First betta

[TaraWhite]

hi this is my first betta and few questions

 

[Colin_T]

Hi and welcome to the forum

what are your questions?

 

[TaraWhite]

Hi thank you! So I have had my fish Marley for a few months and change his water once a month. This past water change he’s been acting funny and honestly I feel like the water filter is always too strong for him and he’s constantly hiding from it or hiding so decided to take out the filter agd he was so happy and swimming around .... woke up this morning and my boyfriend strongly disagreed abs put it back in. Now he’s very depressed looking and won’t eat looks sad

 

[TaraWhite]

Also I feel bad making that decision. I read they don’t need a filter so I’m just confused and now I feel I made him sick

 

[Essjay]

Bettas can be kept without a filter but it is harder work as water changes need to be done daily. And even with a filter you should be changing 50% of the water every week.

What size tank is he in and what model is the filter? Depending on how big the tank is and what the filter is there are ways to slow down the the flow rate. The alternative is a sponge filter powered by an air pump as these do not create a fast flow.

 

[TaraWhite]

I just put a mirror up to his tank for the first time ever to check his temperament and he FLARED like I’ve never seen so I’m guessing he’s not too bad?! I only did it for a minute then put the mirror down. Hope I didn’t make it worse.

 

[TaraWhite]

Bettas can be kept without a filter but it is harder work as water changes need to be done daily. And even with a filter you should be changing 50% of the water every week.

What size tank is he in and what model is the filter? Depending on how big the tank is and what the filter is there are ways to slow down the the flow rate. The alternative is a sponge filter powered by an air pump as these do not create a fast flow.

 

[TaraWhite]

Thank you! It’s a Aqueon tank the 1.5 gallon I believe.

 

[Essjay]

I will be honest with you - the tank is too small for a betta. 2.5 gallons is the absolute minimum, with 5 gallons being recommended by most people.

In such a small tank you need to do at least 2 water changes per week. He will be excreting all sorts of things that build up in the water, and they will build up fast in a small volume.


I don't know why shops sell such small tanks as they are not suitable for any fish