I got a betta today.. 2.5 g or 10 g?

[radiant sea snail]

Hi everyone. I thought I was about to start a snail tank, but today I got a beautiful betta at my lfs.

My first instinct was to put him in my 10 gallon, because I want him to have a lot of space. But it occurred to me that it may be very hard to clean the 10 gallon without it being cycled. Am I right about that? (Note: this is specifically referring to 1 betta and no other fish/critter whatsoever.)

My 10 gallon has an air stone (cause it's just plain fun!), substrate, some plastic plants, and a thermometer. With my intention to house my betta in it I will buy a heater, filter, and some java moss.

Should I house him in a 2.5 for the time being while I cycle the 10 gallon tank?

Or should I house him in the 10 g and just focus on water changes?

Remember, he's the only fish I'm going to keep. Oh, and I've never cycled before either.

[MeganL3985]

If anything a 10 gal would be easier to clean without being cycled b/c more water equals less ammonia/waste build up. 2.5 & 5 gals are quicker to build up with ammonia. Personally if I had the room I would've given my betta a 5 gal. I have mine in a 2.5 gal which I would say fits him fine. Its like living in an apartment. You've got room to move around and live your life well. A 5 gal would be more like a house size, which I feel would be a nice place. Be careful with the air stone, b/c Bettas do not like a lot of water movement. They're natural habitat has very slow to no water movement. Too much movement could create problems for him with catching his fins and making it harder to swim. If you've already got the 10 gallon I say go ahead and use it. No need to get another tank, unless you have plans for it with other fish. But like I said, I think a 5 gal would be a perfect fit for a betta by itself.

[radiant sea snail]

Thanks so much, Megan!

We've had the 10 gallon for years now and since there is nothing else I really fancy keeping at this time except snails later on (and I have a house full of 13 land critters), I want the betta to have it all to himself. But then, my rabbit and guinea pig pens have taken over my living room and dining room.... Is there a habit beginning to form?

I just wanted to create a little bubble action with the air stone.

What kind of filter is good for a 10 gallon betta tank? I know one that has adjustable settings so he doesn't get sloshed around... but beyond that I'm still learning.

[MeganL3985]

I like my whisper filter. It blows some bubbles, but apparently thats not what it usually does. lol But it does filter very well. For a 10 gallon if you got a whisper would probably be the Tetra Whisper 20i, it filters 10-20 gallons.
I know a lot of people here like the Aqua Clear Filters though. Which would be the A.C. 20 (5-20 gallons) or the A.C. 30 (10-30 gallons). I would wait for more input from the others though on filtration. I'm just suggesting some of the things that i've got suggested to me :)

[RobbieG]

You were just lucky and got the special one!

I'd use the AC 30

[MeganL3985]

You were just lucky and got the special one!

Lmao! Well if you look at it like that, I guess I should feel special! :) hehehe

[RobbieG]

It always helps to have a positive attitude:ezpi_wink1:

[radiant sea snail]

There is only one LFS in my town. Ok, technically I discovered there are 2. But the second one doesn't sell much at all and what they sell is for saltwater. So my choices are the LFS, the chain pet stores, and online.

Where are some good sites to find these filters online?


ETA: Is this one of them?
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=3610&N=2004+22768

[MeganL3985]

www.ebay.com :) My Online Shopping Bible! haha

[MeganL3985]

Oh and some people mention this place called www.BigAlsOnline.com too

[radiant sea snail]

I just found this.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Tetra-Whisper-20i-In-Tank-Fish-Aquarium-Power-Filter_W0QQitemZ180147340226QQihZ008QQcategoryZ463 10QQcmdZViewItem

I'm an ebay girl all the way! I've been bidding since I was 17. Bad, bad I know.

[MeganL3985]

That would probably work fine. I would say go for the 30 with the 10 gal but since your only putting one betta in the 10 gal, I would think that the 20 would work out okay too :)

[MeganL3985]

I was worried about gettin the 3i filter for my 2.5 gal and was going to get the 10i but i'm glad I didn't....it wouldn't have fit! The 3i barely fits in my 2.5 lol! :)

[RobbieG]

You always want to have a filter that the company says can handle twice the size tank you have - so everything else being equal that should be perfect.

[radiant sea snail]

Yep, I'm aware of the ratio. I just don't want to get something so powerful that it hurts my betta.

What about the Tetra Whisper Power Filter?

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=3643&Ntt=tetra%20filter&Ntk=All&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Np=1&pc=1&N=0&Nty=1

Among the three (tetra whisper 20i, tetra whisper power filter, and the aqua clear filter), which is the best for me, er, the betta?

[RobbieG]

I use the model 30 on my 10 gallon - I like them because they have the mesh for bacteria buildup - the downside is that you can't really remove the carbon from the filter insert.

It works very well and is pretty quiet

You can also adjust the flow on it if you are worried about the betta.

[radiant sea snail]

Thanks! I'm going back to my LFS tomorrow to get a few items. They are high priced on a lot of things and don't carry a lot of the common/popular products out there. So I may have to get the really important stuff somewhere else.

[TowBoater]

I like the bio-wheels. It is your own personal preference. Aqua clear never needs a new sponge, bio-wheels have a great nitrafing bacteria area, whispers are good all around.

[radiant sea snail]

So, let's say I get the filter and heater set up. I just start focusing on percentage water changes?

How do you literally measure out the percentage when you siphon it out?

[MeganL3985]

I just kind of measure it with my eyes with my 2.5. With my 5 gal I have my 25 & 50% marked out on the bucket, but after a few changes you dont have to look anymore it becomes a second nature. lol You shouldn't have any problems with it though. Personally my water change routine is 50% on sundays and 25% on Wednesday. With one betta in a 10 gal by itself you should only have to do 1 change per week.

[TowBoater]

I do 35% twice a week on all of my tanks.

[radiant sea snail]

I'm still having a hard time understanding what a 35% water change actually means. Or any percentage, really?

What kind of water changes should I do on my 10 gallon?

[TowBoater]

Watch it as your water goes down. When it reaches what you think is a little above half, pull it out. Do this once a week, I use 2 buckets, one for bad water taken out, one for good water putting in. I use a pitcher on a large rock I have in there and add the water back with stress coat in it.

[RobbieG]

I do 50% each week - when I say 50% I mean half of the water volume the tank is supposed to hold

So for my 10 gallon tank I take out 5 gallons of water

If you were going to do 35% using my method you would remove 3.5 gallons.

You can either just eyeball it or measure it - if you want to measure it you could get a 5 gallon bucket and use a half gallon milk jug to fill it with 3.5 gallons of water - use a waterproof marker to mark the level of the water and you'll be set.

If you eyeball it - removing 3.5 gallons from a tank with gravel & decorations etc. in it will probably empty the tank about halfway.

One thing to remember is that evaporation doesn't count - even if a gallon or two evaporates out of your tank each week you still need to remove the 3.5 gallons to get the same benefit.

When water evaporates - just the water comes out - all of the fish waste and toxins stays in the tank. The easiest way to compensate for this is to make sure that you keep the tank topped off.

If you can't top off the tank during the week - either top it off before you do your water change or measure the amount of water you take out.

[MeganL3985]

RobbieG said it! :)

[radiant sea snail]

Thanks, this is all so helpful! I got one new bucket for the aquarium keeping, I'll be sure to get another.

What does topping it off mean?

[MeganL3985]

its helpful to have an extra bucket for the clean water, I personally dont though. I take out the dirty water, dump it in the toilet and rinse out the bucket with HOT water from the bathtub. After a good rinse I fill it with the new clean water **Btw, make sure your new water temp is the same as what it was coming out. If its 80 degree water your taking out, its 80 degree water that should be going in.** I have my smaller tanks in my bedroom and keep all my supplies in my closet, so thats the only reason I don't keep more than one bucket per tank. But its helpful to have more if you can keep them.

Topping off.....well...say you filled up your gas tank, and used 1/4 of it. Your leaving for a trip and need to "top" off your tank...so that means you put a 1/4 tank of gas in to make a full tank.
So if you lose a little bit of water before your water change is due, you add some more dechlorinated water to the tank, to replace the missing water. Am I right RobbieG? I could be making this a harder explaination than it needs to be. lmao..... **blush**

[RobbieG]

Exactly right - all tanks lose a little water each week from evaporation - some lose a lot. Topping it off just means replaceing whats missing.

Its especially important if you have a HOB filter - as the water level goes down it splashes more and makes more noise.

[radiant sea snail]

Thank you guys so much. I want you to know that I am reading past threads to get more info.

Just curious, do you keep your betta in the tank while you do water changes?

[TowBoater]

Yes.:ezpi_wink1:

[MeganL3985]

I leave mine in the tank, unless i'm vacuuming the gravel. Then i take the fish out.

[TowBoater]

U take yours out? Well you have that 2.5. If it is under 10g then maybe.

[MeganL3985]

Yeah I have the 2.5, I dont want to scare him half to death or end up hitting him with the vac. I'd rather stress him a tad by taking him out than anything else

[MeganL3985]

You have a good point though Kuli, I wouldn't take him out if I had a 10 gal. Theres plenty of room to work and not "bump into each other"

[TowBoater]

Just make sure he ain't a weird fish like most of mine are that get in the vacuum on purpose.:c11:

[MeganL3985]

lol, thats crazy

[TowBoater]

Yes, they are and I hate it because I am afraid they will get hurt. I need to film it and show ppl. I am gonna film me feeding soon, man that is something else in my tank.:ezpi_wink1:

[troy]

When I clean my mosquito fish tank at least one mosquito fish gets sucked up. It's not uncommon for fish wanting to get sucked up.

[TowBoater]

Glad to see I ain't the only one with weird fish.:c3:

[Nick_Pavlovski]

Perhaps fish are now watching bootlegged copies of "Finding Nemo"...?

[radiant sea snail]

Perhaps fish are now watching bootlegged copies of "Finding Nemo"...?

sounds like it!

[MeganL3985]

Hahahahaha :)

[radiant sea snail]

Here are some pics from when I was floating him. One is a bit blurry but I wanted you to get a look at his beautiful coloring.

[TowBoater]

Good looking betta! He will be one happy betta to be in a 10g.:c5: Mine is in a 10g but it is with newts so it ain't totally 10g, more like 5g.

[MeganL3985]

How cute!! :) What are his colorings? Looks from the picture like a pastel purple.

[radiant sea snail]

He has mostly white fins, with some magenta streaking through them. Most of his body is a magenta color. His head is a peach color. He was smaller than all the males, but he is gorgeous.

I just ordered some java moss for him so I'm super excited about that. And later on today my husband and I are going to start searching for a hiding place for him. Any suggestions on the hiding places?

I've been reading through the DIY threads. Some good stuff there.

No name as of yet.

[TowBoater]

I like to take big PVC pipe and like make it look rugged and like glue small gravel all over it and make it look like cement on it or I have been known to find old pieces of cement drains and soak them in a light bleach solution and then in dechlorinated water for a week. Here is my new betta, say hello to blaze:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v242/tessamax/DSCF0406.jpg
Here you can see a concrete thing I did.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v242/tessamax/DSCF0402.jpg

[radiant sea snail]

Gorgeous, Kuli Loach.

Yep, I just found the pvc cave in the DIY thread. We are going to Lowe's anyway today.. I will take a look around.

[TowBoater]

Thank you, I liked the crowntail look. Yea they work but don't forget to soak them.

[RobbieG]

Don't forget the DIY coconut hut

both fsh look great BTW

[TowBoater]

Yea, you can always just buy one for hermit crabs for like 3$ and soak it.

[SkarloeysMom]

I like to take big PVC pipe and like make it look rugged and like glue small gravel all over it and make it look like cement on it or I have been known to find old pieces of cement drains and soak them in a light bleach solution and then in dechlorinated water for a week. Here is my new betta.

WOW! Kuli, what a beautiful betta! That's kind of what Skarloey looked like when he was just a little guy.

[TowBoater]

Thanks! He was different I thought and I hadn't seen many colored that way. I picked him out 3 days earlier and told them to not sell him.:c3:

[radiant sea snail]

I got a pvc tunnel. How do I clean it?

[Nick_Pavlovski]

Fine looking fish, Kuli and Radiant!

[MeganL3985]

I did the coconut hut for the hiding place, Puffin, my betta loves it. Here's a pic--

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h308/Megan2106/PuffinTank013.jpg
This pic is a little different than what my tank looks like now, cause I have a whisper 3i instead of the undergravel filter shown.
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h308/Megan2106/PuffinTank012.jpg

[radiant sea snail]

I got more pictures of him. He's looking upwards in one of them.

[TowBoater]

I really like the color of him. I would soak it in a dechlorinated solution for at least 24 hrs and then using hot glue or silicon, place rocks or w/e on it and then soak it for another 24 hrs.

[radiant sea snail]

Thanks, I've never seen that kind of color before.
As for the pvc, sounds good to me!

[TowBoater]

Yea, is that an UGV? I would get a HOB if you can, UGV are useless in my opinion. I really like the light color blue that betta has, it makes it different and beautiful.

[radiant sea snail]

Nope, I don't have an UGF. I'm going to get a good HOB. I like making the bubbles with the air stone and the betta hasn't shown any problem with it.

It's hard to tell in the pic but his long fins are actually white, with a few streaks of deep magenta in them. I didn't realize how blue they looked in the picture until you mentioned it. Still, he has some neat colors on him.

[TowBoater]

No doubt, my airstones aren't set up like that, I just have them set in the tank.:11: What filter are you looking at? I like the penguin but the whispers are good and the aquaclear has cartridges that hardly ever need to be replaced, only cleaned.

[radiant sea snail]

I'm looking at Tetra whisper and Aqua Clear filters.

It's an airstone cylinder attached to some tubing inside a little hollow plastic tube. I didn't buy it, just one of those things that came to me free. I'm just using it for now.

My LFS sucks, I've decided. They appear to have lots of great stuff but a lot of their heater and filter brands are crap I've never heard of. It feels like being in a warehouse when I'm in there. I get the feeling that many of those items never get sold. When it comes to food and some fish and other supplies, they are alright.

I think I'm going to order from http://www.drsfostersmith.com/. I got bird and small animal supplies from them before and they have great prices.

[TowBoater]

Yea, I look there also. Penplax has good filters and are cheaper, I have one of there 150 and 250 and they filter fine. I love my penguin filters though, I love the bio-wheel actually. I feed mainly frozen food except to my newt tank which also houses my betta.

[radiant sea snail]

My betta is so great. And he's usually really active. But I've noticed he likes to spend a lot of time on one side of the tank, usually toward the surface. Any thoughts on that?

Thanks!

[TowBoater]

He's begging for food.:ezpi_wink1: Mine does that as well, always looking up at me.:19:

[radiant sea snail]

Ok, I figured that. Yep, we like to give him his pellets when he's near the surface. Last night he tried to eat a dead gnat floating in the tank. It slipped out of his mouth and I threw it out. Or should I have left it in??

[TowBoater]

Mine don't like insects, I feed my newts crickets as treats and he don't care to much for them.

[radiant sea snail]

Crap. I can't seem to figure out this whole siphoning deal. I wanted to do a water change today but I'm barely getting any water out. Any tips!!

[TowBoater]

I suck on the end of the siphon until it is right at my mouth almost and I drop it into the bucket real quick and it starts it. If it is high up or you have it like level in the tank, one quick suck is all it takes.

[SkarloeysMom]

Crap. I can't seem to figure out this whole siphoning deal. I wanted to do a water change today but I'm barely getting any water out. Any tips!!

When you syphon make sure that the bucket your draining into is as far below the level of the tank as possible. So if the tank is on a table put the bucket on the floor and you will get better suction.

Also If you fill the whole syphon hose with water and hold up the vac end and cover the outlet end with your thumb. Then put vac end into tank with thumb still over other end. With your bucket below the level of the tank, put the outlet end into the bucket the syphon will start on its own. You don't have to suck on the hose or anything. (yuck)

[Rocky06fx4]

I suck on the end of the siphon until it is right at my mouth almost and I drop it into the bucket real quick and it starts it. If it is high up or you have it like level in the tank, one quick suck is all it takes.

Someone syphoned gas back in the day.

I always just shake my syphon up and down, it auto starts pumping... Works every time.

[TowBoater]

I'm 16 so I haven't but I got curious and tried it. Never got a mouth full of water and it works as well.:ezpi_wink1:

[radiant sea snail]

I'll try it again. The problem is that I got some water out, but not a steady stream. Certainly not enough for the 5 minutes I put into siphoning.

[TowBoater]

Lol, I can take my siphon and do a 50% change on a 10g in like 5min.

[radiant sea snail]

Lol, I can take my siphon and do a 50% change on a 10g in like 5min.

Well, I'm Sssssssssssssssooo glad for you. Lol. I just used a container and scooped it out. My hubby wasn't home to help. It's all good.

[TowBoater]

That works for a water change but you will need to clean the substrate.

[radiant sea snail]

Definitely, Kuli. He's going to help me practice with it before the next water change.

[TowBoater]

Lol, you can get like a python to make it easier.:hmm3grin2orange: I have gotten used to my syphon kleen so I use it, don't wanna waste my money on a python when this works fine.:c9:

[radiant sea snail]

Doesn't the python involved hooking it up to the faucet? If so, then no way. We had bad experiences in the past with water bed adapter thingies. Besides, we have a water filter attached and won't be removing it until we replace it again.

[TowBoater]

Yea, it goes to the sink. Maybe an electric powered one? Never tried them but seen them in magazines.

[radiant sea snail]

I think I'll stick with what I have for now. I just have to learn the master's touch to it.

Just curious, does anyone here use a tad of aquarium salt for their betta? I've heard it's not necessary, but some people swear by it. I realize if I start using it I must add it gradually so as not to upset the natural order of things.

[TowBoater]

Only if he is acting odd or is sick.