New Betta Home

[klarka331]

I just got my new male betta fish, 3.14, 2 days ago.

I bought him a 2.5 Gallon Beta mini-bow kit. It has an under gravel filter, and I bought a hydor mini heater to go with it. I am getting so many mixed opinions on having a filter it is mind boggling . Do they cause more harm then good? I have no problem doing more frequent water changes if that is the only benefit of having one. The current seems to be kind of fast to me butI really have no clue. There is no way to turn down the filter either.

I read on the FAQ that a heater was an absolute, but it's hot where I live right now and his tank is staying around 80 without the heater installed. Our house is kept at 78 except during the day it goes up to 85. Will those changes be harmful to him? Should I install the heater?

And are the marbles an okay bottom for him or does he need to have gravel?

Thank you!!

Here is his current set up.

[dramaqueen]

Nice tank and pretty fish! I don't know anything about filters but you don't ABSOLUTELY have to have a heater if your house stays real warm. I keep mine in an upstairs bedroom that stays quite warm in the winter. 2 of my fish have heaters though. They make the temp more stable. Fluctuating temperatures aren't good for fish.

[Lynn08]

Beautiful boy you have there....I'll let the experts explain. I'll just simply say that I use a hydor mini heater and it really depends on how warm your house is. Today we had our windows open and my tanks rose to about 82 degrees....but normally we have the a/c on and my tanks stay about 80 degrees. YOU probably wont need to use a heater until winter, with his tank already at 80. IMO...

[Phether]

If the temperature stays around 80* all the time then the heater should be fine. Betta like calm water though, so if you can, find someway to block the current that the filter produces and keep the water as calm as possible. The marbles should be fine unless your betta can see its own reflection in the marbles, in which case it may try to attack its own reflection in the rocks.

[Jynx]

yeah if your water ever gets too warm you can try getting a timer and finding an on/off balance that works out for you. I'll likely have to do that in fall myself since weather in Bako is so weird.

[ifish]

love the fish love the tank and love the marbles actuallt love everything good job nice tank

[Kim]

You only need the filter if you plan on cycling the tank. This is basically the buildup of beneficial bacteria to process fish waste. I'm not a big fan of undergravel filters, but if you want to use it you may be able to crimp the air hose or buy an attachment to turn the flow down (they're just cheap little plastic valves basically). This will only work if some of the air tubing is showing however.

You can find a link on cycling here: http://www.fishforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=3738