If you have an established tank, how often should you change the filter media? Does it need to be changed after its all cycled? I was thinking each month on some of the portions was a bit early since it takes longer than that to cycle it.
Did you just finish cycling if so you'll need to swish/rinse in your old tank water, don't use tap water or anything else! The good bacteria resides there, so you don't really want to get rid of them, if you're worried that any debris might fall on your substrate, just use a gravel vacuum to remove it. I'd say you can do that about every month or so, but that's just my guess.
Quote:
Originally Posted by missm83
do all male bettas make bubble nests??..my hasn't yet...its only been a week but i feel like its the only way to show me hes truly happy
Not all male Bettas make bubble nests, if you're Betta is not mature enough yet and he's still young he can't really make bubble nests. Making bubble nests is not the only way to tell that's he's happy but it's one of the ways. If he is old enough, maybe he's just not in the "mood", if he's swimming around eating food and not showing any weird symptoms, he's probably happy.
Do bettas ever get used to 'the other betta?' (Their reflection) Watson keeps pacing the tank sides, keeping a sharp eye on 'the other betta.' He rarely does it in full flare, and I've never seen him attack 'the other betta,' so I don't think its too stressful, but I'm still very new to this. And he does take breaks, he'll swim away from the sides for a little bit, then go back onto guard duty. When, if ever, is it normal for them to realize that 'the other betta' isn't going to come into their tank?
Last edited by HazelrahLayna7; 09-21-2011 at 08:04 AM.
i just set up two 10gallon sponge filters with a two-way gang valve for my 20g. they're powered by a single 5gal pump. five bettas share the tank. is this adequate?
Also, the gang valve doesn't inhibit the filtering capabilities, right?
Do you have anymore photos of this tank? I have a 20 gallon and don't know if I should divide it 5 ways or not..I was having a hard time "picturing it" I couldn't find any divided 5 ways on google search.
I wish i was more help with the filters..I think I am going to have 2 HOB filters (aquarclear 20) on either side of my tank.
He swims around, does the betta dance for me,plays between his plants seems happy...his in 2.5 gallon, filter, heater..
oh i didnt know the age mattered...he def looks a lot smaller then most of the other bettas in the store so maybe he is still young..
thank you!
Do bettas ever get used to 'the other betta?' (Their reflection) Watson keeps pacing the tank sides, keeping a sharp eye on 'the other betta.' He rarely does it in full flare, and I've never seen him attack 'the other betta,' so I don't think its too stressful, but I'm still very new to this. And he does take breaks, he'll swim away from the sides for a little bit, then go back onto guard duty. When, if ever, is it normal for them to realize that 'the other betta' isn't going to come into their tank?
Normally they do learn to ignore it at some point, with here and there returns when they get bored. The reflection is more noticeable in glass aquariums when the room light is darker then the tank light I believe. So at some point he will always see his reflection. Many people have bettas divided and they say that pretty much they get used to seeing another one and will only flair on occasion.
It won't hurt him if he flairs here and there, nor for a small amount each day. It will keep him active and stronger by doing so. Just as long as he takes breaks he should be fine and soon enough pretty much ignore his reflection.
You can also try placing tall plants on the side he goes to the most to break up his view of it, so he won't always notice himself.
Do you have anymore photos of this tank? I have a 20 gallon and don't know if I should divide it 5 ways or not..I was having a hard time "picturing it" I couldn't find any divided 5 ways on google search.
I wish i was more help with the filters..I think I am going to have 2 HOB filters (aquarclear 20) on either side of my tank.
RIGHT when i read this and went to take a photo of the tank i looked in and saw that the divider had failed two seconds before and Indie and Flamenco were in the same section..
Flamenco was on the bottom looking like he was terrified and Indie was exploring the top of the section. thankfully i scooped them both out in time!
REALLY GOOD TIMING. -relief-
anyway, here's a ~slightly~ better photo of my tank:
sorry for the bad quality lighting. it's resting on my carpet ledge in this little inlet of my room.. awkward placing, but i'm moving out soon so it'll find a prettier place to rest :P
the tank is wider and longer than it is tall, so it was pretty easy to divide five times. each fish gets 2.5-3 gallons each (four if ideal). you can see the fish in there and compare size ;P
yeah, i have to get something better filter wise.. the ammonia was up today.
hey guys, if I use Seachem Prime for my tanks, and test for ammonia, do i need to worry about the ammonia levels? does it nullify them or something, so that the ammonia eating bacteria can still grow and the tank can still cycle?
Hmckin, if you think about it, you add 2 drops per gallon to the water you are adding to the tank. That ammount is the minimum ammount needed to do the job. As such, all it really does is dechlorinate the water you are adding, seeing is that is how much you dosed. Now if you were to overdose 10 drops per gallon of water that you are replacing, then yes, you will see the ammonia in the main tank being completely nullified because there is an excess ammount of prime being added that does not become used up by the water in the water change bucket. It is the water change that physically replaces dirty ammonia laced water with clean pure water. :)
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...its only been a week but i feel like its the only way to show me hes truly happy
