Is this a good schedule for a betta fish in a 1/2 to 1 gallon tank with filtered water, a heater that keeps the water at 75 degrees, some gravel and a live plant, but no tank filter?
Monday-tuesday: 2 pellets twice a day
Wednesday: 2 pellets twice a day, 100% water change and tank cleaning
Thursday-Friday: 2 pellets twice a day
Saturday: 1 shelled frozen pea cut into betta bite sized bits
Sunday: fasting, 50% water change, or should I do another 100% and cleaning?
When should I add water conditioner? If it survives a week I am going to buy a 2.5 gallon tank for my brother for Christmas, because its his fish too. Should I buy a filter for the bigger tank, and if so what type?
The feeding schedule sounds just fine, however cut out the pea. Bettas are carnivorous and have a difficult time digesting plant matter, so they often don't do well with peas. Instead, along with a good high quality pellet brand like New Live Spectrum or Omega One, you can offer a variety of frozen foods(small bits cut off of the larger cubes they usually come in, thawed first)like Bloodworms, Brine shrimp, and/or Krill replacing one meal a day 1-3 times per week for a little variety. ;)
I'm not sure if you meant to say you have a filter or not for the smaller tank, but if you do go ahead and remove it.....its not much use in a tank that size, and IMO/E just takes up space and the water movement in such a small tank bothers most bettas anyway.
In such a small tank, I would say along with those two 100%s maybe toss in a quick 50% or two in between, especially if its under a gallon.
When you get your new 2.5 gallon, you can go ahead and go down to about 1-2 50-60%s and 1 100% water change per week, unfiltered. I wouldn't suggest filtering a tank that size for the same reasons as not filtering the smaller tank, and because though it is possible to establish a cycle in a 2.5, its often very unstable and difficult to keep up.....not something a beginner should mess with IMO. Just keep up with your water changes. :)
You should ALWAYS add conditioner to any water you put into your aquarium. I highly suggest a good conditioner like Prime.
Is your heater adjustable at all? If it is, slowly see if you can bump the temperature up to at least 78 in the temp home. If its not, maybe just wrap a towel around the tank for now and your betta will probably be just fine for about a week....but when you go to get its new tank, you'll want to invest in a good heater as well, something adjustable and fully submersible, about 25 watts should do it, so you can keep your fishes water at a stable 78-81. :)
If you can't find any good heaters(I know it can be hard finding the smaller adjustable ones) I can link you to a few good ones online. :)
I have read a lot of contradicting things on the proper care of betta fish and this helps a lot! I do not have a filter but I put my tap water through a filter to drink, and the city water I have has some chlorine in it. That way i eliminate most of the chlorine. The fish seems to be thriving in its water today! I was thinking as soon as I posted that that I probably needed more water changes. The heater held it at 75 the first few hours I had it, noe it stays around 78. I love my new fish!
s this a good schedule for a betta fish in a 1/2 to 1 gallon tank with filtered water, a heater that keeps the water at 75 degrees, some gravel and a live plant, but no tank filter?
Monday-tuesday: 2 pellets twice a day
Wednesday: 2 pellets twice a day, 100% water change and tank cleaning
Thursday-Friday: 2 pellets twice a day
Saturday: 1 shelled frozen pea cut into betta bite sized bits
Sunday: fasting, 50% water change, or should I do another 100% and cleaning?
When should I add water conditioner? If it survives a week I am going to buy a 2.5 gallon tank for my brother for Christmas, because its his fish too. Should I buy a filter for the bigger tank, and if so what type?
what pellets are you feeding? Mine are tiny so I feed 4-6 a day.
I would skip the pea thing and just do the one day of fasting. Bettas aren't fans of veggies (but they love algae waffers).
Whenever you change the water, you need to use water conditioner. Any conditioner will do. I like Stress coat but Prime is also popular. I also have Amquel plus and API tap conditioner. Prime and Amquel plus will remove ammonia, nitrite and nitrates from the water. Stress coat has aloe which can help with fin regrowth.
You don't really need a filter, unless you are going for a 5 gallon or bigger. If you can get a 5 gallon, that would be awsome because then you can cycle the tank but if not - 2.5 gallons is good too. You still need to do the 2 water changes a week - one 100% and one 50%. I hae never used these filters but I know there are some specifically for small tanks like the Small World filter and the Tetra 3i.
It is also good to pour the new water (or unfiltered tap) in a clean container and let it sit for 24 hours to help dissipate excess chlorine before you use it. Conditioner also, of course. Good luck!
You're very welcome!
There really is a lot of contradictory information out there, it certainly makes things very confusing, especially for a first timer. Thats what we here on the forum are here for though! :)
Most city tap water has some Chlorine in it I believe, if you have a good conditioner like Prime that should take care of that for you. I'd be hesitant to use filters and filtered water as it may take some of the good beneficial minerals out of the tap water.
Personally I don't like letting the water sit out as then it drops down in temperature, and ideally you want your new water to be the same temp as the old water/water in the tank.....so unless you install a spare heater in the container, I've never thought this was a particularly good idea. A good conditioner like Prime(I feel like I'm advertising Prime here...lol...)should take care of the chlorine and other things in your tap that won't evaporate out instantly anyway.
Ahh, the heater probably just needed a little time to warm up then. If its not adjustable though I would still suggest something adjustable with your upgrade as they are more reliable at keeping the temp stable, preventing stressful fluctuations, and, IME, last a little longer.
Other then that, I think most of the basics have been covered! If you'd like a little more info just for the sake of info, take a gander at a few of the stickies around the forum...they've got some WONDERFUL information. And of course, always feel free to ask any and all questions that come to mind. :)
I bet your new little finned companion is loving his new home, and I'm sure he'll be even happier with a little more space when you upgrade! It sounds like hes doing well so far! :)
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