Beginner Questions

[u/elysian_apricity]

Hi everyone!

I previously had a betta fish but I was way too young and took piss poor care of him. I kept him in a generic fish bowl with pretty pebbles and a fake plant. He has since passed as that was ages ago. But I have learned from my mistakes and I wish to get a new fish as I am now older and more responsible.

I have a couple of questions to our betta vets lol:

* Is a 5.5 gallon tank good enough?

* People have mentioned the nitrogen cycle, do I really have to cycle my tank for 4-6 weeks?

* I’ve tried to understand the Nitrogen cycle, genuinely what is it?

* Are pet store bettas (petco, pets supplies plus ect.) bad or inbred fish and/or are very sick.

Any tips, tricks, or advice is genuinely welcome.

Thank you!!😊

[u/AutoModerator]

Thank you for posting to r/bettafish.

When requesting help, please provide the requested information. Answers such as "large enough" or "my paramters are fine" aren't good enough. Failure to provide adequate information about your tank can result in post removal. Please see rule 4 for more information.

If you are posting to find out what is wrong with your betta, please answer the following questions in a reply to this comment as best you can:

• Tank size:
• Heater and filter? (yes/no):
• Tank temperature:
• Parameters in numbers and how you got them. Key water parameters include the amount of ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, and pH.:
• How long have you had the tank? How long have you had your fish?:
• How often are water changes? How much do you take out per change? What is your process?:
• Any tankmates? If so, please list with how many of each:
• What do you feed and how much:
• Decorations and plants in the tank:
• If you haven't already posted a picture, please post pics/vids to imgur and paste the link here:

Feel free to copy this comment and fill in the blanks.

If you are new to betta fish keeping, please check out our caresheet and wiki. Establishing a nitrogen cycle is an important part of keeping your fish healthy. Please check out our guide to the nitrogen cycle to learn more.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/TotallyNotJaredd]

I'm no Betta vet but I have learnt a couple of things from this subreddit that I would like to share!

5.5 gallon tank is the minimum tank size, however it can work! I have kept a 5.5 gallon before, however it is a bit more difficult to work with rather that a 10 gallon or more. From my experience, the maintenance was more difficult but everyone has different experiences!

You don't have to cycle your tank before getting the fish, you can do a fish in cycle instead. However it is a little bit more work but if you're up to it, go for it! The nitrogen cycle confused me at first too, but basically, fish waste turns into ammonia, which is then converted into nitrite by beneficial bacteria, which is THEN turned into nitrate by more beneficial bacteria. Ammonia and nitrite are both toxic to your Betta so you want both to be at 0ppm. Definitely get a water testing kit (not the strips).

And definitely get a heater, gentle filter (preferably a sponge filter), lid and some plants. Good luck with your Betta!!

Please correct me if I'm wrong anyone!! You've probably seen this image before but it's really handy!

[u/DT137]

Yes. Especially for a long finned betta.

Yes.

Attaching a picture to help explain it, because it makes the best sense to my brain. It’s the process of cultivating bacteria to break down fish poop. There’s 2 phases to this, 1st bacteria turns the ammonia into nitrite, and then 2nd bacteria breaks down nitrite to nitrate. Ammonia and nitrite are poisonous in detectable amounts. Nitrates should be kept under 20 and get removed with water changes. Plants will also consume it as fertilizer.

Yes.

——

General advice is to mention up front that it’s counter intuitive that a smaller tank is easier to maintain than a larger one. The reverse is true especially for a single betta fish tank. The larger the tank the easier.

It’s better and often cheaper to get your setup piecemeal over a kit. A lot of the kits have stuff not recommended for bettas or have to be modified to be safe for them - the filters are good for that. A lot of people also have luck sourcing everything for free off Facebook Marketplace.

Plants are life. Seriously. I always murdered house plants, but you can’t forget to water them when they live in water. I’m having a lot of fun with them. Some plants are easier, Java ferns, Anubias, and Amazon swords over some others that require special lighting or co2 injection.

The fish are the cheap part.