Need Help Cycling My Bettas New Tank

Hey everyone, this is my first post on here so please bear with me if it’s in the wrong place . I recently purchased a Betta and a 5.5 gallon topfin kit. I have a heater which keeps the water at 78-80 degrees and a filter in his tank. Unfortantly I did reasesrch after getting the fish (I know not very smart) and learned alittle about cycling my new tank. I’ve had him in the tank since last Saturday 9-22 and have been doing daily water changes of 1.5 gallons and using Seachem prime to treat the water. I’m treating the new water I’m putting in (1.5 gallons) with enough prime for the whole tank. Yesterday 9-29 a week after the initial setup I did a large water change around 50% and vacuumed the gravel. As of now my Betta seems happy since he is exploring every inch of the new tank. He eats like a champ and is showing signs of fin regrow( he had firnrot when I purchased him).

Sorry for the lengthy post my question is with daily water changes and dosage with prime will my Betta be fine during the cycle? What can I improve in my routine to get him through the cycle without stress? Any help/ advice is greatly appreciated. I just want the best for my fish and feel bad since I didn’t research all of this prior to getting him.

At this time I don’t have a test kit, but will be ordering the API Master kit ASAP.

 

Hey everyone, this is my first post on here so please bear with me if it’s in the wrong place . I recently purchased a Betta and a 5.5 gallon topfin kit. I have a heater which keeps the water at 78-80 degrees and a filter in his tank. Unfortantly I did reasesrch after getting the fish (I know not very smart) and learned alittle about cycling my new tank. I’ve had him in the tank since last Saturday 9-22 and have been doing daily water changes of 1.5 gallons and using Seachem prime to treat the water. I’m treating the new water I’m putting in (1.5 gallons) with enough prime for the whole tank. Yesterday 9-29 a week after the initial setup I did a large water change around 50% and vacuumed the gravel. As of now my Betta seems happy since he is exploring every inch of the new tank. He eats like a champ and is showing signs of fin regrow( he had firnrot when I purchased him).

Sorry for the lengthy post my question is with daily water changes and dosage with prime will my Betta be fine during the cycle? What can I improve in my routine to get him through the cycle without stress? Any help/ advice is greatly appreciated. I just want the best for my fish and feel bad since I didn’t research all of this prior to getting him.

At this time I don’t have a test kit, but will be ordering the API Master kit ASAP.

Welcome to fishlore
Along with seachem prime you can use seachem stability. It is just bottled beneficial bacteria (BB) and will help keep parameters in check during the cycle. You add a big dose on the first day and smaller ones for a week or so after to start off. I use it any time I'm doing major filter maintenance. Bettas are hardy fish, and since you only have 1 fish in a 5 gallon and are doing every other day water changes with prime, you are on the right track.
Good luck, bettas are fun little fish! Oh, and can we see pics?

 

Glad to hear I’m on the right track. I have read on here that Seachem stability could actually make the cycle longer and unstable? I’m new to this and not sure what that meant. I’d be happy to pickup a bottle if it does indeed help the cycle process. I have a bottle of topfin beneficial bacteria although I haven’t added it after reading bad things about the bottled bacteria.

After my original post I noticed a film developing on the top of the water in his tank. Any ideas what this means? I have silk plants and Marimo moss balls.

I will definetly upload pictures of my fish, his tank, and the film developing on the surface.

Thanks for the help!

The film isn’t showing up on camera to good but is best shown in the 3rd picture.

 

I'm not sure about BB messing up a cycle. I've only ever had good luck with it. Everyones experience is different. I'm not sure how it could mess it up though, considering it's not chemicals or anything, literally just bacteria. I'll have to look into that. In my experience its always shortened the cycle.
As for the film, it's probabally that there isn't enough water movement in the tank. Do you have a bubbler? And what kind of filter? A low flow filter may not move the water around enough. Sponge filters are great, especially for long finned male bettas. Intakes can shred fins, so the sponge filter is safe, and it makes bubbles as a bonus.
Live plants are always a great addition. They eat nitrates, the last phase of a cycle, as well. Some easy ones are java fern, and anubias. No ferts or special light needed with those.

The film isn’t showing up on camera to good but is best shown in the 3rd picture.

Oh, hes so handsome!
First thing I see is the filter. I would change that asap. Sponge filters are like 5 bucks, the bubbler equipment is another 10, and his fins will stay pretty. Also the silk plants, that's good. I have the exact same ones but I would take them out and cut off the green plastic spike leaves on the bottom. They will put holes in his fins. Whats his name?

 

I’ll pickup a bottle of stability today and definetly look into live plants. For now I will cut the green spikes off of my silk plants.

I am using the filter that came with the kit not sure what it’s called but the kit is the 5.5 gallon topfin kit from PetSmart. When I first put him in it was blowing him all over the tank so I put extra filter sponges inside the intake( the sponge covers the holes in the intake) and that seemed to slow it down big time. Would you still recommend a sponge filter even if the intake is covered by a sponge meaning his fins can’t get sucked in? He now can swim all around without the current pushing him all over the place. I do not have a bubbler in his tank although I do have one laying around. Should I add it to his tank and would that help with the film?

He doesn’t have a name yet. (I know, terrible) I’m open to suggestions!!

Thank you very much for your help so far

Also is this film dangerous to his health?

 

I like to give all my pets people names. Except sprinkles, but my 4yo named him, so not my fault. My bettas are fred and wilma. And as of 2 days ago, baby betty betta, because I very low willpower, lol.
I said the sponge filter, because you will need to use the bubbler. I had the same issues with film before they were in my betta tanks. You can buy things that go in the lines to slow the air flow so it's not too powerful, or just crimp the line. The sponge filter would fit on it, so it's kind of a 2 in 1. If you have a sponge over the intake, though, that should be fine. I have 1 I use panty hose over, works the same.
And I'm not positive, but if you have other bb already, ypu may not need the stability, it should be the same thing.

Also is this film dangerous to his health?

I can't say if it is or not. May be for bettas because of them being labyrinth breathers. There are certain meds and stuff you shouldnt use for them as well because of it. I just thought it was ugly more than anything

 

Haha, love the names! What sponge filter do you use? I’m not familiar with any. I wouldn’t mind getting one if there better for Bettas than hang on back filters.

I agree with it being ugly. Luckily it’s not covering the entire surface so he can still breathe. Also is there anything I can do to help his fins regrow and prevent him from getting rot again. I assume it was just from being in a dirty little cup at the pet store since they seem to be growing back now since I’ve had him.

 

Clean water is the best thing you can do for his fins, they should heal up just fine. If you really want, stresscoat is an option, but not necessary. Aquarium salt is an option but people seem to have very strong/divided opinions on it's use. He shouldn't get rot again as long as you keep his water in check.
As far as sponge filters, just about any one will do, as long as its short enough for your tank. Mine are made in china I think. Ill take a picture in a minute I have a few extras on boxes as well as some set up.

 

He won’t sit still for a single moment lol but these are the best pics I could get of his tail. I have no experience with this but to me it looks like it’s growing back because when I got him a week ago the tips looked like a frayed cloth ( I don’t know how else to describe it). I believe in don’t fix what isn’t broken lol so if it looks like it’s growing back to you then I’ll just keep up with clean water.

Thanks I’ll look into getting him a sponge filter.

How long should I keep up daily water changes until the tank gets cycled?

 

I have the same theory, if its not broke, don't fix it lol. The fins start to show growth on the ends, its like opaque, but the same color as his fins. If they don't look red and bloody its growing back. You'll know when you see it.
You can prolly knock w/s's down to every other day. Prime detoxes ammonia for 48 hours. With the bb I think it says to do it even less. The tests will help. Ammonia will still show up, just it won't be in a toxoc form(nh4 nontoxic, nh3 os toxic) the test doesn't know the difference.

 

Ok sounds like he’s doing good then. Ill get the Seachem stability today. I did alittle research on the topfin bb it’s no good. I’ll be looking into a sponge filter and live plants.

Thank you for your time and help

 

Ok sounds like he’s doing good then. Ill get the Seachem stability today. I did alittle research on the topfin bb it’s no good. I’ll be looking into a sponge filter and live plants.

Thank you for your time and help

No problem.. Heres a few pics, just for fun the second one has wilma in it. When I got her she was mostly white with pink spots and reddish fins. And pink lips like she had lipstick on. I love her color change. She's been like this for 3 months or so. Best of luck with everything!

 

Wow that color change is amazing! Never knew that could happen lol. Just a quick update I’ve put the air pump in his tank in in the matter of 15 minutes the film is gone and he seems to be playing in the bubbles lol. I ordered a sponge filter that looks just like yours and a bottle of stability.

I am interested in getting some live plants. Is it safe to add them now or should I wait until after the cycle is complete? I would like to get Anubis and java fern because you said they don’t require special lights or ferts. So my question is do I just bury the roots in the gravel and leave them alone?

Also the sponge filter isn’t supposed to arrive until next week but once it gets here can I run the current filter as well as the sponge filter? Would this be overkill or is there no such thing when it comes to filtration in a tank? After reading about cycling I learned the bacteria live in the filter so I wouldn’t want to remove my current filter until the sponge filter builds up bacteria?

 

Glad he likes it! And shes a koi betta so I guess they have a marble gene, so they can change color. I had no idea until it happened.
As far as the plants go, you can add them whenever. The ones pet stores sell are snail free, but be careful if you order online. Online plants tend to be bigger foe the same price though. Love ebay. Another good one is frogbit. Its a floating plant and super easy as well.
Both java fern and anubias are special in regards to roots. The anubias has a rizome that likes to be out of the gravel, the roots can be buried ior left out, like stuck in decor or whatever. Java fern does not like to be buried at all. Tie it to driftwood or a decoration or something. I stick mine through holes in decorations a lot, as well as tie it to whatever I want. Java fern is cool cause new plants grow out of the top of the existing leaves, so you'll end up with a lot of you get a small starter plant.
And yes, you can run both filters for a while. Because your just starting the cycle there shouldn't be a whole lot of bb built up on the current filter, but a week or 2 wouldnt hurt one bit

 

Just went up to the store picked up a small bottle of stability to go ahead and start now. Should I follow directions on the bottle or do you recvomond a different way? Also while I was up there I picked up 3 Anubis nana plants in a package that says snail free. These will be a trial and if they do well I’ll be getting more. I was informed at the store to only bury the tips of the roots in the gravel and the plant will anchor it self. Is this true? sometimes they aren’t that informed at the store lol. I don’t really have any decor I can stick it through to anchor it down.

So the rizome would be the part the roots and leaves is growing out of? I would bury only the roots leaving the rizome above the gravel? 2 of them have long roots so they should stay in place but one has very short roots I saw a video on YouTube that said to float it until the roots grow long enough is this true?

First one is in let me know if it looks correct.

Thanks again.

Got all three in let me know how it looks regarding the rizomes.

Now how do I vacuum the gravel without damaging the roots? What are some larger plants you recommend that are easy to care for? I think I’m addicted now lol and would like to eventually have all live plants and no artificial.

 

Yes the rizomes look good. That's how some of mine look. There are different types of anubias. The franzia is taller. And java fern can get really tall. Pennywort is one of my favorites too. I think its pretty easy. I would follow the directions on the bottle for the stability. That's what I do but there's a tad bit of room for error. Using a bit too much won't hurt anything. For now just don't vac too close to the plant. In a few weeks whrn the roots are more established doing a vac near it won't bother it. If you disrupt it, just pop it back in. No harm

That's java fern in the first pic, where a new plant has started and the second pic shows how I'm growing it up an old divider I had. And you can see the anubias rooted as well as some in in squidwards house.

 

Ok sounds good I’m hoping these plants do well so I can replace the rest of the fake ones with live. My Betta who I think we are naming Lunar seems to enjoy the live plants he’s resting in the leaves. It’s been a long day for him as I have been in and out of his tank all day. Thanks for your help today I really appreciate it.

 

I test my water parameters to be sure where I am . If my tank is at 0 ammonia , 0 nitrite, and some nitrate it's good for the fish to be added. I would test my water daily to see for amonia. If it's present, it's due to the fish. Add bb from a bottle like stability or TSS and watch it decrease and nitrites increase. That's the bacteria working. Nitrates will started to increase. Then water changes will be done. The cycle repeats. Except you don't need to constantly add BB . Just needed when you start a tank or when you clean your filters

 

Sorry I'm a little late to the party, but most likely the film was from Prime. I noticed the same thing after I first started using it, and it wasn't there when I was using a different water conditioner.

Also, I swear by Stability, it cycled all my tanks in like a week. I now use it when adding fish (do the whole 7 days again) and when doing water changes.

Glad you're having such a fun time, I definitely understand the addiction lol. I went from 1 tank to 4 in the span of 2 months. He's a beaut!

 

I’ll pickup a bottle of stability today and definetly look into live plants. For now I will cut the green spikes off of my silk plants.

I am using the filter that came with the kit not sure what it’s called but the kit is the 5.5 gallon topfin kit from PetSmart. When I first put him in it was blowing him all over the tank so I put extra filter sponges inside the intake( the sponge covers the holes in the intake) and that seemed to slow it down big time. Would you still recommend a sponge filter even if the intake is covered by a sponge meaning his fins can’t get sucked in? He now can swim all around without the current pushing him all over the place. I do not have a bubbler in his tank although I do have one laying around. Should I add it to his tank and would that help with the film?

He doesn’t have a name yet. (I know, terrible) I’m open to suggestions!!

Thank you very much for your help so far

Also is this film dangerous to his health?

I've got the same tank and filter for my dumbo betta, too. He did take a chunk out of a fin by getting caught in the filter intake. You can buy sponge foam that fits right over the end to prevent that from happening. I got three on amazon for around $5.00. Works great! I also used Stability and Prime and never had a problem with them. Good luck!

 

Ok sounds good I’m hoping these plants do well so I can replace the rest of the fake ones with live. My Betta who I think we are naming Lunar seems to enjoy the live plants he’s resting in the leaves. It’s been a long day for him as I have been in and out of his tank all day. Thanks for your help today I really appreciate it.

Not a problem at all, I'm sure he's gonna do great

 

I will be ordering an API master test kit this week to test my water. Glad to hear positive things about stability as I’ve read mixed reviews on here about it. I’ve started adding it yesterday. The Betta is my 2nd tank, I have a 10 gallon with 2 platies and 5 neon tetras which has been up and running since January. I never knew about cycling and added fish to the 10 gallon the first day I set it up. I still have almost all the fish from day 1 thankfully. Unfortunately I don’t think I’ll have any room for more fish because I have a lot of other animals. (2 budgies, ball python, red ear slider)

 

I ordered a sponge filter to replace the hang on back filter. For now I put filter sponge inside the intake covering the holes to slow down the water flow and to prevent his fins from being sucked in.

 

Hey I have a question. I’m cutting back my water changes to every other day as advised. On the bottle of stability it says to use daily. Do I still add the dosage of stability today if I am not doing a water change? And do I need to put a dosage of prime in today?

 

I was going to say just WCs for his fin rot but you're already doing that.

I was going to recommend some easy plants but it looks like you've bought the ones I'd recommend.

I was going to link you a site to get sponge filters but it looks like you've ordered them.

I was going to say that he looks like a Carlos to me but you've already named him.

So... It looks like you and Iboughtmykidfish pretty much have it handled.

EDIT:

Hey I have a question. I’m cutting back my water changes to every other day as advised. On the bottle of stability it says to use daily. Do I still add the dosage of stability today if I am not doing a water change? And do I need to put a dosage of prime in today?

Ooo, ooo! Something I can answer!!
Yes, you still dose with Stability every day, even if you don't do a WC. You don't need Prime unless you do a WC because it's meant to condition the water from your tap and remove chlorine and other ickies.

 

Hey I have a question. I’m cutting back my water changes to every other day as advised. On the bottle of stability it says to use daily. Do I still add the dosage of stability today if I am not doing a water change? And do I need to put a dosage of prime in today?

Your on the right track. Yes add the stability as the directions call for. Only add prime with your water changes every other day.

 

I was going to say just WCs for his fin rot but you're already doing that.

I was going to recommend some easy plants but it looks like you've bought the ones I'd recommend.

I was going to link you a site to get sponge filters but it looks like you've ordered them.

I was going to say that he looks like a Carlos to me but you've already named him.

So... It looks like you and Iboughtmykidfish pretty much have it handled.

EDIT:


Ooo, ooo! Something I can answer!!
Yes, you still dose with Stability every day, even if you don't do a WC. You don't need Prime unless you do a WC because it's meant to condition the water from your tap and remove chlorine and other ickies.

Lol I didnt see your answer before I posted, not tryin to steal your thunder..

I got my first betta knowing next to nothing about them, and found yall when I was having issues at first, so I like to pass the knoweledge on to others.

 

Lol I didnt see your answer before I posted, not tryin to steal your thunder..

(Gah, now I want to listen to that song...)

I got my first betta knowing next to nothing about them, and found yall when I was having issues at first, so I like to pass the knoweledge on to others.

I was wondering what my Java Fern's new growth would look like so thanks for posting your pic. Fergus is my second betta, first since college 10+ years ago, so I'm relearning a lot.

 

Thanks everybody. He seems to really like the Anubias I put in so I am planning on switching all of the fake plants since he ignores those. I was thinking a couple more Anubias and maybe 2 java ferns. Would this be to much or require extra care? If so what would I need?

 

What does it mean when he opens his gills like that? First time I saw him do it when I went to take a picture. They are closed now and he is acting normal?

 

What does it mean when he opens his gills like that? First time I saw him do it when I went to take a picture. They are closed now and he is acting normal?

Lol! Hes flaring they do it when they see other bettas or fish at all really. Prolly caught his reflection in the glass. Its a display of dominance.
And go for the java fern. Imo you can't have too many plants unless they are literally blocking him from swimming around.

 

Ok had me worried lol. Crazy little fish. Sounds good I’ll be getting more plants.

Besides the Betta pellets ( I have the National Geographic pellets) I’ve tried frozen bloodworms which he goes crazy for and frozen brime shrimp which he spits out every time. What else should I give him and how often?

 

I've heard that betta tummies are about as big as their eyeball so they don't need to eat much at once and probably no more than twice a day, and even that might be over feeding him.

I think it's sort of a guessing game. Feed him enough that he'll be nourished, but not so much he gets bloated or constipated or anything like that. I've read that fasting your betta once a week is a good idea to help "reset" their digestive system if he's been overfed and also heard that unscheduled feeding can be a good idea so he doesn't get too used to a routine - you'd basically be mimicing a "wild" feeding schedule where fish don't get fed twice a day every day, they have to hunt for their food and sometime don't catch anything, sometimes only get one bug, sometimes they hit the motherload.

 

If I could recommend a plant, I love water sprite! I never plant it, just let it float on the surface and it grows from there. My bettas love swimming through it.

 

I get what your saying FergusDaFish. How often should I feed frozen bloodworms are they just like a treat or could I feed him only bloodworms 3 days a week pellets the other 3 days and skip a day and different amounts everyday ?

I was looking for a plant for the surface, thank you. What are good places to order plants online my local store doesn’t have many options.

 

This page has some good information about betta food, the difference between them, how they interact with the fish and at the end has a sample feeding schedule:


I've heard good things about this site (bonus, they have a prolific youtube channel!)

but my LFS has many of the plants I wanted, or didn't know I wanted until I bought them

 

His dorsal fin looks like it has the fin rot now should I do anything or just keep doing water changes every other day?

 

I picked up a narrow leaf java fern. Do I plant it the same way as the Anubias?

 

I'm not the one to ask about fin rot. My guess is to continue with water changes.

As for the java fern, I've read that you plant it like the anubias, with the rhizome exposed, but I think it's harder with java fern because, at least with mine, the roots were very very short so if I wanted it to stay in the substrate I had to bury the rhizome.

So I tied it to my driftwood.

What you could do is find a sacrificial piece of driftwood or rock or something that sinks and tie it to that, as as it grows the roots with bind to whatever you tied it to. So you get the fern held down by what you tied it to and the rhizome exposed for the health of the plant.

As for what to tie it with: black thread or fishing line. Black thread with decay off on its own, fishing line will stay until you cut it off.

 

Plus one on the java fern. Shes right, better off tying it to something. And as far as the rot you can try salt if its really bad. 1 tsp aquarium salt per gallon. Ive had great sucess with it, but some people are very antI salt.. So look into it and decide on your own