How often do you change the water? Mine seems to cloud up unusually fast and I don't want him to die or get sick
Betta owners, question
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 JCsKitten69 |
Betta owners, question |
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Posts: 21282 (01/20/2009 9:54 PM) |
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TR2119 |
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Posts: 9987 (01/20/2009 9:57 PM) |
I got mine a few months ago and haven't changed the water since. I have a tank made for bettas which has bubbles and stuff, so maybe that helps. I also got
larger rocks for gravel so the dirt just falls to the bottom in stead of getting all backed up on top of the gravel.
Technically, you need to change the water every week or as needed because that is how they get their oxygen - from fresh water. If there are bubbles in the tank, that's a different story. It aerates it. |
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Jonesy |
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Posts: 3350 (01/20/2009 9:58 PM) |
We don't change ours very often at all. If it looks dirty then we change it. Are you putting regular tap water in the bowl? That may be part of your
clouding problem.
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JCsKitten69 |
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Posts: 21283 (01/20/2009 9:59 PM) |
If I don't use tape water, what should I use?
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TR2119 |
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Posts: 9990 (01/20/2009 10:01 PM) |
JCsKitten69 wrote:They make water just for bettas, which I never bought. It comes in a blue water bottle. You are supposed to use water conditioner made for bettas. It de-chlorinates the water and makes it safe for the fish. |
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JCsKitten69 |
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Posts: 21284 (01/20/2009 10:03 PM) |
Yeah, I bought the conditioner, and I put some into the water after I change it. Water for bettas? Interesting, I will check that out. He seems okay, but the
water just looks gross to me personally
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Jonesy |
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Posts: 3351 (01/20/2009 10:03 PM) |
I always use bottled water. The tap water has too many chemicals in it (chlorine expecially). We have never had any problems with using bottled water. I've
never used special betta water.
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TR2119 |
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Posts: 9994 (01/20/2009 10:04 PM) |
JCsKitten69 wrote: I had a regular ol' tank before I got the one I have now. It looked dirty almost immediately. Ever since I got this one I had no problems. |
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JanetChasez |
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Posts: 3780 (01/20/2009 10:17 PM) |
We actually have one at work, and we change it once a week.
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ALR83 |
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Posts: 52298 (01/20/2009 10:27 PM) |
TR2119 wrote: What kind of bubbles? Cause we bought a tank for just regular fish that has a filter and the poor thing died, and then I realized hmm that's probably why lol. The next one lived 2 years and he just died last week actually. What kind of tank do you have? I'm looking for a new one. One thing I noticed was when we took the tank out of a lot of sunlight the water seemed to stay cleaner longer. Weird but who knows. We don't change the water THAT often, and we buy a gallon of purified water or use a Brita, the tap water is a no go here. |
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TR2119 |
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Posts: 10005 (01/20/2009 10:38 PM) |
ALR83 wrote:I have a small tank for the betta which is like 1-2 gallons. It has an air stone in it that is hooked up to the air pump. It creates bubbles. I also have a 10 gallon tank with goldfish - different sizes- and they are all fine. I have a filter and an air pump in that one too - with air stone. Fish tanks do get dirtier if in a bright area. It's best to keep the tank's light off for the majority of the day to reduce algae growth. Did you have tropical fish? You need a heater for them. Maybe that's why they died if you didn't have a heater. If you did, then I am not sure. Maybe when you changed the water, the temp was not correct and the fish went into shock. They die from that. Hope I helped somewhat... |
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ALR83 |
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Posts: 52299 (01/20/2009 10:42 PM) |
Oh no sorry I should have been more clear, it was a betta. The only thing we did different was remove the filter and like I said the next one lived 2 years and
just died recently.
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brokebacklance |
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Posts: 3578 (01/20/2009 10:43 PM) |
I change it once a week.
I use tap water and my betas are two years old. Tap water is fine. |
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SwanGeese |
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Posts: 5164 (01/20/2009 10:55 PM) |
Bettas don't need a special kind of water or conditioner. Plain old treated tap water and a regular dechlorinator work fine. Bettas are actually a very
hardy fish.
The dechlorinator that I find works best is Prime. If your water is clouding up unusually fast, then you may be overfeeding the fish. The betta's stomach is about the size of its eye. I also fast my betta once a week to prevent constipation. Also if the water surface is not agitated by a bubble wand or filter, then the water will become stagnant with time. Also keep in mind that smaller containers will require more often water changes. Larger containers are easier on the fish because the beneficial bacteria have a chance to build up and cycle the tank. Which in turn neutralizes toxins like ammonia and nitrites. If a larger home isn't possible right now, in the meantime rinse out the tank and ornaments with tank water and not chlorinated water. You don't want to kill any beneficial bacteria in your setup. But even if the water looks yucky and cloudy, the water parameters may still be suitable for your fish. The only way to know if your parameters are acceptable is to buy drop tests and test the water. Regular tap water by itself is not a cause for cloudy water. Cloudy water is often a result of a bacterial bloom brought about by overfeeding. I've heard good things about the Ammonia Alert things you put inside of your tank, so you may want to consider getting one if the container is large enough. Anyway I keep my betta in a 10 gallon tank with a heater and change 2 gallons a week. On alternate weeks I also gravel vac. My tank has a hang on back filter that keeps the tank aerated. |
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Ninido |
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Posts: 6132 (01/20/2009 10:56 PM) |
I used water from my water filter and then put those water drops in it to help kill any 'bad' stuff remaining. He, Captain G. Fin Fishstickerson, also
had a water filter and a little air/bubbler thing which helped keep the water clean. I changed his tank every 2wks or so
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SwanGeese |
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Posts: 5165 (01/20/2009 11:14 PM) |
TR2119 wrote: Check your nitrates. Goldfish are very dirty and I always have to watch my nitrates because they can get sky high if I'm not careful. Algae uses nitrates for fuel. Ideally your nitrates should be 20 ppm, but no more than 40 ppm. If your nitrates are too high, then the only way to get them down is by a water change. You can also prevent high nitrates by not overfeeding your fish, doing regular gravel vacs, and by having adequate filtration. Also if your tap is high in phosphates that can cause an algae explosion. I've heard that a UV sterilizer will take care of the problem. Algae is good in moderation because it saves you the work of having to do partial water changes. Some goldfish enthusiasts even go to great pains to cultivate green water. Personally I've never had an algae problem because my goldies always eat it before it has a chance to really grow.
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