New to this all starting out with a 2.5 gallon betta aquarium. help is appreciated!!

ssuchem13

ssuchem13

Tower Tank Master
Oct 4, 2011
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Eric
hello all.
Im a 22 yr old chem major from California and I recently have gotten a Betta fish. i was just strolling through petsmart, thinking i would get some gold fish to keep in a gallon bowl i had bought at a thrift store. Then this white and pink female Betta fish caught my eye. She was so cute and very friendly and i couldn't resist. So i bought her along with a Betta vase. Well its been about a week and i absolutely love her. She is so soothing to watch swim. I did some research over the last week and i feel terrible for putting her in such a small container with no filter of heater. Ive purchased a 2.5 gallon tank for her and a whisper 3i filter along with a heater for her. I set up the tank sans the heater today and started the filtering today. I want to move her in as soon as i can so she has more room to swim and feel safe. However i don't want to stress her more than necessary. As far as i know the filter has no biological starter in it. It looks to be a simple carbon filter. Could i possibly start her in the tank when the heater gets here in a few days? Its a small 10W heater btw. After doing some research i placed a silk plant in the direct flow of the out spout for my filter to slow the current for her fins. any advice would be helpful. Ive tried to include any and all important details, but if anything is unclear please ask for more details. Hoping to hear from some experienced minds. will post pictures of tank soon.
 
Thank you so much for not getting goldies lol... Then you'd feel worse ;) for your betta, you'll probably need to fishless cycle. When you say there's no biological filtration in the filter, what do you mean?
Now, if you're going to do a fishless cycle (which I highly suggest so you don't put your Betta through more stress) you'll need a test kit as well. The API master kit is on of the best out there, and it's worth every penny. Also, if you can fit it, your betta girl would be much happier in a 10 gallon tank. :) They can live in a 2.5, but they can thrive in a ten. ;) you'll need to start researching the nitrogen cycle, but here it is in a nut shell: You'll need an ammonia source such as fish food, a raw shrimp, or pure ammonia (no surfactants or junk). ammonia will spike and then fall, then nitrites will spike and fall, then nitrates will spike and you do a big water change. When ammonia and nitrite are 0, and nitrate is under 20, you're ready for fish. :) you'll get all these readings by using your test kit. :)
 
I have been reading up on the nitrogen cycle and it has perplexed me a bit but thank you for clarifying. I unfortunately cant really afford a larger tank, money or space wise as a college student, but perhaps i will save up towards one in the future. The testing doesnt bother me. i will get a test kit then it seems. can i get one at a pet store? id really like to get my poor betta out of her vase asap. but if it takes time to make it safer i suppose it is worth it.
 
I've seen a lot of threads where people are stalling off on putting their bowl bettas in a tank...I'm not sure why this is. There is no biological filtration whatsoever in a bowl (a bowl without live plants, anyway) so why not just put all of the old water in the new tank? That way at least she will be warm.

I suggest you move her immediately. Put all of the old water in the new tank, and top off the rest with warm (a little warmer than lukewarm) dechlorinated water. Get the heater and filter running right away. Feed very little, once a day and just a few (like 3-4) pellets or flake. Try to make sure no food goes to waste, this should always be the case so as to keep the tank as clean as possible.

If you have a limited budget, I would say don't bother with a test kit. A master test kit will be $25-30 and even the cheap strips will run about $15. IMO for one betta in a 2.5 gallon tank, there is no reason to test the water. Just assume that there will be ammonia and nitrite present during the cycling process, and act accordingly. There is a small trial sized kit that includes Tetra Safe Start and Tetra Aqua Safe at Petsmart, I think this would be much more worthwhile to buy than a test kit.

These are the things you need for your tank:
1) Dechlorinator. Seachem's 50 mL Prime is probably one of the best to use, it will bind ammonia with a double dose.
2) Ammonia binder to get you through the cycling process, either Ammo-Lock or whatever else you can find that is affordable for you. Use it daily, I would say before or right after feeding especially.
3) If you can swing it, get some live plants. They help a lot with the cycling process, and your betta will enjoy having them to rest on. Java moss will be perfect for a small tank with standard light fixtures. One thing that is usually readily available is Anacharis/Elodea and Hornwort. Either one can grow floating, so just toss it in there. If the plants don't thrive, it's not the end of the world. They are mostly just there to absorb ammonia (plants do this, you know!) and then eventually nitrate. Starting with the easiest plants will give you the best chance of keeping them growing successfully.

With winter approaching (right now we are having a cold front here, so it is already 50 degrees in early October) I really hope you get her in the tank with a heater ASAP. The filter may not be seasoned yet, but at least it's going to move water and the carbon will help keep the water cleaner.

An uncycled small tank is still way better than a bowl. Really, there is no reason to leave a betta in a chilly, stagnant puddle while you fishless cycle the warm, filtered tank....just my two cents.

When you can afford a test kit, it's good to have so that you can see what is going on (since clear water doesn't really tell you anything...the "bad" things in water are invisible) but if buying it is going to prevent you from getting more important things, I'd skip it.
 
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The vase is uncycled and the tank is uncycled so it will make no difference if you move her to the tank. If you move her you would not add the ammonia because she will produce the ammonia. You will want to do water changes to keep ammonia and nitrite as close to 0 as you can. Make sure your water change water is dechlorinated and as close to the temperature of the water in your tank as you can get it.
 
I agree with everything that platytudes said above!!! :iagree:

But I am confused, so do you have the heater yet or did you order it online and it's coming in the mail? Even if you don't have it yet, your little girl would be way better off in the 2.5 gallon rather then the vase. (I swear if I could find the person who decided vases with a plant made the perfect home for a betta....grrrrr) I would definately try to get a live plant as well, some easy to grow, low light, hard to kill plants are
~Anachris/Elodea (can plant or float)
~Hornwort (can plant or float)
~Java fern (just tie to a piece of driftwood or a rock using 100% cotton thread)
~Anubias (just tie to a piece of driftwood or a rock using 100% cotton thread)

Look on craiglist for good deals, usually people sell stuff for small aquariums for next to dirt cheap. (including 10 gallon set ups, usually they are on there for no more than $15-$30, sometimes FREE (look under pets, then general, then free)

But I wouldn't worry about the test kit for now, (as platytudes said) mine ran me $45. Just change probably 25% of the water daily for the next 3 weeks or so, if your fish shows any signs of distress then do larger water changes.

I would invest in a small thermometer though, no more then a couple bucks at your local Walmart and that way you know what temp the water is. Ideally you want the water to be around 78F-80F imo, they show the best color and eat better.

For about $20, if you went to Petsmart and Walmart, you could get a thermometer ($2), sea chem prime ($3.99 @ petsmart http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11147375), and then ammo lock ($5.69 http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=10850844 ) then that would be about $13.00 with tax, so you could splurge and if you can spend the full $20, get $7 with of live plants. I would look at acutal fish stores for the plants, they often have really good sales and cheapier then Petco or petsmart oddly.

Be sure to update us all on your little girl!! :)
 
If you get Prime, you probably won't need Ammo-Lock. Other dechlorinators such as Stress Coat and Aqua Safe encourage slime coat, which is desirable in some situations. I am not aware of any dechlorinator besides Prime which can also bind ammonia, so the cheapest thing to do is probably to get that.

A thermometer is useful and cheap (thanks for the reminder, dani_starr!) although many of the heaters for small tanks are pre-set to a certain temperature, usually 78 degrees.

What kind of heater did you get, or are you getting?

Incidentally, when you get ready to buy a test kit, this is probably the cheapest one out there:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Tetra-Laborett-Master-Aquarium-Water-Test-Kit-Fish-Aquatic-Pets/3635399

The first two to three weeks are going to be the cycling phase of the tank, so I would add ammonia binder (you will just need a few drops, per the directions) to the tank once a day during that period.

After that, you're going to want to test for nitrates. After the cycling process there is usually quite a bit of nitrate left over. Changing about 50% of the water once a week will keep it in check. This is a mere gallon...so should be a piece of cake! You may want to get a turkey baster to siphon up any waste also.
 
I don't have the heater yet it is coming in the mail, petsmart was sold out of the heater i needed. I also do have a thermometer already. I really wanted to move her right away when i got the tank but the people at petsmart said it would kill her. If i can get by with just additives and changing water im more than willing to do that for the few weeks it takes. Thank you all for being so helpful!!! I kinda had a feeling one fish in an un cycled tank wouldn't be so dangerous, im going to move her soon.
 
also ive already been using a dechlorinator for all of the water i change for her. i forget what brand
 
so i made the move today when i got home from class, acclimated her slowly and then let her into the tank about an hour later, she is doing great and loves her new home, so glad to see her swimming well. i got the ammonia block and will be doing daily changes for the next few weeks. pics of her and her new home :)

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