What do I need to know about Bettas??

[sugarselections]

The first heater I bought years ago was a 25 watt Theo Hydor. I used it for a while but I bought 50 watt heaters for my current tanks. The 25 Hydor is a great small size so I kept it and still use it in iso/recovery/quarantine tanks. It still works perfectly. Back when I bought it it had pretty good reviews on Amazon.

Wanted to add that all y'alls talk about bettas got me jonesing really bad, and of course there were two with severe ammonia poisoning when I took at peak at the store bettas tonight. So, two KKs later and we have two new additions. :roll: I have no idea where they'll go long term if they survive, but we couldn't just leave them there, ya know?

I can't even look at the bettas when I go grocery shopping or go to a pet store. It drives me crazy not being able to save them. That's how I went from one pity puchase in a small tank on my desk to four Fluval Chis on a customized tank stand. So far I've been pretty good about keeping four bettas as my maximum. Never know when I might go off the rails, though.

I did the same thing with hermit crabs. One pity purchase in a crappy 10 gallon tank turned into 25 crabs in a 90 gallon.

[Happy Crabber]

oooohhh, good to know. Thanks guys. Our house is rarely above 70, so I guess the 50 is best.

[Happy Crabber]

Ok- Looked up the 50 watt heaters. They say they are for 20g tanks. Are you guys sure you recommend this for a 5g? I just want to make sure I'm not misunderstanding.

I did some more research on the Dr. Tim's One and Only bacteria stuff. Looks interesting, I think I'll try it.

Question: Will adding live plants to the tank before cycling, slow the process down? Is this usually done after cycling? Do you have some recommendations for plants that don't need deep substrate and could live well in a lower light aquarium?

Thanks GUYS!!

[wodesorel]

http://www.yamatogreen.com/heater.htm

You need around 5 watts per gallon as long as you don't need to raise the temperature of the tank more than 10 degrees above room temp (then you would need more per gallon for sure), but with the thermostat the heater will regulate the temperature by kicking on and off as needed. I have 50Ws in both my 5 gallon and 7 gallon tanks as the model I prefer doesn't come lower than that and the tanks are in drafty areas of the house where the temp can drop to 63 degrees during winter windstorms.

[sugarselections]

I use 50 watt heaters for both my 5 gallon and 6.6 gallon tanks. The thermostat will regulate the temp and you should also keep an aquarium thermometer on hand to test the water so you are alerted if your thermostat starts going wonky. One of my heaters has a thermostat that is off by a couple degrees so I have adjusted the temperature dial on the top accordingly and the water temp stays perfect.

[Happy Crabber]

Wanted to add that all y'alls talk about bettas got me jonesing really bad, and of course there were two with severe ammonia poisoning when I took at peak at the store bettas tonight. So, two KKs later and we have two new additions. :roll: I have no idea where they'll go long term if they survive, but we couldn't just leave them there, ya know?

Got any pics of the new fishies? I'd love to see them. I'm sure you'll fix them right up. How do you know that they have ammonia poisoning? What does that look like?

[Happy Crabber]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002LL ... PDKIKX0DER
If I get the vacuum above, do I need to get an extra hose or anything?

Do you just get the thing to start sucking and then have a hose in a bucket below?

Also- any substrate ideas/recommendations? If I get the Fluval Chi, it comes with black gravel. Think that's good enough?

[wodesorel]

I had a Fluval vacuum and I ended up using it for parts instead. The guard inside kept getting jammed up with algae clumps, and the tubing was so soft it would flop itself right out of the bucket. After the third time of flooding my room I went and bought a cheap one from Walmart. SO much better.

One of these would be much easier to use: http://www.petco.com/product/114922/Aqu ... eaner.aspx
There's a video on that page of how to set it up and make it work, too.

As long as the black gravel doesn't flake, it'll be good. Substrate quality varies greatly and there's a ton of opinions on it. I still stay away from painted stuff both for aesthetics and the likelihood of toxins coming off. (It tends to flake off after a few years of use.) Personally, I like completely uncoated substrate, but it's really hard to find. (Like exo-terra turtle stones, but they cost a fortune.) Estes gravel is my favorite aquarium gravel, even though it is epoxy coated - it's the only brand I've found that doesn't smell like an auto body shop when boiled which to me is the sign of a good coating.

[Happy Crabber]

Oh- that video was super helpful. So does the length of the vacuum part need to be shorter than the depth of your water? Or does it not matter.

Thanks so much- AGAIN!!!

[wodesorel]

With a starter pump it won't matter if it's taller than the water so long as the plastic pipe part it will fit comfortably in between the bottom of the tank and the shelf that sits above it. Once the water fills the pipe and tube and there's no air bubbles inside then gravity takes over as long as the bucket is lower then the surface of the tank water. I had actually learned about that long before I had fish as my grandfather used to make homemade wine and he would use that method to transfer the liquid to clean containers and bottles, leaving all the muck untouched on the bottom of the previous jug. (It's the same method as when someone steals gasoline out of a car, too.)

Without the starter pumps though you either have to use your mouth to suck the water through (which is what I do. Next time we go shopping I'm stopping for a pump one - they're brand new. ) or you have to dunk the entire pipe under and then pop it back and forth to push the water into the tube until the air bubbles are forced through and the water starts flowing, I've always hated that method! Shakes the fish up and blows all the poop off the bottom making it impossible to catch while your cleaning.

[Emily]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002LL ... PDKIKX0DER
If I get the vacuum above, do I need to get an extra hose or anything?

Do you just get the thing to start sucking and then have a hose in a bucket below?

Also- any substrate ideas/recommendations? If I get the Fluval Chi, it comes with black gravel. Think that's good enough?

I would suggest small, smooth rocks above everything. Like smooth river rocks. Betta fish are notorious for getting their fins stuck in things and ripping them. This is more common with large volcano rocks, and porous rocks used for decoration, less common with substrates, but still possible. I would suggest against any dyed rock material, I prefer the natural look myself, and I think its healthier than painted or dyed rock. I understand that there are naturally coloured rocks, however you need to understand that "natural" can mean that they are using dyes that contain elements that are not natural to the fish's environment, so it depends on how hard-core naturalist you want to be. I know that natural bluish rocks are generally dyed with berry extracts, so that might come out in diffuse amounts in the water, which won't be picked up by any water tests. Like citrus or something.

Its not a huge deal. But just stay away from painted rocks if you can And pre-soak and rinse all of your substrate materials before using them.

[Happy Crabber]

Thanks guys. I'll see what I can find.

[Happy Crabber]

OOOKKKKAAAAYYYYYY!!! Got the tank (Chi 5), and it is up and running!!! I'll post pics from my phone in just a moment.

I LOVE it! I can't believe how quiet it is! I'm sitting right next to it and i don't hear the filter and only hear the teensiest water trickle.
Turns out it didn't come with substrate, so I got those little brown pebbles, which match the stones they give you for the top. I bought 3 plants, well actually 4, but I found out one wasn't even aquatic so I'm taking it back (peacock fern). I have small anubias and a large Amazon Sword. I think its too big for the center where I have it, so I may move it to the back. I also got a Marimo moss ball. Very cute. There's also one fake plant in the back. I'm hoping to get more plants this weekend.

A few questions linger....
1. When you do a water change, how do you know you are matching the temp of the new water to the old? Does it have to be exact?
2.Do you think I have enough gravel? I put in about half of a 10lb bag, so I can add more if necessary.
3. I couldn't find any nice cave/hidey things that weren't also sharp. Any suggestions?
4. Best way to wash the test tubes from the test kit? Is rinsing in tap water and air dry sufficient?
5. How often do I have to change the filter? There is a black and white filter layer, and a black sponge layer. I understand I need to swish the sponge in tank water once a month or so, right?

My daughter and I had so much fun doing our first round of tests. Science in ACTION!!! I did end up adding the Dr. Tim's One and Only, so we'll see if that has any affect on things. Right now there is a soft layer of white fuzz on everything, especially the moss ball. I think thats the bacteria--I hope?
(I'm also using the Dr. Tim's ammonia drops.)

The pics.....

[Happy Crabber]

As always- totally open to suggestions


Thanks for all your help guys!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[sugarselections]

OOOKKKKAAAAYYYYYY!!! Got the tank (Chi 5), and it is up and running!!! I'll post pics from my phone in just a moment.

I LOVE it! I can't believe how quiet it is! I'm sitting right next to it and i don't hear the filter and only hear the teensiest water trickle.
Turns out it didn't come with substrate, so I got those little brown pebbles, which match the stones they give you for the top. I bought 3 plants, well actually 4, but I found out one wasn't even aquatic so I'm taking it back (peacock fern). I have small anubias and a large Amazon Sword. I think its too big for the center where I have it, so I may move it to the back. I also got a Marimo moss ball. Very cute. There's also one fake plant in the back. I'm hoping to get more plants this weekend.

Yay! I'm so excited you got it. I didn't have much luck with Amazon swords when I had live plants. My swords survived but didn't thrive. I think your betta will like the tall sword. With the big leaves up closer to the top your fish will probably like to rest and sleep by propping himself up on those leaves. Anubias was always my favorite plant. They grow fast and the bettas love them.

A few questions linger....
1. When you do a water change, how do you know you are matching the temp of the new water to the old? Does it have to be exact?

Now that I have a bunch of tanks I make the water in 5 gallon buckets right before I need it and I can get the water temp correct right out of the tap. I used to just do water changes with room temperature water. My fish never had an issue with it.

2.Do you think I have enough gravel? I put in about half of a 10lb bag, so I can add more if necessary.

You actually have your gravel just a tad bit deeper than mine. When the gravel is too deep it can be harder to keep clean.

3. I couldn't find any nice cave/hidey things that weren't also sharp. Any suggestions?

For both my 5 gallon Chi I use this:


http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... lInUS%2FNo

There are a few different ornaments at Petsmart that will work in the Chi, but it is a little more complicated than decorating you average tank. Other specific items I know will fit:
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... lInUS%2FNo
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... lInUS%2FNo
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... lInUS%2FNo
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... lInUS%2FNo
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.j ... lInUS%2FNo

Some of these are smooth on the outside but have sharp edges on the interior where the fish can swim through. If that's a problem, you can stuff that area with fake plants so the fish can't get inside and cut up his fins. Small sharp edges on the outside can be sanded with low grit sandpaper to keep your betta safe.

4. Best way to wash the test tubes from the test kit? Is rinsing in tap water and air dry sufficient?

That's what I do so I sure hope it's the right way to do it.

5. How often do I have to change the filter? There is a black and white filter layer, and a black sponge layer. I understand I need to swish the sponge in tank water once a month or so, right?

The foam/sponge will never really need to be replaced. Just rinse in old tank water when you're doing a water change. I don't have a set schedule for rinsing it. Just when it looks gunky. Remember, that's where your good bacteria lives so take care of it! The filter pads can be rinsed like you do the foam pad a couple times before they need to be replaced. I probably replace them about every 6 weeks.