i have a beata and when i clean his tank it gets dirty in 3 days again?

Question

I need help! my beatas tank is full of gunk every 3 days that i wash it! it wont stay clean! what am i doing wrong? i am cleaning it with reagular fish soap that a pet co. person.

i have a big enough encloser.
and i dont have a filter... maybe that is my problem! thanks!

um his tank is pretty big! he has a lot of things in there. i dont over feed him though. i only feed him like 4 flakes of fish food a day to him.

well at the bottom of his tank i put some marbles and rocks. i also put a sea shell that i have cleaned so many times! also some plastic sea weed.

Answer 1

You don't need anything to clean his tank other than water, and maybe a gravel siphon.

How big of a tank is he in? If it needs cleaned every three days, it sounds rather small. It's possible that you might be overfeeding your betta if you're seeing uneaten food. They should only be given about 3-4 of the betta pellets each time you feed, and they can have two feedings a day, although you might want to vary what he gets - add some bloodworms or daphnia for some variety. If this is the amount you're giving him, does he eat it all, or leave most of it? If he's not eating as much as you give him, try cutting back. Also, is he at the correct temperature of 76-86o? If the water is too cool or too warm, they may not have an appetite.

If you are just seeing cloudy water and he's in a tank, the tank is probably cycling. This means that it's building up a bacteria population to break up the fish's wastes. The cloudiness is from the rapid reproduction of the bacteria as they divide to keep up with the amount of waste produced. This is normal in a new tank, but if you keep tearing it down and cleaning, you're removing the bacteria each time, so they have to start multiplying again, so the water keeps getting cloudy.

See this information about cloudy tank water: http://www.fishlore.com/CloudyWater.htm
http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm

Answer 2

How big is your tank? If you have it in a bowl I'd recommend putting it in a larger environment, such a 2.5 gallon or a 5 gallon. Also, it sounds like you don't have a filter going. You should look into that. The filter will not only help keep the water oxygenated so that the betta doesn't have to go to the surface for air as often but it will also keep your water clean. With a tank such as a 2.5 or a 5 gallon you'll still have to do water changes every couple of days because of your fish producing ammonia, unless you want to look into getting so ammonia removing media for your filter which might prolong the need for a water change for a day or so, just use a test kit to check your ammonia levels and when it reaches above .50 or 1.0 it's time to change the water. Hope this helps. Good luck.

Answer 3

Try changing his food to pellets these are easier for the betta to eat as the dont disintergrate as easily as the flakes.

If you tank is smaller than two and half gals then it is usual to have to do a partial water change more often.

Was your tank completely cycled before you put your betta in this can affect the balance in the water.

when you do a water change only change about 25% of the water as you remove essential bactieria by removing more. I would advise against scrubbing your decorations if you need to wash them use water from the tank so you dont kill off any vital bacteria.

A filter wil help keep your water clearer as it filters the water removing anything that is floating in the water. if you purchase a filter makes sure you rinse the filter sponge once a week when you do your water change using tank water as the filter sponge is another place where bacteria grows.

having live plants can encourage the growth of algea in your tank which could be another explanation for the water becoming full of gunk. if you have live plants try using silk plants instead they look just as good.

Using fish soap could be harmful to your fish and strange as it seems it could be encouraging the growth of gunk in your tank.

I would invest in a water parameter test kit to check your water as there could be a problem there.

If your tank is big enough you could get a small algae eater as a companion for your betta which will help keep you tank cleaner.

Check out this forum it is fun and flame free and full of betta lovers who are always willing to help with any questions you wiil have.!!

http://z6.invisionfree.com/TheBettaBug/index.php?act=idx

Answer 4

Your betta probably needs a bigger enclosure. The smaller the enclosure, the quicker it'll get filthy. Consider getting something with filtration to help. Manage the amount of food you feed the betta, too. Extra food can quickly dirty the water. Consider getting a ghost shrimp to help keep the tank cleaner (they eat excess food that the fish don't eat).

Answer 5

Yeah they tend to do that. I used to have two of them and after 3-4 days it's full of gross stuff. What I did was feed it a little less. But not TOO much! your only post to feed them like 2 times a day. And not to many fish food pellets or flakes what ever you use. They can get sick if you do that too.

Answer 6

you are probably overfeeding the fish. Also, you should get a side mount pump/filter. This will circulate the water and pull the polutants out, so you don't have to clean it so often.

Also, cleaning it often does not allow beneficial bacteria to grow in the tank that will help keep it clean and healthy for the fish.

Answer 7

for about $5-9 you can buy a cheap airpump/filter for small tanks from wallmart - they have a disposable filter cartridge that you change once a month - i use one to keep my turtle tank cleaner between washings.

With a filter you can add a cordy catfish or algae eater to the tank/bowl to help eat any leftover food- !but they cant live in a bowl without airpump like a betta can!

hope this helps

Answer 8

well probably the rocks and marbles were dirty or the food makes the water dirty or the fish makes too much waste or well you dont have a filter or the tank is too littel.

Answer 9

The reason for this is the tank is probably too small with no filter. There is stuff called waste reducer or remover...not sure how well it works, but its suppose to help eliminate that so much.

Answer 10

I think you may be getting algae and mistaking that for dirty, Get a otto or rubberlipped pleco for the tank, of course you need a pump too. The betta is one of the few fish that can live w/o a pump.