Hey, I got my first betta a few days ago and have some questions about the temperature and cleaning methods for my tank. Right now, I have a .75 gallon tank. I know this is too small, and am planning to upgrade to 2 gallons in the near future.
First of all, what temperature would you guys consider for water to be too warm? I have a small heater for my tank, but when I leave it in I found that the water reached 86+ degrees. Is this much too warm for a betta? I like my room to be fairly cold, so if I remove the heater the temperature would probably be around 69-75 degrees. Would it be better to have it too warm or too cold? I'm hesitant to cycle having it on and off. I can't guarantee being able to turn it on and off when needed, and don't want to stress my fish with temperature changes.
Secondly, how should I go about cleaning the tank? I was thinking 90% water change once a week. I was thinking to move all water to a separate container, wash everything, fill the tank with the new treated water, and put some of the old water back in. Would this be okay? Is it acceptable to wipe the tank with paper towel and rinse it out?
Thanks in advance for the advice. Once again, I'm planning to upgrade to a 2 gallon in the coming weeks!
thats nice for for the fish. i live in a dorm and the power goes out every night at ten thirty and comes back on at 5 and i have a betta in a five gallon with a heater and filter and hood light he stays between 75 to 80 degrees during the day and he is a happy healthy betta even with the power going out and the water temperature changes.and i thing with a two gallon you should only do a 50% water ghange once a week. and papertowel wipedown and rinse out works perfectly i do it too. old water and new is not as stressful as all new. hope this helps!!! good luck
If I were you, I would do 100% water changes every 2-3 days until you can get him into a cycled tank. As long as the water parameters (pH and nitrates) are the same, they won't stress him--after all, they do 100% water changes every day at breeding farms.
Don't add the old water when you do the water changes--Your .75 gallon is uncycled, which means that the ammonia will build up quickly. Adding old water will just be adding old ammonia.
Do you know what the Nitrogen Cycle is? Knowing this will greatly help your fish thrive in his 2 gallon. Also, if you are planning to upgrade anyway, I would recommend getting a five gallon if you can. The bigger, the better, because the fish will have more space and the water parameters will be harder to swing.
Okay, thanks for the feedback on changes. I've done a little bit of reading on the nitrogen cycle, but don't really know too much about it.
As for tank size, I'm in a dorm room, so size/convenience are pretty large factors. I'll make sure to keep an eye out when buying a new tank though. I may end up getting a 5 gal.
Besides ammonia, old water contains dissolved waste. It's a thing we do water changes to remove. A temperature of 86* is on the high side but not harmful. Try to get a 25W adjustable heater when you get your new tank. A 5g usually doesn't cost any more than a 2g and is a better tank for many reasons.
ok well diffferent things work for different people and in a dorm my method works perfectly my fish has been alive four years so i must be doing somthing right! theredbetta
The absolute bare basics of the nitrogen cycle are as follows:
Ammonia is produced by fish, and it is toxic, so over time, bacteria builds in the filter up that converts this ammonia to nitrite. This is also toxic, so more bacteria converts this to nitrate. This is toxic in large doses, so we do weekly water changes (~25%) to keep it low. You never want to replace your filter pad unless it is falling apart, because this is where all the beneficial bacteria is stored.
There are two basic ways to cycle a tank: Fish in, and fishless. With a fishless cycle, you can use fish food, dead shrimp, or bottled PURE ammonia to start the cycle. With fish in, you can do daily water changes (~50%) to keep the ammonia and nitrite levels near harmless, or use a bottled bacteria like Tetra Safestart that can colonize on the filter. If using the bottled bacteria, don't do water changes unless absolutely necessary. You could also use seeded media from a friends tank.
Something that helps greatly with cycling no matter what method you are using is a good LIQUID test kit. Don't use strips--they are unreliable. Most people recommend the API master test kit--it is a bit pricey, but does a great job.
If you do end up getting the 5 gallon, you can cycle it quite easily. In a two gallon, it can be trickier to hold a stable cycle, so be sure to watch your water parameters.
If you have any questions just ask, and I wish you the best of luck!!!
That was good, Hopeful. Very complete for as short as it was.
Rotting shrimp and rotting fishfood provide the ammonia to feed the cycle. They also produce a smelly mess in the tank. Pure ammonia (that does NOT foam up when shaken) is always preferred.
You still need to get the bacteria into your tank. You can buy it in a bottle. get some material (substrate or filter) from a cycled tank. Or wait untill it falls out of the sky (literally) into your tank.
You need a filter to aerate and circulate the water.
And you should have one of these regardless of cycling method or tank size.
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