okay my daughter is doing AP Enviro. (homeschooled) and even though i swore i would never get another beta (even got rid of the tanks and stuff) after bubbles died (he was 5 and we were VERY close) i now own another beta...(and yes we're buddy's)
..
here's the thing i can't do weekly water changes due to the stupid experiment. we test his ('fins'gerald) water 2x a week and can only do minimal water changes .. he has a plant (as you can see) and so far so good...
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what is the minimum i can change in is water to keep him healthy?
and what type of food can i feed him (worms make me feel sick, so nothing icky or live) .. he is VERY happy he even make a bubble nest ...
..
oh and would he be insulted if i removed his bubble nest? or should i just leave it.
That does depend on the size of the tank he is currently in, if a bowl you have to do tank/bowl changes at least 2-3x a week to maintain good health. If he is in a 2-3 gallon tank it has to be wkly, not for experimentation purposes to maintain good health. And to use a water conditioner that is a must as well. As for food Pellets is great, 2-3 pellets 2-3x a day would be fine. It would be best to use a pellet specially formulated for bettas, and Omega one is preferred.
okay my daughter is doing AP Enviro. (homeschooled) and even though i swore i would never get another beta (even got rid of the tanks and stuff) after bubbles died (he was 5 and we were VERY close) i now own another beta...(and yes we're buddy's)
..
here's the thing i can't do weekly water changes due to the stupid experiment. we test his ('fins'gerald) water 2x a week and can only do minimal water changes .. he has a plant (as you can see) and so far so good...
--
what is the minimum i can change in is water to keep him healthy?
and what type of food can i feed him (worms make me feel sick, so nothing icky or live) .. he is VERY happy he even make a bubble nest ...
..
oh and would he be insulted if i removed his bubble nest? or should i just leave it.
How big? Is it heated? Does it have a filter? IMO, a Betta should not be in anything less than a heated, filtered 5g tank, I prefer a 10g but I know most people won't go that size for a single Betta. In any case, he should NOT be being used as an experiment, that is very disheartening to hear. As for food, I feed mine Top Fin Betta Bits & everyone eats with no problems. I also feed frozen blood worms one day a week, frozen Brine shrimp on another day, fasting them on Fridays.
he's safe and no harm will come him.. it's all about plant filtration
shellieca i AGREE on the experiment thing.. trust me this little guy is in a good home (last one lived 5 years) the experiment is just measuring how much the plant filters the water - and i'm impressed and will use live plants from now on actually!
i have a 1 gal bowl right now..(SOB) for the 4 weeks of experiment then i have my eye on a nice filtration system for my baby... i will say that live plants really do a great filtration job (actually better then my old 5 gal)
THANK YOU for the input.. and again ..
.don't worry he's in a good home - no harm will be done to any pet a homeschooler adopts...we like pets/kids/nature/etc...
(all the little betas that were adopted are in good homes (10 in total throughout the US), homeschoolers adopt many pets for 'science' and all live very long and healthy lives ... (we sort of as a group seem to be the 'adopt and care for type')
-- i actually know a family who adopted a dog to help with psychology (training/response) and trust me that dog is VERY happy. .. i think we just look for reasons to adopt pets..
That does depend on the size of the tank he is currently in, if a bowl you have to do tank/bowl changes at least 2-3x a week to maintain good health. If he is in a 2-3 gallon tank it has to be wkly, not for experimentation purposes to maintain good health. And to use a water conditioner that is a must as well. As for food Pellets is great, 2-3 pellets 2-3x a day would be fine. It would be best to use a pellet specially formulated for bettas, and Omega one is preferred.
he's in a bowl, but happy (for now )
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the experiment is on the effectiveness of plants to clean water (and it's working great)
we have gold pellets now but want him happy while he's confined to the baby 1.5 gal bowl
..
now the hard part... i'd like to keep him a bit warmer (any heaters for bowls?) his water temp is 'ok' but could be a tad warmer.
..
oh and the plant had a snail on it .. what do i do about the snail? it's tiny.. ICK
That is very reassuring, Thanks for explaining that, I was dismayed too, but as long as they are being taken care of, I hope all goes well, and Yes, plants are great for natural filtration.
he's in a bowl, but happy (for now )
..
the experiment is on the effectiveness of plants to clean water (and it's working great)
we have gold pellets now but want him happy while he's confined to the baby 1.5 gal bowl
..
now the hard part... i'd like to keep him a bit warmer (any heaters for bowls?) his water temp is 'ok' but could be a tad warmer.
..
oh and the plant had a snail on it .. what do i do about the snail? it's tiny.. ICK
There are heaters that are suitable for 1gallon bowls, and they are round, and go under the gravel, if you are using any..and from what I hear they work fine, but as long as you are monoriting the temp, with a thermometer to watch for those flucuations, those ones work well. Aww..you found a snail, I would keep it, and put in another 1 gal bowl, they are cute.
if i leave it where it is will it hurt finsgerald?
soon as i saw your post, i realized i forgot to say the experiment was to 'prove' the effectiveness of plants on the environment. her teachers is really into long term environmental social change...
it's killing me not doing a water change...but checking it and it's 100% stable!
he's happily building another bubble nest (i think he hated that pet store) ... or we're engaged not sure which (we do spend lots of time 'talking')
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would this work http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...uctId=12315584
week one tests show 100% stable tank, no ammonia, perfect ph/nitrates etc.. NO WATER CHANGE ..if you look at the photo there is a lot of plant in tere for a 1 gal bowl, and it is doing an amazing job... might need to give the plant a bit more light...
- finsgerald has blown his second bubble nest... little guy works all night to make them.
i did take out the poop and stuff at the bottom (most from the fish store bag) but i put all the water back that came out with it.
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he's safe and no harm will come him.. it's all about plant filtration
shellieca i AGREE on the experiment thing.. trust me this little guy is in a good home (last one lived 5 years) the experiment is just measuring how much the plant filters the water - and i'm impressed and will use live plants from now on actually!
)
