Betta Questions....

[sillysally]

I know we have some fish lovers on here and I'm hoping some of you are betta people. I am planning on adding a betta to the family in the near future. I want to house him in a 5 gallon tank (have not bought the tank yet) with a filter and a heater. I would also like to get him live plants to enrich his environment a bit. I have been reading up but have a few questions...

-How often will I need to change the water/clean the tank?

-When I do change the water, how much should come out at a time?

-What equipment is best for this?

-What do i do with the fish while I change the water?

-How often should I change the filter?

 

[Psyfalcon]

Bettas like heat, so the heater is good. In a 5g tank, I'd go with a "real" 25 watt heater like this one. Amazon.com: Marineland Visi Therm Stealth 25 Watt Heater: Kitchen & Dining which has a thermostat to keep the tank at a standard temperature. Most of the smaller ones are more or less on all the time.

With a filter, you should really cycle the tank, meaning that you'll have ammonia reducing bacteria ready before you add the fish. This way you will only have to do water changes once every 2 weeks or so (about a gallon at a time). Leave the fish in the tank, and just use either a gravel vacuum or a piece of airline to siphon out the water and remove any waste from the bottom.

 

[FoxyWench]

-How often will I need to change the water/clean the tank?
-When I do change the water, how much should come out at a time?

with a 5 gallon betta tank with a single betta, in an esablished tank, you shoudlnt need to do anymore than a 10% change every 2 weeks.
you dont nessicarily need a siphon, i just stirr it up a little and then scoop off the top, if your good with not over feeding clean up is extreemly light, especially with a filter.
once a month i also like to take a bounty towel to the inside of the glass, i dont have much in terms of an alge problem but it does get rid of the occasional slimey spot.


-What equipment is best for this?
i like whisper filters, they make small HOB filters which are great. with the heater you want something with an adjustable thermostat.

the 5 gallon minibows are actually GREAT for betta and come with light and filter, just add a small heater.

-What do i do with the fish while I change the water?
Leave him in there, hell be fine, use prfiltered/dechlorinated water (i like to keep a 1 gallon jug of the cheap spring water on hand for small tank water changes so you dont have to worry about decholrinator ph shifts ect.

-How often should I change the filter?
filter pad i change once a month...

cycle the tank first...but bettas are fairly tough little fish...

 

[Doberluv]

I do a 20% water change every two weeks. (in theory) lol. Sometimes it goes for a whole month when I'm out of town. This is a 30 gal. aquarium with fresh water tropical fish, but I don't have any betas at this time. I use a siphoning vacuum thing to clean the bottom and scrape the algea off the glass. I also change the filter cartrige at that time and scrub the filter parts, making sure everything is working. (it's a bio wheel type) When I put the fresh water back in, I add a product called Genesis, which replaces the fishs' slime coat and removes any metals or chlorine (which I don't have) from the water. I also add a tablespoon or two of rock salt. (but this is a bigger tank)

Several hours later, I'll check the ph. If needed, I'll add whatever needs to be added to bring it to around 7. (neutral) My water tends to be alkaline, more so at certain times of the year. (this is from a spring where my water comes from) I'll check it again 24 hours later because things can change. Then once a week thereafter.

Yes, if it's a new tank, let it sit for a while before putting fish into it. And even then, it will take a few months to develop the healthy bacteria. You don't want to clean it so well, (the gravel) that you remove the helpful bacteria....just get the surface mainly.

Good luck! Have fun. Betas are gorgeous.