Is my 2.5 Betta Tank in a Mini Cycle?

HI All,

So, about 3 months ago I purchased a 2.5 gallon Betta tank (Aqueon Betta Bow 2.5/ had a filter) in a pinch when my current betta started showing stress in my 40 gallon. He liked it, but unfortunately he jumped out the back,;( After his death, I bought some plastic canvas sheets and I have a "top" on it now, but the tank has remained unoccupied for 3 months. I did about 25% water changes weekly on this empty tank.

So last Sunday, my daughter and husband "rescued" a betta from a Petco when they went there to get our cat food. So, I've have this betta in the tank since Sunday. I have an API kit and have been checking the water conditions daily. Since Tuesday, the ammonia levels have been at .25, nitrate 0, and nitrate 0-5. I've been doing 40-50% water changes since Tuesday. I use Prime as a water conditioner and have been using Stability daily.

Is my tank going through a minI cycle since it was fishless for so long? I would add stability weekly.

Today the reading were 0.25 Ammonia, 0 nitrite & 0 nitrates. I want to make sure I'm handling this correctly, By performing the water changes.............the betta has no signs of stress and seems super happy. I've performed 40-50% changes the past 3 days and the Ammonia is still at 0.25.

How do you guys maintain quality in such a small tank (2.5)?

 

Not just a minI cycle, but a full cycle. You have to regrow all of your BB. Adding stability might have kept seeding your media but without a food source they wouldn't have survived I'm afraid. It's relatively easy to cycle with a betta though a bit slow thanks to their low bioload.

Remember that you want some ammonia in there to feed the BB as they grow and establish, you do water changes to keep it within manageable bounds and add Prime to neutralize what's left so that it's not harmful to your fish

 

Ok.........so I'm I on the right track? By doing 40-50 % water changes daily with stability and prime?

Thanks for your quick response!! The new betta was unexpected.But he's beautiful,so I want to do this right. My husband and daughter are bad about surprising me with new fish. He seems really healthy and happy right now. I want to keep it that way.

 

The "easy" part about Bettas and cycles is the fact that they can breathe some atmospheric oxygen if they need to. But with water changes and Prime he shouldn't be negatively affected. IIRC the amount of ammonia that Prime can detoxify is 1ppm and the effect lasts for 24 hours. The ammonia is still there but in a different form. The bacteria still eat it, but it doesn't poison your fish

 

Awesome...............thanks for the moral support and advice! I'll keep doing what I've been doing. btw..........here's a pic of the beautiful beast.....

 

Lovely! Great decor too

 

So, it's been 3 weeks in the 2.5 gallon tank. I've been doing the above water changes daily taking the parameters readings daily. For 3 weeks they have been the same: ammonia .25 (on 2 days last week it was .5), Nitrites 0, and nitrates 5.

Been water changing about 30-40% every night with prime, then adding the stability. I kind of expected the ammonia to go 0 and the nitrite to spike by now, if I was going through a full cycle with new betta (to recap, the tank was fishless for a couple of months before getting the betta 3 weeks ago).

The betta is doing fine. He's healthy and happy and has quite an appetite. I'm careful feeding him.................I drop the pellets in one by one until he eats them, then he gets a blood worm for a treat. I feed him twice a day.

So, where do you guys think I am in the cycle? How much longer do I continue doing water changes daily? Am I changing too much out daily? Thanks!

 

You might not see any nitrites if you already have a healthy population of the bacteria that convert those to nitrates. Have you tested your source water?

 

You might not see any nitrites if you already have a healthy population of the bacteria that convert those to nitrates. Have you tested your source water?

By water source, do you mean the fresh water I add to the tank when I do a water change? I test my betta tank right before each change and tonight it was .25, 0, and 5.0 nitrates....same readings I get every evening before the water change.

So, if I have a healthy population of "good" bacteria in the tank, why can I not get the ammonia to 0? Do you think it's because the betta tank is so small (2.5)? I use the API tests and use them with my 36 gallon tank, as well. The 36 gallon tank read tonight, 0,0, & 5.0.

btw, aquaphobia, you've been so helpful to me! I really appreciate your time and the help you've offered on my thread.

 

Yes, that water So if you take water from your tap, test the tap water. Also test a sample of distilled water. If that comes up with the same reading then you'll know there's something wrong with the test or the way it's being read. I know I have a hard time sometimes telling the difference between 0 and 0.25 in certain lighting

 

Oh, I see, like quality control or a standard...........I'll test the ammonia tomorrow on the tap water. When I tested the ammonia for my other 36 gallon tank tonight, it was 0. There was a definite color difference compared to the betta tank (yellow versus a yellow green in the betta tank). And yeah, those colors are hard to discern sometimes, esp the Ph one! I always have to get a second and third opinion from my daughter and husband on that one!

 

LOL! Oh good, so I guess that rules out anything being wrong with the test or confusion between colours

 

I have a hard time with some of the colors on the liquid tester charts too. High Range Ph and Nitrates are the worst. I usually get a second opinion too. Over time, I've seen small ammonia (.25ppm) with zero nitrites and normal nitrates. I think sometimes despite my best efforts I might feed a little too much one day or have added too many plants another and as they melt they put a strain on the delicate bioload that must be my tank. Usually 2 days in a row of water changes and removing the leaves that have dropped will take care of the slight ammonia/nitrate spike while the nitrite reading will never move above zero. Definitely test your tap water. When I did mine, it was a real eye-opener, to say the least. But knowing what you are dealing with in your source water makes you in a better position to know how much water to change when you do it, and what might be lurking in your supply that you don't know about. It also helps to know what kinds of products you might need to look at to ensure your tank water is as good as it can be for all of your tank inhabitants - plants included.

 

I have a hard time with some of the colors on the liquid tester charts too. High Range Ph and Nitrates are the worst. I usually get a second opinion too. Over time, I've seen small ammonia (.25ppm) with zero nitrites and normal nitrates. I think sometimes despite my best efforts I might feed a little too much one day or have added too many plants another and as they melt they put a strain on the delicate bioload that must be my tank. Usually 2 days in a row of water changes and removing the leaves that have dropped will take care of the slight ammonia/nitrate spike while the nitrite reading will never move above zero. Definitely test your tap water. When I did mine, it was a real eye-opener, to say the least. But knowing what you are dealing with in your source water makes you in a better position to know how much water to change when you do it, and what might be lurking in your supply that you don't know about. It also helps to know what kinds of products you might need to look at to ensure your tank water is as good as it can be for all of your tank inhabitants - plants included.

That's sound advice.........Perhaps I should monitor his feeding more closely. I really try to drop one pellet in at a time and wait for him to eat it before I give another. I do find decomposed food from time to time at the bottom when I do water changes, however.

So, I tested the water straight from the tap and my 36 gallon.............both of those were 0 for ammonia, but, yet again, the 2.5 betta tank is .25. I love the little guy and don't mind performing his daily water changes. Heck, it's a lot easier than my 36 gallon. I haven't quite mastered an easy technique for the 36 gallon.......I change out 10 gallons with 5 gallon buckets once or twice a week on that tank. The 2.5 gallon is child's play compared to that!

 

So, I still continue to have daily ammonia readings of 0.25 in my 2.5 betta tank. Nitite is 0 and nitrate is 5. The betta appears happy, healthy, and active. I'm seriously considering upgrading him to a 5 gallon. I have been changing his water every day using prime........about 30-40%, I'm careful about feeding time (I drop one pellet at a time and if he 'misses' the pellet and it falls to the bottom, I suck it out with turkey baster). I'm at a loss as to why the ammonia will not drop to 0. I'd like to get the water changes to twice a week instead of every day. Any suggestions?

To recap.........the betta has been in the 2.5 gallon tank since Jan 3rd. I've performed daily water changes since that time. Ammonia has been at .25 consistently. My tap water and 36 gallon tank's ammonia is 0, so I know the .25 reading is accurate. Also, my temp is 80-81 and my ph is 7.6. Thanks for any help!

 

What kind of a filter and media do you have in there?

 

What kind of a filter and media do you have in there?

I have an Aqueon BettaBowl 2.5. It came with a filter and a little filter cartridge. It's funny..............the BettaBowl instructions say to only change 25% of the water once a month.

.Last night the ammonia was the lowest it has been. It wasn't quite .25, but it wasn't quite 0. I tested my betta tank and 36 gallon tank simultaneously and the 36g was definitely 0. The betta tank.......almost 0.

 

Yikes! That's alright, I went to Amazon and the instructions there say you can keep a goldfish in it:shock:

Anyway, the instructions are wrong, so ignore them! I have a Betta Bow myself but I have an aftermarket internal filter in it. Mine doesn't take cartridges but has a sort of canister at the bottom that I can put my own media in. Typically they come with a single sponge block but it's entirely customizable.

Are the cartridges for your filter just mesh or do they contain carbon?

 

The filter does contain carbon.........

Yeah, I thought the once a month water change was pretty funny and the instructions stressed not to change more than 25%, God forbid! he he...

The ammonia was "almost, but not quite 0" again tonight. Maybe It's just a slow cycle process. I can see with such a small tank, that just the slightest bit of food waste can spike the ammonia. I'm really thinking about getting a 5 gallon, but I know what will happen. I'll cycle another 5 and just get another betta. I love bettas!

 

You can always cut a slit in the mesh and empty out the carbon. That way you can keep the BB-holding media but possibly make enough room for more mesh should you need to have replacement cycled media

Remember that you need ammonia to begin feeding the BB you want to grow so just treat the tank water to make it safe for your fishy!

 

Awesome...............thanks for the moral support and advice! I'll keep doing what I've been doing. btw..........here's a pic of the beautiful beast.....

LUCK YOU!!!! I love your betta fishy!

 

Or you can get him a 10 gallon and pop some live plants in there, and use the 2.5 for shrimp

 

Shrimp only tank sounds nice! I might start one, depends on what type of shrimps you have, like RCS they are extremely easy to breed!

 

You can always cut a slit in the mesh and empty out the carbon. That way you can keep the BB-holding media but possibly make enough room for more mesh should you need to have replacement cycled media

Remember that you need ammonia to begin feeding the BB you want to grow so just treat the tank water to make it safe for your fishy!

That's a great idea for the filter. I think I'm going to get a 5 gallon tomorrow.

 

nice! I am way too, I meant, come on, why the heck you guys have beautiful fishes while I have to give my fish tank away! uh...

 

If you can swing it, get a 10G instead of a 5G. Let me tell you, your betta will love the extra space! I have 2 10G's with a betta in each, and they utilize the whole tank. I'm actually tossing around the idea of upgrading them to 20G Long tanks if I can figure out where I can put them!!

 

yeah those little things LOVE SPACE AND YEAH...

 

If you can swing it, get a 10G instead of a 5G. Let me tell you, your betta will love the extra space! I have 2 10G's with a betta in each, and they utilize the whole tank. I'm actually tossing around the idea of upgrading them to 20G Long tanks if I can figure out where I can put them!!

I do have a 10 g tank, but it is my QT tank. So, in my house we spend most of our time in the kitchen & living room. My house is open, i.e., kitchen open is open into the living room. There are 3 of us (me, husband, and daughter) and we actually eat and socialize at the bar in the kitchen. I have space in the kitchen that is like a desk area right next to where we eat and socialize. That is where we keep the betta, so he's right there with us. He's very social. The tank has to be long, not tall, because I have a wine rack & cabinet right above the space. Think I can get a 5 gallon no problem in the space, but I'm not sure about a 10g. I'll have to measure the space and go from there. Maybe I can fit two 5 g tanks and get another betta! I love them!

Didn't get a 5 g yesterday........they didn't have the one I liked. Still considering my options. Going to go look this weekend.

 

You could try for a non-standard tank! I have one that is unfortunately no longer made but it's a 6.6 gallon acrylic bookshelf tank. They were quite cheap but you can still buy more expensive bookshelf tanks that are high quality and made out of glass. Their volume is less than 10 gallons but the swimming space is much larger because they lack height. I love mine!

 

yeah, you don't HAVE to have HIGH HEIGHTS tank, but you need LENGTH N WIDTH because betas DONNT NEED HEIGHT TO BE TOO HIGH. Hope this helps..

 

So, the past 2 nights (tonight and last night) the ammonia has been 0........Ammonia 0, nitrite 0, and nitrate 5. Yay! The last water change was Tuesday night (after daily changes since Jan 3rd!). My question.....with such a small tank, how often do you guys recommend water changes? I feel like just once a week is not often enough. Should I water change, about 30%, a couple of times a week?

 

I would say(wait what, 2.5?) 2.5 gallon three days

I would say 10 gallon: weekly( or every two weeks depends on if you have live plants)

I would say 5 gallon: weekly

 

It really depends on the tank for how much you change it. There are a lot of variables such as amount of plants, bioload of fish and so forth. The only way to really determine when you change the water is through testing.

My five gallon needs a change one day past a week in order for nitrates to stay below 20 PPM. It has one betta, moderately planted, and two nerite snails.

Smaller tanks may need more water changes but it could also be a heavily planted tank which can help keep nitrates low, so that may not always be the case.

 

yup that right, agree with CK89

 

You will probably need to test your water at least every other day for awhile, just so you can get a feel for how the tank will be. You might need to do water changes that frequently since you have a small tank. I have 2 10G's with a betta, nerite & apple snails, and ghost shrimp in each tank. I have a lot of plants, probably considered moderately planted but since the tank is so small sometimes it looks overrun with plants, LOL. Even with all the plants, in the past I've needed to do water changes at least twice weekly to keep the nitrates down. I believe I've found a way to better manage the nitrates (they are in my tap as well), and might be looking at it being ok with water changes weekly instead, but honestly I don't mind doing the changes often as I have low KH, and figure more frequent changes replenishes the minerals my snails/ghost shrimp might be using. Small tanks are harder to keep healthy than larger ones.