Im cleaning my beta's fish bowl (and rocks) and was wondering if you can clean the rocks (which are disgusting) with dish soap. If not, how could you get them cleaned real good?
2006-09-09 00:26:26 · 17 answers · asked by Ricknows 5 in Pets ➔ Fish
Cyndi seems a bit wrong with the whole cleaning everyday thing and also about the plant thing.....what do you all think, my wife thought it was a crock of crap....
2006-09-09 00:55:23 · update #1
NO! The soap residue will kill it! The tank isn't supposed to be perfectly clean. Rinse the bowl out real good- wash the sides and other items with a paper towel or rag. Fill the bowl back up with water that has been standing for 24hours. Also add a couple of cups of the old water. It has electrolytes in it that the fish needs. Next- NEVER put a plant back on top of the bowl. This is the same as torture. The plant does nothing but kill your fish. It prevents it from breathing and it doesn't provide food or clean the tank as some might like for you to believe. Feed it beta food for the best colors. Also give him blood worms as a treat. Don't overfeed- a few pellets twice a day is good. Also occasionally hold a mirror up to him. He will puff up and defend his territory. This will give him something to do but only for a few moments once a day. You need to clean the tank at least every other day if not every day. The easiest way to do this is to have 2 tanks and just switch him back and forth each day. put a cup down in the bowl- they automatically like to hide in them. Lift it out and put him int the clean bowl. Then rinse out the bowl he was in. Fill with fresh water and your ready for the next day. Good luck! Added on- Why do you bother to ask if you know so much about fish? Or is it you just don't want to take the time to properly care for it? Obviously you don't care so why don't you just flush him down the toliet? Why did you get it if you don't want to give it the best quality of life possible? Maybe it's just because I care about the way we treat things that are in our universe. I really hope you reconsider your intentions for not just this challenge but for all opportunities that come your way. What would happen if the fish was responsible for your care? Do you like a fresh bath every day? Do you eat out of clean dishes? Just think it over!
2006-09-09 00:43:23 · answer #1 · answered by Cyndi S 2 · 2⤊ 4⤋
NEVER USE SOAP !!!!!!!
The residue will kill the betta.
I only used hot water to clean out my betta bowls back when i was stupid to keep bettas i bowls.
If the betta is in 1 quart bowl clean it everyday.
.5 gallons clean it twice a week
1 gallon clean it once a week
2.5 gallons once every other week.
In a small container such as a bowl and 2.5 gallon tank or bowl, it is very difficult to keep the water parameters stable to 100 % cleanings are a must because you do not want to put your betta through an ammonia spike and nitrite spike. However too many cleanings will stress a fish out wich is why bettas should never ever be housed in anything less then 1 gallon. I just put the cleaning schedule for quart bowls and half gallon bowls because i see them for sale everywhere and people are dumb enough to buy them.
YOU NEVER USE SOAP, only use hot water to clean out the bowls. The fish will be dead instantly if there is any soap residue left in the bowl. People who said to use soap are morons.
BTW, a betta in a bowl is just merely surviving, they are tropical fish and need heaters. Get h im atleast a 5.5 gallon tank with a filter and a heater and he will be alot healthier and you will only have to change 25 percent of the water weekly and vacume the gravel, it will be easier and less time consuming then cleaning out the bowl. And you could even get him a few neon tetras for friends in a 5.5 gallon tank.
Cindi is not wrong about the plant thing but she is off on a few other things. The setups that have the betta in the vase with the peace lily on top are torture chambers and the fish will be dead in a month if you have him in one. Bettas do not eat the roots, they are carnivores. The peace lily is a bog plant and needs dirt to live, so the roots tend to rot in the water, which will kill the betta. The roots also block the top of the vase and the betta suffocates because it cannot get to the surface for fresh air. It is triple the work to keep both the plant and the fish alive. Only a ignorant dumba** would believe that the setup is good. Every single betta website that is owned by people who have spent decades studying and keeping and breeding bettas are against the peace lily and betta setups.
http://bettatalk.com
2006-09-09 04:48:46 · answer #2 · answered by lady_crotalus 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Beta Fish Bowl
2016-09-30 10:50:41 · answer #3 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
For starters - "Cyndi" is not full of it, and whoever it was that told you to use soap to clean rocks, plants and your bowl was full of it.
Soap will leave it's residue (even when you think it is gone) and is a sure fire way to not only wind up with sick fish, but will cause fish death.
I don't even recommend you use tap water to clean your equipment and bowl either. You need to just clean the items in the bowl with the bowls own water and your finger tips. Tap water contains Chlorine and if you clean with it you will absolutely kill your fish (if you do not dechlorinate correctly). You could even wind up with an Ammonia problem.
I would recommend using these 2 sites. Post your question out on both, and I guarantee you will get very few varying answers.
http://www.aquariumboard.com
http://www.aquariacentral.com
Good luck
2006-09-09 06:30:10 · answer #4 · answered by sly2kusa 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
NOOOOOOO! Do not use soap, it will mean death for your betta! With any kind of fish you cannot use dish soap on anything. Even if you think that you have rinsed it all out of the gravel, decor and bowl you just cannot. When you wash a fish tank or bowl you should use hot water, rinse it out thoroughly and rinse the decor and scrub the sides with a paper towel. Water conditioner does nothing for the soap it takes the chlorine out of the water and makes it safe for your fish. Like I say do not use soap your fish will die! I made a huge mistake with my fish, I lost 20 fish because I kept cleaning the tank with soap. If you want to sanitize then you can boil your gravel and decor and fish net. Also you can soak them in hot water with kosher salt. but be sure to rinse them off real well.
2016-03-17 01:50:47 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Improve Your Bowling Game & Score!
2016-07-23 02:31:59 · answer #6 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
no, you shouldn't because it could kill the beta. but, it you do, after boil the rocks and stuff on the sove but only keep the stove on for 3 minutes
2006-09-09 08:31:56 · answer #7 · answered by Answerfinder1360 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
no soap~~ just hot water for all items in bowl.
2006-09-09 08:34:53 · answer #8 · answered by btlrboyz 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
you can. but after cleaning you must place the rocks under flowing clean plain water so htat no soap remains on them.
2006-09-09 00:29:36 · answer #9 · answered by HMG M 3 · 3⤊ 2⤋
no you can not. the slightest residue can kill your fish , just scrub your tank with hot water and you will get the same results
2006-09-09 00:51:34 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 1⤋