up plastic bag, so the gravel will not change place so much. Wrap the tank it in foil to avoid scratches and watch it the first days if water is draining somewhere. Moving is always a risk for damage, even with small tanks.

General thoughts regarding "the cycle":
It's not only nitrobacter et al that is important. If nitrate would be the only problem, you could give a bit NaCl to the water and be save. Imagine the microfauna as a microbiome, that means a closed biological system that needs to do several adjustments to find some kind of balance. If you do something, that balance can be disturbed, but the stronger the balance is, the less you should worry about that. If you have a stable tank, he will easily "survive" the movement.

i think the tank will be fine with transportation due to the fact that the orginal boxing is intact w the foam blocks inside it. I have another question regarding the filter media, Should I bring it in a plastic bag w water from fish tank so it doesnt dry out?

 

[f_luxus]

Should I bring it in a plastic bag w water from fish tank so it doesnt dry out?

No, it should be moist, but with air. Before you put it back, clean the sponge in some water.
Otherwise you could have ammonia or nitrate peaks from eventually dieing microfauna in your filter material. There is enough nitrobacter and whatever in the gravel.
With one single betta, i would not use a filter at all. My betta tanks run all without filter.

 

[Back in the fold]

Take him with you . He can live in a gallon jar for a while .

 

[anewbie]

Best solution; find a cat.