New betta fish owner, many questions.?

Question

Recently got a betta in a fish bowl as a gift. I've never had a fish before in my life so I have NO idea what to do with it. I bought a 2 gallon tank with an under gravel filter. I have gravel in the tank. I used water conditioners. I feed it twice a day with Betta Bites (3-4 pellets each meal) and never leave any food leftover in the tank.

So I guess my questions are...is this okay? And how often should I change the water? Do I change all of it or just part? How does PH relate to the betta, and how do I know what is a good level? And what is cycling? I think my water may be getting cloudy...but maybe not. I'm not sure what normal fish water is supposed to look like. I'm so confused!

Answer 1

Welcome to the hobby! You are off to a wonderful start. Excellent upgrade getting the tank for your new pet. The addition I would suggest would be a heater. Most larger pet store carry heaters suitable for a 2 gallon tank and any pet shop could certainly order one for you.

Let's run down a few of your questions:

pH is not that important honestly. Bettas, like most fish can and do adapt to a wide range of pH so I would strongly recommend you not try to change it.

Cycling, I'm going to give you a link to a page that starts off with an intro to fish keeping and goes from there into cycling and other fish tank info. Just follow the links at the bottom of each page, it's fairly short, but really good info and well worth you time.

Changing water. I would suggest you change 25% or so of the water in his tank each week. This is usually enough to keep the tank clean and healthy. A small gravel siphon (available at the pet store very inexpensively) would be a good investment so that you can clean the gravel as you change that water.

It would not be surprising for your water to be little cloudy. it gets that way sometimes during cycling and other times that the tank can get a little dirty. Best case, you want the water to stay nice and clear though.

You're feeding just the right amount of food for him, but I would suggest you get some freeze dried bloodworms or brine shrimp and give him a little as a meal every 2-3 days. Bettas love them and the variety in his diet will be very good for him.

You're doing great, keep up the good work!

http://www.firsttankguide.net/

If I can help any more please feel free to email me.

MM

Answer 2

do a part water change every week (1/4 to 1/3).. and rinse out the gravel a bit.

you are doing fine - make sure the filter is down low so it doesnt disturb the water too much - bettas are from still water, not running - too much disturbance can stress them.

the PH for bettas is around 7 (6-8 is fine)
you have to make sure when you are doing a water change, that the new water you are putting in is around the same PH as what is in the tank - major changes in PH will kill them. The PH of tap water sometimes changes daily - and no, most tropical fish dont "adapt" as one answerer said.

it is also not normal for water to be noticably cloudy (if you think youre imagining things, you probably are - stop panicking) - if it is, change it (remember check PH) and check the expiry date on your water conditioner. Also check any plastic plants (some can give off chemicals that can kill your fish - best to soak them for a while before adding to tank).

and they are from south east asia - the water temp needs to be kept warm all year round or they will not live long - they are NOT cold water fish. ideal is around 77 - 86 degrees Fahrenheit (25-30 Celcius).

they have a lifespan of 2-3 years if looked after well (bettas in petshops are at least 6 months old).
.

Answer 3

With keeping fish its simple, the more you fuss the worse it is, leave it alone any dramatic changes can stress your fish, stress=death rather quikly for a fish, youll no when something is wrong the fish will tell you, dont mix 2 males together theyll fight to the death, (now sure bout females, male have the lower flappy fins though)the water should look clear though not cloudy, if the water gets cloudy quite then clean the filter and change 50% the water and condition the other 50% you are replacing

Answer 4

I have a betta fish too and this is how I have him and how I keep and care for him. He's in a 2.5 gallon tank with a slow flowing filter with a bubble wand and Java Moss (plant), if the bubble wand becomes an issue with him I simply turn it off. The sponge filter is gently rinsed in removed aquarium water and replaced every 6 weeks, and then I will add a bacterial product called Stability by SeaChem. In 2 weeks after the filter cleaning I will vacuum his gravel so there won't be a toxic build up down there. I don't do that very often only because I don't want to upset the biological filter. When removing water and replacing the water, I do this very slowly so I don't upset the pH of the tank, you see the pH of the tank is much different than the pH of my tap water. I have set aside a gallon bucket of water that has a lid, fill it with water and add 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda to bring up the pH/KH, my tap doesn't have any KH at the moment I tested and it's at 0. Any way I go to the tap and get some water fill up 2 cups add 4 oz of my bucket water mixture add Seachem Prime and I'm ready to go. So now I'm ready to replace the water, I just don't put it in all at once or he will get zoned out. I put in a little new water than remove some aquarium water and add it to the clean water I'm putting in, doing this back and forth until both replacement water and aquarium water match very closely in chemistry. Over all it takes me 10 minutes standing by his tank putting fresh water in his tank very slowly very gently. Once this is all done I will add some Stability by SeaChem in the event I upset the biology in the water and around the Java Moss. There's also a heater that keeps his water at 78F all the time. He's also feed pre-soaked pellets as his main diet and a blood worm as a treat 3 times a week. When soaking pellets soak in just a tiny bit of removed aquarium water If you are interested in testing your water you just get a kit or take some aquarium water down to your LFS and have them test it for you, you will then know what to do if they find a problem. Also in most aquarium stores there are some test kits that you can do your self. It's not to hard, just do your research and you will be amazed on what you will find and what you can do to improve life in an aquarium. Take Care and enjoy your fishy friend

Answer 5

if your water is getting cloudy its time to change it. put the fish in a seperate tank and dump all the water out fill with new water. bettas can stand to be feed once a day. bettas are very strong fish they are not affected by things like ph. the only thing you really need to know about bettas is never, ever, put anything else in the tank with a betta they will kill it immeditly. no question. they will kill it.

Answer 6

sounds like your feeding it right...change half the water every week.....yes check the ph level....the water should be clear

Answer 7

yeah your doing ok. just keep the water clean.

Answer 8

im sure your fish will be fine! stop worrying and just enjoy him!