What Do I Need For a Five gal?

I am moving my Betta to a 5 gal and I was wondering if there is anything different I am going to have to do. This is what I do right now in my temporary 1.5gal.
Also will a strong 1-3 gal filter work in a 5 gal, and what wattage of heater will I need?

I Clean tank once a week
add conditioner
replace filter and wash heater once a month.

 

A filter that produces minimal flow, a 25-50 watt heater, and a tight fitting lid is necessary imo. Plants, substrate, hardscapes, botanicals, and lighting are optional.

 

You really only need a 25w heater. They filter would work. Will there be anything else in the tank? Other than that, what CrispiI said is all true. However, a lid isn't necessary. I had a open top 20 for years and it was just fine (however the evaporation rate was huge!).

 

You really only need a 25w heater. They filter would work. Will there be anything else in the tank? Other than that, what CrispiI said is all true. However, a lid isn't necessary. I had a open top 20 for years and it was just fine (however the evaporation rate was huge!).

Bettas can jump, even at the smallest gap.

 

You really only need a 25w heater. They filter would work. Will there be anything else in the tank? Other than that, what CrispiI said is all true. However, a lid isn't necessary. I had a open top 20 for years and it was just fine (however the evaporation rate was huge!).

Umm..I don't think I will be putting anything else in.
Do you think I could just buy the tank, or would I need to buy a kit?

 

Bettas can jump, even at the smallest gap.

True

Umm..I don't think I will be putting anything else in.

ok, just checking

Do you think I could just buy the tank, or would I need to buy a kit?

Just get the tank and by all of the other pieces yourself. If you choose the right ones you will get a much , much better quality filter, heater, light etc.

 

The first thing would be to read up on the nitrogen cycle - you're going to need the information, and some form of test kit. Liquid test kits are cheaper per test, but take more time, and strips take lest time, but are more expensive per test and can be easier to ruin. Ask yourself if you have the patience to run 3+ five minutes tests per week, and if not swallow the money and buy test strips. This is very important information here.

You're going to want to know about

• ammonia
• nitrite
• nitrate
• pH

There are other things that also might cause problems, but those are the biggest culprits, and you rarely need to check them if there isn't some problem already.
You want to check the main four with the goal of

• keeping ammonia and nitrites at zero parts per million (ppm).
• keeping nitrates below 20 ppm.
• keeping pH stable.

For a betta, a pH of anywhere from 6.0 to 8.0 can be fine, but it is very important that it is stable. A pH of 7.0 is most desirable, but again. You want pH to be stable, wherever it is. Swings in pH will do a lot more damage a lot faster than a too-high or too-low pH.

Ammonia and nitrites are controlled either by the bacteria in your filter, or by many water changes. You can understand why we recommend the former - once it's done, it takes a lot less work.

If you have a cycled tank, if there are no other problems you only need to change water to keep nitrates under 20 ppm. For freshwater, it seems 'safe' up to 40 ppm, but it's an unneeded risk.

You don't want to replace the media in the filter - that's where most of the good bacteria is, and we control ammonia and nitrites with bacteria. You can buy biomedia off of amazon for around 4-5 bucks, and you only need to replace like, once every ten years. (Fluval biomax bio rings.)


Beyond that, some amount of filter floss or a pre-filter sponge will give you mechanical filtration - cleaning the water of visible problems. Again, you rarely need to replace mechanical filtration, and can often just wash it out if the flow seems lower.

A 25-50 watt heater and a thermometer, IMO, are both needed. You don't just want to heat the water - you want to know how hot it is. Depending on the room you might not need a heater if the temperature is stable and the tank stays at 78-80.

If the filter you have pumps at least 5 gallons per hour, it will probably be fine, although you'll want to keep an eye on the tank to keep it clean.

 

I Clean tank once a week
add conditioner
replace filter and wash heater once a month.

You don't need to replace the filter media until it's falling apart. When you replace it you lose much of your beneficial bacteria. Just rinse it in a bucket of water when you do a water change instead. The filter companies recommend replacing them often because they want to keep selling you cartridges.