Dirty tank

[OnlineAddict]

Ive had my pet betta fish (monty) for a while now. Ive been cleaning his tank pretty much every 2 weeks and use the chemical stuff to get rid of the chlorine or whatever it does.. Yet after a day or two the water gets very cloudy and white, a icky film of clear and white scum appears at the top, and near that area it smells very rotten from it. He lives in a large vase, dont know how many gallons but it is big. Theres large rocks at the bottom we have in there, and used to have live bamboo plants in there and now took them out cause their dead and plus we thought they were causing it. Does anyone know whats going on here?

 

[FishEnthusiast]

Hello, and welcome to TFF .

In a small home like a vase(how much water does it hold?) you need to change 100% of the water at least 2 times a week. It would be much better if you could get a bigger home for him, like a 1G bowl at the minimum. In your case I would change the water the day before you normally notice the cloudiness. For example, if after three days it is cloudy, change the water on the second day. Also, make sure that the water going in is the same temperature as the water going out.

How often and how much are you feeding the betta? They only need 3-4 pellets once or twice a day to stay healthy. I feed mine 4 pellets once a day. Every 2 or 3 days they get a few bloodworms instead. I also go one day a week where they get fed nothing at all.



Hope that helps.

 

[OnlineAddict]

well like I said, its a large vase, it is actually more than 1 gallon. As I looked at petsmart website at some bowls and it is larger than them. It is like one of the bowls but alot taller, so it does hold alot of water. I am GUESSING its around 2-3 gallons. Also I do change 100% of the water when I clean the tank.. I guess I will try it more often. Also I feed him 4 pellets a day.

Thanks for the advice

 

[Soaup]

I dont know, when it comes to Bettas im no expert but ive heard they like small cramped spaces because they can sometimes be found in puddles in the wild... Any truth, this would conflict with the at least one Gallon theory.

 

[caspercanuck]

the white film is probably from no surface agitation.. if you added an airstone it should go away..

cleaning it every few days.. like maybe 3 or 4 cups every day or 2 will help get rid of it if you dont want to put in an airstone

changing water more often will also keep your betta happy and healthy

 

[OnlineAddict]

Okay so I will get some sort of airstone and get a can of bloodworms for a treat for monty. Plus I will change the water more often. Thanks for the help.

 

[OnlineAddict]

oh yeah and one more thing, (sorry for double post) but what air pump would you suggest for this, something that will be very quiet and no vibrations. Also is there a "best" kind of airstone?
Just making sure im getting everything thats good.

 

[Alix]

caspercanuck took the words RIGHT OUT OF MY MOUTH i will sue him for all hes got now. cuz it was copy righted by my mind lol but have 4 bettas all in 1gal bowls an i do a complete water change an scrub the inside with a spunge(no soap is used) an i add a lil bit of dechlorinator an there set. but ya i would put a air stone in it for sure. i have an air stone in all 4 of my 1gals . air stone will only cost 88 cents for 2. pump will be about 5$ for 1 an hose comes in about 1ft for 20 cents

 

[Alix]

um i would use a hawkeye. have no idea what company really makes them but i got them at my lfs for 4$ each an they are about half the size of the one i have for the air stone in my tigerbarb tank. ill try to find a link for them. in my next post

 

[Alix]

sry about so many post but i couldnt find a site that sells the air pumps

 

[Karah's_Mommy]

You might want to look into a valve or such for the airstone. Letting it go full force just might be a little too much for a betta in a smaller set up.

I dont know, when it comes to Bettas im no expert but ive heard they like small cramped spaces because they can sometimes be found in puddles in the wild... Any truth, this would conflict with the at least one Gallon theory.

There is a huge difference between survive and thrive. Yes, it's possible for a betta to survive in a puddle. It's also possible for a human to survive in a small closet. I know I wouldn't want to live in a closet, nor would I want my betta to spend his lifetime in a puddle. That's why most believe 1 gallon is the MINIMUM a betta should live in.

 

[Alix]

oh ya. i used a plastic close pen to pinch my shut some so the bubbles dont push him up to the top of the tank every time he swims over. my bettas also like to kinda play in the bubbles an one will swim nose down right above is an try to eat the bubbes verry funny

 

[MegTheFish]

I dont know, when it comes to Bettas im no expert but ive heard they like small cramped spaces because they can sometimes be found in puddles in the wild... Any truth, this would conflict with the at least one Gallon theory.

In the wild bettas live in huge shallow rice paddies, that look more like lakes/ponds then like puddles.

So really, when you think about it, putting a betta in something no less then a 1 gallon would be cruel, BUT (most) bettas are bred in captivity and they never lived in these huge rice fields, so to them a 1 gallon or larger is paradise compared to the tiny cups they are usually bought in.

 

[Alix]

all most makes me wanna set my bettas free seeing all the freedom they could have. but the winters here would like a betta for sure(northern missouri is cold as hell)

 

[Synirr]

all most makes me wanna set my bettas free seeing all the freedom they could have. but the winters here would like a betta for sure(northern missouri is cold as hell)

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For the record, you never set a non-native species free somewhere. You never know what kind of trouble it might cause...

As has been mentioned, just clean the tank out more often... I do 100% water changes on all 16 of my uncycled betta tanks once every week