newer owner help please

[whisper]

I am new to this board, and i just read up on feeding the betta's, apparentl i am over feeding them, and will stop.

my question to anyone who may know is on setting up bowls.

i started with one small divided kit, and i changed and upgraded to the large bowls that you would put a plant in the top. i have no live plants. i have one small plant at the bottom of the bowl. it holds approx one gallon i believe. should i put some sort of sand or stones at the bottom? also i use the betta fix remedy, the instructions say to add the medicine every day for 7 days before changing the water, is this an on going event or just when tey appear sick. i have had my original 2 fish since august and they appear happy and healthy. thier color is magnificant, their fins are healed from when i originally got them.

any info would be appreciated

thanks

 

[FroggyFox]

Best advice that anyone can give you would be to continue reading around the betta forum. We have a ton of betta owners here.

one gallon for two bettas sounds pretty small to me. My betta has a gallon setup to himself with filtered water that I got for like 10 bucks at Petsmart. You dont need to put anything on the bottom of your bowl...and I'd say you dont need to medicate unless your fish appear sick. The only thing you need to do regularly is change their water (especially since its not filtered...and I would suggest getting some type of setup with a filter) and make sure that the water you put back in is dechclorinated.

 

[whisper]

thank you Froggy Fox

what i have is the bowls from the peace lily set up, i believe that it holds between one half or one whole gallon i am not sure. i have one fish per bowl, i have 5 fish/bowls total so far. i change the water weekly, i feed them daily (too much from what i have read and will be changing that practice)

when i change the water i use "splendid betta complete water conditioner" 1/2 teaspoon just when i change the water before i add the fish. then i use "splendid betta fix remedy" i was putting approx 1/2 teaspon in daily because the instructions said to use it for 7 days before changing the water. the person in the pet store told me to use it, but never told me for how long... do you have any idea?

i am new at fish, cats are my forte... i do not have the live lillies in with the fish, i just liked the large size of the jar for the fish.

thanks again
whisper

 

[ashleigh]

Do you know what it is exactly? Is it just water conditioner like dechlorinator? If so you should use that or something like it every water change.

 

[whisper]

yes ashleigh the water conditioner is a dechlorinator, also it says it makes the water instantly safe for betta's.

my question is, is the bettafix a medicine that i should stop using, or is it a vitamin supliment the active ingrediant is "melaleucaCAS # 800-98-8 .2%

thank you for reading my question
whisper

 

[CAPSLOCK]

Betta Fix remedy is a medicine, and you don't need to add any if your bettas are healthy...which they seem to be. The directions mean that if the betta gets sick, you are supposed to add that amount for 7 days, then change the water to remove all the built up medicine.

The dechlorinator you have to continue to add every time you change the water, though.

The lily isn't really necessary, it's just to make the bowl prettier. If you want, you can get a fake plant to put on the bottom...some bettas like to have stuff to swim around in.

 

[danish1978]

I wouldn't guess a filter is necessary-although some betta parents swear by them. I think a airstone powered filter makes too strong a current for your betta. Although-are you doing 100% water changes weekly if you don't have a filter?

 

[whisper]

Danish,

yes I do a complete change, i pour the fish in his old water into a bowl with a strainer at the bottom where he sits in his old water. i rinse out his glass and sometimes i do wash it with soap if it is slimy or smellier then usual. i rinse thouroughly and there is no trace of soap or soap residue. i must be doing it right because i have had my original 2 since august. after it is thoroughly rinsed without a hint of anything, i rinse the small silk plants in water and rub them gently with my hands and NO soap or anything else. i fill the glass, and add the dechlorinator and the medicine (that i dont need anymore) i add the silk plant, then i carefully lift the strainer out of the water and put him back in his fresh water.


so far so good. i got them bigger bowls then the original pint size one i had, so now i have 5 in five larger bowls

thanks for your response
whisper

 

[Iggy]

Hi Whisper and welcome to the tank!

Sounds like your doing pretty good for a first time betta owner, so lets try to simplify your life a little.

Bettafix/Melafix (same stuff) is for treating torn fins and mild fin-rot. Its basically a mild anti-biotic, so only add it if the fish appear sickly or have torn fins.

Weekly water changes is fine with 1 gallon systems, but change at least 50% of the water, more if you can. I leave my bettas inside their jars and use a small siphon to clean the bottom, then just siphon the water back in or use a large watering jug.

The best water conditioner I find for bettas is 'Seachem Prime' - its in a red bottle. You will need an eyedropper as only 0.1ml is needed for 1 gallon. (1 ml per 10 gallons). 'Prime' works instantly, and I have used it on dozens of betta jars on non-aged water with no issues.

For the substrate (bottom), you can use gravel, rocks or sand. My jars are plain bottom just so I can easier monitor my dozens of fish health (poop color/frequency). If you do use gravel, rise it out every month.

I use Java Moss in all my jars, which gives them a place to rest or hide and helps buffer the water conditions a little (algea/nitrates)

A few other helpful tips:

a) Bettas can and often do JUMP. In the wild, they jump from small puddle to puddle till they find a large enough space to thrive. If your jars are not covered, keep in mind bettas can jump upwards of about 6".

b) Bettas are surface air breathers, due to the development of a primitive breathing organ called a labyrith. Bettas come to the surface and take gulps of air, so make sure their is enough breathing room.

c) Bettas are tropical fish, they prefer a constant water temperature of 76 to 78F. Small vases/jars/tanks are harder to heat, mostly because most tank heaters are often larger than the containers. They should do fine in an above average warm room, but if they start getting lethargic or faded, they might be showing signs of getting too cold.


My ideal betta tank setup is the following (1 betta only):
1 @ 5 gallon tank with light, for lots of room to swim and decorate
50w Tank heater set at 78F
Sand bottom, Java Fern & Driftwood for a natural look
A very small internal filter (optional) on lowest setting.

 

[whisper]

Capslock,

thank you for that info, i will stop using the medicine.

whisper

 

[whisper]

Iggy,

Thank you for your wonderful suggestions, and i appreciate the time you spent responding.

I hope to have some pictures very soon, later today if the fish cooperate!!!

I will be taking your advise and getting the dechlorinater that you reccomended.

I have nothing on the bottom of the vases either, i like to see if they poop, or are just letting the food fall. i was concerned that they may be happier with stones in the bottom was why i asked.

I joined this forum today, and the people have been so informative, and kind, i am reading the boards and also doing research, so that i too may be able to offer some help to someone newer then me

thank you everybody !!!!

whisp

 

[chkn_hawk23]

im sorry to butt in, but it kindof fits. i always wondered why you dont have to cycle a bettas tank? is it because they breathe air that the water does not effect them in the same way as other fish? sorry to just throw this in there, but its been making me wonder about there set-up. thanks.

 

[whisper]

from what i know, they are air breathers and go to the top for air. they originally come from filthy murkie water in thailand or some place, so they mutated to breath air at the surface, that is why they dont need a filter. i clean mine every week and so far have had good results

 

[ashleigh]

actually, water in rice paddies is pretty clean- it's not stagnant like people in the pet store will tell you. Iggy's perfect setting sounds perfect to me too. As you've learned, a filter is not vital, but I like having them. Less strenuous (I simply cannot spell today) cleaning.

 

[Iggy]

Betta tanks are often not cycled because they are too small (in most cases) to support a good bio-colony. Bettas ARE affected by high ammonia like other fish, but Nitrite (which impedes gill function and suffocates fish) will not affect a betta as much because they are surface breathers.

Keeping a tank sanitary is probably more vital than attempting to support a biofilter in a small tank situation (under 5 gallons).

Weekly water changes with monthly substrate rinsing for a single betta should maintain a fairly clean environment.

 

[littlefishie]

whisper -- just one thing about washing your betta's vase. don't use soap. it can seriously hurt them. what's easier is using aquarium salt. 5 tablespoons per half gallon, and use it to scrub. it's around $2 at the LFS, so it shouldn't be too bad. and it's much more sanitary. you can also use it to hatch brine shrimp, and putting a bit in your betta's bowl wouldn't hurt. it's 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons, so for a 1 gallon bowl, you'd need just under 3ml. much healthier for the fish, and some of them really thrive in the salted water. since i put it in all my betta's bowls, they've been much happier.