How often should water in a Betta fishbowl be changed?

Question

I was told that you should change 25% of the water each week...is this true?

Answer 1

Gymnastxo8 doesn't know what she is talking about. It's a biological impossibly for a fish to self clean it's water. (Trust me I'm a biologist.) Fish + food -> ammonia and nitrates. (Well the nitrogen cycle is a bit more invloved than that, but that's the realy short version.) You need 10-20 the mass of your fish to clean the nitrates out of the water. Also you'd need to be removing the dead plant matter.

A betta in a 2.5+ gallon container needs a 100% water change, and the gravel needs to be rinsed every week. In smaller containers you need a water change every 4 days. Filtered tanks can get away with 10% per week if you use a gravel vacuum. This of course assumes you aren't over feeding.

Now people are going to say, but what about the bacteria in the gravel that convert the more toxic ammonia into nitrates? In a normal tank you wouldn't want to rinse your gravel, but unless you have a filter putting oxygen into the water. The bacteria can't get enough oxygen to make a difference. You are far better washing out the fish crap, and food.

PS- Be sure during water changes you keep the new water at the same temp as the old!!!

Answer 2

The simple answer is to change it before toxins like ammonia and nitrite build up to detectable levels. The rate at which these toxins build depend on several things including tank size, fish waste and other decaying matter, the presents of plants, the bioload, the filtration, substrate and the individual fish’s metabolism. Because there are so many factors involved the only way to really know how often you should change your tank water is to test it. In an uncycled tank I would start by doing a 100% water change. Test the water for ammonia once each day. Once your test kit detects ammonia you know exactly how many days you can go between water changes. If it takes 6 days for ammonia to show trace amounts then you want to change your tank water every 5 days from that point on. If it takes 10 days then change your water every 9 after the initial test.

If you’d like more detail as to why water testing is the best way to determine your water change routine visit this link.

http://www.nippyfish.net/waterchanges.html

Answer 3

Bettas DO NOT self-clean their bowls. And, due to the ammonia content of rotting food, their own waste and the tiny bowls sold for Bettas (and vases, too, using the fish as an ornament instead of considering its needs as a living being), plus that the Betta is FAR mutated -- and weaker -- than its original mud-colored fighting ancestors, they can die pretty quickly in filthy water.

Bettas and other fish can catch fatal bacterial and fungal infections from dirty water.

That written, how often you change them depends on the size of the bowl, their health and age. I have a two year old LPS (local pet store) female with tumors on her back and side. She is in a 20 oz. bowl (about the size they are sold in at Wal-Mart) and I change her every single day with neutral (7.0) Ph water.

I do partial changes for the other Bettas mid-week, and a 100% water change once a week.

Doing a partial change cuts the ammonia content, but most Bettas recline at the bottom of the bowl, which is where their waste and uneaten food settle so they are exposed to more bacteria. Some fish owners use a turkey baster to suction up the crud at the bottom (feed it to any plants you have, it's high in nitrogen). This buys a few more days before they need to be changed.

Please don't believe Bettas can self-clean (if they are desperately hungry they will eat their wastes), nor the other lies on some of the care instructions of the unfortunate Bettas sold in plants. Bettas are selectively bred mutations of the dull-colored fighting fish, they will not survive in dirty water. They should be fed small amounts twice a day -- their stomach is the size of their eyes. They thrive in clean water of zero ammonia reading.

Answer 4

That's pretty accurate, but if it looks dirty go ahead and do a water change. You CAN change 50% if you want to.
If I were YOU, I would just go down to WalMart and purchase on of those little 1 Gallon aquariums. They ran about $10.00 a couple of years back. I don't think they're much more than that NOW.
Anyway, they have ALL the necessary equipment to just go ahead and set up. PUMP AND ALL!!
THIS WAY, you don't have to worry about changing water that often. We do OURS about once a month and have had NO problems.
GOOD LUCK!!

Answer 5

I personally change all of the water every couple of weeks, especially if it looks really dirty. I temporarily put my bettas in paper cups (I have a double betta tank) while I clean everything. I also rinse the gravel at the bottom of the tank so everything is nice and clean.

Answer 6

Yes... it's true but on the last week of a month, put the fish into another bowl and wash the bowl and do a 100% water change.

Answer 7

Usually once a week, more if it gets murky. All of my beta fish have lived about 3 years. I think the key is to not over feed them, only what they will eat at a time. That way, uneaten food won't sit and go bad in the water.

Answer 8

If the tank is one gallon or larger, change half the water every two weeks. If it is under a gallon, you can leave him alone for up to a month.. but then, use your discretion. If the tank doesnt look dirty, usually its fine. if it looks dirty, change it as soon as you can. Remember to not keep it in diret sunlight all the time or algae will tend to grow more often.

Answer 9

I changed mine about once a week, depending on how much food you put in the bowl. Only a couple pieces will do a day, if you put more then maybe you should change more often.

Answer 10

Well, you should change all the water in the bowl once a week...but if you don't that is fine because the fish do partially clean it themselves so if you miss a week don't worry!