How do I keep his fins from being ripped to shreds

[BettaMomma]

Amos is gettin a new 5 gallon hex tomorrow (he doesn't know yet - I can't wait to surprise him )

Anyway - I was inspecting the tank today and decided that I better make considerations for the intake tube which I'm sure he'll decide it's fun to go lay against so it'll hold him in place. He's a veiltail so I'm assuming that this will rip his fins to shreds.

How do I make sure that's not going to happen? It's a Bio Wheel filter with the long tube hanging down with the 1" slits all the way around the bottom.

thx for all the fabulous advice you folks give me. I appreciate it

 

[cation]

Cut the foot off a pair of nylons and rubber-band it around the intake. This'll cut down the flow a bit, and give him a soft spot to rest without getting his fins pulled into the intake.

 

[ral]

I use sponge (biological only) filters with a single 90L per hour pump shared by 5 tanks (2.5G). Even with that level of filtration some long fins dont like it.

Virgil started to shred his fins, so I replaced him with Irwin instead (whose rays that got relly thing and he started looking sick), so now Tristan is in the filter tank.

So far only the females and Plakat males seem to be okay with the filters.

 

[BettaMomma]

Hmm - the nylons thing sounds interesting. Does it get really gunky and icky? How often will it have to be changed?

 

[cation]

If you keep your tanks pretty clean, it shouldn't get too gunked up. And I found they last a long time, but I use a heavier nylon. If they get gunky you just turn off the filter, take the nylon off, and rinse it out!

 

[BettaMomma]

GREAT!
That's an excellent idea.
I'll have to swing by the nylons store in the morning so I will have everything I need to set Amos up with his new tank over lunch @ work tomorow!

Thanks

 

[BettaMomma]

One other quick question - with a filtered 5 gallon tank, how often/how much water change??

 

[cation]

Are you cycling the tank first, or just putting him in? If you're putting him in immediately, I'd do about 30-40% every 3 or 4 days, monitering the cycle as you go. If at any pooint your ammonia or nitrite levels go too high, you'll want to step up the water changes.

 

[BettaMomma]

Are you supposed to cycle a betta tank before you put them in?
is that because of the filter?

I've only kept bettas in little 2 - 2.5 gallon tanks and toss them in when I get home and get their water dechlorinated.

 

[cation]

With unfiltered tanks, bettas need 100% water changes every so often, in order to completely remove the ammonia and other nasties in their water. The big tank has a filter, so you'll be able to avoid 100% WC's in the future if you cycle the tank. The tank can be cycled fishless, with ammonia, or with fish. If you do it with fish, you want to monitor the water readings so you don't hurt them. it takes a lot longer to do a cycle with fish if you keep the ammonia levels down through big water changes, but it's better for your fish to do lots of water changes and keep the ammonia and nitrites low while cycling..

 

[BettaMomma]

If I do a partial water change every day or every other day, will that be too much during cycling? I don't care if it takes me a year to get it cycled thru, I'm willing to go thru that so Amos is okay.

and god KNOWS I'm not doing that crap where you actually dump ammonia into the tank - that's the most obnoxious thing I've ever heard (Although I know that's what you have to do.)

I want Amos in his new home asap but certainly don't want to hurt him in the process.

Is it possible to cycle it without fish and without dumping ammonia into it?

(I'll also go take a look at the pinned article)

 

[Joby]

Awww I bet he's going to be so pleased with his new home

My guys often stick themselves to the filters to rest and I've never had any problems with torn fins, even on the VT's I have some pretty powerful filters in some of the tanks too

 

[wuvmybetta]

Is it possible to cycle it without fish and without dumping ammonia into it?

If you have a small handful of established gravel or filter media you can 'seed' your tank and it will feed off the fish's ammonia/pee and bacteria will flourish quickly creating an instantly cycled tank. You can basically clone any tank that way. Maybe your lfs will give you a bit? If so,set the tanks up and add the fish quickly so it doesn't die (the bacteria,not the fish)

 

[BettaMomma]

The only other 2 tanks I have are betta tanks that I change out every 4 - 5 days.
I'm assuming it would be pointless to take some gravel from one of those? Or not?

 

[RandomWiktor]

Awwwr I bet he loves the new digs ^^ Is it the Eclipse 5 hex per chance? I have 2 bettas living in those. Just to forewarn, the current is initially a bit overwhelming if they've never had filtration before, so you can slow the current at first by getting a peice of sponge (the fish safe kind, not the kitchen kind) and placing it atop the filter cartridge. It absorbs some of the water and makes the current slower. Once the fish is used to a mild current, you can take it out and they usually do fine; all of my bettas are huge and muscle-y now from living with filters

And Dickey Barret always laid up against the filter and never got shredded fins, but I think the pantyhose is a good idea just in case