sea, sand and longevity

[BronzeWolf]

Hello all B)

I have some questions

What does aging water do/mean ?
How long do betta's live for?
If one had to put sand down as a substrate how do you go about cleaning the debris out of it?

thanking you very very muchy...

 

[juliethegr8t]

Aging water is leaving it out so that all the chlorine can evaporate - usually 24-48 hours.

As far as I know, bettas live anywhere from 2 - 5 years. 2 years is about average, though I know of some that have lived much longer (my sister's is going on 4)!

I don't have sand, but I think I've read that you just hold the gravel vaccuum a bit higher above it then you would for gravel - and the debris just floats right up into it. Sounds quite easy once you figure out the correct distance. You will still get a bit of sand, but not enough to matter.


HTH!

 

[BronzeWolf]

Oh cool so you wouldent have to put FreshStart and similar products in your water.

Awe sounds like a short life for such a beautiful fish

what does HTH mean ??? lol

 

[Ben]

Hope This Helps = HTH

 

[Teelie]

Clean the sane before adding it. Put some in a bucket or bowl, fill it with water enough to be able to stick your hand in and swish the sand with your fingers to get all that stuff out and pour the water out. Refill it with water and do it about 7 times. Usually that gets all the smaller particles out.

Depending on the weight of the sand, you can almost touch it with the siphon or have to be an inch above it. I use pool filter sand and I can stick the siphon into it and only suck up a few grains of sand but I think mine might be an exception to the general rule.

One other thing, don't use ocean or sea sand. Find freshwater sand if possible or buy Pool Filter or Play Sand though IMO Pool Filter is better.

 

[BronzeWolf]

Ah ok so i can use children's playing sand then... I'm just asking about sand because i wonder if its cleaner than gravel

 

[Teelie]

In my experience it's far above gravel in cleaniness. The sand is more compact so the food and waste doesn't have anywhere to go but the surface of the sand and into the filter intake if light enough.