Water Changer for a 2,7G + Sick Fish + Nitrate?

[lartiste]

Hi everybody! I bought a betta last year and kept it in a 0,5G tank (I know ). He (Gustave) got sick maybe 3 weeks ago... he stopped eating, move and always stayed on top of the water, on the surface.

So I changed his food and bought BettaFix (form hints form a Pet Store). Gustave went a little better, at least he ate (or try to...) after 2 weeks without eating anything.


I then decided to change (finally!) his tank... I bought a 2 gallons tank, with a heater, a filter, etc... My Betta didn't eat/move much more (he never seemed to fully recover from his "disease"). But when I changed his tank, I didn't wait the 3-4 weeks for the nitrate cycle (I just learned from it...). I use water (I wait 48h before use the water, and put some conditionner).


Finally, I have a couple of questions :

- Is it that wrong, for the nitrate cycle? If so, what can I do?

- 2 G. Tank, with heater/filter... what should be the frequency of my water changes?

-What can I do for my Betta? He doesn't seem to have any physical scars...


PS. He always stay on top... doesn't move a lot...




Thanks a lot and sorry for the long message (my 1rst) and the mistakes/grammars (english isn't my first language...).

[Hadouken441]

Im not being mean just tryin to help. Bettafix! Waste! Scam! It literallt doesnt do anything. I dont know whats wrong with him so I cant tell ya what kind of meds he needs :(

Putting him in the new tanks isnt soo bad. Just clean it and dont neglect it. Once a week half change. I wouldnt clean the whole things its a pain in my ass and you lose some good bacteria.

If he seems perfectly fine on the outside he might have a internal bacterica disease if he doesnt like moving and eating. Go to petsmart and get Maracyn. You only need the 8 pack. Try using that. Its not stressful for fish I dont care what anyone here says. I actually overdosed in my tank once and my fish didnt even give a crap.

[kelly528]

Hmm I'll try to collect my thoughts here:

1) Whenever you see a medication ending in -fix, -revive, -heal, etcetera... RUN! Or at least approach with caution. Anything claiming to "fix" your fish is pretty much marketed towards newbies who have no idea what is wrong with their fish. Rarely do they "fix" anything on their own. They may help the function of another medicine but by them selves, pretty much useless. Your bettafix is nothing more than tea tree / melaleuca oil and works as an antiseptic (like rubbing alcohol that we use) but it is not an antibiotic or a true medication.

2) Given the doubling rate of bacteria, I would have to say that if it in indeed an internal infection your fish would have been dead 2 weeks ago, if not sooner. Internal infections spread quite fast and will kill a fish in a matter of days in most cases. So because your fish is still alive, I think it's more likely that he's just recovering from his smaller tank.

3) During the nitrate cycle some very harmful chemicals are produced. You will need a Master Test Kit (a set that tests ammonia, pH, nitrite and nitrate) so that you can measure the amounts of these chemicals and change the water when their levels get too high.

4) How often you need to clean your tank depends on whether you have completed the nitrate cycle. Since you are completing the nitrate cycle with the fish in the tank (called a "fish in cycle" if you want to research it more) you will need to monitor the water as per #3 and change the water according to how high the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate are.

5) To help your betta I recommend that you keep a close eye on the levels of chemicals in the water (called "water parameters"). Also, if you havent done so already I suggest you buy some plants (silk or live) and buy or make a cave. Bettas do best in environments where there are lots of places for them to hide.


Good luck with Gustav and welcome to the forum! Your english is pretty good and it will only get better as you read through posts and reply to them in english :)

[lartiste]

I already have a pH kit, but I'll soon go buy a Master Test kit!

So if I understand correctly : I DO NOT change the water for right now? (I started the tank 5 days ago). And if so, I just have to test it (and change if the nitrate/nitrite level is too high?) for a couple of time? And (sorry ), if so... I wait for how long?


Thx a lot for helping me (and my fish!), and BTW, GustavE takes an "e" at the end haha

[Oldfishlady]

I would start changing 50% of the water every 2-3 days during the nitrogen cycle in the 2g tank with a filter and then make 50% twice weekly with gravel vacuuming or cleaning with one of the twice weekly water changes to keep the water healthy and safe for the fish. Rinse your filter media in old tank water with a water change when the water flow has slowed or twice a month by swishing it to keep the good bacteria alive and thriving to prevent mini-cycles, the filter media will look dirty and this is what you want.

When you get your test kit what you will be looking for in a cycled tank is-ammonia and nitrite 0ppm and nitrate 5-10ppm for several days.
Anytime your ammonia or nitrite read 0.25ppm or higher make a 50% water change and keep the nitrate between 5-10ppm and if it gets up to 20ppm make a good deep gravel vacuum, high nitrate can affect the immune response.
You want a stable pH and most fish will adjust to what ever your source water pH is at and you usually don't need to change it.

[kelly528]

As Oldfishlady said it would probably be best to change the water every 2-3 days until you get the master test kit. Then once you get the kit you will be able to keep an eye on the water parameters and do a water change whenever too much ammonia, nitrate or nitrite is present.

[lartiste]

I bought an ammonia tester... is it a "Master Kit"? (I hadn't found a nitrate/nitrite kit... at Wal-Mart).

Do I need something else? I know I'm totally a newbie

[lartiste]

Originally Posted by kelly528

As Oldfishlady said it would probably be best to change the water every 2-3 days until you get the master test kit. Then once you get the kit you will be able to keep an eye on the water parameters and do a water change whenever too much ammonia, nitrate or nitrite is present.

Sorry for bothering again... So, I got the kits... and I just have to change the water when the nitrite/ammonia/nitrite levels are too high? Or I do water changes twice a week whatever how high are those levels?

[Oldfishlady]

When your water prams read ammonia and/or nitrite of 0.25ppm or greater make a 50% water change
When your nitrate is 20ppm or greater make a good gravel vacuum and water change
Continue with regular 50% twice weekly water changes with one of the weekly water changes to include a gravel vacuum
You know you are cycled when you have 0ppm ammonia and nitrite and 5-10ppm nitrate, but due to the size of the tank you still need to do twice weekly water changes for best fish and fin health.

[Mister Sparkle]

It sounds to me as if your fish may have some severely burned gills, from built-up ammonia in the 1/2-gallon. If that's the case, he may never really recover. I hope that's not it, but it sounds as though you let him sit in there 3-4 weeks without a water change (?). I cannot even imagine how much ammonia could have built up in a half-gallon over the course of a month. With a less hardy fish, it wouldn't have survived.