Rescue Betta tank upgrade, cycle fishless or with him in?

A beta fish was donated to where I work and it has been kept in a small bowl for almost a year by his previous owners. I immediately went and bought a 5 gallon tank, filter, heater, some live plants, and a cave for him. However, I am new to cycling a tank and I’m not sure if it would be healthier for him to stay in his 1/2 gallon bowl or move him to the tank while it cycles. I know it is not preferable to do in-fish cycling, but I don’t know if staying in his bowl is better or not. Any suggestions? I attached a picture of his current bowl and a picture of the tank I am moving him into. Any suggestions on how to make the tank better are welcome as well! Thank you!

 

i would move him to the big tank and do a fish in cycle, bettas are hardy and as long as you monitor your ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels and do water changes there shouldn’t be a problem. you could also get some concentrated bacteria to help start the cycle!

 

My intial thought is to wait for it to cycle. If he has been in there for a year, it might be better to keep him in there rather than put him through the stress of fish-in cycling. That's just my thoughts though

 

I would acclimate him to the water in the tank and move him over to it. Unless the gravel in the bowl was cleaned constantly there may be enough bacteria on it to jump start the cycle in the tank. Put it in a media bag so it will be easy to remove when no longer needed. If there is enough room in the HOB filter put some of it in there.

Once he is in his much better home just keep a close eye on the parameters and do water changes as needed. Even if you see no ammonia or nitrites, change out half the water each week. Even if this tank never cycles the 50% weekly water changes will help keep the little fighter healthy.

 

IMO - Move him, that bowl is half gravel. He looks like a big boy too. Dragonscale?

Just dose Prime every other day

I've done countless fish in cycle - literally over 20 bettas ( twice were sorierity tanks)

no losses

when I started keepng fish, I had 2 bettas 1 each in a 1 gallon tank (until I learned better) for a few months. They transitioned fine to a new tank w/ a fish in cycle.

1/2 gallon bowl is near impossible to keep clean (JMO)

 

An uncycled 5 gallon is better then an uncycled half gallon. Add prime. do a partial water change of about 35% every other day. Add enough prime for the hole tank each time. It takes 2 eye dropper drops of prime per gallon.

 

You should move him over to the bigger tank, he has gotten used to the amount of his own waste in that bowl, so by moving him the waste will be more diluted and less toxins will build up so he will be able to handle that better. If you have not already, you will need to get a water treatment for chlorine and chloramine in tap water. The brand lots of people on here use is Seachem Prime, and it also makes the ammonia a little less toxic for a day after dosing it. You can do a half dose of the Prime every day to help manage the Ammonia and Nitrites in addition to dosing it for the amount of water replaced each water changes. I know for a fact that Petsmart carries Prime, and the smallest bottle is all you will need. The smallest bottle also comes with a dropper top and each gallon should get 2 drops of prime. He also seems to have some pretty severe fin biting, I think he is a crown tail that has bit so much of his own fins it doesn’t look like a crown tail anymore. Fin biting is caused by stress, and pretty much always as a result of poor water quality, as there is in that small bowl. Something you can get are some Indian almond leaves usually marketed for betta fish. Make sure they are aquarium safe but most are. You can find them on Amazon for pretty cheap. You put some of a leaf in the water and it leaches out tannins and other good stuff. It is very good for lowering stress levels of bettas and it will kind of soothe him while the leaves are in there. You can leave them in all the time, you just have to replace them every once in a while. They last a long time though. Just so you know it can cause the water to turn a little brown, that is normal and it is fine for the fish. Another thing is more live plants and decorations. Betta fish are extremely intelligent fish, I have taught mine simple tricks! He won’t be up to that for a while but they do need stimulation. Right now the focus is on getting better but having lots of things to swim through like little caves, decorations, and live plants is good for them. Live plants aren’t crucial, but they improve the water quality by “eating” waste, and plastic plants can damage fish’s fins. Some good hardy plants that grow well are Java fern, Anubias, and moss balls, you should be able to find any/all of those at a Petsmart or other pet store that carries fish items. Another thing that really helps fish is a varied diet. Betta pellets from big pet stores tend to be pretty junky, if you look at the ingredients lots of them are mostly corn and flour. Bettas are carnivores who would usually eat bugs from the surface, that is why their mouths are turned upwards like they are. Try to find a food that has at least 40% crude protein, and maybe get two different foods like that for variety. At pet stores you will often find freeze dried bloodworms, they are a bit controversial on quality and I myself prefer frozen bloodworms for my fish. You can get a pack of frozen bloodworms from lots of pet stores. The freeze dried foods have been known to get eaten quickly and then expand as they absorb moisture in the fish’s stomach, leading to bloat and possibly swim bladder problems. If you do decide to feed him freeze dried foods soak them in a little water first so they expand before they get eaten. Having variety is a good way to stimulate bettas and it is also super important for keeping them healthy.

I am going to tag/ mention a betta expert/betta guru on here just in case me and the other people missed anything.
Betta'sAnonymous

Also, I want to say thank you for helping this fish! So many people have the mentality that they are just fish and they are mindless and don’t need much care. I appreciate people like you who also acknowledge that fish deserve to be treated with care just like every other critter. Thanks for putting in the time, money, and effort to give this little guy a good life. Fish, especially bettas are known to be super resilient, I hope he comes back from this and lives a great life.They can regrow their fins, so keep a look out and you may see some new growth. I definitely think that when you move him over the improved conditions will result in his color becoming much brighter! I saw the doctor Seuss sign in the background so I assume you work with kids. Has he been given a name yet?

 

Yeah, looks like this advice should get you started in the right path!

 

i would move him to the big tank and do a fish in cycle, bettas are hardy and as long as you monitor your ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels and do water changes there shouldn’t be a problem. you could also get some concentrated bacteria to help start the cycle!

Thank you!!

You should move him over to the bigger tank, he has gotten used to the amount of his own waste in that bowl, so by moving him the waste will be more diluted and less toxins will build up so he will be able to handle that better. If you have not already, you will need to get a water treatment for chlorine and chloramine in tap water. The brand lots of people on here use is Seachem Prime, and it also makes the ammonia a little less toxic for a day after dosing it. You can do a half dose of the Prime every day to help manage the Ammonia and Nitrites in addition to dosing it for the amount of water replaced each water changes. I know for a fact that Petsmart carries Prime, and the smallest bottle is all you will need. The smallest bottle also comes with a dropper top and each gallon should get 2 drops of prime. He also seems to have some pretty severe fin biting, I think he is a crown tail that has bit so much of his own fins it doesn’t look like a crown tail anymore. Fin biting is caused by stress, and pretty much always as a result of poor water quality, as there is in that small bowl. Something you can get are some Indian almond leaves usually marketed for betta fish. Make sure they are aquarium safe but most are. You can find them on Amazon for pretty cheap. You put some of a leaf in the water and it leaches out tannins and other good stuff. It is very good for lowering stress levels of bettas and it will kind of soothe him while the leaves are in there. You can leave them in all the time, you just have to replace them every once in a while. They last a long time though. Just so you know it can cause the water to turn a little brown, that is normal and it is fine for the fish. Another thing is more live plants and decorations. Betta fish are extremely intelligent fish, I have taught mine simple tricks! He won’t be up to that for a while but they do need stimulation. Right now the focus is on getting better but having lots of things to swim through like little caves, decorations, and live plants is good for them. Live plants aren’t crucial, but they improve the water quality by “eating” waste, and plastic plants can damage fish’s fins. Some good hardy plants that grow well are Java fern, Anubias, and moss balls, you should be able to find any/all of those at a Petsmart or other pet store that carries fish items. Another thing that really helps fish is a varied diet. Betta pellets from big pet stores tend to be pretty junky, if you look at the ingredients lots of them are mostly corn and flour. Bettas are carnivores who would usually eat bugs from the surface, that is why their mouths are turned upwards like they are. Try to find a food that has at least 40% crude protein, and maybe get two different foods like that for variety. At pet stores you will often find freeze dried bloodworms, they are a bit controversial on quality and I myself prefer frozen bloodworms for my fish. You can get a pack of frozen bloodworms from lots of pet stores. The freeze dried foods have been known to get eaten quickly and then expand as they absorb moisture in the fish’s stomach, leading to bloat and possibly swim bladder problems. If you do decide to feed him freeze dried foods soak them in a little water first so they expand before they get eaten. Having variety is a good way to stimulate bettas and it is also super important for keeping them healthy.

I am going to tag/ mention a betta expert/betta guru on here just in case me and the other people missed anything.
Betta'sAnonymous

Also, I want to say thank you for helping this fish! So many people have the mentality that they are just fish and they are mindless and don’t need much care. I appreciate people like you who also acknowledge that fish deserve to be treated with care just like every other critter. Thanks for putting in the time, money, and effort to give this little guy a good life. Fish, especially bettas are known to be super resilient, I hope he comes back from this and lives a great life.They can regrow their fins, so keep a look out and you may see some new growth. I definitely think that when you move him over the improved conditions will result in his color becoming much brighter! I saw the doctor Seuss sign in the background so I assume you work with kids. Has he been given a name yet?

Thank you so much, I really appreciate the advice!! I just started transitioning him to the new tank and I will look on amazon for some of the leaves you mentioned. The new water has been treated for chlorine, but I will go to the pet store today and get some Prime to keep the ammonia levels down. The two plants in his tank are Java Fern and I will work on adding some more! As far as his food goes I attached a picture of what his previous owners have been feeding him and then I will look into expanding his diet! Also- I work at a library so we do see a lot of kids!! The previous family named him Shrimp, and I set up Shrimps tank behind the desk so that children can look but not touch! Thank you so much again!

I would acclimate him to the water in the tank and move him over to it. Unless the gravel in the bowl was cleaned constantly there may be enough bacteria on it to jump start the cycle in the tank. Put it in a media bag so it will be easy to remove when no longer needed. If there is enough room in the HOB filter put some of it in there.

Once he is in his much better home just keep a close eye on the parameters and do water changes as needed. Even if you see no ammonia or nitrites, change out half the water each week. Even if this tank never cycles the 50% weekly water changes will help keep the little fighter healthy.

Thank you so much!!

IMO - Move him, that bowl is half gravel. He looks like a big boy too. Dragonscale?

Just dose Prime every other day

I've done countless fish in cycle - literally over 20 bettas ( twice were sorierity tanks)

no losses

when I started keepng fish, I had 2 bettas 1 each in a 1 gallon tank (until I learned better) for a few months. They transitioned fine to a new tank w/ a fish in cycle.

1/2 gallon bowl is near impossible to keep clean (JMO)

Thank you!!

You should move him over to the bigger tank, he has gotten used to the amount of his own waste in that bowl, so by moving him the waste will be more diluted and less toxins will build up so he will be able to handle that better. If you have not already, you will need to get a water treatment for chlorine and chloramine in tap water. The brand lots of people on here use is Seachem Prime, and it also makes the ammonia a little less toxic for a day after dosing it. You can do a half dose of the Prime every day to help manage the Ammonia and Nitrites in addition to dosing it for the amount of water replaced each water changes. I know for a fact that Petsmart carries Prime, and the smallest bottle is all you will need. The smallest bottle also comes with a dropper top and each gallon should get 2 drops of prime. He also seems to have some pretty severe fin biting, I think he is a crown tail that has bit so much of his own fins it doesn’t look like a crown tail anymore. Fin biting is caused by stress, and pretty much always as a result of poor water quality, as there is in that small bowl. Something you can get are some Indian almond leaves usually marketed for betta fish. Make sure they are aquarium safe but most are. You can find them on Amazon for pretty cheap. You put some of a leaf in the water and it leaches out tannins and other good stuff. It is very good for lowering stress levels of bettas and it will kind of soothe him while the leaves are in there. You can leave them in all the time, you just have to replace them every once in a while. They last a long time though. Just so you know it can cause the water to turn a little brown, that is normal and it is fine for the fish. Another thing is more live plants and decorations. Betta fish are extremely intelligent fish, I have taught mine simple tricks! He won’t be up to that for a while but they do need stimulation. Right now the focus is on getting better but having lots of things to swim through like little caves, decorations, and live plants is good for them. Live plants aren’t crucial, but they improve the water quality by “eating” waste, and plastic plants can damage fish’s fins. Some good hardy plants that grow well are Java fern, Anubias, and moss balls, you should be able to find any/all of those at a Petsmart or other pet store that carries fish items. Another thing that really helps fish is a varied diet. Betta pellets from big pet stores tend to be pretty junky, if you look at the ingredients lots of them are mostly corn and flour. Bettas are carnivores who would usually eat bugs from the surface, that is why their mouths are turned upwards like they are. Try to find a food that has at least 40% crude protein, and maybe get two different foods like that for variety. At pet stores you will often find freeze dried bloodworms, they are a bit controversial on quality and I myself prefer frozen bloodworms for my fish. You can get a pack of frozen bloodworms from lots of pet stores. The freeze dried foods have been known to get eaten quickly and then expand as they absorb moisture in the fish’s stomach, leading to bloat and possibly swim bladder problems. If you do decide to feed him freeze dried foods soak them in a little water first so they expand before they get eaten. Having variety is a good way to stimulate bettas and it is also super important for keeping them healthy.

I am going to tag/ mention a betta expert/betta guru on here just in case me and the other people missed anything.
Betta'sAnonymous

Also, I want to say thank you for helping this fish! So many people have the mentality that they are just fish and they are mindless and don’t need much care. I appreciate people like you who also acknowledge that fish deserve to be treated with care just like every other critter. Thanks for putting in the time, money, and effort to give this little guy a good life. Fish, especially bettas are known to be super resilient, I hope he comes back from this and lives a great life.They can regrow their fins, so keep a look out and you may see some new growth. I definitely think that when you move him over the improved conditions will result in his color becoming much brighter! I saw the doctor Seuss sign in the background so I assume you work with kids. Has he been given a name yet?

You should move him over to the bigger tank, he has gotten used to the amount of his own waste in that bowl, so by moving him the waste will be more diluted and less toxins will build up so he will be able to handle that better. If you have not already, you will need to get a water treatment for chlorine and chloramine in tap water. The brand lots of people on here use is Seachem Prime, and it also makes the ammonia a little less toxic for a day after dosing it. You can do a half dose of the Prime every day to help manage the Ammonia and Nitrites in addition to dosing it for the amount of water replaced each water changes. I know for a fact that Petsmart carries Prime, and the smallest bottle is all you will need. The smallest bottle also comes with a dropper top and each gallon should get 2 drops of prime. He also seems to have some pretty severe fin biting, I think he is a crown tail that has bit so much of his own fins it doesn’t look like a crown tail anymore. Fin biting is caused by stress, and pretty much always as a result of poor water quality, as there is in that small bowl. Something you can get are some Indian almond leaves usually marketed for betta fish. Make sure they are aquarium safe but most are. You can find them on Amazon for pretty cheap. You put some of a leaf in the water and it leaches out tannins and other good stuff. It is very good for lowering stress levels of bettas and it will kind of soothe him while the leaves are in there. You can leave them in all the time, you just have to replace them every once in a while. They last a long time though. Just so you know it can cause the water to turn a little brown, that is normal and it is fine for the fish. Another thing is more live plants and decorations. Betta fish are extremely intelligent fish, I have taught mine simple tricks! He won’t be up to that for a while but they do need stimulation. Right now the focus is on getting better but having lots of things to swim through like little caves, decorations, and live plants is good for them. Live plants aren’t crucial, but they improve the water quality by “eating” waste, and plastic plants can damage fish’s fins. Some good hardy plants that grow well are Java fern, Anubias, and moss balls, you should be able to find any/all of those at a Petsmart or other pet store that carries fish items. Another thing that really helps fish is a varied diet. Betta pellets from big pet stores tend to be pretty junky, if you look at the ingredients lots of them are mostly corn and flour. Bettas are carnivores who would usually eat bugs from the surface, that is why their mouths are turned upwards like they are. Try to find a food that has at least 40% crude protein, and maybe get two different foods like that for variety. At pet stores you will often find freeze dried bloodworms, they are a bit controversial on quality and I myself prefer frozen bloodworms for my fish. You can get a pack of frozen bloodworms from lots of pet stores. The freeze dried foods have been known to get eaten quickly and then expand as they absorb moisture in the fish’s stomach, leading to bloat and possibly swim bladder problems. If you do decide to feed him freeze dried foods soak them in a little water first so they expand before they get eaten. Having variety is a good way to stimulate bettas and it is also super important for keeping them healthy.

I am going to tag/ mention a betta expert/betta guru on here just in case me and the other people missed anything.
Betta'sAnonymous

Also, I want to say thank you for helping this fish! So many people have the mentality that they are just fish and they are mindless and don’t need much care. I appreciate people like you who also acknowledge that fish deserve to be treated with care just like every other critter. Thanks for putting in the time, money, and effort to give this little guy a good life. Fish, especially bettas are known to be super resilient, I hope he comes back from this and lives a great life.They can regrow their fins, so keep a look out and you may see some new growth. I definitely think that when you move him over the improved conditions will result in his color becoming much brighter! I saw the doctor Seuss sign in the background so I assume you work with kids. Has he been given a name yet?

Hello! I was wondering if this would be a good idea to add or not? I’ve never heard of them before