What else do I need for my new aquarium?

[Alyssa123]

This is what I have so far:

1 male betta, Marineland Eclipse 5 Gallon Hex , Heater, Gravel, Plants, Décor, Basic medications, Gravel Vacuum, Test kit for ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates, Net, Dechlorinator, Filter Cartridges, food

Do I really need Air stones and Air pump for a betta? The top of this tank is covered, can my betta get some air still? What are something I still need to get?

Can betta gets lonely or they would rather having a 5 gallon tank for themselves?

 

[JWright]

Just real quick... in your other thread you said you put the betta into the 5g before it was done cycling. What were you doing to cycle the tank?

You don't need an airstone, the finter will move the water around just fine.

A betta will be fine by himself in a 5g. I kept a pair of ottos in a 3g with a betta, and I 'spect you would be able to do that in your 5g without a problem.

~JW

 

[Alyssa123]

I really don’t know how I am going to cycle the tank now. The pet store lady suggests I should do a 100% change so I dumped all the water from the 1 gallon tank. Now the fish can’t really go back. I’m trying to look for a product called Bio-Spira. It supposes to make the water safer.

 

[JWright]

Ok... I guess the fundamental question is do you understand what "cycling" a tank means?

 

[Alyssa123]

Yes I do, but there isn’t much that I can do right now besides buying whatever products people recommended to make the tank a safer place for my betta. At least I cared and seek for help. Any suggestion for my betta at this time would be appreciated.

 

[zoo minsi]

well if your going to have a heater on the tank i would recomend a small thermometer just so you know if the water is to hot or cold.

 

[Alyssa123]

Just a thought: Will it work if I take my betta back to the one gallon tank (fresh new treated water) and change the water so many times a week while cycling the 5 gallon tank. Can changing the water too many time stress my fish?

 

[JWright]

It's not about being "safer"

Really there are no chemicals you can add to your tank that will speed things up.

The bacteria that gets rid of the fish waste won't grow unless they have food. So a tank without fish in it won't cycle at all (unless you add ammonia yourself). Now that you have a fish in the tank, he's producing ammonia, and the bacteria colonies are growing to eat that ammonia. Once those colonies are big enough to eat all the ammonia your fish produces, your tank will be cycled.

Bio-spira is really the only additive that has been proven to decrease the length of the cycle, but it's very expensive, and if it hasn't been kept refrigerated, it's no good.

 

[Alyssa123]

Well, I followed the instruction from aquariumcorner.com. It said to add fish food twice a day to the fishless tank and make a 20% water changes once a week. Do all that in 4-8 weeks for the cycle. Would it work if I use that method for my 5 gallon and keep my betta in a 1 gallon tank (change water more often).

 

[James From Cali]

But why would you move him if you already have the him in the 5g. You would only stress him out by moving him to the 1g. I say do any where from a 30-50% wc every week(maybe 2 small ones a week)on the 5g while doing a fish-in cycle. Just dont let the ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates.

 

[JWright]

That would work, but it would be much faster to add ammonia directly, that way you don't have to wait for the fish food to break down into ammonia.

Check out the "fishless cycle" instructions in the beginner stickies.

But frankly, at this point, I would just keep the betta in the 5g and keep the ammonia and nitrite levels below 2ppm with water changes until they go away completely.