I have some betta questions?

Question

I have a betta that I rescued. I bought him a ten gallon tank w/ filter, heater and plants tonight since he's doing so well. Can I use him to cycle the tank? Would that be ok? He would only be a small bio - load on the tank right? I think it would work well but want to make sure.

Also, once he gets completly better I'm gonna put him in my community tank. So, I was thinking about using the 10 gallon for a sorority tank. How many females could I comfortably put in the 10 gallon?

Answer 1

He will provide enough ammonia for you to get a very small cycle in the tank, but that's all it take s to get things rolling. I think that should work out quite well.

A 10 gallon would be a good female betta sorority tank for about 8-10 females.

MM

Answer 2

Though it takes longer, I strongly recommend fishless cycling. There are numerous ways to do this. Go to www.tropicalresources.net and you can learn many different ways to do it.

Also, if you must use the betta, take some of the gravel from the established tank and place it in the new tank, there should be beneficial bacteria present that may speed things up. If you can get any filter media from your established filter without causing a mini cycle on you established tank, then do so as well, this will speed things up a lot!

Also, if you have friends or a good fish store, they may have some filter media that you can use to kick-start the cycling.

I recommend weekly water changes at a minimum while cycling a tank with fish, at least 25%. Keep the water clean and if you have a testing kit, check the ammonia and nitrite levels daily. If you have a spike, do a large water change and check it again.

Bettas are pretty hardcore, but once again, he may fair better in the community tank right off.

As for the girls, they fight each other just as the males, so the answer to that question is 1, just one. 1 betta per tank regardless of sex (unless you are breeding).

Answer 3

cycling with fish is very hard on any fish, take sure you test your water constantly and watch for signs of stress. If you already have a tank that is cycled, take some of the gravel from there and put it in your new tank, and maybe even a piece of the filter to help transfer some of the good bacteria over and help with the cycling

Male bettas sometimes do not do well in community tanks. avoid putting with tropical fish with larger fins like guppies or angelfish as they will see them as a threat.

As for the females, I have heard they can fight among themselves as well, just not to the death. I'd save the 10 gallon as the bettas tank and leave the community tank as it. Or keep it as a quarantine tank.