new hobbiest need any advice

[megladonsharky]

Hello all.. I have a critter keeper about 2.5 gal with many snails ( ramshorn and corkscrew I think) one male betta ( he is about 3.25 inches) and two I think female white clouds. All get along but lately the betta seems happy in a 1/2 gallon bowl . Is this normal?? Next ? I have some white look like the top of a pus willow blew in on the bottom of the 2.5 gallon tank ( it has a air pump and small world filter) ... the water is changed 30% every 7-10 days with a full change about 3.5 weeks , temp is 69-73 and I am stumped as to what it is so is the pet store..

[Menagerie]

[center:d703094a84] Welcome to AA, megladonsharky!! [/center:d703094a84]

I have some white look like the top of a pus willow blew in on the bottom of the 2.5 gallon tank ( it has a air pump and small world filter)

Sounds like fungus, is it easily removed?
What are your water parameters (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate)?
Do the white clouds pick on the betta? 2.5 gals is pretty cramped with all that bioload.

Now for advice you didn't ask for:
Bettas do best with a heater and a filter. This will minimize tail rot and/or fungal infections. They like to be able to explore their surroundings. My female betta is in a 25 gallon tank with some peaceful fish and she is always exploring. My male betta is in a five gallon tank with a couple of Khuli loaches. I suggest you get a 5 gal tank for all the animals, a 25-50W heater and you can probably still use the filter.


Where are you in Idaho? I recently moved from Moscow, where I attended UI.

[FawnN]

A 2.5 Gallon is way too small for any fish. Even if you did water changes everyday, it wouldn't help with your ammonia.

I would suggest you get the biggest tank you can afford so that you are able to add the fish you want.

This hobby is very expensive, but it has it's rewards in the end.

[megladonsharky]

Thank u both for the advice. [color=#0900ff]I pick it up easily( well it is in h20) ... I dont know the exact #s but they are all in the healthy range . I was told my ph was low like 6.8. I have a ten gallon tank with a in gravel filter and a old heater ( pet store said not to use , but Trafalger ( the betta) does not seem to like bigger paces I put him in a five gallon bowl and he didnt bubble and he didnt eat . The tank mates seem to really like one another( the white clouds have grown 30% since I got them about two months ago). I am a biology major but what kills fungus in a fish tank?? The pet store tried to give me meracyn sp

Also in the tank are an anacranis and a plant that has a reddish tinge on the leaves


I am in Post Falls .

[Menagerie]

I miss those Outlet sidewalk sales!!

Your pH is fine--a stable pH is better than a perfect pH. I majored in Bio and fungus is one of those funny things in an aquarium. Definitely clean out any excess food and cut back on feedings. I only feed my fish every other day. The fish are fine and it allows me to put more money into better food Anyway, see if that gets rid of the white stuff. Is it easily removable?

I'm a big believer in bigger is better I would move the white clouds to a bigger tank to give them more swimming room (I would also add some more to allow them to shoal and school). Change the heater to a newer one. Ebo Jagers are reliable, although pricey depending on where you get it. (I love eBay for fish needs!) I have 9 white clouds in a 50 gal and it is great to see them shoaling at the top of the tank. Then try the betta in the 2.5 and give it a week. A well fed fish will not starve in one week. Also try to tempt the betta with frozen blood worms. When the betta was in the 5 gal, what kind of decor did you have?

[megladonsharky]

I hade an ancranis and a java fern with some java moss and gravel in the five gallon same as the 2.5 I think it is easily removable i can kinda catch it
Another What can I use to clean the sides my pad has disappeared

[petitemonk]

Originally Posted by Menagerie

I miss those Outlet sidewalk sales!!

I'm a big believer in bigger is better

Dang...

[Psyhampster]

could the white stuff possibly be a betta bubble nest?

[megladonsharky]

no it is like cotton not the bubble nest...

anyones betta quit making a nest when an air pump was introduced???

[An t-iasg]

Hi megladonsharky,
I agree with the others who said that 2.5 gallons is too small for a betta plus some other fish. Is the betta in the half gallon bowl now? I don't think he'll be happy in there for long. Like Menagerie said, put the male betta in a 5 gallon tank, with a heater and a filter. My bettas are in 5 gallon tanks, and I have no health issues at all with them. I have a Visi-Therm Deluxe 25-watt heater, and a sponge filter (Azoo brand) run by an air pump through a gang valve to lessen the water flow and current. Bettas don't like current. I can adjust the gang valve so excess air escapes through some of the unused ports in the gang valve, and air coming through the sponge filter doesn't create a current.

I have found that a big factor in finrot for bettas is the water temperature. Without a heater, the temperature fluctuates, and over time, just a fluctuation of 2-4 degrees throughout the day and night is enough to stress, and cause illness, in the betta. 80-82 degrees is the optimal temperature for a betta.

One reason your betta didn't seem to like the 5 gallon before may have been the decorations in the tank, or possibly the current was too much for him. I have a mix of real and silk plants in my tank. Bettas like to explore, and also like to find a special "spot" to rest. If you fill the tank with 5-7 plants, I bet the betta will be very happy. Remember to use silk and not plastic plants for bettas. Their long, delicate fins can tear on plastic decorations.

Some medicines that I've found useful for bettas are BettaMax and Jungle Fungus Eliminator. If the betta has finrot, but is still active and eating, try BettaMax. If he is lethargic, or the finrot is especially bad, try the Jungle product. You can make a tonic with the BettaMax as it suggests on the box, and do daily water changes with the BettaMax for 5-7 days. The Jungle Fungus Eliminator suggests a water change 4 days after the initial dose, but when I used it I did a water change every other day, and treated the replacement water with the amount of medicine that I was taking out.

Unfortunately, my bettas don't make bubble nests in the 5 gallon tanks, with the air pump, even though the top of the water doesn't move too much. I can see that they are happy, and healthy, so I wouldn't consider putting them in a smaller container just so they would make a bubble nest.

[megladonsharky]

Thank u for the advice .. I just got a female betta and she is lovely , shell be in the ten gallon when i get it up and running.. Anyone have filter advice >?? It is a ten gallon tank with a undergravel filter. the male is in the 3 gallon by the dimentions tank. 8)