Air stone question for our betta

Hello everyone! Thanks in advance for all your help, I appreciate it!

We attempted to add an air stone to our tank today after reading bettas may like them(but also reading here that it may not even be necessary? or to tie a loose knot in the tube?) - does this look like our betta is playing or stressed out? We have a 5-gallon tank with one male betta currently that we are in the process of I think almost finally(thanks to the advice of this forum!! )getting cycled fully. We are currently treating for fin rot(Just gave day 3s dose) in case that matters too. We have a filter plus heater as well but have been keeping the heater unplugged as we are in a heat wave currently and the tank was getting too warm even with central air. We have one moss ball as well as an anubias in the tank. We use prime with each daily water change(making sure the temp matches the tanks temp) + are using the last bit of our stability up. We use a bit of aquarium salt with each change too.

We are by no means fish experts(especially for behaviour) and I am just worried maybe it is too strong for our little guy or it is scaring him? I added an air stone today to the tank and we are not sure if his behaviour is playing or if it could be stressing him out? He swims around quite quickly when the pump is turned on when he is normally very chill in the tank(aside from when we enter the room, he normally swims to the front to greet us and swims back and forth then) then eventually he will go lay under the plant roots on the rocks which is why I wonder if at that point he is resting or if it's just too much or what? Should we look at other options instead? Would a small stone/bigger hose/a pump that has an adjustable flow maybe be a better option for us? We had made the contraption beside the filter to slow the flow down as he seemed unhappy with the filter flowing too quickly(would just lay down and refuse to swim around until we unplugged the filter briefly to test it a few times - since making this he hasn't been laying on the rocks anymore). I have it unplugged for tonight as I don't want it to hurt his fins more or cause any extra stress.

I was trying to search if imgur links are okay and from what I found provided it isn't animal cruelty it should be? Sorry if I missed something! The video is at 2x to shorten it a bit . Thank you again in advance!

https://imgur.com/a/Odz8f1f

 

You can get a valve to add into the airline which can adjust the airflow. They are usually pretty cheap, around $2 at most pet stores. Give that a try. He may like playing in the bubbles some, a lot of fish do, but it may be creating enough water flow that he doesn't like it when not in the mood to play.

 

You can get a valve to add into the airline which can adjust the airflow. They are usually pretty cheap, around $2 at most pet stores. Give that a try. He may like playing in the bubbles some, a lot of fish do, but it may be creating enough water flow that he doesn't like it when not in the mood to play.

Thank you so much! I will definitely look into that. We don't want him to be annoyed when he isn't in a playful mood!

 

He doesnt need the airstone, bettas breath from the water surface through a special organ. An airstone is mainly decoration, the water should be aerated enough by the filter, even for non anabantoid species.

May I ask why you are doing daily water changes, is it just for the fin rot? Daily water changes may be stressful to him and that would be counterproductive. I would not add salt every time unless you have a hydrometer, it is not an exact exchange, were you remove 10 percent of the water and ten percent of the salt goes with it. You have no idea how much salt is building up if you dont test it, Please test it, you can get a hydrometer on Amazon for 14$

 

He doesnt need the airstone, bettas breath from the water surface through a special organ. An airstone is mainly decoration, the water should be aerated enough by the filter, even for non anabantoid species.

May I ask why you are doing daily water changes, is it just for the fin rot? Daily water changes may be stressful to him and that would be counterproductive. I would not add salt every time unless you have a hydrometer, it is not an exact exchange, were you remove 10 percent of the water and ten percent of the salt goes with it. You have no idea how much salt is building up if you dont test it, Please test it, you can get a hydrometer on Amazon for 14$

That is good to know regarding the airstone - I had read elsewhere that they benefited from having one. So much conflicting info out there!

The tank is not fully cycled so we have been doing daily water changes as the ammonia and now recently the nitrites have been going up - we finally just got a fully 0ppm ammonia test for the first time a few days ago but now the nitrites that were always 0 seem to get to 1ppm min by the next day. Honestly, just following the advice of people here and on the internet and trying to complete our first ever fish in cycle as we were not prepared when we inherited the tank and fish and we were/are still very inexperienced and learning. I cannot wait for the day when we have a cycled tank as much fun as the water changes have been for the last like 6 weeks lol

That is also good to know about the salt - we thought we were helping him there too! I normally do like not even half the recommended dose but I will buy a hydrometer on amazon and test it then stop adding it if you think that would be best!

Thank you so much for your suggestions!

 

Beautiful betta boy you have there!!! So cute!!!

There is a lot of conflicting info about bettas on the internet, and some of those sites are just plain wrong, unfortunately.

Concerning aquarium salt, it is best not to use it for more than 2 weeks at a time. Over use will make it ineffective in the long run. It is one of my go-to treatments for fin issues, so I always recommend to use it sparingly.

 

That is good to know regarding the airstone - I had read elsewhere that they benefited from having one. So much conflicting info out there!

The tank is not fully cycled so we have been doing daily water changes as the ammonia and now recently the nitrites have been going up - we finally just got a fully 0ppm ammonia test for the first time a few days ago but now the nitrites that were always 0 seem to get to 1ppm min by the next day. Honestly, just following the advice of people here and on the internet and trying to complete our first ever fish in cycle as we were not prepared when we inherited the tank and fish and we were/are still very inexperienced and learning. I cannot wait for the day when we have a cycled tank as much fun as the water changes have been for the last like 6 weeks lol

That is also good to know about the salt - we thought we were helping him there too! I normally do like not even half the recommended dose but I will buy a hydrometer on amazon and test it then stop adding it if you think that would be best!

Thank you so much for your suggestions!

Like a lot of things, some like it and some don’t. One of our bettas flares at a mirror, the other doesn’t. We got the mirror for our bearded dragon, but she ignores it as well lol

 

Beautiful betta boy you have there!!! So cute!!!

There is a lot of conflicting info about bettas on the internet, and some of those sites are just plain wrong, unfortunately.

Concerning aquarium salt, it is best not to use it for more than 2 weeks at a time. Over use will make it ineffective in the long run. It is one of my go-to treatments for fin issues, so I always recommend to use it sparingly.

Thank you and so sorry for the delay in responding! Had to sleep after work lastnight then go get my toddler from daycare who has kept me very busy of course this evening lol.

I looked and we bought the aquarium salt may 13th so it's been just over 2 weeks and we will stop now! Thank you so much - I really appreciate your help!

I was just testing the water while she's in the bath and our nitrites are higher than they've ever been . Hoping we can get the tank cycled asap for our poor fish, I really hate that he is having to come along for the ride as we learn this it feels so awful just knowing he isn't comfortable and it really feels like we aren't getting anywhere! Sorry for the little rant lol. If you have any magical cure or advice I would love that

Like a lot of things, some like it and some don’t. One of our bettas flares at a mirror, the other doesn’t. We got the mirror for our bearded dragon, but she ignores it as well lol

We tried the mirror briefly too but again are unsure if it's just freaking him out or providing fun lol. Normally he ends up pooping himself and swimming around like crazy(we have only done it a few times and only for a couple of minutes maybe at a time! Thanks for your response!

 

Floating plants will help keep the nitrate level down. Any floating plant will work.

I personally added some pothos ivy to my tank, and hardly ever had nitrate readings thereafter. Pothos was easy for me because I already had two or three of them growing in flower pots.

If you have a pothos ivy plant, or know someone who does, you can get a cutting, soak the cut end in some water to get the roots started, and then once the roots start growing, put the root end(s) into the tank. The roots will grow longer in the tank, and suck up excess nutrients, and the leafy parts will grow outside of the tank. They don't need a lot of light, and I use Easy Green ferts from Aquarium Co-Op once a week. One bottle of that lasts a long time.

Hope things get better soon!!!

 

Pothos are AWESOME devourers of nitrate, agreeing with the above. Just wanted to add that if you have any other pets, especially cats who can get just about anywhere they want, pothos is toxic to ingest. My filter pothos is very high up away from where my pups could ever find it, quite by design.

 

Floating plants will help keep the nitrate level down. Any floating plant will work.

I personally added some pothos ivy to my tank, and hardly ever had nitrate readings thereafter. Pothos was easy for me because I already had two or three of them growing in flower pots.

If you have a pothos ivy plant, or know someone who does, you can get a cutting, soak the cut end in some water to get the roots started, and then once the roots start growing, put the root end(s) into the tank. The roots will grow longer in the tank, and suck up excess nutrients, and the leafy parts will grow outside of the tank. They don't need a lot of light, and I use Easy Green ferts from Aquarium Co-Op once a week. One bottle of that lasts a long time.

Hope things get better soon!!!

Thank you so much!! I don't have any of that plant in our house but we have a garden centre nearby that we really enjoy visiting so I will look into getting one. That sounds like a really cool idea! Do you have pictures of your setup?

I appreciate the advice and reassurance! This morning when I got home from work I had this happen and I am scared that it's just a fluke but also very excited/nervous to check it again when I wake up later. Lastnight before the water change it was the darkest purple I'd ever seen on there and it was scary!

Pothos are AWESOME devourers of nitrate, agreeing with the above. Just wanted to add that if you have any other pets, especially cats who can get just about anywhere they want, pothos is toxic to ingest. My filter pothos is very high up away from where my pups could ever find it, quite by design.

Oh darn!! We do have 3 cats plus 2 large dogs and they tend to be plant nibblers unfortunately so maybe not the best option for us then. I appreciate the input! It still sounds like such a cool set up though!

 

Here's a pic that I took a while back....you can only see the roots and the stem of just one sprig/cutting that they are growing from in the back left hand side of the pic, but it will give you an idea. The other plant is a big anubias barteri.

Using Seachem Prime will hold the toxicity of low levels of nitrites. So you can do some smaller, daliy water changes, and use Prime each time you change water, and it should be ok. They cycle will eventually get set, and all will be well.

I use a lot of Indian almond leaves, and that is what is tinting the water brown. Tannins are really good for bettas, and can help stave off bacterial and fungal infections, as well as provide some stress relief. Some people don't like the look of the brown water, but it is super helpful for the betta, and imitates their living conditions in the wild. If you want to add tannins to the tank, you can add some Indian almond leaves (catappa leaves), alder cones, or even add a little dark water extract. I think your betta would love it and maybe calm him down.

 

A couple more pics.

Even have a cutting in Alex’ tank just dropped in her bathing bowl.

Edit: Alder should be able to be found in Ontario. Just a few cones is all you need.

 

Here's a pic that I took a while back....you can only see the roots and the stem of just one sprig/cutting that they are growing from in the back left hand side of the pic, but it will give you an idea. The other plant is a big anubias barteri.

Using Seachem Prime will hold the toxicity of low levels of nitrites. So you can do some smaller, daliy water changes, and use Prime each time you change water, and it should be ok. They cycle will eventually get set, and all will be well.

I use a lot of Indian almond leaves, and that is what is tinting the water brown. Tannins are really good for bettas, and can help stave off bacterial and fungal infections, as well as provide some stress relief. Some people don't like the look of the brown water, but it is super helpful for the betta, and imitates their living conditions in the wild. If you want to add tannins to the tank, you can add some Indian almond leaves (catappa leaves), alder cones, or even add a little dark water extract. I think your betta would love it and maybe calm him down.

That looks awesome!! I actually ordered Indian almond leaves on Etsy a week or two ago so they should be here any day now. We will try a bit smaller on the water changes and continue on with our prime. Thank you for sharing, I really appreciate it!!

A couple more pics.

Even have a cutting in Alex’ tank just dropped in her bathing bowl.

Edit: Alder should be able to be found in Ontario. Just a few cones is all you need.

Thank you for sharing, those are some awesome pics!! I will have to look into Alder! I have some of the leaves en route but hadn't heard of the alder part before.

 

That looks awesome!! I actually ordered Indian almond leaves on Etsy a week or two ago so they should be here any day now. We will try a bit smaller on the water changes and continue on with our prime. Thank you for sharing, I really appreciate it!!

Thank you for sharing, those are some awesome pics!! I will have to look into Alder! I have some of the leaves en route but hadn't heard of the alder part before.

If you already ordered almond leaves etc… that’s fine. Just next time you se an alder grab sone cones for later to save some money.

 

If you already ordered almond leaves etc… that’s fine. Just next time you se an alder grab sone cones for later to save some money.

Okay perfect, thanks so much for your help! I will keep an eye out! We have a large forest right off our backyard, I wonder if maybe some are in there!