water/dechorination and previously poorly taken care of fish issues

[blayzasaurus]

So i bought a betta on impulse this evening and i thought i knew what i was doing but im lost and impatient. Anyway to the real question. When i was a kid and my mom got bettas or any fish she just left the water out over night. The fish were fine but i want to do this right and my fish isnt in great position as it is (got him from walmart). Also how long will it take for one gal. of cold water to reach room temp.? Last thing. Could i heat the water in the microwave or add a little bit of boiling water? (My hot water heater is out for the week). I want to get him in a more suitable home as soon as possible. Please help

 

[blayzasaurus]

Oh and also the dechlonation question was about my mom leaving the water out over night. Does that work safely? One other thing, the dechlorinating liquid says 5ml to every 10 gallons of water and mines only one, how do i know how much to use?

 

[Thyra]

IME the Walmart bettas are in as good a shape as any others, but you really need more like 2.5 gallons for a betta inspite of all the cutesy things they sell. I don't know where you live or what your room temperature is. Bettas do best with temps in the upper 70s and there are heaters available for small tanks. If you use any of the methods you mention to warm the water a bit, for heavens sakes, don't have the fish in the water when you do it. For one Gallon of water you would need .5ml and that would be 10 drops.

 

[blayzasaurus]

Oh of course i didnt put him in there until the water was rm temp and dechlorinated. I know he needs a bit bigger of a tank which im going to get in about two weeks. My house is generally kept warm like 75 degrees or more. Is that suffi ient enough to regulate temperature? I didnt think bettas were that complicated

 

[Thyra]

They really aren't that complicated, but the better the environment, the better they do and Yes, 75 degrees should work fine. You might try one of the Thrift stores for a larger container. I once found a 5 gallon hex tank for $1.99. I did keep a betta in a gallon container for over a year and I changed the water completely every week. You need to do that in a small container or the ammonia takes over and a small tank is difficult to impossible to get cycled properly. I now have found I enjoy the betta in a community tank. I have one in each of my tanks and they do well with fish like platies, neons, mollies, otos, and some others. One other thing - in a pinch a desk lamp will work to keep a bowl warm - BUT watch it closely because depending on the lamp and size of the tank, it can over heat it. You need to have a thermometer handy to monitor the temp. You can regulate it a bit by the wattage of the bulb.

 

[blayzasaurus]

Oh so like goodwill and dav it would be really cool to have an aquarium but im new and just starting out so im gonna try with just the one fish for a while but i love mollies. Ive just never had a fish that i was the soul caregiver to before.

 

[Thyra]

Just a couple of other things: Be sure if you buy a used tank it isn't a reptile tank - they are not meant to be full of water so leaking is a real possibility. Secondly, I mentioned a lot of fish, but you need to be very careful you don't over stock. Example: In a 10g tank with a betta, three platies would be plenty. Mollies actually need a little more room and remember - they are prolific and and you can easily run into problems - 20 or 30 fry at a time and there is no room and you will find them difficult to rehome - besides needing a "growing tank". I suggest you do a lot of reading and research to get ideas and find problems others have had. You may not be able to afford to run out and buy another tank everytime you get an incompatible fish and you can't have 20 fish in a 10g tank either. Craigs list is another place to look for used tanks with all the equipment. Proceed slowly. When I joined this forum, I, too, had a betta in a bowl. All recommendations were for at least 2.5 gallons and by the time I got that set up, I had spent $50 (The tank, substrate, a few decorations and a heater) and that tank was much harder to keep up. I couldn't just empty it like I did the bowl and it grew algae like crazy. I would definitely recommend a 10-20g tank. It is possible to put a divider in a 10g and have one betta on each side. (I've never done that, but others have) You will just enjoy it more and have an easier time if you don't over stock. Also with a larger tank you will need a test kit for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate and a siphon to vacuum the substrate in the tank. BTW, welcome to the forum and we are here to answer your questions and help you be successful. I have other fish, but I really love the bettas and Walmart has provided me with some very beautiful ones at a reasonable price. The longer you have them, the more beautiful their finnage gets.