Betta fish tank?

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fishwish34

Medium Fish
#1
Jun 27, 2010
84
0
0
#1
I have a ~1.5 gallon, hexagonal aquarium. The hexagon sides are about 4.25" each, and the tank is about 10.25 inches tall. I was wondering if I could keep a single male betta in it. I realize I would need a mini filter and heater...the tank came with a filter that doesn't work very well, and an air pump that says AQT 1000 on it.
Also, the tank is currently very dirty--some sort of white film on the walls (there was a betta in it for three days, then the betta died and we left the tank alone for awhile...the water evaporated, and the white stuff appeared). It scrapes off with a fingernail, but there's a lot of it. What's the best was to clean off the tank without leaving traces of chemicals behind?

I appreciate any advice!
 

rubbaducky92

rubbaducky92

Small Fish
#2
Jul 6, 2010
16
0
0
Ann Arbor, MI
#2
Water is always the safest way to go about cleaning it. It might take a lot of scrubbing but you won't have to worry about residue from chemicals.

You could definitely keep a single male in that. Just know that some Betta's are scared of water movement such as air pumps. They're pretty hardy and can breathe air as well as water if water conditions aren't great. I personally just keep mine in a 1.5g bowl. I do complete water changes twice a week and he's been good. They're fun lil fish to have =]
 

bassbonediva

bassbonediva

Superstar Fish
#3
Oct 15, 2009
2,010
0
0
Northern Arizona
#3
Easiest way to clean any tank without chemicals is to fill it up with HOT water and add a bit of white vinegar to it (for that small a tank, I generally use a tablespoon or less). Let it sit until the water is cooled down, but not cold (just on the verge of cold) and then scrub down the walls of the tank with a CLEAN scrubby sponge. Empty the tank, rinse it, then fill it back up with just HOT water and let it sit until the water is cold. Empty it again, rinse it really well with HOT water again and then let it air dry completely. Viola! Clean tank!

Yes, you could keep a male betta in there (I currently have the same tank set up for one of my boys). However, it is a bit small. Bettas are actually very active fish if they have the room to move and prefer horizontal swimming space to vertical swimming space. My happiest boys are in minimum 5 gallons each with lots of live plants.
 

achase

achase

Large Fish
#4
Feb 1, 2010
765
0
0
British Columbia, Canada
#4
Bassbonediva, would using a white vinegar/hot water soak be a good way to sterilize your aquarium equipment such as nets? Sorry for hijacking the thread a little.

I would answer the question but I agree with what everyone has already said. *thumbsups
 

bassbonediva

bassbonediva

Superstar Fish
#6
Oct 15, 2009
2,010
0
0
Northern Arizona
#6
achase said:
Bassbonediva, would using a white vinegar/hot water soak be a good way to sterilize your aquarium equipment such as nets? Sorry for hijacking the thread a little.
Click to expand...
Yep! I pretty much soak ANYTHING I get for the tanks, whether new or old, in a vinegar/hot water solution. Decorations, nets, gravel, rocks, the tanks themselves...the only things I don't do it with are plants and driftwood. Because driftwood is porous, it's harder to get the vinegar out. Plants and vinegar don't mix well, so I usually just rinse my plants in hot water before putting them in the tank.
 

bassbonediva

bassbonediva

Superstar Fish
#8
Oct 15, 2009
2,010
0
0
Northern Arizona
#8
I don't, but I've never had any problems with the plants I've gotten. I actually haven't gotten that many pond snails from my plants, either. They must have all hitch-hiked to my friend's 5.5gal betta tank when I gave her some hornwort and dwarf sag out of my tank. lol
 

bassbonediva

bassbonediva

Superstar Fish
#11
Oct 15, 2009
2,010
0
0
Northern Arizona
#11
No, it doesn't need to be dechlorinated unless you have TONS of heavy metals in your water from the tap. Although, even then you'll be adding dechlorinator when you fill the tank before adding the fish, so that should suffice. So, I'd say don't worry about the dechlorinator until you're going to cycle the tank and add your fish. I don't worry about it, but then again, I'm on a well.
 

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