I would never recommend cycling with a betta because they are so prone to fin rot from poor water quality.
I've done 4 tanks with absolutely no loss of life or problems. If the person tests the water like they're supposed to & does the necessary water changes it'll be successful. It's a matter of personal preference & level of commitment.
Yep. Like I said I would never recommend it - it's a chance I'd rather not take with my own fish, especially when there are safer alternatives. But to each his own.
._. im scurred -- I am prone to being clumsy sometimes so.. I do not trust myself with this very much, the kit I saw the cheapest is around 40E and It will take me a bit till I can spare that kind of money. Any chance I can just have a filter a tank and not have it cycled?
I mean that is how my fish lived so far in uncycled, unfiltered 2 gallon tanks, or is it a MUST for filtered tanks.
I don't really care about doing water changes. Even daily. weekly, bi-weekly, anything.
Sure - just continue doing water changes just like you did before you had a filter. It's probably best to just remove the filter if you're not gonna cycle the tank - with a filter in there the tank will be constantly trying to cycle and if you're not on top of the ammonia you could start getting nitrites in the water as well. You really don't need a filter in a betta tank if you are not gonna cycle it.
No matter if the tank has a filter or not, your goal is to have Zero readable ammonia and/or nitrites in the tank at all times.
The tank will cycle with a filter whether you try to cycle it or not if there's an ammonia source & if you want the fish to survive you're going to have to do water changes. without a filter ammonia builds up & you'll have to do more frequent water changes because there's nothing processing it out. A cycled tank means that the ammonia & nitrites are being processed out & making the water safe for the inhabitants meaning typically less frequent water changes. I went from water changes every 2-3 days with my fish IN cycle to weekly. Having fish & keeping them healthy means water changes so if you don't like doing them you chose the wrong hobby. I had the unfiltered containers & I much prefer filtered.
I also prefer a cycled tank (note that there is a difference between filtered and cycled) - it makes life much easier. But if you're going to cycle it then you have to be patient and diligent and you have to test your water often. And it is more humane to do a fishless cycle whenever possible, or to find a source of the correct bacteria to jump start the process if you absolutely must cycle using fish.
If you do decide to cycle the tank note that you should not replace your filter cartridge/media or you will destroy the cycle. This is the #1 reason that people may have a filtered tank that is not cycled.
The tank will cycle with a filter whether you try to cycle it or not if there's an ammonia source & if you want the fish to survive you're going to have to do water changes. without a filter ammonia builds up & you'll have to do more frequent water changes because there's nothing processing it out. A cycled tank means that the ammonia & nitrites are being processed out & making the water safe for the inhabitants meaning typically less frequent water changes. I went from water changes every 2-3 days with my fish IN cycle to weekly. Having fish & keeping them healthy means water changes so if you don't like doing them you chose the wrong hobby. I had the unfiltered containers & I much prefer filtered.
I do not mind water changes. I can do them daily no problem if I needed to. I did mention that I do not mind it at all. I'm just wondering if my filter can just be there while I just act like if the tank wasn't filtered at all.
Seeing that it's going to cycle itself and I do not want the filter to go to waste I will try to cycle it, however, it will have to wait till I get the water testing kit. I'll just stick to my regular 50% water change, 70% then 100% weekly.
Last edited by asukabetta; 11-04-2012 at 11:01 AM.
I do not mind water changes. I can do them daily no problem if I needed to. I did mention that I do not mind it at all. I'm just wondering if my filter can just be there while I just act like if the tank wasn't filtered at all.
Seeing that it's going to cycle itself and I do not want the filter to go to waste I will try to cycle it, however, it will have to wait till I get the water testing kit. I'll just stick to my regular 50% water change, 70% then 100% weekly.
My apologies if that line came across badly, wasn't my intention. When doing a fish IN cycle you are in a sense acting as if there was no filter because you want to keep the water parameters safe for the fish.
My apologies if that line came across badly, wasn't my intention. When doing a fish IN cycle you are in a sense acting as if there was no filter because you want to keep the water parameters safe for the fish.
no worries XD I know it wasn't your intention thanks for your replies I do appreciate them :D always nice learning from more exp people.
Doing a fish in cycle is all about checking the levels everyday, doing water changes as needed for your size tank and keeping a notebook and write it all down even when you do water changes write it down, levels write it down, this makes it so much easier to keep up with. I did a fish in cycle with my 5 gallon and kept a notebook, another good thing to use it Prime conditioner since it detoxifies anything for 48 hours. The API Master water kit is also a must to do this safely and check levels. A gravel vac is worth its weight in gold and mine only cost 7 dollars.
Check out the eBook Betta Fish Care Made Easy
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