New & trying my best

[Bubblegum]

Today we got our first betta.

I say "we" because it's really my daughters pet, but I'll be doing all the work to take care of it since she has just turned five.

I tried to do my research before we did this. I've had community tanks before (decades ago,) and I want to do right by the fish.

She chose a blue and red veil tail and named it Bubblegum. We have it in a 5 gallon filtered tank with a heater and the water temp is 78. I bought the tank ahead of time and set it up and let it run for a day.

Impetuously, we purchased a yellow apple snail to go in the tank with the betta. I realize this is going to cause its own trouble as they're dirty little buggers. There seems to be mixed opinions on whether bettas get along with them.

Bubblegum is charming and seems spirited. We had his light on and the room light out and he flared at his reflection. Beautiful fish. I'll post a pic later.

My first question is: what sort of water changing schedule would you expect in a setup like this? I was thinking once/week but poking around it seems it might not be enough. Especially with the snail.

Thanks.

[Bubblegum]

...aaaaaaand the water is cloudy after just 16 hours after adding the fish. Something isn't right here. I've set out a bucket of water, but I'm thinking of evicting the snail already.

EDIT: Looking around online I think I've found my answers...tank is cycling and I didn't rinse the filter cartiridges. I'll keep an eye on it for a couple days.

[Romad]

Originally Posted by Bubblegum

...aaaaaaand the water is cloudy after just 16 hours after adding the fish. Something isn't right here. I've set out a bucket of water, but I'm thinking of evicting the snail already.

EDIT: Looking around online I think I've found my answers...tank is cycling and I didn't rinse the filter cartiridges. I'll keep an eye on it for a couple days.

Is this a used tank? You shouldn't have cloudy water with a new setup and one fish and snail.

Welcome to the forum. Bubblegum has a great name :)

[Bubblegum]

Brand new tank
Posted via Mobile Device

[Sena Hansler]

Sometimes in a new tank, cloudy water is just bacteria establishing itself. It should go away, even though it looks bad at first. I've found this with 5 gallons, 3 gallons, and especially with smaller containments. I wouldn't bother with it, it'll settle itself.

[Bubblegum]

That's what I'm hoping - and hoping it's not too hard on the fish.

Thanks for the reassurance. I am a big fan of hobby forums like this and sharing information.

[tpocicat]

Cloudy water looks bad to us, but remember, most fish live in murky water. I'm not saying our bettas are anywhere near a wild fish, but murky water doesn't bother them near as much as it bothers us.

[Sena Hansler]

No problem Bubblegum - that's what we are here for! Same with algae too - it looks bad, but really green algae is good for fish (asides from stuff like black hair algae which really is a pain)

[Romad]

Originally Posted by Sena Hansler

Sometimes in a new tank, cloudy water is just bacteria establishing itself. It should go away, even though it looks bad at first. I've found this with 5 gallons, 3 gallons, and especially with smaller containments. I wouldn't bother with it, it'll settle itself.

That's interesting to hear. I've set up a boatload of betta tanks over the years - the largest being 5 gallons and I've never seen cloudy water.

It must have something to do with the tap water I guess.

I'm glad that this is normal and that Bubblegum has nothing to worry about :)

[Sena Hansler]

Yeah I think it has to do with the taps I've used ones that have NO filters, or attachments (heads, spouts, whatever you call them) on it, and it'll usually go cloudy, for smaller tanks. No idea why o_O but it is not dangerous Luckily! First betta I had, got cloudy water and it worried me.