Fish Lovers 3.0 [new poll]

[Hime]

2 weeks no water changes (been too busy) and NO3 is reading only at 5... Hungry plants much? Also blue-green algae is still trying to take over some plants(pretty sure the low nitrate is partial culprit). And my Fluval U3 is really not working as it should, the flow adjusting thing is broken and the flow is kinda everywhere and not really strong enough because of that. I really want a canister... >_<

[Stumpy.]

Orchid is adjusting really well to his new tank!! C:

He's already starting to swim to the feeding spot around his dinner and breakfast time, he's happily floating around, and found his favorite resting spots (the big plant in the center, by the moss balls, and in the far bar corner.) He likes sitting by the filter, as well, which is weird. There's no safety concerns, as it's too small for his fins to get stuck. It's just kinda weird.

[BrainOnSka]

Gemini is a smart little cookie. it took her 3 days to figure out a routine. 3. Days. I came back to the dorm after hanging out with my boyfriend (like I do almost daily) and she came right up to the top of the tank. Food? Lol. I feed her before I go to bed so apparently she expects it now. Shes also getting used to me but she still swims like crazy around the tank. Most active betta I think I've had. Even pinkie would hide and lounge when I was in the room.

[CustardFox]

Hi all! I just set up my first Betta tank. His name is Bullet and hes a red Twin Tall Halfmoon betta. (will post pics when I figure out how to do that lol)
His tank is a bit smaller than my old goldfish tank so I had some questions about betta care. I prefer my room to be a little cold (~65-70 degrees). I'm aware bettas prefer warmer waters so I bought him a heater for his 2.5 gallon tank. Was this a mistake? Is his tank too small for a heater?
Secondly, I have heard different things about how much to feed him. The employee who cares for the fish at the pet store told me to feed him 5 food pellets daily. I read online that bettas won't need to eat every day so several pellets every 3 days is sufficient. Which is more correct?
Finally, I am waiting to put him in the tank a full 24 hours so some bacteria can begin growing. I wanted to add a snail to the tank eventually once plenty of algae has grown. Is that a suitable tank mate? Would a bottom-feeding fish be better? How long should I wait before adding a snail/fish?
Thanks in advance, sorry if these questions seem dumb. I'm getting a wide variant of answers online so I wanted to ask people with experience.

[Stripe12]

A heater is a great idea for a betta tank, it wasn't a mistake.
Food depends on the size of the pellets. I usually feed mine 5-6 small pellets once a day but it can be a good idea to not feed him 1 day a week to help avoid illness. Betta's can survive when only being feed every few days.
A tank mate highly depends on the betta's personality. Some betta's hate any other tank mates but some don't care. Snails are probably a better choose. I'd recommend either a Nerite snail or Mystery snail. How long you wait to add one highly depends on how quickly algae grows in, but I'd guess around 4-5 weeks.
Hope this helps!

[Lonin]

Hi all! I just set up my first Betta tank. His name is Bullet and hes a red Twin Tall Halfmoon betta. (will post pics when I figure out how to do that lol)
His tank is a bit smaller than my old goldfish tank so I had some questions about betta care. I prefer my room to be a little cold (~65-70 degrees). I'm aware bettas prefer warmer waters so I bought him a heater for his 2.5 gallon tank. Was this a mistake? Is his tank too small for a heater?
Secondly, I have heard different things about how much to feed him. The employee who cares for the fish at the pet store told me to feed him 5 food pellets daily. I read online that bettas won't need to eat every day so several pellets every 3 days is sufficient. Which is more correct?
Finally, I am waiting to put him in the tank a full 24 hours so some bacteria can begin growing. I wanted to add a snail to the tank eventually once plenty of algae has grown. Is that a suitable tank mate? Would a bottom-feeding fish be better? How long should I wait before adding a snail/fish?
Thanks in advance, sorry if these questions seem dumb. I'm getting a wide variant of answers online so I wanted to ask people with experience.

Yup yup he'd definitely need a heater even if your room was warm to keep the temperature stable.
You don't need to feed fish every day but once every 3 days is a bit much. A lot of people do one fast day a week. Keep in mind his stomach is about the size of his eye so a few pellets will be fine.
We're assuming you haven't cycled the tank, if not there's no point in waiting 24 hours as it takes several weeks for a tank to cycle. You might as well move him to it now as a bigger tank is going to be better than a smaller one when neither is cycled. You can read more about fish-in cycling here but basically you'll need a water testing kit so you can test daily for ammonia and nitrite and you'll need to do daily partial water changes to keep it under control.
2.5 gallons is way too small for any other fish and if possible your betta would be better off with at least 5 gallons. You'd be fine adding a snail and can do it any time once the tank has cycled. Depending on the snail and if you care about it living you might have to feed it. Not all snails eat all kinds of algae. And you don't really want algae anyway as it's a sign something is unbalanced.

[CustardFox]

Yup yup he'd definitely need a heater even if your room was warm to keep the temperature stable.
You don't need to feed fish every day but once every 3 days is a bit much. A lot of people do one fast day a week. Keep in mind his stomach is about the size of his eye so a few pellets will be fine.
We're assuming you haven't cycled the tank, if not there's no point in waiting 24 hours as it takes several weeks for a tank to cycle. You might as well move him to it now as a bigger tank is going to be better than a smaller one when neither is cycled. You can read more about fish-in cycling here but basically you'll need a water testing kit so you can test daily for ammonia and nitrite and you'll need to do daily partial water changes to keep it under control.
2.5 gallons is way too small for any other fish and if possible your betta would be better off with at least 5 gallons. You'd be fine adding a snail and can do it any time once the tank has cycled. Depending on the snail and if you care about it living you might have to feed it. Not all snails eat all kinds of algae. And you don't really want algae anyway as it's a sign something is unbalanced.

Thank you! It sucks the 2.5 gallon is too small. I'll switch probably to a 5 gallon next month. Thank you for the reference to in cycling! I planned to feed the snail 1-2 algae flakes a day depending on his size (I'll do more research on the snails once I can afford a larger tank for them both)


Bullet has started his first day in his tank and seems really sparky! He seems to enjoy the extra space and likes playing with his substrate. I was hoping he'd play more with the moss ball I got but he seems like he isn't interested in anything except his substrate and filter at the moment. His tank came with an LED light on the hood and when I turn it on he shimmers and looks absolutely stunning! Once again, will post photos when I figure out how to do that lol.
Thanks everyone for the advice. Is there anything I should watch out for while he is getting used to his new home?

[Stumpy.]

Orchid has taken to flaring more at his reflection and making a bubble nest, so I made him some toys to keep him from focusing too much on the reflection. Mainly, a new hammock and something to push around besides his moss balls. C:

[CustardFox]

Bullet is adjusting well to his tank and his water has actually not had high levels of nitrite/nitrate and his PH is suitable for now. Because of how fine his water seemed, I let him stay in it for 2 days but tomorrow I am getting -liquid test kits (heard they are more accurate than the strips) -bloodworm treats -a bucket and I will be giving him his first partial water change!
A friend has offered to give me his old 20 gallon fish tank for free! He said its got mold in it that I'd have to clean myself but thats the only problem. Can I clean it with normal cleaning chemicals, wash it out, and cycle it for a few weeks or will the chemicals stick around? Is 20 gallons too big for 1 betta?

Random note- Bullet has been such a cutie pie the last couple days lol. I'm not sure if hes "pushing" his moss ball but he looks kind of like hes rubbing himself on it. I also woke up early for work and checked his tank before I left and he was asleep floating over his heater! This little guy has totally stolen my heart.

[Lonin]

Bullet is adjusting well to his tank and his water has actually not had high levels of nitrite/nitrate and his PH is suitable for now. Because of how fine his water seemed, I let him stay in it for 2 days but tomorrow I am getting -liquid test kits (heard they are more accurate than the strips) -bloodworm treats -a bucket and I will be giving him his first partial water change!
A friend has offered to give me his old 20 gallon fish tank for free! He said its got mold in it that I'd have to clean myself but thats the only problem. Can I clean it with normal cleaning chemicals, wash it out, and cycle it for a few weeks or will the chemicals stick around? Is 20 gallons too big for 1 betta?

Random note- Bullet has been such a cutie pie the last couple days lol. I'm not sure if hes "pushing" his moss ball but he looks kind of like hes rubbing himself on it. I also woke up early for work and checked his tank before I left and he was asleep floating over his heater! This little guy has totally stolen my heart.

Any amount of ammonia or nitrite is too high, they both should be at 0. It would be normal to have low nitrates at this point as that's the last part of the cycle and isn't a sign of good water quality.
That was nice of your friend c: You might want to search for more detailed instructions but you can clean aquariums with bleach if you rinse it off properly and let it air dry. Make sure you add a dechlorinator when you do water changes.
Don't leave it to cycle, your fish is already in an uncycled tank and will be better off in an uncycled 20 gallon than a 2.5 gallon one. Move him as soon as the tank is clean and warm.
Good news is that you can have other fish with him in a 20 gallon c: Make sure you get plenty of places for him to hide as bettas don't like empty, open space.