Do Bettas Need Cycling?

[OldMan47]

I am going to disagree with many of the other posters in this thread. A betta can be kept in a container that has no filter and therefore cannot possibly be cycled. What the fish does need, as is true of any other fish at all, is water that is free of both ammonia and nitrites. For a single betta that has been placed in an unfiltered container is frequent water changes to maintain its water quality in good condition. By doing very frequent water changes with proper dechlorination, the water quality can indeed be maintained without a filter.
I do not keep my own bettas this way for the simple reason that I find the frequent water changes a burden that is not acceptable to me and my own habits. Instead I keep my bettas with other fish in community settings in fully cycled tanks. That does not mean that the other method will not work, it is a choice I have made knowing my own aversion to hard labor.

 

[zophie]

I am going to disagree with many of the other posters in this thread. A betta can be kept in a container that has no filter and therefore cannot possibly be cycled. What the fish does need, as is true of any other fish at all, is water that is free of both ammonia and nitrites. For a single betta that has been placed in an unfiltered container is frequent water changes to maintain its water quality in good condition. By doing very frequent water changes with proper dechlorination, the water quality can indeed be maintained without a filter.
I do not keep my own bettas this way for the simple reason that I find the frequent water changes a burden that is not acceptable to me and my own habits. Instead I keep my bettas with other fish in community settings in fully cycled tanks. That does not mean that the other method will not work, it is a choice I have made knowing my own aversion to hard labor.

I agree with you- it all matters how much you want to put in.
I do, though, thing that betta's need heat- I have had eight betta's, Of the two that had un-heated water, both of them lived 2 years, apposed to around 4. I know a friend wh got a betta without a heater, put him in, and he was dead in a week. He was very sensitive, though- I am not suggesting that this could happen to all betta's, but I do really think bettas need heated water of 27 degrees C.

ZOphie