catzeye21138

I recently moved my betta into a 5 gal tank out of a 1 gal bowl. I don't have a heater yet, but I know I need one if I want to put corydoras in as well(which I want to do). My questions are

How many corys can I fit comfortably into a 5 gal tank with a male betta
Do I need to get an airation thing or will it be fine
What temp does the water need to be at if I am going to keep bettas and corys together

And anything else that would be helpful to me. I know that I have to go in once a week and do a 25% water change. I have water declorinizer so I'm all set. My tank is a taller one, so I'm not sure how I'm going to vaccum and how often to vaccum it. I'm going to take a picture in a bit and post it if that makes it easier to see what I'm talking about. I don't have any plants in yet, but I don't want to get real ones - just fake plants that don't take a lot of extra care.

I don't plan on getting my corys/cory for a few weeks now, at least not until I get everything totally set up. I just got my betta in there because I figured it was still better then a little bowl. By the way, I did let the filter work for 24 hours before I put him in. He seems to like it a lot so far.

Barbrella

Corydoras should be kept in schools and most of them grow to a reasonable size so a 5 gallon tank is not large enough for them.

Unless you got filter material from an established aquarium, your tank is not cycled and your betta will be at risk from soaring ammonia, nitrite and nitrate as the tank cycles (grows a bunch of beneficial bacteria and stabilizes) You can read all about how to cycle a tank here:
http://www.fishlore.com/FirstTankSetup.htm

You need to get a 50 watt heater, and set the temp to around 78 degrees for a betta.

catzeye21138

Okay, so what can I keep in the tank with the betta?

Should I get him back into the bowl then?

Thanks, I'll look for one at the fish store tomorrow.

sirdarksol

No, don't put him back in the bowl. It will only be worse than a tank. What you can do is frequent water changes to keep the ammonia/nitrate/nitrite levels down while the cycle begins.

catzeye21138

Okay, so would 2-3 25% changes a week be okay? Or should I do it like every other day? I looked through that link that was posted and it didn't say WHAT cycling was or how to do it. This tank thing is sort of spur of the moment. I got it for christmas morning and set it up that afternoon, added fish next day.

COBettaCouple

Do you have a liquid testing kit? If not, you'll want to pick up the API master freshwater kit.. petsmart (ask them to honor the online price) probably would be the place to pick it up locally.

You'll also want to treat the water with Prime. It's the best water conditioner and will help protect your betta more from toxins while the tank cycles. You could pick up a little empty travel bottle (for shampoo, etc) at walmart and use it for putting prime in the water, since you just want 1 drop of Prime per gallon.

Frequent 25% partial water changes is good. Every 2-3 days if you're using the Prime conditioner. I'd recommend either Visitherm stealth, Hydor Theo or Eheim submersible heaters.

I'd recommend silk plants and smooth decor in the tank. betta fins can tear easily and then you can end up with fin rot. Basically if anything in there would snag pantyhose, it would snag the fins.

sirdarksol

http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm
Try this one. It's kind of a pain to find until you get used to the site setup.

Here's a quick breakdown.
Fish produce waste in the form of ammonia, which is horribly toxic (the vapors that come off of pure ammonia are strong enough to knock a person out. Think about that, then think about the fact that the fish literally swim in the liquid form). Luckily, there are aquatic bacteria that eat ammonia and convert it into nitrites, which are less toxic than ammonia. However, a small amount of nitrites is still pretty toxic. Once again, luckily, there is a type of aquatic bacteria that eats nitrites and turns them into nitrates, which are only toxic in relatively high quantities.
It takes a few days to a couple of weeks for the ammonia-eating bacteria to build up to large enough quantities to convert the ammonia to nitrites quickly enough so as to be nearly instantaneous. After that, it takes further time for the nitrite-eating bacteria to do the same. In the meantime, your job is to make sure that the ammonia and nitrites are cleaned out enough that your fish can survive. Personally, I would do 25% water changes every day until you are showing 0 ammonia and 0 nitrites (btw, you'll need a test kit, preferably a liquid one like the API master test kit). After that, 25% (or more) once a week is fine.
One last note, there will probably be a point where the water gets really cloudy. This is normal and will pass in a couple of days. This is just the point where the bacteria have sort of overgrown their bounds and have gone into a "bloom".

From your betta, thank you very much for asking questions before things got bad. Most of the people (myself included) who come here do so once a fish is sick or already dead. We love the people who start asking questions right away.

catzeye21138

I looked up all 3 items and it added up to about $58.

I talked to my mom about this, she thinks it is a total waste of money. She told me to just clean the tank once a week. I like taking good care of my animals(I have 6 animals in my room, I care lol.) and this means plenty of research(this being the most major exception...). My mom thinks that every person on the internet is obsessed with their animals and she thinks that all this extra stuff is too much for one animal just because she doesn't know about it. She is still trying to convince me that a tiny betta bowl is big enough and what I'm doing is overkill. She just is frustrating sometimes.

sirdarksol

It's a common attitude (though this doesn't make it right).
It is a lot of money to take care of a fish. These aren't creatures who were put here for our amusement, they're living beings that we have decided to keep for our amusement, and it's our duty to provide them with as close to their home as possible. In the case of bettas, they live in very warm water in large tracts of vegetation-filled rice-paddies.
However, it sounds like I'm preaching to the choir, and I doubt I'd ever be able to get through to your mom.

So, let's see if we can figure out ways to get this done without breaking the bank.
Not sure about the test kit. I'll do some thinking on that, and maybe someone else can come up with something. If nothing else, try and get just an ammonia test kit. It will be quite a bit cheaper.
The water conditioner is a bit easier, as you can use conditioners that cost less than Prime. Prime is one of the better ones, but the others will do the primary job you need them for, dechlorinating the water.
A heater might even be easier. Do some checking on Craigslist in your area for a cheap one, or log in to a Freecycle board for your area. You can post a message on Freecycle asking if anyone has a 50w heater that you can get for free. (Please be careful with these suggestions, and you might want to work through your mom or another adult to help you get this stuff, as it requires dealing with people you've never met) Otherwise, just watch for clearances. There's a pet store near me that is selling a 50w heater for $10.

angelfish220

Don't stress it! a year ago my mother thought that fish were a waste of time but let me use my own money to set up a small 10gal in my room. This year, there is a huge 55gal right in the family room and tomarrow she is taking me to this awesome fish place Don't get everything at once. for example, where are you keeping your aquarium? if it is in a heated room and if you ad warm water to it everyday you can put off getting a heater till you have enough money. I would suggest getting the test kit right away but you dont have to get one of those huge kits that cost 40$ get a small one that only tests ammonia pH and nitrates for now or how often can you get to your LFS? they will usually test it for free or a very small fee. Use the Prime though, don't skip it that stuff works!

catzeye21138

Thanks for the ideas guys! I will look at the pet store too for water heaters and test kits. I know all about freecycle, and I'll ask my mom to 'help me'(hehehe) ask for one. If I can wait with the heater, that'd be great. I'll try the adding warm water. And I already have water conditioner so I could convince her to let me go get some of that prime stuff. The small bottle is the same price as the kind I get now. And it takes a capful per g!

What is LFS?

COBettaCouple

Yea, unfortunately the startup costs are a bit, but the testing kit will last for hundreds of tests, heaters can work for years and a bottle of prime goes very slowly at 1 drop per gallon.

Ordering online can be cheaper than the stores:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produc...&N=2004+112994
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produc...&N=2004+113767
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produc...&N=2004+113074
If you get the smaller bottle of prime (100mL) & a 50w heater:
$3.49+$15.29+$15.99+$9.99 (shipping) = $44.76 at that site.

http://www.petmountain.com/product/w...nditioner.html
http://www.petmountain.com/product/h...th-heater.html
http://www.petmountain.com/product/t...-test-kit.html
$2.95+$15.95+$13.95+$9.95 (shipping) = $42.80 at that site.

Still a bit, but less than $58. Plus no gas or time going to the store. Take the heater out and you drop down to under $30, ordering it. You could even hold off on getting the testing kit and do daily 25% water changes if you had to, but ordering more at once saves money on shipping. The most important thing would be the Prime to me, so the fish would have more protection from the toxins & toxin damage.

LFS is local fish store. LPS is local pet store.

susitna-flower

WELCOME to FISHLORE, catzeye!

Moms and Dads do usually come around when you show such responsible actions. Sounds like you truly do want to give your fish the best home you can.

As stated, if your room is warm, and you have a light on the tank, just keep an eye on the temp. Research the temp needs for a betta, and if you are not able to keep your water right, show your mom an article on what they need. Let her know if the temp isn't right it will stress the fish, and it will develop fin rot, which then would require medication. It saves $$$ in the long run to do it right. ANY hobby is worth doing right.

I have had a saying the whole time I was raising my kids. SPEND $$$ on them now, doing HEALTHY activities, OR SPEND $$$ later for lawyers!!!

Now that doesn't mean that it takes $$$ to make kids happy, it is a concept of doing wholesome things together, (often they cost money), so the kids grow up with a good outlook, and a responsible attitude.

As for what LFS is. Local Fish Store!