[eaturbyfill]

I want to have a bigger tank for my betta. I am getting a 10 gallon this week (with a heater, Tetra Whisper filter, and aeration) to move him to, and I have a few questions.

Should I try to divide the tank,
or would keeping him with a small aquatic frog and a snail work fine?
Which would be better?

Also,
Do I need to do the fishless cycle?
How long will that take?

 

[freemike]

Fishless cycles normally take anywhere from 3-6 weeks. Although I have heard people that have took a full 8 to do. You could divide the tank 3 ways and have 3 Bettas. The frog and snail would depend on the temperament of the Betta. I have one Betta that tries to kill anything that moves in the tank while the others I have are okay with their tank mates. If he gets along with the tankmates you could even consider a small school of cories in the 10 gallon with him.

 

[thekoimaiden]

My favorite thing to do with a 10 gal is to divide it. That way you can have double the bettas. :-D I use the double-divider method and have a buffer zone in the middle with the filter and heater.

For the frog-specific care you should check out the ADF care thread in the Compatibility section. Mike is right, whether or not you can have tank mates with your betta depends on his aggressiveness. Snails and shrimp are a good way to test his aggressiveness.

A fishless cycle will be best and will be shorter and better than subjecting your fish to that. If you know someone with a healthy fish tank, you can take some substrate and filter material from that tank to jump-start your cycle. It will significantly reduce the length of your cycle.

 

[eaturbyfill]

I'm going to keep him in there alone, at least for now.

Has anyone tried the Jungle and/or Tetra products that are supposed to quickly cycle or help to cycle a tank?

 

[freemike]

I have used tetra safestart and IME it did nothing to speed up my cycle. I have read a lot of mixed reviews on the stuff. From what I gathered on the internet it is a 50/50 shot at working. The only thing that really speed up my cycles is what koimaiden suggested with old substrate or a piece of filter from an established tank. You could also use squeezings from an established filter. That is what really gets my tanks started now is dirty water from a sponge filter or really any filter as long as it has been running for a few months in a tank. I just have better reactions from adding dirty sponge water than other filter types. You usually can obtain this from a LF(P)S from their tanks as most of them use some type of sponge filtration. I tried getting some from my Petco and they refused to give me anything. They just tried to sell me the cycling products.

Just to let you know how well this works for me I instant cycled a 5.5 gallon starter tank for a friend from 3 of my 10 gallon sponge filter squeezings. It will make your water look nasty for a couple hours but this is the only sure fire way I know of to actually jump start or to speed up the process.

 

[eaturbyfill]

I'll see about that. My husband's mom has an established tank that probably could use a new filter (I think we both have the same kind). If I switched hers with my new one, how long would I need to wait to change it to a new one? Dunno how used it is.

 

[thekoimaiden]

You're going to want to keep her filter cartridge in that tank for at least 3 weeks after it has been in her tank for at least 3 weeks. If you can also nab a handful of her substrate, that would be helpful, too. Basically anything with surface area from inside the tank.

 

[eaturbyfill]

When will it be safe to add the fish?

 

[eaturbyfill]

Also, how should I move him from his current tank to the new one?

 

[thekoimaiden]

When will it be safe to add the fish?

This is where you'll need a liquid test kit. It's safe to add fish once you see no ammonia or nitrite for at least 3 days and nitrate is present.

 

[eaturbyfill]

One last question, I have some of her aquarium gravel, but it doesn't match mine, so is there an easy way to add the bacteria without mixing?

 

[Bounce]

Get a new pair of pantyhose and put mom-in-law's gravel into the foot, tie it off and lay it on top of your substrate. I'm not sure how long it should be left in your tank, but when I heard about this method of jump starting a cycle, I thought it was pretty clever.

 

[eaturbyfill]

Thanks! That is a really great idea.

Anyone know how long to leave it?

 

[Bounce]

I would just do as thekoimaiden said and just leave it there until your readings indicate that the tank has cycled.

 

[thekoimaiden]

I know when you are changing out the substrate, you should leave it in there for 3-4 weeks. But this is a tank with an already established bio-filter in the filtration system. Just leave it in there until your readings are 0 and nitrate is showing. But all during this time, you are going to need an ammonia source or the bacteria won't survive. This means either a fish in the tank or adding pure ammonia daily.

 

[eaturbyfill]

I suppose I'll have to add the little guy, as I am nervous about dealing with pure ammonia. Will I need to do more frequent water changes than I normally would during this time?

 

[thekoimaiden]

You might have to. When you test the water and detect ammonia or nitrite above 0.25 ppm you will have to do a water change. For some people this turns out to be about twice a week. For others it turns out to be just once. Every single tank is different.

 

[eaturbyfill]

Thank you so much for everything, you are always so helpful in answering my little noob questions!! I'll be getting an ammonia kit tomorrow.