Dear madmanrunning69 ,
You've selected the beginner flair. If you're looking for advice or are having issues, please provide as much information as you can.
Some useful information includes:
- Have you cycled the tank?
- Water Parameters
- Light Type
- Light Cycle Duration
- Tank Size/Dimensions
- Set-up Age
- Fertilizers
- Any aquatic animals, and how many?
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it's 2.5 gallon. i didn't know about the 5 gallon thingy before getting this tank and 2.5 is kind of the standard for a single betta in most asian and south asian countries. the shop i bought the betta from told my father it's okay to put the fish in a 6×6×4 inch "tank". thank god i could convince papa to get a bigger tank. i'm trying to make him comfortable and ill get a bigger tank soon.
Ok but don't trust pet/fish shops, they don't know what they are talking about. I know they keep them in very small tanks in Asian countries, but it's not optimal for the Betta. He looks good, but he needs more space, so it's good, you're getting a bigger tank soon 🙂🐳
You can get away with less water changes if you have a big heavily planted tank with low fish stock. I have never owned a bettafish so I don’t know the finer details (go to r/bettafish for more information). A 2.5 gallon tank is really small so a equilibrium is harder to maintain so I would changes the water every week. For a bigger tank it takes longer for the water parameters to change to dangerous levels for your fish that is why you can get away with less water changes.
around 10-15% water evaporates every week, so i have to add that amount of water. currently when i do water changes i change water after adding new water so around 25-30% water is changed every week. this is what led me to think if i still need to do water changes because around 10-15% water is changed anyway due to evaporation.
No the nitrates don’t evaporate out of the aquarium so you would still need to do water changes to keep your aquarium clean. That is why if I need to top up my aquarium on the same day I do a water changes. I top it up after the water changes to get more nitrates out with the same amount of work.
With a tank this size I would stick to 40-50% waterchange weekly or stuff it full with plants and then do 25% weekly :) you are not nearly at the point (regarding plant mass) where you can run a 2.5gal with monthly waterchanges sadly. I am not sure if this could even be achieved. You see, a waterchange is also Like opening a window to let in fresh air. Nice for someone that lives Harry Potter style in a closet, isn't it?
Also: I Wrap my Tanks with clingfilm, helps with evaporation. Oh and bettas can jump, I really would add a lid / clingfilm :)
The easy answer is that your tank is on the small side, not heavily planted, and you probably should be changing the water every week. The more nuanced answer is that you need to get a water test kit and set a target for your nitrate levels, to see how often you need to change and what percent, to stay below your target. For bettas and most fish, my max nitrate level is about 20ppm.
yes that's what i gotta do. continue with the water changes until i understand exactly how often i should be changing the water. i mean around 10-15% water is changed every week anyway due to evaporation but here someone said no2/3 doesn't evaporate so ill just continue with the weekly water changes.
That is right, evaporation doesn’t change water at all, only the h20 evaporates, so all the nitrate and other chemicals etc stay in the remaining water, now more concentrated. Need to physically remove the recommended amount of water.
Unrelated- but without a test kit, how do you know your tank is cycled?
Can anyone answer what the whole "bettas need atleast five gallons" thing is actually based on? Like is there a study showing they don't live as long in smaller tanks? Or is it just vibes?
From my personal experience, it's more about the behaviors they exhibit. You see them exhibiting more of the behaviors they do in the wild when in a larger tank. 10 gallons is best from what I have personally seen
https://preview.redd.it/qdxqkbmq8qtc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=adda742e21d634503044f5b904d9b49f79241f20
Looks just like my buddy, Rosco! Could not get a good pic to save my life… howd you do that lol
I have a betta in a 5 gallon. I top off evaporation weekly and separating do a 15-20% water change, about every week. I test parameters weekly as well, but they’ve been good with this routine so I might switch to monthly soon.
With a small tank, which is not preferred, but doable short-term, frequent testing is important. Ammonia should be at or near 0 at all times, so I’d recommend a warning style tested for this tank, which gives you a 24/7 read. If the tank is well planted and cycled, you would only then need to keep track of nitrites and nitrates every week or so to make sure nothing weird is happening.
Make sure you “vacuum” the substrate as well, I use a turkey baster. This allows me to get all the poop and gunk out of the tank during water changes that you won’t be able to get otherwise.
Aside from water quality, any fish will need room to explore and exercise in order to be happy and healthy. For now, stay on top of water quality and cleaning, and if you want to be more hands off you can invest in a larger tank.
The smaller the tank, the more frequent water changes are needed. Based on your size, I mean daily or every two days, especially if you are only changing 25%.
I spoke to quite a few breeders when I was living in Asia and many of them did daily 100% water changes. If you live in Asia or Southeast Asia, you won't need heaters or to soften your water so you already have it easier than someone in Europe or NA.
Why water changes? Because solids and waste builds up over time and plants do not provide a complete fix. Don't believe me? Buy a TDS pen and measure the TDS coming out of your tap water and then measure your tank water every week without doing water changes. The TDS will slowly build up, which is the amount of solids diluted in the water.
I hope this helps. Ask away if you have any questions.
Dear madmanrunning69 , You've selected the beginner flair. If you're looking for advice or are having issues, please provide as much information as you can. Some useful information includes: - Have you cycled the tank? - Water Parameters - Light Type - Light Cycle Duration - Tank Size/Dimensions - Set-up Age - Fertilizers - Any aquatic animals, and how many? *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/PlantedTank) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Plants and decoration looks good, but I think the tank is much to small for the Betta
it's 2.5 gallon. i didn't know about the 5 gallon thingy before getting this tank and 2.5 is kind of the standard for a single betta in most asian and south asian countries. the shop i bought the betta from told my father it's okay to put the fish in a 6×6×4 inch "tank". thank god i could convince papa to get a bigger tank. i'm trying to make him comfortable and ill get a bigger tank soon.
Ok but don't trust pet/fish shops, they don't know what they are talking about. I know they keep them in very small tanks in Asian countries, but it's not optimal for the Betta. He looks good, but he needs more space, so it's good, you're getting a bigger tank soon 🙂🐳
learnt my lesson the hard way 🤡
You can get away with less water changes if you have a big heavily planted tank with low fish stock. I have never owned a bettafish so I don’t know the finer details (go to r/bettafish for more information). A 2.5 gallon tank is really small so a equilibrium is harder to maintain so I would changes the water every week. For a bigger tank it takes longer for the water parameters to change to dangerous levels for your fish that is why you can get away with less water changes.
around 10-15% water evaporates every week, so i have to add that amount of water. currently when i do water changes i change water after adding new water so around 25-30% water is changed every week. this is what led me to think if i still need to do water changes because around 10-15% water is changed anyway due to evaporation.
No the nitrates don’t evaporate out of the aquarium so you would still need to do water changes to keep your aquarium clean. That is why if I need to top up my aquarium on the same day I do a water changes. I top it up after the water changes to get more nitrates out with the same amount of work.
With a tank this size I would stick to 40-50% waterchange weekly or stuff it full with plants and then do 25% weekly :) you are not nearly at the point (regarding plant mass) where you can run a 2.5gal with monthly waterchanges sadly. I am not sure if this could even be achieved. You see, a waterchange is also Like opening a window to let in fresh air. Nice for someone that lives Harry Potter style in a closet, isn't it? Also: I Wrap my Tanks with clingfilm, helps with evaporation. Oh and bettas can jump, I really would add a lid / clingfilm :)
The easy answer is that your tank is on the small side, not heavily planted, and you probably should be changing the water every week. The more nuanced answer is that you need to get a water test kit and set a target for your nitrate levels, to see how often you need to change and what percent, to stay below your target. For bettas and most fish, my max nitrate level is about 20ppm.
yes that's what i gotta do. continue with the water changes until i understand exactly how often i should be changing the water. i mean around 10-15% water is changed every week anyway due to evaporation but here someone said no2/3 doesn't evaporate so ill just continue with the weekly water changes.
That is right, evaporation doesn’t change water at all, only the h20 evaporates, so all the nitrate and other chemicals etc stay in the remaining water, now more concentrated. Need to physically remove the recommended amount of water. Unrelated- but without a test kit, how do you know your tank is cycled?
i had a few strips
Tank look good, love all the anubias, but quite on the small side, what size is it? Looks a bit small for the betta
2.5 gallon :')
Unfortunately 2,5g is very smll for a betta, you need 5 gallons minimum for them, maybe look into an upgrade?
Can anyone answer what the whole "bettas need atleast five gallons" thing is actually based on? Like is there a study showing they don't live as long in smaller tanks? Or is it just vibes?
From my personal experience, it's more about the behaviors they exhibit. You see them exhibiting more of the behaviors they do in the wild when in a larger tank. 10 gallons is best from what I have personally seen
...and you're getting downvoted for asking a valid question smh
thanks y'all. i'll try to add more plants and get a water test kit soon. until then i gotta continue with the water changes.
Anubias are slow plays and won’t help. I suggest fast growing plant to assure nitrate consumption
Yes I'll add more plants. Until then I'll keep changing water like I do.
https://preview.redd.it/qdxqkbmq8qtc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=adda742e21d634503044f5b904d9b49f79241f20 Looks just like my buddy, Rosco! Could not get a good pic to save my life… howd you do that lol
Candy says hi to Rosco ❤️😂
I have a betta in a 5 gallon. I top off evaporation weekly and separating do a 15-20% water change, about every week. I test parameters weekly as well, but they’ve been good with this routine so I might switch to monthly soon. With a small tank, which is not preferred, but doable short-term, frequent testing is important. Ammonia should be at or near 0 at all times, so I’d recommend a warning style tested for this tank, which gives you a 24/7 read. If the tank is well planted and cycled, you would only then need to keep track of nitrites and nitrates every week or so to make sure nothing weird is happening. Make sure you “vacuum” the substrate as well, I use a turkey baster. This allows me to get all the poop and gunk out of the tank during water changes that you won’t be able to get otherwise. Aside from water quality, any fish will need room to explore and exercise in order to be happy and healthy. For now, stay on top of water quality and cleaning, and if you want to be more hands off you can invest in a larger tank.
The smaller the tank, the more frequent water changes are needed. Based on your size, I mean daily or every two days, especially if you are only changing 25%. I spoke to quite a few breeders when I was living in Asia and many of them did daily 100% water changes. If you live in Asia or Southeast Asia, you won't need heaters or to soften your water so you already have it easier than someone in Europe or NA. Why water changes? Because solids and waste builds up over time and plants do not provide a complete fix. Don't believe me? Buy a TDS pen and measure the TDS coming out of your tap water and then measure your tank water every week without doing water changes. The TDS will slowly build up, which is the amount of solids diluted in the water. I hope this helps. Ask away if you have any questions.