HOWsMom

1 gallon unheated tank.
1 betta.
7w "nightlight" style bulb above.

Can I add a piece of sponge to the tube the air stone is in ?
Will that help with the bacteria and filtration ?

I cannot change the filter style or upgrade the tank size.

Nutter

You could add a piece of sponge to the uplift tube but it isn't going to be of any benefit at all. The gravel acts as the filter medium with UGF so any detrius is getting trapped in the gravel long before the water can exit the tube.

If you want to upgrade the filter, all you need to do is pull the uplift tube out of the UGF. Do this by twisting side to side gently while you lift up. You may need to place your hand on the substrate near the uplift tube so that you don't just pul the whole lot out plates & all. You don't really even need to do that. Just pull the airstone out & use it for something ese. Even an air driven box filter is an upgrade on UGF.

Shawnie

Im going to respectfully disagree with nutter (sowwwwwwwy) LOL
but you can add filter sponge ANYWHERE in the tank and it will get beneficial bacteria on it ..it wont do much for the filtration though..it takes a few weeks but it will happen....it doesnt necessarily have to be near the filter ...but I do agree with him that ugfs are going to be very hard to keep a tank pristine and keep the water perimeters in check....they are huge waste collectors.....good luck!

Nutter

Sorry Shawnie, I should have made myself clearer. I agree with you 100%. A sponge placed anywhere in the tank will collect beneficial bacteria over time. I just meant the same thing that you pointed out, it really won't help much with the filtration.

HOWsMom

The bacteria is a good thing, though, isn't it ?
That's what 'eats' the ammonia from the fish and waste.
Or am I not understanding that correctly ?

Shawnie

that is good thing yes .....but proper filtration is much better for a tank with ammonia.....it takes time for bacteria to build up in a tank ....keeping fish clean in the meantime, is a must...even after the bacateria builds up, if its not kept clean (taking the filter apart every few weeks to clean under it) you will always have a mini cycle as too much ammonia will override the colony

HOWsMom

Argh.

I get frustrated - we got the two bettas as "gifts".
Why people think that any living animal is a good gift, I'll never know.

Our two older kids each received a betta, a bowl, a tiny bit of gravel and some food as 'gifts' a few weeks ago.

We quickly moved the fish from the bowls to the 1g tanks with the UG filters, more gravel, light, etc.

Thankfully both Bettas seem to be doing fine with fairly frequent water changes (about twice a week).

ANYTHING that lives, breathes, and requires daily care from an adult is NOT a suitable gift for a child !!!!

That said - I am happy to have fish again, just not with the way we got them.

HOWsMom

Okay - so in the boys tank, I pulled out the UGF.

I grabbed a chunk of filter sponge, cut about a 2"x2" piece, stuck the airstone in the middle of that. I'd read in the DIY section here that that kind of makes a sponge filter.

I left the "princess tank" alone for now. I don't want to screw up both tanks at once.