Hello, I'm new here and just got a betta about a week ago!

[ItsKourtneyYoC8]

Hi! I have a veil tail betta named Ciroc[Sir Rock]. He is a very pretty boy of black, red, and very little blue. I wish I had pictures of him and his home!
His domain is a 5 gallon aquarium. At first I always had the filter on but I noticed he couldn't swim around much because of the motion so I turned it off. I was thinking of maybe leaving it on at night while he rest and leave it off during the day? Would that be okay? I haven't done any water changes yet but was thinking, since I have the filter on and off, doing them every 10-15 days? or would I not need to so often?
For right now I have some neon rocks as a substrate[planning on getting black sand]. a glow in the dark moonrock and plant, big seashell against the plant to make a hideout and a glass vase he likes to swim in and out of.

When I got him at walmart I was looking at the fish and the had sooo many dead ones! It was terrible and even had fish eating the dead ones. And I've heard that all of their aquariums are running off of ONE filter!!!
I've been wanting to call walmart and make them do something about it

Feel free to ask questions and give advice about his arrangements. He was a rescue from the walmart fish chamber :/


My main questions was would it be safe to use glass fragments as substrate? I don't think it would be but it wouldn't hurt to ask.

[ItsKourtneyYoC8]

These are what I'm refering to.


http://neworleans.craigslist.org/art/3269495847.html

[DragonFish]

Hey there, congrats on the new addition and welcome to the forum and the wonderful world of Betta Keeping! :)

Ahh yes, Walmart....they have one of the worst reputations for the care of their fish, or lack thereof. Sadly, the terrible conditions you experienced are not at all uncommon. 8/
But good for you bringing home a little Walmart guy and getting him out of those conditions! I bet hes loving his 5 gallon palace. He sounds quite handsome as well. :)

To answer your questions.....I would suggest leaving the filter on 24-7 and Cycling your tank(you'll want to do some research on the Aquarium Nitrogen Cycle...if you search the forum, theres TONS of threads and helpful info, and I would be happy to go collect a couple of links for you if you'd like). In the long run, this will cut down the necessary water changes to partial(about 30-ish%)once weekly.
The strong filter flow is very easily fixed by attaching a piece of filter sponge to the outflow with a rubber band. ;)

If you would rather not cycle(though I highly recommend it), you'll want to do two water changes weekly, 1 50% and 1 100% and you can go ahead and remove the filter all together.

Its hard to see with the pictures if the glass is sharp or not....but I'd be weary of using that as a substrate anyway since it doesn't say anything about being aquarium safe. It could be OK, but at the same time it could not be. :/ Also, again, its hard to see if the glass is sharp or not....
I'd say stick with your plan of sand.

Also, if you haven't yet, I'd suggest picking up a Water Test Kit(Liquid, API brand)and a gravel vacuum. ;)
And I didn't see you mention anything about a heater....do you have one?

[Bettanewbie60]

Hi and welcome to the forum! You found the right place to learn all you need to know about your new fish friend. I would also suggest keeping the filter on, it will make for less water changes. I put a small piece of aquarium/filter sponge in the inflow part, and I have a valve to adjust the flow strength. The valves are very cheap at Petsmart. Def a no on the glass, but there are many different/safe ones to choose from..Dollar Tree carries river rocks in a bag..I use these..they also carry glass bead/stones that are very pretty..just be sure to rinse well anything you put into the tank. Let us know if we can help with anything at all..feel free to message me also!

[Bettanewbie60]

Oh, and water changes in a 5g with filter would be one 50% and one around 90% with a vac every week. I set two days a week for water changes, wed. and sat....just set up what works for you. Clean water is the best thing you can do to make sure your guy stays healthy!

[tpocicat]

Welcome to the forum and the wonderful world of betta keeping. The only thing I can add is be sure to get a heater. Winter is comming and bettas a tropical fish.

[Bettanewbie60]

Originally Posted by tpocicat

Welcome to the forum and the wonderful world of betta keeping. The only thing I can add is be sure to get a heater. Winter is comming and bettas a tropical fish.

+1^

[DragonFish]

Originally Posted by Bettanewbie60

Oh, and water changes in a 5g with filter would be one 50% and one around 90% with a vac every week. I set two days a week for water changes, wed. and sat....just set up what works for you. Clean water is the best thing you can do to make sure your guy stays healthy!

Did you mean without a filter? I'd say thats a little much for a cycled tank, lol. One partial a week with a gravel vac should be just fine....thats all I've ever done in my 5 gallons, and both are divided.

[Bettanewbie60]

Originally Posted by DragonFish

Did you mean without a filter? I'd say thats a little much for a cycled tank, lol. One partial a week with a gravel vac should be just fine....thats all I've ever done in my 5 gallons, and both are divided.

Ugh...typo lol..I do a 50% a week with a vac..the 90% is around week three lol..Thanks for getting me to look at my post again.

[DragonFish]

Originally Posted by Bettanewbie60

Ugh...typo lol..I do a 50% a week with a vac..the 90% is around week three lol..Thanks for getting me to look at my post again.

Ahhh, gottcha. xD Lol, I was just a little confused there for a sec!