Water Parameters For Betta

[Jorja]

What GH, pH, NO3, NO2 & KH levels are ok for a betta fish?

Sorry i am a newby so i need it put simply please.

 

[mgarza]

Bettas prefer softer water with p.h around 7. But I have 3 bettas, my p.h is constantly at 8.0 and hard water, when I was reading up on what to use to adjust my parameters, all the info I found said bettas can easily adust and it would be better just to leave me water alone. I've had my bettas for about a year and all is well. I get lots of bubble nest, so I know they're happy

 

[johnbetta]

bettas can live in a ph rangeing from 6 to 7 and like soft water and would recomend useing an indian amond leaves to keep the hardness soft and the ph around 6.5 u can use peat moss in your tank

 

[WanhiBetta]

The pH doesn't matter as long as it's between 6 and 8. Ammonia should be 0 ppm, nitrite 0ppm and nitrates less than 40ppm.

 

[Jorja]

So i tested the water.
Nitrate was 0
Nitrite was 0
PH was 6
GH (hardness) was 60ppm
I cant remember what the KH was

Should i be doing anything differently? (50% water was changed more than 24 hrs ago)

 

[Plantsmaketanks]

Believe me your doing great if your nitrate levels are 0? Would like to keep myself in a nice heavily planted 5 gallon or so tank. Species specific pool style tank, few nerite snails maybe. Most water supply is neutral 7.0, should be fine in this treated for chlorine/chloromine. Remember for chloromine sometimes a bigger dose of the water treatment you use. I have tried filtering/softening water in past for a south American set-up, bit of a pain every water change. Fish should adjust to around neutral no problem.

 

[Sarah73]

For nitrates, it should be around 1-20 ppm. Above that is dangerous. 0 nirtrites, 0 ammonia, 1-20 nitrates, pH should be anywhere from 6-8. Temp should be 78-80.

 

[Plantsmaketanks]

Wouldn't waste my money on R/O (reverse osmosis) water.

 

[WanhiBetta]

If you want to be sure if all your levels are safe you absolutely need a test for the ammonia. Stripe tests are really inaccurate, you should buy the Api master liquid tests. Do you know about the nitrogen cycle? Your tank doesn't look cycled to me.

 

[Plantsmaketanks]

Still trying to work out how to use forum, not great with computer's. Got me thinking that is why I put ? at the end of 0 nitrate reading. Seems a bit excessive also with 50%water change, I'm finding 1/3 works well on my set-ups at moment.

Sorry forgot you said you were a newbe, yeah make sure you have got your filter cycle working correctly, if you do or don't know the filter cycle, nitrate used to some degree by plants, is the end product (less harmful)of the filter cycle that you dilute or should say reduce level of, by doing your water changes

 

[WanhiBetta]

Still trying to work out how to use forum, not great with computer's. Got me thinking that is why I put ? at the end of 0 nitrate reading. Seems a bit excessive also with 50%water change, I'm finding 1/3 works well on my set-ups at moment.

In a small tank, during cycling, the parameters can change very quickly. In my opinion, 50% is the best to ensure the safety of the fish. If the tank is less than 5g, daily of every two days.

 

[Dch48]

In a small tank, during cycling, the parameters can change very quickly. In my opinion, 50% is the best to ensure the safety of the fish. If the tank is less than 5g, daily of every two days.

During cycling, yes, but after that a weekly change of 20-25% should be enough. Just keep an eye on Nitrate levels. Ammonia and Nitrite should stay at 0 unless you add something to the tank. My 3.5 gallon is completely cycled and I have been doing one gallon changes ( 1/3 of the actual volume) every Sunday. It's working out well. I shoot to keep Nitrates at 20 or less and my Anubias Nana, Windelov Java Fern, and Marimo Moss ball help with that.

 

[johnbetta]

your doing really well but i would do what dch48 recomends with the water changes