Small 3G tank question

[swanandmokashi]

you guys are all great ! Thanks so much for your help !
I am doing a fishless cycling in this tank and seeing some good nitrite spike. I guess it should be cycled in a week or two .That is when the betta will arrive. All excited !!
Also I have researched diet habits of the betta. Mostly I found that they like the Hikari Betta Bio Gold pellets along with bloodworms once a week and starve them once a week. Also one place I read that you can feed them lettuce once a week .Is this true? If it is, do we just feed them a shred of lettuce..? but aren't bettas carnivorous ?? :?

 

[swanandmokashi]

Also I have a thermometer in my tank and it shows a constant temperature of 79-80 F almost all the time .I need to check at night.

I went to check out the bettas in Petsmart yesterday and felt really bad for the poor things stuffed inside that small plastic cup ! I felt like buying all of them !!

 

[An t-iasg]

Hi swanandmokashi,
My bettas like the Hikari Bio-Gold betta pellets. I also feed them Hikari freeze-dried bloodworms. You can give them bloodworms more than once a week. I alternate the Hikari pellets and bloodworms, so my bettas get bloodworms three times a week. This is their morning feeding. For the evening feeding, they get the Hikari freeze-dried daphnia or HBH Betta Bites. I give them an evening feeding on M-W-F. I pick one day a week (Sunday) that I don't feed them anything. Fasting for one day is good for their digestive system. It doesn't starve them. Your betta will be perfectly fine if he doesn't eat for one day!

A long time ago, I tried to give my betta some lettuce too. I put a small piece on a veggie clip. My poor betta was scared of it! He didn't eat any. He was too afraid to go near it. Bettas are carnivorous, but I've seen the betta I have now occasionally nip at the java moss.

That's good that your tank temperature is stable. I agree that it would be a good idea to check at night too, after the light has been off for awhile. Good luck in finding the perfect betta! I don't even look at them in the lfs, because I'd want to buy them all too!

 

[swanandmokashi]

thanks for the info An t-iasg

 

[An t-iasg]

You're welcome!

I was thinking that you said that you would give bloodworms once a week. Were you maybe thinking of brine shrimp? Bloodworms are a staple food, but brine shrimp should be only given as a treat, once a week or two. Brine shrimp has no great nutritional value. It's sometimes called the "potato chip" of fish food! It's been a few months since I treated my bettas to brine shrimp. I only get some when I'm at the hatchery that I go to for something else -- I don't make a special trip. But the bettas do love them occassionally!

Also, feeding peas once a week or two is good for bettas, and it helps to keep their digestive system flowing smoothly. I take a few peas, put them in a glass measuring cup with a little water, heat them in the microwave for 2 minutes, let them cool, peel the skin off, break the pea into very small pieces, and give them to the bettas. I find that frozen peas don't break apart in the water like canned peas do. I usually give each betta a half of a pea or less. I just put a few extra in the microwave in case some decide to explode!

 

[swanandmokashi]

So guys I have finalised on getting a single male betta for my 3 GAL. My tank is still cycling. I would like to ask a question : Is there any possibility of keeping a live plant in this tank? I asked the guy at PETCO and he said the tank is too small to have a live plant as the fish should get all the oxygen it can get.
Is this true?
And also if I can have a small live plant in there , at what stage of cycling should I add the plant?
TIA

 

[Christmasfish]

My daughter's minitanks have java and cryptocornes. Because of her constant water changes she has no substrate on her minis. She rotates the plants out when they are to big and grabs a small one form her larger tank. He 5 galon tank has Java fern adn moss adn crypts. Water sprite doesn't like our water and it explodes hornwort with the acidity. All the tanks have a silk backup plant and slowly all get a couch.
My betta doesn't count..he is spoiled and overweight in a community tnk.. ^_^

 

[swanandmokashi]

great information

You're welcome!

I was thinking that you said that you would give bloodworms once a week. Were you maybe thinking of brine shrimp? Bloodworms are a staple food, but brine shrimp should be only given as a treat, once a week or two. Brine shrimp has no great nutritional value. It's sometimes called the "potato chip" of fish food! It's been a few months since I treated my bettas to brine shrimp. I only get some when I'm at the hatchery that I go to for something else -- I don't make a special trip. But the bettas do love them occassionally!

Also, feeding peas once a week or two is good for bettas, and it helps to keep their digestive system flowing smoothly. I take a few peas, put them in a glass measuring cup with a little water, heat them in the microwave for 2 minutes, let them cool, peel the skin off, break the pea into very small pieces, and give them to the bettas. I find that frozen peas don't break apart in the water like canned peas do. I usually give each betta a half of a pea or less. I just put a few extra in the microwave in case some decide to explode!

great information !!

 

[An t-iasg]

Awww...thanks! After reading my post again, the one line should say that the frozen peas don't break apart in TANK water. I found that a canned pea turned to mush upon putting it into the tank, and the bettas couldn't eat it -- the pea wasn't really solid enough for them to eat, so I like frozen better for that reason. The poop that comes out of the bettas the next day after they eat peas... 8O That's why the peas are good for them!

 

[swanandmokashi]

Awww...thanks! After reading my post again, the one line should say that the frozen peas don't break apart in TANK water. I found that a canned pea turned to mush upon putting it into the tank, and the bettas couldn't eat it -- the pea wasn't really solid enough for them to eat, so I like frozen better for that reason. The poop that comes out of the bettas the next day after they eat peas... 8O That's why the peas are good for them!

so basically peas help their digestion right?

 

[bungle]

I asked the guy at PETCO and he said the tank is too small to have a live plant as the fish should get all the oxygen it can get.

since when do plants consume oxygen??

 

[swanandmokashi]

since when do plants consume oxygen??

That is what he said !
But the plants too do consume oxygen too BTW -> when they do photosynthesis to prepare food for themselves.

But point taken -> I always liked the idea of having a live plant in my tank and without this forum , I would have never given it a thought.
Whatever I was asking the PETCO guy , he was sating my tank was too small I was like , Yeah I know that , tell me something new

But you guys have been great help ! Hopefully my tank will be cycled soon and I will get my dear betta

Thanks you once again !

 

[bungle]

huh, i never would have guessed! i always thought plants consume the carbon dioxide, and gave off oxygen, with no exceptions. i was meaning to be sarcastic, but whatdya know, i learned somethin new

 

[swanandmokashi]

huh, i never would have guessed! i always thought plants consume the carbon dioxide, and gave off oxygen, with no exceptions. i was meaning to be sarcastic, but whatdya know, i learned somethin new

I in fact started doubting myself after your comment.
its been some time since I read /remembered Biology
so checked out on the web .. here we go
http://www.mcps.k12.md.us/departments/eventscience/EBS.OS1_RS~DF.html

 

[bungle]

nice link! thanks, swanandmokashi

 

[Menagerie]

Peas are great to help all fish (if they eat it) with digestion. Frozen peas are great--nuke them, peel them, serve! When I serve peas to my fish, that is all they get for the day.

 

[swanandmokashi]

nice link! thanks, swanandmokashi

welcome! at last i am not asking questions on this forum and being of help to someone else too

 

[An t-iasg]

I agree with Menagerie -- peas are the only food the fish get that day. Swanandmokashi, you're going to do great with your betta!

 

[swanandmokashi]

I agree with Menagerie -- peas are the only food the fish get that day. Swanandmokashi, you're going to do great with your betta!

geez thanks , can't hardly wait !
I have posted my fishless cycling data in the forum , if you guys don't mind having a look