Betta coming Friday-couple of questions?

[Weaver]

Hi
My very first betta is coming on Friday.Ive read up as much as I can but am confused after looking at some of the threads here
He will be going into a 4g uk heated by a 50w heater
I was going to put gravel and a few live plants in tomorrow
Iwasnt going to use a filter but was going to do 100% water changes
Water I use is pure spring water ph7 and no gunk in it
If I use gravel will it start a cycle?
Would I be better just leaving the tank bottom bare and adding silk plants?

thanks

 

[black angel]

hi
my 4 gallon is bare bottomed and i have two little holders with gravel in them to put plants into. i have a sponge air driven filter which keeps the movement going around the tank so avoiding any cool and hot spots made by the heater.
i do 50% each week in water changing and clean the filter out once a month.
hope that helped.

were you going to use bottled water? tap water is best as the bottled will have lots of other things like magnesium and added salt. read the label first.
if the water is from a spring through your tap then you should monitor it for anything like nitrites and nitrates.
if you just arent keen on tap water then test it first for ammonia, nitrites, nitrates and ph. it might be fine to use and all you will need to add is dechlorinator.

 

[BrookeLea]

Hello there, thanks for caring enough about your betta to ask how to care for him properly! It always drives me nuts when I see people buying them when they don't even know what they are, not to mention how to take care of them.

To answer your questions:
I like to use smooth glass rocks/marbles as opposed to the regular fish tank gravel because the smooth rocks are less likely to tear their fins.

Live plants are great, but I like to use silk because sometimes the live plants get messy.

I would reccomend not using a filter, as the current would probably bother the betta and his fins may get sucked into it. I don't use a filter and I do weekly 50% water changes on my 10 gallons and 100% water changes on my 1 and 2.5 gallons.

I would suggest using tap water rather than bottled water unless there is something drastically wrong with your tap water. Just make sure to dechlorinate the tap water, and it should be good.

I don't cycle my tanks, and you shouldn't worry about cycling yours either if you're going to be doing 100% water changes every week.

I don't do bare bottomed tanks, simply because I like the look of the glass rocks, but I suppose a bare bottomed tank must be easier to clean.

I hope that helped! Good luck with your new little guy

 

[Weaver]

Thanks for the advice
Havent made up my mind about the gravel but will get silk plants
Th water is pure spring water through a tap which a neighbour gets for me each week and which I do test but has never ever had a trace of anything in it
Really looking forward to getting him tomorrow
I just know this is the start of an another obsession
(wanders off to check his 4 tanks/4 budgies and 50+pigeons)

 

[Gill]

Hi Weaver,

I agree, thanks for asking about the suitablility of your setup.

You may find a 50watt a little obtrsuive, there are smaller 25watt heaters available, that are more aesthetically pleasing.

Gravel -

I agree, small glass beads and marbles from the pound shop always look good with bettas. but if you would like gravel, I have seen more Lighter and softer gravels on the market recently available in over 20 Colors. I like Copper and Black gravel the best against a Betta.

Live plants are very good for Bettas.
Bettas Especially Love Azolla AKA Fairy Moss for building Nests under.
Another is Almond Leaves. Red-Devil can get you some if you need it. PM if interested.

A Filter is not a Major issue for Bettas as they Like Still Water best.
But an Air Driven Spong Filter can be used with an adjustable valve to control the flow of water.

HTH

 

[basia]

I am confused by 100% water changes once a week. If amonia shows after 3 days and nitrite after 5 - which it does in a cycling tank - surely the Betta is being kept in a constantly cycling tank?
I have my bettas in a 5 gall, and 2 3 galls and I have filters. The 5 gall has an Elite mini filter turned down low, the 3 galls have sponge filters. I do 20% water changes every 4 days or so and have had no problems so far.
Good luck with your new Betta.

 

[Weaver]

Cheers and thanks for the replies.I have bought a hydor mini heater on e bay this morning which will probably be more suited to the tank
Will check out the plants and almond leaves and keep a good eye on the water.
At least I know that if I have any problems there is somewhere to go for answers

 

[inflexion]

would a small air stone be any good for a betta tank instead of a filter just to keep the water with minimal movement in it?

im waiting for my hydor mini heater to arrive before i can go shopping for a new betta friend