How do I keep his fins from being ripped to shreds

[BettaMomma]

It certainly is an Eclipse Hex 5! Woohoo!

Amos has never had any kind of filtration - this could be really interesting.

What sort of cycling did you do to get the tank ready for your guys?

Man, i'm excited to get him into this thing but I'm really starting to dread the long road of preparing the tank for him.

You know, it's really sad. BEFORE I went and picked out his new tank, I made sure that his old tank and heater had a place to be donated to so I wouldn't be tempted to go get another betta for it... (my co-worker has a 5 y.o. daughter w/a betta in a 1/2 gallon unheated bowl - they do water changes like every 2 months ) so I'm donating the 2.5 G tank + heater to them. At least the little guy will have a nicer environment, even if i can't get them to do water changes more often.

 

[RandomWiktor]

You know, it's really sad. BEFORE I went and picked out his new tank, I made sure that his old tank and heater had a place to be donated to so I wouldn't be tempted to go get another betta for it... (my co-worker has a 5 y.o. daughter w/a betta in a 1/2 gallon unheated bowl - they do water changes like every 2 months ) so I'm donating the 2.5 G tank + heater to them. At least the little guy will have a nicer environment, even if i can't get them to do water changes more often.

What a nice idea ^^ I gave up a few of my 2.5 tanks I used to use for sick fish (don't worry, all clean and sterilized now) to people on campus who had them in cups or in little bowls.

 

[BettaMomma]

NICE!

Hey, RW - did you cycle your 5 gal before you put fishy in?

 

[BettaMomma]

Get this -
I just cracked open my new tank, and included in the box are some handy dandy instructions. Here's what it says:

BEFORE YOU ADD FISH... When creating a new aquarium environment, patience is vital to success. Allow your system to operate for at least 24 hours before adding fish. Begin by talking w/your dealer about what fish are best suited to your aquarium.....

Then it goes on to say that a 25% water change every 2 - 4 weeks thereafter.

Oh, and in the book they also have a picture of the 5 gallon tank.
It has 6 cichlids in it.

 

[BettaMomma]

Okay so - it's friday afternoon and it's 5:19.
I'm still at the office because I can't stop staring at the new tank. LOVE it.

It's got natural looking gravel on the bottom (sand colored) with a palm tree in the center of it for decor. Amos' tank sits a couple feet away from his new one and he's been staring over at it ever since I started putting it together.

My question is - can I do anything with the existing tank I have (2.5 gallon) - hasn't had water change for 5 days - can I put anything from that tank into the new one to get the cycling process going faster??? What else can I do? I do NOT wanna do the ammonia thing and I don't wanna just dump him in there once the temp is steady...

 

[cation]

Does your 2.5 have a filter, or an airstone? The "good bacteria" need oxygenated water moving past them to survive and propogate.

 

[BettaMomma]

Nope, nuthing.
Just a heater.

uugh

 

[cation]

Why are you so against using ammonia to get the cycle started? It's exactly the same as the ammonia produced in naturally by degrading fish waste in tanks, you just have to find one without anything additional in it.

 

[BettaMomma]

Because I'm very new to this - I've read everything I can think of to learn more about it and I'm petrified to get everything right. The thought of dumping ammonia into my fish's tank horrifies me.

I'm afraid I'm just gonna end up doing it anyway afterall.

 

[cation]

I can understand that. But the ammonia will be long gone by the time you put your fish in, I promise. Have you read the link in beginner's about fishless cycling? It's really helpful!

 

[BettaMomma]

Yep, I have.
I think I'm at the brink of picking up some ammonia tonight

This is a work tank, so that adds to the problem - cuz now it's friday evening and I can't start working w/the ammonia til monday. uugh

okay - that's the route I'll go.
Thanks.

 

[cation]

Make sure you have test kits for ammonia, nitrIte, and nitrAte, too. The ammonia one you'll need first, then the nitrIte, then the nitrAte.

It'll be so great when it's all up and running. Good luck.

 

[BettaMomma]

I have the test kit for the nitrates and nitrites, but none for ammonia yet.
I think i'll pick them both (the kit & the ammonia) up at the same time - fish stores should have that stuff, I'd assume.

Wish me luck.
Poor little Amos is staring over at the new tank sadly. The poor guy.

 

[cation]

If you can find ammonia at a fish store, you may be at the best fish store in the world. Many lfs don't even know what fishless cycling is. It's a shame. But you could ask, and if they say no, tell them why you want it. Then one more lfs will at least know about the idea.

Hang in there Amos! You're about to have a real kingdom to call home!

 

[BettaMomma]

WHELL...
I just called my lfs and they said they will give me a scoop of gravel for fifty cents.

Then I'll work on the ammonia and be all set.
BUT - he also told me that for a betta I won't have to worry about an ammonia spike - just not to let his food get too out of hand, which it doesn't - he eats every single piece I ever put in there, immediately.

Is that true?

Oh, and the paranoid parent in me - with getting this bacteria-laden gravel from the store, do I have to worry about anything (illnesses, etc.) coming into the tank on that stuff??