zytx

I have a betta and it lives in a fish bowl that isn't filtered but heated and i feed it pellets. It has a plant in it but i was wondering if the plant can make algae and will the algae kill the fish? I had a betta before and it lived without the plant for a LONG time but then died. And i dont change the water at all, the water never becomes murky but the water levels do go down (i think by evaporation) so i just pour more water in (after letting it adjust into room temperature). So my new betta has a plant in it and this plant is really big so would it kill my fish?!

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The tank is in my living room and its about 20 feet away and the water we use has no chlorine its "soft" water. and its like super filtered water, but if we dont continueously change the water and let it evaporate and reput water will the ammonia build up? or will the plant eat it? And what do you mean by fluctuating? (sorry about the double post forgot about editing) [and can some1 show me a picture of a 5G tank?]

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i dont really have a name for it lol, btw my parents think its a waste of money to get filters and products and a big tank for one fish because i asked my dad how big the fish bowl is and he guesses it is about 1G and the very minimum is 2.5 so im a bit worried. But it always seems to swim quickly everytime we approach it. Any more suggestions or helpful tips? All will be appreciated THANKS EVERYONE!

Lucy

The plant and algae wouldn't kill your fish. Usually algae is caused by too much light, is the bowl near a window?

Fish waste creates ammonia and that's toxic to your fish. The water doesn't necessarily have to look murky to be toxic.

The ammonia builds up over time unless you do frequent water changes.

The problem with the bowl is the betta doesn't have room to swim, it's hard to keep the temperature from fluctuating within a few days the water can become toxic..

Your betta would probably live a long and happy life if you get him a proper tank with a filter and heater, depending on your climate.
Unfortunately, the bowl you have is less than a gallon, I'd recommend you get him a 5g, although some members have kept them successfully in 2.5g's

I'd also suggest you use a good water conditioner. Sitting it out may get rid of the chlorine, but it doesn't get rid of any other toxins that might be in your water.

Here's a good thread to read about betta care:
Welcome and Betta Care Guide - Please Read First!!!

Good luck

Allie

What Lucy said. ^
There is a huge misconception of Betta living without heaters and filtration in bowls or smaller spaces. Betta thrive in a 5g tank, heated at 78-81* with low flow filters like sponges. Silk or real plants are best..plastic tend to rip up the flowing fins and cause infections.

zytx

The tank is in my living room and its about 20 feet away and the water we use has no chlorine its "soft" water. and its like super filtered water, but if we dont continueously change the water and let it evaporate and reput water will the ammonia build up? or will the plant eat it?

Alessa

plants only absorb a minimum amount of hydrogen compounds like ammonia. Without a filter they will accumulate, specially in such a small container where the water is not changed, whether there is a plant or not.

people that have fish in bowls will be having to do almost daily water changes to keep the fish from suffering the effects of ammonia poisoning (eg. permanently burned gils). And even if they do, the fish will always be exposed to them because there is nothing continuously filtering them out. (plus a betta needs at least 2.5 gallons of swimming space.)
The best way to avoid this is to get the betta at least a 2.5 gallon tank, filtered and heated. in a correctly established tank water changes should not have to be done more than once a week.

here is the whole explanation of how the bacteria that lives in the filter deal with nitrogen compounss like ammonia and nitrite:

http://www.fishlore.com/Nitrogen Cycle.htm

good luck!

Lucy

I'm sorry, I forget to welcome you, we're glad you joined.

Soft water doesn't mean it doesn't have chlorine, it has to have some additive which make it safe for human consumption, these additives are harmful to fish.

The ammonia won't evaporate with the water, although, I believe by adding water it would dilute it a bit The plant does not eat ammonia.

What eats the ammonia is a build up of beneficial bacteria. This is called cycling a tank. It's impossible to cycle a bowl of your size.

Here's a basic explanation of the nitrogen cycle:
First your ammonia (from fish waste and left over food) will rise.
In a few weeks you'll see the nitrite levels rise and the ammonia levels start to drop.
After a few more weeks you'll see the nitrate levels rise and the nitrite levels drop.
Ammonia and nitrites are toxic to your fish.
So until your cycle is complete, you need to keep the levels down with daily water changes
When you having readings of 0 on both ammonia and nitrites with some nitrates showing, your cycle is done.

I can't imagine your betta has much room to move around, please consider getting him a tank. You'll be rewarded with the most fabulous personality and colorful fins he can give you.

Edit: What's his name?

COBettaCouple

Welcome to Fishlore.