betta and a 2.5gal

[lg310]

Ok I'm.doing some research found a 2.5 gal and heater. My question is do i need to cycle the water or do i just do a 100% water change weekly? A website said to do that but not sure if that's healthy.

 

[Scouser]

You don't cycle the water, that is a common misconception.

Cycling is a process in which you grow a culture of bacteria that feed on certain waste products.

The bacteria will stick to any sold surface in the tank, most of the BB (beneficial bacteria) occupy a filters media.

If you don't have a filter you would have to test the water and change it fairly frequently.

 

[lg310]

Cool so if i see a rise in ammonia or nitrite replace the water?

 

[Scouser]

Cool so if i see a rise in ammonia or nitrite replace the water?

Yep basically.

Make sure the water you replace is temperature matched and decholorinated.

The stress zone of ammo is 0.5ppm above that and the fish will start to be damaged.

I don't know if it's possible but maybe a small filter could be put in the tank, which once cycled will convert the ammo to nitrite and then to the less harmful nitrate which your PWC will remove

 

[lg310]

Yeah i was thinking but its so little water might as well replace it.

 

[LyndaB]

Ok I'm.doing some research found a 2.5 gal and heater. My question is do i need to cycle the water or do i just do a 100% water change weekly? A website said to do that but not sure if that's healthy.

I was actually a little confused about scouser's response, and I already knew what it should say, so I wanted to be sure you are not confused, too.

You don't cycle the water, but you MUST cycle the tank.

For obvious reasons, it's safest to do this BEFORE you get the fish.

 

[cheeky_monkey]

I don't agree that its safer to cycle before fish I just think you need to be really vigilant with water changes. Be prepares to water change every day sometimes twice a day.

 

[Hobgob]

Cool so if i see a rise in ammonia or nitrite replace the water?

Also watch for nitrate levels as well. But without a filter ammo would be important.

 

[Hobgob]

I was actually a little confused about scouser's response, and I already knew what it should say, so I wanted to be sure you are not confused, too.

You don't cycle the water, but you MUST cycle the tank.

For obvious reasons, it's safest to do this BEFORE you get the fish.

How is it safer if I keep all my levels in the good? I think the only danger is a tank breaking. It is a lot less work yes and you have to be dedicated to it. But if done right it is safer because I'm not dealing with a bunch of pure ammonia...

 

[LyndaB]

Let's put it this way, cycling is stressful for the fish and weakens most species. It's kinder to the fish to cycle before purchase.

People use ammonia to do house cleaning every day. It's not dangerous to cycle a tank with it, or it wouldn't be recommended so highly.

Do you have a filter and a good test kit?

 

[Hobgob]

I personally did not say it was dangerous to use ammonia... It's fine to do it either way IMO. I believe it's easier to do a fishless. And what I meant by ammo all over me, was if I spill the bottle or something I'd rather have water on me.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

I would get a filter. Your changing all the water anyway (like you don't have one) then eventually the tank will be cycled. I have a 2.5g Betta tank, it's cycled and I still have to do 50% PWC twice a week to keep it clean.

 

[HooKooDooKu]

How is it safer if I keep all my levels in the good? I think the only danger is a tank breaking. It is a lot less work yes and you have to be dedicated to it. But if done right it is safer because I'm not dealing with a bunch of pure ammonia...

It is safer because basically as soon as the fish produces some ammonia, the filter almost instantly converts it to nitrite->nitrate and the ammonia and nitrite remain at ZERO.

But if you do a fishy cycle, you are letting the ammonia levels rise above zero before you do a pwc, and the pwc itself is stressful on the fish (the act of messing with his home, the difference in temperatures between the old and new water, and any water condition differences between the old and new water). You also add to the over all stress on the fish by having to do the pwc daily rather than weekly.

And yes, pwcs are stressful to fish. Yes they NEED the pwc and are better off afterwards. But how would you like it if you spent every day, all day, in your bedroom and once a day at some random unexpected hour someone came barging into your room to clean it up and make the bed. It's not going to kill you, but it will indeed be an added stress to your daily life.

And when you are doing a fishless cycle, the pure ammonia is safe (if you keep it safely away from children) because there's no fish in the tank to harm. But you do have to make sure to get ammonia that is free of soaps/sufficants (such as the ACE Hardware Store store brand of ammonia).

 

[adadkins1]

I agree that a filter is really a must. For a 2.5g, I'd recommend getting a Red Sea Deco Art Nano filter. You can adjust the flow so you don't blow you Betta around, but at the same time you can keep your water cleaner.

I am also from the school of thought that fish-in cycling is perfectly fine. If you are extremely vigilant on testing your water and doing water changes accordingly your fish will be perfectly fine. I would advise doing daily 30% water changes during the cycling process. You may need to do a larger amount if you detect ammonia/nitrites of .5ppm or higher.

Yes, fishless cycling is safer per say, but I find it more of a hassle. I tried it and my cycle stalled, I was testing twice a day trying to make sure that I kept the ammonia at just the right level, etc. Fish-in cycling is fine if you are willing to make the commitment.

*Edit: I don't think performing PWC's is going to stress a Betta to death.

 

[HooKooDooKu]

I personally did not say it was dangerous to use ammonia... It's fine to do it either way IMO. I believe it's easier to do a fishless. And what I meant by ammo all over me, was if I spill the bottle or something I'd rather have water on me.

Find an old dropper (like an old contact solution bottle) and fill it with ammonia. When dosing a tank, you only need a few drops. So using an old dropper will keep you from getting it all over yourself. Of course you'll need to keep said bottle out of little ones reach. But you can add some safety to it by not filling it up. You are only going to need less than 1oz of ammonia to cycle a tank.

 

[HooKooDooKu]

...I was testing twice a day trying to make sure that I kept the ammonia at just the right level...

I see why you find fishless cycling a hassle. IMHO, if you are testing twice daily, you're being a bit anal about the process. Fishless cycling doesn't require THAT much perfection. As bacterial colonies grow, they are not going to die over night just because ammonia/nitrite levels were not being kept at just the right levels. You only have to make sure the tank is kept "fed" so that once the 1st colony gets established, they don't die completely off while you're waiting on the the 2nd colony to become established.

But hey, when it comes to cycling a tank, there are a thousand different ways we can do it. In the end, we both wind up with a cycled tank, neither one being better than the other once the process is complete.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

..... In the end, we both wind up with a cycled tank, neither one being better than the other once the process is complete.

I agree!
To the op
I strongly encourage you to cycle your new tank (using either method) to make it a safer environment.

 

[jetajockey]

I agree!
To the op
I strongly encourage you to cycle your new tank (using either method) to make it a safer environment.

I agree. There's a stigma around fish-in cycling unfortunately, and both methods have their positives and negatives, but neither one hurt fish if the person understands and has a handle on the process.

 

[siva]

I would definitely get a filter. You can place some seeded media from your other tank in the new filter and it will be instantly cycled. However, I do think a 5 gal tank or more makes a better home for a betta.

 

[adadkins1]

Maybe I was being anal, but it took me forever to find out just the right amount I needed to dose.

I agree. There's a stigma around fish-in cycling unfortunately, and both methods have their positives and negatives, but neither one hurt fish if the person understands and has a handle on the process.

Unfortunately that is so true. Many people throw things out of proportions like you are 100% destined for failure and dead fish when you do fish-in cycling. However, like jeta said, if you understand whats going on and you know what needs to be done you can definitely pull of a fish-in cycle safely.

siva has a good point: if you can get your hands on some media to seed your tank with, the process will be even safer and faster.