2.5 Gallon, Adding Filter And Lights?

So, here's a bit of background. Please be patient, I am new and a slow learner. This is all so much information to take in. We bought a Betta fish because my son asked for it on his 4th birthday when the monster truck he opened was broken. When your sad 4 year old wants a fish.....you get a fish. Anyway, we did what any first time fish owner would do when spontaneously buying a fish while out shopping. We brought him home and put him in a 1 gallon fish bowl. He grew so much in 5 weeks that we decided to get him a 2.5 gallon tank (that is really all that will fit in our tiny apartment).
Sonic is now in a 2.5 gallon fish tank. I want to give him the best life possible. We have learned how to properly feed him and bought him a heater when we upgraded his tank. I have a few questions still.
1. He has acrylic aquarium decorative stones on the bottom of his tank. Is this good or should we change it to something more natural?
2. Does he need a filter? He has been without one since we got him. Would a DIY Sponge filter be ok for this size tank? What steps do I need to take to add the filter?
3. Does he need a light? Our apartment is only sunny during the morning hours. If so, would a desk lamp with a LED light bulb work?
I hope I have added enough information and look forward to receiving some answers. I want to give this awesome little guy the best life possible. Wish we would have done our research first.

 

Hello, he is super cute! I’m no Betta expert, I’ve only had one and it’s dead sooo, but I learned a few things on the way. If there is just no chance at all that you can get a bigger tank (5g or so) then at least 2.5g is the very minimal size I would go, so yay for you getting him out of the bowl. I had a few of those acrylic rocks in mine too but I felt they were too sharp (mine liked to lay on things a lot), could tear fins, same with your decor, nothing sharp, it’s better to use real or even silk plants over plastic. I prefer having a filter, a sponge filter is cheap, easy, and small enough for that space. Stay on top of water parameters, test often if you can as I assume you didn’t cycle the tank first? A light is optimal but not completely necessary as long as he does get day/night hours, since you don’t have live plants. So yes, an led lamp is fine. Congrats on your fish....I’m sure some experts will come along shortly

 

I agree with most of what's said, but I would try to get an actual aquarium light if possible because if the LED lamd gives off any heat the tank's temperature can quickly changes. As said though, lights aren't necessary as long as the ambient light in the apartment is bright enough to let him know it's day. For cycling the tank, you will have to test daily and do daily water changes with an ammonia and nitrite binder. Seachem Prime does that (binds up to 1.0 ppm I believe) and it's a water dechlorinator, and I'd say at least 50% of the people on here use it. Live and silk plants are better, because the plastic ones can easily tear fins. Only put things in the tank that pass the pantyhose test, which is when you take tights and drag them over new decor. If it snags or tears, the decor can hurt the betta. If the acrylic rocks pass the test, they are fine, but if you want to switch there are plenty of options. A diy sponge filter is fine, but keep in mind that everything takes up more room. If it requires a 2.5 liter bottle, I'd go for something smaller (I'm not sure about the comparative size of HOB filters but they're also popular) so he has more room to swim. Of course, if there are financial restraints, the sponge filter will be absolutely fine. If you can upgrade to a 5-10 gallon though (my petco has great dollar per gallon sales) that would be good too! They are, obviously, bigger, but there are longer tanks that may be able to fit on a windowsill, which you could do if you have a reliable heater. Glad your betta's out of the bowl!

 

Parameters? Cycle? We treated the water with conditioner and put him in. We do weekly 100% water changes and partials in between.

No windowsills, bookshelf, end table or desk available. He sits on my kitchen counter.

 

Parameters are the amount of ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, and the pH of the water. The cycle is establishing a colony of beneficial bacteria which will process the ammonia and nitrite to make it into nitrate, which is not as toxic as the other two. If you haven't done these things (if the tank is brand new, it isn't cycled) then you have to cycle it or the fish will eventually get ammonia burn or poisoning. To cycle the tank, do daily 25% water changes and tests to keep all the parameters safe. Keep on using the conditioner, but make sure it also detoxifies ammonia and nitrite. Ammonia should be kept at less than 0.25, and so should nitrites. Nitrates should be kept under 40, but under 20 is better. This only applies after cycling though. Before that, if you do daily water changes, nitrates will naturally stay at less than 5. You will not need 100% changes, and that actually stresses them out a lot. If he's the only fish there weekly 25% changes after the tank is cycled is fine. I believe there are a few tanks that can stay on the kitchen counter, but 2.5 gallon is fine as long as water quality is good. I would read a little more into it, because I can't provide all the information. (I had a instant cycle from a pre-established tank) It's fine if you can't upgrade, unless he becomes very big and active. Upgrading isn't a priority though, so I wouldn't stress about that right now.

 

Cycling refers to the nitrogen cycle. I'll give you a quick rundown of what you need to know.

Fish/uneaten food/rotting plants/other organic matter produce ammonia. Ammonia is highly toxic. A bacteria called nitrosomonas turns ammonia into nitrites, which is also highly toxic. Another bacteria called nitrobacter turns nitrite into nitrate, which is much less toxic and is removed through water changes/taken up by plants. When we ask for your parameters, we're asking for your pH, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels. The best way to test is with a liquid test kit; strips and alerts are unreliable. As your tank cycles, you will see your ammonia drop followed by a spike in nitrites. This is your nitrosomonas establishing in your filter. You will then see nitrites go down followed by an appearance of nitrates. This is your nitrobacter establishing in your filter. Nitrobacter take longer to establish than nitrosomonas, so it will take longer for the nitrite spike to disappear. The entire process without supplemental BB takes about 4-6 weeks, during which you should do daily 25% water changes.

Now, if you want to decrease that time, you can use a BB supplement. TSS+, Seachem Stability, and API Quick Start are popular ones. Follow the directions on the bottle, and they should decrease your cycling time to around 2 weeks.

Good job using conditioner, that's essential as chlorine and chloramine are toxic to fish and your beneficial bacteria. As Accents said, I'd pick a conditioner that detoxifies ammonia and nitrites, such as Seachem Prime. Since you're doing a fish-in cycle, I would dose the entire tank every 24 hours and make sure that ammonia + nitrites together do not go above 1 ppm. If you decide to use a BB supplement, be aware that Prime should not be used with TSS+. It can be used with Stability, and I haven't had issues using it with Quick Start.

 

all fish need filters, it would be good to use a sponge filter for a tank that size, 2.5g is a good size got a single betta. a light isn't needed but will be easier to see him so he doesn't need anything fancy.

 

So, here's a bit of background. Please be patient, I am new and a slow learner. This is all so much information to take in. We bought a Betta fish because my son asked for it on his 4th birthday when the monster truck he opened was broken. When your sad 4 year old wants a fish.....you get a fish. Anyway, we did what any first time fish owner would do when spontaneously buying a fish while out shopping. We brought him home and put him in a 1 gallon fish bowl. He grew so much in 5 weeks that we decided to get him a 2.5 gallon tank (that is really all that will fit in our tiny apartment).
Sonic is now in a 2.5 gallon fish tank. I want to give him the best life possible. We have learned how to properly feed him and bought him a heater when we upgraded his tank. I have a few questions still.
1. He has acrylic aquarium decorative stones on the bottom of his tank. Is this good or should we change it to something more natural?
2. Does he need a filter? He has been without one since we got him. Would a DIY Sponge filter be ok for this size tank? What steps do I need to take to add the filter?
3. Does he need a light? Our apartment is only sunny during the morning hours. If so, would a desk lamp with a LED light bulb work?
I hope I have added enough information and look forward to receiving some answers. I want to give this awesome little guy the best life possible. Wish we would have done our research first.

Hi!! Welcome to the world of fish keeping. 2.5 is perfect for a first betta tank. Go on amazon and type in micro aquarium filters or something like that and you can find teeny hang on back filters that are perfect for your tank. The problem with a sponge filter is that it will give off a tonnnnn of surface agitation and shift a lot of water in a 2.5 gallon and bettas do not typically do well in those conditions.

 

So, here's a bit of background. Please be patient, I am new and a slow learner. This is all so much information to take in. We bought a Betta fish because my son asked for it on his 4th birthday when the monster truck he opened was broken. When your sad 4 year old wants a fish.....you get a fish. Anyway, we did what any first time fish owner would do when spontaneously buying a fish while out shopping. We brought him home and put him in a 1 gallon fish bowl. He grew so much in 5 weeks that we decided to get him a 2.5 gallon tank (that is really all that will fit in our tiny apartment).
Sonic is now in a 2.5 gallon fish tank. I want to give him the best life possible. We have learned how to properly feed him and bought him a heater when we upgraded his tank. I have a few questions still.
1. He has acrylic aquarium decorative stones on the bottom of his tank. Is this good or should we change it to something more natural?
2. Does he need a filter? He has been without one since we got him. Would a DIY Sponge filter be ok for this size tank? What steps do I need to take to add the filter?
3. Does he need a light? Our apartment is only sunny during the morning hours. If so, would a desk lamp with a LED light bulb work?
I hope I have added enough information and look forward to receiving some answers. I want to give this awesome little guy the best life possible. Wish we would have done our research first.

2.5 gallons is plenty big enough, trust me.
Bettas don't need a filter and any type of decoration made for a tank is fine, although I enjoy having live plants and moss balls.

 

2.5 gallons is plenty big enough, trust me.

2.5 gallon is the minimum for a betta

 

OP. You should definitely get a filter for your tank, and a sponge filter should be fine. Never forget to dechlorinate during water changes (which should be daily until you get a filter) Make sure your betta has plenty of hiding places, and maybe get some Indian almond leaves and put one in his tank. I would replace the substrate with something more fine. Maybe really small gravel a little bigger than a strawberry seed, but not sand. This is just so the substrate is easier to clean and no food gets beneath the gravel and spoils, dirtying the water. This isn’t too pressing an issue, so if you can’t get new substrate for a while, that’s ok. I hope for the best, and hope your son enjoys his new betta!

 

So, OP, to reiterate what MrBrackishGuy said above: yes, you need a filter in a 2.5 gallon tank. Yes, a DIY sponge filter is enough, just make sure it doesn't cause too much current or your betta will get stressed. Bettas are not necessarily lazy but they are poor swimmers. You can just add it in, assuming the sponge is clean of anything that could be toxic to your fish. If it's a new sponge, just give it a good rinse and you should be good to go. I believe we've already gone over cycling and supplemental BB info, but please let us know if you have any more questions.

 

2.5 gallons is plenty big enough, trust me.
Bettas don't need a filter and any type of decoration made for a tank is fine, although I enjoy having live plants and moss balls.

actually bettas do need a filter because they just like any other fish and not just any type of decor is fine because there are lots of rough decor that will tear their fins which can lead to fin rot often

 

So, here's a bit of background. Please be patient, I am new and a slow learner. This is all so much information to take in. We bought a Betta fish because my son asked for it on his 4th birthday when the monster truck he opened was broken. When your sad 4 year old wants a fish.....you get a fish. Anyway, we did what any first time fish owner would do when spontaneously buying a fish while out shopping. We brought him home and put him in a 1 gallon fish bowl. He grew so much in 5 weeks that we decided to get him a 2.5 gallon tank (that is really all that will fit in our tiny apartment).
Sonic is now in a 2.5 gallon fish tank. I want to give him the best life possible. We have learned how to properly feed him and bought him a heater when we upgraded his tank. I have a few questions still.
1. He has acrylic aquarium decorative stones on the bottom of his tank. Is this good or should we change it to something more natural?
2. Does he need a filter? He has been without one since we got him. Would a DIY Sponge filter be ok for this size tank? What steps do I need to take to add the filter?
3. Does he need a light? Our apartment is only sunny during the morning hours. If so, would a desk lamp with a LED light bulb work?
I hope I have added enough information and look forward to receiving some answers. I want to give this awesome little guy the best life possible. Wish we would have done our research first.

You have a very beautiful setup. If you have rocks at the bottom then you only need to change the water once or twice a week without a filter. However it is recommended by the fish community that you get a filter. I just want you to know that you have options.

 

Sonic has been upgraded to a 5.5 gallon tank with a heater, filter, gravel and live plants. Sorry, I am just now getting back onto the forum and didn't see these replies sooner. Now I am just trying to figure out my cycle. My ammonia has been 1.0ppm daily because that is what it is straight out of my tap. I added live plants on Saturday afternoon. Ammonia was still 1.0ppm on Sunday morning and I did another 50% water change ( I have always used Prime to de-chlorinate my water) . Since then I have only tested my water and by this morning my ammonia is down to .25! Is this from the plants? It is the only thing I have changed.

 

First off... ALL FISH BENEFIT FROM A FILTER.. cycling a tank is near impossible without some type of consistent filtration. you could even for a 9 dollar "Tetra I-3" it would do well in that tank. just add some coarse foam and never replace it ever! Just rinse it once in a blue moon. Costs next to nothing, no need for expensive cartridges, adds area for BB to grow and thrive, which in turn will create nitrates that help plants. All in all just a huge win with no downside.

 

Sonic has been upgraded to a 5.5 gallon tank with a heater, filter, gravel and live plants. Sorry, I am just now getting back onto the forum and didn't see these replies sooner. Now I am just trying to figure out my cycle. My ammonia has been 1.0ppm daily because that is what it is straight out of my tap. I added live plants on Saturday afternoon. Ammonia was still 1.0ppm on Sunday morning and I did another 50% water change ( I have always used Prime to de-chlorinate my water) . Since then I have only tested my water and by this morning my ammonia is down to .25! Is this from the plants? It is the only thing I have changed.

It could be the plants taking up ammonia. As your tank cycles, BB will grow that will be able to process all of the ammonia in your tap. However, because it's so high, I would still do frequent small water changes rather than infrequent large ones even after it's cycled (e.g. assuming tank ammonia is 0 which it will be once cycled, weekly 25% changes will only bring ammonia up to 0.25 ppm until the BB process it whereas bi-weekly 50% changes will bring it to 0.5 ppm each time. Nothing Prime can't control though).