ecnaj143

Hello again fellow betta lovers!!! Been away long time, busy, just had a new baby. They take alot of time, but he's getting older and now I can turn some of my attention back to my fishies.

Now for my question. I was given a very small fish bowl. I was gonna put it on my desk at work. If I put a Betta in there, could I put some rocks on the bottom and like 1 silk plant

Thanks for the help.

Butterfly

Your Betta needs a tank big enough to have a heater and a filter. So the bowl is probably not a good idea.
Carol

ecnaj143

Well, I live in florida. No one I know that has a fish tank has a heater. My 10gal doesn't have a heater and my fish are as happy as can be. When I had my betta....he loved it. Inside my office....the temp stays between 73-77f. But, if Betta's won't be good, what would

Butterfly

Depending on the size of the bowl. Maybe some plants and a couple of mystery snails. It would be different anyway
Carol

ecnaj143

But I want a fishie

Butterfly

Sorry 73-77F is too much fluctuation. In warmer areas heaters can keep the tank at a more level temp. Bettas need to be right about 78F consistently. Fluctuating temps is just begging ICH to break out and its also stressful for your fish and stress can cause your fish to get sick.
gunnie lives in Florida and has heaters in her tanks
Carol

ecnaj143

Hmmmm, guess it depends on who has it. My 10gal says about 76f. It stays the same temp as my house, whatever temp my house is, for some odd reason, thats the temp of my tank. Its weird

Butterfly

Glad their doing well Most fish will adjust to a steady temp, bettas will adjust but not necessarily like it. I was just saying the fluctuation is what causes a problem. Most houses are cooler in the morning and warmer in the evening. Even a 2-3 degree fluctuation can cause problems.
Carol

0morrokh

Not only is that too mush fluctuation, but it is too cold for a Betta. The optimum temp for Bettas is 80 degrees, although if you keep them with other fish 78 degrees will do. Anyway, bowls are not really suitable for keeping fish. I believe I posted my list of reasons on another post of yours.
I know you want fish but you need to keep in mind what is best for them. How about a couple Ghost Shrimp? I know another person on here (Emma) has two in a half-gallon tank. I think those would be fine in your bowl, and they are very cool. They are clear so you can see the color of the food they ate in their stomach!

inari

also an idea they sell small tanks for bettas called the betta keeper at Petco for like $10 with plants, gravel, and a divider (not that u would really want that kinda of bio load) please correct me if i am wrong i will gladly take this back if i am wrong but i'm pretty sure i saw some small filters and heaters if u want to try something like that. I'm sure the whole set up isn't that expensive. just a thought

Brent

0morrokh

I'm guessing whatever you're thinking of is not 5 gallons...it is probably a one or half gallon kit, which really isn't much better than a bowl. You couldn't get a 5 gallon kit that cheap...

inari

no it really isn't it a 5 gal but can't u get filters and a heater for it?

0morrokh

Well you CAN but I do not recommend heating anything less than 5 gallons because it is so easy to overheat. You really can't safely keep fish an anything less than 5 gallons.

Gunnie

I think a couple of ghost shrimp would be very cool for that bowl. You could also get some low light plants like java fern, java moss and anubias. It would be very natural and you wouldn't have to worry about heating it.

0morrokh

Yeah, that would be really awesome! Maybe I need to try something like that! Sorry if I'm hijacking the post a bit, but are there any filters you can use for tiny bowls/tanks?

chickadee

The Duetto is the smallest one I know of and it is 2 - 5 gallons on their MINI model. It would NOT work on a small box of plastic like the Betta Container with the divider. They are little more than fancy named bowls. And no heater should be put into anything less than a 3 gallon and then only with extreme caution as the smaller tanks do tend to overheat badly. I had my first Marineland Heater problem with the heater that used to be in my 3 gallon giving out when I put it in the 5 gallon. I will now not use more than a 25 watt in my 5 gallon tanks. The heaters that are supposedly made for the small containers do not have adjusting devices. The unit is preset at the factory to raise the temperature a couple of degrees. That does nothing to keep the temperature steady.

Rose

inari

I know for bettas u need to keep it around 78 degrees F so if the heater is preset how in the world do u get it up that high and maintain it

chickadee

That is why you do not want to use that type of heater. You cannot do it, it will not do what you need it to do. You will be wasting your money. Get a bigger tank (5 gallon or more) and an ADJUSTABLE heater (submersible is best) and you will have it made. [well kind of anyway - you still have to get through the cycle] I know you already have all these things in your plans so you are on the right track.

Rose

inari

if only full cycling were an over night process it would make our lives so much easier and we could get fish quicker too!!! ;P

0morrokh

You said it

Gwenz

Bio Spira is a quick way to cycle a tank. I only wish we could get it in UK...

Gwenz

Butterfly

Seems Marineland can't produce BioSpira fast enough to supply all the demands for it.
Carol

inari

well cycling is a total pain :P

Butterfly

yep i agree so are fish dying in an uncycled tank (pain for them that is)
Carol

inari

well yeah they are worth the pain in the butt, however its still a pain for us to have to cycle tho o well it happens

chickadee

The cost of Bio-Spira is well balanced out in the health of the fish. Since you already have your fish, you really need to make that investment for the health and protection of your fish. Inari does not need to be the guinea pi g to do the cycling or to stay in an uncycled tank until you do the fishless cycle. With Bio-Spira you add the Bio-Spira and then in a few minutes you add the fish. That's it.

Rose

ecnaj143

I use nutrafin cycle, i let the tank cycle for about 4-7days and it works even better. I have never lost a fish because my water was out of wack.

kerryve

I cant seem to find anything like that in South Africa either...

ecnaj143

Have you looked for Nutrafin cycle??

inari

wow that fast what is it like just straight bacteria that are need for the nitrogen cycle?