Betta Fish In Cycle

So I wanted to save a betta. Saw a great looking red male halfmoon betta in good condition. Fins all intact, no discoloration or damage and very bright. I got the 5 gallon setup with a small heater, whisper filter, rocks, betta log, hammock, pellets, blood worms. Just the works for the little guy.

I was excited to give him a much better environment so I got right home, set up the tank and let him acclimate in a small bag for a while. After about an hr, I let him in.

I know what you're thinking , I didn't cycle my tank. Mind you I had no knowledge of cycling a tank until after he was in the tank(stupid me). I did much research and asked many questions on this here lovely site I've also realized my impatience and heart gets in the way of sound decision making sometimes.

I purchased stability, prime, stress coat and a test kit. Upgraded his filter a few days ago and it's running great (I had moved the filter media from the previous filter just in case there was any bb on it, even though I haven't seen any nitrite or nitrate readings, I figure it won't hurt).

Current readings are amm .5 nitrite 0 nitrate 0. Ph is 7.2 Water temp is 80.
I've been adding stability every day for the past 4 days and adding prime and stress coat with the occasional 20% water change.

Am I doing everything right so far and just need to wait it out? He seems to be doing great so far so I'm not alarmed, just want to make sure my little guy is happy

 

Sounds good so far. Try to keep ammonia and nitrites under .5 and your good.

 

It does sound good so far. Agreed with above, do water changes any time ammonia or nitrite gets over 0.5ppm and keep dosing with Prime and Stability. Fish in cycles can take a little longer because levels are kept low for the fish, so there is less for bb to eat, meaning the colony will grow at a slower rate. You're doing perfect so far, just keep testing daily and water change as needed. Let's see some pics of your new beauty!

 

 

That sure is a beautiful boy you have there.

 

Thank you! It started off being a pet for my 3yr old but you know how that goes!

 

I do know how that goes. My youngest aquarist got his first fish at 5. He's 11 now, and we still have that fish. My boy has been pretty good at responsible feeding for a while now, but these days he's big enough to carry buckets.... YAY! We have 5 tanks, though none bigger than a 20g. It's really nice to have a water change helper. Start 'em young!

 

I can't wait until he's old enough to run his own tank, it's so much fun. Do you have any betta tanks that are 20gal? I'm going to switch my betta over to a 20gal tank tomorrow and was wondering if you had advice. I posted in the freshwater aquarium build section about it

 

I only have one betta, he's my first and is currently living in a 5g, but will soon be upgraded to a 7.5g cube. I think a betta would love a big 20 gallon gallon though, and perhaps you'd be able to have certain other fish in there too! I'm no pro with bettas for sure, but I have seen some videos and such with a betta living in a large tank with small schooling fish. So, maybe a warm water tetra? Definitely do your research and maybe start a thread about it in the betta forum. We'd all love to see a build thread for your guy's new tank!

I would say this... It seems to me that it would be less stressful for you both to keep up with the fish in cycle on the little tank, and at the same time you could be completing a fishless cycle on the 20g. Just something to think about.

 

That's what I started this morning! Going to continue monitoring my 5 gallon and doing the fishless cycle in the 20. I've got my aqua clear 50 filter and 100w heater running and just gave first dose of stability.

 

My new project Any scaping ideas are welcome

 

The new tank looks pretty good! I think I'd change the rocks just a little though. I'd probably group the center rock with the two off to the left, and place the entire structure off center. Perhaps just see if you can safely stack the larger one on top. An off centered centerpiece is more pleasing to the eye.

You might want to consider baffling the output on the AC50. Doing so will provide less downward flow, which the betta will appreciate, while increasing surface agitation and oxygenation of the water. I am in the early stages of a betta build myself and will use an AC as well, so I've got a couple ideas for you. There is a very simple DIY using a water bottle, and several videos for it can be found on YouTube. I am partial to a premade baffle, simply for asthetic reasons, so I'll be using the AC20 version of this.

 

I had to do make a baffle for my current aqua clear 30 on the 5gal, overkill I know, call that my middle name
I got it turned all the way down and with the baffle it's perfect flow, he moves all over the place. I accidentally made a pretty neat baffle using an empty gallon water jug. Where I cut the piece out was right on the corner of the jug so it had that curve in it. When I taped it to the filter, the curve bent right back to the tank wall. Works great and seems very durable.
On the 20 gallon if I turn it down all the way, it seems to have a nice flow.

Here's my first of possibly many alterations, although I do like this look. I switched the light to a brighter setting to see it better. Great advice on grouping and offsetting the rocks. I also moved the stump to see it morethank you for the input

 

And once more

 

I think I like the second one. What kind of light do you have there? Any chance of some super easy live plants?

 

It's a fluval aquasky led. It has multiple light settings, moonlight, even a cloud setting where it dims and brightens as if clouds are going by.

I was definitely thinking of doing some live plants at some point. Maybe some java fern and anubias

 

And yes I love the scape now. I re-read your comment and saw you mentioned stacking them and they fit like Tetris pieces lol! I added a backdrop as well so it's really looking great

 

I have glowlight tetras and emerald green cories in my betta harem tank.

 

It looks like your light is well liked for plants that require low to medium light. Your betta will love something tall and comfy to rest in near the surface. I like wisteria.

 

I will most likely add some plants this week, have you ordered plants online? My lfs has plants but they don't look so good most of the time.

 

So I wanted to save a betta. Saw a great looking red male halfmoon betta in good condition. Fins all intact, no discoloration or damage and very bright. I got the 5 gallon setup with a small heater, whisper filter, rocks, betta log, hammock, pellets, blood worms. Just the works for the little guy.

I was excited to give him a much better environment so I got right home, set up the tank and let him acclimate in a small bag for a while. After about an hr, I let him in.

I know what you're thinking , I didn't cycle my tank. Mind you I had no knowledge of cycling a tank until after he was in the tank(stupid me). I did much research and asked many questions on this here lovely site I've also realized my impatience and heart gets in the way of sound decision making sometimes.

I purchased stability, prime, stress coat and a test kit. Upgraded his filter a few days ago and it's running great (I had moved the filter media from the previous filter just in case there was any bb on it, even though I haven't seen any nitrite or nitrate readings, I figure it won't hurt).

Current readings are amm .5 nitrite 0 nitrate 0. Ph is 7.2 Water temp is 80.
I've been adding stability every day for the past 4 days and adding prime and stress coat with the occasional 20% water change.

Am I doing everything right so far and just need to wait it out? He seems to be doing great so far so I'm not alarmed, just want to make sure my little guy is happy

Read this...

The Fish-In Cycle | Adventures in Aquaria

Stability won't hurt even though it's not mentioned in this article.