New to Bettas as of last night

[piperandremy]

First off, welcome to the Betta World!
I was new about two months ago, and am still learning.
I learned that 1) heaters are a must! Even though at the pet store they say you don't need them, my Betta's wouldn't eat, swim or do anything when the water was cool. Once it got warmer (by purchasing a mini-heater) my Betta began eating and swimming around lots. Pellets are good, and... yeah.

I hope you have fun with your Betta :)

[Chicklet]

"Chicklet" I have never heard of the cycle process. I am new to fish period. I know if the water looks clean & healthy it doesn't mean it truely is. I was going to clean it every week the 25% or whatever. But really empty it out and clean it once a month. Would that be a good schedule?
What do you mean by a "dangerous cycle"? I have a whisper filter like "JingleAllTheWay" and honestly the darn fish was playing in the currect flow. If you think it is better with no filter/pump thingy, and it will prolong his life?, then I think I might take it out.
What is an Air Stone? Earlier you said get a "butterfly with a suction cup", you mean just a deco piece for fun? Is there a small, inexpensive heater that I should use in a 1 1/2 gallon tank that you would recommend?
Thanks for all the help. I want this fish to be healthy and live long and happy.

I am not to good at wording things all that correctly, Thus harder for me to get my point across..


Ammonia your first stage of cycling it is produced through fish respiration, waste and uneaten food and is highly toxic to fish, if not removed will eventually cause death.
Nitrite is your second stage of cycling and consumes ammonia, and is the next most toxic after ammonia.
Lastly is Nitrate your third stage of cycling, Nitrate is produced in the filter. & consumes harmful nitrite which in turn consumed the harmful ammonia. These are the Good guys so long as they stay below 40 ppm.


During a cycle you have to monitor the Ammonia & Nitrites levels every day as they can become lethal in a very short period, If you have fish in the tank then you have to do frequent water changes in order to keep the levels low, ( remember that even at low levels you are still poisoning your fish just at a slower rate) When the Ammonia levels drop off you will then get Nitrite readings, (these I found worse then the Ammonia has they oft times came fast and furious, Sometimes requiring several water changes every day, (This is the stage I have lost more fish in,)
once the nitrites drop off you get Nitrates, The good guys and now you get to breath easy, unless you do something to mess up the cycle, and little tanks are very unstable due to their size and volume.

All it takes is one simple water change to screw with the cycle and then the fish gets to go thru it again,
It's a unneeded risk and worry if you care about your fish..

Some may say I don't do frequent water changes, so not a problem for me, Wrong again.
But anyways for the hell of it lets say Ok, Tell me how long you intend on putting off a water change and expect to have a healthy fish let along a live vibrant one?


The easiest, Healthiest and simpliest solution for small tanks is to stick with frequent water changes at least twice a week, (every other day if possible), Then you never have to worry about Ammonia getting way outta hand or the terrible nitrites,

This is how I run all my small tanks and I can honestly say I have never had one single fish get sick or die from any disease!
I have probably around a hundred betta's by now and that's saying something in my book!

The only real problems I have had thus far was from fish I bought that came with troubles,

Good clean water changes every day fixed them all up... You will be surprised what fresh clean water alone can do for the health of your Betta.


Anyways I probably didn't word any of this so it makes sense, But I tried ,

I just ain't got the knack like *Nataku * does, She rocks when she types :)

[fishyinpa]

hmm..so now im confused lol. filters in small tank is bad...the 4.5,5 and 2.5 all have one,as i thought it would help aerate it better or something?

i added a bubble stone to the one tank.and the water looks funky...i just changed it too....i dont plan on cycling them,as i know they are too small to stay stable.

the filters are internal,uses an airtube. so its not a really good one such as hobs or canisters. i do wcs routinely on all the tanks..so nobody is in nasty water for long.

so yeah,they are of no use really? sigh..least they were cheap...LOL

[onekatietwo]

Originally Posted by Chicklet

I am not to good at wording things all that correctly, Thus harder for me to get my point across..


Ammonia your first stage of cycling it is produced through fish respiration, waste and uneaten food and is highly toxic to fish, if not removed will eventually cause death.
Nitrite is your second stage of cycling and consumes ammonia, and is the next most toxic after ammonia.
Lastly is Nitrate your third stage of cycling, Nitrate is produced in the filter. & consumes harmful nitrite which in turn consumed the harmful ammonia. These are the Good guys so long as they stay below 40 ppm.


During a cycle you have to monitor the Ammonia & Nitrites levels every day as they can become lethal in a very short period, If you have fish in the tank then you have to do frequent water changes in order to keep the levels low, ( remember that even at low levels you are still poisoning your fish just at a slower rate) When the Ammonia levels drop off you will then get Nitrite readings, (these I found worse then the Ammonia has they oft times came fast and furious, Sometimes requiring several water changes every day, (This is the stage I have lost more fish in,)
once the nitrites drop off you get Nitrates, The good guys and now you get to breath easy, unless you do something to mess up the cycle, and little tanks are very unstable due to their size and volume.

All it takes is one simple water change to screw with the cycle and then the fish gets to go thru it again,
It's a unneeded risk and worry if you care about your fish..

Some may say I don't do frequent water changes, so not a problem for me, Wrong again.
But anyways for the hell of it lets say Ok, Tell me how long you intend on putting off a water change and expect to have a healthy fish let along a live vibrant one?


The easiest, Healthiest and simpliest solution for small tanks is to stick with frequent water changes at least twice a week, (every other day if possible), Then you never have to worry about Ammonia getting way outta hand or the terrible nitrites,

This is how I run all my small tanks and I can honestly say I have never had one single fish get sick or die from any disease!
I have probably around a hundred betta's by now and that's saying something in my book!

The only real problems I have had thus far was from fish I bought that came with troubles,

Good clean water changes every day fixed them all up... You will be surprised what fresh clean water alone can do for the health of your Betta.


Anyways I probably didn't word any of this so it makes sense, But I tried ,

I just ain't got the knack like *Nataku * does, She rocks when she types :)

Ok. I've read a bit about the cycling process and my mother used to do it when I was young and we had a huge home aquarium. However, I'm still a little confused.

So does having a filter start the cycle no matter what? Despite frequent water changes? Or can you be using a filter and not having a cycled (or cycling) tank?
Can't the cycle start without a filter or do "the good guys" only exist in the bio part of the filter?

To start the cycle do you have to not change the water for a while until the ammonia reaches a suitable level?

Does a filter have no other purpose besides to get the cycle going (and, well, maintain it)?

[dramaqueen]

I don't know a whole lot about cycling but I know that the beneficial bacteria colonizes on surfaces in the tank and in the filter.So, I think, a filter is needed to cycle a tank.I'm not sure if it will cycle without a filter.To cycle without fish, which is the best way to do it, so you won't harm the fish, you need an ammonia source.You'll need a test kit to monitor the nitrites, nitrates and ammonia levels. I don't think you need to change the water much without fish. I hope I was able to answer your questions. If I got anything wrong, someone can correct me.

[Chicklet]

With a filter in the tank, Doing only partial water changes can leave enough bacteria behind each time to create a cycle.
Gravel in the bottom of your tank that's not cleaned regularly can cause a cycle to take place,

Simple leaving a filter in the tank allows the possibility of a cycle taking place over and over again,
Gravel should be cleaned fairly regularly to prevent a cycle from occurring in small tanks.

----
I have filters still in some of My 3 gallon tanks, I run tests here nearly every single day, Watching tank levels,
My 3 gallon tanks loose there cycles approx every two months, Give or take a little,
The bigger tank up you go the more stable and the smaller you go the less stable they become.

[BettaJonny]

Hey all!
What is an Air Stone? Is this inexpensive?
Do I need to get some kind of water testing kit? If so, what kind and how often would I test?
I turned the pump/filter thing off last night. I will be looking into a heater and see what I can find for this size of tank and something not to pricy.
"Chicklet" you explained the cycle thing very well. I just am overwhelmed and I am afraid I am going to do something wrong. The cycle thing is still new. I am trying to let it sink in. Does a cycle happen no matter what?
If I did a half water change once a week and then ont he weekend take the whole thing and dump and clean and start new, will this be ok?

[dramaqueen]

I got my airstone and pump for around $10. It puts bubbles in the water.

[Chicklet]

A cycle won't happen unless you have a filter or Gravel in your tank, (something that allows the bacteria to grow)
Just do regular partial water changes a couple times a week, and if you have gravel in your tanks, cleaning it at least once every two weeks will stop the bacteria from growing there,

It's really not as complicated as it sounds, quite simple actually

[BettaJonny]

Ok good. I just want to make sure I will be cleaning the tank right. When I was a kid, I remember my mom boiling the gravel, which I do have in the tank, to kill all the bacteria and germs. Is that how I should clean the gravel?
Is the airstone big? Like will it take up to much room? The filter/pump thing I will be taking out was a whisper. It was kinda small. Would it be bigger than that? Are they a good idea and a benifit to have in the tank?
And what about a test kit?