MrsSmartyPants
Aquarium Advice Newbie
Hi all! A little background :
For the past year, I have kept 1 male Betta in a 1 gallon bowl. After much research I added an under-gravel heater and a slow filter for tanks under 3 gallons. I also added a decoration that he could hide in. Well, as to be expected, there was no room for the fish lol (kidding, but you get the idea)
So? Within an hour of setting up the decoration I was at PetSmart buying a 6 gallon Fluval Spec.
I set it up last night, filled it, and have been letting it run.
I know less than nothing about fish, but the last thing I want to do is hurt an animal through my ignorance.
I read through the "cycling for beginners" post ... and I'm more afraid and confused than ever.
1. The guy at the store thought I was ridiculous to be buying a tank for a betta, since, you know, they LIKE small spaces
2. He told me to fill it, let it run overnight (to cycle) and then put the fish in.
3. He said I absolutely can NOT add any other fish into the tank with a betta (I wanted to add a few friends to add visual drama to the tank). I really liked the black mollys (or is it mollies?).
Now, I know I need to go buy a testing kit and tap into my limited chemistry knowledge.
So now some questions:
- am I really looking at 3 weeks to cycle? (I live in the city, so the water will be chlorinated - perhaps I should use "filtered" water instead of straight tap water?)
- are there ANY fish that I can add with the betta? (If so? Please be somewhat specific so that I can google them)
- IF there are fish I can add, I was thinking of adding everyone at the same time so there are no "territory" issues - but after reading the guide, It says that's a bad idea. Who should go "first"? Or is there an order in which I should add them? (This may be a moot point if the betta does in fact need to be alone).
- in the future, how do I clean the tank? Specifically, the poop and food in the gravel? And how often does it need to be done?
I am truly sorry for the ridiculously novice questions, but they should possibly be a red flag that I'm not prepared to own fish.