Another prob but with my betta this time.

[girls_interrupted]

At first I was feeding my fish one or 2 pellets a day. He is still growing by the way. I was trying to keep the ammonia down because right now he is in a bowl because I am trying to cycle a tank for him. I am afraid he might get new tank syndrome if I put him in while cycling.
So thats why he is in a bowl. Which I change every 4 - 5 days. I take out his droppings everytime i see it.

Anyway so when I was feeding him 1-2 pellets a day I notice he was getting pail. (the only reason why I feed him this much is because an employee told me to do it). So I started feeding him more. He got his color back and seems a lil better. But I think i over fed him one day. I think with some freeze dried blood worms and pellets. His stomach had gotten big recently. I notice it after feeding him his first 2 pellets that day. He still was eating even though he had a big stomach. So I fed him an pea that I unfroze. I didnt give it all ogf it though cause i had fed two pellets already. Today his stomach doesnt seem to look big anymore. But he is laying at the bottom more than usual. He still is eating. When I fed him the pea some of the pea would drop to the bottom of the bowl. I tried to get it out as much as possible. (the left overs). I'm about to change his bowl. When I do water changes. I get another clean bowl with another clean themometer and make the tempature exactly the same as the other bowl. I put water conditioner and aquarium salt (not to much though) and a drop of aquarisol in the bowl. The bowl is almost about a gallon.

From what I have explain is there anything I am doing wrong? That is causing him to lay at the bottom more than usual even though he still wants to eat.

[Neo]

When you do a 100% water change, that requires taking the fish out, thts not good, you should never take your fish out of his home that often, that could be why he is acting a little wierd, if he is bloated try the pea thing like you said, and dont feed as much. till he gets normal.

[It'sJames]

Does he have a heater? Depending on what size his tank is (the one that's cycling), it would probably be better to move him into that now. The bowl can't cycle either, so moving him fom a less that 1 gallon, uncycled bowl to a larger, still cycling tank would be best. How big is he? I feed my bettas 3-5 pellets, once a day. Plus some live or frozen bloodworms later in the day.

[Flashygrrl]

She's having trouble with the cycling and the crap they fed her bamboo at the store has to get cleaned out of the plant and her water.

[Oldman47]

I have to agree with itsjames, the bowl is never going to cycle so it might as well be the tank as far as taking care of nitrogen properly. If you can get the water as clean in the tank as it is in the bowl, a heated and filtered environment would be an improvement over a 1 gallon bowl. I don't understand the reference to bamboo so if there is something we have not been told it could affect the whole situation. Is there trouble we have yet to hear about that might possibly affect this advice?

[girls_interrupted]

Wow this is cool so many people to the rescue :). Well since the bowl is a 1 gallon bowl. I was told at the pet store that it would be to much things to be put in if the even a tiny lil heater for 1.5 gallon to higher and put it in the 1 gallon bowl. So I put a heating pad under it and does quite well so far. With the lowest heating you can get on it. It raises the temperature to 80 degrees. I have thermometer made for fish tanks and bowls so i can always check the temperature. So the temperature is no prob.

I have to be honest I really don't like changing the water like that for my fish. But I read in a book that hobbyist change there water everyday with a fresh new bowl or tank. With the same temperature. And throw out the old water into a net. which is confusing to me on that part. They never said how they transported the fish in to the fresh new bowl. So I use a net. Which I don't like to do cause I know it stresses the fish out. The book said that hobbyist change the water every day. So they don't have to worry about ammonia levels and other probs. I didn't want to do that cause I didn't want to stress the fish out every day. So For the bowl I change it out ever 4-5 days. and take the droppings out as much as I can.

I usually feed him 4-6 pellets a day. Some times I feed him freeze dried or unfreeze some blood worms or brine shrimp. I never give him to much or try to. One or two of each. I also don't feed him once a week because many people have suggested that.
I think I accidentally fed him 8 pellets a day and thats how his stomach got to big. So I didn't feed him one day. Then I saw that his stomach was still a lil big. I wasn't thinking and fed him two pellets anyway. Then his stomach got bigger again. I freaked out and fed him a lil of an unfrozen pea.. The water got dirty. And his stomach had gone down to the normal size. But then he started acting weird. Like some signs of bloat. at the bottom of the bowl. It was hard to watch him at first. Because usually when he sees me he gets what looks like excited because he wants to be fed. (They say they can train you to feed them more than you should.)

He is a crown tail. All I can say right now is that he looks smaller than your average crown tail when fully grown. I will try to describe him as best as I can. If you could see him you probably would get the idea. The people at petco wouldn't give me an age. His fins are still growing length wise.

FYI I am not trying to cycle the fish bowl. The 1.5 gallon tank is what I am trying to cycle.

Another thing that would always pissed me off. First I wasn't looking forward on putting fish in a 1.5 gallon tank. The manager at petco kept on saying that bettas don't really need that much room or room temperature is good enough for the fish. He suckered me in to buying a 1.5 gallon fish tank. I have a mini heater for it and it keeps the water at 78 degrees to 80 degrees. And a nano filter for small tanks made by sea horse. I used to use the 1.5 tank with the heater. I really wanted at least a two gallon tank for him to have more room and to have exercise. Also I couldn't find one reasonable for him. Like there were tanks that would be to much movement at the water surface for him not to get stress and get air. Petsmart and petco were not very help full at helping me at all for finding an appropriate fish tank. Their selections pretty much suck and I want a tank that was a lil unique that was roomy and comfortable for my betta. That I could cycle and put a heater in. I'm so drained man.

But I didn't use the filter before and would change the entire water once a week. Now the ammonia would build up slowly which I hated because ammonia is poisonous to fish and can create all sorts of probs. So I got a filter. One person at the pet store never gave me or told me about cycling. They just told me to put the filter in with the fish still in the tank. While using the filter I still would change the entire water once a week. I would clean every thing in the tank (with no harsh chemicals or soap.) Thoroughly. Then put the fish back into the tank after the water was conditioned and at a good temperature. I would let the water in the container (that the fish was in when i bought him) he was in equalize to the same temperature then pour him back in as gently as I could.
BUT the ammonia would rise drastically in one day. Finally I went back one day at the pet store. Thats when someone there with experience told me about cycling. She told me to take the fish out and put it in a bowl while the tank was cycling. i have had trouble cycling ever since. So I keep him in that gallon bowl and try my best to keep the water clean and stable.

Sorry for the long post. I am trying to put down everything to let ya'll know what i have been through and what is happening right now. I want to resolve this so bad. I am thinking of just starting over again and use the fish care info on this site because it is mainly for bettas. But please any suggestions for what i am doing wrong. Please tell me. I want nothing more for my betta to have a happy healthy life. I will put more info that i may have missed from one of the question ya'll asked eariler.

[Neo]

you should never do a 100 percent water change, that starts the cycling over, if ur talking about the 1.5 gallon, and as for they dont need a lot of room, that guy is full of S***, the more room, they happier they will be, like a person in a mansion, so happy u dont know what to do

[Neo]

and also u say u change it about 1 time a week, cycling can take longer than 1 week, so u might not be giving enough time, i know its stressfull and the days tht u try to cycle seem to be the sssslllloooowwweeessssttt but bare with it it will all be worth it, dont do another 100% water change, 20-25% every day or two

[girls_interrupted]

I should cycle the bowl even though its unfilterd and a 1 gallon?

Petco said that you should cahnge the entire tank or bowl that is unfiltered once a week if it is under 2 gallons.

FYI I know about changing the water 20% only (and not the entire water) for my 1.5 gallon tank that is has a filter and cycling as we speak. I know that now.

The question I am asking. Even though the 1 gal. bowl he is in now that is unfilterd should also be cycling as well?

I am trying to prevent my fish from ammonia. To prevent sickness and ammonia burns. Especuially to prevent new tank syndrome. I put my other fish I had through hell. He died of new tank syndrome. I do not want to put mr. myagi through that. I want to do everything right and forget what ever the pet stores told me and listen to you all. Because this is a dedicated sight for bettas. Who actually care about fish who know what they are talking about. The employees at those pet stores acted really like they knew what they were talking about. I just never felt right about what most ofwhat they usually said to me. It just didnt seem acuarate or made since, you knnow? Very confusing very stressful and very fustrating. Hopefully you all can help me turn this around. :)

[Neo]

oh im not certain about the bowl, i thought we were talking about the actual tank, i dont think a bowl will cycle, try putting him in the tank while it is cycling, bettas r tough it will be ok im sure, so u wont have to worry about the bowl, lol