10 gal. tank
- Thread starter Katome556
- Start date
Well wait a minute...if you're changing over 75% of the water every few days then the bowl/tank doesn't need to cycle because the water change gets rid of the toxins just by default. Though ideally in a small tank or bowl situation you should really change 95-100% of the water to keep nitrates and physical dirt to a minimum.
But there is an easier method than the bagging and re-acclimating. We have four bettas and five bowls. I simply fill some old spring water containers with the water and let it sit out next to the bowls for two days. I fill the empty bowl, net a betta and quickly get them into the new water. Then I take that betta's bowl and rinse it out in hot tap water and scrub it a little. Then fill that with water, net the next betta, place him/her in the bowl and keep going so forth and so on until all bettas are in fresh, clean homes and I have an empty bowl to start with the next time around.
There is no acclimation needed because the water source is always the same (thus same pH, hardness, etc) and it's always the same temperature as well. The only stress the fish experiences is a quick netting. No temperature or chemical shock.
But there is an easier method than the bagging and re-acclimating. We have four bettas and five bowls. I simply fill some old spring water containers with the water and let it sit out next to the bowls for two days. I fill the empty bowl, net a betta and quickly get them into the new water. Then I take that betta's bowl and rinse it out in hot tap water and scrub it a little. Then fill that with water, net the next betta, place him/her in the bowl and keep going so forth and so on until all bettas are in fresh, clean homes and I have an empty bowl to start with the next time around.
There is no acclimation needed because the water source is always the same (thus same pH, hardness, etc) and it's always the same temperature as well. The only stress the fish experiences is a quick netting. No temperature or chemical shock.
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i change 75% wen. & 100% sun. >_> i'm also gonna do the same for my larger tank excet it will be 25% ,50% & 100% changes for it.
also i cup my betta , she just swims right into the cup and waits till i'm done cleaning her tank.Also when i seen her in the store she was in a comunity tank and not a little cup. >_>
also i cup my betta , she just swims right into the cup and waits till i'm done cleaning her tank.Also when i seen her in the store she was in a comunity tank and not a little cup. >_>
I suppose I should clarify that when I net them, it's very gentle. I allow them to swim into the net, gingerly lift them and replace the net into the new bowl and allow them to swim back out if it.
If it causes them any damage, I haven't seen any. And I've been using this method for at least a year now.
If it causes them any damage, I haven't seen any. And I've been using this method for at least a year now.
Hopefully this will make cycling a little simpler. The fish create poo and ammonia in their pee. Ammonia is harmful to the fish. But Bacteria #1 will convert the ammonia to nitrite, which is still toxic to the fish as well. Then Bacteria #2 will convert the toxic nitrite to nitrate, which is much less toxic, but is still toxic in larger amounts. This is the reason for water changes, to keep nitrates (the end product) at a lower level.
There are no bacteria called nitrites or nitrates. Nitrites and nitrates are the bi-products of the bacteria.
Acclimation is the process of adding your fish to the tank. Your water will not be identical in all parameters to your LFS. Acclimation is the process where you add your water to the lfs's,slowly, so the fish doesn't get shocked due to an instant change in parameters when just being dumped into the tank. And of course, NEVER dump the lfs's water into your tank. Dump the fish out into a net over a sink or bucket, then place the fish into the tank.
How I acclimate my fish is placing the fish and lfs water from the bag into a half gallon jug. Take a cup and slowly fill the jug til it's full with your tank water. Then dump half the water into an empty bucket or the sink and repeat. I do this 3 times. Takes approx 30 minutes. Then pour the fish out into a net and place into the tank. Never lost any fish this way, not even my sensative GBR's.
Also, if planted fairly heavy with good stem plants or any other fast growers, you will never see the cycle. The plants will feed off the ammonia, and will not have a need to cycle. So if you just have a couple small fish, then having good stem plants will take care of the cycling for you. I have a 10G planted tank with GBR's, and never cycled it, and have never had any traces of ammonia or nitrites. Of course, it's heavily planted with Wisteria and R. rotundafolia. And E. Tiandra for ground cover. And to keep enough nitrates in the water, I have to dose them.
There are no bacteria called nitrites or nitrates. Nitrites and nitrates are the bi-products of the bacteria.
Acclimation is the process of adding your fish to the tank. Your water will not be identical in all parameters to your LFS. Acclimation is the process where you add your water to the lfs's,slowly, so the fish doesn't get shocked due to an instant change in parameters when just being dumped into the tank. And of course, NEVER dump the lfs's water into your tank. Dump the fish out into a net over a sink or bucket, then place the fish into the tank.
How I acclimate my fish is placing the fish and lfs water from the bag into a half gallon jug. Take a cup and slowly fill the jug til it's full with your tank water. Then dump half the water into an empty bucket or the sink and repeat. I do this 3 times. Takes approx 30 minutes. Then pour the fish out into a net and place into the tank. Never lost any fish this way, not even my sensative GBR's.
Also, if planted fairly heavy with good stem plants or any other fast growers, you will never see the cycle. The plants will feed off the ammonia, and will not have a need to cycle. So if you just have a couple small fish, then having good stem plants will take care of the cycling for you. I have a 10G planted tank with GBR's, and never cycled it, and have never had any traces of ammonia or nitrites. Of course, it's heavily planted with Wisteria and R. rotundafolia. And E. Tiandra for ground cover. And to keep enough nitrates in the water, I have to dose them.
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