I've had a crown-tail betta living in a 1.5 gallon bowl for about 2 months now and in cold water. When I change his water, I put him into a container with some of his current water, dump the old stuff and put a bowl buddy tablet into the new tap water. After it has dissolved, I put my betta back into his bowl. He seems happy, enjoys seeing me at feeding time and othewise, tolerates the cats drinking his water. After reading more about bettas, I now know he should be in warm water rather than 65 to 68 degree water. So last night I went and bought him a 5 gallon acrylic tank that has a filter system. I added cleaned, washed gravel to the bottom (5 pounds) and some silk acuarium plants (3) so that his fins don't get too ratty. I've also added Tetra-Safe to the water. My question is....and yes, I know about fishless cycling...why if I could put him right back into his bowl after cleaning it, why can't I put him right into the tank? I plan to turn on the heater when I add him to the tank just so he can gradually adapt to the warmer water rather than shocking him by taking him from cold to warm. I'm holding off until Ihear your comments on this. Any thoughts? Thank you for your patience and advise.
Betta Question
- Thread starter Caresteph
- Start date
You probably could do that but it is not in the best interest of the betta if the tank is cycling. When he was in the bowl which also is not a good eviroment for these fish, he has recieved regular water changes with all new water. When the tank is cycling you will not replace all of the water in the tank, so there will still be good amounts of ammonia and nitrite in the water until the tank is cycled. Bettas do not do well in a tank that is not cycled for this reason. As far as the heater issue is concerned, I would set the heater to 1-2 degrees warmer then what he is used to to start with and then raise the temp. in the tank 1-2 degrees a day until you have the temp. in the tank that you want. This will insure that he will not get stressed from the temperature change.
Marinemom
Marinemom
Hi
As the tank goes through its cycle, ammonia rate will spike first, and then fall off quickly, then nitrites will go up and stay high for a while - which can take a toll on your fish. If you can hold off on keeping your fish away during at least the ammonia spike, it will save him a lot of stress. The other quick solution would be throwing in a filter sponge that has been operating on a cycled tank.
As the tank goes through its cycle, ammonia rate will spike first, and then fall off quickly, then nitrites will go up and stay high for a while - which can take a toll on your fish. If you can hold off on keeping your fish away during at least the ammonia spike, it will save him a lot of stress. The other quick solution would be throwing in a filter sponge that has been operating on a cycled tank.
Should I be adding ammonia from the store or just leave things well enough alone? If I don't have any fish in the tank, how is the ammonia going to get started? I don't have an extra sponge I can use - can I use a handful of gravel from my existing tank? That's a 20 gallon.
I'm sorry, but from what I know of bettas, some of the regular rules of fishkeeping don't apply here!!!
Bettas... natural in-the-wild bettas... live in steaming rice paddies and marshy bogwaters that are soft, acidic and often full of decaying vegetation. Part of the reason bettas and other labrynth fishes adapted to breathing surface air was because the natural water conditions were so harsh on normal fish's gills and was generally stagnant and had little to no oxygen content. They also deal with heavy rains, flooding, and monsoons which cause the water conditions and depths to fluctuate during different times of the year.
They are also used to cramped living conditions due to the low water levels forcing bettas into encounters and struggles for territory in shrinking tropical pools. And when the betta was being domesticated for the generations, it was natural to keep them in nothing more than a jar or other small container until it was to be taken to a fish fight or bred for more bettas.
Granted, today's betta is a much softer, frillier fish than it's tough-as-nails wild counterpart, but a lot of that same sturdiness and adaptability has remained in the species. It can handle rough water conditions, no filtration, and cramped living spaces because this is how this fish has lived and been kept and domesticated over the generations.
I get so tired of people treating the betta like it's as long-suffered as the goldfish. Yes, keeping a goldfish in a bowl is inhumane and terrible treatment... but not all fish are created equal. The only thing inhumane about the 'betta bowl' is the lack of controlled temperature (since bettas like it at least 74 degrees F or warmer!) and the myth that Bettas with those Calla lily plants don't need to be fed. Now THAT is a crock of crap! Bettas are carnivorous and only eat vegetation when they are STARVING.
So there. That's the truth about the betta. My opinion? Go ahead and add him into the new tank and let him adjust on his own terms. He may not be as hardy as his wild counterparts, but I've never seen a betta go into shock and die from a change in water. He might discolor for a brief time, but that's going to happen with any fish delivered into a new environment.
I respect a lot of opinions here and many of them go off of years of practical fish keeping and enjoyment of this hobby. But you can own a fish for its entire lifespan and never know the real nitty-gritty about it's preferences, tolerances, and origins. Most people think they can have a betta in a tank for a few years and know everything about how it should be treated. But not all 'fad fish' are created equal. Yes, goldfish in bowls swim in their own waste which eats at their already starved gills until they slowly suffocate to death in a bliving space that would be like stuffing a 6'6" man in a broom closet and asking him to thrive. But that's goldfish, people... not bettas.
Granted, it's not bad treatment to keep them in large, filtered tanks... but some of the 'insisted requirements' around here are honestly over-the-top in my opinion and to insist them on anyone interested in keeping a betta is so unecessary, especially given the information above-mentioned.
I sincerely apologize for ranting in your thread, Caresteph, but this gets under my skin like nothing else around here on these Forums... G__G
Bettas... natural in-the-wild bettas... live in steaming rice paddies and marshy bogwaters that are soft, acidic and often full of decaying vegetation. Part of the reason bettas and other labrynth fishes adapted to breathing surface air was because the natural water conditions were so harsh on normal fish's gills and was generally stagnant and had little to no oxygen content. They also deal with heavy rains, flooding, and monsoons which cause the water conditions and depths to fluctuate during different times of the year.
They are also used to cramped living conditions due to the low water levels forcing bettas into encounters and struggles for territory in shrinking tropical pools. And when the betta was being domesticated for the generations, it was natural to keep them in nothing more than a jar or other small container until it was to be taken to a fish fight or bred for more bettas.
Granted, today's betta is a much softer, frillier fish than it's tough-as-nails wild counterpart, but a lot of that same sturdiness and adaptability has remained in the species. It can handle rough water conditions, no filtration, and cramped living spaces because this is how this fish has lived and been kept and domesticated over the generations.
I get so tired of people treating the betta like it's as long-suffered as the goldfish. Yes, keeping a goldfish in a bowl is inhumane and terrible treatment... but not all fish are created equal. The only thing inhumane about the 'betta bowl' is the lack of controlled temperature (since bettas like it at least 74 degrees F or warmer!) and the myth that Bettas with those Calla lily plants don't need to be fed. Now THAT is a crock of crap! Bettas are carnivorous and only eat vegetation when they are STARVING.
So there. That's the truth about the betta. My opinion? Go ahead and add him into the new tank and let him adjust on his own terms. He may not be as hardy as his wild counterparts, but I've never seen a betta go into shock and die from a change in water. He might discolor for a brief time, but that's going to happen with any fish delivered into a new environment.
I respect a lot of opinions here and many of them go off of years of practical fish keeping and enjoyment of this hobby. But you can own a fish for its entire lifespan and never know the real nitty-gritty about it's preferences, tolerances, and origins. Most people think they can have a betta in a tank for a few years and know everything about how it should be treated. But not all 'fad fish' are created equal. Yes, goldfish in bowls swim in their own waste which eats at their already starved gills until they slowly suffocate to death in a bliving space that would be like stuffing a 6'6" man in a broom closet and asking him to thrive. But that's goldfish, people... not bettas.
Granted, it's not bad treatment to keep them in large, filtered tanks... but some of the 'insisted requirements' around here are honestly over-the-top in my opinion and to insist them on anyone interested in keeping a betta is so unecessary, especially given the information above-mentioned.
I sincerely apologize for ranting in your thread, Caresteph, but this gets under my skin like nothing else around here on these Forums... G__G
Uncycled bowl vs. uncycled tank...you may as well put him in the tank! Just keep up with your larger water changes until the tank is cycled, and then you can cut back on the amount and frequency of water being changed.