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Hi everyone. I got a betta boy in july and have had him in a little half gal. tank until today! Petland had a 10gal start kit on sale for only $12 so I went ahead and bought it since I had the money. =) Now my question is, it came with gravel, food, chemicals and an airpump.. I want to make sure its ok to put the airpump in a bottom back corner with a betta. I just wanna have it in there to have it.. but I need to make sure its ok. Thanks =)

i am not sure what u are asking, airpump or filter/stones. and is the betta going into the 10,

but on a side note, that is a good deal for 12.

I just wanna make sure the airpump is safe to put in the tank with bettas. I know nothing about fish. The airpump seems to be a little plastic box with cotton or something in it and some stones which you put in the tank and it blows bubbles. Theres a plastic tube leading from it outside of the tank to the powersupply.

Can you post a picture of the air pump? It sounds odd. All the bettas I have had through the years love the bubbles. If you do not know anything abotu fish you shoudl probably get a book or look at a few websites. Bettachris probably would be the one to ask about anthing betta. He knows his stuff. What do you know abotu fish though? Did you know that you could not jsut dump tap water in the tank and the fish would survive there are things you have to do to the water and such to keep your fish healthy. Even bettas are a little more complex than most people think. I think I am going to turn my sister in for "Fish Abuse" personally. She thinks she can throw her fish in a container and jsut wait till all the water evaporates before she does anything about him. It makes me SOOO MAD!!!

Good luck with your lil guy!


Christina

Yeah I've had this betta since July when I got him from a pet store which I wasn't expecting. Theres actually some posts by me in this forum from july asking for help. He's been perfectly fine in his half gal since then. I just couldn't afford anything more until now. I added chemicals and everything like I always did with his small tank. (yeah I did use the right ammount for the 10gal) I just dont know why its cloudy..

Anyways now I also have another question , my friend just found out I got a new tank and shes trying to get rid of 2 neon swords which are small she said. She can't even have fish at her new apartment o.o Anyways she wants to know if I want them, will they get along with a male betta? My betta seems to be a lazy butt since I got him in july but I've always had him alone.

Neons will go fine in the tank. If there are only 2 you should probably get 4 more to go in there because neons are a schooling fish. Lots of people put neons in with bettas because you can have them in smaller tanks. If you do not have a heater, you will need one. Neons are tropical fish and need warmer water.

As for the cloudy water, check you perimeters for starters.Did you get a filter with you tank? If not that might be part of your problem as well. If they are ok then there are lots of products you can use to get rid of the cloudiness. Wal-Mart even has stuff for you to get rid of cloudy water. I cannot remember the name of the products but I am sure there is someone around here that will know what to get. If you go to any petstore and tell them your problem they can probably point you in the right direction.
I had the same problem when I bought my first 10 gallon tank. It will probably take a few days for the water to clear completely, so you have to be patient. I am so sorry I cannot remember the name of the medication. I hope someone sees this and can remember the name. Good Luck!
Please keep us informed on your progress!


Christina

At the store I asked for a small heater and the girl asked what kind of fish. I told her a betta and she actually laughed at me.. I thought Bettas needed 78-82f water or so but she said room temp is fine =\ Anyways my new tank is at 80 even right now without it, though my room is very hot right now since I have a room heater in here.
I'll by the tank a heater if the temps drop in there.
Btw heres some pics I took before I unpacked it all.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v248/MattsOnlyHope/fish%20stuff/fish03b.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v248/MattsOnlyHope/fish%20stuff/fish02b.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v248/MattsOnlyHope/fish%20stuff/fish01b.jpg

it is a box filter, from the desription. when u say airpump, i think of a real airpump and it woldn't make sense to add it into the water. but yes he should be fine, just get a regultor for the air pump, so the bubbles produced isn't too strong for the betta.

Alright update.. I turned it back on since the cloudiness wasn't getting much better with it off.. Also my friend dropped by with the two neons.. she just dumped em in and they seem to be having fun chasing each other and making me laugh. They like to go to the corner where the bubbles are, pop up in em, and fly away and repeat.. ] I haven't added my betta yet but I will tonight.

Ohh and I was just calling it an air pump because thats what is written on it. The clear box that goes into the tank floated up to the top. It has purple gravel in it and like cotton.. its blowing lots of bubbles =)

the tank isn't cycled yet, so dont get anymore fish for that tank, since u know nothing on fish dont over stock that tank, and neons like to be in schools, so after the tank is been around for a month than u can add 3 more, but when stocking a tank do it slow, and since this tank has not been probably cycled, just wait a long time, please do no get fish without posting here about it, since a ten gallon is hard to stock.

Alrighty. Anyways heres some pictures of the neon swords. This is just one of the two but they look like twins cept ones alot wider



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my friend just found out I got a new tank and shes trying to get rid of 2 neon swords which are small she said

Those are neon swordtails not neon tetras[link=http://fishprofiles.com/files/profiles/swordtails.xml]http://fishprofiles.com/files/profiles/swordtails.xml" style="COLOR: #C000C0[/link]? Swordtails are entirely different and will eventually grow much bigger. Neon tetras are very tiny fish that need a group of 6 but a group of 6swordtails would not fit in a 10g. Swordtails are actualy a bit active for a 10g even with just 2. Luckily they don't require being in a group and are fine with just 2 fish.

The tank is cloudy because it is cycling. The cloudiness is from a bacteria bloom. Fish waste creates ammonia which is very toxic and would quickly kill our fish if we tried to fully stock a tank. Bacteria turn ammonia into safer nitrites and eventually nitrates. Bacteria live in the gravel and the sponge or filter material in your little filter. Until the tank is cycled you may need to do more frequent water changes to keep the fish from dying. Bettas are quite hardy toward ammonia and survive uncycled tanks and the cycling process quite well but swordtails are a bit more sensitive. It would have been better to wait at least a few weeks before adding the swordtails.

Actually the water is extremely clear now. ^_^