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I have a good Betta set-up (5 gallon eclipse with bio-wheel, 25 watt heater) that is currently cycling (ammonia spiked and dropped, nitrites have been high for a few days - just waiting for that next step). Of course the plan was to wait until the tank was fully cycled before getting the Betta but then....

You probably know this story. There was one in the store that was just gorgeous - he kept LOOKING at me and I just could NOT resist - so he is here with me now. (I figured he had better chances with me then in the little cup!)

My question: How best to keep him healthy until his new home is stable? Specific questions....

1) How many gallons? I don't have extra tanks around, but I have some tupperware and stuff. I don't care if it's pretty - but I'm assuming that more water = more stable. Is that right? I should just dig up the biggest container possible?

2) I haven' t got a heater besides the one in the tank. My unheated goldfish tank gets to be upper-mid 60's at night sometimes, depending on the weather. Will this be super stressful, or is it ok for a temporary situation?

3) What sort of water changes should I do in a bowl or bucket that isn't cycled? I have some Amquel (cholrine, cloramine & ammonia) and some Amquel Plus (also nitrites and nitrates). Which should I add?

4) My water from the tap is about 7.8 - the water he's come from the store in also seems in that range, but I hear Bettas do better in a neutral 7.0 - In the long run should I use tap water, is 7.8 ok? Should I use the Reverse Osmossis water we get from the store (PH 7.0 but no trace minerals or anything)? Should I do something to lower the PH of my tap water? If I change his PH down I know to do it very gradually.

5) Are Bettas happier and more secure with something to hide behind? I have some plants in the tank (no snags - I put them through a nylon) but would he feel better having them in his temporary digs?

Much thanks for help with any of these questions. I just want him to be ok until the tank is stable and he can be in his real home!

Melissa

What are you using to cycle the five gallon? Also, five gallons can be hard to keep cycled...

Bettas are sturdy little things, despite what some people say. My betta girls cycled my 20 gallon for me without batting an eye. I keep my males in uncycled two gallons (100% cleanings, of course).

My males have gone through the chilly nights here (60-ish degrees) and survived fin rot, jumping into the kitchen sink during cleanings and my inept first attempts at fishkeeping.

If you do put your new buddy into a container, best choose something glass, not plastic, as things such as tupperware can hold more residual soap than you'd think. Perhaps use a small container (if it's plastic, make sure it's new and hasn't been washed with soap, gladware works well) and float it in the five gallon so that he's kept warm, but apart from the cycling water, if the nitrites are still high. You may need to use a clothespin or something like that to prevent the container from tipping over (clip it to the side of the tank).

Size... if it's only for a few days, he can live in small quarters. The smaller it is, however, the more you have to change water. Bettas live just fine in uncycled conditions, and this would work until your five gallon is cycled.

Whatever container you choose to keep him in, just make sure you dechlor the water you use.

Rather than messing with your water, I'd just leave it where it is. If that's the pH he was kept in at the store, no need to change things.

And yes, they like to have places to hide. I find that a small terracotta pot makes a great cave, and that bettas will often curl up in plant leaves.

Last edited by Kitten at 03-Mar-2005 14:04

~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~

1) How many gallons? I don't have extra tanks around, but I have some tupperware and stuff. I don't care if it's pretty - but I'm assuming that more water = more stable. Is that right? I should just dig up the biggest container possible?

Yeah, the larger the area, the more stable, however, unless you are cycling, you don't have to worry about this so much. Use something over a gallon simply for swim room and exercise area

2) I haven' t got a heater besides the one in the tank. My unheated goldfish tank gets to be upper-mid 60's at night sometimes, depending on the weather. Will this be super stressful, or is it ok for a temporary situation?

my answer to this when I was in almost the exact same siuation was a 'bain marie' type setup. I floated my container with the betta in it INSIDE the heated tank, so he got the benefit of the warmth

3) What sort of water changes should I do in a bowl or bucket that isn't cycled? I have some Amquel (cholrine, cloramine & ammonia) and some Amquel Plus (also nitrites and nitrates). Which should I add?

Either is fine. I find I get 8 days of no visible discomfort out of Ammolock 2, so with either of those, how about 100% weekly?

4) My water from the tap is about 7.8 - the water he's come from the store in also seems in that range, but I hear Bettas do better in a neutral 7.0 - In the long run should I use tap water, is 7.8 ok? Should I use the Reverse Osmossis water we get from the store (PH 7.0 but no trace minerals or anything)? Should I do something to lower the PH of my tap water? If I change his PH down I know to do it very gradually.

I kept mine sucessfully at 8.2. they adapt really well. They probably wouldn't breed for you at that pH however, but they will live quite happily.

5) Are Bettas happier and more secure with something to hide behind? I have some plants in the tank (no snags - I put them through a nylon) but would he feel better having them in his temporary digs?

Probably, they are a bit skitty, but a coffee cup or a terracotta pot will do just as well.


Here is a picture of my in-tank quarrantine thingy I made when i needed to quarrantine 3 kuhli loaches and I only had the one heater.
It works well for isolating bettas too. Its not ideal for quarrantine, but its sufficient in most cases



Callatya attached this image:


For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett

Much thanks for your advice. Happily when you suggested Glass not Plastic - I remembered a small (3 gallon) glass terarrium that was once used for a rodent - I tested it and it's water-tight! And it has a lid - so Dude (we haven't settled on a name yet) is in there with a heater and a hidey-place. There's no filter - so I will still do big water changes, and no current so I suspect the heat isn't totslly even (he seems to hang near the heater), but it is PERFECT for temporary housing.

If Bettas are ok in 7.8 I'll just keep him with that. I don't have a female for him anyways - he's my first Betta No breeding for the poor guy....

Thanks for helping me get him set up right while his real home gets settled.

Melissa