Can i use a product called Cycle in my betta's 1g fish bowl?

Question

i saw it at the store a few days ago and i was wondering if i could use it in a 1 gallon fish bowl for my betta (no filter). I think it's to treat the water in aquariums, but said it is safe to use and impossible to overdose.

heres the link: http://www.hagen.com/usa/aquatic/product.cfm?CAT=1&SUBCAT=121&PROD_ID=01076000020101

any comments?

Answer 1

you can but you are wasting your money. it is to help tanks establish bacteria colonies. you can't do that in a bowl. if you want to add something just because try some aquarium salt -- about 1/2 a teaspoon or some melafix -- i do melafix at 1/2 strength with my bettas -- its the same as stuff called bettafix that costs a lot more .

Answer 2

There is some disagreement over if cycle is at all useful in a filter tank. The basic idea is that it speeds up the development of the biological filter which converts ammonia to nitrates. (Well ammonia ->nitrites ->nitrates) The bacteria that do this need oxygen which is not present in a small bowl. (Betta get their oxygen from the surface of the water.)

So in your case it's completely useless. (Even if you had a small 2-5 gallon tank. A betta is tough enough to ride out the development of the biological filter (aka cycling) with only 10-30% weekly water changes.) What you need to do in a 1 gallon bowl is do a full water change every 4-7 days. (The more you feed him the more often you need to change the water.)

PS- I highly recommend a 2.5-5 gallon tank with built in filter, and a heater. The betta will be happier, and you'll only need to remove 10-30% of the water every 1-2 weeks.

Answer 3

It doesn't work. Bacteria, unless air and food fed cannot live in a can or pouch. 1 gallon? you need to cycle a one gallon? No need hun. It is a waste of money at any rate. Beta's first off should never be in a 1 gallon aquarium without heat and a filter. Yes it is safe because it is NOTHING. It isn't bacteria, it isn't anything but sludge. It will not help your aquariumnor your fish. Don't waste the money....spend it on a real aquarium for your fish.

NOT everyone who has a web page knows fish, same as horses, dogs or cement. ANYONE can have one that doesn't mean they know what they are talking about. Most are BS.

Answer 4

Bettas need a heater and filter to live their full lives. They usually live to 5 years when kept in good conditions. A filter is required as a filter helps keep the water clean and contains bacteria that turn the toxin in fish poop (ammonia) into another toxic substance (nitrite) and another kind of bacteria that turns nitrite into nitrate which is not very toxic at all. In bowls, ammonia and nitrite build up and constantly affect the fish. Ammonia burns the fish, and nitrite can stop the fish from breathing using it's gills. It's not a good idea. As for heaters, you need one as they keep the water to the high temperature bettas like for them to live long happy lives. It is hard to manage water conditions in small spaces like bowls even with filters which will help, but won't solve it. A fish quickly gets bored and tired swimming around and also sees a distorted version of reality due to the shape of the bowl which stresses it out, and the main killer of fish is stress. On top of that, a bowl is very small, and that is another thing that stresses fish out - when they cannot swim around much. Keeping a fish in a fish bowl without a heater is like keeping you locked in a 2ft x 5ft room with no heating at all, no toilet (a filter is like a toilet, it helps flush poop away), no entertainment and filled with distorting mirrors. Not a nice experience, especially if you're a fish.

Answer 5

Cycle isn't worth the bottle it comes in, and it's especially an absolute waste of money if your tank is already cycled (water changes do not deplete the bacteria levels, bacteria grows on surfaces, not free swimming in the water). The pet store will tell you all sorts of nonsense since it's another product sold, but anyone who thinks it's helping need only stop using it to realize it wasn't make a difference.

All you need in your bowl is dechlorinated tap water.

Follow the KISS rule, keep it simple. Keep it less complicated, less can go wrong.

Answer 6

Cycle will remove chlorine from tap water, but that will be the only benefit you get from it.

Every time you change the water in your betta tank you're killing off any bacteria that are growing.
If you are trying to setup a biological filter you will need some way of moving the water. There are a lot of new micro filters being sold in pet shops everywhere. Try getting one of these, they are perfect for tiny tanks. If and when you get one of these filters remember you only have to change half of the water and never never never wash of the gravel and plants.

Answer 7

You can but I wouldn't bother. Without a filter it's a waste of your time and money. That is one of those products sold to the peple unwilling to wait for nature and put in the time needed. Not to say your in that position at all.... a 1 gallon bowl with no filter will never support a nitrogen cycle anyway. Just change the water very 4-5 days and you're fine. Save the money for bloodworms lol.

Answer 8

You can, but it won't do anything.
Cycling is a product that is supposed to increase the speed of the cycling process. In the wild and in fishtanks there are colonies of nitrifying bacteria the eat the toxic ammonia produced by fish, and produce nitrites which are also toxic. Other nitrifying bacteria eat those nitrites and produce nitrates, which are much less toxic. The product "Cycle" is supposed to be those bacteria, but it is actually the DEAD bacteria, so it's useless and a waste of money.

Bettas are tough, they can handle a little ammonia - in fact those kept in little jars and never have their water cleaned are practically living in ammonia. Of course, they don't live nearly as long, but they can handle it for a little while.

I suggest that you adopt this maintenance schedule and process:
Every day, use a clean (fish-only) turkey baster, and suck out half the water along with any feces and uneaten food, and replace with fresh dechlorinated water.
This will ensure clean, fresh, oxygenated water every day for your betta, and it also means that you never have to completely remove your betta and clean out a really gross tank, which is stressful and unhealthy for all involved.

Other than that, just make sure you keep your betta warm. They come from Thailand, where the water temperature is 80F. Room temperature water is typically around 65F - you can move him closer to a lamp and increase the room temperature a little bit to keep him warmer.

Answer 9

NO, don't bother. Cycle is supposed to be beneficial bacteria, but its dead. The bacteria only lives for a short while without an ammonia supply and oxygen. The bottles must be kept refridgerated and expire within a week or two. Cycle is just a waste of money scam.

Answer 10

Yes you can use cycle in your one gal. tank but there really is no need to as most likely you change your water frequently.

Cycle is made to establish and or boost beneficial bacteria in your tank. Although it is a good product it will not help you.

A better product to add to your Betta's water would be Prime, which is sold in most pet stores.

Good luck