Hey everyone. Im new to the forum here and new to the betta world. I have had bettas when I was too young to care for them, but since then I have had no marine life experience. I currently have a Betta (and have had for a few weeks now) and he is living in a bowl that is approx. half a gallon. I am only keeping him here until I can go retrieve my 10 and 20 gallon tanks from my brothers house. I have been doing water changes (about 40%) every 2-3 days and I just washed the bowl entirely today. I assume that he is happy in his new home. He has been building a bubble nest for the past few days thats was growing impressive in size until i washed his bowl.
First question:
I purchased a few 1 gallon plastic containers to store treated and aged water in so that when it comes time to do a water change I don't have to prep any water. It is tap water that I treated with drops from the pet store, let stand for over 24 hours with the lid off, then sealed up and set aside. Is this acceptable?
Second question, tank setup:
Filter-
I plan on using the 10 gallon tank as his permanent living quarters once I get it. The idea was to used stained glass pebbles as the substrate with artificial silk plants and a few caves. Is there a specific filer you would recommend for a tank of this size that is only inhabiting a betta? From what I had read I was thinking to use a medium sized sponge filter and introduce a few shrimp and snails to help with the clean up.
Heater-
I have read that some people like to use 2 heaters set on lower settings in opposite ends of the tank to limit temperature extremes in certain locations. I live in southern VA so it can get quite cold in the winter and I dont intend on keeping the apartment at 80.
Additional animals-
I was unsure of whether or not I wanted to add other fish to the setup but I thought some shrimp or snails would be cool and help with the betta poo.
Transitioning-
What is the best way to move a betta from place to place (bowl to bowl). When cleaning his bowl I gently poured him into another bowl that already had some of his water in it. When adding and removing water from his bowl I have been using a cut down air pump hose to siphon water back and forth below the surface to minimize splashing and currents. When I do move him to his tank should I submerge his bowl in the tank as if it were a bag and use the gradual introduction idea?
Sorry for the long first post, I just want to get everything right and make sure that everything I have done so far has be adequate.
Thanks alot
~mac
Here is what I have him in right now. It measures about 6" in diameter and his water level is at about 5.5"
First question:
I purchased a few 1 gallon plastic containers to store treated and aged water in so that when it comes time to do a water change I don't have to prep any water. It is tap water that I treated with drops from the pet store, let stand for over 24 hours with the lid off, then sealed up and set aside. Is this acceptable?
Second question, tank setup:
Filter-
I plan on using the 10 gallon tank as his permanent living quarters once I get it. The idea was to used stained glass pebbles as the substrate with artificial silk plants and a few caves. Is there a specific filer you would recommend for a tank of this size that is only inhabiting a betta? From what I had read I was thinking to use a medium sized sponge filter and introduce a few shrimp and snails to help with the clean up.
Heater-
I have read that some people like to use 2 heaters set on lower settings in opposite ends of the tank to limit temperature extremes in certain locations. I live in southern VA so it can get quite cold in the winter and I dont intend on keeping the apartment at 80.
Additional animals-
I was unsure of whether or not I wanted to add other fish to the setup but I thought some shrimp or snails would be cool and help with the betta poo.
Transitioning-
What is the best way to move a betta from place to place (bowl to bowl). When cleaning his bowl I gently poured him into another bowl that already had some of his water in it. When adding and removing water from his bowl I have been using a cut down air pump hose to siphon water back and forth below the surface to minimize splashing and currents. When I do move him to his tank should I submerge his bowl in the tank as if it were a bag and use the gradual introduction idea?
Sorry for the long first post, I just want to get everything right and make sure that everything I have done so far has be adequate.
Thanks alot
~mac
Here is what I have him in right now. It measures about 6" in diameter and his water level is at about 5.5"