Non Filtered 5 gallon

[LadyVictorian]

Can I have a non filtered five gallon tank? The piece of crap filter the tank came with is starting to break down after only what...two months. It either doesn't filter water or it goes into short spuratic and LOUD bursts of blowing out a massive amount of water and then nothing. Then another burst of water.

If I can't go without a filter then what filter is best and actually works?

[Oldfishlady]

IMO/E-filters are optional with this species...

In a 5gal without a filter or live active growing plants with a single Betta-Water changes of 50% weekly with vacuum and 90-100% monthly or as needed-This would depend on your feeding/food-Most water quality issue stem from overfeeding and/or poor quality foods than the byproducts produced by the Betta.

If you have live active growing plants-especially the big feeders like stem and floating plants-I wouldn't do any 90-100% water changes-not usually needed even with poor quality fish food, since fish food is a great plant food too.

IMO/E-unfiltered 5gal is fine for a Betta-provided that you maintain water quality-but that is with any size tank with or without a filter. The only thing the filter is going to do is help establish the nitrogen cycle and bio-filter that can help keep the water safe between water changes-

Filters don't replace water changes-The tank is a closed system and nothing leaves the tank until you remove it. The filter can remove the larger particles in the water column-but it goes into the filter/filter media being circulated over and over until the bio-filter takes care of it. Then you have build up of DOC's and nitrate that needs to be manually removed with a water change.

On your filter-I would tear it apart and clean it-then make sure the housing is set properly-It sounds like the impeller is bound up or not sitting correctly in the housing.

[LadyVictorian]

What about if I want to house shrimp with my fish? Half the reason I cycled the tank was so I could someday have shrimp live with him. A friend of mine is a marine biologist and said you can't have shrimp unless you have cycle that is a month established. Otherwise they won't last the first night in the tank. I think my filter had to go regardless though sadly as my ADF I got two weeks back has Chystrid Fungus and I have to nuke the tank if he ever gets better...or if I ever end up getting another frog which I might not...I might just go for shrimp if I can because honestly the risk of getting another frog with Chystrid Fungus is too high.

[Oldfishlady]

Depending on what kind of shrimp you want to get and if you have live plants or not. I have never tried shrimp in a newly setup/uncycled regular substrate tank without live plants.

But in my newly setup soil based heavy planted tanks-I add lots of RCS (Red cherry shrimp) the same day I set one up and have never lost a shrimp or any livestock for that matter-
But with live active growing plants-if you have enough of them will almost instant cycle the tank since they generally have lots of beneficial bacteria on them as well as provide oxygen for the BB naturally-the plants function as the filter/bio-filter.

Since you want shrimp-you might want to switch to a sponge filter-It will be easier on the Betta and it won't suck up the shrimp-especially the baby shrimp. I know in my big tanks that I have HOB filters-I always have shrimp in the filter box and how they survive the trip through the impeller.....lol....I will never know....lol....but they do somehow....

[LadyVictorian]

Okay thanks, I shall keep these things in mind when looking for a new filter and new live plants. I had gotten my first live plant but found out because of the fungus on my frog it has to be tossed out.