Want a betta at work... lowest tech setup possible?

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

callisto9

Aquarium Advice FINatic
Joined
Sep 20, 2012
Messages
757
Location
Bettendorf, IA
I know you're not supposed to do a betta in a bowl, but I'd like a betta at work and would like it to be as little maintenance as possible. I'm a little nervous about having a heater and filter running (well, the heater more than the filter) all weekend while I'm not here.

And, being I kinda want to keep this under the radar, I don't want to spend a lot of time on the tank. How does one do water changes on a small tank in an office setting?

I have a 20G planted tank at home that takes about an hour a week to do WCs on. It's in great shape, but I don't have the time to put that kind-of effort into a work aquarium (don't think the higher ups would be keen on that).

I really want one little betta at work...what's the least I can get away from, or should I just scrap the idea altogether? Thoughts?
 
There are 5gal, 2.5gal, and 1.5gal desktop nano aquariums by fluval, as well as other manufacturers that come with small submersible filters. I would go with one with a low flow, as bettas tend to get tossed around from high current. Those beautiful tails act just like sails on a ship!!! :D
 
The smallest I'd go is 2.5 gal. 5 gal is better but a 2.5 would probably suffice. You would need the heater though as bettas like it warm (78-80) and they can get sick if the water is too cold. Do you have another tank set up? if so you can pull some media from your tank to seed the betta tank; it should instantly cycle it if you use enough then you would just need to do a weekly water change. A plastic cup or bowl or something to pour water in (dechlorinated of course) would probably work. You should siphon the bottom regularly so you'd need a small siphon and a bucket, they have siphons for smaller tanks or you could just use some airline tubing (suck on one end to get the siphon going then run it along the bottom to suck up waste).
 
How do you do a water change on such a small aquarium?

Thanks for the tips about the filters.

I usually just dunk a cup in a few times, empty it, them refill with a few drops of dechlorinator, I like the API stress coat, it neutralizes chlorine and helps promote a stress coat, which is invaluable. Saechem prime is a better option, with more to offer, but I haven't used that one. Everyone who has seems to swear by it though
 
The smallest I'd go is 2.5 gal. 5 gal is better but a 2.5 would probably suffice. You would need the heater though as bettas like it warm (78-80) and they can get sick if the water is too cold. Do you have another tank set up? if so you can pull some media from your tank to seed the betta tank; it should instantly cycle it if you use enough then you would just need to do a weekly water change. A plastic cup or bowl or something to pour water in (dechlorinated of course) would probably work. You should siphon the bottom regularly so you'd need a small siphon and a bucket, they have siphons for smaller tanks or you could just use some airline tubing (suck on one end to get the siphon going then run it along the bottom to suck up waste).

+1 to the tubing, I'm going to try that on my nano. I always cause more work for mysel than is necessary haha
 
Some additional tips:

Don't do any maintenance while "on the clock." If the boss sees that he/she may feel you are spending less time on actual work. Interact with the tank wisely. Don't let others think the tank is a distraction (coworkers included).

Make sure the temperature settings don't fluctuate wildly when no one is in the office, i.e., nights, weekends, holidays, etc.

Make sure maintenance personnel do not clean near the tank or spray anything that can make it into the tank.

Ensure all electrical outlets are far from the tank. You don't want to be blamed for a business interruption if your betta decides to splash a little water here and there, or you spill water over important documents.

Keep all tank related things out of sight, including the food. Your desk should always look professional.

Get a tank with a filter that does not make noise. Air stones may be annoying to others, especially if you work in a cubicle station.

Hope this helps and good luck!

David
 
The smallest I'd go is 2.5 gal. 5 gal is better but a 2.5 would probably suffice. You would need the heater though as bettas like it warm (78-80) and they can get sick if the water is too cold. Do you have another tank set up? if so you can pull some media from your tank to seed the betta tank; it should instantly cycle it if you use enough then you would just need to do a weekly water change. A plastic cup or bowl or something to pour water in (dechlorinated of course) would probably work. You should siphon the bottom regularly so you'd need a small siphon and a bucket, they have siphons for smaller tanks or you could just use some airline tubing (suck on one end to get the siphon going then run it along the bottom to suck up waste).

This is where my hang up starts to come. I'm not going to use a siphon and bucket at work. I can take some water out, sure, but I'm not going to have all that equipment here to do a water change. However, I know I need to get to the bottom of the tank since that's where all the gunk is. Would a planted tank allow me to just take some water out with a cup and not worry as much about the bottom of the tank?

I do have a cycled tank at home, so getting a new one seeded would be easy.

I usually just dunk a cup in a few times, empty it, them refill with a few drops of dechlorinator, I like the API stress coat, it neutralizes chlorine and helps promote a stress coat, which is invaluable. Saechem prime is a better option, with more to offer, but I haven't used that one. Everyone who has seems to swear by it though

I use Seachem Prime at home, based on the recommendation of... well, everything I read online. It's good stuff.

How do you clean the bottom of your tank tippy?

Some additional tips:

Don't do any maintenance while "on the clock." If the boss sees that he/she may feel you are spending less time on actual work. Interact with the tank wisely. Don't let others think the tank is a distraction (coworkers included).

Make sure the temperature settings don't fluctuate wildly when no one is in the office, i.e., nights, weekends, holidays, etc.

Make sure maintenance personnel do not clean near the tank or spray anything that can make it into the tank.

Ensure all electrical outlets are far from the tank. You don't want to be blamed for a business interruption if your betta decides to splash a little water here and there, or you spill water over important documents.

Keep all tank related things out of sight, including the food. Your desk should always look professional.

Get a tank with a filter that does not make noise. Air stones may be annoying to others, especially if you work in a cubicle station.

Hope this helps and good luck!

David

All excellent advice, thank you. My main concern is having two/three things running all weekend - light, filter, heater. I'm away from the office from 5pm Friday until 8am Monday and I worry about having those things running all weekend.

Oh, and my desk looks anything but professional. LOL My company is OK with that. ;)
 

Attachments

  • 307960_10151247563105786_72373542_n.jpg
    307960_10151247563105786_72373542_n.jpg
    91.9 KB · Views: 125
How do you clean the bottom of your tank tippy?

I use a siphon/vacuum once a week during water changes. I also have a filter with the space for two filter pads, so I have very little trouble replacing one when I need to, as there is always a full established colony to seed the new one. So that helps. But I dont think they make those for nano aquariums haha
 
Not sure it helps. I have a marineland 5 gallon bow front. I have a small Aqueon heater and an Azoo palm filter. I change 50% one a week but you could probably go with 1-2 gallon change per week. I have a tiny vacuum that works well probably 1" diameter. Maybe you could syphon into a modified drinking water dispenser ( like Ozarka with the pull opening) and use the same container to refill.

Like these ?
 

Attachments

  • image-3093372362.jpg
    image-3093372362.jpg
    188.3 KB · Views: 103
I'd get a Fluval Spec III or similar system, a 25 watt heater, a lamp timer for the light, and a couple of empty one gallon water jugs. To change the water just siphon out a gallon into one empty jug with airline tubing (as above) and refill the tank with a gallon of fresh treated tap using the other jug. Weekends shouldn't be a problem if you have live plants and a few ramshorns. Hungry bettas are known to eat baby snails if push comes to shove. Even if he doesn't eat prepared food or snails on Saturdays and Sundays he'll be fine. Lots of people even have reef tanks at their office that don't get fed or checked on during the weekends. A betta will be fine. He WILL need a heater. The Spec systems have a space in the filter compartment to hide one. I just set-up a Spec V for my daughter and it's awesome. There are lots of other nice systems though.
 
callisto9 said:
Hmmm. It's so tempting, but I just don't know.

Yeah, I know how you feel. It's always best to really think these things over carefully before jumping in. A betta at work just sounds like cheating. Playing on the job or something. I'd be soo distracted! >_<'
 
I bought a little heater with a built in fuse so if the heater goes berserk it will pop the fuse and not cook your fish, for 5-10 gal. If it pops you have to buy a new heater, but I'd rather do that than have boiled Betta!

If you use the big water jug idea, that should be fine. Also you could use bog plant like Arrowhead in the top to help keep water clean Syngonium / Nephthytis. Arrowhead plant comes in lots of leaf shape and color variations!.

Once the plant gets a good root system you just trim the roots periodically and have a gorgeous house plant with a aquarium "vase". Just come in to work a half hour early (or stay half hour late) and pwc. Use bottled spring water and a dash of prime. You could do a few cups to gallon pwc every couple weeks and a bigger clean out every 4-5. With a Nerite snail or two.

I think you would need a 24-32oz plastic to go cup, a medium tubing or mini vac, a towel, the Prime. Use one gallon container for waste water and the 2.5 gal spring water to replenish.
 
With a 1.5 gallon tank you could always scoop some water out, unplug it, and take it home for the weekend and water change at home :)
 
With a 1.5 gallon tank you could always scoop some water out, unplug it, and take it home for the weekend and water change at home :)
You know, that's actually not a bad idea! But then he/she would be known around the office as the "nut" with the fish tank. Kinda funny if you ask me...

David
 
1.5 gallon tanks really aren't suitable for bettas. The bare minimum is 5 gallons, 2.5 if you're in a really tricky situation. If they're in any smaller they'll get bored and sad. Also bringing home the tank every week would probably be really stressful for the fish. I'd recommend the Azoo palm filter since they are extremely quiet.
 
They make mini siphons and you could carry in a one gal jug already dechlorinated. Fill an empty one with tank water from your siphon then fill it with the gallon jug you brought from home. Then leave the empty jug there for next water change and bring the old tank water home to dispose of.
 
I would never do a 1.5 gallon. However a 3 gallon does appeal to me, but I know I should do five.

My thing is, I don't want to do the whole tank siphon/bucket thing. It's such a hassle doing it here at home... I just don't want to fuss with it.

I was at a local pet store today and saw the "betta in a bowl" thing with the plant on top. :( I know better now, but I guess I was hoping for something in-between. I'm not ruling it out yet...

I'm definitely not carting a tank back and forth to work. We do have RO water at work, so that's nice. And I can water my two plants with WC water.
 
You'll have to siphon eventually if you want to have a successful tank. I promise you it won't be that much of a hassle. You can just stay 20-30 minutes late once a week to do it. It won't take an hour. Water changes on my 38 gallon tank only take 20 minutes, 30 when I scrub algae or trim the plants.
 
Back
Top Bottom