Betta Tank Setup - Needing Guidance

So I got a betta tank yesterday.. put conditioner in and waited about two hours to put the fish in. It has a filter but no heater yet (getting one today) I did some research but apparently on the wrong sites because now I’m realizing I did something way wrong. I am planning on adding Tetra safe start today but is it too late?? I noticed him hanging out by the filter and went to feed him today and he only ate one little pellet. I’m just worried. Please help

 

As long as your ammonia is not over 3 ppm, it's never too late to add tetra safestart.

Just make sure that it's been 24 hours since you filled the tank with conditioned water and your ammonia is under 3.0 and the tss will work.

And I wouldn't worry about the ammonia because betta are pretty clean fish and wouldn't be able to produce that much ammonia in 1 day.

 

Depending on the size of your tank, it could be stressed, especially if the water is on the cooler side. But I've added water conditioner to my tanks full of fish before and nothing wrong has happened.

 

Welcome to Fishlore!

I wouldn’t worry about your Bettas appetite if you only just got him yesterday they generally don’t eat much the first few days, and the one pellet he ate is plenty. Some recommend not to feed them at all for the first couple days. Even if he had been hungrier you really only need to feed him 1-2 pellets a day at the most. They’re little piggies - don’t let them persuade you with their adorable fish eyes.

Overfeeding can cause swim bladder disorder and other problems . It does them no favors. But portion size can depend on the Betta, also. Some Bettas are large and can eat more that 1-2 pellets. The eyeball size of your Betta fish is generally a good rule of the thumb to go by for food portion. Most Betta will eat until they explode which is why you need to regulate them.

I saw your profile says you don’t know about the nitrogen cycle. It’s best to research that when you can, it’s a really a fascinating subject and is very crucial to understand to have a successful tank.

Small tanks are hard for beginners to cycle and keep stable, so if your tank is smaller than 2.5 gallons I’d look into something bigger. Bigger tanks are actually way easier to care for.

It’s not too late to add the Tetra Safestart by any means. It will help to jumpstart your nitrogen cycle.

 

I feed mine way more than a pellet a day but they can do without food for a week at least. The fish in my local chain are close to starving. The one I got from Thailand is a chunky guy. I feed frozen food as well. They love frozen mosquito larvae
Keep up with the water changes to help him through the cycle. Tss has always worked for me but it can still take two weeks to fully cycle.