# Betta stuff



## StripesAndFins (Dec 31, 2008)

So my dad finally allowed me to get a betta for my 5 gallon. since it was really bare ( only gravel) i decided i would take it down. i took almost all the water out except for 1-2cm and the gravel. This morning i filled it up to about 1/3 of the way. i am getting some decor and a new heater and light bulb. i want to know what type of heater to get for the betta, at the moment it is too low for the tank. Thanks! 

i am planning on getting some:
-Anubias
-a log-like object for it
-maybe a floating object for it
-some betta food

Any help is appreciated!

BTW: which anubias should i get? the dimensions are 13x11.5x12" (LxWxH)


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

a 25 watt heater will be fine......... try to use real driftwood..... anubias nana will work... also add a couple of crypts..


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## StripesAndFins (Dec 31, 2008)

will crypts work in low lighting tanks? and i was reading that a 75 watt heater wasgood for kepping a 5 gallon at 27C (which is 80*F) is this true? i might just get a 25 watt heater, its better than the one i have now. 7.5 watts. i dont think i can get small driftwood, the smallest i can get is the size of the tank (if not bigger)


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## Guest (Jul 13, 2009)

a 75 is typically rated for a 15gl tank. i dunno if you really wanna run that kinda wattage on the 5gl.


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## Guest (Jul 13, 2009)

drift wood: you could get a big piece and chop it up. attached is a pic of the driftwood i use in my 7.

i got that piece from the tailend of a one foot long piece.


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## StripesAndFins (Dec 31, 2008)

at the petsmart near me, they sell driftwood with 1-2 plants on it. and its already in the water so i doesnt leak any tannins. maybe ill get some of that.


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## Guest (Jul 13, 2009)

sounds like a plan but keep in mind tannins from DW will continue to leak for years to come. i dont thonk that will do much harm to you betta though. whats goin on with the 12 GL?


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## Toshogu (Apr 24, 2009)

make sure to pick up Seachem Stability


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## StripesAndFins (Dec 31, 2008)

i dont think im going to do the seachum stuff. i dont want to add anymore chemicals than needed. i alreay am using the same filter pad and gravel from last time i used this tank so i think that should help it. and the plants should also help too right?

Zakk: i cant use the 12. my dad doesnt trust it in my room, and after what just happened with it, neither do i. my dad also said no more tanks so i can use any othr tanks even if i bought one. thanks for your concern though


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## Toshogu (Apr 24, 2009)

Seachem Stability is not chemicals. It's a bottle of the benificial bacteria that a tank needs for biofiltration. It's basically going to cycle your tank in 7 days.


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## ron v (Feb 24, 2005)

Seachem Stability is not chemicals. It's a bottle of the benificial bacteria that a tank needs for biofiltration. It's basically going to cycle your tank in 7 days.

Maybe!!!


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## StripesAndFins (Dec 31, 2008)

ok i will look at it the next time i go to my LPS. not saying ill buy it, but ill check it out


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## betta0fish (Feb 16, 2009)

tannin is good for fish


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## sollie7 (Feb 25, 2007)

StripesAndFins said:


> So my dad finally allowed me to get a betta for my 5 gallon. since it was really bare ( only gravel) i decided i would take it down. i took almost all the water out except for 1-2cm and the gravel. This morning i filled it up to about 1/3 of the way. i am getting some decor and a new heater and light bulb. i want to know what type of heater to get for the betta, at the moment it is too low for the tank. Thanks!
> 
> i am planning on getting some:
> -Anubias
> ...



Get the 25 watt heater
Hikari's Bio Gold betta food is the best, can also supplement with blood worms and loha's Plecocaine #2


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## sollie7 (Feb 25, 2007)

betta0fish said:


> tannin is good for fish


for some types of fish, it lowers the PH


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## sollie7 (Feb 25, 2007)

StripesAndFins said:


> at the petsmart near me, they sell driftwood with 1-2 plants on it. and its already in the water so i doesnt leak any tannins. maybe ill get some of that.


If you can get your own driftwood, all you have to do to sterilize it is boil it for an hour or two and then soak it in fresh water to remove excess tannins and water log it


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

You don't need to cycle a 5 with only 1 fish. Just change at least 1/2 the water twice a week. And since sollie7 didn't mention a filter, there may be nothing to cycle. Skip the stability and be religious about water changes. A little alkaline regulator, or maybe just baking soda will keep the pH from falling from tannins. 

The heater you need depends on the room temp. 25W is fine if its usually within 10F of the desired tank temp. But if you keep your room at 50F, you might want a 75W heater, 60F, 50W.


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## ron v (Feb 24, 2005)

You know... this is something I have wondered about. How do they keep all those 100's of little bowls of male betta's cycled??? Do they, or are bettas immune to ammonia poisioning?


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Bettas aren't immune to ammonia poisoning. It kills them more slowly, because they can get some oxygen from the surface even if their gills are burned. 

Once you get below 5 gallons, its hard to keep a tank cycled. Any little thing goes wrong, the bacteria die, and the fish suffer. But cycled tanks aren't the only way to deal with ammonia. 

The killie/betta standard is to have a row of clean containers of which you have 1 more than you keep full. You move the fish from one container into a similar one with 100% new water, dump the fishless container, rinse it and refill. Then you move the fish from the next container and go repeat down the line. The fish are always exposed to some ammonia, but hopefully you change the water before it gets high enough to kill them. The smaller the container, the more frequent the 100% water changes needed. This isn't new. Ancient Chinese kept koi in porcelain bowls and changed the water twice or three times a day. Asian wholesalers often do massive water changes several times a day with river water. No matter how densely they pack their tanks, they don't worry about bioload, because its not the filter that give the fish clean water, its the river.

A very smart killie keeper in my club makes itty bitty filters out of rigid airline and filter floss. No matter how small the container, he has a little airline to it and a slow airflow (blub......blub...). And the little wad of floss does cycle and act like a filter. He still does the 100% water changes in the approved manner, but he never has detectable ammonia or nitrite. His fish are healthier and grow faster. 

I suspect places like wal-mart are taking advantage of 'ammonia-detoxifying' chemicals to skimp on the water changes. Not feeding probably helps, too. Without the frequency of water changes, the fish may be alive, but it is still in its own waste in a little bit of water that is too small to be stable.


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## sollie7 (Feb 25, 2007)

emc7 said:


> You don't need to cycle a 5 with only 1 fish. Just change at least 1/2 the water twice a week. And since sollie7 didn't mention a filter, there may be nothing to cycle. Skip the stability and be religious about water changes. A little alkaline regulator, or maybe just baking soda will keep the pH from falling from tannins.
> 
> The heater you need depends on the room temp. 25W is fine if its usually within 10F of the desired tank temp. But if you keep your room at 50F, you might want a 75W heater, 60F, 50W.


Yeah dont worry about a filter, unless you get a sponge filter or something like that. A power filter will just make the betta fly around and tank


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## ron v (Feb 24, 2005)

Thanks EMC. Wow... I don't think I'll be getting into bettas anytime soon LOL.


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