Betta in Quarantine

Well, sadly I had to put my Betta in quarantine in my old Betta bowl. The one badly hurt Neon had to be euthanized, and later that same afternoon I found a dead Neon. I don't know if it was the Betta or not, the Neons were chasing each other around a lot, but I still had my suspicions. Today I found the shell remains of my last Bumble Bee Shrimp. Again not sure if it was the Betta or not, but at least I still have a Cherry Red left, though I'm still disappointed as I liked the Bumble Bee a lot too.

Anyway, my sis in law has a little 5 gallon tank she said I can have. It has a filter on it and I think a heater too. I was looking at some of the 3-5 gallon tanks at Walmart and Drs Foster and Smith and I really like the ones that have the 3 way filtration with the Bio wheels inside the lid. I don't think hers has a Bio wheel but beggers can't choosers. Maybe someday I can upgrade to one of those.

Getting another tank was the last thing I wanted to do. That's what I get for buying on impulse. :-\

 

I'm so sorry to hear that  Eskielvr. Natalie

 

That is sad to read.  Sorry to hear of your losing your Neons and shrimp.

Mike

 

Yeah, it is sad, but I have to admit I'm really looking forward to setting up another tank. I'm pretty sure it has gravel with it already, but if it doesn't I've been browsing my catalog picking out what colors I like (the non-toxic ones). I think a nice turquoise green would go good with my purple Betta. (Yeah, I like turquoise, lol)

I don't think she has the filter system I really want, but it should be good enough for now. I'm already picking out my upgrade ;D lol I really like those purple tanks (MiniBow 2.5 and MiniBow 5) but they don't have the 3 stage filtration in the hood which is what I really want.

I got a space on my desk cleared off for it, next to my 20 gallon. I really like setting up new aquariums and I'm really excited to get this one, but that also means I'll have another tank to clean. *sigh*

Just out of curiosity, can you put a live plant in a 5 gallon? If so, what kind? The tanks I'm wanting to get, the Eclipse 3 or 6 gallon or Eclipse Hex 5 can be used with the MinI Compact Fluorescent Bulb that has the Coralife 50/50 (which is what my 20 gallon just got upgraded to) or the Colormax. Would that work?

Ah! The fish bug bit me again, dang it! I was doing so good in remission. lol

 

I am sorry about your Neons and shrimp. Also, good luck with the new tank. Make sure the container with the Betta has clean water (no ammonia, no nitrite, and lowest possible nitrate). The temperature should also be monitored closely.

By the way, do you know your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate readings from the tank from which the Neons and the shrimp came?

 

You mean the levels that were in the tanks at the fish store? No. The levels in my tank are all 0. Well, I don't have a Nitrate test, I guess they didn't make those when I got my master freshwater kit. In fact I was told that wasn't important, the ammonia was the main thing.

 

You mean the levels that were in the tanks at the fish store? No. The levels in my tank are all 0. Well, I don't have a Nitrate test, I guess they didn't make those when I got my master freshwater kit. In fact I was told that wasn't important, the ammonia was the main thing.

Ammonia is a biggy, but nitrates can reach toxic levels, too, so it's good to test for them.  Nitrates show up in the third stage of the cycling process and can be removed with various plants or through water changes.

Mike

 

I don't have a Nitrate test though, they didn't come with my master test kit when I bought it. If I'd have known I would have purchased the individual test when I placed my Drs Foster and Smith order on Saturday. I'll have to wait a while before I can order one now.

I just found another dead Neon. This time I know it wasn't the Betta because he's in quarantine. I described it further under the Neon Tetra link. I don't know what's going on.

 

I am so sorry to hear about your Neons and Shrimp. :'( Hope you figure out what's going on with the Neons.

As for plants my personal fav is java fern--and yes they'd be fine in a 5 gal. They have no special requirements, and are about impossible to kill, just tie them to a piece of wood or rock rather than planting them in the substrate.

You definitely need a nitrate test. If your nitrates get over 20 (which you won't know without testing), they can have long term effects on fish. If you have a Petco or Petsmart nearby you can get a nitrate test for like 6 or 7 bucks (US).