How many of you remove betta from tank to change water?

how many of you totally remove your bettas from their tanks to change water?

 

I did that originally. They didn't like it at all.

Now even my 2.5 gals are cycled and my bettas are a lot happier!

 

Nope, leave them in....I give them something to do, like let them follow my finger around when I do it to keep them entertained

 

I do both. If I want to wipe down the inside of the glass I take them out and put them in some of their tank water. They don't seem to mind. My boys are pretty easy going.

 

They stay in their tanks, unless a major/drastic cleaning needs to be done. Only a blue/green hair algae outbreak in Teddy Bear's tank recently has caused one of those.

 

I also leave my bettas in the tank when doing a cleaning and vacuuming. They are pretty calm during this time and do follow the progress closely lol.
The hard tank to do is the divided ten gal with the two girls. Only one time I had to put them in cups as I had to rinse off the gravel from early diatoms.
But for the most part.. they are fine to leave in the tank while cleaning.
And its less stress for them this way.

~ kate

 

Thanks for replies. I leave them in the tanks too, I was just curious as Kiz seemed mighty peeved with me yesterday during his water change!! What a brat hey!!

 

Ohhh How I know they can be brats lol... and sulk.... hehe

~ kate

 

Ohhh How I know they can be brats lol... and sulk.... hehe

~ kate

lol, Today he is doing a droopy tail, stare at me!!! Such a ' feel sorry for me' face then when I speak he's excited and flitting about!! He's nuts

 

Mine stay in too...they love it when I put fresh water in.

 

lol, Today he is doing a droopy tail, stare at me!!! Such a ' feel sorry for me' face then when I speak he's excited and flitting about!! He's nuts

LOL... my guy Glory is a real sulker.... when I feed the others and he gets impatient or thinks I'm passing him by, he goes back to his wide leaf and sulks turned away from me. LOL he is a funny guy! hehehe...

~ kate

 

Mine stay in too...although sometimes I'm tempted to take them out cause they (Cas-the female-especially) get in my way so much...like today I was trying to wipe algae off the glass with my "hi-tech algae scraper" (a paper towel ) and I looked away and then suddenly I heard a splash...Cas had managed to get herself stuck between my hand and the glass and as I pulled the paper towel upwards she had to jump to get out of the way. It took me like twice as long as it should have to get the glass clean.

 

I've only done it a couple of times. I think that the move and the huge water differences are more stress factors than helping factors. I would only do it if they were really sick, basically, and I wanted to make sure I get rid of the most pathogens from the 'old' water as possible.

 

Funny how they each react to tank cleaning.

Our first Betta, Super Mario, would refuse to look at me for the rest of the day after I cleaned his tank. Aslan would sometimes nip at my hand while I did his tank and Angel would pout for hours after her cleaning (in her 5 gallon hex - now she only pouts a little while in her 6.6g bookshelf).

 

I never remove them from their tanks. I have taken the level of water down to 90% a couple of times and left the betta in when things really needed some deep cleaning. This was any emergency situation and I would never recommend it, but the netting of the bettas is so much more risky than to leave them in there, I just cannot justify it. A lot of fish will lay still in the net, my bettas jump about in the nets and I am terrified they will jump out of them. All of my guys like the water changes, loaches, plecos, and everyone comes out for the new water I love it!!

Rose

 

I got my betta a week ago and I left him in when I changed his water today. I didn't think it would be necessary to move him.

 

For easy cleans and wc's I leave Deuce in his 10g. but have to watch him, he's very curious, and likes the "new" waterfall (I'm careful when pouring). If I have to do anything special, I use my breeder net, he swims right in, and move it around the tank as I get to areas that need work, Like behind the heater/filter... He's always looking up and around like..Whatcha doin' Mom?

 

Hey Drea good idea re breeder net!!! Well Kiz is now ok with the cleaning process, i'm sure he even swims over to show me bits i've missed!!

Mum's new boy Sky is different, he ZOOMS about and i'm sure he'd try to jump out. He is like lightening, darts about at meal times too. So sweet, I think Sky maybe moving into my bedroom on my other bedside table opposite Kizmet. ( For those who don't know, I moved back in with my ma and pa after my long term relationship ended. Was meant to be until I found a house of my own as i'd not lived here for 20 plus years. Then I bought a tank!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 7 tanks later and ma loving it too I guess i'm staying!!!)

 

If I ever have to take a Betta out of the tank, I'll use a big cup to scoop them into. Usually a bloodworm on the surface will make it easy to get them in the cup with minimal problem.

 

I always remove mine during cleanings. I didn't use to, but one time my baby pleco swam into the python tube (scared me half to death) and I haven't tried it since. I don't think they mind too much since I usually rearrange their "furniture" while they are out so their home doesn't get too stale.

 

Hi!

Not me!

 

Well I needed to take the divider out of the 25 gallon tank the other day when I cleaned it to give it a real down-home going over and so I HAD to net both of the bettas and put them in clean dechlored water in buckets that had never been used with any chemicals (but bleach and rinsed with dechlored water long ago) and now they are both sick. I just hate it that they are but they must have gotten too cool or something but Triton has a swollen mouth and Io has developed a small case of finrot. My hospital tank is full with Ariel and one of the Cories has a stubby barbell (must have gotten hurt when he got in the way while I was vacuuming the tank). So now I am medicating the whole tank. I do not ordinarily like to do that but with 3 fish sick or hurt and I figure the germs already there am using Maracyn Plus on the lot of them. It is not totally hard on the fish and yet will treat every problem I am having with the tank right now. This is another reason why I do not like taking the fish out of the tank. They end up sick every time.



Rose

 

Oh Rose i'm sorry to hear this!! As I have said Kizmet was the new boy that hated ' room service' but he is ok now. The only time I have ever moved any betta out was into a plastic jug and then a bag to hang them into larger tanks. Infact one stayed in the jug whilst I transfered his water, gravel etc and then he just swam back in.

I wish you luck with your boys!!

 

I ended up having to move Io completely out of the tank and into the loaches tank as his problem ended up to be not one of finrot but just stress. He is not needing medication so much as being away from Triton and being able to see him. So now I have one betta per tank ... period and no more dividers at all. Triton is responding to the Maracyn Plus and the Cory is doing well. I am doing what I can for them and being there for them when I can as I am spending more time with my Mom as she fell and broke her arm and I am for the most part living next door with her. She is going to be 80 in a month and is having a hard time adjusting to having a cast on her arm and not being able to do for herself so I am just at home with the boys at their mealtimes and for a bit of play for a couple of minutes and they hate it but somethings take precedence.

Rose

 

I hope all your Betta will be healthy asap, Rose.

I've tracked the water temp in a container here in Denver and it's amazing how quickly the water loses heat. That's why I actually moved his heater along with him when we had to take Teddy Bear out of his tank a little while back to give his tank a deep cleaning due to blue-green hair algae popping up.

 

I know I probably should have done that but I had the two buckets and I was only taking the bettas out and leaving the rest of the fish in the tank and one heater to spare so I hoped to have the work done sooner. But dividers take longer to replace than I thought and I did not get it cut right and it ended up being a lot longer than I wanted so it was about 6 degrees difference and then I had to slowly rewarm them and it was a total disaster. Io ended up escaping finrot. I thought it was going to develop but it was okay, but Triton is over the swollen mouth. I started the Maracyn Plus before it got a good hold so the three doses were enough to correct it. Thank goodness as this has been something with the weather keeping me away from them some days. This morning they were ready to chew my arm off they were so hungry.

Rose

 

I hate when that happens.. I've had the same thing happen - that's how I saw the water cooling effect here and was ready with the heater for Teddy Bear. Fortunately, it was with guppies so they weathered the cooler water easier. I think it's not going to take long and an hour later..

I'm glad they are good and I hope you counted your fingers after feeding them.

 

I hope you counted your fingers after feeding them.

That's good! One of my males, Ripley, would rather bite my finger than eat! My husband asked "does it hurt much?" I really wanted to play along with him for a while, but I kept laughing...

 

Lol.. Chloe is a 'grabber' too. She loves to just latch onto my finger and shake (well try to) it.

That's good! One of my males, Ripley, would rather bite my finger than eat! My husband asked "does it hurt much?" I really wanted to play along with him for a while, but I kept laughing...

 

Back in the bowl days I used to take Dory out and do 100% water changes and rinse the gravel every time. I would carefully pour him into a clean glass and cover the top of it while I worked since my net was too big to fit through the neck of the vase he lived in.

Since he's been in the tank I haven't taken him out once, not even for the somewhat frequent 3.5 hour trips we have to take together when I visit my parents' house and there's no one here to feed him. Netting/bagging seems scary to me, so I leave about a gallon or two in the tank and bring him along still inside!

 

Does he enjoy the ride? I think my guys would enjoy it..but I am not sure I would manage their tanks are too big and Mom's house is just next door but they are adventurous little dickens's and I think sometimes maybe this summer they can all go outside some day if I can manage a way to keep the filters all running while they are away. I would make sure that the temperature was above 80 before I did it. They would probably think they were in a new world. I know that Ariel is loving being where he is and being able to look out the south window to see the world outside. I can hardly get him to come and eat when something is going on outside.

Rose