That's good to hear! Make sure you transfer your gravel, decorations, etc, into the new tank until your filter has had time to establish itself. Don't clean them thoroughly, a light rinse in old tank water will do. What medications are you treating her with at the moment?HI again guys, I got her a bigger tank, a filter, and proper medication based on what the people at the aquarium place told me. Everyone send some good vibes my way that my sweet little Egg can pull through this. Thank you for all your help.
I have to ask what this means exactly. Are you removing salt (full water change) or just adding (which compounds over time) it in which increases the salt levels in tank?I clean her tank once a week and put in the appropriate amount of conditioner and aquarium salt.
No I'm not but heard about it. I just got it originally for my daughter but now it's become my hobbyWelcome! Lots of plants don't need much lighting at all.
Are you familiar with the nitrogen cycle?
Yea I thought I needed some type of supplement for live plants but the LFS said try them out naturally then if they start dying get supplements. My betta seems to like his log and checked out the sword a little bit but he always hangs by the filter and sleeps behind the heater. I do have the tank at 78 tho. Just need a lil inexpensive light tonjeeps the plants and betta boy happywelcome to the fourm feel free to ask any question you may have. It says you're not familiar with the Nitrogen Cycle. The Nitrogen cycle is very crucial for all aquariums/fish to help establish Beneficial Bacteria in the filter & tank to ensure fish waste is being removed.
Many plants are low lighting plants. Some i have experienced is water sprite and especially Anbias plants. I have many plants but I find that my betta loves to swim through floating ludwigia repens, amazon swords, & water sprite! I do reccomend Anubis plants as some types have big leaves that bettas love to lay on as they would the betta hammock! Every betta has a different personality but plants do provide oxygen to the water and intake fish waste. I also always recommend Indian Almond Leaves & Roobios Tea to release Tannin & help with bettas slime coats, and provide anti-bacterial properties .
No I'm not but heard about it. I just got it originally for my daughter but now it's become my hobby
Yea I thought I needed some type of supplement for live plants but the LFS said try them out naturally then if they start dying get supplements. My betta seems to like his log and checked out the sword a little bit but he always hangs by the filter and sleeps behind the heater. I do have the tank at 78 tho. Just need a lil inexpensive light tonjeeps the plants and betta boy happy
I have java moss and amazon sword. Just bought the today. I also acclimated and transferred my betta same day I bought him so I guess I'm late on the nitro cycle. Any suggestions on a good pellet/ treat food. The LFS said I should try the plants naturally before adding anything to them but he was new i think. I have natural substrate rocks now if you can see them in my pictureIt depends on the type of plants you have, some do fine without high tech lighting or ferts and some plants do need both. I know my Amazon Sword grows very fast and bushy with root tabs liquid ferts , and CO2. Mostly all plants will do better if you provide ferts, CO2 or tabs. Especially if you use gravel, then i highly reccomend some type of root tabs for root feeders and liquids ferts for column feeders
No please enlighten meWelcome! Lots of plants don't need much lighting at all.
Are you familiar with the nitrogen cycle?

The LFS ingot it from said there water was alkaline it was cleanof everything so it didn't need any additives. They never mentioned the cycle tho. I have a filter. Does that not suffice. Also I keep reading of vaccuming rocks during water changes?m and how much do indeed my betta of the frozen bloodworms. Doni defrost them first or just toss them in?I suggest any "San Francisco Bay Brand" frozen food. I use frozen brine shrimp and my betta goes crazy! I feed him frozen food once a week. I found mine from Petco but Petsmart sells some as well. For pellet food, i use "Tetra Bettamin small pellets" and "Omega One Betta Treat Bloodworms" so a good variety throughout the week.
The Nitrogen cycle is the very important process of building up Beneficial Bacteria that eats away the toxic ammonia waste your fish produce everyday. If your tank is not cycled, then ammonia , nitrite, and nitrate will buildup very quickly and kill all living fish/inverts in the tank. At this point you will have to do a Fish-In cycle , which I have no expericne with, only fishless cycling. I do know with fish-in cycling, youll have to do very frequent water changes every day or other day to keep you parameters stable for fish. Your betta will also be providing the ammonia waste to feed the BB that will then convert to nitrite then to nitrate. Do you know your water parameters? If not , buy the API freshwater testing kit to monitor your parameters weekly, test strips are a waste of money & dont test for ammonia. A fully cycled tank will show 0ppm Ammonia , 0ppm Nitrite and at least 10ppm Nitrate . You can read more about the Nitrogen cycle and the importance of it here ---> Nitrogen Cycle
It may be helpful to make another thread on "fish-in cycling" or use the search bar to look at previous threads about the topic.
I'll try to find out the parameters but I went to a pretty reliable spot and they said they're water is ok to add a betta in right away..I asked if I needed any additives or anything and they said no. They get rid of all the harmful things and then said that's why they charge for it because it's prepared for any freshwater application and no need to wait a couple weeks. They also said the betta will be able to live and build the healthy bacteria my tank needs to add different fish later and switch my betta tona different tank. But I'm gonna check the parameters and get that kit tomorow. Because I agree some people seemed like they knew nothing. Also they said duckweed is illegal to buy where I live.never listen to pet store employees as they know nothing and just need a job half the time. you're supposed to always cycle a tank a month or 2 before adding fish , if not , waste will build up and eat away at your betta or any fish. This is call "fin rot" and its very commom in bettas and caused from poor water quality. Do you know your water parameters? You need to know them so you know your water isn't toxic & going to kill your fish in a week
( very common in beginners)
During water changes, you should vacuum your substrate often, you dont have to everytime but bacteria from dead leaves, poop, and food waste does build up pretty fast so its good to vacuum the substrate or excess waste will cause an ammonia spike
Feed your bettas bloodworms once or twice a week, and no more than 3-4 worms. Make sure you pre soak any bloodworms or pellets. Frozen food doesnt need to be thawed or soaked, if soaked it will just fall apart and all the extra nutrients will dissolve away. you can just toss in very tiny pieces of frozen bits in, i use tweezers to pinch a piece and drop it in
You got me all stressed about the nitro cycle lol. Found a filter barrier video looks pretty simple to apply To my set up. What kinda filter do you use. I also have my heater placed right next to the intake of the filteryes its best to always know your water parameters, just about everyone on the forum use the API freshwater test kit as it test for all Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, and ph. it also helps to know the parameters of your source water as well. The only additives youll need are a water conditioner for every WC and any medication or fertilizers when needed. If your tank was already cycled, then you wouldnt need any extra bacteria, or Ammonia/Nitrite detoxifiers. Since you didnt pre cycle your tank, it would be best to start using Prime water conditioner since youll have to do daily water changes. not sure about the duckweed being illegal but i know some fish/plants are illegal to buy for some reason in different states. you could always google to double check
Great 10Gallon tank I'm sure he'll love it!I just got a 10 gallon tank with a veiltail male betta. Got a HOB filter and also a preset heater. Picked up some java moss and Amazon's sword yesterday with an artificial log. Got some aqueon bacteria balls for the stripped water ingot from my LFS store. Bought some frozen brine shrimp and have been feeding him big bite flakes......don't have a light yet. except the natural light from the nearby window
Looking for any tips
Supplements are always hit and miss. You need to put in the effort to cycle your tank, as there is no proof that supplements do any good. Here's a good video:I got these bacteria balls from aqueon for the cycle process. And I was thinking of a hammock or something for him to rest. Seems like he likes to sleep behind the HOB filter
Also found out the water I bought from the LFS was stripped everything so they suggested the living bacteria to add but said betta should be tough it out. I'm gonna bring Inna sample of my water prob today or tomorrowSupplements are always hit and miss. You need to put in the effort to cycle your tank, as there is no proof that supplements do any good. Here's a good video:
Hammocks are awesome little resting places, especially for fish with labyrinth organs.
As suggested earlier it's going to be way easier to test yourself with a good test kit like the API freshwater master liquid kit. Let's not forget the state of the world right now you'll want to be able to test your water yourself in case your LFS has to close temporarily. The idea of him just toughing it out isn't a great option and also not very nice. How would you feel if you were swimming around in your own feces and the toxic buildup got more and more each day? Daily 50% water changes will be able to keep your fish happy and speed up the cycle process (if you have too much ammonia in the water 1. it can kill your betta and 2. it's overwhelming for the bacteria and slows the cycle). And really with your own test kit you might not even have to do 50% daily, just test daily and do a 50% water change when your ammonia and nitrite hit .5ppm. I wouldn't rely on the living bacteria stuff either. I've used some but have no clue if it made any difference really tank took the same amount of time to cycle as normal.Also found out the water I bought from the LFS was stripped everything so they suggested the living bacteria to add but said betta should be tough it out. I'm gonna bring Inna sample of my water prob today or tomorrow
More or less yes. Remove 50% of the water and then refill the rest of the tank with fresh tap water. And add your water conditioner so you don't kill your fish from chlorine. Prime is great and also helps detoxify ammonia for a short period of time as well. This doesn't replace water changes but helps in the fish in cycle to keep your betta happy.So just swap it out with to water over and over. The tap water in Arizona is pretty hard
Yes. To reduce stress on your betta temperature match it to the water in the aquarium and, of course, use water conditioner. As Rev said, Betta's can tolerate a large range of water parameters, my source water has a pretty high pH but I'd rather a stable pH than one that fluctuates. My bettas have all been fine.So just swap it out with to water over and over. The tap water in Arizona is pretty hard
Don't over feed him. Their stomachs are roughly the size of their eyes, so one brine shrimp per feeding works for me.He's seems happy and active always swims up when I walk by the or come up to the tank. Gave him a little frozen brine shrimp. He liked it. Thinking if I should give him a little more
qldmick do u agree with me that an air controlled valve would help
definitely a myth. have you ever caught a fish? they are eating something several times the size of an eye ball and its only taking one bite. i hate misinformation.Don't over feed him. Their stomachs are roughly the size of their eyes, so one brine shrimp per feeding works for me.
Have you done anything Re: Cycling? You won't be able to tell if there's toxic amounts of stuff in the water until it's too late. Like I said from my previous post:
Ammonia is deadly, and can cause gill burns and burns on the body of your betta. Nitrite, long story short, will suffocate your fish. If you can't get your hands on a test kit, please just do 50% water changes (at least) daily as your betta will thank you for it.
Agree with Rev-don’t skimp on prime or a test kit. You can get the API freshwater master kit on Amazon fairly inexpensively and it will last at least a year. Even after you get through the cycling ( and you will ) you will need to continue to test regularly. I have four thriving tanks and test weekly. I believe that my success with fish and shrimp is due in large part to taking time to understand the nitrogen cycle, water parameters and testing my water frequently. Its not as much effort as it seems, and is very much worth it!And just to add on one last thing. Ammonia builds up VERY quickly in an uncycled tank. You can't always see how high ammonia levels are affecting your fish. The fact that you have RODI water from your LFS really doesn't mean anything here, and quite honestly waste of money. Your standard tap water shouldn't have any ammonia, nitrite, or nitrate in it. But if you get a test kit you can check that. I do know some members have had nitrates in well water. Do not skimp out on water changes in a fish in cycle. It may be less effort now but can easily be more effort in the future (cough cough dead fish or very sick fish). Once it is cycled you can water change once every week. You can also go back to your LFS and see if you can buy some seeded filter media if you really don't want to bother dealing with the whole cycle process, that will help speed things up substantially. But anyways with 4 days of no water changes you probably have quite high levels of ammonia at this moment. You need to do 50% daily water changes to get that down. Just because you can't see the effect it's having doesn't mean it's not happening.
I said roughly, as it's a good rule of thumb to follow so as to not overfeed your fish, as many beginners do. And Betta Splendens, the 'type' of betta that this person owns is bred in captivity, it's not a wild caught fish. And plus, the fish that you catch are probably not the size of a tiny betta fish. There are so many differences between wild-caught and captive-bred fish that I'm just not going to get into, as it's an entirely different conversation. Bettas kept in the aquarium hobby have been known to guage themselves to death if given the chance and it can be real dangerous for them. I'm speaking from experience, bettas are real pigs.definitely a myth. have you ever caught a fish? they are eating something several times the size of an eye ball and its only taking one bite. i hate misinformation.
I think there's some differences with that though. Different fish have different sized stomachs and can eat more or less than others. Also depending on what they eat and how much they eat. I fish a ton. The amount of fish I catch that are severely bloated is few and far between. Also have you ever filleted a fish? A lot of them have exponentially larger stomach to eye ratios than a betta. Plus they're travelling large distances in lakes, oceans or rivers. They eat once a day, might even miss a few days here and there they need the energy. The betta? 5-10g tank eating pellets and some frozen and maybe live food every now and then. Even in the wild they occupy a small amount of space and they're suited for that. They've evolved into very different fish. I think the betta would appreciate not being bloated 24/7. And you can overfeed them and kill them. Fish will tend to eat as much as they can because instinctually they have to. They don't know when their next meal will be. There's no reason to go feeding your betta until he's bloated every time.definitely a myth. have you ever caught a fish? they are eating something several times the size of an eye ball and its only taking one bite. i hate misinformation.
definitely a myth. have you ever caught a fish? they are eating something several times the size of an eye ball and its only taking one bite. i hate misinformation.
I agree with qldmick fish eat more than one bite they eat continuley when its feeding timedefinitely a myth. have you ever caught a fish? they are eating something several times the size of an eye ball and its only taking one bite. i hate misinformation.
When doing a water change? Just use a normal aquarium thermometer if you have oneHow do I match water temps when cycling
I have the bug bite flakes and i give him a little pinch twice a day and a little frozen sanfransisco brine shrimp once or twice a week as a treat.I have had bettas that bloated with 3 hikari biogold pellets a day, and some that needed 8 a day. It depends on size, activity, metabolism, etc. I approach it like this- bettas are prone to bloat, so always feed cautiously, try to feed smaller meals twice daily instead of one big one, feed crustaceans for roughage as well as pellets, and consider fasting one day a week if they are healthy and at a normal weight. Most importantly, start with very small meals, and as you get to know your betta, cautiously adjust if needed, watching them carefully after you adjust your feedings.
U think it'd be safe to just do water changes without the prime/conditioner until I get some this weekend. I was thinking of doing a 25% change todayYou should have a heater for a betta set at 78 or 79 degrees Fahrenheit, and have a tank thermometer. When you change the water, try to match it by feel and verify with your aquarium thermometer- adding cooler or warmer water if the temperatures are more than 2 or 3 degrees off.
Great 10Gallon tank I'm sure he'll love it!
Here's a tip: Is your tank cycled? If I remember correctly, it's not.
This is crucial or your betta will end up dying from ammonia or nitrite poisoning. Don't stress though. Seeing as your fish is already in your tank, you'll be doing a fish-in cycle, which just means this:
1. You need to get yourself a test kit. API Freshwater Master Test Kit is a great choice, though a little pricey. Test your water everyday and aim to keep your ammonia and nitrite as close to 0 as you can as these will kill your fish. Your nitrates, once your tank is cycled, should be around 5-10ppm.
2. You need to be doing large water changes (50-75%) daily as this is the only way you'll keep you ammonia and nitrites at 0. It may be a lot of work, but your betta will thank you. Picking up some Prime (plus it doubles as a water conditioner!) will help, as it detoxifies (doesn't get rid of, but makes ammonia harmless for a certain amount of time) ammonia and nitrites and will reduce the amount of stress on the little guy.
Cycling your tank basically means building up nitrifying bacteria in your tank/filter that will 'eat' harmful things like ammonia and nitrite. This is important for your fish's health!
Once you've cycled your tank, you could even get him a couple of small, non nipping tank mates... (though this does all depend on his personality, it's hit and miss) I like Nerite snails, as they're cool and come in lots of different colours and patterns Another suggestion, not a must but my betta loves his hammock. These are pretty cheap of Amazon so this is just a suggestion
Good luck with your tank. Bettas, if taken care of properly, make an amazing companion.
[/QUOT do you think I'd be safe to do water changes without the prime until I get some this weekend. And also the kit

U think it'd be safe to just do water changes without the prime/conditioner until I get some this weekend. I was thinking of doing a 25% change today
Although not all conditioners bind ammonia and nitrites like prime, you MUST use some kind of conditioner if you do water changes with tap water- chlorine and chloramines kill fish and chloramines cannot be off- gassed by letting the water sit.U think it'd be safe to just do water changes without the prime/conditioner until I get some this weekend. I was thinking of doing a 25% change today