New to Bettas. Question about my small tank

[Underwater]

Say hello to my little friend “Tomato”…



I knew NOTHING about Bettas and aquariums until I was given a MiniBow1 filtered tank and this frisky Veiltail on Saturday. This site taught me a lot. PLEASE help critique my setup since I am new to this. So far I added a live plant and hollow ceramic log for hiding. Feeding schedule is several pellets, 6 days a week. Next addition is a 25W Hydor THEO heater to maintain a water temp in the upper 70’s.

Questions:

Yes I understand the 1 gallon filtered tank is considered small. Will a single weekly 100% water change keep my Betta healthy? Or should I do 50% changes on a more frequent schedule?

I added a timer to run the tank filter only 12 hours a day, so my Betta can rest and have no water movement at nighttime. Is this as good idea?

Anything else I am missing??

[Alcemistnv]

How many pellets es several?
And You should probably need to do 50% changes maybe 3 times a week... or 100%, not sure here.

And no, the flter needs to run 24/7.
Is the water moving as a noticabele rate, as in the fish can't move against it?

[Underwater]

Originally Posted by Alcemistnv

How many pellets es several?
And You should probably need to do 50% changes maybe 3 times a week... or 100%, not sure here.

And no, the flter needs to run 24/7.
Is the water moving as a noticabele rate, as in the fish can't move against it?

- Feeding 3 Wardley Betta Food pellets daily
- The filter current is not strong, I just thought they liked still water. Should I leave the filter on 24/7 ?

[mcneivra]

i'd leave the filter on 24/7..but i honestly have no idea if it would be a problem turning it off occasionally. if he seems to be swimming fine and seems comfortable i'd leave it on all the time

[LebronTheBetta]

Wardley's Betta Food are really not nutritious. Bad food. :c The filter can be offed for 6 hours max until the BB start to die. I don't suggest using the filter as the tank doesn't have much surface area and it might be close to impossible for a steady cycle... If you want it filtered, do 2-3 50% changes a week or 1 100% and 1 50% change per week if it's not filtered. Pretty VT he is. :)

[DragonFish]

There really isn't much point in a filter in a tank that small really.....a 1 gallon is far too much hassle to cycle(which is really the only reason for a filter with bettas). If you can, I'd suggest just taking the filter out all together.

As far as water changes go, 2 50%s and 1 100% a week is a good schedule for a 1 gallon.

As Lebron said, Wardleys isn't the most nutritious of foods....I'd suggest going and picking up something like New Life Spectrum Betta Formula, or Omega One Betta Buffet.
A feeding schedule of 2-3 god quality pellets twice per day with some frozen bloodworms or Brine Shrimp as treats for a little veriety is what I would recommend. :)

Everything else sounds wonderful! Virtual cookies to you for doing you're research, and welcome to the forum! :)

[Underwater]

Thanks for the great advice!!

I'm switching to the better brand of food mentioned above, and will plan a tank cleaning schedule to do at least 1 50% change and a 100% change weekly.

By christmas I will upgrade to a larger tank. This 1 gallon MiniBow1 will be a good learning experience for me for the next few months.

Anything else needed to keep the little guy happy? (So far he is **THRILLED** to be out of the Petco plastic cup he came in)

[registereduser]

LOVE the name! Are you sure the plant is 100% aquatic? Do you remember the name of the plant?

[Underwater]

Originally Posted by registereduser

LOVE the name! Are you sure the plant is 100% aquatic? Do you remember the name of the plant?

The "Marine Biologist" at petco (haha) just pulled this plant out of a large tank for me. Sorry, no idea of the name, I just liked how it looked. Plant looks healthy so far. How do I tell if it is 100% aquatic? (I have a lot to learn here!)

[Jupiter]

Looks kinda like a sword plant, but can we get a bigger picture of it in the bowl?

Btw, welcome to the forums. Your betta is really cute. :)

I think you're all set to go.